Egypt: Militants attack gas pipeline to Israel
Saturday, July 30, 2011 EL-ARISH, Egypt --
Egyptian security officials say a militant Islamist group has blown up a terminal along the Egyptian natural gas pipeline to Israel in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
Officials say Saturday's attack on the terminal in al-Shulaq destroyed the last terminal before the line enters the sea on its way to Israel.It is the third attack on the pipeline this month and the fifth since the 18-day uprising toppled President Hosni Mubarak in February.While no one claimed responsibility, officials accused a militant Bedouin group for the attack.Clashes between the group and security forces killed 5 people Friday.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
CAIRO (AP) _ Tens of thousands of ultraconservative Muslims in long beards, robes and prayer caps thronged Cairo's central Tahrir Square in a massive show of force Friday, calling for the implementation of strict Islamic laws and sparring with liberal activists over their visions for a post-revolution Egypt.It was the first rally with religious overtones in Egypt, and one of the largest, since the uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down in mid-February. The strong showing by the Islamists demonstrated their powerful organizational abilities, which will likely help them in parliamentary elections later this year.Islamic. Islamic. Not Western or Eastern. No liberal or secular, chants of Salafis, who follow a strict form of Islam, echoed through the square. Others shouted: "With our soul and blood we defend you Islam.They unfurled an Egyptian flag, removing the central emblem of an eagle and replacing the Islamic slogan: There is no god but God and Muhammad is his prophet,similar to the insignia on the Saudi flag.The youth activists who have been at the helm of mass protests calling for faster change from the country's interim military rulers withdrew from the rally soon after Friday prayers, accusing the Islamists of violating an agreement to avoid divisive issues.While the civil organizations are trying to respect the effort to complete the revolution by unifying the ranks, the Islamic groups insisted on breaking the unity and assisting the military council in a deal that I think will divide this country in two,said liberal activist Mustafa Shawki. This is what we were afraid of.
Several hundred protesters, mainly liberal and leftist groups, have camped out at the square for more than three weeks, demanding swifter justice for those blamed in the killing of nearly 900 protesters during the 18-day uprising and more measures to ensure Mubarak loyalists are purged from the government. It was a crowd vocally critical of the military council, which they accused of protecting Mubarak's regime.
Most of the Islamic groups, however, say the military needs time to break with the past.The decision by the Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's best organized political force, to participate significantly boosted the turnout. But instead of a day of unity as had been advertised, the Islamists decided to flex their muscle, using the epicenter of the protests to press demands for a strict version of Islamic law.Some Salafi Islamist groups mobilized their members to the square to oppose the adoption of a set of guidelines for drafting a new constitution after parliamentary elections later this year. Buses from a number of cities transported followers, many who were in the square for the first time.Liberal parties are worried religious groups will win a large share of parliament and force an Islamic influence on the constitution. The Islamists say nothing should restrict the newly elected parliament's right to oversee the process of drafting the document.The liberals are talking about a civil state. This won't work in Egypt, said Tarek Shaheen, a 31-year-old resident of Ismailiya. We want to prove to the outside world even before domestically that Egypt is Islamic, that it has a large Islamic trend and that we are not terrorists.While opposing the measure, Muslim Brotherhood members did not press the issue Friday sticking to the agreement.Salafis are ultraconservatives, close to Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi interpretation of Islam and more radical than the Brotherhood. They seek to emulate the austerity of Islam's early days and oppose a wide range of practices like intermingling of the sexes that they view as un-Islamic.Many also reject all forms of Western cultural influence, and preach that authorities must be respected.Mubarak's regime cracked down heavily on Islamic groups, specifically the politicized Brotherhood, arrested thousands of its members. Salafi groups are new to the political scene in Egypt.
