[Dawn] The election of new chief of Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... may not be a coincidence, as political analysts feel that groundwork for strengthening the party in the militancy infested region had started in 1980s.
The election of KP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq as the new JI chief has created apprehensions among many as the JI leadership shifted from urbanised scholarly figures to a comparatively younger member hailing from a remote district who physically participated in holy war against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in 1980s.
Founded by Syed Abul Ala Maududi, a scholar, theologian and socio-political philosopher in Lahore in 1941, JI was considered as an urban based and educated middle class party having roots in big cities like Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... and Lahore.
Political analysts say that JI -- which was led by Qazi Hussain Ahmad ... third president (1987—2009) of the PakJamaat-e-Islami. Qazi was also head of the Muttahidah Majlis-e-Amal until his ego became bigger than the organization. Qazi is what is known as a fiery preacher, which means he has lots of volume, a good delivery, and not a lot of reverence for coherence. He was the patron of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Rasool Sayyaf and Osama bin Laden during the war against the Soviets. He used to recommend drinking camel's urine to maintain good health before his kidneys started to go... who belonged to a small town of Nowshera district for 22 years, more than Maulana Maududi -- has changed the Jamaat from a mainstream party to a regional entity.
Prof Ijaz Khattak, who teaches in University of 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. 's International Relations Department, says there is a visible change in the character of the JI, which had sufficient vote bank and street power in Karachi and Lahore.
"JI, which was dominated by the urban based educated middle class, has now been confined to a small mountainous district like Lower Dir and has been taken over by Pakhtuns," he observed, adding that feudal class which has its own mentality and thinking has also made inroads in JI.
"It was expected that Syed Munawar Hassan ... The funny-looking leader-for-life of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. He joined the National Students Federation (NSF), a lefty student body, and was elected its President in 1959. He came into contact with the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) Pakistan and studied the writings of Mawlana Syed Abul Ala Maududi, The Great Apostasizer. As a result, he joined IJT in 1960 and soon he was elected as President of its University of Karachi Unit and member of the Central Executive Council. He was Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistain in 1992-93, and became Secretary General in 1993. After years of holding Qazi's camel he was named Amir when the old man stepped down in 2009... will galvanise the party in urban areas, but he failed and election of Sirajul Haq strengthened this argument that Jamaat has been restricted to Lower Dir," said Dr Khattak.
Late Qazi Hussain who was elected JI chief in 1987 is considered the longest serving chief of Jamaat who relinquished office in April 2009. He was succeeded by Munawar Hassan.
Insiders said that during his two decades long tenure as Jamaat chief, late Qazi Hussain had relaxed and simplified the process of getting the status of 'Rukn' (member of Jamaat having the vote right). The 'Rukn' can cast vote in the election of emir or chief of the party.
They said that a large number of people from KP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas were given the status of 'Rukn' of Jamaat during Qazi's era. Initially, they said that it took three to four years for a person to become 'Rukn' of JI.
"There are two factors which played a major role in the victory of Sirajul Haq against Munawar Hassan and Liaquat Baloch, another stalwart of JI from Lahore. First, a significant number of Pakhtuns has become 'Arakeen' or members and second, Mr Haq is more popular among young 'Arakeen' than Mr Hassan and Mr Baloch," said one analyst, who once was active member of Jamaat. He believed that 60 per cent of all the 'Arakeen' were young.
JI provincial information secretary Israrullah advocate said that the number of 'Arakeen' was approximately 31,000 of which about 8,000 belonged to the KP and Fata. Females also have the right to vote.
"This impression is wrong that Pakhtuns have voted for Sirajul Haq," he said and maintained that under the party constitution candidates could neither make a lobby nor run a campaign for themselves.
Another analyst said that Sirajul Haq was a very good orator that was why he was more popular among the JI workers than other leaders.
Mohammad Riaz, Islamabad-based political analyst, said that election of Sirajul Haq was an indication that JI was on the verge of decline both politically and academically as aggressive group had dominated the moderate circle in the party.
