The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has released the name of the Taliban leader killed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. Mullah Abdul Rasheed was killed by the Special Task Group (SOTG) during a recent operation in Oruzgan province.
Rasheed was involved with the importation of foreign fighters, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) experts and potential suicide bombers, the ADF said. Defence believe he was also responsible for the rocket attack that killed Private Gregory Sher last weekend.
Chief of joint operations, Lieutenant General Mark Evans, described Rasheed as a "significant Taliban leader".
"We were after Rasheed for a long time," Lieutenant General Mark Evans told reporters in Canberra. "The death of Rasheed will have an affect on the ability of the Taliban to conduct coherent operations in Oruzgan Province."
In Canberra, Defence said setting a time line for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan was a matter for the federal government to decide.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has devised a plan to suppress the Taliban and allow Afghan government forces to take full security responsibility by 2012. Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Mark Evans said Operations Plan 2012 sets the benchmarks for operations in Afghanistan. Any time line for the withdrawal of Australian troops would be determined by the government, he said.
"There is no time line for withdrawal of Australian troops from Afghanistan, that is a matter for the Australian government to decide," Lt Gen Evans told reporters in Canberra. "(It) is a tactical planning document that allows the ADF to set benchmarks for the conduct of its operations in Afghanistan."
Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. made a heavily guarded visit to Afghanistan on Saturday, meeting with top Afghan and U.S. military leaders after a quick stop in Pakistan to stress continued U.S. support in the fight against terrorism across South Asia.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday accused Israel of being the "murder arm" of the United States and said the solution to the Gaza crisis was in the hands of Barack Obama when he becomes US president in 10 days. On announcing a Venezuelan humanitarian aid shipment for Gaza's embattled Palestinians, Chavez said he was not surprised Israel ignored the UN's call Thursday for a cease-fire in Gaza because, he said, "behind Israel lurks the United States.|
"It doesn't surprise me in the least ... The Israeli government doesn't comply because it is the United States. Unfortunately, Israel has become the murder arm of the US," he added.
Chavez, Latin America's most prominent leftist leader and staunch foe of outgoing US President George W. Bush, said the solution to the Gaza conflict was squarely in the hands of Bush's successor Obama, who is to be inaugurated on January 20.
"Let's wait and see what Obama will do when he takes power as president ... and head of the empire," Chavez said. "Because if anybody can stop that massacre it's the US president, because it was a US president who ordered it."
He also slammed the international community for not doing enough to stop the Israeli onslaught in Gaza, which since December 27 has killed more than 850 people, according to Gaza emergency services.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#4
Hey OOgo - remember, Israel has nukes and the means of delivering them, even to Caracas. It might be a good idea to moderate your hateful spew, lest you become a glowing ball of putred gas.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/12/2009 14:39 Comments ||
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#5
I'm sure they're taking note about your concerns in Bogata after your involvement with terrorists who engage in targeting, kidnapping, and killing civilians.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday accused Israel of being the "murder arm" of the United States and said the solution to the Gaza crisis was in the hands of Barack Obama when he becomes U.S. president in 10 days.
On announcing Venezuela's first humanitarian aid shipment for Gaza's embattled Palestinians, Chavez said he was not surprised Israel ignored the United Nation's call Thursday for a ceasefire in Gaza because, he said, "behind Israel lurks the United States."
" Let's wait and see what Obama will do when he takes power as president... and head of the empire...Because if anybody can stop that massacre it's the U.S. president, because it was a U.S. president who ordered it in the first place "
Chavez
"It doesn't surprise me in the least.... The Israeli government doesn't comply because it is the United States. Unfortunately, Israel has become the murder arm of the United States," he added.
Chavez, Latin America's most prominent leftist leader and staunch foe of outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush, said the solution to the Gaza conflict was squarely in the hands of Bush's successor Obama, who is to be inaugurated Jan. 20.
"Let's wait and see what Obama will do when he takes power as president... and head of the empire," Chavez said, using his pet name for the United States.
"Because if anybody can stop that massacre it's the U.S. president, because it was a U.S. president who ordered it in the first place," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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North Korea offered to send its chief nuclear negotiator to next week's inauguration of US President-elect Barack Obama, but Washington has responded coolly, South Korean news reports said Monday. The JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, quoting a Seoul government source, said the communist state may be trying to assess whether its traditional enemy's policy will change under Obama, who takes office on January 20.
The hardline North, which has been locked in nuclear disarmament talks for years, refrained from its customary criticism of the United States in a policy-setting New Year message. "The North, through its United Nations mission office in New York, conveyed the message that it can send Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-Gwan as a representative to the inauguration ceremony," the source told JoongAng.
The message was delivered to the Obama transition team via a non-profit US organisation, The Korea Society, the source said.
