Israeli PM seeks 10-month new settlement halt
Wed Nov 25, 9:47 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is asking his government to approve a 10-month moratorium on new building permits for Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, his office said on Wednesday.As part of the efforts to kickstart peace efforts with the PA (Palestinian Authority) ... the prime minister will today ask the security cabinet to approve the temporary suspension of new construction permits for houses and new building starts in the West Bank, it said in a statement.
Israel's security cabinet began a meeting shortly after the statement was released.
The Palestinians have already warned that they would reject any Israeli offers of a partial or temporary halt to settlement activity.
US accuses 10 in Hezbollah weapons ring
Tue Nov 24, 7:29 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US prosecutors on Tuesday accused 10 people of having supported the Shiite militant group Hezbollah with weapons, fake passports, counterfeit money, stolen laptops and game consoles.It was the second set of such charges to be brought in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in as many days.Four of the men were indicted on Tuesday -- three from Lebanon and a fourth, Moussa Ali Hamdan, from New York -- on charges of conspiring to provide material support to Hezbollah. They faced 15 to 30 years in prison.
Another six were charged with related crimes.Forged in the early 1980s in response to Israel's invasion of Lebanon, Hezbollah has long been labeled a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel, although it is also a major political party in Lebanon.According to the indictment, Hassan Hodroj and Dib Hani Harb of Beirut sought to export to the Port of Latakia in Syria about 1,200 Colt M-4 machine guns in June at a price of some 1,800 dollars a piece with the help of a contact who was in fact an undercover federal agent.With the help of Hamdan and fellow Lebanese Hasan Antar Karaki, Harb is also accused of having sought to support Hezbollah using proceeds from the sale of fraudulent passports, stolen money and about 9,200 dollars in counterfeit US currency hidden inside a photo album.Harb told the undercover agent that the genuine stolen money came from a string of robberies led by Hezbollah supporters and later smuggled into Lebanon to raise funds for the group.He also claimed that Iran manufactured high-quality counterfeit US currency for the benefit of Hezbollah,the indictment said.Hamdan and three others -- two Americans and a Venezuelan -- were charged with having spearheaded the trafficking of over 1,500 cellphones, nearly 150 laptop computers, 400 Sony PlayStation 2 systems and three cars starting around late 2007.
The goods -- which the undercover agent presented as stolen and sold to the defendants for a total of over 153,000 dollars in New Jersey and Pennsylvania -- were transported to New Jersey, New York, Benin, Lebanon and Margarita Island, Venezuela.Hamdan, Hamze el-Najjar and Alaa Allia Ahmed Mohamed of Brooklyn, New York, Moustafa Habib Kassem of Staten Island, New York, Maodo Kane of the Bronx, New York and Michael Katz of Plainsboro, New Jersey were charged with having purchased several thousands dollars worth of purportedly counterfeit goods.Among the merchandise were over 5,500 pairs of Nike shoes and 334 Mitchell & Ness sports jerseys.Today, through the well-coordinated effort of all involved agencies, a blow has been struck to Hezbollah's efforts to fund its terrorism activities, said Special Agent-in-Charge Janice Fedarcyk of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Philadelphia division.Assistant Attorney General for National Security David Kris noted that the allegations contained in this complaint demonstrate how terrorist organizations rely on a variety of underlying criminal activities to fund and arm themselves.Five Lebanese nationals were charged on Monday for engaging in similar trafficking activities, including dual Slovakia and Lebanon resident Dani Nemr Tarraf, who allegedly sought to ship anti-aircraft Stinger missiles and about 10,000 Colt-M4 machine guns to Syria and other ports.
Spanish PM says Mideast peace efforts must continue
Tue Nov 24, 1:15 pm ET
CAIRO (AFP) – Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Tuesday that efforts to bring about peace in the Middle East must go on, despite the lack so far of tangible progress.It is necessary to keep expectations high, Zapatero told reporters in Cairo after talks with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Nazif.He said that while there had been no progress, there have been no steps backwards.The Spanish premier also discussed the latest regional developments with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and later with Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa.Peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians were suspended during the Gaza Strip war at the turn of the year.After Tuesday's talks, Nazif said Egypt and Spain had decided to boost bilateral cooperation, especially in the transport, infrastructure, energy and tourism sectors.Zapatero's visit to Egypt is part of a regional tour that also includes Syria, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon.
Obama doing nothing on Mideast peace: Abbas
Tue Nov 24, 12:04 pm ET
BUENOS AIRES (AFP) – US President Barack Obama is doing nothing right now to restart the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said in an interview published Tuesday.I hope he'll take a more important role in the future, Abbas told the Argentine daily Clarin during a visit to Buenos Aires.
The Palestinians are waiting for the United States to put pressure on Israel so it respects international law, so it takes up the road map towards peace, he said, according to publication's Spanish translation.It can do two things: put pressure on the Israelis so they reject settlements, and put pressure so they accept withdrawing to the 1967 borders.On Monday, in talks with Abbas, Argentine President Cristina Kirchner also said she wanted the United States to do more to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.We cannot ignore the role the United States has, by virtue of their particular weight, in bringing Israel back to the negotiating table, she told a joint news conference.Peace talks have been on hold since the beginning of the year and remain stalled over Israel's refusal to halt settlement construction, which the Palestinians have set as a precondition for negotiations.Obama and his administration have repeatedly called on the Israeli government to halt settlement construction in accordance with the road map peace plan.Last week, Obama criticized Israel's announcement that it would launch new construction in annexed east Jerusalem.Abbas's two-day visit to Buenos Aires was part of a tour of several South American nations. It came a week after Israeli President Shimon Peres visited Argentina and Brazil.After Argentina, he was to continue to Chile, Paraguay and Venezuela.
Argentina's president urges Middle East peace
Mon Nov 23, 3:16 pm ET
BUENOS AIRES – Argentina's president says Israel and the United States should do more to push for peace in the Middle East.Cristina Fernandez said while hosting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday that every participant needs to comply with international agreements.But she singled out the U.S. in particular, saying it can do more than it has. Last week, Fernandez urged visiting Israeli President Shimon Peres to recognize a Palestinian state.For his part, Abbas urged President Barack Obama and other Israeli allies to pressure Israel to stop building more settlements on land the Palestinians consider to be theirs.
