Wednesday, July 06, 2011

MAN ACCUSED OF SETING BOMB IN ISRAEL

Mich. man accused of seeking to set bomb in Israel
Published July 06, 2011 | Associated Press


DETROIT – A Michigan man on the FBI's most wanted list of terror suspects is accused of using a fake passport in an attempt to get into Israel and conduct a bombing on behalf of the Islamic militant group Hezbollah, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court in Detroit.Faouzi Ayoub, 44, faces one count of passport fraud, according to the August 2009 indictment that was only unsealed in U.S. District Court in Detroit within the past week.Federal prosecutors accuse the Lebanese-born Ayoub, whose last known U.S. residence was in southeast Michigan, of using a passport under the name of Frank Mariano Boschi to enter Israel in October 2000. The indictment does not indicate whether authorities believe Ayoub participated in any bombing.The FBI's office in Detroit could not discuss the case Wednesday, say where Ayoub was believed to be now or explain why the indictment was unsealed, spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold said. But she noted that he should be considered armed and dangerous and that anyone with information about him should contact their local FBI office, or nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.Future indictments may be handed down as various investigations proceed in connection to other terrorist incidents, according to a posting about Ayoub and others on the FBI's website.The U.S. government classifies Hezbollah, which dominates the Lebanese government coalition, as a terrorist group. Hezbollah fought a devastating, 34-day war with Israel in 2006 that that left 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis dead. Lebanon and Israel technically remain at war.It was not clear how long Ayoub's name had been on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists, at the top of which is Egyptian Islamic Jihad founder Ayman Al-Zawahiri, indicted for his alleged role in the 1998 embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya. The attacks killed 224 people.Al-Zawahiri's group later merged with al Qaeda.Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/06/mich-man-accused-seeking-to-set-bomb-in-israel/#ixzz1RNGvZaZC

6 July 2011 Last updated at 14:14 ET
Israel angry at UN report on Lebanon deaths BBC


Israeli officials are reportedly boycotting a UN official in Lebanon after he wrote a report criticising Israel's response to a border incursion by Palestinian protesters in May.Diplomatic sources in Israel have declined to comment on the reports.It is understood that the unpublished UN document criticises the Israeli army for using disproportionate force by firing on protesters.Seven protesters trying to cross from Lebanon were killed, the report says.The incident occurred on the anniversary of what the Palestinians refer to as the Nakba or Catastrophe, their term for the founding of the Israeli state in 1948.Some protesters were also killed on Israel's border with Syria as they took part in a similar demonstration.

Not commensurate

The contents of the UN report, written by the organisation's senior representative in Lebanon, Michael Williams, have been circulating widely in the Middle East.
MapIt was delivered several days ago to members of the UN Security Council, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which also obtained a copy.The report apparently acknowledges that the actions of the Palestinian protesters initiated the violence.But the document is understood to criticise the Israeli army for being too quick to turn to the use of live ammunition against protesters who were not carrying firearms.Other than firing initial warning shots, the Israel Defense Forces did not use conventional crowd control methods or any other method than lethal weapons against the demonstrators, it says, according to quotes published by Haaretz.It adds that the Israeli response was not commensurate to the threat to Israeli soldiers.
Reports in the Israeli press say Israel's diplomats are now refusing to schedule meetings with Mr Williams, who they feel is readier to condemn its forces than the protesters who challenge them.Although that is not officially admitted in Jerusalem, the BBC's Kevin Connolly says one diplomat acknowledges that there is no hurry to restore contact with him.

