[Tolo News] US Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden ... an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body ... Monday arrived in Afghanistan on a surprise visit to discuss security with officials in Kabul.
This is Mr Biden's first trip to Afghanistan after he took office as US Vice President.
The visit has been made unannounced for security reasons.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2011 00:00 ||
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Unannounced beforehand is a good thing, but these always seem like well controlled photo-ops. Bush seemed genuine during his Iraqi Turkey visit and its almost like politicians are hoping to replicate the success of that, only that was different as Bush didn't loath the troops.
#2
Has anyone else noticed how active Biden seems to be? In most administrations, the only time you hear about the VP is during the campaign and he disappears during the term. For once an administration actually makes use of the VP and he has to be such a weak reed......
Considering how seldom neither Biden nor Obama are in DC, we seem to have an absentee administration, which is a good thing. Just think of the damage done if he were actually on the job more than 40% of the time.
Hmm, makes you think they might be off somewhere "on the job" with women other than the wives?
Posted by: Fire and Ice ||
01/11/2011 13:21 Comments ||
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#6
A palpable point, Mercutio.
Fire and Ice, I have the impression our dear president would do nothing to break up the happy family life he was desperate for as a child. The question arises if his daughters have ever actually met his side of the family, as compared to his mother-in-law actually having lived with them in the White House.
[Tolo News] Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister has fired 53 employees in the Ministry, an official in the ministry told TOLOnews on condition of anonymity.
Staff close to the Minister Jarullah Mansoori get the highest salaries and the government should find a way to address the issue, the official said.
But RRD Minister dismissed the allegation saying their contracts ended because of a lack of funding.
Documents obtained by TOLOnews indicated that 53 employees of the ministry were sacked directly at Jarullah Mansoori's order.
"This is not about sacking. We have project staff and by the time a project ends then contracts of staff involved in the projects are also terminated," RRD Minister, Jarullah Mansoori, told TOLOnews.
The documents revealed that salaries in the ministry start from Afs 2,200 to Afs 22,500. Based on the evidence and an official in the ministry most of high salaries are paid to staff close to Mr Mansoori.
But World Bank's Spokesperson said their aid has been doubled to Rural Rehabilitation and Development Ministry.
"World Bank aid to Afghanistan and especially to rural rehabilitation and development ministry has been the same like in the past. There hasn't been any change in programmes funded by World Bank," Abdul Rauf, World Bank's Spokesperson, told TOLOnews.
Fired staff complained about Mr Mansoori as he had committed to make reforms and root out corruption in the ministry when he had presented his work plans to Afghan House of Representatives.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] Algerian Islamists have tried unsuccessfully to be added to the new revolt that has shaken Algeria since 5 January, when they had reached the peak of their popularity after the deadly riots of October 1988.
"Islamists have lost the war of public opinion against the official discourse that portrays them as killers, murderers of children and women," told AFP Ismail Maaraf political scientist. Presumably because they're murderers with the blood of hundreds, maybe thousands, of women and kiddies on their hands.
Young born during the "red decade", connected to the world through the Internet and satellite channels are less permeable to fundamentalist discourse, he notes.
Yet, from his exile in Qatar, the former chairman of the Islamic Front of Salvation (FIS) Abassi Madani called on supporters of his party, declared off-the-law in 1992, to join the protest against high prices started five days ago. His deputy, Ali Belhadj, was in Bab el Oued district of Algiers where he was unwelcome, while the Imam with ascetic face was the idol of young people 20 years ago.
The incendiary sermons of Algerian Islamic loons then drew tens of thousands of faithful biased against the regime. They formed the first battalion of fighters when the FIS rose to armed action after being deprived of its electoral victory in the first multiparty legislative of the country in December 1991.
While the riots started last week, the imam has gathered around him a handful of young people, and he was quickly jugged by police. "The recovery attempt failed completely" told AFP Interior Minister Dahou Ould Kablia.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Are those Islamic thought-bubbles coming out of their heads in the picture? I wonder what they say.
