Tensions rise between Israel and Jordan over Jerusalem situation

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

The Washington Post recently highlighted the growing tensions between Israel and Jordan and commented on King Abdullah II and the Jordanian people's anger over Israel's actions in occupied Jerusalem. The current situation in the Holy City poses a threat to the peace agreement currently in effect between the two countries.

The American newspaper also noted in on its website on Monday, that a feud between Jordan and Israel could undermine the efforts of the US-led fight against Islamic extremists and it also threatens the natural gas deal worth billions of dollars for both countries.

It was also noted that Jordan had made an unusual decision by choosing to recall its ambassador from Tel Aviv as a form of protest to Israel's actions in the Holy City and the escalation of conflict due to Israel's mistreatment of Muslim worshipers at the Aqsa Mosque. The Jordanian ambassador has yet to return to his post.

Jordanian officials emphasized that King Abdullah's inability to protect the Aqsa mosque is something that could undermine his credibility in his own country as his legitimacy or claim to the throne stems from the idea that he is a descendant of the Prophet Mohammad and a member of the Hashemite tribes. Jordan's inability to act in defense of al Aqsa would also undermine its image within the Muslim community as well as hinder any progress in the fight against Islamic extremists in Iraq and Syria.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/15464-tensions-rise-between-israel-and-jordan-over-jerusalem-situation.

Tunisian party gives up support for Marzouki

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Tunisia's Popular Front, a coalition of democratic and left-wing forces, announced it would not support the presidential candidate Moncef Marzouki, Al-Arab Al-Yawm reported today.

The announcement came in the wake of reports that Marzouki and the leader of Nidaa Tunis Party Beji Caid El-Sebsi are going for a second round of elections.

Mohamed Al-Jamour, a senior leader of the Popular Front who made the surprise announcement, said that the Front had not yet decided on its final position. He said that the group is to meet soon and would study what it would do in light of the results of the elections. Adding that the group would take the decision that is in the country's best interests.

The Front had its own nominee in the presidential elections, Hamma Hammami, who did not have any support from the other political groups in Tunisia.

Hammami obtained nine per cent of the votes in the elections, according to the Anadolu Agency, which Al-Jamour described as an okay result.

Marzouki obtained 34 per cent of the votes in the first round of elections, while El-Sebsi attained 42 per cent.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/15461-tunisian-party-gives-up-support-for-marzouki.

Marzouki, Essebsi set for runoff in Tunisia presidential vote

2014-11-24

By Antoine Lambroschini - TUNIS

Tunisia's incumbent President Moncef Marzouki on Monday appeared set for a runoff vote against an anti-Islamist party ex-premier after the first free leadership vote since the 2011 revolution that sparked the Arab Spring.

The election is a milestone in the North African country where a popular uprising set off a chain of revolts that saw several Arab dictators toppled by citizens demanding democratic reform.

The campaign manager for Marzouki said he is neck and neck with former premier Beji Caid Essebsi, the pre-polling favorite among 27 candidates vying for the top job.

"At the worst we are even but at best we're between two and four percent ahead," Adnene Mancer told reporters after polling closed.

"Our chances are good as we go into a runoff" next month, he said.

But the camp of Essebsi, the 87-year-old political veteran whose anti-Islamist Nidaa Tounes party won October's parliamentary polls, said he had come out ahead in Sunday's vote.

Essebsi, "according to preliminary estimates, is ahead and has a large lead", his campaign manager Mohsen Marzouk told journalists.

But with Essebsi "not far short" of the absolute majority needed to win outright, a second round was likely, Marzouk added.

Marzouki's campaign manager said he was concerned that "fraud" had been committed by the Essebsi camp, and urged election monitors to stay vigilant.

- Exit polls -

Exit polls conducted by a private organisation gave Essebsi between 42.7 percent and 47.8 percent of the vote with Marzouki trailing at between 26.9 percent and 32.6 percent, a state television report said.

Official results from what Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa called a "historic day" will be known by Wednesday and a runoff second round vote will be held in late December if there is no outright winner.

Marzouki called on "all democratic forces" to back him in a second round against his rival.

Another presidential hopeful, Hamma Hammami, who according to exit polls came in third, told the media that his political group will meet "as soon as possible" to examine how they should vote in case of a runoff.

Though Tunisia's march towards democracy has been fraught by crisis, it has won international plaudits for not slipping into the post-revolution chaos seen by other Arab Spring states, such as neighbor Libya.

