Israel's Hamas prisoner bill passes initial reading
Wed May 26, 2:11 pm ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – An Israeli bill seeking to toughen the conditions under which Hamas prisoners are held passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset on Wednesday by 52 votes to 10, legislator Jamal Zahalka said.The bill, which on Sunday won the backing of the ruling coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comes in response to a stalemate over the fate of soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held by Hamas militants since 2006.The 120-seat Knesset also gave a preliminary reading to another draft law which would revoke the citizenship of anyone convicted of spying for a terror organisation.Each bill would need to pass a further three readings in the parliament before becoming law.Dubbed the Shalit law, the prisoners bill would end family visits to Hamas inmates, restrict their access to newspapers, television and study and allow them to held in solitary confinement for an unlimited time.Zahalka, a member of Israel's Arab minority, said he saw it as a measure to put psychological pressure on Hamas and reassure the Israeli public that the government was doing its utmost to free Shalit.The goal of the proposed law against the Hamas prisoners is to threaten Hamas, and to put pressure on it to agree to a deal to release the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, he told AFP.I doubt these laws will continue to move forward and get final approval, he added, without elaborating.
Likud Knesset member Danny Danon, one of those who sponsored the bill, said that if enacted it would bring to an end the VIP treatment enjoyed by Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails.This law is a statement to Hamas: We have had enough. The party is over. From today, we will speak with you in language you understand,Danon told the assembly.On Sunday, the ministerial committee on legislation voted to back the bill, thereby strengthening its chances of passing into law, although legislators said its provisions are likely to be watered down before that happens.
Hamas on Sunday said the move would not achieve anything.
Shalit, now 23, was captured in June 2006 by Hamas and two smaller armed groups in a cross-border raid in which two other soldiers were killed.He is believed to be held in a secret location somewhere in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.Israel is reportedly prepared to release around 450 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit, who also holds French citizenship.But negotiations for a possible exchange hit a dead end in December, when Israel presented an offer through a German mediator to which Hamas has yet to officially respond. Each side has blamed the other over the stalled talks.
Lebanese army fires on Israeli warplanes: military
Wed May 26, 1:32 pm ET
BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanese anti-aircraft guns opened fire on two Israeli warplanes that were violating Lebanon's airspace on Wednesday, a military statement said.The anti-aircraft batteries fired in the direction of Israeli warplanes that flew over the Shebaa region of southern Lebanon at medium altitude, the statement said.Earlier in the day, two aircraft flew over southern and northern Lebanon before returning to Israeli territory, it said.While Lebanon's army publishes almost daily reports of Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace, the military rarely opens fire unless the planes fly within range of its guns.The overflights are a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a devastating 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah militia.Israel argues that the overflights are necessary, despite the resolution, to monitor what it says is massive arms smuggling by Hezbollah, also in breach of the same resolution.Last month Israeli President Shimon Peres accused Syria of providing Scud missiles to Hezbollah, which Israel alleges has stockpiled more than 40,000 rockets, some capable of reaching large towns in Israel.Damascus has rejected the allegation but the armed Hezbollah which controls southern Lebanon has neither confirmed nor denied it.
Sirens wail across Israel in huge defence drill
Wed May 26, 11:48 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Air raid sirens wailed across Israel on Wednesday at the peak of a five-day civil defence exercise to test the Jewish state's defences in the event of war, the army said.The sirens sounded at 11:00 am (0800 GMT) for 90 seconds, sending civilians across the country scurrying into their nearest bomb shelter or protected space where they waited for 10 minutes until the all-clear.Radio stations broadcast a pre-recorded message saying the sirens were part of a drill but asking people to go down to the shelters.Motorists, however, were not expected to participate in the nationwide exercise. Dubbed Turning Point 4, it kicked off on Sunday with the aim of preparing the country for any future rocket attack from Gaza, Lebanon or Syria.In the Jewish settlement of Elon Moreh, near northern the West Bank city of Nablus, officials acted out a scenario in which large numbers of refugees arrived from Tel Aviv in search of a haven from rockets hitting the coast, an AFP correspondent said.