Many like Shaheen felt that Egypt's Islamic identity is threatened, reflecting the growing mistrust between the different groups only months before the first parliamentary elections, the first after Mubarak's ouster.Egypt's constitution, which has been suspended by the military rulers, set Islamic law as the basis for legislation and nobody has proposed changing that clause. But some Islamic groups believe the liberal groups will use the guidelines to introduce what they perceive as Western values.Our religion is the constitution,said Saber Mohammed, a 27-year-old Cairene wearing a short white robe and head cap, sporting the traditional bushy beard of a Salafi.Nourhan Zamzam, a 29-year-old banker who supports the call for a civil state, said the ultraconservative Islamist groups are vying for influence but have little experience.For her, the Salafi stance only undermines pressure on the military by dividing the efforts of the protesters.This is actually a message to us, the revolutionaries, who are critical of the military council,she said.This is a message to scar us: look infighting between groups is coming.By sundown, a large number of Islamists began leaving the square peacefully and the sit-in continued.It was more tense in other cities.In the southern city of Assiut, Salafist protesters beat up a group of protesters from the Communist party trying to join their demonstration, deputy police chief Yosri el-Gammasi said. At one point, some in the crowd yelled back at a speaker who criticized the idea of constitutional guidelines.In the Sinai city of el-Arish, government troops clashed with Islamic militants firing rocket-propelled grenades and other heavy weapons outside a police station. Four people were killed, including a military officer and three civilians, and 18 people injured.South of the capital in Minya province, gunmen fired on a car carrying Christians, killing two and injuring two, a military official said. It was the second killing in two weeks in the predominantly Christian village of Roman. While the motive was unknown, similar events have sparked religious violence in the past.Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief the media.Friday's rally came a day after Egypt's Justice Ministry said Mubarak, along with his two sons, his former security chief and seven others, will be tried Wednesday at a Cairo convention center. Mubarak, 83, faces charges of corruption and ordering the deadly use of force against protesters.
Barak says Israel still looking for peace talk’s formula AFP JULY 30,11
UNITED NATIONS: Israel’s Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Friday that his government is striving to find a formula that would allow for the resumption of peace talks with Palestinian leaders.Barak revealed the efforts after meeting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who again pressed for Israel to return to talks and expressed new concern over Israeli settlement building in the occupied territories, a UN spokesman said.Barak and Ban discussed the looming UN General Assembly in September when the Palestinian Authority is expecting to launch an initiative to get international recognition for a Palestinian state.The United States and Israel oppose the bid, insisting that an accord to end the Middle East conflict and set up a Palestinian state can only be reached through direct negotiations.The international Quartet on the Middle East — the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations — is trying to arrange new Israel-Palestinian talks but has been unable to agree on a plan.We are still trying to find a formula that will enable an understanding between the members of the Quartet in a way that will enable a resumption of negotiations, Barak told reporters.I cannot honestly predict that it will happen but we are still trying to do our best to enable it,he added, stressing his belief that direct talks are the only way for a permanent solution.A UN spokesman said that Barak and Ban discussed the impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and the situation in the West Bank and Gaza, in Lebanon and the region.The secretary general urged an early resumption of meaningful Israeli-Palestinian negotiations,said spokesman Martin Nesirky.Ban urged greater efforts to end the blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza and expressed his concern at settlement expansion in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,said the spokesman.The Palestinian leadership withdrew from US-brokered talks with Israel at the end of September in protest at Israel’s ending of a moratorium on settlement building.
Non-Negotiable
July 29, 2011: Negotiating peace deals with Palestinians continues to be complicated by the continuing Palestinian propaganda campaign that insists Israel should not exist and is not a legitimate government. Recent opinion polls show the majority of Palestinians oppose a peace deal with Israel. Most Palestinians favor continued anti-Israel violence, with the goal of destroying Israel. For decades, the pattern in Palestinian politics was to promote the most radical tactics against Israel. This has led to decades of failure, but this approach is still considered the only acceptable one by most Palestinians (and many Arab nations, although most Arabs prefer a peace deal and an end to the violence.)The revolution continues in Syria, with nearly 2,000 dead in four months of growing violence. Turkey has provided refuge for those fleeing Syrian government violence, as well as rebels. Syria has protested this, as has Iran, which threatened Turkey. Turks and Iranians have been enemies for over a thousand years, and for most of that time, the Turks had the military edge. But now Iran is warning Turkey to not support anti-Iran rebels in Syria. Iran sees the success of these rebels, who seek to overthrow a pro-Iran dictatorship, as a major defeat. But is unclear how far Iran will go to stop the rebels.The Arrow 3 anti-missile system recently conducted another successful test, and remains on track to enter service in four years. This version of Arrow can destroy missiles at higher altitudes (over 100 kilometers) and farther away.
