[Ynet] Eliazarov, an Israeli citizen who lives in New York City, is suing the Kuwaiti airline for discrimination; company claims policy is against citizenship rather than religion.
Iris Eliazarov, an Israeli who lives in Queens, has filed a lawsuit against Kuwait Airways after she was barred from boarding its flight out of Kennedy Airport because she's an Israeli citizen, the New York Daily News reported on Friday.
Eliazarov and her husband David Nektalov bought tickets from a travel agent to fly from New York to London with the flagship Kuwaiti airline. While Nektalov was allowed on the flight with his US passport, Eliazarov was stopped when she presented her Israeli passport and was forced to buy a ticket on another airline.
The company cited a Kuwaiti law prohibiting Israeli citizens from flying on Kuwait Airways.
Kuwaiti law applies in Kuwait. American law applies in New York City -- obey or get out.
Attorney John Maggio, who represents the airline, said the discrimination suit has not merit because the airline's policy is based on citizenship rather than religion, claiming that a Moslem with an Israeli passport would also not be allowed on the plane.
No discrimination means just that, whether race, creed, sex, or nationality. Submit to American law or get out.
Meanwhile the couple's lawyer, Attorney Paul Kerson, argued the airline's policy was in violation with both state and federal civil rights laws.
Federal Judge Roslynn Mauskopf ordered top federal and state law enforcement officials - Brooklyn US Attorney Loretta Lynch and State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman - to weigh in on the suit.
Eliazarov, who was born in Israel and moved to the US at the age 11 on a green card, said she drew her inspiration from Rosa Parks.
"I take strength from the experience of Rosa Parks," Eliazarov was quoted by the Daily News as saying. "She became famous for her principled stand. This experience has awakened the nightmare of the experience of the Jewish people in Europe in the last century. That was a time of the wrongful splitting of families, often at transportation facilities."
Her husband Nektalov told the Daily News that he "didn't think a discrimination like this could exist in America, in JFK (Airport), in New York City. If they want to operate here, they have to obey our laws. Sixty years ago blacks weren't allowed to ride buses. This is not about money. You have to make a stand."
[ARABNEWS] UN Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... called on Sunday for the restoration of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's authority after Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... militia seized power. ... and when Ban Ki Moon speaks people listen...
"The situation is very, very seriously deteriorating, with the Houthis taking power and making this government vacuum," Ban said, referring to the Shiite militia which dissolved the Sanaa regime and Parliament on Friday.
"There must be restoration of legitimacy of President Hadi," the UN chief told news hounds after talks with King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Cutodian of the Two Holy Mosquesand Lord of Most of the Arabians.... .
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
You and what army?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/09/2015 8:55 Comments ||
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#2
How about, whatthehellishisname, must he be restored as president of Ukraine?
[ARABNEWS] "Extremism has tarnished Islam and the image of Moslems around the world," said a top official at the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue (KACND), underlining the importance of dialogue in communities.
Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, KACND chairman and member of the Council of Senior Ulema, made his observation at the Abha forum on Thursday as part of the nationwide dialogue on extremism and its effects on national unity.
He said KACND seeks to get from these meetings various points of view to determine the root cause of extremism and ways of overcoming the challenge.
Al-Mutlaq urged the participants to promote the culture of dialogue and spirit of moderation to confront the phenomenon of extremism.
The Abha meeting was attended by various representatives of the community, including scholars, academics and media representatives. Fahd Al-Sultan, KANCD deputy secretary general, read out the resolutions. Participants reaffirmed that extremism in Saudi society has manifested itself in religious, sports and social affairs and stressed the need for a comprehensive approach to deal with the risk to the individual and society.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Yep, Stalin and Mao distorted the image of 'progressivism' too. Then there's the Kim dynasty or Pol Pot.
#2
I can occasionally have a slightly 'distorted view' from my rifle scope or glasses on a frosty, early morning hunt. That does not mean the deer is not there.
#4
like lawyers:
the 99% bad ones ruin it for the good 1%
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/09/2015 9:30 Comments ||
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#5
Some in the House of Saud supported, abetted, financed, and unleased terrorism on the world and now they say "Extremism has distorted the image of Muslims?" Give me a friggin break.
#8
I wonder if we are not going wrong about names. A regular Muslim believes in Jihad, inferiority of unbelievers, and "proper place" for women. Maybe we should reserve the term "extremist" for Muslims who does not?
