Are some PalArab NGOs losing funding - or interest?

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs in the "occupied Palestinian territories" (OCHA-oPt)  has been maintaining a presence in the PA areas and Gaza for many years now. Sometimes it has been a good source for statistics.

But their website, which used to include weekly reports, has not been updated since June, 2010.

The Gaza NGO Safety Office, run by CARE, is meant to help protect other NGOs in Gaza by letting them know what areas are dangerous or might become dangerous.

But they have not issued any of their biweekly reports since December 12, and now the only updates are SMS messages of things happening in real time.

Not sure if this is meaningful, but it is noteworthy.

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The next step....

First...

Yasir Arafat and Tunisian President Ben Ali

Then...

Abbas and Ben Ali

Now...

Palestinians step on a poster with a picture of Tunisia's former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali

Will the next "step" be on photos of Abbas and Arafat?

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Jewish couple almost lynched

Here's another case of an attack on Jews in Jerusalem that was eagerly photographed by reporters who just happened to know ahead of time the location of the attack.

Getty Images, somehow knowing that the victims are Jewish "settlers." Notice the stone throwers on the cliff.

Getty Images. It is clearly an ambush.

Reuters. Note the size of the stones and the other photographers.

Reuters.

After the police arrived:

Getty Images. You can see the windshield and sunroof smashed. The wife was driving.

Afterwards, the Arabs continued to riot, throwing stones and bottles at Israeli police who came to assist the couple.

Luckily, the couple was not injured. 

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Kremlin warned: Bushehr an "Iranian Chernobyl"

From The Daily Telegraph (h/t Backspin)

Russian nuclear scientists are providing technical assistance to Iran's attempts activate the country's first nuclear power plant at the Gulf port.

But they have raised serious concerns about the extensive damage caused to the plant's computer systems by the mysterious Stuxnet virus, which was discovered last year and is widely believed to have been the result of a sophisticated joint US-Israeli cyber attack.

According to Western intelligence reports, Russian scientists warned the Kremlin that they could be facing "another Chernobyl" if they were forced to comply with Iran's tight deadline to activate the complex this summer.

After decades of delays over the plant, which was first commissioned by the Shah in the 1970s, Iran's leaders are demanding that scientists stick to the schedule set last year. They argue that any delay would be a blow to Iran's international prestige.

Russian scientists working at the plant have become so concerned by Iran's apparent disregard for nuclear safety issues that they have lobbied the Kremlin directly to postpone activation until at least the end of the year, so that a proper assessment can be made of the damage caused to its computer operations by Stuxnet.

The Iranian government is bitterly opposed to any further delay, which it would regard as another blow to national pride on a project that is more than a decade behind schedule. While Western intelligence officials believe Iran's nuclear programme is aimed at producing nuclear weapons, Iran insists the project's goals are peaceful.

The Russian scientists' report to the Kremlin, a copy of which has been seen by The Daily Telegraph, concludes that, despite "performing simple, basic tests" on the Bushehr reactor, the Russian team "cannot guarantee safe activation of the reactor".

It also accuses the Iranian management team, which is under intense political pressure to stick to the deadline, of "not exhibiting the professional and moral responsibility" that is normally required. They accuse the Iranians of having "disregard for human life" and warn that Russia could find itself blamed for "another Chernobyl" if it allows Bushehr to go ahead.

Shame on me for not being able to stop grinning at the idea of an Iranian Chernobyl.

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BDS claims two victories - and is caught lying about both

From Palestine News Network, today:

This week, leading British retail business John Lewis is refusing to stock goods from Israeli cosmetics company Ahava. Canadian retailer The Bay also confirmed that it has discontinued sales of Ahava products.

John Lewis’ decision signifies yet another victory for the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in Europe. John Lewis’ Managing Director, Andy Street, wrote to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in a letter dated January 7:

“As a socially responsible retailer, John Lewis takes very seriously the treatment of workers and their working conditions. We expect all our suppliers not only to obey the law, but also to respect the rights, interests and well-being of their employees, their communities and the environment. In relation to your specific enquiry about Ahava Dead Sea products, I can confirm that John Lewis has ceased stocking these particular products.”

