[Tolo News] A number of politicians and civil society activists on Tuesday voiced loud opposition to a new law making its way through Parliament that would grant new privileges, including a salary benefits, for Members of Parliament.
The lower house approved the law on Saturday, and demonstrations have taken place in front of the National Assembly building to show opposition to the law ever since.
"It is very unfortunate that a number of MPs are seeking more benefits considering the situation that exists in the country," a protestor named Rafiullah Herawi told TOLOnews on Tuesday.
"There are members of the National Assembly who are the reasons for the expansion of corruption in the country and today they seek more privileges in a very shameful way," another protestor named Shabnam Warasta said.
While opposition to the law among MPs themselves was not enough to keep it form passing the Lower House over the weekend, a number of them have spoken out against the legislation since.
"The law has been approved by those who always favor themselves and their wealth, we will continue fighting such a thing and those seeking to make themselves richer," said Naqibullah Fayeq, the head of Parliament's Commission on Health and Sports.
Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... MP Nahid Fareed was adamant that the financial expenditures to be allocated to the politicians according to the law could be used for something better, like development projects.
"If the law is approved, in the coming twenty years, the amount that is going to be allocated to more than 1,000 Parliament members is around $240 million," Fareed said. "We can use this for building roads, schools and anything else so that people live in comfort."
But before the draft legislation can become law, it must first be approved by the Senate. But the Upper House voted down the draft on Tuesday.
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07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] The group formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is distributing a map of its so-called caliphate, issuing its own "passports" and giving titles to loyalists, but the moves are being met with sarcasm and ridicule.
"They invent ideas that neither reason nor logic can accept," commented Samia Ben Hammouda, a 29-year-old Tunisian employee. "They issue passports while they are rejected by the international community and this shows the shallowness of their thoughts."
The "Islamic State" allegedly began issuing special passports for the caliphate last week.
"While we are searching for solutions to our economic and social problems, they have showed up with subversive and obsolete ideas," Ben Hammouda added.
Iraqi News Agency journalist Ahmed Hadi expressed a similar view: "Those riffraff believe that they are a real state and they can do anything, as evidenced by these passports.
Samer Fallah, a 25-year-old insurance company intern, said that what this organization was doing was a form of entertainment and a waste of time.
"The world is struggling for civil liberties, economic prosperity and scientific cultural progress, and they want to return us to the caliphate," he said.
Despite the lack of popular support for the ideas of ISIS, observers warned that the terror group could try to profit from the volatile security situation in the Sahel-Saharan region.
The risk of a "caliphate" in the Maghreb was very much on the table due to the fragile security situation in Tunisia, the chaos in Libya and the continuing return of fighters from Syria and Iraq, said Bacem Sendi, a journalist specialising in security issues.
"These leaders consider Tunisia and the countries of the Islamic Maghreb easily accessible because they have an active salafi jihadi base, as evidenced by the presence of about 2,400 Tunisian mujahedeen in their ranks," Sendi noted.
Caution about ISIS was required, especially after several jihadist factions in the Maghreb announced their support for the terror group, said Abdul Hamid al-Gharbi, a Tunis professor.
"The region is now living its worst security situation," he told Magharebia. "Libya was acquired by murderous Moslem militias and Tunisia faces many security challenges along with its neighbour Algeria, in addition to economic and social difficulties. This climate could revive extremism and encourages violence."
Former Tunisian General Mokhtar Ben Nacer, however, doubts the ability of the Islamic State to reach the Maghreb.
He said that the terror group could not go advance beyond the Levant and Iraq. The real threat to Tunisia, he said, was the gangs near the Libyan border.
This was also the opinion of Oussama Nabli, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering student, who pointed out the distance between the regions.
"I do not think that this organization, which is busy establishing a caliphate in the Levant and Iraq, is seriously considering transferring its battles to another area," Nabli said.
His friend Asrar Abidhi said, "Such groups do not scare Tunisians and have no place among us because we are a moderate and united people who reject all manifestations of intolerance, violence and extremism, and believe in the state and civil liberties."
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07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] Algeria may soon open synagogues and churches shuttered since the 1990's.
Religious Affairs Minister Mohammed Aissa on July 8th reiterated his country's welcome to Jews and Christians. Five days earlier, he announced that his ministry was preparing a bill that would grant minorities access to their places of worship.
"This is a message to the Jews and the rest of the communities that Algeria is not against them," he said from Oran. "Algeria is diverse in terms of culture and language and accepts others."
At least they're making promises, which is more than most Muslim countries have done.
