Monday, March 16, 2015
Gerald Steinberg: Revealed: the anti-Israel network behind UN's Gaza investigation
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is one of many organisations that use moral-sounding language as a façade for the opposite. Its officials and activities are controlled by regimes with abysmal human rights records - including Russia, China, and Middle Eastern dictatorships. It is not surprising that Israel is the main focus of "investigations" and condemnations.Khaled Abu Toameh: Israelis prepare to vote; Palestinians prepare to fight
Among its other faults, the UNHRC is very secretive - its reports are characterised by a lack of transparency, often written by unidentified persons with a worrying lack of political impartiality. For years, the secret authors of the 500-page document condemning Israel for "war crimes", published as the Goldstone Investigation in 2009, were hidden. (Judge Richard Goldstone showed little grasp of the content, and later acknowledged that the allegations were baseless.)
Recently, however, Hillel Neuer, the head of UN Watch, published the results of detailed research showing that it was Grietje Baars who assembled the text of the Goldstone report (primarily from questionable NGO claims). Ms Baars, who teaches human rights at City University in London, is a radical Marxist and an important figure in a network that seeks to exploit international law to target Israel.
Like others in this network, Ms Baars is closely linked to powerful anti-Israel NGOs, such as the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Swedish development charity Diakonia, helping them in campaigns to prosecute Israeli soldiers and officials.
Diakonia is mainly funded by the Swedish government (about £30m annually), implicating them in this moral corruption. The charity submitted a lengthy "report" to the Goldstone Commission, thereby suggesting that the appointment of Ms Baars gave rise to a conflict of interest.
For some Palestinians, the election is not about removing Netanyahu from power. Rather, it is about removing Israel from the face of the earth and replacing it with an Islamist empire.Hillary’s Hezbollah-Friendly Donor
Kerry's statement about the revival of the peace process shows that he remains oblivious to the reality in the Middle East, particularly with regards to the Palestinians.
Kerry is ignoring the fact that the Palestinians are today divided into two camps; one that wants to destroy Israel through terrorism and jihad and another that is working hard to delegitimize and isolate Israel with the hope of forcing it to its knees.
As Kerry was talking about the revival of the peace process, Hamas announced that it has completed preparations for the next confrontation with Israel.
Abbas will come to the talks with the same demands he and his predecessor have made over the past two decades, namely a full Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines. And when Israel does not accept all his demands, he will again walk out and demand international intervention to impose a solution on Israel.
Talk about the resumption of the peace process is nothing but a silly joke.
The Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation accepted millions of dollars from a former deputy prime minister of Lebanon known for defending Hezbollah, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis.
Issam Fares, a Lebanese billionaire who has established himself in the United States as a prominent philanthropist, has given between $1 and $5 million in donations to the Clintons’ foundation with donations coming as recently as last year, according to a public donor disclosure list on the foundation’s website.
Fares was a part of the pro-Syria government of Prime Minister Omar Karami during his tenure as deputy prime minister between 2000 and 2005.
“It seems the Zionist lobby in the United States and its agents in the region were displeased and worried that certain Lebanese and Arab personalities have a friendly relationship with some senior officials of the new American administration,” Fares was quoted as saying in a 2001 statement after questions were raised about his relationship with incoming U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Fares decried comparisons drawn between the terrorist organization al Qaeda and Hezbollah after the September 11 terror attacks.
“It is a mistake to make a comparison between the [Al Qaeda] network … which Lebanon has condemned, and Hezbollah, which Lebanon considers a resistance party fighting the Israeli occupation,” Fares told Agence France-Presse. “Hezbollah did not carry out any resistance operation against American interests in Lebanon or abroad and did not target civilians in its resistance activities as happened on Sept. 11 at the World Trade Center.”
If Bibi loses, can Israel resist Obama’s regional goals?
By some miracle, Herzog might just manage to unify a disparate group of political parties that despise each other just as much (and maybe more) than they hate Netanyahu.Joel Pollak: Israel’s Leftist Dreams Will End in Nightmare
If he succeeds, the thinking in some political circles is that this new government will mend the ruptured relationship between Israel and the Obama administration. There is something to be said for this. Herzog is a mild-mannered, soft-spoken kind of guy and the chemistry between him and Obama is certainly likely to be better. They may even hit it off.
