CODEPINK protester victorious over AIPAC assailant

Rae Abileah at AIPAC’s annual conference, 2011.

It is not every day that the voices for justice triumph over the actions of the rich and powerful, especially when it comes to the Israel-Palestine debate. That’s why it is so important to acknowledge and celebrate the settlement just negotiated by CODEPINK activist Rae Abileah and her lawyers after suing American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) volunteer lobbyist Stanley Shulster.

It all started on May 24, 2011, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington, DC speaking before a joint session of Congress. Abileah, a 29-year-old Jewish woman who has traveled to the West Bank, Israel and Gaza, was in the audience. She became more and more appalled as she listened to Netanyahu’s speech and watched our congresspeople giving him a stream of standing ovations. “I couldn’t watch this hero’s welcome for a man who supports the continued building of illegal settlements, won’t lift the siege of Gaza, and refuses to negotiate with the Palestinian unity government,” said Abileah.

So Abileah did what most people would never have the courage to do. She got up and shouted: “No More Occupation! Stop Israeli War Crimes! Equal Rights for Palestinians!” And she unfurled a banner that read: “Occupying Land is Indefensible!”

She was immediately grabbed, violently pulled toward the floor, and gagged—not by the Capitol Police but by a member of the audience, Stanley Shulster, a retired attorney from Ashland, Oregon, who had traveled to Washington DC to attend the yearly conference of the Israel lobby group AIPAC. An online bio for Shulster revealed that he was an unpaid lobbyist, a volunteer in the Israeli Defense Forces, and a Navy veteran. In his bio Shulster bragged that he “grabbed the woman who heckled the Prime Minister while he was speaking.”

Abileah was rushed to the hospital, where she was treated for neck and shoulder injuries. She subsequently had to undergo months of physical therapy, chiropractic care and other treatments to heal from these injuries.

But Abileah was also determined to pursue her attacker. She pressed charges and got a warrant for his arrest, and she filed a civil suit for damages. Thanks to the tenacity and generosity of her attorneys, they just reached a settlement in which Shulster was forced to pay her medical fees and issue an apology. In the joint statement issued by Shulster and Abileah, Shulster acknowledges that he “respects the right of Ms. Abileah to hold a different view on the Israel-Palestine conflict and believes she holds this view in good faith,” and Abileah does the same. Both Abileah and Shulster recognize “the right, as Americans, to agree to disagree peacefully.” This might sound like a common sense statement but coming from a man who works with the IDF and AIPAC, which routinely categorizes any critique of Israel as anti-Semitic, this is extraordinary.

It is indeed a rare victory, as there is a history of attacks against US nonviolent activists defending Palestinians rights and most of the time, the attackers face no consequences. In 2007, a peaceful protester outside an AIPAC Conference in Washington DC was attacked and put in a chokehold. In this case, the police arrested the assailant, but they also arrested the woman who was attacked! In 2010, while standing on a public sidewalk, I was hit in the face by an AIPAC conference attendee, and the police refused to even take a police report. A few months later a protester and I were slugged with a book bag by an attendee at another pro-Israeli government conference, and the police once again refused to help. Students at the University of New Mexico were hit by audience members during a non-violent protest, and in November 2010, members of the pro-Occupation group Stand With Us (SWU) pepper-sprayed several members of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Video footage of the 2011 AIPAC Annual Gala shows the assault of a young woman who held a banner reading “Silencing Dissent Delegitimizes Israel.”

“This time, the justice system worked for me,” said a triumphant Abileah, “I hope it sends a message to aggressive Israeli Occupation supporters around the country that they don’t have the right to assault us; we have the right to express our views peacefully. Just as violence is not the answer to the Israel-Palestine conflict, it won’t work to silence critique and outcry in the US. This is a bittersweet victory—no one should suffer from a violent attack for just speaking up for equality and human rights.”

Of course, for the Palestinian people who live under Israel’s 45-year-old military occupation, violence dominates everyday life. The brutal 2008 invasion of Gaza left 1,400 people dead and crushed homes, schools, businesses—even hospitals. In the West Bank, peaceful protesters are regularly tear-gassed, shot, beaten, thrown into prison without trials.

“My neck pain was a small price to pay compared with the sacrifices made by Palestinian, Israeli, and international nonviolent protesters who’ve risked their bodies and lives to defend the basic human rights of the Palestinian people,” said Abileah. “But with this victory over an AIPAC volunteer lobbyist, perhaps more Americans will be encouraged to speak out and stand up for human rights and free speech.”

Ms. Abileah will donate a portion of the funds from Shulster to legal and medical aid for peaceful Palestinian protesters in the West Bank.

(mondoweiss.net / 31.07.2012)

Palestinian PM discusses economic issues with Israel

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  Israel Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz met with Palestinian prime minister Salam …

Israel Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz met with Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad on Tuesday to discuss economic issues, a statement said.

“The meeting focused on the arrangements concerning the transfer of goods and the taxes between Israel and the Palestinian Authority,” the statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.

It quoted Netanyahu as saying that steps had been taken to support and strengthen the Palestinian economy.