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini called the election a further step in Tunisia's "democratic transition" and said it was up to the people to "complete the electoral process with transparency and respect".

Whatever the outcome, Tunisians hailed the election as a landmark which they hoped would lead to economic and political stability.

"This election is very important. It's the culmination of the revolution and something that we really should not pass up," said one observer who gave his name only as Moez.

Bechir Yahyaoui could hardly control his emotions as he voted in Tunis, saying that for once he was "voting for who I want, with no pressure, no bribes".

"Before (under Ben Ali) you had to go and vote, regardless of the outcome. This time the election is free and transparent," he said.

Turnout was around 64.6 percent, authorities said, with some 5.3 million people eligible to vote.

Tens of thousands of police and troops were deployed to guarantee security amid fears that Islamist militants might seek to disrupt the polling.

Other candidates included ministers who served under ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, leftwinger Hammami, business magnate Slim Riahi and a lone woman, magistrate Kalthoum Kannou.

- Powers restricted -

Until the revolution, Tunisia knew only two presidents -- Habib Bourguiba, the "father of independence" from France in 1956, and Ben Ali, who deposed him in a 1987 coup.

To prevent another dictatorship, presidential powers have been restricted under a new constitution, with executive prerogatives transferred to a premier from parliament's top party.

Essebsi's campaign focused on "state prestige", with a wide appeal to Tunisians dissatisfied with Islamist rule in the post-revolution era.

But his critics have warned that Essebsi is out to restore the old regime, having served under both former presidents.

Marzouki argues that only he can preserve the gains of the uprising, while his critics say he hijacked the spirit of the revolution by allying himself with the moderate Islamist party Ennahda in 2011.

The rule of Ennahda, which came second in the October parliamentary election, was marred by a surge of radical Islamism and the assassination of two leftist politicians by jihadist suspects.

If Essebsi wins he will have to form a coalition government, even with Ennahda, because Nidaa Tounes fell short of securing an absolute majority in October.

Whoever wins, the economy will be a priority, with unemployment, a leading cause of the revolution, running at 15 percent.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=69047.

Tunisia votes for president in first free and multi-candidate election

2014-11-23

By Antoine Lambroschini – TUNIS

Tunisians voted Sunday in their first presidential election since the 2011 revolution that sparked the Arab Spring, in a ballot set to round off an often fraught transition to democracy.

Among the 27 candidates the favorite is former premier Beji Caid Essebsi, an 87-year-old veteran whose anti-Islamist Nidaa Tounes party won a parliamentary election last month.

Others vying for the presidency include outgoing President Moncef Marzouki, several ministers who served under ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, leftwinger Hamma Hammami, business magnate Slim Riahi and a lone woman, magistrate Kalthoum Kannou.

Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa hailed the vote.

"It's a historic day, the first presidential election in Tunisia held under advanced democratic norms," Jomaa said. "God willing, it will be a great festival of democracy."

Some 5.3 million people are eligible to vote, with tens of thousands of police and troops deployed to guarantee security amid fears Islamist militants might seek to disrupt polling day.

Polling hours were restricted to just five in some 50 localities close to the Algerian border, where armed groups are active. Everywhere else, polls were due to close at 1700 GMT.

A run-off vote will be held at the end of December if no one secures an absolute majority.

Jomaa, who heads a caretaker government of independents charged with overseeing the completion of Tunisia's transition, has repeatedly contrasted its relative peacefulness with the violence rocking other Arab Spring countries.

The election represents "hope, a big hope for the region," Jomaa said during a last-minute inspection of polling stations late on Saturday.

"We were the first to enter into this cycle of change which they have called the Arab Spring. We will be the first (to make the transition) but others will follow," he said.

Tunisia has won international plaudits for largely steering clear of the violence, repression and lawlessness of other Arab Spring countries such as neighboring Libya.

Until the revolution, Tunisia knew only two presidents -- Habib Bourguiba, the "father of independence" from France in 1956, and Ben Ali, who deposed him in a 1987 coup.

To prevent the emergence of another dictatorship, presidential powers have been restricted under a new constitution, with executive prerogatives transferred to a premier drawn from parliament's top party.

Frontrunner Essebsi has run on a campaign of "state prestige", a slogan with wide appeal to Tunisians anxious for an end to instability.