"I've heard negative opinions far outpaced the positive views," the source added, referring to the response of the Obama team. "Pyongyang may be trying to test the political waters in the Obama administration by watching Washington's response."
Yonhap news agency, citing a diplomatic source, said the North's proposal had been turned down because of US scepticism. Foreign ministry officials in Seoul would not comment.
Both JoongAng and Yonhap said the new administration would be unlikely to invite a Pyongyang envoy until it has mapped out its policy on North Korea.
The United States has since 2003 been involved in six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament. The latest round -- involving the United States, the two Koreas, China, Russia and Japan -- ended fruitlessly in Beijing last month. No agreement was reached on ways to verify the secretive nation's declaration of its atomic programmes.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I'm sure he/she/it would be less controversial among his Hollyweird supporters than Rick Warren, however.
U.S. president-elect Barack Obama on Sunday vowed to take swift action on the Middle East peace process and Iran's nuclear ambitions but played for time to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
In an interview with ABC's This Week program, Obama defended his reluctance to speak out on Israel's bloody offensive in the Gaza Strip before he succeeds President George W. Bush on Jan. 20.
But while he promised rapid efforts on the peace process and diplomatic engagement with Iran, Obama said it would be a "challenge" to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in his first 100 days in office.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Send Hillary to the Middle East and tell her not to come back until a solution is in place.
#3
Ha! far better men than Bambi have tried and failed. Someone might want to mention to him that rolling over and playing dead for the enemys of civilzation isn't a policy.
#2
Clearly he believes that a Hamas gunman who puts down his gun for a smoke break is suddenly a civilian. This is the retarded definition the Palestinians have been promoting. I'd pretty much always thought Ron was clueless regarding foreign policy but it is nice to have a reminder or two from time to time.
#3
rjs: of course as opposed to the compulsory military service on every male and female Israeli "civilian", and if not active, listed into reserve forces into their 50s.
#5
Discussions about 'immoral acts' must certainly be well beyond the domain of the US Congress. The moral high ground is oftentimes clouded and very difficult to reach in war. Just my opinion.
#6
of course as opposed to the compulsory military service on every male and female Israeli "civilian", and if not active, listed into reserve forces into their 50s.
and by implication every US male 17 to 45 as members of the federal militia [USC X para 311] are not civilians either.
Unload your AK and then drop it saying you're now a civie only sells among the fools, the enemy and their sockpuppets.
#8
When called up as combatants to serve those Israeli mentioned are military targets. When they are in a pizza place, or school, or at a bus stop, and not called up for duty they are not.
Once fighting you don't become civilians on your days off and smoke brakes or when injured and cameras are around. It is not a difficult concept.
#12
Ron Paul's two biggest problems are that he's arrogant and foolish. He says things without thinking them through, and he has little in the way of a "moral compass" to apply to what he says. The result is the constant spewing of drivel like this.
He's in company with far too many of the people in Washington - politicians first, citizen second, statesmen never.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/12/2009 14:45 Comments ||
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#13
Who?
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/12/2009 21:04 Comments ||
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#14
Ron Paul (Isolationist Libertarian/Idiot) ran in the 2008 Republican primary. link
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/12/2009 21:51 Comments ||
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#16
I disagree w/him a lot on foreign policy but the guy is definitely not an idiot. He was against iraq (which I disagree w/him on) but strongly advocated for OEF. His domestic views are pretty solid and his grasp of the U.S. Const is also pretty solid imho.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/12/2009 21:54 Comments ||
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#18
I read something a while back that Ron Paul gatherings are pretty crazy: new wave this'n'that, drugs, rock'n'roll, old hippies, yuppies, and Dr. Ron Paul off to the side talking about the best way to run the world.
At least nine protesters were arrested in a pro-Palestinian rally Sunday afternoon in New York that injured seven police officers, authorities said. The extent of injuries varied from minor to serious, New York police said. Two officers sustained head injuries.
Detective Cheryl Crispin said the protesters taken into custody faced charges ranging from disorderly conduct to reckless endangerment. In a statement, the NYPD said the officers were injured when trying to break up a fight between two demonstrators.
"While attempting to separate the males, several others joined in and began to assault the officers," the statement said.
The demonstrators had gathered on Manhattan's West Side on Sunday afternoon to protest the Israeli incursion in Gaza. The rally began peacefully, but skirmishes between police and demonstrators eventually broke out.
Steve Sherman, coordinator of security for United for Peace and Justice and a demonstrator at the rally, said police maced demonstrators.
"The police pushed us out onto the avenue, and as we were walking down the avenue ... they charged with horses on the sidewalks and they charged with their own bodies and pushed in, and a riot started," he said.
Mike Eilenfeldt, another demonstrator, said confrontations between the police and protesters appeared to escalate after a police officer had fallen to the ground.