A belated Happy New Year from Sweden to all those who contribute and maintain the Burg as the very best place on the InterTube. Hopefully able to contribute somewhat this year in tip-jar contributions, which has been sadly lacking the last 6 or 7 years on my part. (I know, promises).
Police could not speak out about Asian sex gangs for fear of appearing institutionally racist, a senior officer said yesterday.
Mick Gradwell, a former detective superintendent, said the targeting of underage and vulnerable girls had been going on for decades.
He added: You have girls being abused and raped and yet the most senior officers are refusing to comment on it. On what other subject would you get that?
How many young girls have been abused and raped because of the reluctance of the authorities to say exactly what is happening?
Mr Gradwell spoke out following a trial in Derby which resulted in Abid Saddique, 27, and Mohammed Liaqat, 28, being jailed for a total of 19 years last week after targeting underage girls.
His warning also follows the arrests of a gang of Asian men over claims they plied 14 white girls with drink and drugs before turning them into sex slaves in Rochdale, near Manchester.
In the aftermath of these cases, former home secretary Jack Straw prompted controversy when he described some of the victims as easy meat for gangs often made up of Pakistani men who trawl the streets looking for sex.
The vulnerable girls in Rochdale some as young as 13 say they were forced to work the streets as prostitutes and hand over money to the gang.
The nine men, eight of them Asian, were questioned by detectives after officers swooped on a number of addresses.
Skeleton argument outlined by Australian's defence team claims he could face rendition to US if extradited to Sweden
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, could be at "real risk" of the death penalty or detention in Guantánamo Bay if he is extradited to Sweden on accusations of rape and sexual assault, his lawyers claim.
In a skeleton summary of their defence against attempts by the Swedish director of public prosecutions to extradite him, released today, Assange's legal team argue that there is a similar likelihood that the US would subsequently seek his extradition "and/or illegal rendition", "where there will be a real risk of him being detained at Guantánamo Bay or elsewhere".
"Indeed, if Mr Assange were rendered to the USA, without assurances that the death penalty would not be carried out, there is a real risk that he could be made subject to the death penalty. It is well known that prominent figures have implied, if not stated outright, that Mr Assange should be executed."
Follow-up to stories we've run the last couple of weeks.
Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his Japanese counterpart Toshimi Kitazawa on Monday agreed to pursue pacts to facilitate the sharing of military information and cooperation in exchanging military goods and services. The agreements would mark the first formal military pacts signed between the two countries.
One agreement on the exchange of military goods and services would ensure mutual support in terms of supplies, food and fuel during UN peacekeeping operations, humanitarian missions or search and rescue operations. A separate agreement would boost the exchange of intelligence about North Korea's nuclear weapons, missiles or other weapons of mass destruction, as well as international terror threats.
South Korea has intelligence-sharing agreements with 21 countries and military supply agreements with 8, but this is the first time it has discussed such agreements with Tokyo.
A Defense Ministry official said, "The issue of signing military pacts with Japan is still at an early stage and today's talks are expected to establish a common understanding on the pacts." He added the agreements are expected to bolster diplomatic relations between the two countries. Seoul and Tokyo agreed back in 2009 to overcome their historical differences and strive to build a "future-oriented, mature partnership."
But South Korean military officials believe the road ahead is anything but smooth. In Monday's talks, Kitazawa apparently sought to complete the agreements as soon as possible while Kim tried to control the pace. The government wants to gauge public sentiment, which is sensitive to any move toward closer military ties with Japan given its territorial claim to the Dokdo islets and the atrocities of its occupation of Korea.
Another variable is potential opposition from China and Russia. Closer military ties between South Korea and Japan could prompt China to forge even closer military cooperation with North Korea.
As if that's possible.
The South Korean military in a statement made it clear that the agreements being pursued "involve ordinary exchanges and are completely unrelated to any move to keep China in check."
"Please don't step on us!"