Still, it’s wishful thinking. It’s going to be a rocky 22 months even if Herzog wins.
A Herzog-led government (which is certainly likely to include the tough-minded Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin, who’s already been tapped as its new defense minister) won’t be any more open to Obama’s bizarre vision for the region.
Just like Netanyahu, Herzog considers Iran an existential threat that must be faced down. And with regard to the Palestinians, Herzog and Yadlin are more or less on the same page as Netanyahu—and light years away from Obama’s position on the core issues.
I have been warning for months that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might lose the March 17 election. In November 2014, before elections were called, I noted that Netanyahu had been elected on a promise to oppose Barack Obama, and now that Obama’s lame-duck term had begun, Israeli voters might feel secure enough to look elsewhere for leadership. What they–and indeed many Americans–failed to see was how much damage Obama still intended to cause.Shocker out of London! The Guardian refuses to endorse Bibi
I am old enough to remember the euphoria that seized Israel and American Jews with the election of Labor and Yitzchak Rabin in 1992. Here was a chance to move past a testy relationship with then-President George H.W. Bush, and a chance to test a more peace-oriented posture towards the Palestinians, a hopeful outlook for a post-Cold War, post-Gulf War world. Those hopes were elevated in 1993 by the Oslo process, and dashed years later by the Palestinians’ refusal to make peace.
Now Israel seems seized by similar wishful thinking–the idea that the world, starting with Obama’s Oval Office–will love Israel if it just rids itself of its pesky right-wing leader. That the path to international respectability is through appeasing Israel’s enemies–not Iran or the Arabs, this time, but rather the left-wing intellectuals denouncing Israel on campuses and in the New York Review of Books. That the solution to Israel’s economic woes–such as they are–is vague “change.”
Of course, even the most rudimentary analysis of the aftermath of the political upheavals in the Arab world since 2011 would demonstrate that Netanyahu’s skepticism was justified. Contrary to The Observer’s claim, Netanyahu didn’t see a “conspiracy”. Rather, according to the very Guardian article linked to by The Observer, he saw the emergence of an “Islamic, anti-western, anti-liberal, anti-Israeli, undemocratic wave”. Sure enough, four years later, the monarchies of Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and U.A.E still stand. Egypt, since the ouster of Mubarak, merely transitioned between Islamist and secular authoritarian rule. Syria imploded into civil war, mass murder and ethnic cleansing. Both Yemen and Libya are, at this stage, effectively failed states. And, Mahmoud Abbas is approaching the eleventh year of a four-year term as head of the Palestinian Authority. (Only Tunisia can claim anything resembling democratic rule.)Zoabi: Arab MKs part of ‘Palestinian national project’
The Observer editorial ends with a ‘flourish’, in accusing Netanyahu of “look[ing] increasingly out of touch.”
Beyond appeasing their usual radical left consistency, it’s far from clear who editors at the Guardian and Observer seek to influence in taking such bellicose stances against the Israeli leader. To even Israelis on the left end of the political spectrum, save the marginal few who are loyal to Haaretz, the Guardian’s outsized role in delegitimizing the Jewish state is well-known, and their editorial leanings completely irrelevant to their political considerations.
Further, polls demonstrating that British Jews overwhelmingly believe UK media coverage of Israel fuels antisemitism, in conjunction with other polls indicating that Bibi remains quite popular amongst British Jews, would suggest that, to most within this small and increasingly beleaguered Jewish community, the Guardian is outright hostile to their interests.
On Israel and other issues of grave concern to Jews, it is the Guardian Group which is dangerously “out of touch”.
With her Joint Arab List projected to make historic gains in Tuesday’s elections, MK Hanin Zoabi told Lebanese media Monday that Arab Knesset members are part of the “Palestinian national project,” and not Israeli politics.Judean People's Front: Arab MK Posters
The firebrand Balad party lawmaker told Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen TV that Israel wants Arab MKs, “but [only] those who accepted Israeliness or integrated in the Zionist parties.”
