The Hawiye clan chairman accuses Ethiopia of not fulfilling its promise to pull out its troops from Somalia and says they are still fueling fighting.
Addressing the international community, Mohamed Hassan Haad, chairman of the Council of Hawiye Clan Elders and his speaker Ahmed Dirie Ali said on Thursday that the Ethiopian troops had promised to pull out its troops by Wednesday. On the contrary they have recaptured Dinsor town south of Baidoa from al-Shabaab fighters on Wednesday afternoon, Press TV correspondent said on Thursday.
He added that the new heavy fighting is displacing hundreds of civilians in south Somalia and Galgaduud regions.
Haad said that Ethiopia continues with its genocide and has defied its pledge to vacate by January 5, 2009, which casts doubt about its troop withdrawal from Somalia. "We condemn the presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia and we call for the Ethiopian government to withdraw its troops from Somalia," Haad said.
Addressing the United Nations, Arab League and all peace loving countries, Haad said that Ethiopians are not going to leave Somalia. They want to remain and continue with their atrocities, kill women and children of Somalia, our correspondent said.
Ethiopian troops have been capturing towns in western Somalia from the insurgents for the past two weeks.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Well, if you can't trust the Hawiye clan for reliable information, who can ya trust?
Reports have emerged today (January 7) claiming that Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson have been included on a "terror target" hit list made in reaction to the current conflict in the Gaza region. The Sun said comments were made on the forum of Ummah.com.
A post on the forum apparently called for users to compile "a list of top Jews we can target," which included both Winehouse and Ronson's names.
British anti-terror expert Glen Jenvey told The Sun that the comments should be taken seriously. "The Ummah website has been used by extremists," he said. "Those listed should treat it very seriously. Expect a hate campaign and intimidation by 20 or 30 thugs."
Other celebrity's allegedly included on the list are The Apprentice U.K.'s Sir Alan Sugar and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
Protesting in Trafalgar Square yesterday (January 6), U2/Coldplay producer and former Roxy Music star Brian Eno made a speech about the conflict. Eno showed his support for Palestine, and urged people to get in touch with government officials to call for an end to the troubles.
There's a good dhimmi, wot ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/09/2009 16:50 ||
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#1
Well, she WOULD look better in a burqua........
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
01/09/2009 17:12 Comments ||
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Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/09/2009 17:27 Comments ||
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#4
Just an excuse to run this pic ...
Why? is there some kind of Fairness Doctrine that requires Blogs to serve up a Recommended Minimum Daily Amount of Skank?
I don't know if they make Beer Goggles strong enoug to make THAT look good.....(Even with Sailor handicapping factored in)
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/09/2009 17:40 Comments ||
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#7
There ain't that much Clorox in the entire world, EC. :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/09/2009 18:04 Comments ||
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#8
She's had one single, beyond that fact that the single combined with her life is far more ironic than anything Morresette ever sang about I don't understand why anyone still remembers her name. Is this some kind of death watch going on or something?
#16
Yuck! SteveS, I wouldn't even do her with YOUR d!ck. Yes, she's that unappealing. And ENO! Geez, he should be ashamed. I had loaded up my CD changers with 5 Eno discs just yesterday, but it looks like they're going to have to go out of rotation. Sad....
Posted by: Formerly Dan ||
01/09/2009 7:00 Comments ||
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#4
Muzz always follow same roadmap. Threats, property destruction, attacking anyone in opposition. The only way to stop this is to crush these cockroaches. Probably going to require some public beheading of the liberal intelligentsia before they catch on. The rest of us should be in preparation to protect our ownselves.
#6
I think some Pakis may leave the UK and go home for some extreme training, right Rick? Yes, Sam...play it again..if you can play it for her you can play it for me.
#7
I think some Pakis may leave the UK and go home for some extreme training, right Rick? Yes, Sam...play it again..if you can play it for her you can play it for me.
Kidnappers of a Vancouver web publisher are demanding a $1.5 million ransom and the release of Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan, according to a Pakistani newspaper.
The News International, an English-language Pakistani newspaper, quoting non-government sources, said along with the money, the hostage-takers are calling for the release of their colleagues from the U.S. prison in Bagram in exchange for the freedom of Khadija Abdul Qahaar. Bagram holds what the U.S. military claims are human beings captured Taliban fighters.
