2010 PREDICTIONS - JOHN LOEFFLER AND CHRISTIAN FRIENDS
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Israel rejects Gaza war crimes accusations in UN response by Ron Bousso – Fri Jan 29, 3:37 pm ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel handed the United Nations on Friday a report on its military investigations into the Gaza war, rejecting accusations of war crimes and refusing to say whether it will hold an independent inquiry.UN chief Ban Ki-moon's office confirmed he had received a letter from Israel responding to allegations and that he was working on his response to the UN General Assembly.The Palestinian observer to the United Nations also said he had handed over his government's report on war crimes allegedly committed by Palestinian militants during the brief but bloody conflict.Israel's 46-page report said its army had examined 150 reports of wrongdoing during last year's war, of which 36 had been referred to criminal investigation.While admitting several fatal errors in judgment, the report denied any violations of international law during the war in which some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.The complexity and scale of such operations means that inevitably there are tragic instances, mistakes, and errors of judgment. Tragic results, including civilian death and damage to property do not necessarily mean that violations of international law have occurred,it said.The 36 cases under criminal investigation included 34 incidents addressed by a fact-finding mission by the UN Human Rights Council headed by South African international war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone, the report said.I think this report again proves the fact that the IDF (Israel Defence Force) is the most responsible and serious army and operates in the most moral way,Defence Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement earlier on Friday.He called the Goldstone report -- which accused both Israel and Palestinian armed groups of war crimes during the three weeks of fighting -- distorted, biased and unbalanced.
Hamas has also denied accusations of war crimes.
At the United Nations, Palestinian observer Riyad Mansour said the Palestinian Authority met the deadline in submitting what is required of it, referring to a call by the UN General Assembly last November for Israel and Hamas to conduct independent probes of the allegations by February 5.The Israeli report did not list all of the investigations it had carried out, but provided several detailed examples of its probes into some incidents.In one instance, the report said after investigating allegations that the army had used munitions containing white phosphorous -- banned by international war conventions -- that the army found its use was consistent with Israel?s obligations under international law.The report also summarised the Israeli army's internal judicial and investigative systems, comparing it to those of a number of Western armies, including Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States.
The report made no reference to whether the Israeli government would agree to form an independent inquiry committee.Information Minister Yuli Edelstein said earlier in the week that Israel rejected the demand for a verification commission to probe the devastating offensive launched on December 27, 2008 in response to Palestinian rocket fire.But Israeli media have said the government may agree to a limited probe to deflect some international criticism.In such a case the investigators would examine decisions and orders given by government officials and military top brass and would interview only senior officials, the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot said.
Leading Israeli human rights groups have urged Israel to establish, without delay, an independent and impartial investigation.The Hamas rulers of Gaza insisted this week their investigations showed that Palestinian fighters in the coastal strip did not target Israeli civilians during the war -- a stand rejected by Human Rights Watch. Hamas?s claim that rockets were intended to hit Israeli military targets and only accidentally harmed civilians is belied by the facts,the New York-based group said. The 575-page Goldstone report recommended that its conclusions be referred to the International Criminal Court prosecutor in The Hague if Israel and Hamas fail to carry out credible investigations.
Turkey offers to resume Israel-Syria mediation By Adrian Croft – Fri Jan 29, 1:45 pm ET
LONDON (Reuters) – Turkey is ready to try again to broker a peace agreement between Israel and Syria if both countries agree to resume the stalled initiative, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday.Davutoglu said Israel's 2008 invasion of Gaza scuttled a potential peace deal after Turkey mediated in indirect talks between Israel and Syria.Is it possible to restart it again? Yes, why not? Davutoglu said in response to a question about the talks.If the two countries agree to restart it, we can do it. As Turkey, we are ready, Davutoglu said at the International Institute of Strategic Studies thinktank in London.The Syrian side already declared they want to continue from where we left (off). The Israeli side, they have different views. Some coalition members are against, some are in favor. We will see,he said.If we see a strong political will, both in Israel and Syria, we will continue to support (peace efforts). We will support every attempt, step in the direction of peace.