Maulana Maududi was a scholar and had command over different subjects, Mr Riaz opined, adding that the late Maulana had formed JI to provide common platform to all school of thoughts.
Before his election Sirajul Haq was senior deputy emir of the party and had also served as provincial chief of JI. He opposes co-education and supports separate assembly for female politicians in the province.
He had also served as head of Islami Jamaat Talba, a student wing of JI. His close associates and rivals said that Sirajul Haq had actively participated in the Afghan war when Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979.
Senator Zahid Khan of Awami National Party associates election of new JI chief with changing geo-strategic scenario across the Durand Line. He said that when Afghan war was at peak Qazi Hussain Ahmad was elected JI chief and he was given a task in Afghanistan.
After five years, he said, another Pakhtun was elected JI emir, which he termed very worrisome. "This is not a coincidence and deliberately another Pakhtun has been elected Jamaat chief at a time when situation is changing in Afghanistan.
"His election is not in the interest of the region," remarked Zahid Khan who also belongs to Lower Dir. He said: "I know Siraj since he was associated with Hizbe-e-Islami chief Gulbadin Hikmatyar whose group is still very active in Kunar province ... which is right down the road from Chitral. Kunar is Haqqani country..... of Afghanistan." He said that the JI and HI shared same ideology and Jamaat would again play active role in Afghanistan.
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[AnNahar] Libya's restive eastern city of Benghazi was hit by a day of "civil disobedience" on Sunday that saw some public buildings close and included disruption to air traffic.
Civic groups late on Saturday urged the action to denounce security problems in the nation's second city more than three years after the onset of the revolution that ousted dictator Muammar Qadaffy ... who had more funny outfits than Louis XIV... They also demanded the suspension of the Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... -based General National Congress (GNC), the country's highest political authority, and the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections.
However, the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... an AFP news hound said Sunday's day of action was only partly observed, with some public institutions, schools and universities closed, while others and many businesses stayed open.
The education ministry said all classes were being held as normal.
Air traffic was hardest hit, with the international airport closed and all flights suspended "until further notice", an airport source said.
The GNC was elected in July 2012 to an 18-month mandate but stirred popular anger by extending its term from early February until the end of December this year.
Under pressure from demonstrators, it later announced early elections but gave no date for the vote.
Benghazi residents have staged repeated protests against the security problems plaguing their city, the cradle of the uprising that toppled Qadaffy.
Attacks in the city have claimed the lives of dozens of members of the security forces, judges and foreigners since rebels killed Qadaffy in October 2011.
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[AnNahar] A jihadist group in Libya says it plans to take over security in the restive eastern town of Derna and impose sharia Islamic law, in a posting on Facebook.
Witnesses said the group "Majlis Shura of Islamist Youth in Derna" staged a show of force on Friday, parading through the town armed to the teeth.
Photographs on the group's Facebook page show dozens of masked men in military uniform in pickup trucks, armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers, machineguns and anti-aircraft cannon.
They also brandish black and white jihadist banners.
"We announce the formation of a legal committee to settle differences between people and arrange reconciliations on the basis of sharia," the group said in a statement.
It said it would ensure security in Derna, and rejected "the laws of miscreants" and "institutions which violate the laws of God."
"We also declare our hostility towards the enemies of God and his prophet -- Jews, Christians and Taghouts."
"Taghouts" is a derogatory term used by jihadists to describe state institutions, in particular the intelligence services.
State institutions hold no sway in Derna, where radical Islamists have laid down the law since strongman Muammar Qadaffy ...Proof that a madman with money will be politely received for at least 42 years until his people get tired of him and kill him... was toppled and killed in 2001.
Judges and the security forces are frequently targeted in Derna, which has been abandoned to its fate by the interim authorities who have so far failed to form a proper police service and professional armed forces.
On March 20, the government acknowledged for the first time that "terrorist groups" were behind dozens of attacks on the security services and Westerners.
Announcing that it was mobilizing security forces, the government urged "the international community and in particular the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... to provide the necessary support to eradicate terrorism in Libyan cities."