Arab States’ Aid to Egypt Seen as Effort to Block Iran Influence July 06, 2011, 3:45 AM EDT More From Businessweek
By Vivian Salama and Alaa Shahine

July 6 (Bloomberg) -- The United Arab Emirates joined Saudi Arabia in offering a multibillion dollar economic assistance package to Egypt as it seeks to block the way for Iranian influence in post-Mubarak Egypt, analysts said.With Egypt’s first elections since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak due in September, members of the interim government are touring the Persian Gulf to get support for their country’s ailing economy. The benefit of aiding Egypt is twofold for nations including Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and Kuwait: They can assert claims that Iran is meddlesome while benefiting from opportunities in Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous nation.
Moving away from the established orbit of Egypt being part of an axis that views Iranian involvement in the region with suspicion and hostility is a major concern for the Gulf states,Salman Shaikh, director of Brookings Doha Center in Qatar, said in a telephone interview yesterday.There is in this changing and fluctuating region a competition taking place to shape the region and Egypt is very pivotal in that. Simply put, Egypt matters.Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a bloc of six Sunni Muslim-dominated nations, have accused Iran, the region’s main Shiite Muslim power, of meddling in regional affairs. Bahrain says Iran assisted Bahraini Shiite protesters seeking to overthrow the monarchy. Kuwait has expelled a number of Iranian diplomats for spying, and the U.A.E. is embroiled in a territorial dispute with Iran over three Persian Gulf islands.

Businesses, Housing

The U.A.E. committed $3 billion to Egypt yesterday following a visit by interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to Abu Dhabi. The funds will be directed toward Egypt’s small- and medium-sized businesses and housing projects. Saudi Arabia offered budgetary aid worth $4 billion in May, and Qatar is expected to announce a package soon, Egypt’s Finance Minister Samir Radwan said July 4, adding that Egypt won’t require assistance from the International Monetary Fund or World Bank as long as Gulf allies are willing to help.Gulf countries know that if there is a serious change in Egypt, it will affect the whole region, Moustafa el-Husseini, author of Egypt on the Brink of the Unknown,said yesterday in a telephone interview from Cairo. They are worried about more Iranian and Turkish influence in the region.Mubarak was overthrown in February after a 19-day popular revolt fueled by grievances over issues including unemployment and complaints of police brutality. Less than two weeks after Mubarak was toppled, Egypt allowed two Iranian warships to use the Suez Canal to reach the Mediterranean Sea. The decision prompted an outcry from Israel, which alleged Iran sought to use Egypt’s vulnerability to intimidate countries in the region.

Middle East Divide

Iran and Egypt have been on opposite sides of the Middle East divide since ending full diplomatic relations in 1979 after the Iranian Revolution that brought Shiite clerics to power. In March, Egypt’s then-Foreign Minister Nabil el-Arabi said his country’s government doesn’t consider Iran to be an enemy state and that we’re opening a new page with all countries, including Iran,Egypt’s state-run Middle East News Agency reported.Iran continues to take credit for the political changes that began sweeping the Middle East and North Africa early this year. Mohammad Ali Ansari, head of the ideological department of the Iranian military’s naval forces, said July 2 that the regional uprisings are offshoots of his nation’s revolution, Iran’s state-run Fars news agency reported.

Unrest Saps Growth

The unrest has dimmed prospects for Egyptian growth. The International Monetary Fund said in April that the country’s economy will slow significantly,cutting its 2011 forecast to 1 percent from 5 percent, as the aftermath of the turmoil weighs on investments. Tourism plummeted by 80 percent in February and investment dropped 26 percent, Fitch Ratings Ltd. said July 1.There’s no debate over Egypt’s long-term potential,Simon Williams, chief Middle East economist at HSBC Holdings Plc in Dubai, said by phone yesterday. Gulf-based investors recognize that Egypt has a large, young population, great geographical location, unique appeal as a tourist destination, potential for agriculture; and the service-sector and manufacturing-base growth is clear.Countries in the Persian Gulf were vocal supporters of the Mubarak regime in the early days of the revolution and have since supported the democratic aspirations of Egyptian citizens. Only Bahrain and Oman have seen similar popular revolts, while other Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, have sought to quell protests through increases in public spending.