Citing privacy concerns, Canadian foreign affairs officials will not say who they believe abducted Qahaar or anything about their demands. Up until now, there has been little information about her fate.
Qahaar, 52, was kidnapped two months ago while shooting a documentary on the Taliban in Pakistan's violent Bannu district. A convert to Islam, she had said she wanted to show the human face of the Taliban. But on Nov. 11, as her shoot was winding down, she was abducted by armed men. Qahaar was a Vancouver businesswoman involved in internet publishing who used to go by the name of Beverly Giesbrecht. But she became outraged after the launch of the War on Terror, converted to Islam and founded a pro-Islamist web magazine named Jihad Unspun.
Glen Cooper, a friend and former business associate of Qahaar's, said he was relieved to find out she's still alive, but worried about her health. "She has a problem with her back and her eyes have been giving her problems over the past few years," Cooper said.
She was working freelance for Al-Jazeera at the time of her kidnapping, according to this report.
#5
They aren't kidnapping her! They are protecting her within the dictates of the Taliban philosophy.....namely keeping her covered up at all times and incommunicado, with the possible exception of times when she gets to service the boys in whatever way they see fit. Believe me, she's getting plenty of exposure to the "human face" of the Taliban, even with her bad eyes and back.
Khadija's just doing intensive research, Mr Cooper. Nothing to worry about here.
#7
A few weeks before she was abducted, Giesbrecht appealed for financial help to get out of the country. She posted an entry on her Web site on Oct. 22, titled, "An Urgent Request From Khadija Abdul Qahaar."
Geez, not what ya thought it was gonna be, huh, Beverly?
"Pakistan is now erupting into a full-scale war zone. We have been in some very sensitive areas and even Islamabad is now locked down. As foreigners we must leave the country however we do not have the funds to get out," she wrote.
"Allah knows that I really dislike having to ask but please know how hard we work for Allah. We have managed to get very good material out of the country to our production group but our physical safety is now paramount."
Looks like Allah sez, "No". Let's see if we can shakedown the Canadians instead...
"As a woman, I have already had a few close calls in the tribal areas as kidnappers and thieves are running loose even in Peshawar."
Wow, even in Peshawar, ya say? Stick around and enjoy the "human face of the Taliban", you demented cow.
#1
Oh, that is fucking brilliant! Never mind the calls for 911 help, reporting of additional terrorist acts, calls to loved ones to get out of the area/let know you are ok.
Anyone else see major problems and the possibility of addition major casualties because of this shit, or am I just that jaded?
#2
Plus, the terrorists don't even have to use cell phones. Walkie-talkies or just plan time-table planning make the NYPD idea completely fucking worthless and more of a danger to civilians and responders.
#5
American police departments don't want people trying to help. They consider it interference, they want you to run away or hide under the bed until they handle it. You're right Darth, it's B.S. and it will probably cost more lives.
#6
Testimony of Under Secretary Charles Allen before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, "Lessons from the Mumbai Terrorist Attacks" Click HERE.
#7
They're looking at the Mumbai attacks. There's also known cell phone usage for coordination during anarchist 'protests', and during several riots.
Walkie-talkies? Perhaps. There's a problem with their use in highly-urban areas. Timetables are susceptible to be discovered. Besides, no plan ever fully survives contact with reality.
I guess it's a toss up between 911 calls, and terrorists' ability to coordinate attacks. Glad I don't have to make that decision.
#8
Can't really speak for others, but our fire department uses cell phones for a couple of reasons: radio traffic so congested that to reach a specific person promptly, and sometimes the repeater tower is down and cell works. Also, sometimes things need to be said that shouldn't be heard on the scanners.
Second: isn't a lot of the evidence being gathered about Mumbai available because they were using cell phones? Can't they at least get a guestimate of the location of the baddies if they are using a c-phone?
Perhaps this might seem a bit rural, but something like Mumbai can be checked during Magic Hour? That being said, if I and a couple other dudes got a baddie pinned down it would be a lot easier to use a c-phone to call the PD and identify us and the baddie so to prevent friendly fire rather than have someone get to the nearest pay phone with a shtload of dimes.
#9
I believe any traffic surge that overwhelms the capacity of the switch automatically triggers a mode that allows only emergency traffic anyway. I also believe this mode can be set manually by technical personnel.