But Israel has sought to reassure neighbouring Lebanon and Syria that the exercise, which ends on Thursday, is not hostile.This is a routine exercise which has been scheduled for a long time and is not the result of any unusual security development, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as the exercise began on Sunday.Israel seeks calm, stability and peace but it is no secret that we live in a region where there is a threat from missiles and rockets, he added.It is the fourth such drill held since a 2006 war with Lebanon's Hezbollah militia and aims to fine-tune emergency procedures in the event of a new rocket barrage against the Jewish state.During the Lebanon war, some 300,000 Israelis fled from border regions under relentless Hezbollah rocket attacks.Since then, Israeli military experts believe Hezbollah has stockpiled more than 40,000 rockets. Israeli officials have also charged that Syria has supplied the militia with Scud missiles, something Damascus has denied.In the 1991 Gulf war, then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein fired more than 30 Scud missiles at Israel, killing one person, wounding more than 170 and causing extensive property damage.
OECD sees healthy Israel growth but poverty still rife by Steve Weizman – Wed May 26, 11:22 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – The OECD on Wednesday said prospective new member Israel was expected to enjoy healthy 3.8 percent economic growth this year, with a fall in inflation in the near term.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to formally accept the invitation to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development at its Paris headquarters on Thursday.In its outlook released on Wednesday, the organisation forecast a further rise in Israel's gross domestic product (GDP) of 4.2 percent in 2011.Israel's GDP grew by 0.7 percent in 2009, compared to an OECD average of minus 3.3 percent.The organisation predicted that the rise in Israeli consumer prices would slow to 1.7 percent in 2010 from 3.3 percent last year, but would speed up again in 2011 with a 2.6 percent increase.In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Israel was plagued by triple-digit inflation and forced to repeatedly devalue its currency.Emerging from the doldrums, Israel in 1994 sent observers to the OECD in what was the first step on a long road to membership.After the invitation was announced on May 10, Netanyahu said joining the group would open up new sources of capital for Israel.
With membership, Israel's status with foreign investment funds switches from an emerging economy to a developed one.In a special press conference to mark the invitation Netanyahu, said there was also a diplomatic and perceptual dividend for Israel in being recognised for its technological and economic achievements rather than being seen only in the context of its conflict with the Palestinians.And he pointed out that Israel's accession had been agreed by a consensus of the 31 existing OECD members -- any of which could have cast a veto.Israel's per capita gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at 28,400 dollars (23,000 euros) in 2009, which would place it 22nd among the organisation's 31 members.This is behind Italy but ahead of South Korea, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Chile, Mexico and Turkey.Netanyahu says Israel's goal is to be in the top 15 countries within a decade.Unlike most economies, Israel managed to withstand the economic downturn which has been sweeping the global economy, with the OECD praising the government's response to the slump in a report published in January.Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer said Israel's conservative and closely supervised banking system" and the absence of mortgage-backed assets in capital markets had cushioned it from the worst of the global economic turmoil.
But there are still many challenges ahead.
By the OECD's definition, 20 percent of Israel's population of 7.6 million currently live below the poverty line -- more than in any member state. And about 40 percent of people of working age have no jobs, compared to about 33 percent in OECD countries, the organisation reported in January. This is largely due to cultural traditions among Israel's large Arab and ultra-Orthodox Jewish minorities -- each of which has low participation in the workforce but higher than average birthrates. All told, nearly half of children entering primary school belong to one or other of these communities,the OECD said. Israel will have to take action on a number of fronts including education, training, childcare, support for jobseekers and working conditions if it is to ensure these children do not inherit their parents? economic disadvantage, the OECD said. Jerusalem's Taub Center for Social Policy Studies said the current trend must change, or Israel will find it hard to survive. In order for tomorrow's adults to be employed 30 years from now, then today's pupils need to receive an education befitting the needs of a modern economy, it said last week. This is not the situation today in Israel. The country's level of education in the core curriculum subjects is the lowest among advanced Western countries and among (ultra-Orthodox) and Israeli Arab pupils, it is even lower.The centre's director, Daniel Ben-David said one benefit of OECD membership would be having to regularly supply economic data which would be published and compared with that of other members. It will hold a mirror up to our faces,he told AFP on Tuesday.Reporters who watch these things will write about our performance and that will put pressure on our policymakers.