INDIRECT TALKS
Israel and Syria held four indirect rounds of peace talks with Turkish mediation in 2008, but they were suspended following the resignation of then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in September that year.Syria said at the time of the Israeli offensive in Gaza at the end of 2008 that it ruled out a resumption of the indirect talks any time soon.But more recently, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has expressed interest in renewing negotiations with Israel.Syria wants an Israeli commitment to withdraw from the whole of the Golan Heights, the Syrian plateau that Israel occupied in the 1967 Middle East War.
Israel has said it was willing to resume the talks without preconditions.
George Mitchell, U.S. President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy, discussed reviving peace talks between Israel and Syria last week with Assad, who said Israel had to declare frankly it wants peace.Muslim but secular, Turkey has a history of military cooperation with Israel and has acted as an intermediary for the Jewish state with the Arab world.But relations have soured recently as Turkey repeatedly criticized Israel's offensive in Palestinian-ruled Gaza.Syria has meanwhile improved its ties with Turkey, making Israeli officials wary of Turkey resuming a mediation role.
Davutoglu repeated that the Israel-Syria peace talks had been making progress when Israel launched the Gaza offensive.Turkey was concerned with the policies of Israel because of Gaza,he said, adding: Criticizing one policy of an Israeli government does not mean the end of Turkish-Israel relations.(Editing by Tim Castle)
US pledges to push hard on Mideast
Fri Jan 29, 1:34 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The White House pledged Friday to push hard to relaunch Middle East peace talks in 2010, warning that Iran may try to exacerbate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.National Security Adviser James Jones acknowledged it was a major disappointment that President Barack Obama's administration was unable to jumpstart negotiations in its first year.But that doesn't mean we're going to stop trying. We will continue to work this issue very hard, Jones, a retired general, said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank.Our goal remains as stated -- both parties should return to negotiations without preconditions. The United States will not waver in our commitments to Israel's security and we will not waver in our support for Palestinian aspirations.He pointed to the latest shuttle diplomacy to the Middle East this week by Obama's envoy, former senator George Mitchell, who met with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.Jones warned that Iran may step up violence in the region through its Islamist allies -- Hamas in the Palestinian territories and Hezbollah in Lebanon.History shows that when regimes are feeling pressure as Iran is internally and will externally in the near future, it often lashes out through its surrogates, he said.He pointed to Iran's internal political tensions along with pressure on the Islamic republic over its nuclear ambitions.
Palestinian PM sees point of agreement with Hamas on security
Fri Jan 29, 12:51 pm ET
DAVOS (AFP) – Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said Friday the Palestinian Authority and the Islamist group Hamas could build on a de facto agreement on security.Politicians from the Palestinian Authority have consistently said there can be no political pluralism but not pluralism on the matter of security, no tolerance to violence,Fayyad said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.Look at what is happening in Gaza at the moment -- it is clear that Hamas has been trying to prevent attacks on Israel, it is no secret, it has been trying to do that, it is not saying it is doing it but it is doing it,said the PM.I believe there is a point of agreement, an advantage that should be taken, it is key, he said.Why can't we as a whole, a Palestinian whole, make that policy and say to the world: this is Palestinians subscribing to this policy and let us see what they can do politically, he asked.He noted that dealing with security issues has been as important, even more important than coming to terms on the political programme.Fayyad has criticised however the fact that the world was not insisting enough on democratic values in its approach of the Gaza problem, notably the refusal of Hamas to hold elections.He reiterated that reunification is a condition for a global Palestinian solution: there must be a state in Gaza and in the West Bank, with east Jerusalem as capital.