Sarah Colborne, PSC’s Director of Campaigns and Operations, said, “PSC welcomes John Lewis’ decision to stop stocking Ahava products. Israel’s continued attacks on the Palestinian population – whether living under a brutal blockade in Gaza, under illegal occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, or under constant assault inside Israel, has led to a seismic shift in public opinion, with the movement for peace and justice for Palestinians gaining massive support internationally.”

However, JPost already reported yesterday:

One of the UK’s largest retailers has refuted a claim by an anti- Israel campaign group that it no longer stocks products from a major Israeli cosmetics company for political reasons, condemning the group for creating “false and misleading” information.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) implied on Friday that the awardwinning British retail giant the John Lewis Partnership – which owns the John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarket chains – had stopped stocking products from Israeli cosmetics company Ahava after PSC wrote to the company’s managing director.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post on Friday, a spokesman for John Lewis emphatically denied PSC’s claim, stating that while the retailer had stopped stocking Ahava products, it was purely a commercial decision.

He added that John Lewis was an “apolitical” organization, and that the decision to cease stocking Ahava was made “well before” PSC sent its letter.

“To be clear, John Lewis’s decision to no longer stock Ahava beauty products was a commercial decision based solely on the sales performance of the products.

“Our buyers regularly review the performance of all our ranges, with new products being added and less successful ones being removed throughout the year,” the spokesman told the Post.

“I can confirm that the PSC wrote to Andy Street to ask firstly about whether we had ceased to sell Ahava products, and secondly our stance on ethical sourcing.

“At John Lewis, ensuring that we reply straightforwardly to any query is an important element in the way we communicate with our customers. Andy responded to confirm that we no longer sell Ahava products, a decision which had been taken and implemented well before he received the PSC’s letter. This was a purely commercial decision.

“In addition, in the content of his letter of response, Andy outlined John Lewis's responsible sourcing policy. This information is entirely unrelated to the decision to cease stocking Ahava products; however the person who wrote the PSC’s press release put the two elements together to create a false and misleading quote,” the spokesman said.

John Lewis said it stocks a vast range of Israeli goods, and will continue to do so.

“We can confirm that we continue to stock products sourced from Israel,” the spokesmans said.

And as far as Canadian retailer Hudson Bay is concerned:

Last week, after a regularly-scheduled review of the products it offers, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) discontinued sales of AHAVA beauty products, primarily because of sales results which had been declining for several years.

Although this decision was made by HBC solely for commercial reasons, it occurred at the same time as an aggressive campaign by several groups advocating a boycott of AHAVA products. At no point did political considerations enter into the exercise of HBC's business judgment. HBC has made it clear that it has not "bowed to political pressure" in the past, has not done so now and will not do so in the future. HBC neither subscribes to nor endorses politically-motivated boycotts of merchandise from countries with whom Canada has open and established trading relationships, including Israel.

AHAVA products will soon be reformulated and redesigned as a totally changed brand. The new AHAVA products will be ready by mid-spring and is planned to be re-launched at HBC stores across Canada. We encourage consumers across Canada to purchase those products as soon as they are available.

This statement is being jointly issued by Bonnie Brooks, Chief Adventurer & CEO, Hudson’s Bay Company, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and Moshe Ronen, National Chair, Canada Israel Committee.

BDS proponents are so desperate for a major victory that they will happily lie to make themselves feel as if they have an impact.

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Egyptian man sets himself on fire, imitating Tunisia spark

The Arabic press is very concerned over the repercussions of an Egyptian man who set himself on fire today:

A man set himself on fire outside parliament in Cairo on Monday, the official MENA agency said, in an apparent copycat replay of the self-immolation of a Tunisian graduate which sparked a popular revolt.

The man, who was identified as restaurant owner Abdo Abdelmoneim from Qantara, near the port town of Ismailiya, "stood in front the parliament building in (downtown Cairo) and set fire to his body."

"He was immediately taken to hospital to receive the necessary treatment," MENA said.