Hezbollah vows to bomb ships in event of new war with Israel by Jocelyne Zablit – Tue May 25, 5:16 pm ET
BEIRUT (AFP) – Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said on Tuesday that his militants would bomb military, civilian and commercial ships heading to Israel in the event of a new war with the Jewish state.If you (Israel) launch a new war on Lebanon, if you blockade our coastline, all military, civilian or commercial ships heading through the Mediterranean to occupied Palestine will be targetted by the Islamic resistance, said Nasrallah in a speech transmitted via video link to thousands of supporters massed in Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs.Whether along the northern or southern Israeli shore, we can target ships, bomb them and hit them God willing, he added, speaking on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after a 22-year occupation.When the world sees how these ships are destroyed, no one will dare go there (Israel), he added.You will forgive me if one ship manages to slip through.Nasrallah also reiterated past threats of bombing Israeli airports and other strategic targets if a new war erupts.His speech came against a backdrop of tension in the region following allegations that the Shiite party, which fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006, was stockpiling sophisticated new weapons in anticipation of a new conflict.
Nasrallah said in his hour-long speech that he would not comment on his party's military capacity so as to reserve a surprise for Israel in the event of a new conflict.The enemy is scared and we will keep him scared, he said, referring to Israel.But you (the Lebanese) should feel assured because the equation has changed.
In the next war, we will resist, come out victorious and change the face of the region God willing, he added to applause.Nasrallah accused Israeli leaders of spreading allegations that Syria was transferring Scud missiles to Hezbollah in order to garner further US financial assistance.The whole brouhaha over the Scuds was so that Israel could get 200 or 250 million dollars in aid from the US Congress, he claimed.Despite its economic crisis, the US finds money to assist Israel.He said his party was not seeking a new conflict and would neither confirm nor deny Israel's allegations concerning the Scuds.If you are strong, the world respects you and talks to you and takes you into account, he said.And as such we can impose our conditions.
If you are weak, you will be eaten.His speech came as Prime Minister Saad Hariri was on his first official visit to the United States, where he met on Monday with President Barack Obama, who raised the issue of illegal arms smuggled into Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Hariri was to address the UN Security Council, chaired this month by Lebanon.Hezbollah, blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Washington, has two ministers in the Lebanese government.It is the only faction that refused to disarm following the country's 1975-1990 civil war, claiming its arsenal was needed to defend Lebanon against any Israeli aggression.
Israeli police question ex-PM Olmert on bribe case By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer – Tue May 25, 10:25 am ET
JERUSALEM – Israeli fraud investigators grilled former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for eight hours on Tuesday, police said, questioning him about suspected bribery and money laundering in a multimillion dollar real-estate scandal that has rocked the country.Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Olmert was ordered to return to the headquarters of the national anti-fraud unit for further questioning on Sunday.