“Despite this we represent the Palestinian national project,” she said.
Zoabi said that one of the means the Arab parties will use to increase their influence will be in various Knesset committees, particularly the Internal Affairs committee. “There our power will grow.”
Our last post went into detail about the extremist positions of the MKs running on the Joint Arab List ticket.Tony Blair 'had no credibility' in Middle East process, says US official
But given that visuals are often more effective than well thought out arguments and blocks of text, we've put together some handy posters for use on social media.
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Tony Blair had “no credibility” left with the parties in the Middle East peace process, a former US government official who was closely involved with trying to revive the talks last year has told The Telegraph.Hamas Rejects Quartet Representative Blair's Demands: 'We Will Not Give Up Our Principles As Part Of Solving The Problems Of Gaza Residents'
“Frankly all sides just rolled their eyes at the mention of his name,” the official said as it was reported that Mr Blair was being “eased out” of his role as head of so-called Quartet.
Rumours that Mr Blair was being asked to step down have been circulating for some days, but were apparently confirmed on Sunday night by The Financial Times. Mr Blair’s office has declined to comment.
In his role, which he took up in 2007, Mr Blair represented the United States of America, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union as a Middle East peace envoy working with the Palestinians.
But in the last round of failed negotiations which began after John Kerry took over as US secretary of state 2013 and broke down last year, Mr Blair had become “a standing joke”, the official said, speaking last week.
Officially the Obama administration has been supportive of Mr Blair, with officials describing him on Sunday as a “valued partner in trying to bring peace to the Middle East” but in private the former officials was scathing.
On February 15, 2015, Quartet representative Tony Blair visited the Gaza Strip and presented a series of demands to Hamas for advancing the Israeli-Palestinian political process and for rebuilding Gaza. The most important of these demands was that Hamas accept the two-state solution as an end to the conflict; by doing so, Hamas will in effect meet the Quartet's conditions – abandoning terrorism, honoring previous agreements, and recognizing Israel.EXCLUSIVE: Amb. Oren, Days Before Election: “We Are On the Cusp of Nuclearization of the Middle East”
Blair further demanded that Hamas clarify whether it is "a Palestinian nationalist movement dedicated to the achievement of a Palestinian State or part of a broader Islamist movement with regional designs that impact governments outside of Gaza" (i.e., the MB).
Calling on the Palestinians to implement the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement, Blair spoke of the need to open the crossings so that Gaza could be reunited with the outside world. He also asked Israel to support the rebuilding of Gaza and to open the Israel-Gaza crossings, and asked Egypt to take the lead in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
Hamas officials and writers on websites that are close to Hamas rejected Blair's demands outright, claiming that they posed a danger to the Palestinian cause and stressing that even if Hamas did agree to a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, it would neither relinquish its rights nor recognize Israel. As for the demand that Hamas clarify its identity, some argued that Hamas was a Palestinian movement, while others stated that it was part of the Islamic ummah.
In an exclusive interview with The Tower’s Benjamin Kerstein, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren shared his concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, including his apprehension regarding the reported nuclear deal emerging from ongoing negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 powers. The full interview will appear in the April issue of The Tower Magazine.Kerry Claims 'Great Respect' for 'Religious Importance' of Khamenei's Fatwa
While discussing a number of the security concerns and challenges Israel currently faces, Oren stated, “I have long regarded the Iranian nuclear program as an existential threat and what I learned in office in Washington is that it’s not just one existential threat, it’s several existential threats.”
Oren stressed that while it is unclear whether Iran will sign the deal currently being deliberated by Tehran and the P5+1 powers, the negotiations stand to produce an agreement that, if accepted, would present Israel “with a deal that we consider a very bad deal.” In such an event, Oren noted that Israel would “have to think about ways we can defend ourselves.”
Though Oren did not specify whether such measures would include an Israeli military strike, he emphasized that “Israel reserves the right and the duty to defend itself against any threat,” a right that he noted has been recognized by President Obama multiple times.