A parliamentary source said the man "stood outside the People's Assembly, poured fuel on himself and set himself on fire."
"A policeman who was close by managed to extinguish the fire and the man was quickly taken away by ambulance," the source added, according to AFP.

MENA said the man was driven to set himself alight because "he did not receive the bread coupons for his restaurant." It did not elaborate.

The incident comes after 26-year-old Tunisian graduate Mohammed Bouazizi torched himself in Tunisia when police prevented him from selling fruit and vegetables to make a living.

The case of Bouazizi, who would later die of his wounds, unleashed a wave of protests in Tunisia that would eventually topple the 23-year-old regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

In Algeria, at least four attempted public suicides -- all over jobs and housing -- were reported this week after Bouazizi's self-immolation.

Egypt is acting like, well, Egypt:

Abdu Gaafar, the man who set him self alight in front of Egypt's parliament building on Monday morning, said he was frustrated by security treatment.

He revealed that security authorities in the governorate of Ismailia, east of Cairo, refused to provide him with his share of subsidized bread for the restaurant he runs at the city of Qantara.

Gaafar suffered 5 percent face burns before nearby officers managed to put out the fire and take him to hospital, according to a security source.

But a medical source estimated burns to 60 percent of his body, concentrated on his hands and legs.

A security source revealed that Gaafar is being interrogated, to find out if "foreign hands" were behind his act.

Officer Amr Zaki told reporters that while on duty in front of the People's Assembly building, he was surprised to see a man setting fire to himself on the sidewalk opposite.

He added that the man poured gasoline on himself and ignited it while chanting anti-state security slogans, before the officer put out the fire with the help of colleagues.

But Reuters news agency quoted a guard at the parliament's gate as saying a taxi driver actually used his fire extinguisher to help the protester before firemen employed by parliament came to help.

It doesn't look like Gaafar will die, but it is very hard to predict how the Arab street will react to any specific event. Egypt is already on edge from the Copt issue.

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Gaza, PA health ministries trade accusations

From Ma'an:

Gaza's health sector is on the verge of collapse due to a lack of medicine, a Gaza hospital director said Sunday.

Medhat Abbas, general director of the Ash-Shifa medical complex in Gaza City, said medical care must be separated from political disputes.

Gaza's Health Ministry has blamed its counterpart in Ramallah for a shortage of medicine in the Strip.

Bassem Naim, health minister in the Hamas-led government, said Thursday that Gaza was lacking about 40 percent of basic medicines and accused the Palestinian Authority of withholding key stocks.

PA Health Minister Fathi Abu Mughli immediately rejected the charge, and said the shortage was the result of "mismanagement" by the Hamas health ministry which he said had sacked 1,600 ministry of health employees and replaced them with people "with no experience in dealing with or storing medicine."

Gaza medical director Medhat Abbas said hundreds of patients were at risk due to the shortage of medicines, particularly those needing cancer treatment, dialysis and insulin.

As we've reported in the past, there is evidence that Hamas confiscates medicines meant for Gaza hospitals and sells them to pharmacies at a profit:

“They are as big harami as Dahlan,” he said, using the Arabic slang for “thieves”. “They used to be mujaheddin, but today they are fat millionaires with nice cars,” he added, pointing to his flat stomach. “Look, you can either be a millionaire or you can lead a resistance. But you if you take the medical aid sent by Europe to help the poor people of Gaza and sell it in your own pharmacies to make money for yourself and the government, you can’t have both.”

At this point he pulled a packet of antibiotics from his pocket; it is stamped: “A gift of the people of Norway. Not for resale.”

“I just bought this from a Hamas-run pharmacy here in Rafah for my son,” he said. “I had to go to a Hamas pharmacy to make sure the pills weren’t fake or made from poor materials in Egypt. If you want real medicine, you have to buy the aid Europe sends us.”

Meanwhile, at the very same time that Hamas' medical director said that "medical care must be separated from political disputes," he accused Israel of using illegal weapons in Gaza:

Abbas said doctors examined samples taken from the bodies of those killed in the 3-week war and found evidence that Israeli forces used internationally prohibited weapons against Gaza's residents.

He condemned the silence of the international community over what he described as Israeli war crimes.