#10
On the flip side, Republican and possible Presidential Candidate Ben Carson has been added to the "Extremist Watch List" by the SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center).
In other words, if you disagree with the left, you are an extremist.
[Iran Press TV] Iraq has called on Turkey to step up border patrols and stop the flow of snuffies as the government in Baghdad is locked in fierce battle with the ISIL Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... terrorists.
"They (Turkish authorities) say that the border is too broad and they cannot control it. I believe that they can control it. It is in the interest of our partners to stop the flow of snuffies to Iraq," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said at the 51st Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday.
Turkey has come under international criticism for allowing thousands of foreign snuffies to join Takfiri groups such as ISIL, which has captured some parts of Iraq and Syria.
Interpol has warned that foreign snuffies are increasingly going to Turkey through booking tickets on cruise ships to join Takfiri groups in Syria and Iraq.
The Iraqi prime minister also stated that the Iraqi nation is on the frontline of the fight against ISIL, highlighting that the anti-ISIL campaign cannot bear fruit unless parties close ranks and confront the Takfiri murderous Moslems, who jeopardize the entire world.
He further noted that ISIL massacres people irrespective of their faith, desecrates and demolishes places of worship, and knows no boundary for their vicious acts, among them the burning death of captive Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kassasbeh, and the execution of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] Thousands of members of Turkey's Alevi religious minority on Sunday held a mass rally in central Istanbul, demanding greater rights and the preservation of the country's secular system.
The Alevis, who belong to an offshoot of Shia Islam, are Turkey's biggest religious minority, believed to make up at least 10 percent of the population.
Thousands of Alevis thronged the quayside and square in the Kadikoy district of Istanbul on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, an Agence La Belle France-Presse photographer reported.
They brandished slogans in favour of Turkey's secular system, which many Alevis fear is being eroded under the rule of Islamic-rooted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... Alevis have traditionally been champions of secularity in Turkey, believing it to be the best way to protect their own rights in the majority Sunni Moslem state.
The Alevis have long been suspicious of Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) although the president has tried to build bridges with the community.
The protest organizers complained that Turkey was heading towards "reactionary" rule under the AKP, which "took no account of different beliefs and identities."
A chief demand of the Alevi community is the recognition of their prayer halls -- known as cemevis -- as places of worship. Alevis do not worship in mosques.
The community also wants children to be able to take special courses to study the Alevi religion in schools.
#1
Hook them up with the Kurds (20% or more) and you have nearly 1/3 the population. Great basis for a guerrilla movement against Erdogan and his henchmen.
Sunday on Fox News Channelâs âFox News Sunday,â veteran journalist Bob Woodward said people in the military are complaining to him that the Obama administration has no strategy to defeat ISIS other then having people like Susan Rice âmicromanageâ military responses.
Woodward said, âIf you talk to people in the White House and the military, I think thereâs agreement and John McCain is right and General Flynn is right, there is no strategy. They have not sat down and said this is where we want to go and this is how we want to do it. And the measure of that, when you head into the weeds here, people from the White House are micromanaging the tactical situation on a daily and weekly basis. Thatâs not their job. They have to kind of do strategic planning and say what do we want to accomplish in the next year.â
When host Chris Wallace asked, âWait a minute, are you saying that â forgive me, Susan Rice, is telling the generals what to do?â Woodard confirmed it by saying, âAnd they have got all these people in the White House. You talk to people in the military who are there and they say âwe are being micromanaged and weâre not given a real plan to say what are we going to do here.â And itâs not the way to run a war or try to win a war.â
#1
Don't know if they are still there or not, but next to the very long runway at the LBJ ranch there used to be a small array of makeshift communication huts where staffers and other gov't personnel would monitor events in Vietnam. Appears we've learned little in over 50 years.
#2
Micromanagement. Covered in the seminal work On Strategy: The Vietnam War in Context, Harry Summers. Why should this administration be worried by (the follies of human behavior) history when it has shown it has no use of it in any other field (see-effect of socialism).
#3
Looks like we are stuck with this incompetent twit for the duration unless Congress can figure out some squeeze play. This woman should never have been anywhere near government--should have been chasing stray dogs out in the boonies somewhere at best.
