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Today: 68 articles and 149 comments as of 9:27.
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Iran protesters attack religious school in province near Tehran
Today's Headlines
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 6: Politix
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9 18:46 Skidmark [2]
11 17:35 Sock Puppet of Doom [3]
2 08:07 M. Murcek [1]
Arabia
One million mines planted by coup perpetrators in Yemen in three years
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] One million mines have been planted by Houthi
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ...
militia’s coup perpetrators in Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
in three years, killing 1194 civilians, 216 of whom are children, according to a bigwig at the Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance (MASAM), which aims to make Yemen landmine-free to protect civilians and safeguard the delivery of urgent humanitarian supplies.

Speaking to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Osama Al Qasibi, MASAM Director-General, said, "MASAM teams have managed to detect and remove 919 mines and explosive charges in Taiz, Red Sea Coast, Beihan, Osailan, Saada, Shabwa and Marib, only during the two weeks that followed the launch of the project."

"Most of these are internationally banned anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mines that originate from difference sources in addition to 288 locally devised or Iranian made mines," he added.

The coup perpetrators are developing anti-vehicle mines and turn them to anti-personnel explosives as part of their sectarian scheme to intimidate and terrorise the civilians and feed their expansionist plans, he indicated.

MASAM, launched by King Salman
...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Lord of Most of the Arabians....
Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) on June 25th 2018, tackles the plague of landmines left behind by Iran-backed Al Houthi holy warriors as they retreat from battlefield losses.

Landmines constitute a major impediment to social and economic development efforts and expose citizens to potentially fatal risk for generations to come, MASAM says.

The program also strives to help the Yemeni people to overcome the many tragedies caused by the deployment of these landmines, and to enable the country to become more independent to take responsibility in removing mines themselves. Part of the program is to train Yemeni specialists on how to clear the land of mines.

Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis

#1  Are they GMO or can the seeds be used over again to plant more?
Posted by: Jack Chaiter7913 || 08/05/2018 10:16 Comments || Top||

#2  *giggle* I was not expecting that, Jack Chaiter7913.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/05/2018 10:36 Comments || Top||


Saudi Arabia sends evidence to UN of deadly Houthi attack on Hodeidah hospital
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
on Saturday sent a letter to the UN Security Council that included "evidence of the involvement of Houthi
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ...
militias" in the targeting of a hospital in Hodeidah and other civilian sites on Thursday in a series of kabooms.

The letter demanded immediate action against the militias to disarm and implement the relevant UN resolutions.

A Red Thingy statement denouncing the "reprehensible" disregard for human life said 55 non-combatants were killed and 170 injured "when a series of kabooms rocked densely populated districts of the coastal city, including a fish market and the area around al-Thawra Hospital."

The Arab Coalition for the Support of Legitimacy in Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
earlier accused the Houthi militias of carrying out the attacks.

Spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki, said the coalition has developed many rules of engagement because of the nature of military operations. "We apply the highest international standards in targeting operations in Yemen," he said.

"Houthi militias continue to violate international laws in Yemen," he added. "There are 22 million Yemenis affected by the Houthi coup on legitimacy."

Col. Malki said the collision of a ship in Hodeidah confirms the failure of the militias in the management of the port, stressing that the control of the Houthis on the West Coast hurts the Yemenis and the international community.

"We are continuing our operations to restore the port of Hodeidah and the West Coast in Yemen," he added.
Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Saudi Arabia to resume oil shipments through Red Sea lane
[Al Jazeera] Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
, the world's top oil exporter, will resume all oil shipments through a strategic Red Sea shipping lane that was recently the target of missile attacks, the state news agency SPA reported.

Saudi officials temporarily suspended oil shipments through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on July 26 after attacks on two crude-carrying vessels by Houthi
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ...
rebels in Yemen, causing minimal damage to one of them.

"The decision to resume shipping of oil through Bab al-Mandeb comes after all necessary procedures were taken by the coalition leadership to protect ships of the coalition countries," Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Saturday.

The Saudi and Emirati-led coalition, which has been at war with the Houthi rebels since March 2015, took the "necessary measures" to ensure the security of the shipments, he said without elaborating.

The Bab al-Mandeb Strait, where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea, is only 20km wide, making hundreds of ships potentially an easy target.

Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
lies beside the southern mouth of the Red Sea, one of the most important trade routes in the world for oil tankers.

The vessels pass near Yemen's shores while heading from the Middle East through the Suez Canal to Europe.
Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


China-Japan-Koreas
North Korea Foreign Minister to Visit Iran on Tuesday
The Axis of Evil lives.
[AnNahar] North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho is due to visit Iran on Tuesday, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

Ri is set to jet in as the United States reimposes sanctions on Iran following Washington's withdrawal from the 2015 deal to curb Tehran's nuclear program.

The U.S. is currently also pushing Pyongyang to scrap its nuclear capabilities after President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
and North Korea's leader Kim Pudge Jong-un
...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished...
agreed a vague commitment to "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" at their landmark summit in June.

North Korea's top diplomat will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, according to the conservative-aligned Fars news agency.

The report did not give any details of what will be discussed.

Ri is thought to have met with a high-level Iranian delegation at a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku, Azerbaijan in April, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

A North Korean delegation also attended President Hassan Rouhani's inauguration in August 2017.

A United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
Panel of Experts has expressed concern over collaboration between the two countries in the past, according to NK News.

In a 2017 report, it noted the presence of designated North Korean weapons traffickers living in Tehran and the similarity between missile designs in the two countries.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Europe
Denmark issues first face veil fine after tussle
[Al Jazeera] A 28-year-old fined $156 by Danish police after another woman tried to tear off her face veil at a mall
Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists


The Grand Turk
Erdogan: US actions regarding pastor Brunson disrespectful to Turkey
That new palace of his is an awfully tempting target...
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Steps taken by the United States about pastor Andrew Brunson were not suitable for a strategic partner and were disrespectful to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

Washington this week imposed sanctions on two Ottoman Turkish ministers over the case of Andrew Brunson, a US pastor on trial in Turkey accused of backing terrorism.

Speaking to the women’s wing of his AK Party, Erdogan said he gave orders for assets in Turkey belonging to the US interior and justice ministers to be frozen "if they have any".

On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department on hit Turkey’s justice and interior ministers with sanctions over the case of an American pastor being tried on terror charges.

"We believe he’s a victim of unfair and unjust attention by the government of Turkey," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told journalists, referring to Andrew Brunson, an American pastor at the center of a bitter diplomatic spat between NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
allies.

Brunson, who led a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir, was sent to his room last week after nearly two years in jail.
Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


US, Turkey to resolve detainee spat 'in a matter of days': Pompeo
[Al Jazeera] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
's president ordered the asset freeze of two US officials in retaliation for sanctions imposed on its justice and interior ministers over the detention of an American pastor.

President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
said on Saturday that Turkey had been "patient" since the US sanctions were slapped on Abdulhamit Gul, the minister of justice, and Suleyman Soylu, the minister of interior, this week.

"I am instructing my friends today, we will freeze assets, if there are any, of the US justice and interior secretaries in Turkey," Erdogan, speaking at a ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party meeting in Ankara, was quoted as saying by the official Anadolu news agency.

It was unclear who would be affected by Erdogan's announcement because of differing cabinet roles in the United States, or if they have any holdings in Turkey.

'Well past time'
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meanwhile, said on Saturday he hopes the American held in Turkey will be released in the coming days.

Pompeo and his Ottoman Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, met in Singapore on Friday to discuss the release of Evangelical Christian pastor Andrew Brunson.

He was enjugged
Please don't kill me!
in December 2016 following a failed coup in Turkey on charges of espionage and "committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member" - allegations Brunson denies. He faces 35 in prison if convicted.

"I had a constructive conversation with my counterpart yesterday," Pompeo told news hounds. "I made clear that it is well past time that pastor Brunson be free and permitted to return to the United States, and that the others being held by Turkey also similarly be freed as well.

"I am hopeful that in the coming days that we will see that occur."

Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  I hope he's right.