Goldstone, about 8 HRW reports, a number of Amnesty reports, many art and photo exhibits on Gaza, massive anti-Israel demonstrations in Europe, daily incitement against Israel, and entire worldwide BDS movement, highly publicized "flotillas" ... and Hamas whines that they aren't getting enough publicity!

For big, bad mujahadeen, Hamas members sure act like babies!

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Two top UNRWA officials resign

From Ma'an:

The directors of the UN's Palestine refugee operations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank resigned Monday morning, an UNRWA spokesman said.

Adnan Abu Hasna said Barbara Shenstone, the West Bank director, and John Ging, based in the Gaza Strip, were stepping down.

UNRWA says:

John Ging is to take up a senior position in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York and Ms Shenstone is to return to her native Canada.

This creates more questions than it answers. Two resignations on the same day seems unlikely to be coincidental. UNRWA will furiously spin this to make it appear that this does not indicate a problem at the agency.

UNRWA is far from transparent, especially given that it gets all of its funds from the nations of the world. For example, it never acknowledged the UNRWA West Bank workers' strike that started last October.

It is likely that the UNRWA strike is what caused Shenstone to resign. Here is an editorial in Ma'an calling for her to do exactly that in December:

The events of the past month show Shenstone as a stubborn leader, tough and determined to act on principle. It seems, however, that she has also taken the matter personally, and is exacting a grudge without feeling the responsibility for the loss of UNRWA services to Palestinians.

As a result, many notable figures in the country have asked her to leave the West Bank and return home. We have enough extremists and we do not need her. It would be better if she worked in the UN Archives.

While Shenstone has all the credentials of a good leader, she lacks wise management skills. This became apparent as we watched her react to the workers on strike.

On Sunday she described the demands of the workers as "absurd," and said it revolved around a demand that workers be "paid hourly wages they didn't receive the last time they went on strike, and we're not willing to do that."

Since the start of the strike, 56,000 children in UNRWA schools are wandering the streets waiting for Shenstone to act generously and give up her pride and cede the demands of the union.

Thirty clinics in 19 refugee camps shut down, patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, sick children are suffering and piles of rank garbage are collecting in the streets, while Shenstone moved her administrative offices to the Ambassador Hotel in Jerusalem and rejected mediation efforts from the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice and other lawmakers. She has divorced herself from reality.

Even if the union is in the wrong, Shenstone's insistence on carrying out this stupidity is a crime against the children of the camps and their parents. We need leaders who work miracles and ensure that children in the camps are helped in whatever way they can be, we do not need suborn leaders.

Residents, planning action in support of the union, have prepared signs with Shenstone's photo, and the words "Go back to your country, you are persona non grata."

Let's hope that Ging and/or Shenstone will start talking about how things really are at UNRWA, the way that James Lindsay did after he left the agency.

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SPJ follows through and retires Helen Thomas award

As I mentioned last week, the Society of Professional Journalists officially decided to retire their Helen Thomas Award.

From SPJ:

INDIANAPOLIS – The board of directors of the Society of Professional Journalists voted Friday to retire the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award.

The vote means the Society will not give out an award for lifetime achievement. The action does not rename the award or remove Thomas’ name.

Both the board of directors and the executive committee heard from many people inside and outside of SPJ’s membership and journalism. SPJ fully understands the concerns expressed by both sides regarding whether renaming or retiring the award is necessary or improper.

A prominent objection to taking any action was that of Helen Thomas’ free speech rights. SPJ staunchly believes Helen Thomas and all people in the United States have a right to free speech. The Society defends that fundamental legal right as a core organizational mission, even when the speech is unpopular, vile or considered offensive.

However, the controversy surrounding this award has overshadowed the reason it exists. To continue offering the award would reignite the controversy each year and take away from its purpose: honoring a lifetime of work in journalism. No individual worthy of such honor should have to face this controversy. No honoree should have to decide if the possible backlash is worth being recognized for his or her contribution to journalism.