Rosenfeld said Olmert is suspected of accepting illicit payments, money laundering and violating the public trust while he was mayor of Jerusalem and Israel's trade minister — positions he held before becoming prime minister in 2006. He has not been charged in the case.Olmert has denied all the allegations against him, calling them a witch hunt. He says he never accepted a bribe during his three-decade-long political career.Olmert is already standing trial on separate charges of accepting illicit funds from an American supporter and double-billing Jewish groups for trips abroad — also before he became prime minister.But police say the scope of the latest corruption affair dwarfs the others.Police say millions of dollars illegally changed hands to promote several real estate projects, including a controversial residential development in Jerusalem that required a radical change in zoning laws. The sprawling Holyland housing development, built on a prominent hilltop, is widely seen as a symbol of government corruption.Police have already briefly arrested and questioned another former Jerusalem mayor, Uri Lupolianski, and other close Olmert associates in the affair.Olmert, 63, arrived at the national fraud squad headquarters in central Jerusalem early Tuesday, as television cameras captured his car driving from his home to the police station.Ahead of the interrogation, Olmert spokesman Amir Dan said the questioning would finally allow Olmert to address the accusations after six weeks of baseless leaks.Olmert has stressed more than once that he was never offered a bribe and never accepted a bribe, not directly and not indirectly,Dan said in a statement. Dan's office did not return messages after the interrogation ended.Olmert was prime minister from 2006 to 2009. His tenure was marked by wars against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon and Hamas militants in Gaza, in addition to intense peace negotiations with the Palestinians.He resigned in response to the corruption charges, which all related to his activities before becoming prime minister.
IMF: Mideast, NAfrica economies rebounding in 2010 By TAREK EL-TABLAWY, AP Business Writer – Tue May 25, 9:38 am ET
CAIRO – Mideast and North African oil exporters will see a strong recovery in 2010, pulled ahead by increasing capital inflows and oil prices, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday even as it lowered its projection for the countries' growth amid a sharp drop in oil prices and worries about Europe's debt crisis.In a report on the region, the IMF also warned that concerns remained about the banking sector in these nations — mainly stemming from slow credit growth.The IMF said MENA oil exporters were projected to see a combined growth rate of 4.2 percent — down slightly from the 4.5 percent growth it had projected last month in its World Economic Outlook. Since that report's release, crude prices have plummeted over 20 percent amid concerns that Europe's debt crisis could undercut the global economic recovery currently under way.Growth is gathering momentum in 2010, helped by the pickup in capital inflows and resurgence in domestic consumption, IMF Middle East and Central Asia Director Masood Ahmed said.However, this positive perspective is clouded by some stress in the banking system and lethargic credit activity across the region.MENA exporters, which include OPEC nations like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Libya and Algeria, account for about 30 percent of the world's supply of oil. But their economies were hard hit when the global economic meltdown battered oil prices. Crude only began to rebound last year.
The IMF said the combined current account surplus of MENA oil exporters fell to $53 billion in 2009 from $362 billion in 2008.The drop came at a time when global credit markets were drying up, draining with them the sources of ready cash on which some of the countries had relied to fuel their growth. The default worries that emerged last year linked to Dubai World, a conglomerate owned by the UAE sheikdom of Dubai, offered one of the first and most compelling examples of the debt challenges confronting some Gulf nations.While they enacted aggressive stimulus packages, their reliance on oil has left them vulnerable to volatility in the crude futures market.
The benchmark crude oil contract for July delivery fell below $68 a barrel Tuesday, dragged down by declining share prices and fears of weaker global economic growth.
That has put crude below the comfort zone of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries — the producer bloc that has, for over a year, resisted changing its official output quotas for fear that a drastic reduction in output to shore up prices could further jeopardize economic recovery efforts worldwide.The big picture for oil exporters is that after a difficult year, economic prospects of the region are now beginning to look brighter on a variety of fronts, but there are a couple of areas of policy challenges, Ahmed said.The report pointed to sluggish credit growth to the private sector, losses on non-performing loans that have yet to be fully recognized, and the delicate balancing act of phasing out stimulus measures.Beyond this year, the stimulus measures should be gradually unwound to avoid additional fiscal pressures, in particular for countries that already have high levels of debt, he said.Aisha Tariq in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
Obama, Hariri discuss Lebanon weapons threat
Mon May 24, 6:26 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama on Monday discussed with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri the threat posed by illegal arms smuggled into Lebanon amid Israeli warnings to its neighbor.Regional tensions have been mounting over claims the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which is based in southern Lebanon just across the border from Israel, is stockpiling sophisticated weaponry in anticipation of war.