Islamic singer agrees to remain jailed in Michigan By ED WHITE, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 28, 9:31 pm ET
DETROIT – A prominent Islamic singer accused of concealing ties to a terrorist group was duped into believing the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development worked only for needy people, his lawyer said Thursday.Mohamad Masfaka, also known as the singer Abu Ratib, agreed to remain jailed in Detroit while his case moves through federal court.Masfaka, 47, is charged with making false statements to the FBI, perjury and attempted fraud in naturalization proceedings. The government alleges he was the Holy Land Foundation's Detroit-area representative in 1997 and 1998, but failed to mention his employment in a 2002 application for naturalization.The U.S. government labeled the foundation a terrorist group in 2001, alleging it had provided money and support to Hamas, a Palestinian militant group designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 1995.He acknowledges he worked for (Holy Land) as a singer, defense lawyer Doraid Elder said outside court Thursday.It's not cut and dried to say he was employed. Was he affiliated? Yes. ... He was duped. People who donated money thought it was a noble cause.The government said in a court document that it has video of Masfaka praising Hamas in songs at foundation fundraisers. The dates and locations are not listed.
In the name of God the Most Great, smash those filthy ones. With the knife and the dagger and with your stones and the ax,Masfaka sang, according to the FBI.Elder said he doesn't agree with the song, but this is America and Masfaka has free-speech rights. Masfaka also has performed in Europe and the Middle East.He's very, very popular, Elder said.Masfaka was arrested last week while entering the United States at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Ontario, Canada. His wife and five children live in Farmington Hills, a Detroit suburb, although he has been outside the U.S. for more than a year. Elder said the native of Syria knew he would be arrested.In 2008, a federal jury in Texas convicted five Holy Land Foundation employees of providing support to Hamas. Mufid Abdelquader, who played with Masfaka at fundraising events, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Jebson said.
Obama urges Mideast compromise toward talks By Ross Colvin – Thu Jan 28, 5:29 pm ET
TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday urged Israel and the Palestinians to make compromises to help revive peace talks, signaling he has not given up Middle East diplomacy despite his administration's shaky efforts so far.
Speaking at a townhall-style meeting in Florida, Obama said he was still working to bring the two sides to the negotiating table to resume a peace process that has been frozen for the past 13 months.He also reasserted his administration's ability to act as an even-handed broker, saying he was committed to Israel's security but also was sympathetic to the Palestinians' plight.We are working to try to strengthen the ability of both parties to sit down across the table and to begin serious negotiations, Obama said.His efforts to restart talks have made little progress since he took office a year ago with a commitment to make ending the 62-year-old conflict a high priority. Critics say he was naive about obstacles such as Israeli settlement building.Obama blamed internal politics both in Israel and the Palestinian territories for constraining peace diplomacy.
He cited problems faced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who the president said is making some effort to move a little bit further than his coalition wants to go.Netanyahu's right-leaning government includes pro-settler parties strongly opposed to ceding occupied land to the Palestinians for a future state.
Obama said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wants peace but has to contend with Hamas, an Islamist group that denies Israel's right to exist. Abbas, a pro-U.S. moderate, is also weakened by Hamas's control of the Gaza Strip.Both sides are going to have to make compromises, Obama said, calling on Israelis to acknowledge Palestinians' legitimate grievances and for the Palestinians to unequivocally renounce violence against the Jewish state.Obama declined, under questioning from an audience member, to condemn Israel for its treatment of Palestinians.Israel is one of our strongest allies,he said.I will never waver from ensuring Israel's security.
But he insisted, The plight of the Palestinians is something that we have to pay attention to. It is not good for our security and for Israel's security if you have millions of individuals who feel hopeless.Many in the Muslim world accused Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, of bias in favor of Israel. Obama had pledged full engagement in Middle East peace efforts, something the Bush administration was widely seen as avoiding.Despite that, Obama made no mention of the Middle East conflict in his State of the Union speech on Wednesday.(Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Paul Simao)
No ray of hope for Palestinian statehood: Moroccan PM
Thu Jan 28, 1:00 pm ET
WARSAW (AFP) – Moroccan Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi said Thursday he currently saw no hope for the creation of a Palestinian state, as he paid an official Thursday visit to the Polish capital Warsaw.We see no ray of hope for a Palestinian state today,he said at a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk.Of course, Arabs definitively accept Israel, but on the condition there is a Palestinian state.Today there is just one state, Israel, and the oppressed Palestinian people who suffer repression,he added.The Moroccan government head said the issue of the creation of a Palestinian state ought to be on the agenda of the EU-Morocco summit in March in Granada, Spain.Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians were suspended amid Israel's military offensive in the Gaza strip between December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009.The Palestinians have said they will not restart negotiations without a complete freeze of Israeli settlements and have rejected as insufficient a limited 10-month moratorium imposed in November.