This mode of operation came out of the day Kennedy was shot. So many people got on the phone that the telephone systems because saturated. This resulted in a requirement that switches have an emergency mode of operation where if the demand for service increases to a certain point, all but emergency traffic is dropped.
Take a town with 10,000 phones. It might have only 100 trunk circuits out with the reasoning being that less than 1% of those telephones will be in use talking to people outside the town at any given moment. If 101 people suddenly run to the phone to see if grandma has heard the news, nobody else can get out. That means hospitals, law enforcement, etc, can not call out. To avoid that problem, residential service is disabled in a surge of demand so that emergency services can still communicate. At least that *was* the state of things back in the early 1980s.
#10
In major emergencies cell systems are immediately overloaded and virtually nothing gets through (Katrina proved this to me.) Except text messages - that was the only time I personally ever sent any.
#11
*I'm sure there is a congregation in CO which would remind me dudettes can do just fine.
And of course our situation out here is completely different than a major metropolitan area. The system crosspatch mentions makes sense, perhaps that is what the proposal meant and didn't come across to me.
#12
Um, read the article folks. This isn't about preventing calls to Grandma.
When lives are at stake, law enforcement needs to find ways to disrupt cell phones and other communications in a pinpointed way against terrorists who are using them.
This is in reponse to
the complications of media coverage that could (ed. - and did in Mumbai) disclose law enforcement tactics in real time
as well as to
The chaos the attacks created magnified the difficulty of mounting an appropriate response. First responders, in order to deal with such a crisis, must first and foremost have adequate information on what is occurring as well as the capability to mount a rapid and effective response that minimizes the impact of the attack. In Mumbai it was not immediately clear to authorities whether there were multiple attack groups or a single group. The attackers were able to exploit the initial confusion because of the indiscriminate firings to move on to new targets.
They used cell phones to coordinate that shift in targets. They avoided the authorities because of media real-time coverage showing what forces were doing what where.
Mumbai has been discussed as a new phase in terrorism - deliberate multiple coordinated attacks in urban centers designed to disperse and overwhelm government forces. In other words, terrorism morphing into urban guerilla warfare.
The attackers in Mumbai exploitated real time info from their own cell phones, the media, Blackberries and hostage phone accounts.
It's generally considered a useful thing to interdict your enemy's comms capability in such situations.
#13
Cellphones don't work like this - Jamming is stupid.. I have a patent in this area.
Look at it and see how to regulate cellphones...
Anybody want it -email the request and I will provide the patent # or a pdf...
The simple answer is look at the set of PSISTs broadcast and dynamically adjust them to suit your restriction needs. In addition all Public Service Cellphones (Police, fire, ambulance, spec ops etc.. ) should be registered as such and always use those PSIST values and not the general populations.
I know the CDMA one a little too well for my brain's good. GSM has similar stuff.
We came up with the patent after 911 and troubles at sporting events around the world.
Most cellular systems just set all the values to zero and configure it once. That's lazy work by the providers who charge so much for their "service"..
A battle few outside the Marine Corps had ever heard of was recognized yesterday when four Marines and a sailor received prestigious medals at Camp Pendleton. The Corps awarded one Navy Cross and four Silver Stars for valor shown during a firefight between Camp Pendleton troops and insurgents in Iraq. The Navy Cross is the second-highest honor for heroism, while the Silver Star ranks one notch below it.
Five Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment died in the Nov. 16, 2005, battle, and 11 others were wounded. Eighteen insurgents were killed during the fight.
"I thought it was totally one of the most heroic acts of bravery that I've ever witnessed or been a part of," said Col. Robert Oltman, the unit's battalion commander at the time and now a staff officer at the Pentagon. "It was nothing short of amazing."
The battalion had arrived in Iraq a month earlier and had seen little combat before Operation Steel Curtain, a U.S.-Iraqi campaign to root out insurgents operating in the Euphrates River Valley. On that November day, insurgents ambushed the Marines in New Ubaydi by creating a killing zone around what Marine commanders called Building 6, or what the rank and file referred to as "the death house."
Former Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jesse Hickey recalled seeing bullets hitting all around him as Marines ran for cover. As the first corpsman to reach the ambush site, he raced to rescue wounded men. Under normal circumstances, the Marines would have pulled back and called in air power to destroy the building. But with wounded Marines in the house, that wasn't an option.