Analysts said before Hariri arrived that he was expected to seek US assurances during his five-day trip that the Obama administration will use its influence with Israel to ease the mounting tensions.Obama stressed the threat posed by the transfer of weapons into Lebanon in violation of UN resolutions, the White House said in a statement issued after the talks which did not feature the usual joint press appearance.The White House also appeared to pressure Hariri to back growing moves to impose new sanctions on Iran over its refusal to rein in its suspect nuclear program.
The president stressed the importance of efforts to ensure Iran complies with its international nonproliferation obligations, the White House statement said.Lebanon, which has two members from the pro-Iranian Hezbollah as part of the government, is perceived to be one of the countries on the 15-member UN Security Council opposed to new sanctions. The others are Turkey and Brazil.Obama added Washington would continue efforts to support and strengthen Lebanese institutions such as the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces.Hezbollah, which fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006 and is blacklisted by Washington as a terrorist organization, is the only faction that refused to disarm following the 1975-1990 civil war.In recent months Israel has repeatedly accused Syria of arming Hezbollah with Scud missiles and other weaponry, and warned that in the event of a new conflict it will consider Lebanon, rather than just Hezbollah, as its enemy.The threats have sparked war jitters and prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity to ease tensions in the region.Hariri urged continued US support to help Lebanon's defense capability and to help our security institutions exercise control over all Lebanese territories, he said in a statement.He added that Beirut believed stability in Lebanon, which has seen decades of political upheaval and civil unrest, depends ultimately on the attainment of a just peaceful settlement in the region.The clock is ticking. And it is ticking against us. Against all those who believe in a just peace, Hariri said.Failure will nurture more extremism and give birth to new forms of violence. This poses great dangers to everyone in the Middle East and to the world at large.
The Arab-Israeli peace process was also the focus in Hariri's talks with top US officials ahead of the White House meeting.We discussed the key role of Lebanon in the long-term effort to build a lasting, comprehensive peace in the Middle East, said Jeffrey Feltman, the assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs.
Realizing this goal will help the region move forward and enjoy greater prosperity and stability. The importance of achieving this is clear to everyone, Feltman told reporters. The United States has focused its regional diplomacy on reviving direct Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations while at the same time pressing for a resumption of Israel's negotiations with both Syria and Lebanon. A senior State Department official also told reporters on condition of anonymity that Feltman and Hariri talked about the importance of the upcoming vote on the resolution for new UN Security Council sanctions against Iran. The UN force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has some 13,000 troops from various countries stationed in southern Lebanon. The force, set up in 1978 to monitor the border between Israel and southern Lebanon, was considerably beefed up in the wake of the devastating 2006 war.
Israel urges Palestinians to choose economic peace
Mon May 24, 11:56 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel on Monday urged the Palestinians to pursue economic peace with the Jewish state and to avoid any steps which would harm its development.The Palestinian Authority needs to choose if it wants peace and an improved standard of living, or if they want further collisions and to eternalise the conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his right-wing Likud party.Israel wants peace with the Palestinians and an increased standard of living (for both peoples), to reach a real agreement that gives security and prosperity, he said.Intelligence Minister Dan Meridor, a member of Netanyahu's cabinet, also accused the Palestinians of shooting themselves in the foot over a campaign to boycott products from Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.We do a lot to improve their economic situation. At the same time, they make their economic life more difficult, he told reporters in Jerusalem.What we need to see is more economic cooperation, more economic growth. What I see in the boycott is just the opposite, said Meridor who is also minister for intelligence and atomic energy.Last month, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas approved a law banning trade in goods produced in settlements after a months-long campaign that has featured the public burning of products.
Those found guilty of trading in settlement goods face two to five years in prison and fines of up to 22,000 dollars (16,400 euros).The Yesha Council, the main settlers' organisation, has decried the campaign as an act of terrorism and ill will.