Given the history of fatwas issued by Iranian leaders in the past, Kerry's "great respect ... for the religious importance of a fatwa" seems curious. The most notorious of these fatwas was issued in 1989 and called for the death of Salman Rushdie for his novel The Satanic Verses. Although various reports have surfaced over the years regarding the status of that fatwa, as recently as last month a senior Iranian cleric affirmed that it is still in effect. Other fatwas over the years have called for things as varied as the death of Jerry Falwell to prohibitions against members of the opposite sex chatting online.It’s Clear Tom Cotton Won His Battle with Obama
Secretary Kerry's reference to the "religious importance" of Iran's purported anti-nuclear fatwa seems particularly significant given the vehemence with which Kerry and President Obama deny any connection between the Islamic State and true Islam. Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran as the White House and State Department routinely refer to it, is the most significant state sponsor of terror in the world according to the State Department and has been on the list for over 30 years. Yet the Obama administration exhibits no reticence when it comes to ascribing "religious importance" to a fatwa issued by those in Iran who claim to represent Islam.
Even Politico, a reliably leftist media outlet that has done its best to support Barack Obama from pillar to post, is now tacitly acknowledging that hard-line Senator Tom Cotton has won his battle with the administration over the letter he authored to Iran that was signed by 46 other GOP senators.Democrats Side with Tom Cotton on Iran Nuclear Deal While Trash-Talking His Letter
Key to understanding Cotton’s victory are two developments: the White House doing its damndest to vilify him on the Sunday talks shows, thus acknowledging he had not been defeated, and the refusal of Democrats who had rejected Obama’s focus on diplomacy to abandon their position despite the White House attempting to use Cotton’s letter to persuade them to do so.
Establishment GOP members who denigrated Cotton’s effort and refused to sign it, like Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, joined by Michael Gerson, former speechwriter for George W. Bush, were left behind as not one whit of support for sanctions melted away.
Even as the White House ramps up pressure on Congress to stay out of its negotiations with Iran on a nuclear agreement, Republicans are on the brink of veto-proof majorities for legislation that could undercut any deal.In lieu of nuclear deal, US and Iran likely to extend talks
And that support has held up even after the uproar last week over the GOP’s letter to Iranian leaders warning against an agreement.
Though several Democratic senators told POLITICO they were offended by the missive authored by Arkansas GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, none of them said it would cause them to drop their support for bills to impose new sanctions on Iran or give Congress review power over a nuclear deal.
That presents another complication for the administration ahead of a rough deadline of March 24 to reach a nuclear agreement with the country.
Iran nuclear talks were set to enter a critical week Monday with US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart in Switzerland seeking an elusive breakthrough after 18 months of intense negotiations.Iran: Deal Possible if Americans Ignore the 'Zionists'
The United States and Iran plunged back into negotiations Sunday, hoping to end once and for all a decades-long standoff that has raised the specter of an Iranian nuclear arsenal, a new atomic arms race in the Middle East and even a US or Israeli military intervention. Two weeks out from a deadline for a framework accord, some officials said the awesomeness of the diplomatic task meant negotiators would likely settle for an announcement that they’ve made enough progress to justify further talks.
Such a declaration would hardly satisfy American critics of the Obama administration’s diplomatic outreach to Iran and hardliners in the Islamic Republic, whose rumblings have grown more vociferous and threatening as the parties have narrowed many of their differences. And, officially, the United States and its partners insist their eyes are on a much bigger prize: “A deal that would protect the world,” Kerry emphasized this weekend, “from the threat that a nuclear-armed Iran could pose.”
One of Iran’s leaders on Sunday said that a nuclear deal with Iran would be possible if the United States does not listen to the “Zionist lobbies”.Iran Threatens Restart Uranium Enrichment if Deal Fails
"At present, settlement of issues needs political will. There are still differences over the method of removing the sanctions and we think that if the Americans refrain from being influenced and pressured by the Zionists, certain countries and radicals, all grounds will be prepared for a comprehensive and complete agreement and we have almost arrived at that point," Iranian First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri said, according to the Fars news agency.
He added that certain regional Arab states, the “Zionists” and some extremist political streams in the United States do not want the negotiations between his country and the West to produce results.