However Trump thought so as well only weeks ago, and Erdogan shamelessly and openly scammed the US.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 08/05/2018 16:24 Comments || Top||


Erdogan Sanctions US Officials In Tit-For-Tat Row Over Pastor
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Oh Noes! They won't be able to use the Turkish financial system?
Posted by: Frank G || 08/05/2018 9:13 Comments || Top||

#2  So they close our air base and we close the Gulenlash place right?
Posted by: Jack Chaiter7913 || 08/05/2018 10:18 Comments || Top||

#3  "Today I will give our friends instructions to freeze the assets in Turkey of the American justice and interior ministers, if they have any (such assets)," Erdogan said in a televised speech.

Wonder if Herr Gestapo Kommandant Mueller has learned of this 'breaking news' and is sending a crack team of investigators to Turkey in order to ferret out Session's foreign ties.
Posted by: magpie || 08/05/2018 12:03 Comments || Top||

#4  I think this move is relevant because it shows Erdogan's defiant attitude.

IMO the house arrest is much more dangerous for Brunson than the jail since Erdogan can now take action under the cover of somewhat plausible deniability.

I hope Brunson won't be 'abducted' by parties unknown who will then issue demands to the US that Erdogan can't yet afford to officially make.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 08/05/2018 16:22 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
CJP says burning schools in Diamer was a 'conspiracy' against his dams initiative
[DAWN] Chief Justice of Pakistain (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday said that while his initiative to collect funds to build the Diamer-Bhasha dam had garnered immense support in the country, it had also fallen victim to "opposition".

During his address to the Multan
Home of the Multan Sultans...
Bar Council, Justice Nisar implied that Thursday night's incident when about a dozen educational institutions were burned down by miscreants in Gilgit-Baltistan's Diamer district was an act of opposition to his initiative to collect funds for the dam.

"Diamer is such a peaceful place. I went to Gilgit-Baltistan a few days ago and was told by sessions judges and locals that it has been years since there has been a robbery or murder in the area," he told members of the Council. "But as soon as we started talking about building a dam [there], 12 educational institutions were torched."

"Who is conspiring against Pakistain? We should think about this. I don't want to level irresponsible allegations against anyone but I am leaving it as a matter of thought for you people. For the past 60 years, no dam has been built and now that we are trying to build one, there are conspiracies against it.

Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Bail plea of suspected facilitator in Perween Rahman’s murder dismissed
[DAWN] An antiterrorism court on Friday dismissed bail application of a detained suspect facing the allegations of facilitating the killers of renowned social activist Perween Rahman and concealing information.

Police have booked Imran Swati, son of the main suspect Raheem Swati, for allegedly facilitating the killers of Ms Rahman, the project director of the Orangi Pilot Project.

The ATC-XIII judge, who is conducting trial in the judicial complex inside the Central Jail, pronounced the order, reserved on Tuesday, after hearing arguments from both sides.

Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Secular state to be resisted by religious parties: Siraj
[DAWN] LAHORE: Certain elements are overjoyed over the poor electoral performance by religious parties in the elections and believe that secular and liberal lobbies will now be able to pursue their agenda freely but they are gravely mistaken, says 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...
emir Senator Sirajul Haq
...current head of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. Siraj was born in 1962 and entered politics shortly after that...
Addressing the Friday congregation at Mansoora, he said the people were always ready to lay down their lives for Islam and the Holy Prophet and no one can dare to convert this country into a secular state.

Mr Haq said the JI would continue watching new government and see where it was getting guidance from. The US was saying it was glad over the defeat of the religious parties in this country and that the Paks have rejected extremism and terrorism. In fact, the US itself was promoting terrorism and extremism in the world.

He said the list of US crimes against humanity was long. It was the only country in the world to drop nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which killed millions of innocent humans. During the last three decades, he said, the US had been involved in the bloodshed of innocent people, especially the Moslems, in different parts of the world. The Americans had even bombed the factory preparing milk for the infants in Sudan and they were mainly responsible for the killings of the Moslems in Paleostine and Kashmire, he added. He said that if the new government also acted on Washington’s dictation, it would also lose public support in no time.

He said the JI wanted Imran Khan
... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems...
to fulfill his commitment to build the country an Islamic state on the pattern of the Medina state. He said that a beginning in this direction should be made soon. He said the JI would welcome every good work of the new government. If the government tried to change the direction of the country, the JI would be the biggest obstacle in its way.

Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami


Iraq
Germany hands Iraq USD4 mn equipment for reconstruction: ambassador
Germany has been generous with donations, whether of funding, equipment, or training.
Baghadad (IraqiNews.com) Germany has handed Iraq heavy equipment worth more than USD4 million, its ambassador to Baghdad was quoted saying on Saturday.

In a presser in Baghdad, attended by Iraqi cabinet’s secretary-general, ambassador Cyril Nan was quoted by Alghad Press saying that Germany had handed Iraq heavy-duty equipment worth USD4.7 million to "support recovery efforts at the liberated areas for the local government’s of Anbar, DIyala and Salahuddin.

Iraq’s war against Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
turbans since 2014 has displaced millions and rendered a large portion of the country’s infrastructure badly damaged. The country had appealed to international donors to rehabilitate devastated infrastructure and relocate displaced civilians.

Germany has been a member of the U.S.-led coalition backing the Iraqi troops in their operations against IS and has offered financial support for rehabilitation efforts.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq

#1  $350,000 for a new CAT D8T so 4.7 mil / 350,000 = just a few dozers. Like 13 .
Posted by: 3dc || 08/05/2018 1:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Germany has been generous with donations, whether of funding, equipment, or training.

However, spare parts and maintenance for their own military seem to be wanting. Then again, someone else is paying for that security responsibility.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/05/2018 7:05 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Abbas Stirs Up Hornets' Nest By Firing PA Minister
Personal pique or an attempt to deflect American ‐that is to say President Trump's ‐ anger?
[Jpost] The dismissal of Qaraqe, who held the rank of minister, drew sharp criticism from Paleostinians across the political spectrum.

In a surprise move, Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
on Friday fired Issa Qaraqe, head of the PLO’s Committee for Detainees and Ex-Detainees.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/05/2018 00:36 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Personal pique or an attempt to deflect American ‐that is to say President Trump's ‐ anger?

...or trying to make payroll on reduced income. See - nonessential personnel furlough.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/05/2018 7:08 Comments || Top||


Fatah Warns Hamas Against Reaching Truce Accord With Israel
Fatah is the majority party of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which is fig-leafed for popular consumption as the Palestinian Authority, of course.
[Jpost] The warning came amid unconfirmed reports that Israel and Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", were close to reaching a long-term truce agreement.

The ruling Paleostinian Fatah faction on Saturday warned Hamas against reaching a cease-fire agreement with Israel in return for humanitarian and economic aid to the Gazoo Strip and said such a deal would be a "free gift to Israel."

The warning came amid unconfirmed reports that Israel and Hamas were close to reaching a long-term truce agreement.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/05/2018 00:24 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Fatah

#1  "You're undermining our undermining!"
Posted by: Frank G || 08/05/2018 10:54 Comments || Top||

#2  You’re on a roll today, Frank. :-D
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/05/2018 10:56 Comments || Top||

#3  :-)
Posted by: Frank G || 08/05/2018 11:05 Comments || Top||

#4  They don't need it now after P.Trump gave them $42m.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/05/2018 11:47 Comments || Top||


Thousands of Druze protest against Israel's Jewish nation law
[Al Jazeera] A rally against a "discriminatory" law that declares Israel the exclusive homeland of Jewish people has gotten under way in Tel Aviv.

Druze community members, who organised the event, estimate 150,000 people will take part in Saturday's protest, held under the motto, "Equal rights for all citizens".

The Druze are an Arabic-speaking group with their own distinct religious and cultural traditions.

They make up two percent of Israel's 8.8 million population and are found mainly in the northern regions of Galilee and Carmel.

The Druze have had special status since the 1950s, when they were drafted into the military, unlike Israel's Moslem and Christian populations.

Salma Zeidan is a minority Druze whose two sons were killed during military service for Israel.

"If this law doesn't change, I will get your bodies exhumed from this military cemetery and bury you in your grandfathers' land," Zeidan said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

Critics say the new legislation makes Israel's non-Jewish minorities into second-class citizens, further marginalising some 1.8 million Paleostinians with Israeli citizenship and other smaller minorities, including the Druze.

The Basic Law, which has standing similar to a constitution, gives only Jews the right to self-determination.