#4
"we're not given a real plan to say what are we going to do here"
The White House has a plan for fighting IS; it involves Iran. Since Syria is in Iran's sphere of interest, part of it is ensuring that the military doesn't make significant changes to the equation in that region.
As far as the regime's foreign policy overall and specifically its dealing with the flare-ups in rest of the world, well, that would take much more bandwidth.
#6
Well, how to do something is always "so obviously simple" to those who've never done it. Look at LBJ, McNamara, Susan Rice, Obumbles. All pretenders without any practical knowledge or experience.
[DAWN] More than 30,000 Afghans living in Pakistain have returned home since the start of the year after coming under intense scrutiny following a Taliban massacre at the Army Public School Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. in December, the IOM said Sunday.
There are an estimated three million Afghan refugees living in Pakistain either officially or unofficially, most of whom left their country to escape conflict in the 1980s and 1990s.
But they are viewed with deep suspicion inside Pakistain and routinely accused by authorities of harbouring Death Eaters.
Richard Danziger, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) mission in Kabul, told AFP that out of the 30,599 Afghans who had left Pakistain since January, 1,817 had been deported while the rest had left of their own accord.
"They are mostly Afghans without papers who have been living in Pakistain for the past 20 to 25 years," he said.
The figure, which eclipses the 25,000 Afghans who returned from Pakistain over the entire year in 2014, was a result of the breakdown in relationships between the migrants and their host communities following the Peshawar attack, added Danziger.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] The United States is reportedly reconsidering a decision to invite Israel to a conference expected to be held in Washington next week after Leb decided to boycott it over claims that it cannot take part in a meeting to confront terrorism with the Jewish state's participation.
According to As Safir newspaper published on Monday, Leb's decision created a fuss among European countries that began wondering about the matter, which caused Washington to hesitate in its invitation.
Sources told the daily that the Iraqi foreign ministry is also mulling its decision whether to take part in the conference or not amid Leb's steady stance.
The sources pointed out that "it's no longer a secret that Israel directly or indirectly supports murderous Moslem groups such as (al-Qaeda-affiliate) al-Nusra ...the current nom de guerre of al-Qaeda in the Levant, which isn't to be confused with al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Levant... Front in Syria's Quneitra."
On Saturday, media reports said that Washington received an official apology from Leb on its participation in the "White House conference on efforts to counter violent extremism," as Beirut argued it cannot be a "partner with Israel in confronting terrorism."
More than 60 countries, including 14 Arab nations and Israel, are expected to take part in the summit slated on February 18 at the White House and presided by U.S. President Barack Obama It’s very rare that I come to an event where I’m like the fifth- or sixth-most interesting person.... The White House planned the conference in light of the recent shootings in La Belle France and earlier attacks in Canada and Australia.
The meetings are expected to continue the next day where the foreign ministers will meet at the headquarters of the U.S. State Department, headed by 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... . The third day is devoted to meetings of experts and specialized committees in Washington.
Interior Minister Nouhad Mashnouq confirmed that Leb, represented by Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, apologized for the participation in the conference after consultations with Prime Minister Tammam Salam.
"Leb has informed some Arab delegations that it does not participate in meetings involving Israel they are held under the sponsorship of the United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... ," a report published in As Safir revealed.
The Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... controls several areas in Syria and Iraq and aims to spread to Leb as its fighters position in the outskirts of Bekaa towns bordering Syria and the Lebanese army is in adamant efforts to stop their efforts to infiltrate the country.
#1
The word "mulling" is used repeatedly by the press to show the 'folks' that elite thinkers are in charge. In this case, they will mull wrong again...regardless.
[IraqiNews.com] Germany is to step up arms supplies ‐ including of armour-piercing Milan missiles ‐ to peshmerga fighters battling the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... in Iraq, the Defence Ministry in Berlin said on Friday.
Last year, Germany sent 70 million euros (79.5 million dollars) worth of military aid, including Milan launchers and rockets. It will now send 30 more launchers and 500 more rockets, along with 203 bazookas, 4,000 more rifles and 10 Dingo armoured vehicles. The new aid, announced after a meeting in Berlin between Chancellor Angela Merkel ...current chancellor of Germany. She was educated in East Germany when is was still run by commies, but in 1989 got involved with the growing democracy movement when the Berlin Wall fell. Merkel is sometimes referred to by Germans as Mom... and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, is worth 13 million euros.