According to the minister, synagogues and churches will be provided with special security.
Speaking at a forum organised by Liberte, Aissa said his ministry was "responsible for all religions, not only Islam".
In the past, Algeria had accommodated a Jewish association that oversaw the status of Jewish cemeteries in co-ordination with the ministry.
The organization also offered tours to historic Jewish neighbourhoods in old Algerian cities such as Tlemcen, which in recent years received delegations of pilgrims to the Kebassa cemetery, where Rabbi Ephraim Ben Kawa is buried.
There are 25 synagogues within Algeria, according to the religious affairs ministry.
But leaders of the salafist ...also known as Wahhabis, salafists are against innovation in religion or in anything else. They eat the same things every meal of every day and all their children are named Abdullah or Mohammed. Not all salafists are takfiris, but all takfiris are salafists. They are fond of praying five times a day and killing infidels... movement in Algeria rejected the government's decision.
Dozens of salafists protested July 11th in Algiers. Salafist Cheikh Abdel Fattah Zrawi had described the move to reintegrate minorities as a threat to Algerian society and culture.
But many did not agree with the salafist stance.
"Algeria throughout history, including under the Ottomans, always endeavoured to preserve the rights of all communities in worship, including Jews, so that the temples and monasteries of the Jews in Bashar, Tlemcen, Algiers and Oran were not destroyed or even targeted," according to journalist Kamel Chirazi.
"That is further evidence of the depth and religious diversity and co-existence in Algeria. The same applies to Christians and their symbols in Algeria," he said.
Trader Mohammed Madani said the salafist perspective on the issue was a form of extremism.
"Mohammedans pray in mosques that are or were constructed in La Belle France and Europe based on freedom of belief," he explained, noting the double standard in the salafists' stance.
For his part, the head of Algeria's advisory human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state... commission, Farouk Ksentini, said that the free exercise of religion was guaranteed by law and the constitution.
"Why should we think that we can close churches or temples without a good reason?" he asked.
Algerian authorities regarded the Jews as Algerians, no more and no less, Echorouk quoted Algerian Jewish history researcher Dr Fawzi Saadallah as saying.
Jews in Algeria are today a minority estimated in the hundreds up to a maximum of a few thousand, said the former head of the Jewish community in Algeria, Roger Said.
The former human rights official pointed out that a number of Jews converted to Islam and melted into the community.
There are also families in the cities of Tlemcen, Algiers, and other cities that are believed to have Jewish origins, and there is no problem, he said.
In various cities of Algeria, almost only the elderly are left, because young people usually migrate in search of broader horizons, as do Mohammedans, Said added
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07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] Negotiations between Touareg rebel groups and the Malian government begin Wednesday (July 16th) in Algiers.
According to Malian envoy and former premier Modido Keita, the negotiations will be overseen by a "college of mediators" including Algeria, the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and a "college of controllers" from the EU, La Belle France, Niger and Nigeria.
The talks in the Algerian capital are the first to bring together the various warring factions since an interim agreement last June paved the way for nationwide elections.
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[TRIBUNE.PK] Libya's government said Tuesday it was considering calling for international forces to help re-establish security after deadly festivities closed Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... airport, severing air links with the outside world.
Fighting between liberal and militias locked in a brutal power struggle forced the closure of the country's main international airport, leaving the North African state feeling increasingly isolated.
On Monday, the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... (UN) announced it was evacuating its remaining staff from Libya because of the deteriorating security situation.
The locked-down airport came under renewed attack late Monday when dozens of rockets — including one that hit a plane — were fired, killing a security guard and injuring six others, officials said.
Al Jilani al Dahech, a security official at Tripoli airport, told AFP that the control tower was hit along with a plane belonging to private Libyan carrier Buraq Airlines.
Shortly after the attack the government released a statement saying it was "looking into the possibility of making an appeal for international forces on the ground to re-establish security and help the government impose its authority".
The statement from a spokesperson added that the forces would help protect civilians, prevent anarchy and allow the government to build up the army and police.
International air power helped overthrow dictator Moamer Qadaffy in 2011, sparking a power struggle between rival gangs that has wracked the oil producing state.
Fighting between militias has intensified since a general election in June and the UN said it was withdrawing its remaining staff.
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07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[CNN] A man once detained by Libyan officials and interviewed by the FBI over suspected links to the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, has turned up dead.
Faraj al-Shibli, whose name is also spelled Chalabi, was last seen in the custody of a local militia in Marj two days ago, a Libyan source said. His body was found Monday in the eastern Libyan town.