The new law also strips Arabic of its official language designation, downgrading it to a "special status".

Reporting from Tel Aviv, Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons said one of the main issues of controversy has to do with military service.

"[There's] massive unrest about people who have served in the army now not having full citizenship according to the campaigners," Simmons said.

About six out of 10 Druze men have served in the Israeli army.
Contrast with the key bits of the same story reported by The Times of Israel:
An estimated 50,000-plus people, waving Israeli and Druze flags and calling for equality, gathered at Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square on Saturday night to demonstrate against the controversial Jewish nation-state law.

Leaders of the Druze community were among the key organizers of the demonstration.

Members of the community serve in the Israeli army and have expressed particular outrage at the law’s provisions, saying it renders them second-class citizens.

Former Labor MK Shachiv Shnaan, a member of the Druze community who lost his son Kamil Shnaan, 22, last year in a terror attack at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, gave a moving address to the crowds, lamenting the law.

The demonstration took place amid heightened tensions over the legislation. The nation-state law — which for the first time enshrines Israel as “the national home of the Jewish people” and says “the right to exercise national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people” — has sparked widespread criticism from Israel’s minorities and opposition, the international community, and Jewish groups abroad.

In an interview with Hadashot TV on Saturday night, Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan suggested that people with an anti-government political agenda were “stirring divisions” in Israeli society over the legislation.

Erdan insisted that the government greatly appreciated the Druze community’s contribution to Israel, and that “we agree with all the Druze demands” as highlighted by the rally — but said such demands were already met, anchored in existing laws. “This rally has nothing to do with the nation-state law,” he said. This law merely “completes” existing laws to stress that Israel is the national home of the Jewish people. “There is not a word in this law that hurts the Druze community or any other community,” Erdan said.

Unlike Arab Israelis, members of both the Druze and Circassian minorities are subject to Israel’s mandatory draft and serve in large numbers alongside Jewish soldiers in some of the IDF’s most elite units.

On Thursday, Netanyahu angrily walked out of a meeting with Druze leaders when a prominent Druze activist and former IDF brigadier general criticized the controversial nation-state law passed last month. Netanyahu was apparently enraged by Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal As’ad accusing him of turning Israel into an “apartheid state” and calling the law “evil and racist.”

As’ad on Friday told Hadashot news he said no such thing, implying Netanyahu was looking for an excuse to end the meeting.

“I wrote a post 10 days ago in which I wrote that if that law is realized Israel is on the path to apartheid, and I’m not the only one saying that,” he said. He also insisted that he had not crashed the meeting, contrary to some accounts.

But Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, who was in the meeting, disputed his account.

“I heard with my own ears the outrageous statement that Israel is an apartheid state,” said Levin.

As’ad, a former infantry commander and veteran of multiple wars who lost a brother in fighting in the Gaza Strip, in the past expressed support for the Likud party. He urged Druze to come to Tel Aviv on Saturday and take part in the protest, saying the “demonstration is for the state of Israel, not against it.”

Netanyahu has been trying to placate Druze anger at the new law with a package of benefits. A concession plan envisions new legislation to anchor the status of the Druze and Circassian communities in law and provide benefits to members of minority groups who serve in the security forces, the PMO said in a statement Wednesday. Support of Druze religious, education, and culture institutes would also be included in the legislation.

In addition, recognition of the contribution made by all minorities and communities that participate in the defense of the state would be written into the country’s Basic Laws.
Lots of Labour Party personalities appear to be involved in the protests...
Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Trump moving to strip Palestinians of refugee status: report
[Al Jazeera] US President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
and his administration are making moves to strip millions of Paleostinians of their refugee status, according to a US-based magazine report.

As part of the initiative, the Republican president along with his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, have been trying to disrupt the UN agency for Paleostinians, UNRWA, Foreign Policy (FP) magazine revealed in an article published on Friday.

In a controversial move in January, the US government announced that it was withholding $65m of a planned $125m funding instalment to the relief agency, after Trump accused the Paleostinians of being ungrateful for the millions of dollars in aid.

Prior to the announcement, Kushner, in a leaked email obtained by FP, wrote: "It is important to have an honest and sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA."

"This [agency] perpetuates a status quo, is corrupt, inefficient and doesn't help peace," he reportedly wrote in an email dated January 11 and addressed to several senior US officials.