Gates Accuses Iran

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates accused Iran last week of stepping up efforts to wield influence in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region. The pattern has become particularly evident since revolts began against authoritarian rule in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere, he said.Sharaf said yesterday that Egypt’s position toward Iran hasn’t changed, although he declined to say whether Iran was the source of recently reported tensions between Egypt and the U.A.E. The Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces said April 26 that Egypt wasn’t receiving any external pressure from Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., the Emirates News Agency reported April 26, following reports that Egyptians were being denied visitor and residency visas for the Gulf states.Several members of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s biggest and best-organized opposition group under Mubarak, have said that they encourage dialogue with all regional parties.We support ensuring the Egyptian and Arab national security and holding a dialogue with Iran and Turkey that can achieve security and economic development for the region, said Essam el-Erian, deputy leader of the Freedom and Justice Party, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Those who support that stance will benefit and who try and stop it will fail,he said yesterday in a telephone interview from Cairo.--With assistance from Dahlia Kholaif and Fiona MacDonald in Kuwait City, and Robert Tuttle in Doha. Editors: Heather Langan, Digby Lidstone-To contact the reporters on this story: Vivian Salama in Abu Dhabi at vsalama@bloomberg.net; Alaa Shahine in Dubai at asalha@bloomberg.net.To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net.

Israel flayed in UN Nakba Day report
AFP/Jerusalem Gulftimes JULY 6,11


A UN report into the bloodshed along the Israeli-Lebanon border on Nakba Day has slammed the Israeli army for using unnecessary force when firing on protesters, a newspaper said yesterday.The report was released by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon this week and passed on to the 15 members of the Security Council, with a copy also passed on to Israel’s left-leaning Haaretz newspaper.The study focuses on the events of May 15 when thousands of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon marched on the Israeli border in a show of mass mourning over the creation of the Jewish state, known in Arabic as the Nakba, or catastrophe.As the protesters tried to scale the fence, Israeli troops opened fire, killing seven and injuring 111, the report said.
Another four people were killed and scores injured along the Syrian front line with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, but the report, which was based on the findings of an investigation by the UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon (Unifil), focuses solely on the Lebanese-Israeli confrontation.The report found that Israeli troops used direct live fire against unarmed demonstrators and urged the army to avoid doing so in situations where there was no immediate threat to life.Other than firing initial warning shots, the Israel Defence Forces did not use conventional crowd control methods or any other method than lethal weapons against the demonstrators, it says.

The firing of live ammunition... against the demonstrators, which resulted in the loss of civilian life and a significant number of casualties, constituted a violation of resolution 1701 (2006) and was not commensurate to the threat to Israeli soldiers,it said of the resolution which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.In his concluding remarks, Ban urges the Israeli military to act only with the level of force appropriate to the threat facing its troops.I call on the Israel Defence Forces to refrain from responding with live fire in such situations, except where clearly required in immediate self-defence,he writes.The paper said Israel was furious with the UN’s special co-ordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, who reportedly wrote the report, and had cut all ties with him, cancelling a visit he was supposed to make in the coming weeks.

Lone boat heads to Gaza Strip
Thursday, July 07, 2011 » 03:32am BIGPOND


A lone French yacht with 12 people on board was on Wednesday the only vessel from a 10-ship flotilla to be heading for the Gaza Strip after the remaining vessels were tied up by red tape in Greece.The MV Dignite/Al Karama, which left Greek waters early on Tuesday, was heading slowly towards Gaza, a spokesman for the French Boat to Gaza campaign told AFP, saying they had not yet given up hope they would be joined by others from the ill-fated Freedom Flotilla which had been due to set sail last week.But attempts by pro-Palestinian campaigners on board a second ship, the MV Juliano, to join their French colleagues at sea failed for a second day running as the Greek coastguard once again thwarted their plans to leave.Most of the 10 ships that had been due to join the convoy are stuck at ports in Greece after Athens imposed a blanket ban on the departure of any vessels destined for Gaza.Another ship, the Irish-owned MV Saoirse, is undergoing repairs at a Turkish port after its propeller was damaged in what activists claimed was sabotage by Israel.They're getting on very well,' Thomas Sommer-Houdeville said by phone from Athens, saying the MV Dignite had begun to move slowly towards Gaza on Tuesday afternoon after waiting for several hours in international waters to see if the the Greek, Norwegian and Swedish activists on board the MV Juliano would to also manage to set sail.

