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28 May 2011 12:29

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World: Egyptian Gaza border opens, finally giving Palestinians a way out

  • Opening this door does not mean Egypt wants to allow bombs and explosives … Egypt wants to allow safe passage of individuals who want to conduct their lives.
  • Senior Fatah official Nabil Shaath • Expressing his approval for Egypt’s decision to permanently open their Rafa Border to Gaza, the region’s main outlet to the outside world. It’s all a part of the Egyptian government’s desire to build a stronger relationship with the Palestinians. Hamas’ Deputy foreign minister, Ghazi Hamad, calls this “a unique move and a positive development.” As for those allowed to leave the tiny, dense region of Palestine, they’re thrilled to finally get to leave. “The closure did not affect only the travel of passengers or the flowing of goods. Our brains and our thoughts were under blockade,” said Khaled Halaweh, a 28-year-old man who hopes to study at Alexandria University, but hasn’t been able to leave the Gaza region in seven years. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 May 2011 16:25

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U.S.: Israeli PM Netanyahu shoots down Obama’s border plan

  • “Indefensible”: So said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on one of the key, specific policy calls that President Obama made in his big Mid-East speech, namely that the borders of both an Israel and Palestinian’s border talks should start with on those present in 1967, before the Six Day War that saw Israel take control of the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, West Bank, and the Golan Heights. This was a surprise from Obama, and one that he had to know would rankle Israeli stalwarts. Netanyahu says that such a move would hurt Israeli security, and force them to abandon settlements within the Palestinian territories. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 May 2011 13:53

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World: The Third Intifada: Social media rocks the Middle East again

  • The violent protests happening in Israel today got at least a small spark from Facebook. Large numbers of Palestinians are protesting today (with harsh reaction from Israeli soldiers) after a movement called the Third Intifada sprung up on the social media site. The previous two Intifada movements, which Palestinians used to protest against Israel, were also quite violent. The Facebook page for the current movement had about 300,000 supporters before it the social networking site took it offline due to messages inciting violence against Israel. The movement has since moved to its own website. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 May 2011 10:07

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World: Israeli ambassador to the U.S.: We gotta deal with Hamas? Ugh

  • There is no indication that Hamas is willing to give up terror, recognize Israel or recognize the peace process.
  • Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren • Expressing his country’s frustration with the recent unity deal struck between Hamas and Fatah, the two main political sects in Palestine. Oren makes it clear that he considers Hamas’ new role a major setback for Israel. “Hamas has fired thousands of rockets at Israeli citizens, at our towns, at our farms,” he noted, “and Hamas is one of the only elements in the Middle East to condemn the US’s action against [Osama] bin Laden.” While he emphasizes that peace is the goal for Israel, Hamas’ new seat at the bargaining table “is extremely difficult for us.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 May 2011 16:17

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World: Fatah, Hamas sign reconciliation deal to Israel’s chagrin

  • Signed on the dotted line: Hamas and Fatah made official their surprising reconciliation deal today, which calls for a new interim government and for elections within one year. This has sparked a lot of angst from Israel, who are fearful of the a unified Palestinian authority that includes Hamas  — they’re also opposed to a Palestinian attempt to get statehood recognition from the United Nations, expected to take place this September. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2011 14:55

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World: Shrapnel bomb rocks Jerusalem bus stop this morning

  • four years since a bomb was last set off in Jerusalem
  • 24 people injured, as the bomb shot out shrapnel
  • one person killed in the incident, an Israeli source
  • » The old tension beginning to boil again: This bomb attack comes on the heels of rocket and mortar attacks launched from Gaza on Wednesday, which wounded one person. That attack was called retaliation by some Palestinians, in response to Israeli air strikes that killed eight people, amongst them three children. So, basically, this is all (still) shot to hell, and with Israeli/Palestinian peace talks having fallen apart last year, it’s anybody’s guess what the future holds for this most bloody and depressing of conflicts.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2011 13:57

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World: Muammar Gaddafi blames (surprise!) foreigners for uprising

  • Muammar Gaddafi, still horrible: Included in this already striking video showing Libyan rebels firing on a state war plane overhead, Muammar Gaddafi held a press conference of sorts in which he again claimed there isn’t a domestic uprising against him. He said that small groups of dissidents have entered Libya from Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt and Palestine, but rest assured, Libyans are still with him. It’d be amusing, if he weren’t brutally killing his own people. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

14 Feb 2011 11:07

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World: Palestinian situation looking pretty freaking messed-up right now

  • I can’t advocate accountability and transparency all my life and then comes the biggest breach in Palestinian national security – the stealing of the documents from my office – and let it be business as usual. What I want to do is plant the seeds for the future of Palestinian officials. When officials make mistakes, they are out.
  • Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat • Explaining why he left his office in the wake of the recent “Palestine Papers” scandal, which was rooted from a leak in his office. Erekat’s exit over the weekend is only one sign of an overwhelming instability that showed up in the wake of the Egyptian unrest. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad straight-up dissolved the cabinet and plans to replace them all within six weeks. The cabinet was long seen by many in the Fatah movement as dysfunctional, indluding Fayyad – and not even all the seats in the cabinet were actually filled with people. Is a fresh start what Palestine needs, at least politically? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Feb 2011 19:07

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World: Palestine fighting over itself over Egypt-inspired election plans

  • We call upon all parties to set aside their reservations and disagreements. Let us work together to hold elections and uphold the will of the Palestinian people. As for differences and disagreements, whether in political or security matters, we believe that these issues could be resolved by the coming elected Legislative Council.
  • A message from the Palestinian Authority • Announcing the country’s first elections since 2006, when Hamas gained a foothold, will take place in September. As with just about everything with the Islamist Hamas group, things are tense, and they’re fighting the decision to hold elections, saying that they need to come after a reconciliation period between Hamas and the Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority. Hamas is currently not a part of the Palestine Liberation Organization,  and want the group to be restructured to include them. The two groups – Hamas and Fatah – fought a brief civil war in 2007 and since then have controlled different parts of the already-tension-filled country. Also today, Saeb Erekat, one of Palestine’s chief negotiators with Israel, resigned in the wake of the recent “Palestine Papers” scandal. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2011 10:09

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World: What do Egypt’s neighbors have to say about the protests?

  • saudis Saudi King Abdullah called Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak to say this: “No Arab and Muslim human being can bear that some infiltrators, in the name of freedom of expression, have infiltrated into the brotherly people of Egypt.” So, he’s totally on Mubarak’s side still.
  • palestinians Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called Mubarak and “affirmed his solidarity with Egypt and and his commitment to is its security and stability.” Thats’s not as direct as the Saudis, but still clearly favoring Mubarak. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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