In a statement, it singled out Derna, the country's second city Benghazi, also in the east, and Sirte, Qadaffy's hometown where he was killed.
No concrete security measures are reported to have been taken since the March 20 statement.
[AnNahar] A controversial lawyer and critic of activists who spearheaded Egypt's 2011 uprising announced Sunday he will run for president, in an election expected to be won by the ex-army chief.
Mortada Mansour, who was elected last week as head of Cairo's Zamalek football club, said he was in favor of a "strong state" to enforce the rule of law.
Ex-army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is widely expected to win the May 26-27 presidential election, riding a wave of popularity after ousting Islamist president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... last July.
"My program in brief is (to make) Egypt strong and recover its prestige and status in the world," Mansour, wearing a dark business suit and sunglasses, told a presser.
He called for a moratorium on "protests, sit-ins and strikes for a whole year until the country is back on its feet", economically and politically.
He also lashed out at interim president Adly Mansour for having failed to restore security.
"You (Mansour) are fast asleep, while young people, police and troops are dying each day and the country is covered in blood," said Mansour, who is also a former judge and MP.
Militants have stepped up attacks on security forces since Morsi's overthrow, killing scores of coppers and soldiers in retaliation for a deadly government crackdown on his supporters.
More than 1,400 people, mostly Islamists, have been killed in the crackdown, while thousands are behind bars, according to Amnesty international.
Mansour said he tried to run in the 2012 presidential election won by Morsi, but his candidacy was rejected by the electoral committee for unknown reasons.
In October 2012, Mansour was among 24 people acquitted of organizing the infamous "battle of the camel," a camel-borne assault on protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square during the 2011 revolt which ousted Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... Leftist leader Hamdeen Sabahi has also announced his candidacy for next month's presidential election.
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[AnNahar] Cameroon's security forces Sunday were sweeping the remote northern region where two Italian priests and a Canadian nun were kidnapped by suspected Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... gunnies, a local government official said.
"We are everywhere. We have been on the ground since the abduction," local governor Awa Fonka Augustine told Agence La Belle France Presse without elaborating.
The attack occurred overnight Friday in the small parish of Tchere, in the far north of Cameroon across the border from an area of northeastern Nigeria that serves as a base for the Islamist Boko Haram group.
Cameroon's Defense Minister Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo'o traveled to the area on Saturday to personally take control of the search operation.
"All the country's exits (in the far north of Cameroon) were locked down after the kidnapping," a security official said on condition of anonymity.
It was unknown whether the priests, named in media reports as Giampaolo Marta and Gianantonio Allegri from the northern Italian city of Vicenza, and Canadian nun Gilberte Bussier are still in Cameroon or whether they have been taken into Nigeria.
Cameroon security forces have blamed the attack on the Boko Haram, which has been implicated in several kidnappings in the past year.
Henri Djonyang, head holy man of the Maroua-Mokolo region where the three worked, said he had received no news since Saturday.
"We are on our way to Tchere to hold a mass to comfort the local people. Everything is in the hands of God. We pray and hope that they will be freed," he said.
Kidnappings of Westerners have become common in the remote, insurgency-wracked corner of west Africa, where borders are difficult to control.
In November 2013, French Catholic priest Georges Vandenbeusch was seized by heavily gunnies who burst into his parish at night and reportedly took him to neighboring Nigeria in an attack claimed by the Islamist group.
Earlier in the year a Frenchie employed by gas group Suez was kidnapped in the same area together with his wife, their four children and his brother, while visiting a national park.
The insurgency by Boko Haram, which aims to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, has claimed thousands of lives since 2009.
In February, Abuja sealed a portion of its border with Cameroon to block the movement of Death Eaters and other criminal groups.
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[Dawn] The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain on Saturday launched its website hosting videos, a magazine, and its leaders' interviews and statements.
A news release issued by the information and publication wing of the TTP said Umar Media had sponsored the website, which would serve as the central information portal of the outfit.