A-Abadi, for his part, noted that intelligence links with Germany were vital in tracking imported muscle, among them German nationals, now in the service of the Islamic state.
"There is intelligence cooperation at the present time. There are thousands of imported muscle from around the world, including from Germany," he said. "We are hoping above all for cooperation in intelligence, in training and equipment to fight the Islamic State."
The Baghdad leader, who was later due to attend the Munich Security Conference, added: "We have information that these terrorist organizations have developed a special type of weapon to use in their terrorist operations and therefore we need more cooperation." He did not explain what the weapon was.
Merkel made no comment on intelligence swaps and did not mention the impending top-up in arms aid. "Unless we get proper international support, we will not succeed. It is in the interest of the whole world to reduce the duration of this conflict," the Iraqi premier.
In the meantime, Baghdad has drafted a plan to recover the city of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... from Islamic State forces holding it. "I don't want to go into the detail, but this is an extensive, comprehensive plan, based on equipping the Iraqi and Peshmerga troops, and based on coordination between the central and the Kurdistan government at the highest level," he said.
[IraqiNews.com] The President of Iraq Fuad Masoum stressed the government's sincere intention to care for the displaced people's conditions and ease their sufferings.
The president on Sunday welcomed a delegation of Syriac Catholic Diocese, which included bishop Afram Yosof {Arbishop of Baghdad} and Bishop, John Peter, {djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... Archishop} besides a large number of Christian clergymen.
The Christians are Iraq's original inhabitants who have leaved peacefully with the other communities for thousands of years and sacrificed too much in favor of the country, Masoum added.
We will sustain the rights of the Iraqi Christians as they were subject to the worst forms of oppression and injustice in hands of the IS terrorists, he said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[IraqiNews.com] On Saturday, president of Kurdistan Massoud Barzani ... hereditary head of the Kurdish Democratic Party, maybe a little too close to the Medes and the Persians for most people's tastes... revealed that, the ISIS organization has recruited retired Soviet army officers, as well as officers from the Arab armies, indicating that it also has seized 1700 American bullet-proof Hummer vehicles.
Barzani said in an interview with the British newspaper 'Life' followed by IraqiNews.com, "ISIS has experts from various countries of the world; they recruited retired officers of the former Soviet army, from countries like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tatarstan and Chechnya," noting that, "It has elements from Pakistain and a large number of Iraqi army officers, in addition officers from the Arab armies that have joined its ranks lately."
Barzani added, "ISIS has the so-called Caliphate/Immigrants Army that consists of fierce foreigners fighters," noting that, "The majority is from Chechnya and other neighboring countries. The dead bodies they leave behind indicate the presence of multiple nationalities, and I saw bodies of Africans as well."
Barzani stated, "ISIS elements stole weapons from the Iraqi and Syrian armies and seized some warehouses in Baiji, whose contents might require two years to transport," pointing out that, "The terrorist group has also seized 1,700 American armored bulletproof Hummer vehicles."
"The war against ISIS is harder than those fought by the Kurds against Saddam Hussein's forces," Barzani said, explaining that "ISIS is a very dangerous organization with much intolerance, expertise, money, violence and people willing to commit suicides."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/09/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
ISIS is clearly now established as a mercenary army. I have always held that all terrorism is, at it's roots, 'state sponsored.' Where is the funding coming from? Which state(s) is it ?
#3
You nailed it gorb, except there are no 'maintenance guys.' What you now have is 1700 coalition targeting confirmations, which may or may not be flying black flags. BTW, the term "bullet-proof" is clearly a misnomer.
#11
From open-source, "Chechens" is the term being used among the IS and other groups in that region to designate Russian-speakers. Sort of like the way "African" is also being used as a designator, regardless of their origin on that continent.
[Iran Press TV] Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem has held Israeli regime and 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... responsible for flaming the fan of the country's four-year crisis, saying they provide support for the terrorists.
Speaking in Damascus in an exclusive interview with Iran's Arabic-language al-Alam News Network, Muallem reiterated that the "Zionist Regime is behind the scenes of all incidents in Syria."
Muallem further emphasized that the efforts of Israel to create a buffer zone on the Golan Heights would not succeed, warning that the "Syrian army and popular resistance forces are ready to continue military efforts to counter terrorist group al-Nusra ...the current nom de guerre of al-Qaeda in the Levant, which isn't to be confused with al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Levant... Front and Zionist plots along Syria's border."