This is why Seoul and Tokyo are opting to first sign the pact on military supplies, which is less sensitive than sharing military intelligence.
Other sensitive issues such as the possibility of joint exercises and allowing the Japanese military to operate inside South Korea in times of an emergency involving North Korea were also left for later discussion.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The head of the Swedish Mohammedan Council, whose daughter is married to one of four men held over a foiled plot to massacre staff at a Danish cartoon paper, said Monday she "was clueless" about her son-in-law's alleged attack plans. "I mean, I was just so surprised!"
"I was clueless," Helena Benaouda said in an interview with daily Dagens Nyheter (DN), speaking publicly for the first time since the arrest last month of son-in-law Munir Awad. "Coulda knocked me over with a feather!"
Awad, a 29-year-old Swede born in Leb, is currently in jug -- along with three other men, including two Swedish citizens -- on suspicion of planning a December attack on the Jyllands-Posten daily which had published caricatures of the prophet Mohammed. "Rilly, I had no idea!"
He had been twice jugged abroad suspected of terror links -- once in Somalia in 2007 and in Pakistain in 2009 -- both times with his wife, Benaouda's daughter Safia. "She was taken aback, too!"
Benaouda, who previously said she had never come across any Mohammedan hard boyzs, said it was possible her daughter did not know of the plot. "She's always been pretty dim..."
But she added she should have been suspicious about her son-in-law's plans. "The dynamite mighta given her a hint..."
"Safia says 'I don't get it and I don't know what he is up to'. And I should have known myself. How is it possible to hide such things to those close to you?," she told the paper. "Honey? Is this your bomb?"
"No, no! I think that was here when we moved in!"
"I guess I just never noticed it in the oven before."
Awad had also shared a Stockholm-area flat with one of two Swedes of Somali origin "Oh, yes. I remember them well: Olaf Mohammed and Lars Abdullah. They were such nice boys!"
who were sent to jail in December for "planning terrorist crimes" in Somalia. "But they were innocent. They told me they were."
When Awad's former flatmate was jugged in June, Benaouda told her son-in-law "that he shouldn't mix with people who get jugged. But I didn't say more, because I don't have such a close relationship to him", she told DN. "Honest. We hardly even spoke!"
Benaouda said she had received threats and not publicly spoken about her son-in-law's arrest to take the time to deal with the family crisis. "You know how temperamental those Swedes are!"
She condemned all forms of extremism in Islam, including Sweden's first suicide kaboom, carried out in December by an Iraqi-born Swede who killed only himself after sending a message saying he was acting in the name of Islam. There are no holy wars in Islam," Benaouda said. "We don't even have holy fistfights! Everybody knows that! Islam means 'peas'!"
"For me, the Stockholm jacket wallah is a criminal. I distance myself from all Islamic extremism. The use of violence is always unacceptable."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
We should go easy on her. She is a convert after all and probably hasn't worked out all the nuances of the jihadi thingy that a real Muslim is privy to.
[Tolo News] Afghan peace delegation said on Monday that officials in Islamabad have agreed to form a joint peace commission.
That's it then: problem fixed.
Afghan peace delegation returned after discussing about peace and stability in Afghanistan with officials in Islamabad and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's ... who used to be known as The Most Evil Man in the World but who now seems merely run-of-the-mill nasty... Party of Hezb-e-Islami.
The delegation said the trip would mark a fruitful step towards bringing stability to the region.
The newly agreed commission will support Afghan peace efforts and will work to further improve relations between the two countries.
Members of the delegation also talked to bigwigs in Islamabad about Afghan prisoners in Pakistain. Pakistain was urged to extradite Afghan detainees to Afghan government.
"We are sure that all the important issues were discussed and our talks were held in a very friendly atmosphere," said Burhanuddin, Rabbani ... the legitimate president of Afghanistan...
head of the Afghan delegation.
"We are optimistic about the outcome of the talks and we hope to find peace in our country with the help of our neighbours and international community," he further said.