Yesterday afternoon, our Greek colleagues (on board the MV Juliano) were not able to leave, so they decided to start sailing slowly' towards Gaza, he said after speaking by phone to activists on board the Dignite.They are now heading for Gaza slowly so if any of the boats manage to get out, they will be able to meet up with them.For the time being, our desire is to go to Gaza, Sommer-Houdeville said, admitting the activists on board would later decide based on what was possible 'logistically and technically.At the moment, we have one boat which has managed to break the Greek blockade and we are hopeful that there will be others,he said.The MV Juliano, which was to have set sail on Wednesday, said it was once again prevented from leaving Perama port near Athens, weighing anchor only to sail to a nearby port.It is not possible to leave for Gaza because the Greek authorities' ban remains in place, boat spokesman Dimitris Plionis said.Mary Norden, a Swedish MP who was to have been one of the six passengers on board, said she had decided to return to Sweden after failing in the fight with the Greek coastguard.Greek officials turned back the boat on Tuesday afternoon, she said earlier.Both the US Audacity of Hope and the Canadian vessel, the MV Tahrir, each of which have some 50 passengers and crew aboard, have tried to set sail since Athens imposed the ban on Friday, but were turned back.

And two of the vessels have also sustained damage, in what organisers claim was sabotage by Israeli agents.Officials in Athens say they imposed the ban for the safety of the activists on board in the wake of last year's bloody showdown. Israeli commandos raided a six-ship flotilla heading for Gaza, in a confrontation that left nine Turkish activists dead and dozens of people injured.More than 300 activists from 22 countries had signed up to participate in this year's flotilla, among them dozens of middle-aged and elderly Americans and Europeans.

Israel's easing of blockade helps Gaza's economy, but situation still dire ap Ibrahim Barzak, Associated Press, On Tuesday July 5, 2011, 8:34 am EDT

BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Maher Khoudari boasts that his Gaza grocery has a wide assortment of chocolates for sale -- even some you couldn't find in the cosmopolitan Israeli city of Tel Aviv. The problem is, there is no one to buy them.
Israel eased its blockade of the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory a year ago and now allows virtually all consumer goods in, meaning there are no longer acute shortages of foods or basic household items. Tiny construction projects have begun sprouting up, and Gaza is awash in big ticket items such as cars and refrigerators.
But deep troubles remain. Israel maintains restrictions on the key construction and export sectors, and the vast majority of Gazans are still barred from traveling in and out of the territory. Nearly half the work force is unemployed, and more than 70 percent of the population relies on food handouts, making fancy chocolates, like any other non-essential goods, a luxury most cannot afford.We have no customers, says Khoudari, 40, who owns one of Gaza's biggest supermarkets.His predicament sums up Gaza's economic situation after blockade was eased amid an international outcry over Israel's deadly raid on a blockade-busting international flotilla. Now pro-Palestinian activists in Greece are laying plans to launch a new protest flotilla toward Gaza, drawing attention back to the plight of the impoverished territory of 1.6 million.Israel dismisses claims by Palestinians and their sympathizers that there is a humanitarian crisis. Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot, who oversees Israel's border policy with Gaza, told reporters last week that Israel has taken numerous measures in recent months to boost the Palestinian economy.

He said the number of trucks carrying goods into Gaza has more than tripled, cargo crossings with the area are being expanded and that Israel is now allowing dozens of building and infrastructure projects to move forward.Palestinian officials say the Israeli measures are far too little. Most critically, Israel continues to tightly restrict the entry of construction materials -- badly needed to repair the damage from an Israeli military offensive two years ago. Tight restrictions on exports, along with the entry of raw materials, mean that more than 80 percent of Gaza factories are either shuttered or working at limited capacity.Israel has made much of the fact that there is no starvation in Gaza, said Gaza economist Omar Shaban. But the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not about food,he added.The humanitarian crisis is about education, it's about development, about imprisonment.The international community has repeatedly expressed concerns about the blockade -- but in a statement this week, the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers said conditions in Gaza have significantly improved.The statement noted a marked increase in the range and scope of goods and materials moving into Gaza, an increase in international project activity, and the facilitation of some exports.Nonetheless, it said considerably more needs to be done to increase the flow of people and goods to and from Gaza.The economy of Gaza, a crowded seaside strip sandwiched between Egypt and Israel, has always struggled.Shaban said that even if Israel lifted all restrictions on Gaza, it would take years for the economy to recover.This is not something you can achieve in days or months, he said, suggested the territory would need an international bailout similar to the post-World War II Marshall Plan that rescued Europe.Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after Hamas-linked militants captured an Israeli soldier in 2006. The restrictions were further tightened after Hamas seized control of Gaza the following year.Israel says the measures are aimed at weakening Hamas, which it considers a terrorist group, and to prevent it from bringing arms into the territory. But the blockade failed to achieve either goal.Instead, a flourishing smuggling business sprouted up along the Egyptian border. A vast network of tunnels has actually helped strengthen Hamas, which collects taxes on the industry.