An overwhelming majority of 260 out of 290 Iranian parliament members passed a proposal designed to strengthen the regime's policy regarding the nuclear talks with world powers, with three important clauses contained in the document.Iran Reasserts Negotiations Redline: Arak and Fordo Must Remain Open in Final Deal
The first clause demands a removal of all sanctions against Iran that were imposed by the United Nations (UN) Security Council, as part of implementing a nuclear deal.
In the second clause, the Iranian parliament called for a preservation of Iran's nuclear infrastructure and rights to develop nuclear power according to article 4 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Finally - and most significantly - the proposal delineates that if any of the obligations of the nuclear deal are breached, the deal will be considered null and void, and Iran will restart its uranium enrichment to the "level required by Iran's needs."
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Ali Akbar Salehi, stressed on Saturday that the country’s red lines for any final nuclear deal with world powers remain unchanged, noting that a final agreement must include Iran’s demand to keep its Arak heavy water reactor and Fordo enrichment plant operational, the semi-official state news agency Fars reported.Saudis warn Iran deal could spur nuclear race in Mideast
Salehi said that, “the functioning and nature of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor…will remain unchanged as a heavy water facility.” He also noted that the Fordo uranium enrichment facility located near the city of Qom in central Iran must remain open, saying that Iran is “determined to make use of this site according to the guidelines of Iran’s Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “and the AEOI’s technical needs.”
Speaking to the BBC, Prince Turki bin Faisal al-Saud, a former director of Saudi intelligence and a former ambassador to the US, also cautioned that Tehran’s aggressive behavior must be reined in — notwithstanding the outcome of current negotiations — because it threatens peace in the Middle East.After High-Level Meeting in Qatar, Iran Grows Closer to Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood
Turki said Riyadh and other capitals in the volatile region would seek the same rights as Iran to enrich uranium should that be the result of high-level negotiations with world powers currently taking place.
“I’ve always said whatever comes out of these talks, we will want the same. So if Iran has the ability to enrich uranium to whatever level, it’s not just Saudi Arabia that’s going to ask for that,” Turki said.
“The whole world will be an open door to go that route without any inhibition, and that’s my main objection to this P5+1 process,” he said.
As part of its ongoing policy of expanding its influence in the region, Iran is now trying to strengthen its ties with branches of the Muslim Brotherhood throughout the Middle East. According to analysts in the Arab world, this was the purpose of the latest trip by Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, to Doha, the capital of Qatar.Cleared For Publication: Footage of Purim terror attack in Jerusalem
During the visit, Larijani met with Khaled Mashaal, the head of Hamas’s political bureau. Hamas praised the meeting and noted that it symbolizes a rapprochement between the parties after several years of tension, which grew after Hamas took a negative stance against Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Iran froze financial and diplomatic aid to Hamas after the Gaza-based terrorist group failed to fully back Assad, who is being propped up by Tehran.
Analysts believe that Iran’s forgiveness of Hamas, which is the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, could lead to it and other Brotherhood branches becoming Iranian regional proxies. The Egypt-based Brotherhood allied itself more to Qatar and Turkey in recent years and less to the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis, but the Brotherhood’s fall from power in Egypt and the decline in its position in the Middle East has led to this rapprochement.
Hamas sees Iran as a source of major funding and weapons, but acknowledges that it cannot achieve the same closeness to Tehran that is enjoyed by the Hezbollah terror organization in Lebanon.
The Arab terrorist who was shot twice after running down four Border Police officers and a civilian in Jerusalem earlier this month confessed that he planned the attack and hoped to “kill as many security personnel as possible,” police said on Monday.Israel eases entry criteria for West Bank Palestinians
According to spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, Mohammed Salaima, 22, of Ras el-Amud, admitted during questioning by police and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) that he bought an axe the morning of the attack before driving his car into officers stationed at Border Police headquarters.
“What we know is that the suspect went to the Old City during the early hours of the morning of the incident to buy an axe and made a final decision to carry out the attack at the precise location to kill as many security personnel as he could,” said Rosenfeld.