The TTP was declared a banned outfit in August 2008.
"Statements, videos, announcements and magazine released by the TTP will be available on the website," the release said.
It added that Umar Media was the only authorised body to issue messages and statements of the TTP. The website carries e-mail addresses of central front man of TTP Shahidullah Shahid and other sections.
The website has been launched during peace talks between the federal government and the TTP.
Recently, the government had released 19 prisoners as good well gesture to the TTP.
The website contains the TTP flag, verses from the Holy Koran, statements and videos containing sectarian, hate and propaganda material, especially against security forces, a message of TTP deputy Sheikh Khalid Haqqani for the people of Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... , and pictures of slain TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud and his successor and current chief Maulvi Fazlullah.
Also posted on the website are pictures of houses allegedly bombed by the army, details of the TTP position on the current grinding of the peace processor and information about the recent liquidation of TTP leader Asmatullah Shaheen in North Wazoo Agency.
The website invites articles for posting on it for public information.
Umar Media was launched a few years ago and has been disseminating the TTP-related information and videos since.
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[Dawn] Member of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) nominated committee to hold peace talks with the government, Professor Mohammad Ibrahim has said that confidence was being restored between the government and Taliban and that positive results of the development would be evident soon, DawnNews reported.
Professor Ibrahim said that he was in contact with the TTP Shura and the place and time for holding the next round of peace talks would be decided upon soon.
He further said that the process of exchanging prisoners from both sides would begin soon.
The peace talks, which began in February, were a key campaign pledge for Sharif before he was elected to office for a third time last year.
The peace talks between the government and Taliban struck an impasse last month after the Taliban-linked Death Eaters murdered 23 kidnapped Pak paramilitary soldiers.
The killings resulted in multiple targeted Arclight airstrikes by the military against suspected hideouts in the tribal northwest bordering with Afghanistan.
The Taliban then announced a one-month ceasefire which was reciprocated by the government which halted its Arclight airstrikes targeting Death Eaters and their hideouts.
The dialogue process has entered its decisive stage now while the Taliban have also announced an extension in their cease fire until April 10.
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[AnNahar] Israel and the Paleostinians held last-ditch talks with a U.S. envoy Sunday on salvaging their teetering peace talks, after the Jewish state threatened to take retaliatory measures.
Warning that the grinding of the peace processor was on the edge of collapse, an Israeli official close to the talks said that even U.S. 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... , its tireless sponsor, was cooling off.
"The way it's looking now, the talks as they were several weeks ago are no longer relevant," the source told Israeli news website Ynet.
"Israel is preparing to return to routine dealings with the Paleostinians as they were before the negotiations started nine months ago," he said.
"We are noticing a real coolness in the way the Americans are treating (the grinding of the peace processor), and it's obvious that today's Kerry is not the same Kerry from a few weeks ago," the official said.
Another official, however, said another chance needed to be given to the efforts of Israel's chief negotiator Tzipi Livni's efforts.
"We have to wait a few more days... A lot of efforts are being done to salvage the situation," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, threatened to retaliate if the Paleostinians proceed with applications to adhere to 15 international treaties.
"These will only make a peace agreement more distant," he said of the applications the Paleostinians made on Tuesday.
"Any unilateral moves they take will be answered by unilateral moves at our end."
Netanyahu's remarks, made at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting, came hours before Israeli and Paleostinian negotiators met U.S. envoy Martin Indyk in an attempt to save the grinding of the peace processor.
The three-way meeting began in the afternoon and ended in the evening in Jerusalem, a Paleostinian source said, but no news emerged from the encounter.
Kerry, the driving force behind the peace push, warned on Friday that there were "limits" to the time and energy Washington could devote to the talks process, as his appeals to both sides to step back from the brink fell on deaf ears.
Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... rejected a plea from Kerry to withdraw the treaty applications, and Netanyahu ignored U.S. appeals to refrain from tit-for-tat moves, asking for a range of retaliatory options to be drawn up.