It takes time to end violence and insurgency and to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan. The international community should have enduring cooperation with the Afghan government, said members of peace delegation.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] Pakistain's prime minister has ruled out changing the country's controversial blasphemy law that has been linked to the killing of Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, who was a fierce critic of the law.
Yousuf Raza Gilani told news hounds in the capital, Islamabad, that he has no intention of amending the law, which calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults the Prophet Muhammad.
Gilani made the announcement on Sunday after speaking to the leader of one of the country's largest religious parties.
"I spoke to Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman on the phone. He asked whether we are making any amendments to the law," Gilani said. "I have said it categorically before, and then the minister of religious affairs also gave a clarification that the government has no such intention."
His comments came just hours after tens of thousands of people turned out for a rally organised by Pakistain's religious parties in Bloody Karachi on Sunday.
Speakers at the rally warned the government against making any changes to the law, while others condoned the murder of Punjab governor Taseer.
Al Jizz's Kamal Hyder said the protests in Bloody Karachi were a 'sign of an increasingly polarised country'
Qari Ahsaan, from the banned group Jamaat ud Dawa, addressed the rally from a stage, saying: "We can't compromise on the blasphemy law. It's a divine law and nobody can change it.
"Our belief in the sanctity of our prophet is firm and uncompromising and we cannot tolerate anyone who blasphemes. Whoever blasphemes will face the same fate as Salman Taseer."
Taseer was killed in the capital, Islamabad, last Tuesday over his views in favour of the blasphemy law's amendment. That liberal stance offended the country's increasingly powerful conservative religious base.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... the hunt for Taseer's replacement as Punjab governor continued, with Pak media reporting that a new appointment could be announced later on Monday.
Sardar Latif Khosa, Pakistain's former attorney-general and a member of parliament, is the front-runner for the job.
The country's blasphemy law was recently used to sentence Asia Bibi, a Christian mother-of-five, to death. Politicians and conservative religious leaders have been at loggerheads over whether Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who showed remarkably little curiosity about who actually done her in ... , Pakistain's president, should pardon her.
Controversy over the law flared when Sherry Rehman, a former information minister and a senior PPP member, tabled a bill in November seeking to end the death penalty for blasphemy.
Most of those convicted of blasphemy in Pakistain have their sentences overturned or commuted on appeal through the courts. Pakistain has yet to execute anyone for blasphemy, but Bibi's case has exposed the deep fault-lines in the conservative country.
Sunday's protesters held banners in support of the police commando who rubbed out Taseer. "Mumtaz Qadri is not a murderer, he is a hero," said one banner in the national Urdu language.
"We salute the courage of Qadri," said another.
Omar Waraich, Pakistain correspondent for the UK's Independence newspaper, told Al Jizz the rally was a "display of muscle".
"This is a muscle-flexing exercise by the religious right in Pakistain who, after the tragic events of this week when Salman Taseer was assassinated, they feel emboldened by the fact that there have been many cheering that tragedy and are now out to make political capital out of it."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Teaching tolerance to intolerant people is hard work
[Dawn] The confessed killer of a liberal Pak politician provided a judge Monday with the names of two men whose sermons allegedly sparked him to act, as YouTube footage emerged of the assassin chanting Islamic verses in police custody.
The slaying of Punjab province Gov. Salman Taseer nearly a week ago shocked many around the world, but tens of thousands of Paks have expressed support for 26-year-old Mumtaz Qadri, who said he killed the governor for criticizing laws that carry the death penalty for insulting Islam.
That support _ and the lack of criticism of the liquidation by many politicians _ shows the increasing influence of hardline religious ideology in Pakistain, a key ally in Washington's war against Taliban and al-Qaeda Death Eaters in the region.
Pope Benedict XVI spoke out against Pakistain's blasphemy laws Monday, saying they should be repealed because they were used as a pretext for violence against non-Mohammedans.