So far this month, over 20 rockets and mortar shells have been fired from Gaza into Israel. This a big increase, as such attacks had largely disappeared in May and June. Israel believes that the easing of the Gaza blockade has led to far more rockets being smuggled into Gaza. This includes more large, long-range rockets. Israel believes there are several Iranian Fajr rockets, with a range of 70 kilometers, plus several hundred extended-range (40 kilometers) 122mm rockets, and even more standard range (20 kilometers) 122mm rockets in Gaza. There are believed to be over 10,000 rockets stored in Gaza, for some future major attack on Israel. While Hamas says it might negotiate a an extended ceasefire with Israel, it still maintains that the ultimate goal is the destruction of Israel.July 26, 2011: In southern Lebanon, five UN peacekeepers were wounded by a roadside bomb. This is the second such attack since May. Hezbollah has threatened peacekeepers with violence if Hezbollah violations (bringing in weapons, building fortifications) of the UN ceasefire are interfered with. In general, Hezbollah is left alone by the peacekeepers, but these attacks appear to be reminders to the UN troops.In Gaza, Hamas executed two locals who were arrested in 2004 and accused of spying for Israel. Another such execution took place two months ago. Israeli intelligence networks in Gaza and the West Bank are under constant attack, but survive, providing targeting information and identification of Palestinian terrorists.July 21, 2011: In Egypt, nearly 300 demonstrators were injured when a large crowd tried to protest military resistance to political reform. Military intelligence mobilized thugs, from informers and criminals employed by the army, to attack and beat protestors. This was the 15th day of demonstrations in Tahrir Square (where the current Egyptian revolution began earlier this year) and at other locations throughout the country. The military is supposed to be running a transition government, but is increasingly seeking to keep many of the officials from the old dictatorship in power. The Egyptian military was as corrupt and self-serving as the old Mubarak dictatorship, and refused to fire on the anti-Mubarak demonstrators because the generals knew most of the conscript soldiers would probably mutiny and start a civil war.
July 19, 2011: Another rocket was fired from Gaza into Israel, landing in an unoccupied area. No one took credit for this attack, which is becoming standard. Hamas insists it has stopped the rocket attacks, but even the UN recognizes this is not true. As usual, the Israeli Air Force responding by hitting two known terrorist targets. There were no injuries.July 17, 2011: Germany has agreed to pay for about 20 percent of the cost of a sixth Dolphin class submarine, to be built in Germany. Two other Dolphins are under construction, and three are already in service.Over the weekend, four rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel.
Hamas seeks to attract youngsters to summer camps
AFP News By Adel Zaanoun | AFP News – JULY 29,11
The militant Islamist group Hamas is seeking to attract youngsters to its annual summer camps in the Gaza Strip, offering activities far beyond religious study.
However, organisers say the activities do not include militia training.These camps have no military or political dimension; they are held outdoors, with sports, cultural, educational, social and recreational activities, said Saleh Hamdan, a member of the central committee for summer camps.An example, he said, were camps on Islamic fashion, being attended by thousands of girls, which he said do not focus on purely religious matters.We play, we learn and we make friends, said 11-year-old camper Samia Ashur, her hair covered with a brown head scarf.As happens every summer, Gaza has also witnessed an undeclared competition between the camps run by Hamas and those of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, whose facilities have been targeted several times by unknown attackers in recent years.In the latest incident, around midnight on Wednesday, 10 men vandalised a UN site being used to stage summer activities in northwest Gaza.Fathi Hammad, interior minister in Gaza's Hamas government, promised on Thursday the immediate opening of an inquiry to find the perpetrators of the attack.Organisers say that around 500 Hamas summer camps, held in schools and community centres, are expected to host 100,000 youngsters aged from nine years to 21.Another 20,000 will attend courses for the study of the Koran.
The Hamas camps are divided into three sections, depending on age, and are dedicated to areas such as IT, media or innovation.There are camps that specialise in different areas of technology and innovation to meet the aspirations of young people,said Mussa al-Samak, head of the summer camps movement.Hamas gives the campers a uniform, one meal a day and a little pocket money.The slogan emblazoned on the youngsters' caps this year reads, I have triumphed with the youth.Majed al-Sheikh is a former official of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Palestinian Authority, which was forced out of Gaza during bloody fighting with Hamas in 2007.
Although he says he is not a member of Hamas he is sending his son to camp.We must seize the opportunity to teach children self-confidence and make sure they do not turn away from the right path, he said.What encouraged me to enroll my son in this camp is that it doesn't have a political or military character; the main thing is that there are places available for the children to have fun, play and grow,he added.