"He's laying on the street, and from that point on it's a police riot where they start attacking the young people," Eilenfeldt told CNN.
Police denied the allegations of mace being used on protesters.
#2
Other news sources overnight claimed that pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies clashed, with the poor policemen caught between them... started when someone snatched a Palestinian flag and stamped on it.
WASHINGTON ย President-elect Barack Obama addressed some of the most delicate foreign policy issues over the weekend, confirming that he intended to pursue a clear policy of engagement with Iran and to press immediately for peace in the Middle East.
Speaking on the ABC News program ยThis Week,ย Mr. Obama reiterated that he wanted to work directly with Iran ย a country whose president has called for Israelยs destruction ย to improve relations and halt a nuclear program that Tehran describes as peaceful, but that the West believes is not. ยWe are going to have to take a new approach,ย he told the programยs host, George Stephanopoulos. ยMy belief is that engagement is the place to start.ย
Mr. Obama said he wanted to adopt ยa new emphasis on respect and a new willingness on being willing to talkย to the Iranians, while making it clear ยthat we also have certain expectations.ย
The remarks suggested a clear departure from the often pointed and deprecatory speech that has prevailed between Iranยs president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and President Bush.
Speaking about the Israeli attacks in Gaza, Mr. Obama said he remained convinced that Israel had a clear right of self-defense. More broadly, he promised that after his inauguration on Jan. 20, his foreign policy team would become ยimmediately engaged in the Middle East peace process.ย
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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An Indian newspaper has posted on its website the 69-page so-called dossier given to Pakistan containing 'evidence that links elements in Pakistan to the Mumbai terror attacks'.
The Hindu post -- spread over three sections of the newspaper's site -- carries the material that emerged during the investigation into the Mumbai attacks.
The first section of 21 pages contains details of the dates and locations of the attacks, the number of casualties and the names of the people who lost their lives. The section begins with a description of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman; his village in Pakistan and his statement on his 'training at Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LT) camps in Pakistan'. The 10-member group that Ajmal was part of was "closely monitored by senior members of LT", it says, and goes on to give the names of the nine attackers killed by Indian security forces. The first section also includes details of the terrorists' alleged journey to Mumbai from Karachi.
The second section -- containing satellite pictures -- includes details of the route to Mumbai and the planned route of return after the attack. Some handwritten scripts and pictures are also part of the second section.
The last section elaborates Pakistan's response to the attacks. It ends with telling Pakistan what it should do: "Hand over the conspirators to face justice in India ... dismantle infrastructure of terrorism. Prevent terrorist attacks from Pakistan. Adhere to and implement bilateral, multilateral and international obligations."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM/TOPIX > INDIA READY TO BREAK OFF TIES [read, mostly Economic - State Cooper, Business, Transportation, Tourism] WID PAKISTAN OVER LACK OF HELP IN MUMBAI INQUIRY.
"We are living under duress these days," a Swat-based educationist said of the people living in the restive valley of Swat.
He said this while condemning the recent threats from Taliban for closure of girls' schools in Swat. However, after repeated talks, the Taliban have agreed to allow girls' education at government and private institutions until class IV, he said.
He was referring to a recent meeting with the Taliban, who announced a ban on girls' schooling from January 15. In a routine lecture on a banned FM channel, Commander Shah Dauran had warned parents to stop sending their daughters to school. Over the past two weeks, many families left the valley fearing a bleak future for their children.
Apart from the education sector, which has suffered constantly in the settled and Tribal Areas, the people of Swat have been subjected to many 'dos and don'ts' in recent months.
Hairdressers have been forced to stop shaving beards. 'We are not shaving beards' and 'Don't visit us to get your beards shaved' announce handwritten notices displayed at every barbershop in Mingora, headquarters of the restive Swat district.
Markets: Taliban have also banned women from markets. "Women are not allowed in this market," reads a banner installed in front of a three-storey market, which was once called 'Women's Market'. "We were dealing in women's garments and cosmetics and were doing a reasonable business. However, we cannot even earn enough money to pay the rent and electricity charges of the shop since the ban has been imposed on women's entry in the market," said a shop owner.
Another shop owner said he had not seen a woman in the whole Mingora Bazaar in the past month. "They [Taliban] have ordered the killing of women seen in market areas," he said. Despite being a remote area, Mingora city was once known for offering best medical facilities. However, many of them, especially female doctors now prefer to go to other cities following threats from the Taliban.
Nurses: Nurses serving in government and private hospitals are the only women employees who have not received any threat in Swat. However, fearing a ban, they have started to wear veils to avoid being noticed by the Taliban.
