Thursday, July 11, 2013
Time to wise up to the Muslim Brotherhood
Yet it is precisely this fear of being tarred by a far-right brush that has caused the centre to press the mute button. The Brotherhood and its secular allies on the Left have succeeded in closing down the debate.‘CiF’ contributor: Israel launched Operation Cast Lead “from the heart of Cairo”
Without the Brotherhood's protective "faith" shield there would be no such inhibition to labelling this movement for what it is: a parallel universe, wreathed in paranoia about the intentions of the West, swearing fealty to anti-racism, community cohesion, peace, justice and all the rest, while simultaneously behaving in a way that keeps young Muslims in a permanently febrile state. "Basically, they play games with the facts," says Merley. "And they count on the naiveté of reporters, academics and politicians to push their agenda."
Electronic Intifada contributor Rana Baker just published a commentary at ‘Comment is Free’ (‘Egypt’s coup does not bode well for Palestinians‘, July 10), which should have been titled ‘Egypt’s coup does not bode well for Hamas‘ – for it’s the autocratic leadership in Gaza City whose fortunes clearly evoke her sympathies.West Bank Protesters Call for Third Intifada
Arab demonstrators with covered faces marched in Ramallah on Monday, calling for the launch of a third intifada (uprising) against Israel and chanting “military action is the shortest route to end occupation.”West Bank Gas Stations Cut Off Palestinian Officials Over Non-Payment
Ma’an News Agency reported that the protester group called “Tamarod” (rebellion), the same name as the movement that protested recently deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, included both men and women who chanted that a new intifada will revive the Palestinian cause.
Finally, there is deep skepticism [PDF] that the West Bank could sustain a modern, functioning economy. Those worries will be deepened by news published in Arabic media today disclosing that gas station operators in the West Bank will no longer fill up PA security vehicles due to non-payment. Under normal circumstances, PA officials pay with PA government vouchers, and those vouchers are then reimbursed. The PA Finance Ministry last reimbursed fuel distributors five months ago.Did Obama Administration Meet With Hamas Officials?
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has expressed alarm at reports that U.S. officials have conducted "direct meetings" with Hamas leaders and has called upon the Obama Administration to deny these reports if they are untrue.Egypt kills 32 Hamas fighters in Sinai campaign, daily reports
The United States, Europe and Israel all classify the Hamas movement, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since June 2007, as a terrorist organization.
The Egyptian army has killed some 200 gunmen in Sinai, including 32 Hamas members, and arrested 45 others over the past several days, an Egyptian security source told London-based Arab daily Al-Hayat on Thursday. .Egypt Seeks to Send Thousands of Soldiers to Sinai
Egypt is seeking permission to send thousands of soldiers to Sinai, in order to battle Islamist groups that have ensconced themselves there after fleeing Egypt's major cities. The Times of London said that Egyptian's military rulers had filed the request for a major deployment in Sinai earlier this week.Second Christian in a week murdered in Sinai
According to the Camp David Accords, in which Israel surrendered Sinai, liberated in the Six Day War, to Egypt, only police and other peace officers are allowed in Sinai without the permission of Israel and the U.S., also a signatory of the agreement.
Security officials say suspected militants have killed a Christian merchant in the northern Sinai Peninsula.Obama Orders Review of U.S. Aid to Egypt
They said 60-year-old Magdy Habashi was abducted last Saturday from the town of Sheikh Zweid. His decapitated body was found early Thursday in a cemetery, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Hours after United States officials confirmed that plans to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Egypt will go ahead despite the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, President Barack Obama took a step back and ordered a review of U.S. assistance to Egypt's government.Egypt condemns "unacceptable interference" from Iran
Egypt accused Iran on Thursday of "unacceptable interference" in its domestic affairs for having criticized the Egyptian army's removal of elected president Mohamed Morsi last week.Analysis: The rise of Hezbollah in Africa
The incident signaled a return to cooler relations between the two Middle Eastern powers after an attempt at rapprochement under Morsi, who hails from the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.
The stakes are clearly high for Nigeria. The reach of Hezbollah into the continent has prompted US and African counter-terrorism authorities to sharpen their focus and impose penalties. In June, the US Treasury Department sanctioned four Hezbollah operatives for drug smuggling in Sierra Leone, Senegal, the Ivory Coast and Gambia.Kirchner Opens Door to Latin America for Iran
Argentina’s populist-socialist president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has allowed Iran to infiltrate its economic sector and potentially use the country as a terrorist launching pad, U.S. officials and multiple experts said on Tuesday.UN to Hizbullah: Stay Out of Syria Conflict
Iranian agents have been permitted access to Latin America’s Free Trade Zones, which operate throughout the porous borders that separate Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, the terrorism experts testified before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency.
The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday called on Hizbullah to stop interfering in the civil war in Syria, though it failed to mention the Lebanese-based group by name.Report: Russia Could Suspend Syria S-300 Sale for Golan Role
Israel may drop its opposition to stationing Russian troops on the Golan Heights as members of the UN peacekeeping force there – if Moscow halts its shipments of S-300 missiles to Damascus. Such a deal could be in the works, the London-based Arabic-language a-Sharq al-Awsat said Wednesday.Russia Accuses Syrian Rebels of Using Sarin Gas
Russia on Tuesday accused Syrian rebels of using sarin nerve gas, but the U.S. dismissed these allegations and said more proof was required.Iranian Group: Tehran Building Another Underground Nuke Facility
Russia's UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, said that he handed over evidence to the United Nations which indicates that the rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Al-Assad used sarin gas in an attack in March.
An Iranian dissident group in exile in Paris said Thursday that it had documentation proving the existence of a previously unknown underground nuclear facility in Iran. The facility is currently under construction, and will be used for nuclear research and development, the group said, although it is not clear what specific work will be done there.Saudi Arabia to expel foreigners who eat during Ramadan
"Non-Muslim residents in the kingdom must not eat or drink in public during Ramadan, in respect to the holiness of Ramadan and the feelings of Muslims," said an interior ministry statement published by the official SPA news agency.
Foreigners caught breaking the fast in public "will be subject to deterrent measures that include terminating their employment contracts and expelling them from the kingdom," the ministry said.