Hickey treated and evacuated several Marines, even though shrapnel hit parts of his body and he could no longer use one of his arms. "I remember being scared, but I was scared of not being able to help those guys," Hickey said yesterday. "I never thought about what might happen to me, only of failing my Marines. When I think back about it, I wish I could've done more."
Also working to save Marines and kill the enemy during the battle were Gunnery Sgt. Robert Homer, Lance Cpl. Joshua Mooi, Cpl. Javier Alvarez and 2nd Lt. Donald McGlothlin. At one point, Alvarez snatched an insurgent's grenade that landed in the middle of some Marines. It exploded, blowing his hand off, but he kept fighting.
Hickey, Homer and Alvarez received the Silver Star during yesterday's medals ceremony. The Silver Star for McGlothlin, who died in the battle, was awarded posthumously. The Marine Corps bestowed the Navy Cross on Mooi, who is credited with making six trips into the ambush zone to rescue Marines or fight the insurgents. Mooi left the house only after bullets destroyed his M-16 rifle.
Hundreds of Marines assembled on a hilltop for the awards program.
"The medal itself, it's one of those symbols that feels like it should take a lot of weight off. . . . It puts some things to rest," Mooi said. "But I think at the same time, it puts a lot of weight back on because now I have something that other Marines are supposed to look up to and aspire to."
An emotional moment came when McGlothlin's parents accepted his Silver Star. Donald McGlothlin said his son overcame childhood respiratory problems to graduate first in his class at the Marine Corps' officer basic school. "He was the honor grad in his class and could have had any job he wanted," his father recalled. "He said: 'Dad, I want to be an infantry officer. There's never been a Marine commandant who hasn't been an infantry officer.' He always knew how to make me smile."
Of the surviving medal recipients, only Homer is still in the service. He is an instructor at Camp Pendleton's School of Infantry. God bless each and every one
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/09/2009 10:22 ||
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Ameer Jamat-e-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed while strongly condemning the meeting between Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, President Asif Ali Zardari with U.S. envoy, said Thursday, "It is nothing short of a shameful act that PM and President have met with U.S. envoy to note dictation from U.S." And the opinion of a man who used to guzzle camel whizz should matter to anyone precisely why?
He said that this meeting undermines the national respect as U.S. envoy should have met his counterpart to inform U.S. stance over any issue instead he dictated our President and Prime Minister. He added that US envoy met at a time with PM and President which is against the diplomatic ethics and official protocol. Qazi said US interference in national matters are against our national integrity which can never be ignored.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2009 00:00 ||
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The dismissal of a top Pakistani security official reveals growing divisions within the government here over how to handle investigations into November''s terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday sacked the country''s national security adviser, Mahmood Durrani, for confirming that the sole surviving Mumbai attacker, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, is a Pakistani citizen. The unexpected move exposed deep strains in the shaky civilian administration. President Asif Ali Zardari, who appointed Durrani to his post, wasn''t consulted on the decision to fire him and learned of it only after it had been made public, according to presidential aides. Durrani, a retired army general, was fired shortly after an interview with an Indian television network Wednesday in which he confirmed Mr. Kasab is a Pakistani. A statement issued by Gilani''s office that evening accused Durrani of "irresponsible behavior" and of making an unauthorized announcement.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2009 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD -- American troops in Iraq will be allowed to drink beer without fear of court-martial for this year's Super Bowl -- an exception to a strict military ban on drinking alcohol in combat zones.
In what is sure to be a major morale boost, the top U.S. commander in Iraq Gen. Raymond Odierno issued a waiver Wednesday paving the way for troops to participate in the popular American football tradition. Super Bowl XLIII will kick off on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Florida, but it will be 2 a.m. in Baghdad when the live broadcast starts in Iraq. Troops will gather in dining halls on military bases nationwide to watch the game.
A copy of the waiver said the consumption of alcoholic beverages will be limited to Feb. 1-2 and service members can only have two, 12-ounce beers each. Odierno also appeared to acknowledge the sensitivity of drinking alcohol in an Islamic country, particularly considering the game falls during a holy period for Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims.