Supporters argue only he can stand up to the Islamists who first held power in the post-Ben Ali era, but critics charge he is out to restore the old regime, having served under both former presidents.

"Long live Tunisia," Essebsi said as he cast his ballot at polling station in a Tunis suburb, where he was among the first to vote.

A driver in his 30s who gave his name only as Moez said that he had volunteered as an electoral observer because of the importance of the vote.

"This election is very important. It's the culmination of the revolution and something that we really should not pass up," he said.

Outgoing president Marzouki has been hammering home the argument that he is the only leader capable of preserving the gains of the uprising, and has said Sunday's vote is the "last stand" for the old guard.

Islamist party Ennahda, which came second in the parliamentary election, has not put up a candidate and has invited its members "to elect a president who will guarantee democracy".

Speculation has been rife on the make-up of a new government and the possibility of a coalition between Nidaa Tounes and Ennahda despite their fundamental differences.

Whoever wins, tackling the faltering economy will be a top priority, with unemployment, a leading cause of the revolution, running at 15 percent.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=69037.

Voters bet on stability in crucial Bahrain elections

2014-11-22

MANAMA - Bahrain went to the polls Saturday for its first legislative elections since a failed uprising in 2011, with the opposition boycotting the vote.

Bahrain's electorate of almost 350,000 is being called to choose 40 deputies. Most of the 266 candidates are Sunnis.

Polling stations opened at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) and are due to close at 8:00 pm. Municipal elections are being held at the same time.

In Rifaa, a Sunni-dominated district south of Manama, dozens of people, mostly men dressed in traditional long white robes, lined up ahead of the start of voting.

"This election will help the development of the country under the leadership of the king," said Naima El-Heddi, a civil servant in her 30s.

Voters were scarcer further north in the Shiite village of Jidhafs, where a witness reported seeing just 100 people casting ballots in the first two hours.

The boycott means turnout will be a key marker of the validity of the vote.

Information Minister Samira Rajab stressed ahead of the polls that the government would not tolerate "chaos, unrest and foreign meddling" -- a reference to Shiite Iran.

Attacks that cause death or injuries can now be met with capital punishment or life imprisonment.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=69031.

Hong Kong police arrest student protest leaders

November 26, 2014

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities cleared more street barricades from a pro-democracy protest camp in a volatile district Wednesday, part of a two-day operation in which police arrested more than 100 people, including key student leaders.

Police in helmets swiftly cleared obstructions from the 2-month-old protest site in Mong Kok, across Victoria Harbor from the main occupied area in the financial district. Some officers used shears to cut apart plastic ties holding together metal barricades while others tore down tents and canopies and carried away other objects, including a sofa. Ranks of officers, some equipped with backpack pepper sprayers, advanced down the street.

Police said 116 people have been arrested for offences including unlawful assembly and assaulting or obstructing police. One man was held for possessing offensive weapons including an axe, hammer and crowbar. Among those arrested were student leaders Joshua Wong, the 18-year-old head of the Scholarism group, and Lester Shum, deputy secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, according to the groups' Facebook pages.

The arrests of Wong and Shum could reinvigorate the protest movement, which has been losing steam as the Hong Kong government's apparent strategy of waiting out the student-led protesters left them with few options. Organizers estimated that as many as 200,000 people took to the semiautonomous Chinese city's streets at the start of the protests, but numbers have since dwindled sharply, along with public support.

The protesters are demanding that Hong Kong's government scrap a plan mandated by China's Communist leaders to use a panel of Beijing-friendly elites to screen candidates for top leader in inaugural 2017 elections.

Local media reports said 4,000 officers were on hand to enforce the court injunction granted to taxi drivers to remove obstructions from a 450-meter (1,475-foot) stretch of Nathan Road, a busy artery in Kowloon, where the blue-collar Mong Kok district is located.

An effort Tuesday by authorities working under a separate court order to clear a smaller, adjacent part of the protest site descended into chaos as protesters scuffled with police for hours into the evening. Twenty officers were hurt in the scuffles, police said.

Wong and Shum were among those arrested for storming a courtyard next to government headquarters on the evening of Sept. 26. Their prolonged detentions helped spark the ongoing protest movement by angering other young supporters, who poured into the streets two days later to take over busy thoroughfares in Mong Kok and two other districts across the city.