Paleostinian officials told FP that Kushner - tasked with reviving the stalled Israeli-Paleostinian grinding of the peace processor - allegedly pressed Jordan to strip more than two million Paleostinians of their refugee status, so the UNRWA would no longer have to operate there.

The White House declined to comment on the record for FP's story.

Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  "Itis important to have an honest and sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA."
"This [agency] perpetuates a status quo, is corrupt, inefficient and doesn't help peace,"


Status: True
Posted by: Frank G || 08/05/2018 9:32 Comments || Top||

#2  I am 69 years old, and these people have been refugees longer than I have been alive. This is ridiculous.
Posted by: Tom || 08/05/2018 14:06 Comments || Top||

#3  We may need a ruling from the judges, but nigh on 3/4ths of a century is too long to be a refugee. Put down some roots, already! In the words of Buckaroo Bonzai, "No matter where you go, there you are."
Posted by: SteveS || 08/05/2018 14:18 Comments || Top||


Israel is under massive Chinese, Russian cyber espionage attack
[Ynet] A look at one of the most secretive units of the Israeli intelligence community‐ the Shin Bet’s counter-espionage division, which was responsible for the arrest of former minister Gonen Segev‐one of many cases of Tehran's infiltration attempts. However,
some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them...
it turns out that the Iranians are actually the least of Israel's problems.
Long article laying it all out. You'll want a fresh cup of coffee, or the equivalent, before you start this one, dear Reader.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What prevents Shin Bet from returning the favor?
Posted by: Helmuth, Speaking for Creath4312 || 08/05/2018 9:34 Comments || Top||

#2  And this from Instapundit, "SURE. FOUR YEARS AGO I FOUND BLOCKING RUSSIAN IPS ON MY BLOG GOT RID OF MOST OF THE CRAZY TROLLS FROM THE ALLEGED RIGHT AND FROM THE CRAZY LEFT. IT WAS EDUCATIONAL. Russia: Active Measures Continue to Target and Threaten America.
Posted by: Helmuth, Speaking for Creath4312 || 08/05/2018 9:44 Comments || Top||

#3  How come we all cannot be JEWISH in the UNITED STATES

Conversion only takes about three years of serious study and repeated arguments with the converting rabbi to demonstrate that your desire to convert is sincere, Jack Chaiter7913 — God is as pleased with pious gentiles as much as he is with pious Jews, after all — but if that’s what you want to do, go for it.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/05/2018 10:54 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
HRW Says 8 Alleged IS Members May be Abused in Lebanon
[AnNahar] Eight alleged members of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group could face abuse if they are transferred from northern Syria to their native Leb, Human Rights Watch has said.

The Lebanese Army said this week that eight Lebanese nationals accused of fighting alongside IS in Iraq and Syria had been transferred to its intelligence units.

HRW said it had previously documented rights violations committed by the Lebanese security forces now holding the suspected jihadists.

"We and other organizations have documented torture and ill treatment by the army and the military intelligence, who are detaining these individuals," said Lama Fakih, the rights group's deputy regional director.

"At the same time, we have concerns these individuals will not receive fair trials in military courts, where we have documented concerns about impartiality of judges," she told the AFP news agency.

The Lebanese army has not specified when the suspected IS fighters were handed over to Leb, from where, or by whom.

The operation came "within the framework of the international coalition to fight terrorism," the army said, adding that military intelligence has since transferred the detainees to the courts.

A report by Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar said they were caught by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), for years Washington's main partner in the fight against IS in Syria.

The suspects were brought to Leb more than a month ago in a U.S. military plane, al-Akhbar reported.

A security source told AFP that the alleged jihadists were being interrogated by intelligence services.

Human Rights Watch said the lack of transparency over the procedures was worrying.

"Little is known about conditions of their confinement, access to lawyers, when they came to Leb -- all these things add to the baseline level of concern," said Fakih.

Jreissati: Repatriated IS Members Fairly Questioned

[AnNahar] Caretaker Justice Minister Salim Jreissati announced Saturday that members of the Islamic State group handed over to Leb recently are being questioned under the supervision of judicial authorities.