He's the second Benghazi suspect to surface in recent weeks. U.S. forces enjugged Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! suspected attack criminal mastermind Ahmed Abu Khattalah last month.
Here's what CNN has previously reported about those suspected of involvement in the attacks. With the exception of Abu Khattalah, it's unknown if any have been charged in connection with the Benghazi attack. The charges remain under seal.
Herewith CNN's list. More details at the link.
Al-Shibli -- The Libyan government took al-Shibli into custody in March 2013 in connection with the Benghazi attack.
Abu Khattalah -- The Libyan militia leader for Ansar al-Sharia ...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Libya and Yemen, with the Libyan versions currently most active. Tunisia's Shabaab al-Tawhid started out as Ansar al-Sharia and changed its name in early 2014. It still uses the old name now and then, probably because the stationery's not all used up and the web site hasn't expired yet... in Benghazi has been described as the criminal mastermind of the attack -- an allegation he denied in an interview with CNN's Arwa Damon.
Ali Ani al Harzi -- Tunisian authorities held him in Tunis for several weeks in 2013 in connection with the Benghazi attack.
Mohammed al-Zahawi -- One of the leaders in Ansar al-Sharia.
Sheikh Nasser al-Tarshani -- Ansar al-Sharia's religious authority.
Sufian bin Qumu -- He headed the Darnah branch of Ansar al-Sharia, which the U.S. State Department said in January was involved in the Benghazi attack.
Several unnamed Yemeni men -- A senior law enforcement source told CNN in May 2013 that authorities had traced the men to northern Mali, where they are believed to have connected with a fighting group commanded by jihadist leader Moktar Belmoktar.
Moktar Belmoktar -- He is an Algerian terror suspect linked to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb who was on the receiving end of an excited phone call from someone in or close to Benghazi in the attack's aftermath.
Mohammed Jamal Abu Ahmed -- He is allegedly the leader of a post-revolution terrorist network in Egypt.
[An Nahar] New British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Tuesday ruled out any possibility of working with Syrian leader Bashir al-Assad over the country's civil war.
Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... announced earlier Tuesday that Hammond was leaving his post as defense secretary and taking over from William Hague.
Continued on Page 49
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07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Oh dear. The foreign office is once again working for the benefit of those who hate the UK
[An Nahar] Turkey is seeking to host a conference for Moslem scholars in Istanbul during the upcoming days to reject extremism and violence and to safeguard Islam against the so-called "caliphate" that was declared by Sunni Lions of Islam in Iraq and Syria.
A Turkish envoy held talks with several Moslem scholars and holy mans in Beirut to invite them to attend a conference in Istanbul between July 17 and 19, As Safir newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The daily said that the invitations come on behalf of the President of Turkish Religious Affairs, Mohammed Kormaz, in an attempt to bring together Moslem scholars at a conference under the title "World Islamic Scholars Peace, Moderation and Common Sense Initiative."
Several invitations have been sent to Moslem scholars in Iraq, Syria, Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , Egypt and other countries, the newspaper said.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi only they haven't dumped him yet... and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu are expected to attend the conference.
In June, ruthless jihadists spearheading a Sunni bad boy offensive in Iraq have declared an "Islamic caliphate" and ordered Moslems worldwide to pledge allegiance to their chief, in a spectacular bid to extend their authority.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... (ISIL) renamed itself simply the Islamic State (IS) and declared its shadowy frontman the leader of the world's Moslems, in a clear challenge to al-Qaeda for control of the global jihadist movement.
IS announced that it was establishing a "caliphate" -- an Islamic form of government last seen under the Ottoman Empire -- extending now from Aleppo in northern Syria to Diyala province in eastern Iraq, the regions where it has fought against the regimes in power.
In an audio recording posted online, the group declared its chief His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us... "the caliph" and "leader for Moslems everywhere". Henceforth, the group said, he is to be known as "caliph Ibrahim" -- a reference to his real name.
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07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
they better have good security for this conference
maybe Ergodan should hire an Israel firm for that
Posted by: lord garth ||
07/16/2014 9:58 Comments ||
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[NEWS.YAHOO] Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi only they haven't dumped him yet... on Tuesday stepped up his rhetoric against Israel over its deadly air offensive on Gazoo, accusing the Jewish state of committing "state terrorism ... any action taken by a non-Moslem state that constrains the violent impulses of Moslems or their allies ... " against the Paleostinians.
In his universe, Jews are the scum Allah scrapes off the bottom of his shoe. Fortunately for Israel, Allah does not appear to agree.