Cash cut to Ukraine rebel areas in risky strategy

November 25, 2014

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — For hours, small crowds in Donetsk huddle hopefully in the cold around cash machines that never get filled, as artillery rumbles in the distance.

Money is running short in the rebel heartland since the government announced this month that it will suspend banking services as it piles on the pressure. Almost all ATMs have stopped working and the remainder are expected to stop operating over the next two weeks.

The move is part of Ukraine's plan to suffocate its separatist foe, now that its costly military campaign has foundered. Authorities say they are also withdrawing all state services from rebel areas, although hospital and school workers in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk say it has been a while since they last saw funding anyhow.

Yet if the government of President Petro Poroshenko hopes to turn people in eastern Ukraine against the separatist leadership, evidence on the ground suggests the strategy may only be hardening their resolve.

"What Poroshenko is saying to us is: 'You are no longer Ukrainians. You won't get pensions, you won't get social payments. When you croak, then we'll stop this war against you,'" said Donetsk retiree Georgy Sharov. "But I don't want to go to Ukraine and beg for their mercy."

The lines have typically formed in front of cash machines belonging to state savings bank Oshchadbank, which handles pensions and social support payments. "Even they don't always have money," said Donetsk resident Sergei Smotovsky, standing outside a branch of the bank. "The worst thing is that not only can you not get social payments. You can't even withdraw money that you earned, your salary."

Even though cash machines don't work, account-holders wait from early morning until lunchtime in the hope that bank workers will top them up, but the doors to the banks often remain firmly shut. Despite the unremitting fighting taking place across Donetsk and Luhansk, the two regions affected by the armed separatist conflict, large supermarkets are still reasonably stocked.

Supplies come from other parts of Ukraine and customers often use bank cards to pay for shopping. Ukraine's government is now about to block bank cards, cutting off another means of sustenance. Hard-pressed recipients of state benefits have for months turned expectantly to the rebel government for cash. Crowds of pensioners and single mothers assemble daily before the separatist headquarters. When anybody in the crowd becomes especially vocal, one of the gunmen guarding the building rushes to bundle them away, accusing them of being "provocateurs."

The brunt of the rage, however, is still directed at the Ukrainian government. "Ukraine says Donetsk is Ukrainian territory, and yet they came here with tanks and weapons instead of paying pensions properly," said Donetsk retiree Anatoly Visly. "I am a disabled veteran and I haven't received my pension for three months."

Many pensioners have re-registered in towns outside rebel zones, meaning payments have still accrued to their accounts. The challenge for those people will now become making the monthly trip to banks in government-controlled areas, which can be costly and difficult, especially for the most infirm.

Prospects for the rebels to set up a welfare system any time soon are bleak. Anna Kharzhevskaya, an official with the rebel social affairs and labor ministry, said separatist authorities have only a crude notion of how many people are eligible for social payments.

Ukraine's government has been blocking access to state records and is trying to spirit away hard copies of databases still in rebel-held areas, Kharzhevskaya said. Separatist authorities say militiamen are under instructions to stop any unsanctioned removals of government records by Ukrainian authorities.

Without a properly functioning tax system in place, there is no immediately obvious and transparent way for money to be raised. As a result, Kharzhevskaya said she could not estimate when her department would begin paying regular pensions.

Things are even grimmer in the Luhansk region. Separatist command there is divided fractiously among the self-styled Luhansk People's Republic and an assortment of armed Cossack leaders. One Cossack commander, Pavel Dryomov, had to admit to rebel media that he had overextended himself in promising 500 hryvnia one-off payments ($35) to pensioners — grossly miscalculating the number of people who needed to be paid. "We had no idea of that figure," he said in a video interview.

If hospitals are still working, it is in large part down to the sheer determination of the staff. Viktoria Lubintseva, director of Donetsk central hospital, said the government had stopped providing funding since the start of November, well before Poroshenko announced the cutoff of state support.

"Medicine is usually bought by the patients as we need different kinds of medicines to do operations," Lubintseva said. "Staff is working voluntarily because they sincerely want to help people, as their conscience dictates."

As state support and cash supplies dwindle, reliance is growing on outside aid. Some of it is coming from Russia, but there are also substantial supplies being provided by the charitable fund of billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, whose wealth is built on eastern Ukraine's vast industrial resources.

Despite such help, many in eastern Ukraine plan to leave: "It is impossible to live here," Smotovsky said as he waited in vain outside the bank.