Israel says Abbas' move was a clear breach of the commitments the Paleostinians gave when the talks were relaunched in July to pursue no other avenues for recognition of their promised state.
The Paleostinians say Israel had already reneged on its own undertakings by failing to release a fourth and final batch of prisoners last weekend, and that the treaty move was their response.
"The Paleostinians have much to lose from a unilateral move. They will get a state only through direct negotiations and not through empty declarations or unilateral moves," Netanyahu said on Sunday.
"We are prepared to continue talks, but not at any price."
Netanyahu noted the Paleostinian application to the international institutions came "the moment before agreeing on the continuation of the talks" beyond their April 29 deadline.
Yasser Abed Rabbo ... Paleostinian politician and a member of the Paleostine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee. He holds an M.A. in economics and political science from the American University in Cairo..... , general secretary of the Paleostine Liberation Organization executive committee, blamed the latest talks crisis on Israel which "wants to extend the negotiations for ever" as it creates "more facts on the ground."
"Israel always implements unilateral steps," he told Voice of Paleostine radio, saying the Paleostinians were already being punished by Israel.
Officials from Netanyahu down have been cautious not to specify the exact nature of punitive measures Israel might take.
But media reports mention preventing Wataniya Paleostine Telecom from laying down cellphone infrastructure in the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-ruled Gazoo Strip, and halting Paleostinian construction projects in parts of the West Bank.
Israel's chief negotiator, Justice Minister Livni, suggested that Washington scale down its "intensive" involvement in the process with the Paleostinians.
"Part of what took place in the past months was primarily negotiations between us and the U.S., and less with the Paleostinians," she told Channel 2 television on Saturday.
"We need bilateral meetings between us, including between the prime minister and Abu Mazen (Abbas)," she added.
[AnNahar] Jordan's King Abdullah II is to travel to Moscow on Wednesday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin ...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead... on the Syrian conflict, after visits to the Vatican and Austria, the palace said.
A stop for the wonderful Austrian second breakfast is clearly necessary to rebuild the spirit, given all that's been happening in the world.
The king will stop Monday in the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis, who is to visit Jordan as part of a Holy Land tour in May, before heading to Austria on Tuesday.
He will then travel to Moscow for talks with Putin on the devastating three-year war in Syria, an ally of Russia, the palace said in a statement.
"The talks will focus on bilateral cooperation and Middle East developments, particularly the Syrian crisis," it said.
The conflict has killed more than 150,000 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, while half the population is estimated to have fled their homes.
Jordan is hosting more than 500,000 Syrian refugees, straining its infrastructure and finances.
King Abdullah has said the conflict in neighboring Syria and the rise of extremism there are his country's primary concerns.
More than 100,000 refugees in Jordan live in cramped conditions in the Zaatari desert camp in the north of the country.
Since opening two years ago, Zaatari near the border with Syria has been the scene of several protests, mainly over poor living conditions.
On Saturday, a refugee was killed and dozens of people, mostly Jordanian coppers, were maimed when rioting broke out in the camp.
During a May 24-26 tour of Israel, Jordan and the Paleostinian territories, the pope is expected to meet with Syrian and Paleostinian refugees, according to the Vatican.
[Ynet] Convicted terrorist Mohammad Kana'neh will not give Land Day lecture at university conference, due to 'concern for public order'; 'Justice has prevailed', say student groups who protested Kana'neh's participation.
Tel Aviv University announced on Sunday evening their decision to cancel the participation of Mohammad Kana'neh, who was imprisoned after being convicted of contacting a foreign agent, in a Land Day conference on campus scheduled to be held on Monday.
A statement released by the university explained the reason for cancelling Kana'neh's participation: "In light of concern for public order in the Land Day events scheduled to be held tomorrow, and since the request to approve Kana'neh's participation was only received recently, leaving no time for preparations, the University does not approve his participation in the event."
Earlier Sunday, the students wings of Bayit Yehudi, Im Tirtzu, Likud and Yesh Atid announced that they would hold a two-hour strike from 8 am Monday to protest the lecture scheduled as part of the Land Day conference, organized by the Hadash and Al-Awda student groups. Following the decision, the planned strike was cancelled.