Presenting himself as the sole world leader speaking up for the Paleostinians,
...another step deeper into his very own universe...
Erdogan said that any normalisation in the troubled ties between Israel and Ankara was currently out of the question.
"Israel is continuing to carry out state terrorism in the region. Nobody, except us, tells it to stop," Erdogan told members of his ruling party in parliament, accusing Israel of perpetrating a "massacre" of Paleostinians.
How many of Turkey's Kurds have been killed on his watch, as compared to 197 Gazans?
"To what extent will the world remain silent to this state terrorism?"
Supporters from his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) often interrupted his address by shouting slogans like: "Murderer Israel!".
Erdogan also lashed out at Israeli politician Ayelet Shaked of the far-right Jewish Home party who posted controversial remarks on social media suggesting the Paleostinians deserved to die.
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07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Moslem American groups and individuals on Monday boycotted US President Barack Obama Because I won... 's Iftar dinner over his administration's anti-Moslem policies. If they didn't show up, who went?
A large number of Moslems instead participated in a protest outside the White House against US government policies, according to reports published in US media.
The Iftar is when Moslems break their fast during Ramadan and it's the meal they enjoy after sunset every day during the holy month.
In the past, the White House has held several Ramadan dinners with prominent members of Moslem groups and various eminent Moslem Americans.
On Monday, some American Moslems and officials from certain Islamic states still attended the Ramadan dinner, which has been seen as an opportunity to engage with officials in power, but many American Moslems refused to participate in the event amid growing concern that US policies keep getting worse and they would be complicit if they attended the dinner.
According to Firedoglake, over a hundred Moslem advocates, activists, and scholars signed an open letter explaining why they believed a boycott was necessary.
They said the dinner "represents nothing more than an attempt to whitewash state violence, absolve government institutions from taking responsibility and creating mechanisms of accountability and transparency for the civil rights violations that have been perpetrated towards Moslems and Moslem Americans, and Americans on the lam, beginning from even before the onset of the War on Terror."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Taking lessons from the Paleos about missing opportunities?
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/16/2014 7:32 Comments ||
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#2
actually it was an arab group, the Arab/American anti discrimination committee, that initiated the boycott
the moslem groups (CAIR, American Muslim Council) came and ate and lobbied the WH to support terrorism against Israel
Posted by: lord garth ||
07/16/2014 8:04 Comments ||
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#3
Would that they would all boycott the country. Leave and never come back.
[Ynet] Senate defense subcommittee approves new spending bill providing $621 million for Israeli missile defense.
The US Congress is showing tangible support for longtime ally Israel as Gazooturbans fire rockets, backing a measure that would double the amount of money for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system.
The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee approved a defense spending bill on Tuesday that would provide $621.6 million for Israeli missile defense, including $351 million for the Iron Dome system that intercepts short-range rockets and mortars. In the latest hostilities between Israel and Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,, Iron Dome has been successful in shooting down rockets and preventing Israeli deaths.
"It works," said Sen. Dick Durbin ...Senator-for-Life from Illinois and Democratic Party Whip. In April 2006, Time magazine identified Durbin as one of America's 10 Best Senators, so what's that tell you? He was the first United States Senator to support the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama, then the junior senator from Illinois.... , a Democrat and chairman of the subcommittee.
Since 1988 and the early days of US-Israeli cooperation on missile defense, presidents have proposed a specific amount for the program knowing full well that members of Congress will increase the funds, especially after they hear from Israel.
Overall, the defense bill would provide $549.3 billion for the fiscal year beginning October 1. The bill spares several of the weapons programs that the Pentagon had proposed scaling back or eliminating, including the A-10 Warthog, the close air support aircraft and the USS George Washington aircraft carrier.
The ninth Iron Dome battery has been completed. The air force should receive it today, but it is still unclear where it will be deployed.
Since the latest conflict with Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, started eight days ago, Iron Dome has intercepted almost 200 rockets and mortars fired from Gazoo.
[DAWN] Former president Asif Ali Zardari announced his support for Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) chief Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... 's demand for recounting of votes in four constituencies, saying that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... should not have any fears regarding a recount if there was no rigging during elections last year.
In a statement issued by the Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP)'s media wing, the party's co-chairman said that if needed, a recount may be carried out in 40 constituencies instead of four. He added that people had elected Nawaz Sharif as the prime minister of the country and not as an absolute monarch. He also criticised Nawaz's interference in other provinces.
The former president expressed surprise and dismay over the government's delay in vote recount for four constituencies in Lahore. "The heavens would not fall if the demand was accepted," the statement issued by spokesperson Senator Farhatullah quoted him as saying.