He also noted that the "narrow-minded policies" of Tel Aviv would surely bring about repeated failure for it.
Speaking about Saudi Arabia's role in fueling violence in Syria, the minister rebuked Riyadh for supporting terrorist groups such as Jaysh al-Islam and its leader Zahran Alloush, explaining that Lion of Islam group "is dependent on Saudi Arabia" and Damascus is well aware of this connection.
He went on to say that the ISIL Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... forces of Evil originated from the Wahhabi ideology, and that, "There is no tie with Saudi Arabia even in diplomatic level" because of Riyadh's intentions.
He further advised the Saudis to look into their policies for the sake of their own interests.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Well, actually Walid, there isn't Saudi Arabia as such---the ruling house has long ago been replaced by Mossad agents.
[IsraelTimes] Anti-Iranian scholar Muhammad Ali Al-Husseini seems undaunted by Hezbollah in his philo-Semitic statements
Israelis usually associate Shiite holy mans in Leb with terror group Hezbollah, a powerful religious organization committed to the destruction of the Jewish state. But a Beirut-based holy man is surprising the public by spreading messages of peace and nonviolence in Hebrew on social media.
"We call on rabbis, priests and Moslemholy mans -- both Sunni and Shia -- to underplay religious traditions and texts that call for violence, since they are more dangerous than nuclear weapons," wrote Sayyed Muhammad Ali Husseini, secretary general of the Shiite group the Arabic Islamic Council, in Hebrew on his Facebook page Sunday.
Just days after Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah warned of a possible war with Israel following an attack by his organization that left two IDF soldiers dead on the border with Leb, Husseini said that religious texts must be historically contextualized rather than used to incite perpetual violence.
"Various religious texts calling for the use of violence and ruthlessness to achieve goals are extremely dangerous when used by groups we have warned against in the past," he continued. "These texts religiously sanction acts of violence and murder. Obviously, these are texts that were implemented in specific, limited situations; they cannot necessarily be applied to our time, since every situation has its own unique circumstances."
This was not the first time that Husseini directly addressed an Israeli audience. On January 19, he posted a video on Facebook directed at "our cousins, the children of Isaac son of Abraham."
"We believe that not all Jews are bad [just as] not all Moslems are terrorists. Let us cousins put our conflicts aside and stay away from evil and hatred. Let us unite in peace and love," he said in broken Hebrew.
Following the burning alive of Jordanian pilot Muaz Kasasbeh last week by the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... in Syria, Husseini wrote on Facebook, "We heard and saw yesterday how our brother in humanity was burned. Has the Holocaust returned once again?"
Breaking from the traditional Shiite loyalty to the Iranian leadership, Husseini has also spoken out publicly against what he dubbed the complete Iranian domination of Leb.
"It is not new for the Iranian regime to explicitly proclaim its security, economic, political and even religious control of Leb," he told Emirates TV channel Al-Aan in May 2014. "We have warned of this and condemned it, and shall never accept it."
Eddy Cohen, a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University's Communications Department who has helped Husseini translate his messages into Hebrew, told Israel's Army Radio on Sunday that he did not know how representative Husseini's ideas are in Leb, but noted that the Shiite holy man seemed unconcerned about spreading his posts in Hebrew and boasted some 1,800 followers on Facebook.
"He is a moderate, and most Lebanese are sick of war and hostilities," Cohen said.
[AnNahar] The United States delivered on Sunday a shipment of military vehicles, weapons and ammunition to Leb as of Washington's pledge to aid the Lebanese military in its combat against terrorists.
The state-run National News Agency reported that the shipment was handed at Beirut's port in the presence of U.S. and Lebanese officials.
The Lebanese army was handed 70 M198 howitzer, which a medium-sized, towed artillery piece, developed for service with the United States Army and Marine Corps. In addition to 26 million rounds of ammunition included small, medium and heavy artillery rounds.
In a statement, the U.S. embassy said the aid is worth $25 million.
"Support for the (Lebanese military) remains a top priority for the United States. Recent attacks against Leb's army only strengthen America's resolve to stand in solidarity with the people of Leb to confront these threats," said the embassy.
It added: "The United States is providing top of the line weapons to the (Lebanese army) to help Leb's brave soldiers in their confrontation with the terrorists."