Spain takes command of UN force in Lebanon
Thu Jan 28, 11:50 am ET
BEIRUT (AFP) – Spain on Thursday took over from Italy at the head of a 12,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon that was set up in 1978 to monitor the country's border with Israel.Spanish General Alberto Asarta Cuevas took over command of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon from Italian General Claudio Graziano at a ceremony at UNIFIL headquarters in Naqura near Lebanon's southern border.In his farewell speech, Graziano, who served as UNIFIL chief since February 2007, said both Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah had mostly upheld their commitment to the cessation of hostilities.Asarta, 58, is the force's 12th commander. Prior to his Lebanon posting, he served as the advisor to the Spanish army's chief of staff.From my point of view, the desired end state is to establish sustainable peace and stability in southern Lebanon, but this is a political problem that cannot be solved by UNIFIL,Asarta said at the exchange of command.
Present at the ceremony were Spanish Defence Minister Carme Chacon, Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr and a number of other officials.UNIFIL was established during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war under UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426 and beefed up in 2006, under Resolution 1701.The latest resolution lead to a ceasefire ending the devastating month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah, and the expanded force has been deployed to monitor the border and keep the peace in southern Lebanon, largely a Hezbollah-controlled zone.UNIFIL currently counts 12,000 troops from 29 countries. Italy has the largest contingent with 2,500 soldiers, while Spain contributes 1,070 soldiers.Since UNIFIL's founding, 275 of its soldiers have died in service.The last major attack targeted a Spanish contingent in June 2007, killing three Spaniards and three Colombians on patrol.Spain is set to hold the rotating presidency of the European Union during the first half of 2010, and political analysts say Madrid is keen to take control of UNIFIL in order to raise its Middle East profile.In October, Israel asked Italy to try to remain at the head of the force for at least another six months rather than handing over to Spain as planned, a senior Israeli official told AFP at the time.Israel and Spain denied any disagreement, but Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak canceled a visit to Madrid that month for what Spain said were agenda reasons.
HRW claim Hamas did target civilians in Gaza war
Thu Jan 28, 5:37 am ET
GAZA CITY (AFP) – Human Rights Watch on Thursday rejected Hamas claims that the Islamists did not target civilians during Israel's devastating Gaza offensive just over a year ago.Hamas?s claim that rockets were intended to hit Israeli military targets and only accidentally harmed civilians is belied by the facts, the New York-based group said.HRW issued its statement after the Islamist rulers of the Gaza Strip said its investigations of allegations in a UN report on the Gaza war found that they and other Palestinian armed groups struck military targets and avoided civilian targets.HRW pointed out that most of the rocket attacks on Israel hit civilian areas. Civilians were the target, the rights group said, adding that deliberately targeting civilians is a war crime.The UN report into the 22-day Gaza offensive published in September also said the firing of the hard-to-aim rockets at southern Israel deliberately targeted civilians and could constitute a crime against humanity.
The report authored by the respected former international prosecutor Richard Goldstone accused both Israel and Palestinian groups of war crimes during the conflict, which killed 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.HRW rejected claims Hamas made during the war that attacks against Israeli civilians were justified reprisals for attacks on Palestinians and lawful resistance against occupation.The rights group stressed that under the laws of war nothing can justify an attack against civilians, and violations by one side do not justify violations by the other.The Goldstone report recommended its findings be referred to the International Criminal Court in the Hague if Israel and Hamas failed to carry out credible, independent investigations.Israel has rejected the report as anti-Semitic despite the fact Goldstone is Jewish, because it accuses Israeli troops of deliberately targeting civilians and destroying vital infrastructure.