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07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Chief military front manMajor General Asim Saleem Bajwa ... who is The Very Model of a Modern Major General... said on Tuesday that the Pakistain army will "completely eliminate" bully boyz sanctuaries and hideouts from North Wazoo.
In a press briefing, Bajwa said that 447 bully boyz have been killed so far whereas 88 hideouts have been destroyed. He also said that 26 soldiers have bit the dust. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... this information could not be independently verified as journalists do not have access to most parts of the restive agency.
The major general said that a ground operation in Mir Ali has started and that myrmidon commander Matiullah was among those who were killed. Terrorists put up resistance when forces penetrated the area, however, 11 surrendered.
The DG ISPR also added that 80 per cent of Miranshah has been cleared by the security forces.
Bajwa also said, "North Waziristan had become a hub of terrorism where several terrorist networks were based and had been operating for a long time."
"Terrorists used to brainwash jacket wallahs while recruiting them in North Waziristan."
The DG ISPR appreciated the country's efforts to facilitate the IDPs and said relief supplies were coming in large quantities for the displaced persons.
He said many people were giving cash donations as a result of which Rs 675 million had been collected by the Pak Army. The DG ISPR assured that it would reach the displaced persons.
Bajwa was accompanied by the Federal Minister for State and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch.
Baloch said the government had been sincere in holding talks with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) till the very last moment but it was the Taliban who carried out bully boyz attacks and violated the ceasefire.
He also brushed aside suggestions that the military was running affairs, and said all matters including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are under civilian control.
He added that the military is only assisting the civilian administration in Bannu.
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07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The first case of polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... virus in any part of Sindh other than Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... was detected in a two-year-old resident of Sanghar on Monday.
All the seven cases confirmed earlier this year in Sindh were detected in Karachi alone.
The latest victim of the poliovirus was Rehmatullah, son of Mohammad Gul Brohi, who hailed from Dad Mohammad Brohi village, near Perumal town, according to Dr Durre Naz Jamal, deputy director of the expanded programme for immunisation in Sindh.
The child's father said that no 'proper' immunisation had been carried out in his village.
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[DAWN] The provincial government on Monday conceded in the Sindh High Court that the law enforcement agencies could not track down the network of a large number of gunnies who moved to Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... following different operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
Advocate General Abdul Fatah Malik made the statement in a report submitted before a two-judge bench that was seized with the hearing of seven identical petitions against the alleged extrajudicial killings of as many as 12 workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement
Continued on Page 49
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[Iran Press TV] Iraqi politicians have elected Salim al-Jabouri, a well-known moderate Sunni politician, as the country's new parliament speaker.
This comes after Jabouri won an absolute majority of votes from deputies. He was nominated by the country's main Sunni political coalition. Live television footage broadcast from inside the parliamentary chamber showed the 43-year-old being congratulated by other deputies.
The Iraqi legislative body resumed discussions to elect candidates for the country's three top posts today. After the election of the parliament speaker, politicians are now trying to pick the next prime minister and president.
This is the third time the parliament has convened after failing to form a unity government in the two previous sessions.
The politicians have been urged by top religious and political figures to put aside their differences and form a new government. Under a de facto agreement among communities in Iraq, the prime minister is a Shia Arab, the president a Kurd, and the parliament speaker a Sunni Arab.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Maliki imposed order on Basra wen the Shiites were going nuts, but has proven incapable of dealing with al-Qaeda's Sunni insurgency. Reelected to his third term in 2014... has rejected recent calls by the United States and its allies to form an emergency administration or a so-called national salvation government.
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07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Senior army official says ground offensive necessary to combat terror tunnels. It could take between a week and two weeks, and has high chances of being successful.
The IDF called on residents of eastern and northern Gazoo to evacuate their homes Tuesday night, apparently ahead of planned military strikes in the areas. A military source said that some 100,000 residents had received warnings to leave their homes.
Specifically, voice messages were left for residents in the eastern Shuja'iyya neighborhood in Gazoo City telling them to, "evacuate for the sake of your safety by 8am."
Meanwhile a ceaseless barrages of rockets after the unilateral truce led the IDF to resume its aerial strikes throughout the Gazoo Strip, earlier on Tuesday afternoon.
The resumption of aerial strikes might just be the first step towards a ground offensive, which seemed like a long-shot this morning when the cabinet accepted the Egyptian ceasefire proposal.
"A ground offensive could help combat the many tunnels in the Strip, where the Air Force is not effective," the bigwig told news hounds.