Pro-Palestinian activists from around the globe have been trying to breach the blockade since 2008, sending ships laden with supplies bound for Gaza. Israel allowed ships through five times, but has blocked them from Gaza since its three-week military offensive in January 2009.Under international criticism, Israel began to ease the blockade in early 2010. The situation changed drastically after Israeli naval commandos killed nine Turkish activists on board a Gaza-bound ship. The May 2010 incident was a public relations nightmare for Israel and forced it to greatly ease the blockade.The military says the number of supply trucks entering Gaza through Israeli-controlled cargo crossings grew 66 percent from a year ago.Now a loose network of activists organized a new flotilla based mostly in Greek ports, and planned to sail for Gaza last week. But their plans suffered a major setback when Greece banned the boats from leaving for the Palestinian territory, and the project is now in doubt.Israel says the activists trying to send another flotilla are naive and misguided.The International Monetary Fund said Gaza's economy expanded 16 percent in the first half of 2010, though that leap was largely a result of a very depressed economy the year before. Nonetheless, experts say economic activity remains below the 2006 levels.Israel's war in Gaza reduced Fayza al-Louh, her husband and eight kids to living in a single room with one bathroom and a small kitchen. With Israel still severely restricting the entry of construction materials into the coastal strip, thousands of homes and businesses damaged in the war still await repairs.Al-Louh's three-story home is damaged beyond use.Every night, I expect the remains of my house to collapse,Al Louh said. We suffer from the rain in the winter and the sun in the summer. And if the weather weren't enough of a problem, what about the rats and snakes and mosquitoes? Earlier this month, Israeli authorities agreed to allow the U.N. to import materials to rebuild some 1,200 homes destroyed in fighting with Israel nearly 10 years ago.

It is one of the largest projects Israel has authorized in Gaza, but will still only meet a fraction of Gaza's needs and will not help al-Louh, who lives in a different part of the territory. The U.N. estimates some 60,000 homes need to be repaired or rebuilt altogether.Israel says its only aim in preventing some materials and impeding some projects is security-related. It believes construction materials could be diverted by Hamas for military use. But critics say Israel applies too broad a definition and that the true, unspoken purpose is to punish Gazans for the rule of Hamas.Amjad Shawwa, a development worker and anti-blockade activist, says the blockade has deprived nearly 7,000 Gaza fishermen of a living, and water, sanitation, electricity and road projects remain stalled.You probably won't find hungry people, but the feeling of injustice and frustration is pervasive in all homes, Shawwa said.

U.N. panel to talk Syria nukes-Refusal to cooperate with probe spurs closed Security Council session George Jahn/ Associated Press JULY 5,11

Vienna — The U.N. Security Council plans to meet next week to discuss what to do about Syria's refusal to cooperate with a probe of its alleged secret nuclear activities, diplomats told the Associated Press on Monday.The move comes just weeks after the International Atomic Energy Agency referred it the council. The closed session could result in anything from debate to sanctions of the kind imposed on Iran for defying demands to cease activities that could be used to make nuclear arms.
Sanctions are unlikely: Iran continues to expand its nuclear activities in defiance of the council, whereas Syria's alleged violations appeared to have occurred in the past and thus do not seem to represent a present proliferation threat.Still, one of the three diplomats who agreed to discuss confidential information on condition of anonymity said the July 14 discussions are significant. He pointed to the fact that the council found the issue important enough to take it up less then a month after the June 9 IAEA referral.