Nidal Hamdan, a mother of four children aged nine to 13 years, opposes the idea. These camps in fact are meant to improve the image of the Hamas movement and lead children to join it,she said.I do not want my children to be part of any movement whatsoever, said Hamdan, who works in a beauty salon, adding that there is a grave lack of facilities for children during the summer with the exception of refugees.
Hamas summer camps are heavily outnumbered by those of UNRWA, which for six weeks starting June 15 are hosting 250,000 refugee children in Gaza in 1,200 sites across the territory.During these Summer Games, the children have set world records in a range of activities such as the simultaneous flying of more than 13,000 kites, wind-surfing, dribbling soccer balls and the largest hand print painting.The kite record was set on Thursday, despite the site for the attempt being vandalised the previous night by unknown persons.
Zawahri, Al Qaeda’s New Leader, Praises Syrian Protesters
IntelCenter, via Associated Press
Ayman al-Zawahiri in a still image from a web posting by As Sahab, the media branch of Al Qaeda. By J. DAVID GOODMAN Published: July 28, 2011
In what appeared to be his first video message since succeeding Osama bin Laden as the leader of Al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri expressed strong support for antigovernment protesters in Syria, claiming that their movement to topple the country’s authoritarian leader was rooted in a wider regional conflict with the United States and Israel.The seven-minute video was posted online Wednesday by As Sahab, the media branch of Al Qaeda, and recorded sometime in the past month, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadist communications and translated the video. Al Qaeda announced in mid-June that Mr. Zawahri had been chosen to lead the group.
The video shows Mr. Zawahri seated with a black background and wagging a finger at the camera as he issued a sustained rebuke of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, whom he called the leader of the criminal gang, descendant of the treacherous ones.
Addressing the protesters who for more than four months have faced a crackdown by Mr. Assad’s government, Mr. Zawahri tried to link his network to their popular movement, and Mr. Assad to the United States. America, which cooperated with Bashar al-Assad during his entire regime, claims today that it is standing with you when it saw him on the ground due to the earthquake of your fury,he said.You are giving examples and explaining lessons to your Arab and Muslim Ummah in sacrifice, steadfastness and fighting oppression,he added, using the word for the global community of Muslims.Such belated declarations of support, which Al Qaeda has made previously, have been viewed by security experts as evidence that the pro-democracy uprisings have left Al Qaeda largely a bystander to recent world-changing events. The group’s leaders, first Bin Laden and now Mr. Zawahri, have struggled to address young demonstrators who appear to have little use for their ideology. In Egypt, the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, a central goal of Mr. Zawahri’s career, was carried out without him and by methods he had long denounced.Mr. Zawahri, a 60-year-old Egyptian, had previously issued a video eulogy for Bin Laden, but at that time the organization had yet to name him as Bin Laden’s successor.In that earlier video, Mr. Zawahri also tried to rhetorically connect Al Qaeda to the protests that spread through North Africa and the Middle East this year, saying that Al Qaeda supported the people in Yemen, Syria and Libya in their uprisings.Bin Laden was killed May 2 in a raid by members of the Navy Seals at his compound in Pakistan. In the video, Mr. Zawahri did not mention Bin Laden by name and did not directly mention his own new role.Scott Shane contributed reporting from Washington.
Israel tests advanced missile interceptor
by Staff Writers Washington (UPI) Jul 27, 2011
Israel, concerned about both homemade Qassam rockets launched from Palestinian territory as well as the threat of Iranian ballistic missiles, has field-tested its Arrow 3 interceptor, its new anti-ballistic, long-range air defense system.The Arrow 3 interceptor shot down a mock enemy ballistic missile in a trial flight, Global Security Newswire reported.The United States has underwritten a large part of the Arrow 3's development costs. The system is to be deployed in 2015, Arrow 3's program head Yoav Turgeman said, and is intended to provide the topmost level of protection in a planned framework for countering various rocket and missile threats to Israel from any direction.The Arrow 3's predecessor, the Arrow 2 missile, over the past decade have been deployed in multiple defense units under the operational command of the Israeli air force at a military facility north of Tel Aviv.The new Arrow 3 system is due to participate in a joint U.S.-Israeli exercise scheduled for January. The Juniper Cobra exercise is intended to incorporate every element of Israel's missile and air defenses -- the Arrow 2 and 3 systems, Iron Dome, Magic Wand (also known as David's Sling) and U.S. Patriot anti-missile batteries, as well a U.S. missile defense warship stationed offshore in the Mediterranean.