On the possibility of a ground offensive, the senior military official said: "Our recommendations to the politicianship were clear on this issue. A ground maneuver to destroy the tunnels will take somewhere between a week and two weeks, and the troops deployed to the border are trained for this and prepared for this. There is a small but significant amount of tunnels that we've yet to expose, and they're targets in this maneuver."
The official explained that a ground offensive against the terror tunnels "has high chances of being successful. It will require confrontation with the enemy and the evacuation of civilians, and will lead to the increase of rocket launching at Israel, but we trust the troops. The solutions will come from the fighting forces on the field, from the bottom, not just from the army command."
Overnight strikes
Prior to the security cabinet's decision to accept the Egyptian ceasefire offer, the IDF struck 132 terror targets overnight.
Among the targets attacked were a Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,' drones facility, a military site attacked by special forces, and the home of the leader of Hamas' military wing Marwan Issa. The house is used as a command center.
Other targets attacked include 35 hidden rocket launchers, 12 command and control sites, six operation centers and 10 smuggling and terror tunnels.
Paleostinians reported five people had been killed overnight in Gazoo, bringing the corpse count to 192, with over 1,400 maimed.
The Gazoo health ministry said three people had been killed in an Arclight airstrike early Tuesday morning in Khas Younis.
Earlier, two Paleostinians were killed in an Arclight airstrike near area of Israeli settlements evacuated in 2005.
At least four Paleostinians were maimed in an Arclight airstrike in northern Gazoo.
Paleostinians reported that the Air Force also attacked the homes of two senior Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... members in Gazoo, as well as the home of Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... 's adviser, Basim Naim, destroyed it. Two houses in the al-Shati refugee camp and in Beit Lahiya were destroyed in a 7:30am strike.
#3
On radio this morning, Hamas was reported to have told their folks to stay in their homes and not evacuate, as the Juices suggested. Always the voice of sweet reason!
That was followed by the hand-wringer, claiming they had no where to go, anyway. At least not any place that had adequate facilities. Did you hear my heart breaking, about 6:05 CDT?
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/16/2014 7:31 Comments ||
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#4
Modern warfare: the IDF wants to minimize Gazan casualties, Hamas wants to maximize them.
Posted by: Matt ||
07/16/2014 8:55 Comments ||
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#5
They can evacuate to Mecca. Or ten miles offshore.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
07/16/2014 10:16 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired the regime's deputy military affairs minister, Danny Danon.
According to Israeli media, Netanyahu dismissed Danon after he publicly criticized the premier's decisions during Israel's attack on the besieged Gazoo Strip.
Danon, who is a young member of Netanyahu's Likud party, criticized Tel Aviv's acceptance of a ceasefire offered by Egypt earlier in the day, saying, "Once again Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, is setting the tone for this operation."
The Israeli prime minister said the top military official's remarks show a "great degree of irresponsibility" at the height of a military campaign against the coastal sliver, adding, "Personally... I have decided to remove him from his post."
Israel's cabinet met early on Tuesday and ministers voted 6-2 in favor of accepting the truce. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, who have voiced support for aggression against Gazoo, voted against the proposal.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Correct to do so. Never let the enemy know what you are thinking.
[Al Ahram] Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, is still debating an Egyptian-proposed Gazoo truce, a top official from the Paleostinian group said on Tuesday, as rocket fire from the territory into Israel continued for more than two hours after the ceasefire was meant to go into effect, reported Rooters.
"We are still in consultation and there has been no official position made by the [Hamas] movement regarding the Egyptian proposal," Moussa Abu Marzouk, who was in Cairo, said in a tweet.
Not saying yes equals no, guys. Enjoy your consequences!
Israel carried out at least four air strikes against Gazoo on Tuesday afternoon, resuming attacks after the truce failed to get off the ground, AFP correspondents and eyewitnesses said.
"Following six hours of indiscriminate rocket fire at Israel, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have resumed operational activities against Hamas," military front man Lieutenant Peter Lerner said on his Twitter account.
Not saying yes while increasing the rocketry is a most definite no among the diplomatic types.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Israeli official told AFP that the military had been ordered to "act forcefully".
"After Hamas and Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... refused the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire and fired dozens of rockets at Israel, the prime minister and defence minister have ordered the IDF to act forcefully against the terror targets in Gazoo," said the official.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israel's security cabinet accepted an Egyptian ceasefire proposal, a government front man said, after a week of the deadliest violence in and around Gazoo since fighting broke out in 2012.