“As I said last week after the executive committee meeting, it’s time we in SPJ stop focusing on this divisive topic and start focusing on what unites us,” SPJ President Hagit Limor said. “There’s tremendously important work for us, like training our members for our ever-changing industry and fighting to ensure journalists and citizens have access to public records.”

A very proper decision.

Thomas' Arab defenders like Ray Hanania should note that the SPJ understood what Thomas really said, even as they continue to deny it:

The Jan. 8 executive committee meeting marked the second time in nearly six months the committee considered removing Thomas’ name, stemming from an incident earlier in 2010 when the longtime White House reporter and columnist commented to a rabbi on video that Jews in Palestine should “go home.” Thomas drew widespread criticism after the video was posted online, and she later resigned her job as a Hearst Newspapers columnist. The executive committee considered removing Thomas’ name during a July meeting but did not, noting it was a one-time, spontaneous remark for which she apologized.

In December, Thomas reiterated her previous comments before a speech in Dearborn, Mich., the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News reported. The News quoted her at the time as saying, “Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by the Zionists. No question.”

The SPJ knows very well what Thomas meant when she said "Zionists." Apologists for her are the ones who look like fools.

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Statistics fun: Freedom House vs. HRW

I am no math wizard, but I was wondering after my last blog post  if there was any correlation - positive or negative - between the scores that Freedom House uses to determine how free a country is, and how much attention that country receives by Human Rights Watch, in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA.)

I calculated Freedom House's score by adding their two values for political rights and civil liberties, each on a scale of 1-7, so the freest countries would have a score of 2 and the least free a score of 14.

I used Google to estimate the number of mentions of each country at the HRW.com site.

Here is a chart with the raw numbers.

Country	HRW mentions	Freedom House score
Oman	328	11
Qatar	456	11
Bahrain	460	11
Algeria	787	11
Yemen	999	11
Morocco	1060	9
Kuwait	1130	9
UAE(+United Arab Emirates)	1200	11
Libya	1240	14
Jordan	1300	11
Lebanon	1450	8
Syria	1510	13
Tunisia	1530	12
Egypt	1930	11
Iraq	2170	11
Israel	3940	3
Saudi Arabia	4140	13
Iran	5730	12

And graphically (I normalized the freedom score to put them on the same visual scale):

In a sane world, one would expect a positive correlation between how unfree a nation is and how many mentions it receives in Human Rights Watch. However, there is practically no correlation between the two mathematically in the MENA region - in fact, there is a weak negative correlation between them (-0.13).

Perhaps a reader will take it upon himself to see if this lack or correlation extends to other parts of the world, or if it is only in the Middle East that HRW's emphasis is so skewed. 

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The 2% that drives the hypocrites crazy

Freedom House put out their annual survey of how free every country in the world is.

Here's the graphical representation of freedom in the Middle East and North Africa. Click to enlarge.

In the Middle East and North Africa, only 2% of the population live in countries that are considered "free" while 88% live in countries considered "not free" and 10% in "partially free" countries.

In fact, out of the five regions that Freedom House used for their statistics, the Middle East/North Africa was by far the least free in the world. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, only 37% live in "not free" countries.


And the 2% in the Middle East/North Africa who do live in freedom? All of them happen to live in Israel.

It puts the Middle East problem in perspective, doesn't it?

(h/t Mostly Kosher)

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The first Elder of Ziyon art exhibition

In Edinburgh there is a new art exhibition:

Prompted by the invasion of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Defense Force (27 December 2008 - 21 January 2009), John Goto has made a new series of apparently abstract images entitled Mosaic. 

Access to the conflict was denied to the international press. One common means of censoring digital images is the application of a standard graphics filter named Mosaic. Having mapped a grid across the chosen area of the picture, the filter averages the tones and colours within each rectangle. When applied by Goto to documentary images, the filter transforms them into ’abstracts’ reminiscent of the colour systems paintings made by artists Johannes Itten, Paul Klee and Max Bill.

Documentary images from the conflict that appeared on the internet were often made, not by professional photo journalists, but by eye-witnesses using mobile phones or small digital cameras. Goto explores the characteristically pixilated look to be found in such images. The artist has solved the problem of representing censored, hidden images by making double-sided prints onto single sheets of paper. Specially designed frames allow viewing from both sides. For this exhibition Goto has also created two mural size images. 