That's one way to ensure Hizb'allah has enough bullets to support Assad in Syria...without having to face Israeli disapproval expressed by Israeli missiles.
The last shipment of ammunition as part of the U.S. military assistance program was on January 27. Another three arms shipments were delivered on August 29, September 6 and 26.
The arms deliveries come as several allies of Leb step up efforts to bolster its armed forces as the threat from jihadists in the region grows.
In 2014, Leb was the fifth largest recipient of U.S. foreign military aid, the embassy said.
"In 2014 alone, the United States provided over $100 million to the (Lebanese military), adding to the $1 billion in assistance provided... since 2006," said the statement.
[WASHINGTONPOST] Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in an interview broadcast Sunday that it would be "impossible" to extend nuclear negotiations with Iran if an agreement on fundamental principles is not reached in the coming weeks.
Using more categorical language than he has employed previously, Kerry definitively precluded a third extension to talks with Iran about reducing its ability to make a nuclear bomb or easing sanctions.
In November, when no deal could be struck by a self-imposed deadline, a temporary agreement, which had been in place for a year and had been extended once before, was pushed to late June. Kerry said at the time that the major points of agreement would have to be reached by late March. In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," taped Saturday in Munich where he was attending an international security conference, Kerry appeared to close the door on another extension.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
What? No more extenders? Very firm, very presidential.
#2
... What he didn't say was that they'll end these talks on time, but after a decent interval, they'll start right back up. No way The One is going to miss an opportunity for his legacy, even if it means selling the Israelis and the rest of the ME down the river.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/09/2015 7:56 Comments ||
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#3
fundamental principles
I do not think that word means what you think it means.
#4
just one of many Muslim parents and leaders in the U.S. who are struggling to find the answers to cure what they see as a plague of Islamic radicalization
Maybe they shouldn't have run away.
[Ynet] IS manifesto shows the adventure promised by those recruiting Western women is illusory, stating that marriage and motherhood is their purpose.
Girls may marry at nine, the "most pure" will be wed by 16 or 17 and all women should consider motherhood the purpose of their existence, according to a manifesto attributed to an all-female branch of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (IS) hard boy group.
The Quilliam Foundation, a UK-based anti-terrorism think tank, said the text states women should be hidden and veiled, stay at home and shun fashion boutiques and beauty salons as the work of the devil.
The Quilliam Foundation translation with analysis can be found in PDF form here.
Produced by the Al-Khanssaa Brigade, the manifesto reveals a more sober picture of what is expected of Moslem women than the accounts of Western female jihadists who have exaggerated their role on social media, the foundation, which translated the document into English, said.
"Just as they have sexed up what it is to be a women living in the so-called caliphate, this document dresses it down. Women, it is unambiguously stated, are homemakers and mothers," the foundation said in concluding remarks to its translation.
"The matters of adventure and excitement, themes most used by female Western recruiters trying to recruit maidens of tender years to IS, are the realm of men," it added.
Islamic State, an offshoot of al Qaeda, declared an Islamic caliphate across parts of Syria and Iraq last summer. It has killed thousands in what the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... has called a reign of terror.
The document, which first appeared last month in Arabic, sets out what is permitted in terms of education and work.
From seven to nine, girls should learn religion, Koranic Arabic and science. From 10 to 12, there should be more studies relating to Islamic sharia law on marriage and divorce in addition to knitting and cooking.
The manifesto indicates that a girl's education ends at the age of 15.
It states that a woman may leave the house if she going to study theology, if she is a woman doctor or teacher and if it has been ruled by fatwa that she must fight jihad or holy war.
Quilliam Foundation said no mention is made of the abuse of hundreds of women who human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... groups say have been kidnapped, raped, tortured and forced to convert to Islam or marry Islamic State fighters in the group's drive to create a territory governed by Islamic law.
"There has been a huge amount of speculation about what the role of the women who join Islamic State - often dubbed jihadist brides - is," Haras Rafiq, Quilliam Foundation's managing director, said in a statement.
"(This translation) allows us to look past the propaganda banded about on social media by Western supporters of IS, enabling us to get into the mind-set of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of women who willingly join its ranks."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/09/2015 00:00 ||
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One certainly hopes so -- much happier place than the end of the beginning.
[ARA] In an unprecedented development, the U.S.-led international coalition called on civilians in the IS-held Syrian city of Raqqa to evacuate their houses immediately.