"The cabinet has decided to accept the Egyptian initiative for a ceasefire starting at 9am today," Ofir Gendelman, front man for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Twitter.
The corpse count from Israel's week-long attack on Gazoo, dubbed Operation Protective Edge, rose Tuesday to 192 Paleostinians.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Despite days of punishing Arclight airstrikes, Israel's military campaign has failed to inflict serious damage on the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, war machine, several sources said Monday.
Israel's Operation Protective Edge, nearly a week old, has been hobbled by insufficient intelligence, an unwillingness to inflict mass harm on Gazoo's civilian population, and Hamas advancements based on takeaways from the last major armed conflict in 2012, according to current and former officials.
"They still have almost 90 percent of their rockets," said Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Amidror, who believes that an invasion of Gazoo would prove useful in the long term — sparing lives on both sides — said that Israel has not hit Hamas rocket stores, rocket development capacity, and senior personnel for two reasons: a lack of detailed intelligence; and an understanding that, based on the location of the arms and personnel, "the collateral damage would be enormous."
Calling the operational changes made by Hamas "incredible," two senior intelligence officers, stationed in Tel Aviv and in the Southern Command, detailed some of the shifts.
"There's no doubt that there's a problem with online intelligence," said the officer from the Southern Command. He described a situation in which senior operatives were dug in deep underground and refrained entirely from using cell phones. Instead, he said, Hamas commanders use runners and other means.
The other officer focused on collateral damage. He said that Netanyahu directly ordered the heads of the army to avoid civilian casualties and to act with extreme caution in this regard.
Hamas, aware of Israel's Achilles' heel, he continued, placed much of its rocket stores under tall, civilian buildings. "Even if we ordered all of the residents out of the buildings," he explained, "the collateral damage would be massive." The secondary kabooms, in the middle of a dense urban area, would kill many innocent civilians.
The Southern Command officer said that the offensive tunnel discovered by the army during the days before the operation was, like several of its recent predecessors, of exceptional quality. The focus on cross-border tunnels like the one discovered near Kerem Shalom, he noted, is yet another shift made in light of the Iron Dome's success. Citing the ventilation and lighting, he quipped that, in a time of peace, the city of Tel Aviv would do well to hire these men to dig its light rail tunnels.
The underground channels within Gazoo, though, he continued, are mostly escape tunnels and passages through which ambushes could be laid, but that the subterranean space in Gazoo itself was not all that vast or menacing. "It's not the Vietcong," he said.
'Disorganized' Hamas
The officer in Tel Aviv also asserted that the November 2012 liquidation of Ahmed Jabari, much like the 2008 killing of Imad Mughniyeh — the former military commanders of Hamas and Hezbollah respectively — has proven worthwhile. Hamas, despite its ability to make doctrinal shifts in the wake of Operation Pillar of Defense, has struggled to effectively control its army of operatives during a time of war.
The fact that Hamas fired most of its big guns early, attempting to strike Tel Aviv on the first day of the confrontation and promptly sending naval commandos to attack the beach-side community of Zikim, on two consecutive nights, was a form "of operational stupidity," he said.
Additionally, the advance warning on Saturday night of a mass rocket barrage aimed at Tel Aviv at 9 p.m. may have made sense from a public relations perspective, he said, but operationally it was unwise. "It meant that there were dozens of IAF aircraft waiting for them and they got hit hard in the places they fired from."
The officer said that, while he did not doubt Hamas's determination, he sensed a lack of professionalism on the ground. "They're acting without operational logic," he concluded. "It's a mess, disorganized, without anyone organizing and commanding from above. In hindsight," he concluded, "the Jabari assassination was justified."
[IsraelTimes] Even if the Egyptian ceasefire were to take effect Tuesday, the current status quo in the region is "unsustainable," US President Barack Obama We're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us... told guests at an official White House Iftar dinner on Monday evening. Using strong language to condemn rocket attacks launched from the Gazoo Strip against Israeli civilians, Obama described the pictures that are seen from both Gazoo and Israel as "heart wrenching."
Fascinating. Someone must have pointed out the fundraising possibilities if he gets on the right side of the Jewish Democratic community... and the losses, if he is seen at an Iftar dinner to follow his natural inclinations. Or perhaps he was not informed before that little speech was put in the teleprompter.
"The situation in Gazoo reminds us again that the status quo is unsustainable and that the only path to true security is a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Paleostinians, where differences are resolved peacefully and in ways that respect the dignity of all people," Obama told attendees, including elected officials, religious and grassroots leaders in the Mohammedan American community, leaders of diverse faiths, and members of the diplomatic corps.