Palestinian men over the age of 55 and women over the age of 50 will no longer need a permit to enter Israel from the West Bank, the IDF has declared. Previously, since October, men up to the age of 60 required a permit to enter Israel.Palestinian nabbed after crossing from Gaza
Yoav Mordechai, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, announced a series of Israeli measures intended to ease the lives of Palestinians both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Starting Sunday, Palestinian laborers cam apply to enter Israel as long as they are married and over the age of 22. Previously, only married laborers over the age of 24 and with children were given entry permits by Israel.
Since October, the IDF has been easing measures in the West Bank in an attempt to improve the quality of life for Palestinians. At the time, men over 60 were allowed into Israel without a permit.
The man was stopped near the Nahal Oz kibbutz. Security forces found that the man was carrying a knife, although his motives for crossing out of the Hamas-controlled coastal strip were not known.Six Months After Protective Edge, Hamas Says Bases Near Gaza Border Rebuilt
The man was detained for questioning by security forces.
In a separate incident Sunday, a Palestinian woman was arrested outside the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, hours after a visit by Foreign Minister Avidgor Liberman to the area.
Hamas’ “military wing”, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, issued a statement on Saturday claiming that many of its bases on Gaza’s border with Israel have been fully rebuilt, and asserting that it had recovered from Israel’s summer offensive.Hamas: Leftist Government Disaster 'No Less than Netanyahu'
The Brigades’ statement added that Hamas was “not afraid” of confronting the IDF again.
An official report on the Brigades’ website said that, “No sooner had the war ended, than the Qassam Brigades started a new stage of the conflict [with Israel] in preparation for the battle of liberation,” according to the Palestinian Maan news agency.
The report claimed that Hamas fighters had rebuilt military training sites located near the border, to the north, east and west of the Gaza Strip, saying that this debunked Israel’s claims that “Operation Protective Edge” had caused serious damage to the terror group.
Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud a-Zahar spoke on Sunday about the approaching Israeli general elections Tuesday, and surprisingly voiced concerns that leftists will take control and launch another peace process with the Palestinian Authority (PA).Hamas: 'Holy Obligation' to Attack Israel from Judea and Samaria
"The Left will drag Abu Mazen (PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas) to negotiations for talks that will continue 500 years," said a-Zahar, reports Channel 2.
The Hamas leader noted "what interests us is who will be our enemy in the next war. A leftist government is a disaster to the Palestinians no less than (Binyamin) Netanyahu - during the time they're dragging negotiations, the settlements will be expanded and the (West) Bank will be destroyed."
Even as Hamas claims to be discussing a long term “quiet period,” in which it will promise not to attack Israel for five years in exchange for being allowed to develop Gaza economically, top Hamas terrorists were planning their next round of battle against Israel – to be launched from Judea and Samaria.Hamas Leader on Iran: They Can Liberate 'Palestine'
In an interview with Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV, top Hamas terrorist Mahmoud a-Zahar said that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have “failed,” and now it was the turn of the terror groups to try and make some “progress” to “free all of Palestine.”
The way to do this, he said, was to set up well-armed terror cells in Judea and Samaria, so that a two-pronged attack – from Israel's south and east – could take place. For that, he said, there would be a need to smuggle weapons from Gaza to PA-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria, a task Hamas is already working on.
In a recent television interview translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar defended his group’s ties with Iran.Al-Aqsa Mosque Sheik Rebukes Pakistan for Not Launching Nuclear Strike to Help Establish Caliphate
"We have maintained that countries that believe in our ideology and can help us - countries like Iran that believe we are capable of liberating Palestine... These are the countries with which we must develop relations," Al-Zahar said in the interview on the Lebanese Palestine Today TV, which originally aired in February.
“We did not join the PLO when it acted against Jordan in 1970, and we did not join its wars in Beirut and against Hafez Al-Assad. We did not join the PLO when it supported one Arab country that occupied another Arab country. To this day, we have never intervened in the internal Arab conflicts, even in countries where we lived, like Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, or elsewhere. We have kept our force directed at the Israeli enemy,” he said.