The market of dancing girls, also known as the Bundh Bazaar, has also been closed following the recent killing of a female dancer. The area, once known for its glistening lights and sound of music from every house, remains dark now. Many of the girls have left the famous street for cities like Karachi and Lahore, while others have shut their businesses.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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Iraq's Sunni Arab politicians were in disarray on Sunday after the deputy parliament speaker announced that they had failed to agree a candidate to propose for the post of parliamentary speaker. MPs from the largest Sunni bloc were preparing to put forward Iyad al-Samarrai, a senior leader of the Iraqi Islamic Party, but other Sunni parties opposed their choice.
"Today many discussions were held among the different political entities but there were differences on the nomination of a new speaker," Deputy Speaker Khalid al-Attiya told Parliament. "More time to discuss the nomination has been granted but discussion should not go beyond tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
Under Iraq's complex political arrangements, Sunni Arabs have the right to nominate the speaker, a move that should have taken place on Sunday.
Samarrai's name emerged after weeks of political wrangling over a replacement for outspoken Mahmoud Mashhadani, who quit as speaker on December 23 amid clamor from Kurdish and Shiite politicians for him to go. "Iyad al-Samarrai is the candidate," a parliamentary source told AFP on condition on anonymity following a rowdy session on Saturday.
Deputy Nur Addin al-Hayali from the Iraqi Islamic Party told AFP that the candidate has the backing of most Sunnis. "He enjoys the acceptance of the political blocs and we are now moving to gain support for our candidate," Hayali insisted.
Samarrai - or whoever is finally put forward - will still need to win the backing of just over 50 percent of Iraq's 275-seat Parliament.
The delay in the nomination comes after a rift in the main Sunni Arab bloc, the National Concord Front. Last month National Dialogue Council, of which Mashhadani is a member, withdrew from the front, bitterly accusing the Iraqi Islamic Party of having plotted to sack him as speaker and promote their own candidate for the post.
This article starring:
Iyad al-Samarrai
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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Hattip The Muqata
Central Elections Committee determines Balad and United Arab List-Ta'al parties ineligible to run in February 2009, on grounds that they don't recognize the State of Israel and call for armed conflict against it. The Central Elections Committee is comprised of members of all party factions.
During the meeting, MK Ahmad Tibi (UAL-Ta'al) addressed the ongoing operation in Gaza, saying, "we object to targeting civilians and you are committing genocide in Gaza. You're murdering children."
MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu "Israel is Our Home") responded by saying, "We thought you were a friend of Israel and therefore we didn't question your party list. Where were you for the past eight years when Sderot was under attack?"
Shortly afterwards, there was a heated confrontation between Tibi, along with Balad Chairman Jamal Zahalka on one side, and MK David Tal (Kadima). "You drink Palestinian blood. You are a racist," Zahalka said to Tal. "You went to war as an elections campaign strategy," added Tibi. "Every vote for Kadima is a bullet in the chest of a Palestinian child."
Tibi later told the press in response to the decision that "this is a racist country. We are accustomed to these types of struggles and we will win." Tibi had expected the support of the eight Kadima members of the committee.
Another peace rally Saturday night brought together about 2,000 Israelis to demand an immediate end to the ongoing assault in Gaza. The protest was held in front of the Hakirya, the central command of the Israeli military and the Defense Ministry in the heart of Tel Aviv.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
Film the faces of those who show up. Identify them and put the identities in a file for reference. Do police checks on all individuals. Get their addresses. Open a file on them individually.
Check their tax records, check their place of work. Cross reference all data to establish any relationships between individuals. Do backround investigation on all individuals and focus on any relationships in work place, and social connections.
See how "protest" was organized. Establish who the leaders were. Establish separate file.
2,000 is a small number. Designate a target group from the main group. Make their lives unpleasant. Cut their organization connections specifically. Separate their leadership individuals for special attention.
Make these individuals have interesting lives. Find out where their children go to school. Talk to their employers. Audit their taxes. Make their insurance go up. Have police address them by name. Wish them a nice day.
You do it to us.? Its gonna cost you. You dont like us? We dont have to be nice to you either.
And we can keep you a lot more busy so you have less time to be at "peace rallys."
And it will all be legal, I assure you.
You get in my face for one day. But I can be in your face for 365. How's your mother?
#2
As much as I'd like to see these people individually held accountable for their beliefs and actions, you took that so far that you frighten me. We aren't a police state - yet.
#3
The Israeli government knows who the leftists are. They don't try to hide. The majority of the people of Israel support the current attack on Hamass. Those that don't are becoming more and more isolated. There's no need for the government to target or attack them, their very behavior is making them outcasts in their own nation. That's how civilized societies work - those that are outside the realm of social acceptance are shunned and ignored. It used to work in the United States, too. That was before the lamestream media decided that "social behavior" had to change.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/12/2009 15:09 Comments ||
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#4
Angleton9 seems to have nailed the blueprint the new obama administration plans to use for any who dare publicly question 'The One'
Joe the plumber only experienced the beta version.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
01/12/2009 16:20 Comments ||
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LIKE WHAT PRECISELY? You want to strong arm Israel, Chucky?