The IAEA has tried in vain since 2008 to follow up on strong evidence that a site in the Syrian desert, bombed in 2007 by Israeli warplanes, was a nearly finished reactor built with North Korea's help.The resolution that reported Syria to the Security Council expressed serious concern over Syria's lack of cooperation with the IAEA Director General's repeated requests for access to additional information and locations as well as Syria's refusal to engage substantively with the Agency on the nature of the Dair Alzour site.Syria is already on the Security Council's docket. The council on Thursday expressed united support for the U.N. peacekeeping force on the tense Syrian-Israeli border — even while remaining divided over any direct condemnation of Syria's crackdown on peaceful demonstrators.All three diplomats said the council had asked high-ranking IAEA officials to testify at the hearing — another sign of the importance attached to it. They said IAEA chief Yukiya Amano and Herman Nackaerts, the agency's nonproliferation point man, either would both attend or one of them would go.IAEA officials contacted after office hours Monday said they could not comment.From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110705/NATION/107050353/U.N.-panel-to-talk-Syria-nukes#ixzz1RNObslog

Obama Plans Israel Visit
by Gavriel Queenann JULY 5,11


US ambassador to Israel James B. Cunningham told Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin during a meeting Tuesday that President Barack Obama is planning an Israel trip.
The president wants to visit and he will do so, Cunningham told Rivlin.Rivlin told Cunningham that Israelis sense that the atmosphere in the White House has changed for the worse. The feeling is that Obama views Israel as a burden more than as a strategic asset.When the president visited Egypt and the region, he decided not to visit Israel, something which bothered many Israelis, Rivlin continued.Rivlin also told Cunningham that under the Obama administration he would not want to depend on the Americans in the face of a dangerous situation.Cunningham responded to Rivlin telling him that such feelings were erroneous and that the president plans to visit Israel.But observers note the chilly relations between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu have colored US-Israeli relations and that Obama's policy statements often snub Israel or ultimately prove detrimental to its interests.

Cunningham, who plans to resign after three years as ambassador to Israel, did not indicate a date for the visit.Political analysts suggest Obama's visit may be motivated by a desire to shore up his now dubious Israel credentials as he looks to reelection and a GOP field of staunchly pro-Israel candidates who may use Israel as lever against him in the 2012 campaign.(IsraelNationalNews.com)

Saboteurs bomb Egypt gas pipeline to Israel, Jordan
July 04, 2011 09:26 AM (Last updated: July 04, 2011 06:32 PM)
By Jailan Zayan Agence France Presse


CAIRO, Egypt: Saboteurs bombed an Egyptian gas pipeline in the Sinai peninsula on Monday, sending flames into the sky and cutting supplies to Israel and Jordan, a security official said.Officials said a car had parked near the pipeline in the Bir al-Abd area, 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) from the north Sinai town of El-Arish, shortly before the explosion.They said the bomb was activated remotely.Emergency services were deployed to the area to try to bring the fire under control, an official said.Witnesses said the flames reached as high as 10 meters (32 feet). There were no immediate reports of casualties.It was the third attack since February, when an uprising toppled former president Hosni Mubarak and saw power handed over to a military council.On April 27, the pipeline in the Al-Sabil area in north Sinai was also attacked, cutting off international gas supplies.In February, attackers used explosives against the pipeline in the town of Lihfren in north Sinai, near the Gaza Strip.There was also a failed attempt to attack the pipeline in March.Jordan, which buys 95 percent of its energy needs, imports about 240 million cubic feet (6.8 million cubic meters) of Egyptian gas a day, or 80 percent of its electricity requirements.

Egypt supplies about 40 percent of Israel's natural gas which is used to produce electricity. In December, four Israeli firms signed 20-year contracts worth up to $10 billion (7.4 billion euros) to import Egyptian gas.In April, Egypt's Prime Minister Essam Sharaf asked for the revision of all contracts to supply gas abroad, including to Israel.Sharaf said the contracts would be revisited so the gas would be sold with deserved prices that achieve the highest returns for Egypt.The controversial gas deal with Israel has been repeatedly challenged in Egyptian courts on the grounds of its secretive clauses and because it was done without parliamentary consultation.A court imposed an injunction on the deal, in a move ignored by Mubarak's government. A higher court overturned the freeze in 2010, on condition the government regulate the quantity and price of gas exported.Israel's government viewed the ouster of Mubarak with alarm.Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with the Jewish state in 1979, but the public has remained hostile towards Israel over its policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.