Tel Aviv University announced on Sunday evening their decision to cancel the participation of Mohammad Kana'neh, who was imprisoned after being convicted of contacting a foreign agent, in a Land Day conference on campus scheduled to be held on Monday.
A statement released by the university explained the reason for cancelling Kana'neh's participation: "In light of concern for public order in the Land Day events scheduled to be held tomorrow, and since the request to approve Kana'neh's participation was only received recently, leaving no time for preparations, the University does not approve his participation in the event."
Earlier Sunday, the students wings of Bayit Yehudi, Im Tirtzu, Likud and Yesh Atid announced that they would hold a two-hour strike from 8 am Monday to protest the lecture scheduled as part of the Land Day conference, organized by the Hadash and Al-Awda student groups. Following the decision, the planned strike was cancelled.
Nearly 300 students held a protest Sunday morning against the decision to allow Kana'ane to speak at the Land Day conference. Kana'neh had served 30 months in prison after being convicted of contacting a source working for Hezbollah and transferring information to Paleostinian terror activists.
Last Thursday, the university's directors voiced a different opinion.
"The university maintains freedom of speech on campus, and it allows public activity initiated by the students in accordance with the rules of conduct of the State of Israel and previous court rulings, as long as the following conditions are kept: Keeping the law of the State of Israel; maintaining university regulations, procedures and property; keeping public order and the proper order of the teaching, research and work on campus. In the case in question, all of these conditions were met and thus the university approved the activity."
Earlier in the day, Gilad Arditi, chairman of Tel Aviv University Students Union, issued a letter to the various representatives of the political parties' student wings, writing that the Union had turned to the university administration as early as Thursday, in demand to record the scheduled lecture as to ensure that no words of incitement are said.
He added that "we held discussions with the Hadash student group and university administration to figure how on the one hand we can hold an activity permitted by the law, and on the other hand, how to prevent a chaos on campus and hurt feelings of students."
"As public representatives, we must remember and understand that we represent all students on campus, and that our actions and statements have meaning. We should not fall into a dissenting, excluding discourse. It's our responsibility to enable discourse and student activity from all sides of the political spectrum, out of a belief that the student body is diverse and holds a variety of different opinions."
The four student groups leading the protest to cancel Kana'neh's participation praised the university's decision.
"Justice has prevailed and terrorism lost. We congratulate the university's decision to withdraw their approval for Kana'neh's participation. We proved that terrorism is not part of an academic discourse and that a university in Israel does not lend a hand to terrorism. The strike tomorrow is cancelled and classes will be held as usual."
[Ynet] Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz addressed the negotiations with the Paleostinians and said that "The Paleostinian Authority exists thanks to us. Not only because of the Oslo Accords, but because of the funds we transfer them, and the security we give them. Otherwise, Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... , as they control Gazoo, would also taken down Abbas and take over Ramallah."
Steinitz added that "Abbas is simply spitting in our faces."
The story of the frog and the scorpion comes to mind...
[Ynet] Anonymous-affiliated hacker collective plans to celebrate anniversary of first anti-Israel operation with cyber-attacks on Israeli ministries and organizations.
Oooooh -- chew toys for white hats! Go got 'em, Israel!
A number of pro-Paleostinian hacker collectives, united under the Anonymous banner, plan to execute a wide-ranging cyber-attack on Israel.
Golly. An official hashtag thingy. How... impressive.
by its promoters, the operation directs the massive network of hackers
Script kiddies, anyway. Hackers have actual skillz.
to focus on Israeli institutions and organizations in their sabotage efforts, for the second year in a row.
"On April 7, 2014, we call upon our brothers and sisters to hack, deface, hijack, database leak, admin takeover, and DNS terminate the Israeli Cyberspace by any means necessary," the hackers threatened.
More of an announcement, or a wannabe call to arms, than an actual threat. They're doing their best, bless their undersized little hearts.