Yeah, you go in there and "force" Israel to play it your way. And while you are in there get yourself a membership in the Grizzly Bear Artificial insemination Committee.
#4
Angleton9... I have that post card... picked it up while I was in Montana a couple of summers ago... "Grizzly Bear Artificial Insemination Committee"... ROFL
The Israeli assault on the densely-populated Gaza Strip will not reduce the angst of the government regarding its future, a report says. According to an article published in Time, Israeli commanders are worried about the outcome of the war, as the "war against Hamas grows riskier and more punishing".
Israeli politicians and generals are also aware of their inability in eliminating Hamas -- the democratically-elected ruler of the strip -- indicating that weeks and months are needed in order to achieve this goal, the report added. The assault may even cast a shadow over Israel's vaunted power of deterrence, which was once badly eroded in 2006 by Hezbollah due to the forced ceasefire, the report added.
The author of the report, Tim McGirk, argues that a brokered ceasefire in Gaza, as the result of failure in the impoverished strip, would worsen the situation as it only works as a momentary protection for Israel against Hamas rockets. He maintains that while Hamas is not the most immediate threat to Israel, the war in Gaza will sure send a "message" to Israel's other foes.
At least 890 Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli onslaught, while thousands others are reported wounded.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
The MSM seems to be reporting what it thinks should have happened, rather than what has happened. It looks to me like Israel is on the verge of a decisive win. International cricism has been muted. The people who matter; USA, UK, France, Egypt, Saudi want an end to a militarized Hamas.
The end game is Hamas cut off from weapons supply. Deposing Hamas militarily was always a canard.
#2
The most effective Israeli strategy is to hit Hamas in its ability to appear "legitimate", that means taking away its "perceived "power. Power consists in how it is seen by its own people the Palestinians...the base of its legitimacy is Palestinian perception.
With no tunnels, there is no economy. With no economy there is no money...for either Hamas or the Palestinians themselves. Hamas cannot supply or address the Palestinians daily needs..food, water, movement, security. What benefit to the Palestinians is Hamas then ?
No benefit, no contract, no contract, no legitimacy.
End result: a rocket sled to hell of anarchy.
Israel controls the food and security. Play nice or go hungry in sheer hell.
Four walls in Hell and its raining sh7t and the roofs gone.
#3
If you kill enough Hamas leaders the folks left will be inexperienced and probably easily outmanuevered by Fatah. If you can find evidence that Hamas is taking orders from Persian Shia you can further undercut the Jihad movement amung many Sunni Arabs. Also the actions of Hamas during this whole thing will probably do a lot to increase the number of Israeli informers.
#4
With enough informers, if I was Israel, I'd begin stories of a Fatah vs Hamas civil war after this current conflict is over. Then use those informers to have Israeli snipers take out the leaders of Hamas that survived. Let Fatah take credit, who cares.
Talks are progressing between Egyptian officials and a Hamas delegation dispatched to Cairo on finding an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip, Egypt's state-owned news agency reported on Sunday.
The agency an unnamed Egyptian official as saying that the Hamas delegation has agreed on the need to stop fighting as soon as possible. The officials characterized the negotiations between the nation's powerful intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and a Hamas delegation as positive.
"Help! Get those evil Zionists off our backs!"
Two of Hamas' Syria-based leaders and three officials from Gaza participated in the talks.
MENA says the talks will resume Monday for a cease-fire agreement.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday announced a three point cease-fire initiative which Hamas initially rejected, insisting it needed provisions for a lifting of the siege on Gaza. Both Hamas and Israel have rebuffed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel's offensive against the Islamist organization enters its third week.
On Thursday the UN Security Council voted on a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, but the United States unexpectedly abstained in the vote, saying talks on a truce were still under way through Egyptian mediation.
An exiled Hamas leader said on Friday the United States appeared to want to give Israel more time to persist with the Gaza offensive.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, meanwhile, said Israel had rejected resolution on the grounds that "sharply rules out continued attacks directed against civilians and does not forbid urgent action against them."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
The UN cant enforce anything and the US "abstains" from support for its resolution. Suck your num-num and thank you very much.
Hamas' wishes are not exactly priorities for anybody else. Wait until Iran gets really stridently HYSTERICAL for International Intervention.
Then ask them how they like their mountain oysters cooked. What we want is a clear cut victory. And a clear cut victory is to take away Hamas legitimacy in Palestinian perception . Humiliation and anarchy should do that.
And then hand Iran the can of worms and say eat it.