After the military took power following Mubarak's ouster, it pledged that it would respect the 1979 peace treaty with Israel.In May, Jordan said Egypt was withholding its contracted gas supply to energy-poor Jordan unless a new deal was signed at a higher price.Under a 14-year deal signed in 2002, Egypt used to sell gas to Jordan at a discounted price – half of the market price, or $3 (2.16 euros) per million British Thermal Units (1,000 cubic feet of gas equals 1.027 million BTU).Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Jul-04/Blast-hits-Egypts-gas-pipeline-to-Israel-Jordan.ashx#ixzz1RNR7BICI (The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

Hamas calls on Greece to let Gaza flotilla sail
(AFP)3 July 2011


The Hamas government in Gaza on Sunday called on Greece to allow a flotilla of aid ships to set sail for the blockaded Palestinian territory.

We regret the position of Greece, which has responded to international pressure to stop the Freedom Flotilla from sailing, Hamas foreign minister Mohamed Awad told a press conference at Gaza’s port.We call on them to reconsider their ban on the flotilla setting sail and to allow them to leave, he added.Several ships participating in the so-called Freedom Flotilla have been forced to remain docked in Greece after local authorities warned that they did not have permission to set sail for Gaza.The ships, chartered by pro-Palestinian activists, are seeking to break an Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip and are loaded with items ranging from aid to letters from supporters.But the flotilla has been plagued by setbacks, including Greece’s refusal to let several ships head out to sea, and the discovery that at least two vessels had been damaged.Activists have accused Israel of sabotaging the damaged ships and putting political pressure on Greece to prevent the vessels from leaving shore.

Israel has denied any sabotage of the ships but ministers have expressed satisfaction at the flotilla’s difficulties. The Jewish state warned that it would not allow the ships to break its blockade of the Hamas-run territory.In 2010, Israeli commandos raided a flotilla of aid ships seeking to reach Gaza in an operation that left nine Turkish citizens dead and prompted widespread criticism of the Jewish state.In the wake of the criticism, Israel eased some of its restrictions on Gaza, loosening a blockade it imposed after Gaza-based militants captured an Israeli soldier in 2006. The rules were tightened in 2007 when Hamas seized Gaza.

No Israel ties in Tunisia reform pact
Sat Jul 2, 2011 6:31AM


Yadh Ben Achour, the president of the commission announced the adoption of the agreement without giving further details on its contents, AFP reported on Friday.
The pact will provide the basis for a new constitution in the North African country.
The document also states that Tunisia is a democratic country, its language is Arabic and its religion is Islam.It further says that Tunisia supports the Palestinian cause on top of refusing ties with Israel.Tunisians are expected to elect an assembly in October to draft a new constitution.At least 147 people were killed and 510 left injured during the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution that unseated Ben Ali in January after a 23-year-long authoritarian rule, according to the United Nations.On January 14, Ben Ali fled the North African country to the Saudi port city of Jeddah. There are unconfirmed claims that the deposed Tunisian dictator has gone into a coma in Saudi Arabia after suffering a stroke.Riots and protests broke out in Tunisia following the self-immolation of a 26-year-old fruit vendor, identified as Muhammad Bouazizi, who set himself on fire after police confiscated his merchandise.
GHN/MGH/HRF