The waiver orders commanders to "keep in mind all host nation laws and customs regarding alcohol consumption" and "to exercise discretion and good judgment in enforcing these guidelines and restrictions."
U.S. troops have been banned from drinking, possessing or selling alcoholic beverages under a general order that also bans them from possessing pornography and other activities. They can face a reduction in pay or rank or even a court-martial if they violate the rule.
The Washington Post reported that several service members said the only other time the ban was lifted was in 2005, for troops operating under the Baghdad command.
Drinking alcohol isn't illegal in Iraq but is banned under Islam, and extremists have frequently targeted liquor stores.
The exemption comes as the U.S. military faces stricter Iraqi oversight under a new security agreement that took effect on Jan. 1.
#3
Two beers?
And they wonder why young guys don't want to join the military?
No booze and no sex allowed, and top it all off with having to stand around and watch militants driving around with AK's and not being allowed to do anything about it. My brother did his time and tells me he's had enough, I don't blame him.
March 21, 2008: Since the 1990s, the U.S. Army has banned the use of alcohol in combat zones. One side effect is fewer alcohol related disciplinary problems. That means there are fewer cases of U.S. troops getting in trouble with local civilians. Far fewer brawls, murders and rapes. For example, last year, the U.S. Army had 2.6 cases of sexual assault per thousand troops. But in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rate was .86. There were even sharper drops in the number of assaults and murders. The use of alcohol has not been completely eliminated in the combat zone, but it has to be obtained (from locals, or stills run by troops) and consumed clandestinely. That alone greatly reduces the amount alcohol related misbehavior.
For those of us who've had to deal with good order and discipline, I'll take three of the troops who'll do without and serve, than six troops of which two are a constant problem and take up an inordinate amount of time and attention from the job at hand and detract from working with and developing the good troops.
#6
Easy way to handle this: now that we have the status of forces agreement with the Iraqi government, Iraq isn't a 'war zone' any more (yes, there's still some shooting and bombing but work with me here). Our guys are just there to train and provide support. Bring on the beer!
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/09/2009 11:41 Comments ||
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#7
Our guys are just there to train and provide support.
Train those Arabs to chill out and enjoy the occasional alcoholic beverage. It might be good for them.
#12
"Sometimes I wonder why we're even bothering to free these people if they still can't have beer"
You can buy beer "on the economy" if you really want one. Stores sell beer in Iraq and I would imagine that it won't be long before its designation as a "combat zone" will be changed soon.
#17
no beer in a combat zone? so i guess the little pleasure cruise i took in 1991 to the persian gulf on CV-61 wasn't really combat and the beer i drank in port wasn't illegal, even tho' our A-6's were being launched fulla Mk 82's and coming back empty? guess it was just an air-to-ground ordnance transfer???? ( see highway of death pics for burning vehicles, courtesy of the VA-155 Silver Foxes....
#23
In Bavaria beer is classified as "staple food".
The Pope allowed the monks to drink beer during fasting times.
And that was STRONG dark beer.
(OK the saying goes that in the early Middle Ages monks sent dark beer to Rome in order to get the ok. But during the long travel the beer turned and when the Pope tasted it he found it so horrible that he shook his head in disbelief and allowed consumption, believing it was special penitence.)
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/09/2009 17:31 Comments ||
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#24
Sounds like those monks weren't as dumb as they looked, EC. :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/09/2009 17:34 Comments ||
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#25
A Bavarian saying goes: The few things I eat I can also drink right away.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/09/2009 17:37 Comments ||
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Aswat al-Iraq: An Iraqi oil official on Thursday said that the country's oil revenues were up over 30 percent last year -- to about $60 billion -- despite the sharp decline in world prices in the last half of the year.
Fahd al-Amiri, the head of the State Oil Marketing Organization, also told The Associated Press on Thursday that Iraq's oil exports averaged 1.85 million barrels a day in 2008 -- a 13.5 percent increase from 2007. He says December's export levels reached about 1.815 million barrels per day. He expects Iraq to export 2 million barrels per day this month.
Iraq depends on oil revenues for nearly 95 percent of its budget. It has suffered as oil prices have plunged roughly 70 percent from record highs of almost $150 last July. Proceeds from crude oil exports during 2007 hit $39.8 billion, according to a release by the ministry's media office early last year.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2009 00:00 ||
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Aswat al-Iraq: Acts of violence targeting civilians and Iraqi and U.S. forces in the country has toned down by 93% during the last quarter of 2008, a spokesman for the U.S. forces in Iraq said on Thursday.