But there was no dramatic rise in cyber-attacks over the weekend, even though the hacker collective was bragging and boasting of their accomplishment on Twitter.
You have to admit, dear Rantburg Reader, that is simply too cute for words. I mean, they think themselves scary, those little keyboard jihadis!
The hacker groups leading the charge on #OpIsrael's birthday have members in the Paleostinian Authority, Syria, Iran, India, Malaysia, and Jordan.
I vote for sudden, targetted computer meltdowns in those countries, so it is probably fortunate nobody listens to me.
The cyber-threat will most likely focus on "denial of service" attacks -- in which a website is inundated with thousands of requests until it crashes. The targets are primarily financial institutions like banks and credit card companies, but academic institutions and government ministries are also under threat.
Last year, the first #OpIsrael was accompanied by much media fanfare and the hackers proudly boasted of their achievements -- though, in reality, very little damage was caused.
See? Adorable. Perhaps if they study very, very hard, they'll one day work their way up to slightly annoying.
Several hundred small sites were vandalized to carry anti-Israel messaging, and the websites of government ministries experienced slow-downs and were periodically inaccessible. Small amounts of sensitive personal data -- some of it outdated -- were leaked on the web.
The hacker collective is expected to again focus on governmental bodies and organizations, as opposed to home users, but personal users will likely notice slow-downs on specific sites. The hackers may also try to spread viruses through Facebook and email.
In the worst case scenario, sensitive data like personal details, passwords, and credit card information may be compromised. Still, experts say there is no need to take special precautionary measures like unplugging the home internet connection.
I don't recall if they tried their wiles on Rantburg last year, but perhaps this year's effort will be more memorable. On the other hand, the Gaza flotilla had diminishing returns after the first year.
[Ynet] Iran's official news agency is reporting that Pak naval vessels have arrived at the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas for an upcoming naval maneuver.
The report Sunday by IRNA quoted Iranian Rear Adm. Shahram Irani as saying the fleet will have "presence" in the maneuver that will began on Tuesday east of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world's oil supply passes.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/07/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
I think that someone needs to update the "Pakistan Navy" Wikipedia page.
"The Navy is undergoing extensive modernisation and expansion as part of Pakistan's role in the War on Terror. Since 2001, the Pakistan Navy has increased and expanded its operational scope, and has been given greater national and international responsibility in countering the threat of sea-based global terrorism, drug smuggling, and piracy.[citation needed] In 2004, Pakistan Navy became a member of the primarily NATO Combined Task Forces CTF-150 and CTF-151.[6]"
[AnNahar] Four Iranian soldiers kidnapped by Sunni bully boyz have returned home after being held for two months in neighboring Pakistain, state media on Sunday cited the intelligence ministry as saying.
The ministry did not address the fate of Jamshid Danayifar, a fifth soldier kidnapped alongside his fellow border guards on February 6.
The Jaish-ul Adl ("Army of Justice", in Arabic) rebel group, which says it is fighting for the rights of Shiite-majority Iran's Sunni Moslem population, said Danayifar was executed in late March.
"Four of the kidnapped border guards returned to the Islamic homeland," the ministry said in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB's website.
Reports on Friday said the four, along with Danayifar's body, had been handed over to Iranian officials inside Pakistain after being released.
No details were immediately available on where the soldiers had been held while prisoner, or how Iran secured their freedom.
The five were kidnapped in the restive southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, while serving their 24-month mandatory military service near the border with Pakistain.
The news that Danayifar had been "executed" drew international condemnation, with U.N. Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... calling it an "appalling act".
A U.S. State Department front man called for the "swift release" of the Iranian conscripts.
Jaish-ul Adl had warned of further killings if Tehran refused to "release Sunni prisoners".
In November, the group grabbed credit for killing a local prosecutor, a month after it killed 14 Iranian border guards in an ambush.
Iran's border guards chief Hossein Zolfaghari said there was "negligence" in the lead-up to the kidnapping, and that those responsible have been suspended with some facing prosecution.