This video-clip contains two addresses at the Al-Aqsa Mosque delivered by preacher Muhammad Abed ("Abu Abdallah") on March 6 and 13, 2015. He rebuked Pakistan, asking: "Why do some generals, who have the ability to change history with one swift blow, refrain from doing so?" America, he said, would be "trampled by the hooves of the horses of the Caliph of the Muslims."
Gulf Arabs respond with alarm to Kerry comment on Assad talks
A remark by US Secretary of State John Kerry that President Bashar Assad should be included in negotiations on a Syrian political transition provoked alarm and dismay on Monday among commentators close to Gulf Arab governments opposed to his rule.After Kerry, France says Syria's Assad can't be part of negotiated solution
Saudi Arabia, the top oil exporter and main Arab ally of the United States, has long feared that the administration of President Barack Obama lacks the resolve to tackle Assad and that it is instead focusing on a nuclear deal with the Syrian leader's main supporter Iran.
Although there was no immediate official comment from Riyadh, Saudi analysts with connections to the ruling family and conservative Sunni Muslim clerics quickly voiced concern about Kerry's remarks.
France said on Monday it was maintaining its opposition to talks with President Bashar Assad a day after US Secretary of State John Kerry raised the prospect of negotiations with the Syrian leader.Embattled Syrian leader dismisses US entreaties
In response to Kerry's comments France's Foreign Ministry referred to comments by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius at the end of February saying that talks had to include elements of the existing regime and opposition members that would pave the way to a unity government.
"It is clear that for us Bashar Assad cannot be included within this framework," the foreign ministry, said citing Fabius.
Syria’s president said that only Syrians can decide their future — a statement that appeared to dismiss US Secretary of State John Kerry’s remark that he would be willing to talk with Bashar Assad to help broker a political resolution to the country’s civil war.ISIS fighters dress as women in desperate attempt to flee battlefield
Assad said Monday that any “talk about the future of the Syrian president is for Syrian people alone.” He added that Damascus is not concerned about comments made abroad.
The Syrian leader spoke to Iranian TV on Monday in remarks that were broadcast on Syrian state television. Tehran is one of Assad’s close allies.
As Islamic State-driven violence rages on in Iraq, people are using any means possible to escape, and for some that means dressing in drag.Suicide Bombers kill 14 People Outside Pakistani Churches
On Monday, the Iraqi army arrested 20 male Islamic State members dressed as women in the northern city of Baquba, according to spokesman Ghalib al-Jubouri.
The arrested used a number of creative ways to pull off a realistic female disguise, as seen in the pictures originally posted on Instagram.
Underneath the robes and veils, the men put on makeup, wore dresses and some even wore women's bras. Others chose not to shave their facial hair, though still applied eyeliner, eyeshadow and blush.
The men were desperately attempting to flee the fighting in Tikrit, which Iraq's military only managed to take back from Islamic State six days ago.
Suicide bombers exploded themselves near two churches in the eastern city of Lahore on Sunday as worshippers were gathered inside, killing 14 people, officials said, in the latest attack against religious minorities in the country.Pakistan court orders release of Mumbai attacks plotter
In the tense aftermath, angry mobs burned to death one person they believed was involved in the attack and tried to lynch another, said Haider Ashraf, deputy inspector general for Lahore. Two police who were protecting the churches were also killed in the explosions, which he said were caused by suicide bombers.
At least 70 people were wounded, said Zahid Pervez, the provincial director general of health, who gave the death toll.
The explosions occurred in quick succession in the Christian neighborhood of Youhana Abad at two churches while parishioners were celebrating Sunday services inside. The churches are about 600 meters (650 yards) apart.
A Pakistani court has declared the continued detention of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the operational chief of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) and alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, void.
The Islamabad High Court accepted an appeal from Lakhvi that challenged his detention under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Act during a hearing on Friday.
It is unclear if Lakhvi, who has been in prison since 2009, will be released, as the government has challenged similar judgments in the past. He is currently in custody at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.
The Indian External Affairs Ministry summoned Pakistan's High Commissioner in New Delhi Abdul Basit following the court order to "convey its outrage" at the decision, according to a statement.
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