Netanyahu focused his remarks on Palestinian efforts to prevent Israel's acceptance into the prestigious Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.This is an interesting test case for us because the Palestinian Authority opposed our acceptance until the last minute, Netanyahu said.This is particularly stark given that in the last year we have removed hundreds of roadblocks to allow greater freedom of movement and trade in the Palestinian Authority and worked to encourage investment.Israel is to be formally accepted into the OECD at a ceremony in Paris on Thursday.Netanyahu did not mention the boycott, but said he hoped the Palestinians would choose the right path in the near future.The OECD coordinates economic policy among the leading industrialised nations, and its members represent an unofficial list of the most developed countries.Palestinian groups had argued that letting Israel join would be a breach of the OECD's commitment to human rights because of the Jewish state's continuing occupation of Palestinian land and its treatment of the Palestinians.
EU aid to Palestinians may shrink if talks fail
Mon May 24, 8:53 am ET
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The European Union could rethink the future size of its 300 million euro ($370 million) aid budget for Palestinians if no progress is made toward peace soon, EU diplomats said Monday.The aid is supposed to prepare the Palestinians for a peace treaty with Israel that will give them their own state, but if that isn't coming then I can see a number of questions, said Christian Berger, the EU's representative in Jerusalem.The annual assistance given to the Palestinians over the past 16 years represents the EU's highest per capita foreign aid program. The current seven-year budget, part of which funds United Nations support projects, is locked in until 2013.A delegation from the European Parliament is visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories this week and would certainly be asking if at the end of the day we don't have a state, then what are we doing with the money,Berger added.
EU Ambassador to Israel Andrew Standley said discussions on the next seven-year budget would start soon and focus on how best to spend the money.There was a debate about whether it should be spent mostly on reducing poverty or more should be devoted to projects that advanced EU geopolitical goals, he said.After 16 months without negotiations of any kind, Israel and the Palestinians began indirect talks this month on a peace treaty via United States mediator George Mitchell.If there's a breakthrough then I guess there's a likelihood that our support will be increased, Berger told reporters at a briefing of EU delegation heads.A two-year plan by Western-backed Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to build the institutions of a state was well on track, Berger said. The Palestinian Authority was performing better than some states which are states already.About 71 million euros of the total 2010 aid package is going to support the Fayyad plan, which is supposed to be complete by August 2011. The visiting EU parliamentarians know Fayyad will be seeking more money later this year to cover a shortfall.Israel is concerned that if peace talks do not result in a treaty to resolve the 62-year-old conflict, the Palestinian leadership might declare statehood unilaterally, with the hope of support from the 27-member EU.The EU diplomats said they believed seven European countries that are now EU members had already recognized a Palestinian state before they joined the EU and currently hosted Palestinian embassies in their capitals.
(Reporting by Douglas Hamilton; editing by David Stamp)
Syria's Assad says US has lost Mideast peace influence
Mon May 24, 5:47 am ET
ROME (AFP) – The United States has lost its influence in the Middle East peace process despite the hopes raised by President Barack Obama, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview published Monday.Assad was quoted as telling the Italian daily La Repubblica that Washington has no influence because they don't do anything for peace. But they remain the greatest power.Obama raised hopes but we cannot wait any more, he said, adding that a new era has been born in the Middle East including an understanding between its major powers that was reshaping the region.He pointed to a similar phenomenon throughout the world, with countries such as China and Brazil refusing to wait for the United States to hand out roles.Assad said there had been a realisation that the United States and Europe had failed to resolve the problems of the Middle East, noting that Russia was trying to rebuild its own role in the region.On relations with Israel, the Syrian leader said that if Israel was ready to return the Golan Heights to Syria we would not be able to say no to a peace treaty.But he added that any deal would have to include a complete solution of the Palestinian issue and that he thought Israel was not ready for an accord at the moment.