For the Left and the jew haters? Their noses will tell them it aint Filet Mignon. Hand 'em a napkin.
#2
Retired ambassador John Bolton writes that the US abstained because President Bush would not let Secretary of State Rice vote in support of the resolution as she'd wished. g(r)omgoru read her correctly a long time ago.
(Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is approaching goals set for Operation Cast Lead in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Olmert made the remarks in a statement issued by his office at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. He said that it is time to "translate our accomplishments into attaining our goals," stressing that what had been achieved so far in an "unprecedented effort" must not be lost at the last moment. "Israel is approaching the goals it set for itself, but we require further patience, determination and effort so that our citizens can feel safety and stability," said Olmert. "The Israeli public, especially the residents of the south, have the requisite patience and willingness -- so does the government," he urged.
Olmert also hit back at the mounting international criticism of the IDF operation in Gaza, which entered its 16th day on Sunday, killing more than 800 Palestinians. "No country in the world -- not even those who preach morality to us -- would have shown similar patience and self-control," he said in the statement. "We have never agreed that someone should decide for us if we are allowed to strike at those who bomb kindergartens and schools and we will never agree to this in the future," continued the prime minister.
Olmert defended Israeli security cabinet's decision to continue the Gaza operation in spite of Thursday's United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution which called for an immediate and durable ceasefire.
On Friday, Israeli security cabinet decided to continue the IDF operation in Gaza, but not expand it at this stage. "I must note that UNSC Resolution 1860 also sharply rules out continued attacks directed against civilians and does not forbid urgent action against them," he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Operation Cast Lead was continuing even as diplomatic options were being examined. The IDF is continuing to act in order to restore quiet to southern Israel and to prevent weapons smuggling from Egypt to Gaza, said Barak. "The IDF is operating by air, land and sea and is also exploring the diplomatic channel," he said. "There is no contradiction between the two."
In the coming days, Israel will focus its military and diplomatic efforts on pressuring Egypt to work toward a demand to deploy an international force to combat weapons smuggling from Egypt to Gaza, said local daily Ha'aretz.
According to the report, Amos Gilad, the head of Israeli Defense Ministry's political-security branch, will travel Cairo this week, most likely on Monday, for talks with the head of the Egyptian security services. Citing a political source in Jerusalem, Ha'aretz said Gilad was instructed to address the only issue of weapons smuggling into Gaza, and not other issues related to renewing a ceasefire with Hamas.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
Why announce that?
Hamas will declare victory no matter what happens and its best to keep them crapping their pants rather than hiding and waiting things out? The international community will not lighten up until things stop, if then.
Iran is exerting heavy pressure on Hamas not to accept the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire with Israel, an Egyptian government official said on Sunday. The official told The Jerusalem Post by phone that two senior Iranian officials who visited Damascus recently warned Hamas leaders against accepting the proposal.
His remarks came as Hamas representatives met in Cairo with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Gen. Omar Suleiman and his aides to discuss ways of ending the fighting in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas representatives reiterated their opposition to a cease-fire that did not include the reopening of all the border crossings into the Gaza Strip, Hamas spokesmen said on Sunday.
The spokesmen said Hamas voiced its strong opposition to the idea of deploying an international force inside the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian official said that the two Iranian emissaries, Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, and Said Jalili of the Iranian Intelligence Service, met in the Syrian capital with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ramadan Shallah.
"As soon as the Iranians heard about the Egyptian cease-fire initiative, they dispatched the two officials to Damascus on an urgent mission to warn the Palestinians against accepting it," the Egyptian government official told the Post. "The Iranians threatened to stop weapons supplies and funding to the Palestinian factions if they agreed to a cease-fire with Israel. The Iranians want to fight Israel and the US indirectly. They are doing this through Hamas in Palestine and Hizbullah in Lebanon."
The official pointed out that the Iranians were applying "double standards" regarding the current conflict - on the one hand, they encouraged Iranian men to volunteer to fight alongside Hamas; on the other hand, Iran's spiritual leader, Ali Khamenei, told the volunteers that they would not be permitted to join the fight against Israel.
"The Iranians never fired one bullet at Israel," he said. "But now they are trying to appear as if they are participating in the war against Israel. The leaders of Teheran don't care about the innocent civilians who are being killed in the Gaza Strip."
The Egyptian official accused Iran of "encouraging" Hamas to continue firing rockets at Israel with the hope that this would trigger a war that would divert attention from Iran's nuclear plans. "This conflict serves the interests of the Iranians," he said. "They are satisfied because the violence in the Gaza Strip has diverted attention from their nuclear ambitions. The Iranians are also hoping to use the Palestinian issue as a 'powerful card' in future talks with the Americans.
"They want to show that they have control over Hamas and many Palestinians."