John Goto would like to acknowledge the support of D-MARC Digital and Material Arts Research Centre, University of Derby.

It is amazing how many images Goto managed to find of this "censored" war!

Here's a sample of his "art" - which any person even slightly familiar with computer graphics can tell you, involved absolutely no talent, and yet which Goto still needed to rely on a digital arts research center to do for him!

He's selling these prints for about $1400 each - unframed!

Because this is so successful, I am making my own on-line art exhibition of photos taken in Gaza, normally not visible to the world at large because of the sanctimonious posturings of people like Goto. It sounds like this is a pretty good racket.

My art exhibit took me all of five minutes to create, and I wish to thank a Windows paint package that was written in 1996 that happens to have a "mosaic" function (Paint Shop Pro v. 4.12):

Gaza's Crazy Water Park

Gaza's Roots Restaurant

Hamas burning American and Israeli flags in Gaza

The limited edition, signed color original prints - reminiscent of works by Johannes Itten, Paul Klee and Max Bill - can be purchased from the Elder of Ziyon Virtual Fine Arts Museum, starting at a mere $1100 each. Such a bargain! Contact me for details. I might even throw in a frame!

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Sunday afternoon links

A new research paper confirms that the PA is heavily dependent on foreign aid - and is not building a state infrastructure with the billions it is getting.

Daphne Anson has another exhaustive blog post - this time on the history of how Britain's Foreign Ministry has been pandering to Islamists and selling out Israel.

CiFWatch asks whether the editors of the Guargian are guilty of conspiracy with their part in Wikileaks.

Ashley Perry on the best decision he ever made - moving to Israel.

And I forgot to mention a couple of days ago a report that Hamas' successor to the assassinated Mahmoud al-Mabhouh has been arrested in the UAE - for money laundering. Stratfor reported it as well.

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Islamic leader in Israel demands mezuzot be removed from Old City gates

From The Muqata, a translation of an article in Ma'ariv:

The Israeli Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, led by Sheikh Raed Salah, is now demanding the removal of all "Mezuzot" on the gates of Jerusalem's Old City.

According to the movement, the mezuzot are an attempt to Judaize the "Arab heritage" of the Old City.

In a statement issued by the movement, it stated that during a patrol in the Old City, they saw mezuzot on the various gates, and Jews touching the mezuzot as they passed through the gates.

"This is a disgusting attempt to Judaize the Arab and Islamic heritage of the Old City," the statement said, "and all the relevant Islamic institutions are called up to to act quickly to remove the mezuzot."

Mahmoud Abu Atta, spokesman for the institution "Mossad Al-Aqsa" said that he sees these mezuzahs "as continued attempts to Judaize the Old City. A Mezuzah is put on the door of a Jewish home yet this [the Old City of Jerusalem] is an Arab city."

A mezuza is a (protected) parchment handwritten with Judaism's holiest profession of faith, the Sh'ma, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21. The Sh'ma itself is the source for Jewish law mandating that its words be affixed to the doorposts and gates of all areas controlled by Jews.

It is most appropriate to have mezuzot on the gates of Judaism's holy city!

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Iraq Christians fleeing to Turkey

From Al Arabiya/AFP:

Terrorized by increasing extremist attacks, more and more Iraqi Christians are fleeing in panic to neighboring Muslim-majority Turkey, among them solitary minors sent away by desperate parents.

In Istanbul, a tiny Chaldean Catholic community has embraced the refugees, serving as their first point of shelter before the United Nations or local civic groups offer a helping hand.

The number of arrivals, available statistics show, has sharply increased since October 31 when gunmen stormed a Baghdad church, killing 44 worshippers, two priests and seven security guards, in an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda's local affiliate.

"We saw many newcomers after the attack. We saw they had made no preparation and had no savings," said Gizem Demirci, an activist at the Association for Solidarity with Asylum-Seekers and Migrants.

"Moreover, we began to receive minors... whose families are still in Iraq but had just enough money to send away a son or a daughter," she added without offering any exact figures.

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