[AnNahar] Some of March 14's supporters are with Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... 's military intervention in Syria and the Syrian regime is "not facing the threat of collapse anymore," Hizbullah chief His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... has announced.
"We're not facing a problem with our supporters regarding our involvement in Syria. On the contrary, some of those who were hesitant have now made up their minds and decided to support our choice," Nasrallah said in excerpts of an interview with As Safir newspaper that will be published Monday.
"I can say that some March 14 supporters are with our intervention in Syria to protect Leb from the terrorist takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... groups," he added.
And as Hizbullah's leader voiced his belief that "the Syrian regime is not facing the threat of collapse anymore," Nasrallah noted that "we have overcome the threat of partitioning and the military choice (against the regime) has failed."
"The battle of Syria is not aimed at creating democracy and justice or combating corruption, but rather at changing Syria's position and stance, given the several offers that have been received by Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... ," Nasrallah stated.
He pointed out that most countries have voiced support for a political solution to the Syrian conflict, expecting further stubbornness in the Russian stance in the coming period.
Nasrallah also expressed his satisfaction over the course of events in southern Syria and on its northern border with Turkey, referring to the Daraa and Kasab regions.
Hizbullah's involvement in the Syrian conflict has been controversial in Leb, where many critics have accused the group of entangling Leb in the conflict.
The party's strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa have been targeted in a string of car and suicide kabooms that have killed civilians, with jihadist groups saying the blasts are Dire Revenge™ for Hizbullah's role in the Syria conflict.
In February, Nasrallah said the attacks, and others in Syria against religious minorities, proved that the group needed to fight extremism in Syria to protect Leb.
Syrian troops backed by Hizbullah fighters have been making fresh gains in the strategic Qalamoun region near the border with Leb. Hizbullah says deadly boom-mobiles targeting the movement in Leb were rigged with explosives in the Qalamoun area.
In mid-March they seized the rebels' last major stronghold in the region, the town of Yabrud, and have since moved on rebel-held villages closer to the border.
And in June last year, Hizbullah's instrumental assistance helped the Syrian army regain the strategic town of Qusayr in Homs' countryside from rebel hands.
[AnNahar] The army kicked off on Saturday preliminary measures to begin implementing in the northern and central Bekaa a security plan similar to the one executed in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.
It said that the army's removal of Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... checkpoints between the regions of Baalbek and al-Hermel and in Arsal is the first sign of the implementation of the plan.
The plan will be similar to that of Tripoli, but it will witness additional checkpoints and strict measures at border-crossings with Syria in order to combat the infiltration of terrorist groups and smuggling of booby-trapped vehicles into Leb, continued An Nahar.
Concerned sides predicted to the daily that the security plan will likely meet the same success as that of Tripoli given the people's positive response to the security measures and their exasperation with the poor security situation in Arsal, nearby areas, Baalbek, and al-Hermel.
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq had discussed the security plan on Saturday with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, saying that it will eventually be implemented in Beirut.
The Tripoli plan got underway on Tuesday with the army and security forces cracking down on gunnies, confiscating weapons and arresting suspects.
The northern city had frequently witnessed festivities between the impoverished rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen.
The deep divisions between the two sides have grown since the eruption of the Syrian crisis in March 2011.
The Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood backs the Syrian uprising, while the Jabal Mohsen area supports the country's ruling regime.
The impact of the Syrian crisis has also been felt in the Bekaa, with the army arresting a number of gunnies attempting to enter Leb illegally from the neighboring country and seizing booby-trapped vehicles that were to be used in terrorist attacks in Leb.
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.
Syed Munawar Hassan
Wazoo
[AnNahar] Israel and the Paleostinians held last-ditch talks with a U.S. envoy Sunday on salvaging their teetering peace talks, after the Jewish state threatened to take retaliatory measures.
Yasser Abed Rabbo
...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...
[Ynet] Anonymous-affiliated hacker collective plans to celebrate anniversary of first anti-Israel operation with cyber-attacks on Israeli ministries and organizations.
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