Karam Jaber, editor of the semi-official Egyptian weekly Roz Al-Youssef magazine, said that Hamas was caught between the Syrian anvil and the Iranian hammer. The Iranians, he said, prevented Hamas from negotiating a cease-fire with Israel, while the Syrians were blackmailing and intimidating the Hamas leaders in Damascus.
"History won't forget to mention that Hamas had inflicted death and destruction on the Palestinians," he said. "We hope that Hamas has learned the lesson and realizes that it has been fighting a war on behalf of others. We hope the Hamas leaders will realize that they are fighting a destructive war on behalf of the Iranians and Syrians."
Egyptian political analyst Magdi Khalil said he shared the view of the Palestinian Authority and Egypt that Hamas was responsible for the war in the Gaza Strip. "Ever since Hamas seized control over the Gaza Strip in 2007, they turned the area into hell," he said. "They imposed restrictions on the people there and even prevented them from performing the pilgrimage to Mecca."
The analyst said that the head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service was right when he recently described Hamas as a group of gangsters. "Hamas and its masters in Damascus and Teheran want to spread chaos in Egypt," he said. "They want to solve the problem of the Gaza Strip by handing the area over to Egypt. They want to create a homeland for the Palestinians in Sinai."
He said that Hamas was not only jeopardizing Egypt's national security, but had also destroyed the Palestinians' dream of statehood. "By endorsing the Iranian agenda, Hamas has brought the Iranians to Egypt's eastern border," he said. "Hamas has also copied Hizbullah's policy of entering into pointless adventures."
#1
Don't accept the truce! Keep the world's focus over in your neighborhood. For just one more week. One more month. One more day. Do this often enough and we'll have our mighty A-bomb, which we will be able to turn into a dozen and then a hundred because the west doesn't know how to deal with it when you stick the knife in a millmeter at a time.
#2
No, ISRAEL = IDF must be aware by now that IRAN + RADICAL ISLAM are succeeding in their effort to carve out enclaves in EAST-SOUTH ASIA VEE RUSSIA, CHINA, INDIA, etc., and which includes the prospect of ADVANCED NUC/WEAPS TECHS FALLING INTO ISLAMIST, etal. MILIT-TERR CONTROL.
ISRAEL needs to make sure the PA presents no formal Battlefield or Strategic military threat to Israel in case of any ISRAEL-IRAN WAR, OR OTHER ISRAEL-INVOLVED MAJOR REGIONAL CONFLICT
[read, ISLAMIST TAKEOVER OF "MODERATE" ME MUSLIM NATIONS], espec 2009-2012/2016 OBAMA = POST-DUBYA ADMIN. Israel is actively pursuing NATO, EU, + MEDITERRANEAN UNION MEMBERSHIP.
* GAZA > pragmatically, in a worst-case scenario of Israeli military defeat includng any possib destruction of the Israeli State, Holocaust-mindful Tel Aviv needs to make certain that Israelis are able to escape via SEA ACCESS.
Israel accused Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip on Sunday of hiding in foreign diplomatic missions in an effort to elude Israeli forces, as Hamas officials were in Cairo for talks aimed at brokering a ceasefire in Gaza. "The leaders of Hamas and the armed wing are hiding in bunkers, hospitals and foreign missions," Israeli Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel told reporters, basing his information on an intelligence briefing received by ministers.
He did not name the missions. Few countries have diplomatic missions in Gaza and even Egypt has withdrawn its staff. The United Nations says it keeps Hamas fighters out of the schools, clinics and other institutions it runs there.
But Hamas officials reject Israeli insinuations that their behavior is cowardly. "Fear is the last thing we could be accused of," Hamas parliamentarian Mushir al-Masri said. "Martyrdom is our dearest wish, but God has ordered us not to pose ourselves as easy prey for our enemies."
The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronoth reported at the weekend that Hamas leaders were hiding in a basement at Shifa hospital, Gaza's foremost medical facility.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Wouldn't this make these countries complicit? Can they get involved like this? It doesn't smell right.
#4
"Fear is the last thing we could be accused of," Hamas parliamentarian Mushir al-Masri said. "Martyrdom is our dearest wish, but God has ordered us not to pose ourselves as easy prey for our enemies."
Yeah, martyrdom's for the "little people". We'll come out when they're all dead or Khaled sends us our first class plane tickets to Damascus...
Israel claims it has killed more than 550 Palestinian fighters since the operation began on Dec. 27. Army spokesman Jacob Dallal declined to confirm the number but said "several hundred" fighters, most of them from Hamas, had been killed. "There is no question that the military ability of Hamas has been diminished," he said.
But Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, speaking from exile in Syria, said Israel was making no headway as he accused Tel Aviv of a holocaust in Gaza. "I can say with full confidence that on the military level the enemy has totally failed; it has not achieved anything," Meshaal said in pre-recorded remarks broadcast on Al Arabiya TV and other Arabic satellite stations. "Has it stopped the rockets?" he asked of Israel's declared aim in launching the offensive.
Meshaal is not the first to label what is happening in Gaza a holocaustl; last week Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace, used the same term to describe the crisis.
Since Israel's 'Operation Cast Lead' began the death toll has rapidly climbed as is quickly approaching one thousand deaths with at least 3,490 injured, prompting protests worldwide against the huge number of civilian casualties.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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An Israeli diplomat strongly criticizes the Swiss government's support for a UN resolution condemning human rights violations in Gaza. Israel's Ambassador to Switzerland, Ilan Elgar told the paper SonntagsZeitung on Sunday, that he found Bern's support for the resolution "very problematic, because Switzerland is in this way taking sides against Israel."
"We have contacted the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs," he added as reported by AFP.
The diplomat also slammed a Saturday rally in Bern in support of the Palestinians, which called on Switzerland to cut all military ties with Israel. "We must not forget that hundreds of thousands of Israelis have lived for quite a long time in fear and worry of Hamas rockets," he said.
Switzerland is the only Western European country to back the draft resolution, supported by 32 members of the UN Human Rights Council, condemning the "grave human rights violations in the Palestinian territories."
The resolution tabled late on Friday underlined the civilian death toll, especially in Gaza, and called for "the immediate cessation of Israeli military attacks and an end to the launching of crude rockets against Israeli civilians" in a concession to the European Union.
This is while the Swiss foreign ministry rejected Elgar's comments, saying Switzerland's reaction to the events in the Middle East have been "balanced".
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Swiss need Arab money in their banks. See how they folded to Kadahffi when his son was arrested.
The Iranian businessman was looking for high-quality American electronics, but he had to act stealthily: The special parts he coveted were denied to Iranians, especially those seeking to make roadside bombs to kill U.S. troops in Iraq...
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2009 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.
Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. made a heavily guarded visit to Afghanistan on Saturday, meeting with top Afghan and U.S. military leaders after a quick stop in Pakistan to stress continued U.S. support in the fight against terrorism across South Asia.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday accused Israel of being the "murder arm" of the United States and said the solution to the Gaza crisis was in the hands of Barack Obama when he becomes US president in 10 days. On announcing a Venezuelan humanitarian aid shipment for Gaza's embattled Palestinians, Chavez said he was not surprised Israel ignored the UN's call Thursday for a cease-fire in Gaza because, he said, "behind Israel lurks the United States.|
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday accused Israel of being the "murder arm" of the United States and said the solution to the Gaza crisis was in the hands of Barack Obama when he becomes U.S. president in 10 days. 
U.S. president-elect Barack Obama on Sunday vowed to take swift action on the Middle East peace process and Iran's nuclear ambitions but played for time to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison camp. 
WASHINGTON ย President-elect Barack Obama addressed some of the most delicate foreign policy issues over the weekend, confirming that he intended to pursue a clear policy of engagement with Iran and to press immediately for peace in the Middle East.
"We are living under duress these days," a Swat-based educationist said of the people living in the restive valley of Swat.
Iraq's Sunni Arab politicians were in disarray on Sunday after the deputy parliament speaker announced that they had failed to agree a candidate to propose for the post of parliamentary speaker. MPs from the largest Sunni bloc were preparing to put forward 
The Israeli assault on the densely-populated Gaza Strip will not reduce the angst of the government regarding its future, a report says. According to an article published in Time, Israeli commanders are worried about the outcome of the war, as the "war against Hamas grows riskier and more punishing". 
(Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is approaching goals set for Operation Cast Lead in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Israel accused Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip on Sunday of hiding in foreign diplomatic missions in an effort to elude Israeli forces, as Hamas officials were in Cairo for talks aimed at brokering a ceasefire in Gaza. "The leaders of Hamas and the armed wing are hiding in bunkers, hospitals and foreign missions," Israeli Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel told reporters, basing his information on an intelligence briefing received by ministers. 
Israel claims it has killed more than 550 Palestinian fighters since the operation began on Dec. 27. Army spokesman Jacob Dallal declined to confirm the number but said "several hundred" fighters, most of them from Hamas, had been killed. "There is no question that the military ability of Hamas has been diminished," he said. 
Meshaal is not the first to label what is happening in Gaza a holocaustl; last week Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace, used the same term to describe the crisis. 
An Israeli diplomat strongly criticizes the Swiss government's support for a UN resolution condemning human rights violations in Gaza. Israel's Ambassador to Switzerland, Ilan Elgar told the paper SonntagsZeitung on Sunday, that he found Bern's support for the resolution "very problematic, because Switzerland is in this way taking sides against Israel." 