Israel says it can't stop mass protests
Published: June 30, 2011 at 9:04 AM


JERUSALEM, June 30 (UPI) -- The Israeli military has no way to stop a mass protest in the West Bank, members of the military say.Still, Israeli forces are conducting drills in preparation for a potential uprising in the wake of a Palestinian bid seeking statehood recognition from the United Nations in September, Haaretz reported Thursday.A non-violent protest of 4,000 people or more, even if they only march to a checkpoint or a settlement, and especially if the Palestinian police does not deter them, will be unstoppable, an Israeli officer said. Such a great number of determined people cannot be stopped by tear gas and rubber bullets.Those comments were echoed by another high-ranking member of the Israeli military, who said, if we are to face protests similar to those in Egypt or Tunisia, we will not be able to do a thing.Mid-level Israeli officers completed special training Tuesday, attending lectures on how to deal with disorderly conduct, and viewed presentations on protest-dispersal methods used by the Israeli military and border police.At the end of the day, the decision is in the hands of the political echelon, another commander told Haaretz.It is fairly obvious that if there will be no progress on peace talks, the Palestinian police with whom we work very closely to prevent infiltrations will lose their patience.Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/06/30/Israel-says-it-cant-stop-mass-protests/UPI-37381309439080/#ixzz1RNVFDhVH

Iran says U.S. exploits Syria uprising to save Israel
Reuters Posted at 06/29/2011 7:13 AM |7:13 AM


TEHRAN - The United States and its allies are exploiting popular protests in Syria to try to break an alliance between Damascus and Tehran against Israel, a senior Iranian official said on Wednesday.Iran is watching the unrest in neighboring Syria with alarm and rejects western allegations it is helping its closest ally in the Middle East to crush a three-month popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule.Ramin Mehmanparast, a special advisor to Iran's Foreign Minister, said the alliance between Iran and Syria constituted a threat not only to Israel, but also to the West's interests in the Middle East.The West could not stop regional uprisings ... America lost a close ally in the region with the overthrow of (Egyptian President Hosni) Mubarak, Mehmanparast said.As interests of America and its allies are endangered in the region ... they are trying to shift the crisis by creating problems for independent countries (like Iran and Syria).Mehmanparast said the West planned to replace Assad with a leader less hostile to itself and Israel.

They are trying to harm Syria as it is playing a prime role in opposing Israel in the region,said Mehmanparast, who is also Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman.Iran, which has crushed its own opposition protests at home, supported popular uprisings that toppled U.S.-backed leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, praising the movements as an Islamic awakening inspired by its 1979 Islamic revolution.Tehran sees Syria's unrest as a Zionist plot against its close ally Damascus. The Islamic state is accused of equipping Syria to block the internet, drawing on its own extensive experience of crushing anti-government protests that followed the country's disputed 2009 presidential vote.Syria has denied receiving any support from Iran to put down the popular unrest. Iran also denies the accusation.

Discord among Muslims

A part of the people in Syria, which are not the majority, have some demands. Their demands should be expressed in a peaceful way as well,he said.Rights groups say security forces and gunmen loyal to Assad have killed over 1,300 civilians since March when the uprising for political freedom erupted in Syria, adding that scores of troops and police were also killed for refusing to fire on civilians.Syrian authorities say more than 250 soldiers and police died in clashes with armed terrorist groups, whom they also blame for most civilian deaths.The number of security forces killed in Syria shows (not all) protestors are ordinary people, Mehmanparast said, accusing the U.S. and Israel of provoking terrorist groups in Syria.Mehmanparast warned the West over repercussions that might go beyond Syria if destabilized.Syria, which borders Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Jordan, has regional influence because of its alliance with Iran and its continued role in Lebanon, despite ending a 29-year military presence there in 2005.Analysts say Iran, that sees itself as a bastion of Shi'ite Islam, is concerned about wider Sunni influence in the region.Iranians are trying to gain new allies to prevent expansion of Sunni's power in the region, said political analyst Ali Fazeli.Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia and the United States, which bases its Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, both fear Iran's rising influence in the region since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, analysts say.Mehmanparast said Iran had no intention to adopt hostile foreign policy toward any regional country.Boosting regional ties has always been a priority for Iran ... any country ... that blocks such convergence is moving in line with the Zionist regime's interests, Mehmanparast said, accusing Washington of creating discord among Muslims.In March, tension increased between Iran and Saudi Arabia, both major oil exporters, when about 1,000 Saudi soldiers entered Bahrain as part of an effort by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to help the island's Sunni Muslim elite cope with protests by members of its Shi'ite majority.