"Our goal has been and continues to be peace and security for both Israelis and Paleostinians," Obama said. "And I will say very clearly, no country can accept rocket fired indiscriminately at citizens. And so, we've been very clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against what I consider to be inexcusable attacks from Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,."
The president followed the statement by saying that "at the same time, on top of the humanitarian crisis in Gazoo that we've worked long and hard to alleviate, the death and injury of Paleostinian civilians is a tragedy, which is why we've emphasized the need to protect civilians, regardless of who they are or where they live."
Obama did not, however, call for an end to — or even criticize — the continuing Israeli Arclight airstrikes against Gazoo terror targets which are frequently embedded within the civilian population.
Speaking hours after Egyptian officials presented a deal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Obama said that the US was "encouraged that Egypt has made a proposal to accomplish this goal, which we hope can restore the calm that we've been seeking."
He promised that the US would "continue doing everything we can to facilitate a return to the 2012 cease-fire," a deal brokered with the intercession of both Egypt and the United States.
Prior to the Egyptian announcement, the US was said to be attempting to enlist the help of Egypt and Qatar in mediating the escalating violence and putting an end to the rockets launched into Israel by Gazook terror groups.
A senior State Department official revealed late Monday evening that the US was not attempting to work alone, but instead, its "focus is on working with countries in the region to see if it is possible to facilitate a cessation of hostilities, including a return to the November 2012 ceasefire agreement."
The official said to that end, Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... "has been in regular contact with key partners."
"The Secretary has never hesitated to engage to get important diplomacy done," the official said, emphasizing that between July 12 and July 14, Secretary Kerry spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on four occasions and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah twice each. He also spoke once with his Turkish and Jordanian counterparts.
The official did not, however, note any official conversations between Kerry and Paleostinian officials.
This year's dinner in the State Dining Room was the sixth Iftar that Obama has hosted, continuing the tradition of hosting Iftars and Ramadan Eid celebrations that began annually under President Clinton and was continued by President George W. Bush.
Obama did not mention the boycott of the dinner by the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, which issued a statement in which it asked that "all government Iftar invitees stand together on behalf the community and reject the normalization of the continuous breach of our fundamental rights."
The organization cited "the government's condoning of the current slaughter of Paleostinians in Paleostine and the spying of American Arabs and Mohammedans domestically."
Earlier in the day, White House Spokesman Josh Earnest responded to reports of the protest, saying that "it is important for every American to understand that they are critical to the success of our country and interwoven into the basic fabric that makes the United States of America such a unique place to live. Tonight's dinner is an opportunity to pay tribute to that contribution, and we certainly respect the differences that some people may have on this — on these matters."
At the same time, Earnest said, "we would not want that to overshadow the efforts of the President and other senior administration officials to pay tribute to the contribution that so many American Mohammedans play in their communities."
[An Nahar] The trial of runaway Salafist holy man Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir ...Leb Salafist holy man with the usual grouch against Shiites. Currently on the run, he seems intent on reigniting the Leb civil war... and Islamist suspects tossed in the slammer Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! following festivities with the Lebanese army last year has been adjourned to next month.
The trial of al-Asir and around 40 detained men started Tuesday but was adjourned to August 26 after the court failed to summon all the suspects.
Al-Asir, 45, went into hiding following the deadly gunbattles with the army in in the southern city of Sidon in June 2013. Indictments that called for the death penalty were issued in February against him and 56 of his followers.
The festivities erupted after al-Asir's supporters opened fire on an army checkpoint near the holy man's headquarters in Abra, a suburb of Sidon.
The attack and the fierce festivities that ensued left around 18 soldiers and more than 20 gunnies dead.
The gunbattles concentrated in the area of the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque, where al-Asir was a preacher, and nearby buildings in Abra.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2014 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[MAGHAREBIA] The group formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is distributing a map of its so-called caliphate, issuing its own "passports" and giving titles to loyalists, but the moves are being met with sarcasm and ridicule.
[MAGHAREBIA] Negotiations between Touareg rebel groups and the Malian government begin Wednesday (July 16th) in Algiers.
[CNN] A man once detained by Libyan officials and interviewed by the FBI over suspected links to the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, has turned up dead.
David Cameron
[An Nahar] Turkey is seeking to host a conference for 
[NEWS.YAHOO] Turkish Prime Minister 
The US Congress is showing tangible support for longtime ally Israel as 
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Wazoo
[DAWN] The first case of 
Nouri al-Maliki
The IDF called on residents of eastern and northern 
Overnight strikes 