French FM calls for easing of tensions by Jean-Louis de la Vaissiere – Sun May 23, 10:33 am ET
BEIRUT (AFP) – French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called on Sunday for an easing of tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbours, urging all sides to respect a 2006 ceasefire in Lebanon.We cannot be resigned to a constant state of tension, even if it is decreasing, Kouchner told journalists on his plane to Beirut after a meeting in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.On landing in the Lebanese capital, Kouchner went into talks with President Michel Sleiman and later continued on to Cairo to meet his Egyptian and Spanish counterparts, Ahmed Abul Gheit and Miguel Angel Moratinos.Minister Kouchner informed the president that his regional tour aims to ease recent tension, which began to decline over the past few days especially as concerns Israel's threats, Sleiman's office said after the meeting.France's foreign minister in his briefing of reporters travelling with him renewed an appeal for all sides to respect UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended a devastating month-long war in 2006 between Israel and Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah.The resolution bans the supply of arms to the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah.In Damascus, Kouchner expressed France's concern over Hezbollah's weaponry, to which Assad gave assurances it was not in the interests of Damascus, Tehran or Hezbollah to trigger a new conflict, a French diplomatic source said.
The source, asking not to be named, said that France as a peace broker also wanted to encourage Syria to ease tensions in the region and not to facilitate the delivery of arms to Hezbollah.Israeli President Shimon Peres sparked controversy last month when he accused Syria of supplying Hezbollah with Scud missiles, a charge Damascus has staunchly rejected.In the meeting with Kouchner, Assad accused the West of overlooking Israeli violations in the region.The region has changed and the West's policy in the area is no longer acceptable, keeping silent over Israeli violations is no longer acceptable,Syria's official news agency SANA quoted Assad as saying.
If the West wants security and stability to be established in the Middle East, they (Western countries) must start to play an effective role to contain Israel and put an end to its extremist policies, Assad said.He also told Kouchner that countries pushing for UN sanctions against Iran should change their stance, because Tehran's nuclear programme was aimed at civilian pursuits, SANA reported.The countries concerned should modify their approach concerning Iran's civilian nuclear programme, he said.Assad said an accord signed in Tehran last week after three-way talks with the leaders of Brazil and Turkey, whereby Iran would swap its low-grade uranium for enriched nuclear fuel, was an important step toward a diplomatic solution.On Saturday, Kouchner said Iran was still courting sanctions despite the nuclear fuel accord because it still refused to stop enrichment as demanded by the UN's nuclear watchdog.After Damascus, Kouchner travelled to Beirut from where left for Cairo to wind up his regional tour.
Hezbollah promotes itself through jihadi tourism By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer – Sat May 22, 4:21 pm ET
SOJOD, Lebanon – The students clapped and cheered as a Hezbollah fighter perched on a rocket launcher paraded past. Later, they snapped photographs with guerrila fighters, getting a firsthand account of the group's tactics against Israel on the battlefield.Excursions like the one more than 400 Lebanese university students took Saturday to a Hezbollah stronghold in south Lebanon are part of the militant group's push to promote itself through jihadi tourism to mark the 10th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The efforts also include a sprawling new war museum touting Hezbollah's history.It's a way for the militant group to showcase its military prowess at a time when Israel and the U.S. say the Iranian-backed group is acquiring more sophisticated weaponry.We are bringing students to the area previously occupied by Israel, to show them how the resistance, with its meager capabilities, was able to defeat the strongest army in the world, said Jihad Hammoud, one of the organizers of the student tours.Hezbollah guerrillas waged a war of attrition against Israeli forces occupying a strip of Lebanese territory along the Israeli border until May 2000, when, faced with rising casualties, Israel withdrew it troops, ending a 22-year military presence there.The Israeli withdrawal crowned Hezbollah as a heroic organization viewed by many Lebanese and Arabs as a liberator that won back territory without negotiations or concessions. The group further burnished its reputation after its guerrilla fighters battled the Israelis to a draw during the monthlong 2006 war.Hezbollah has not fired any rockets on Israel since then, but is widely believed to have replenished its weapons stockpile and says it can now strike deeper into Israel.