The credit for this decreasing violence goes to the Iraqi forces thanks to their initiative and preemptive attacks, General David Perkins said during a press conference he held on Thursday in Baghdad, attended by Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He noted that the security progress has helped joint Iraqi-U.S. forces to make other achievements through broadening the scope for the forthcoming provincial council elections.
On the role of the Multi-National Force (MNF) in the efforts to maintain security during the local elections, he replied that the Iraqi forces will provide actual security for the electorate and ballot stations while the MNF's role will be confined to providing external security, protection of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) and securing air cover on elections day. The Iraqi provincial council elections are scheduled to be held on January 31 in 14 out of Iraq's 18 provinces. No local elections will be held in Kirkuk and the three autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region provinces of Arbil, Sulaimaniya and Duhuk.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
Too late, Besoeker. There *are* no network staff left in Iraq. They left before New Years. What's left is locals & the occasional embed from a local paper with community troops. Although it sounded like our local papers were recruiting individual troops of the 56th Stryker Brigade to act as bloggers instead of going to the expense of sending an on-the-payroll reporter with the Bloody Bucket.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
01/09/2009 9:42 Comments ||
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#6
Unfortunately, it also highlights a continued deficiency in the Army of actually not doing that, using troops to tell the story by supporting blogs and blogging rather than suppressing it.
Israel's Operation Cast Lead will proceed, despite the UN Security Council's resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Friday.
In an announcement published following the cabinet meeting on the matter, Olmert said, "The rocket attacks this morning on the residents of the south only prove that the UN's resolution is not practical and will not be upheld by the Palestinian murder organizations."
The incoming Obama administration is prepared to abandon President Bush's doctrine of isolating Hamas by establishing a channel to the Islamist organisation, sources close to the transition team say.
The move to open contacts with Hamas - which could be initiated through the US intelligence services - would represent a definitive break with the Bush presidency's ostracising of the group.
The Guardian has spoken to three people with knowledge of the discussions in the Obama camp.
There is no talk of Obama approving direct diplomatic negotiations with Hamas early on in his administration, but he is being urged by advisers to initiate low-level or clandestine approaches, and there is growing recognition in Washington that the policy of ostracising Hamas is counter-productive.
A tested course would be to start contacts through Hamas and the US intelligence services - similar to the secret process through which the US engaged with the PLO in the 1970s. Israel did not become aware of the contacts until much later.
Richard Haass, a diplomat under both presidents Bush who was named by a number of news organisations this week as Obama's choice for Middle East envoy, supports low level contacts with Hamas provided there is a ceasefire in place and a Hamas-Fatah reconciliation emerges.
Another potential contender for a foreign policy role in the Obama administration suggested the president-elect would not be bound by the Bush doctrine of isolating Hamas. "This is going to be an administration that is committed to negotiating with critical parties on critical issues," they said.
There are a number of options that would avoid a politically toxic scenario for Obama of seeming to give legitimacy to Hamas.
"Secret envoys, multilateral six-party talk-like approaches. The total isolation of Hamas that we promulgated under Bush is going to end," said Steve Clemons, the director of the American Strategy Programme at the New America Foundation.
"You could do something through the Europeans. You could invent a structure that is multilateral. It is going to be hard for the Neocons to swallow," he said. "I think it is going to happen."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The Obama camp may not have Hamas to talk with.
#5
because all Hamas has to do is look into his kind eyes and confident smile and they'll lay down arms and unicorns will fly with rainbows and skittles shooting out their asses..
/it is ordained
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/09/2009 8:38 Comments ||
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#6
Well, Frank G, he ain't called "The One" for nuthin'.
Intensive talks were underway here Thursday to reconcile two rival Security Council resolutions proposed by Western and Arab foreign ministers seeking an immediate Gaza ceasefire.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, in agreement with his U.S. counterpart Condoleezza Rice and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, presented a new draft to Arab colleagues Thursday.
"Our hope is that it is a text that can get consensus," a Western diplomat said, asking to remain anonymous.