Iran factored high in Israel's decision to develop the Arrow 3 system as an answer to threats of aerial assaults, including recent declarations by Iran that it had missiles that could hit Israel.Last month, Iranian air force commander Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh declared: If the Zionist entity wants to attack us, we will strike at the heart of Tel Aviv before their planes even leave our airspace. We have planned and conducted calculations and we have reached the conclusion that we do not need a range of more than 2,000 kilometers, because Israel is no further than this from our borders.U.S. Army Gen. Patrick O'Reilly, head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, Israel's multi-layered missile defense system is the only one in existence that can stop rockets and missiles of a variety of ranges and sizes.A year ago U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Andrew J. Shapiro said: Given the threat Israel faces from short- and medium-range missiles, Israel air and missile defense systems are an area of particular focus (between the U.S. and Israel), including the Arrow Weapon System to counter long-range ballistic missile threats, and David's Sling to defend against short-range ballistic missiles. For our part, we are working with Israel to upgrade its Patriot Air and Missile Defense System.
Why Netanyahu is suddenly unpopular in Israel
By Joshua Mitnick, Correspondent / July 26, 2011 Tel Aviv CHRI-SCIE-MON
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been put firmly on the defensive for the first time since his election, with tens of thousands of people protesting the surging cost of housing.With his approval ratings in a double-digit dive, Mr. Netanyahu canceled a trip to Poland today to unveil a series of measures aimed at cooling off real-estate prices that have risen by more than one third since 2007.But demonstrators rejected the reform package as too narrow, focusing too heavily on students even as the protest movement burgeons well beyond the young people who set up tents in Tel Aviv two weeks ago.The increasingly mainstream character of the demonstrations reflects an Israeli middle class that is struggling to make ends meet despite robust growth and an all-time low in unemployment.
A wide swath of Israelis blame Netanyahu for not doing enough to address social gaps that have emerged in the wake of Israel's shift from a socialist economy to a more freewheeling, capitalistic society.Netanyahu is paying a price for not being seen as socially conscious enough. It is easy to blame him for not caring about the average person,says Shmuel Rosner, a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute.
There is a problem that people who earn decent salaries feel their lives are becoming more economically challenging; prices are rising and salaries are not rising,he adds.Israel’s economy is great, but not all sectors of Israeli society share the feeling of a more prosperous economy.
Approval rating plummets 19 points
The prime minister has received broad public backing for a confrontational foreign policy toward the Palestinians and a critical stance toward the Obama administration – his approval rating stood at 51 percent after crossing swords with the US president this spring.But the growing socioeconomic malaise has caused his approval rating to plummet to 32 percent, according to a poll published by the liberal Haaretz newspaper.The survey numbers reflect fallout from a nearly two-week tent protest on Tel Aviv’s tony Rothschild Boulevard that brought some 20,000 demonstrators into the streets Saturday night. On Sunday, hundreds of protesters marched to the Knesset in Jerusalem, while university students led solidarity tent protests around the country.The prime minister has pressed cabinet members to come up with proposals that will show the government is responding, and pledged today to build more dorms for students and allocate more new building for middle-class buyers and renters. Netanyahu also faces a festering labor dispute with state-employed doctors and complaints over runaway prices for gas and dairy products.Knesset members and ministers from the governing coalition have expressed concern about political fallout with the Likud’s blue-collar constituents.It will leave a stain, says Shlomo Madmon, a long-time Likud activist. People are who are dedicated Likudniks are protesting that they will never [again] vote Likud.
Lull in Palestinian violence turns Israelis' attention to pocketbook issues
Netanyahu has touted himself as an responsible economic leader who supports liberalization amid a globalized economy, but the public also remembers him cutting social-welfare payments and pushing privatization of state companies as finance minister in the first half of the 2000s.The housing is a symptom … . Although there is a really good macroeconomic aggregates like GDP [gross domestic product] growth and unemployment, the problem is that we have very large income inequality, says Momi Dahan, an economics professor at Hebrew University.He says that such issues are coming to the fore because of a relative low in Palestinian violence.When it is quiet in the area of security, then all of the other problems come to the surface, Prof. Dahan says.People are sick of the rules where some people get a six-digit salary, and a cleaning woman or a cashier has a hard time feeding their kids.