"I once more encourage the leaders of that country (Pakistain) to take the necessary steps to abrogate that law," said the pope. "The tragic murder of the governor of Punjab shows the urgent need to make progress in this direction. The worship of God furthers fraternity and love, not hatred and division."
Human rights activists have also said Pakistain's blasphemy laws are used to settle rivalries and persecute religious minorities.
Governor Taseer had called them "black" laws, but he wasn't demanding they be repealed. Instead, he wanted them reformed so they wouldn't be misused. Taseer became energized by the case of a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who he said was wrongly sentenced to death for insulting Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). The pope also called for her release.
Qadri told a judge Monday in written testimony that he decided to kill Taseer after he attended a gathering on Dec. 31 organized by Shahab-e-Islam, a small religious group that operated in his neighborhood in Rawalpindi, just outside the capital, Islamabad. He said speeches given by a holy man leading the group, Qari Hanif, and another member, Ishtiaq Shah, played a major role in his decision.
Police say they are now seeking the two men for questioning.
The court hearing was closed to the media, but a senior police official who has a copy of Qadri's confession provided The News Agency that Dare Not be Named with the details. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press.
Police decided to present Qadri before the judge a day before he was scheduled to appear to avoid attracting the crowds of supporters who have shown up for his previous court appearances, said Islamabad police front man Naeem Iqbal.
In his previous appearances, supporters showered him with rose petals, kissed his cheek and shouted slogans in his favor.
The footage that appeared on YouTube showed Qadri chanting verses praising prophet (pbuh) as a police officer sits next to him. It is unclear who recorded the video. It was posted on Jan. 6, two days after Taseer was killed, and is accompanied by comments both for and against Qadri.
There was no way to independently verify the authenticity of the video. Police declined comment.
Tens of thousands of people marched through the southern port city of Bloody Karachi on Sunday to oppose any change to the blasphemy laws and many expressed support for Taseer's killer, chanting "Courage and bravery, Qadri, Qadri."
Amid threats from groups defending the law, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani ruled out any changes to the legislation.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
There's no reason to jump to conclusions here, and it's not like anyone along the political spectrum indicates any support, direct or indirect, of this act.
The leaders of Hamas appealed to other Paleo terror groups in Gaza to halt the recent escalation of violence, fearing an Israeli invasion in response.
A missile fired by an Israeli aircraft Tuesday killed an Islamic Jihadi who was riding a motorcycle in southern Gaza. The violent animals group vowed revenge "at the right time." Israel said the Jihadi was planning a major attack on Israel.
Hamas spokesbeastman Taher Nunu called on fellow terrorists to stop attacking Israel. He said the cease fire helps Palestinian interests and averts Israeli counterstrikes.
At the Gaza border Tuesday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned:
"I recommend all these groups not to test us. If they continue to shoot at us, then there will be more strikes on the other side" of the border.
#1
tough to lead a pack of murderous terrorist thugs when you have no consent of the governed, hmmm?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2011 15:24 Comments ||
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#2
He said the cease fire helps Palestinian interests and averts Israeli counterstrikes.
OMG! could they finally be catching on to cause and effect??!!!
Nah, I don't think so.
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
01/11/2011 15:43 Comments ||
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#3
The trouble for Hamas is that they are undergoing preps for a major attack on Israel, and when these freelancers stir up trouble, the Israelis screw up Hamas instead.
Sneer quotes mine. This is about as much a parliament as the one in Egypt or Syria.
YANGON, Myanmar Myanmars new parliament will hold its first session in 22 years on Jan. 31, state radio said Monday, an event the countrys military rulers hail as one of the final steps in its self-styled roadmap to democracy.
The new legislature dominated by pro-military lawmakers was elected in polls last year decried as unfair by the opposition parties, including that of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was recently freed from house arrest.
The countrys 1,154 lawmakers will meet in a massive new building in the remote capital of Naypyitaw, the brief announcement said. It will be the first parliamentary session since a 1988 meeting in the old capital of Rangoon, which the junta renamed Yangon a year later.