But Arab ministers earlier submitted their own revised draft resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and indicated they were determined to push for a Security Council vote Thursday.
After several rounds of bargaining over the two texts by the two sides, Rice told reporters: "We are making some progress. We're still working."
But the U.S. delegation signaled earlier this week that it would oppose adoption by the council of the Arab draft, saying it would prefer approval by consensus of a non-binding statement merely stressing the need for "an immediate and durable ceasefire."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2009 00:00 ||
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A Canadian union is seeking a boycott on Israeli academics speaking, teaching or doing research work at Ontario universities as a protest against the Dec. 29 bombing of the Islamic University in Gaza.
Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario section of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), is calling for universities to ban Israeli academics from Canadian campuses unless they first denounce Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
" We are ready to say Israeli academics should not be on our campuses unless they explicitly condemn the university bombing and the assault on Gaza in general "
Sid Ryan
An Israeli raid had destroyed a science building at the Islamic University in Gaza - a centre of support for the Islamist Hamas group that controls the narrow coastal strip. Many top Hamas officials graduated from there.
The call for the ban followed the national president of CUPE Paul Moist's letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in which he slammed the federal government's support for the Israeli war on Gaza.
Sid Ryan along with other union leaders, rallied against "the Israeli apartheid government" in Toronto and announced that CUPE would bring a resolution to its annual conference supporting the ban on Israeli scholars.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2009 00:00 ||
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Sorta overlook that multi-year war Hamas has waged to [in their own words] destroy Israel. It's not that these people are stupid, they're just on the other side.
#3
"is calling for universities to ban Israeli academics from Canadian campuses unless they first denounce Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza."
So your academic credentials are dependent upon your political position. Fine. Have the government require that all academics first denounce the Liberal party else they will be barred for government funding. See how they like a taste of their own medicine.
In its war on Gaza to root out terror Israel's military forces have not spared humanitarian relief groups, targeting their convoy trucks that deliver aid to besieged Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday thereby bringing the work of humanitarian relief groups in the Strip to a halt.
The main U.N. agency operating in the Gaza Strip suspended operations in the embattled Palestinian territory on Thursday after a U.N.-flagged convoy was hit by tank shells, killing one person, a spokesman said.
"UNRWA has suspended its operations in Gaza," said Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency that had been distributing food aid to about half of Gaza's 1.5 million population," Gunness told AFP.
"Operations will remain suspended until Israeli authorities can guarantee the safety and security of our staff," he said.
At least one Palestinian has been killed after a UN relief agency convoy came under fire from Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, officials say.
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Echoing the US stance on Gaza, Canada's minister of state for foreign affairs blames Hamas for Israel's carnage inside the coastal strip. "Hamas bears a terrible responsibility for this and for the wider deepening humanitarian tragedy," Peter Kent told Reuters.
He accused Hamas of using the 1.5 million Palestinians crammed inside the 360 square kilometer area -- slightly more than twice the size of Washington -- as human shields against Israeli attacks. "Hamas' record is to use civilians - the population and civilian infrastructure - as shields and it would seem quite possible that this is yet another tragic instance," Kent said.
Eight days into Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" US President George W. Bush blamed the Hamas government for instigating the violence. "I understand Israel's desire to protect itself, and that the situation now taking place in Gaza was caused by Hamas," Bush said without faulting Israel on the civilian casualties inside the Gaza Strip.
This is while Tel Aviv had initially violated the six-month ceasefire that took effect in June as Israeli tanks and bulldozers crossed the southern border of Gaza in early November and killed six Palestinian fighters. Since the start of the offensive into the coastal area on December 27, 763 Palestinians, most of whom were civilians, have been killed by Israeli forces.
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#1
"This is while Tel Aviv had initially violated the six-month ceasefire that took effect in June as Israeli tanks and bulldozers crossed the southern border of Gaza in early November and killed six Palestinian fighters."
And of course Hamass's constant firing of rockets at Israel during this so-called ceasefire had nothing to do with Israel's retaliation. Why are so many people so stupid?
#2
What does Israel really have to lose?
I'm sure they couldn't be regarded any lower in the UN, arabs already want them annihilated, so whats the down side?
(Xinhua) -- An Israeli delegation led by a senior official arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian mediators on a ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli team, led by head of the Israeli Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau Amos Gilad, arrived here in the morning, said the Egyptian MENA news agency.