Jreissati's comments came a day after Human Rights Watch said the United States should ensure no foreign IS suspects held by local allies in Syria are transferred to a country where they are at risk of torture or unfair trials.

The Lebanese Army said in a statement earlier this week that eight Lebanese citizens who fought for IS in Iraq and Syria were handed over to Leb "by friendly security agencies in the framework of the international coalition to fight terrorism."

Jreissati told LBCI TV that the questioning of the eight by military Sherlocks is supervised by Military Prosecutor Peter Germanos.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  Fuck off, wankers.
Posted by: Raj || 08/05/2018 1:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Voice e messages from reporters left for the victims asking about possible violations of their human rights remain unanswered.
Posted by: gorb || 08/05/2018 10:51 Comments || Top||

#3  I've never heard of such a harsh and brutal injustice that I cared so little about.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/05/2018 11:47 Comments || Top||


Syrian army recruit over 19000 youths since April 2018
Damascus (Syria News) The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, on Saturday, that the Syrian regime forces continue to recruit youths in the areas of Damascus and Rif Dimashq, to serve within the army ranks.

SOHR revealed that the Syrian army has recruited more than 600 young people from several areas in the capital, Damascus, and Rif Dimashq during the last 20 days, while pointed out that over a quarter of them were taken to al-Driej barracks from Eastern Ghouta area.

A number of the recruited youths were sent to the areas of service in Douma, Mesraba, and al-Marj area, where they were assembled this morning, and were transferred by buses to al-Driej area to attend training courses.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Iran getting new planes from Europe before US sanctions return
[Al Jazeera] Five new aircraft from French-Italian firm ATR will arrive in Tehran on Sunday before August 6 sanctions deadline
Posted by: Fred || 08/05/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told reporters last week that he hoped eight ATRs would be delivered before the sanctions deadline.
The twin-prop planes are jointly manufactured by France's Airbus and Italy's Leonardo, but because just over 10 percent of their parts are made in the US, they are subject to the renewed sanctions.
Posted by: Harcourt Bucket3271 || 08/05/2018 8:27 Comments || Top||

#2  Does Iran have any money? The Iranian rial has gone to $hit. The mullahs are sitting on top of a fortune of our money. All I can figure is they had the goods on Bathhouse and were blackmailing him.
Posted by: JohnQC || 08/05/2018 11:14 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
28[untagged]
6Islamic State
4Taliban
4Commies
3Sublime Porte
3Houthis
3Govt of Iran
2al-Shabaab (AQ)
2Govt of Iraq
2Govt of Pakistan
2Govt of Syria
2Hamas
1al-Nusra
1Govt of Pakistain Proxies
1al-Qaeda
1Jamaat-e-Islami
1Moslem Colonists
1Govt of Saudi Arabia
1Fatah

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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2018-08-05
  Iran protesters attack religious school in province near Tehran
Sat 2018-08-04
  Death Toll Rises To 30 In Bombings On Paktia Mosque
Fri 2018-08-03
  Jordan army clashes with Islamic State militants fleeing Syrian forces
Thu 2018-08-02
  Egypt police kill five members of terrorist group Hasm in Nile Delta shootout
Wed 2018-08-01
  Man arrested after suspected homemade explosive device found at Vereeniging, South Africa mosque
Tue 2018-07-31
  It was terrorism: Iran denies any role in deadly Tajikistan attack
Mon 2018-07-30
  2 killed in Gaza blast during attempted launch of projectile toward Israel
Sun 2018-07-29
  Duterte invites the Abu Sayyaf to peace talks
Sat 2018-07-28
  Police enter Al-Aqsa Mosque, clash with worshipers in Temple Mount riots
Fri 2018-07-27
  Imran to be next PM
Thu 2018-07-26
  Houthis send missiles at tankers transiting from the Red Sea
Wed 2018-07-25
  Russian Air Force launches more than 40 airstrikes over southwest Syria
Tue 2018-07-24
  2 Syrian missiles with half-ton warheads trigger Israel's anti-missile system
Mon 2018-07-23
  Several dead in Kabul suicide blast as exiled VP Dostum returns
Sun 2018-07-22
  Iraq protests death toll reaches 11 amid ongoing popular unrest

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