The ruling juntas military-backed thug party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, garnered nearly 80 percent of seats in the two-house Union Parliament in Nov. 7 polls, the countrys first in two decades. The countrys 14 regional parliaments will convene the same day in their respective areas, the announcement said.
We have waited 20 years to be able to make our demands through the parliament, said Thein Nyunt, a member of the opposition National Democratic Force. Now that the parliament is going to be convened, I hope I will be able to work for the betterment of the people and the country from within the system.
The opposition party, formed by a faction of Suu Kyis party after it was disbanded for boycotting the polls, holds a mere 12 seats total in the national parliment.
Government opponents and outside observers have called the elections unfair and undemocratic, saying the results were manipulated to allow the military-backed party to win.
The election results assure that the military, which has ruled Myanmar since 1962, will continue to wield decisive power. Under the constitution, the parliament elects the countrys president and vice-president.
How convenient.
The constitution also allots 25 percent of parliamentary seats to military nominees, meaning that the pro-junta USDP party lawmakers combined with the nominees will account for 85 percent of seats in the lower house and 83 percent in the upper house. The dominance assures that the military through its allies can push through or block any legislation and constitutional amendments.
Almost as if it were designed that way.
As was the case with the elections, there will be strict rules governing the decorum of lawmakers at parliament. According to new laws announced in November, parliamentarians will be allowed freedom of expression unless their words endanger national security or the unity of the country. Any protest staged within parliament is punishable by up to two years in prison.
Anyone aside from lawmakers who enter the parliament while it is in session face a one-year prison term.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/11/2011 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon late Sunday commended Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri during a meeting in New York for his leadership at a "critical" time, his press office said in a readout.
Describing the meeting as "cordial and constructive," the readout said Ban reiterated his support for the work of the Special Tribunal for Leb probing the 2005 liquidation of Lebanese former Premier Rafiq Hariri.
Stressing that it is an "independent" body, Ban expressed hope that its work would help end impunity in Leb.
In the context of ongoing efforts to promote stability in the region, both officials discussed a number of aspects of Security Council Resolution 1701, that put an end to the 2006 summer war between Hezbullies and Israel, including the need to end Israeli air violations.
Ban stressed the importance of both parties to work for the full implementation of the resolution, and praised the "good" work being done by UNIFIL in south Leb.
Hariri complained to Ban in this context about Israel's infringement of Leb's exclusive economic zone and its exploitation of the newly discovered gas resources at the border, but Ban, according to the readout, just "took note of the Lebanese concerns on the maritime boundary issues." The readout said both officials also discussed the Middle East grinding of the peace processor and the "importance of the Arab Peace Initiative in the search for a resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict." Hariri arrived in New York last Friday to discuss with King of the Arabians Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz, now recovering in a New York hotel from back surgery last month, the Saudi-Syrian initiative to break Leb's months-long political stalemate because of the Hariri Tribunal which is likely to name Hezbullies representatives in its draft indictments to be sent later this month to the pretrial judge.
Hariri also discussed this and other issues late Friday with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill... in New York where she also met separately with King Abdullah to discuss regional issues.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2011 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.
[Tolo News] US Vice President 
[Tolo News] Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister has fired 53 employees in the Ministry, an official in the ministry told TOLOnews on condition of anonymity. 
[Ennahar] Algerian Islamists have tried unsuccessfully to be added to the new revolt that has shaken Algeria since 5 January, when they had reached the peak of their popularity after the deadly riots of October 1988.
[An Nahar] The head of the Swedish 
[Tolo News] Afghan peace delegation said on Monday that officials in Islamabad have agreed to form a joint peace commission.
[Dawn] The confessed killer of a liberal Pak politician provided a judge Monday with the names of two men whose sermons allegedly sparked him to act, as YouTube footage emerged of the assassin chanting Islamic verses in police custody.
The leaders of Hamas appealed to other Paleo terror groups in Gaza to halt the recent escalation of violence, fearing an Israeli invasion in response. 