The talks between the Israeli delegation and Egyptian officials will focus on the initiative offered Tuesday by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in a bid to put an end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza and reach a ceasefire. The talks will "discuss the main details and how to implement it," said MENA.
On Tuesday, Mubarak presented a three-point proposal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during talks with visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The Egyptian proposal calls on Israel and the Palestinian groups to accept an immediate ceasefire for a limited period to allow for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza and give Egypt time to continue its efforts to help reach a lasting truce.
Egypt would invite both Israel and the Palestinians for talks that focus on the issues of border security, reopening the crossing points and lifting the blockade to avoid repetition of the current escalation. Egypt would also invite Palestinian factions for the resumption of their reconciliation talks.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said that it is a positive step to conduct talks with Egypt over the ceasefire proposal.
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Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni declared on Thursday that Israel would not reach an agreement with Hamas, which represents terror, and not the wellbeing of the Palestinians.
"Hamas doesn't represent any legitimate interests of the Palestinians, in the way it took the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip hostage," said Livni in a briefing of foreign ambassadors on Thursday evening in Tel Aviv, "and this is the reason, that while acting against the Hamas, against terror, we are trying to take all the necessary steps, in order to help in terms of humanitarian [needs]," she added.
"Hamas, as you are well aware, is hiding among civilians, they target Israel from schools," Livni reminded the ambassadors.
"At the end of the day, we are not going to make agreements with terror [groups]; the battle is against terror, and in order to have peace and quiet in this region, [it is necessary] to defeat terror, and not to have agreements with them," said Livni.
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#1
Note that doesnt mean no ceasefire. It does mean the possibility that Israel will decide goals are accomplished and unilaterally end the op. Or will end the op after an agreement with Egypt.
#2
Hamas did not take Gazans hostage. Gaza elected Hamas. They deserve what they get. Reaping, sowing, Tzipi? Connect the dots for them. They're Paleos.
(AKI) - The leader of Lebanon' s militant Shia group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has threatened a "new war" against Israel in retaliation for its offensive in the Gaza Strip. In a speech delivered in Beirut on Wednesday, the Lebanese cleric also attacked Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for failing to open the Rafah border crossing.
"I say to Israel we are ready for a new war. We are better prepared for any new war than we were in 2006," said Nasrallah. "We are not afraid of your planes or your threats we and are ready for any scenario."
He singled out Egypt for particular criticism for failing to take any action against Israel's air and ground attacks that have killed more than 600 people and injured almost 3,000 others. "I say to Egypt, do you need more than 650 dead before you open the Rafah crossing? Arab countries must remain united with the people of Gaza."
Nasrallah compared the situation in Gaza with the Lebanon war in 2006 and asked all Arab countries not to normalise their relations with Israel. He praised Venezuela's decision to expel the Israeli ambassador in protest. He also accused the United States of wanting to "eliminate the Palestinian issue completely" and stressed that his movement would continue to support armed resistance against Israel.
"They wanted to destroy us and they did not succeed," he said. "We are here and we are not afraid of your warplanes. We are ready for any eventuality. If you come to our land you Zionists will realise that the war of July 2006 was a joke compared to what awaits you in any new war against us."
The 2006 Lebanon war was a month-long conflict between Hezbollah paramilitary forces and the Israeli military. The conflict began on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect on 14 August 2006, but formally ended in September 2006 when Israel lifted its naval blockade of Lebanon.
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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.
A battle few outside the Marine Corps had ever heard of was recognized yesterday when four Marines and a sailor received prestigious medals at Camp Pendleton. The Corps awarded one Navy Cross and four Silver Stars for valor shown during a firefight between Camp Pendleton troops and insurgents in Iraq. The Navy Cross is the second-highest honor for heroism, while the Silver Star ranks one notch below it. 
The incoming Obama administration is prepared to abandon President Bush's doctrine of isolating Hamas by establishing a channel to the Islamist organisation, sources close to the transition team say.
A Canadian union is seeking a boycott on Israeli academics speaking, teaching or doing research work at Ontario universities as a protest against the Dec. 29 bombing of the Islamic University in Gaza.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni declared on Thursday that Israel would not reach an agreement with Hamas, which represents terror, and not the wellbeing of the Palestinians.