The American appeal came on Sunday through paper scraps dropped by warplanes on the city, local sources reported on Sunday.
Local activists from Raqqa told ARA News that chaos prevailed in the city after residents obtained these scraps, amid continues raids against IS locations.
This comes after a wave of defections hit the ranks of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group (IS/ISIS).
Speaking to ARA News on the phone, a military source from the Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... (FSA) in the IS-held city of Manbij said (under the condition of anonymity) that the number of IS turbans has decreased in the city.
"The IS group is even afraid of sending their gunnies on missions and patrols outside Manbij," the source reported. "Those bad boys, who are supposed to perform military missions and come back to their bases, mostly do not return, as the recent cases in the IS-held Amarna and Jazira checkpoints on the road to Jarablus."
In the meantime, the town of Ain Issa, in southeastern Kobane (Ain al-Arab), was reported free of IS turbans on Sunday evening. The group has transferred its Sharia Court and headquarters to the nearby town of Sulug, amid the escape of large numbers of turbans towards the Turkish territory across Tel Abyad in Raqqa countryside, in northeastern Syria.
Media sources also reported that the IS faceless myrmidons are planning to withdraw from the northern countryside of Aleppo, after their loss in Kobane's battles.
Commenting on these developments, media activist Khabat Hisso told ARA News: "After the group's defeat in Kobane, I'm afraid of IS recklessness and retaliatory practices against civilians before their withdrawal from any area."
The defending forces of Kobane have made great advancement in these areas. The IS group has entered the stage of collapse, at least in the mentioned areas, according to observers.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
IIRC CNN > US SecState JOHN KERRY claims that the US-led Coalitiojn effort has forced the ISIS to seriously alter or change its tactics.
The above being said, OTOH by most accounts the ISIS/ISL has had little difficulty in recruiting new fighters to replace its losses.
#4
Level Raqqa, then incinerate the rubble, then drop a mixture of salt bombs and sodium chlorate bombs to ensure that nothing green grows there for a few generations.
#5
Another victory for Smart Diplomacy and the Lightbringer. And with no boots on the ground!
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/09/2015 7:19 Comments ||
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#6
As TOPIX + WORLD NEWS Artics describe, the ISIS/ISIL is still around or exists only because the US-Allies or Great Powers are allowing it to exist, i.e. are NOT hitting the ISIS/ISL wid the full force of their MilPol or Geopol Power-n-Resources.
* [OLIVER STONE'S "PLATOON" > YOUNG SOLDIER "FRANCIS" = "BECAUSE ITS POLITICS, MAN, FUCKIN' POLITICS"!
[CounterjihadReport] Fox News Correspondent James Rosen reported on Wednesday night that a âmajor investor in the parent companyâ of Fox News has been implicated in financing the terrorist group al-Qaeda. Rosen made the embarrassing disclosure in a story on the channelâs âSpecial Reportâ show hosted by Bret Baier.
Rosen, a hard-charging investigative reporter, really had no alternative but to cover the damaging disclosures. The allegations were made by Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th hijacker of 9/11, and provided in the form of a sworn statement to attorneys for families of 9/11 victims for their lawsuit against Saudi Arabia. He is serving a life sentence at a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.
To its credit, the Fox News website is now running a follow-up story noting that the new charges are prompting calls for the declassification and release of 28 classified pages of the full report on 9/11. The role of Saudi Arabia in the attacks is said to be a major topic covered in the 28 pages.
#2
When that report is finally released, almost certainly one name to figure most prominently in Al Qaeda funding will be prince Turki al-Feisal, for years the director of the Saudi General Intelligence Service.
#8
"The allegations were made by Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th hijacker of 9/11."
Moussaoui is a very poor source. He's somewhat unstable mentally and while it's clear he had some connection to 9/11 (he famously made it clear he didn't need to learn how to land when he was at flight school), it's highly doubtful that he was at a level to know anything about important funders. Anyone who knows about interrogation knows that lots of false information can emerge and allegations need to be vetted and cross-checked. Taking an allegation at face value that hasn't been corroborated is unprofessional and one of the reasons "raw intelligence" is treated with caution.
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.
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
Massoud Barzani
[WASHINGTONPOST] Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in an interview broadcast Sunday that it would be "impossible" to extend nuclear negotiations with Iran if an agreement on fundamental principles is not reached in the coming weeks.