It has also consolidated its power in the domestic political arena, joining the Western-backed coalition in a national unity government that ensures it has veto power within the cabinet.A U.N. deal to end the 2006 war between Israel and the Shiite militants required Hezbollah to disarm, but Lebanon's politicians have been unable to agree on a national defense strategy that would integrate the group's weapons into the regular armed forces.On Saturday, some 450 students — both Christian and Muslim — from the Lebanese American University took part in a visit dubbed the dignity trip to Hezbollah strongholds in south Lebanon.The outing included a visit to the wooded hills of Sojod, an area just north of an enclave that was occupied by Israel for 18 years until it pulled out its troops on May 25, 2000.
At the site, the students were led through the rough, rocky terrain to a spot that Hezbollah officials said was where Hadi Nasrallah, the son of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed while conducting a guerrilla raid on Israeli positions in 1997.This is the spot where he was martyred, explained a Hezbollah tour guide, pointing to a blue prayer mat on a mound of earth hidden amid trees. The students mingled and snapped photographs with Hezbollah fighters, who asked that no pictures of their faces be taken.The students cheered as an anti-aircraft gunner and a katyusha rocket launcher used to fight Israel were paraded past, while speakers belted out excerpts of Nasrallah speeches.Hezbollah has recently been trying to reinvent itself as a more conventional political movement in Lebanon, and projects such as the museum and student tours suggest the group is attempting to reach out to more factions within a Lebanese society split over Hezbollah's divisive role in the country.This is an excellent, very well organized trip, said 19-year-old Rana Mhaydleh, a student of math and science at the university.I think it's very important to get a first hand look at Hezbollah because there are a lot of prejudices out there.The weekly student tours are part of Hezbollah activities marking the anniversary of Israel's withdrawal. The anniversary comes amid U.S. and Israeli concerns that Hezbollah has acquired increasingly advanced weapons from backers Syria and Iran.Hezbollah has neither confirmed nor denied the Israeli claims, but Nasrallah has said his group now has rockets that can strike deeper than ever inside Israel, including Tel Aviv.
The tensions have fueled concerns of another war in the Middle East. Hezbollah has expressed confidence that it would win a future war and says any new conflict with Israel will change the face of the region. After Sunday's visit to Sojod, the students were taken to a newly inaugurated Hezbollah war museum in the nearby village of Mlita, replete with war booty captured from Israeli soldiers and their Lebanese militia allies and a memorial for the group's dead. We hope this tourist jihadi center will be a first step toward preserving the history of our heroic resistance,Nasrallah told supporters via video link at Friday's inauguration of the Mlita museum. In a nod to Hezbollah's rivals, Nasrallah cited Israeli Holocaust museums to stress the importance of preserving history. Everywhere you go there is a Holocaust museum, regardless of (the Holocaust's) authenticity, accuracy or magnitude, he said. The sprawling Mlita complex — 60,000 square meters — includes a gallery, caves and a 250-meter-long downhill terrain that features life size replicas of Hezbollah guerrillas simulating fighting with Israel on the battlefield and in underground tunnels. It is not the first time the group has exhibited war booty at a museum, but the one inaugurated Friday is permanent and by far the largest. Israel has condemned such museums, saying they promote hatred. Several Lebanese officials, including representatives of the president and prime minister, attended Friday's inauguration. Noam Chomsky, a prominent American academic and outspoken Jewish critic of Israel, was also there.Hezbollah and Israel fought an inconclusive monthlong war in 2006 that killed about 1,200 people in Lebanon and about 160 in Israel. While some believe a new war is inevitable, others say the new balance of power makes it unlikely.The cost of an attack ... has become so high that warfare no longer makes the same kind of sense it did in decades past, wrote political analyst Rami Khouri in the Daily Star Saturday. On the Net:
http://www.mleeta.com/