“We hope these arrangements will help advance our relations with the Palestinians in other areas,” the statement added.

Israeli public radio said the arrangements would come into force at the start of 2013 and are aimed at developing trade relations and combatting tax evasion and smuggling.

Under the 1994 Paris Accords, Israel transfers Palestinian tax and tariff funds to the Palestinians.

The funds total about 700 million to one billion euros ($862 million to $1.2 billion) a year, representing two thirds of the Palestinian Authority’s annual budget.

(en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com / 31.07.2012)

Jihad is a Peaceful Struggle

It is true that jihad is one of the most important teachings of Islam. But jihad is not synonymous with war. In Islam another word is used for war and fighting. This word is ‘qital.’ When the Qur’an refers to war or fighting, it uses the word qital and not jihad.

Jihad literally means to strive or to struggle. So jihad actually means peaceful struggle, especially for da’wah work. The Qur’an says: Do great jihad with the help of th…e Qur’an. (25:52)

The Qur’an is simply a book, and not a sword, so “do great jihad with the Qur’an” means do great jihad with the ideological power of the Qur’an. In fact, jihad is only another name for peaceful activism. And peaceful activism is the only weapon by which Islam wants to achieve all its aims and objectives.

The Qur’an has this to say of the mission of the Prophet Muhammad:

We have not sent you forth but as a mercy to mankind. (21:107)

In the Qur’an and the Hadith, there are many such references that go to prove that Islam is a religion of peace, love and human brotherhood. However, it is also a fact that in later times the image of Islam has altered drastically. Now Islam has come to be regarded as a religion of violence rather than as a religion of peace. It is not the media that has produced this transformation in the image of Islam. The responsibility for this falls on latter-day Muslims, who have failed to maintain the original image of Islam.

In actual fact, the mission of all the prophets, right from Adam to Christ (may peace be upon them all), was one and the same—of establishing the ideology of monotheism in the world, so that man might worship one God alone. As we know, there came a large number of prophets in ancient times, but the message of monotheism remained at the initial stage; it could not culminate in a revolution. This state continued up till the time of Christ, the last but one Prophet.

The reason being that in ancient times, the system of monarchy was entrenched throughout the world. The kings, in order to secure their political interests, adopted the course of religious persecution. These kings suppressed all religious movements, which were different from the state religion. They would nip all apostasy in the bud, since they saw religion as a matter of affirming one’s loyalty to the state. If a person adhered to a religion other than the state religion, he was regarded as a rebel.

That is why in ancient times prophetic movements could go no further ahead than the stage of da’wah. No sooner would a movement based on monotheism arise than the coercive political system would be activated to pull it out by its roots. The reason for the absence of any historical record of prophets (besides the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) in antiquity is traceable to the intense opposition of these coercive political systems.

All the Prophets of ancient times, historically speaking, were like mythical beings, rather than real human beings accepted as historical figures. The Prophet Jesus was the last link in the chain of these persecutions faced by the preachers of monotheism. Then God decreed the abolition of this coercive political system, even if it entailed the use of force in order that the age of religious persecution might be brought to an end forever, and replaced by the age of religious freedom. This divine plan was brought to completion through the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) and his companions. This is the command given in the Qur’an:

“Fight them until there be no persecution and religion be wholly God.” (8:39)

Therefore the Prophet Muhammad received special divine succour in the form of a powerful team consisting of more than one hundred thousand individuals. Equipped with this team the Prophet waged war to end this coercive system of religious persecution, and it was in Arabia that it was first of all overthrown. Then within a very short span of time, they advanced to abolish the coercive system established by the Sassanid and Byzantine empires.

In the wake of this Islamic action, the coercive system was abolished forever in the major part of the inhabited world of the time. This war waged by the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) and his companions was not a war as is commonly understood, but rather a divine operation, which was carried out by a people who possessed a high standard of moral character.

However, this operation was certainly only temporary in nature. Its goal was to put an end to the age of religious persecution and usher in the age of religious freedom. This end was fully achieved during the early period of Islam, the age of the pious Caliphs.

Afterwards the time came to keep the sword in its sheath and engage in da’wah work, that is, the call to God, which was the real and permanent goal of Islam. According to the explicit command of the Qur’an, the call to God is the true and eternal mission of Islam, whereas war is only temporary and allowed only in exceptional cases.

It is no exaggeration to say that Islam and violence are contradictory to each other. The concept of Islamic violence is so obviously unfounded that, prima facie it stands rejected. The fact that violence is not sustainable in the present world is enough to convince one that violence, as a principle, is quite alien to the scheme of things in Islam.

Islam claims to be an eternal religion and such a religion cannot afford a principle in its scheme which will not be sustainable in later periods of human history. An attempt to bracket violence with Islam amounts to casting doubts upon the very eternity of the Islamic religion.

No wonder, then, that the Prophet Muhammad so earnestly used to entreat his Lord in his daily prayer:

“O God, You are the original source of Peace; from You is all Peace, and to You returns all Peace. So, make us live with Peace; and let us enter paradise: the House of Peace. Blessed be You, our Lord, to whom belongs all Majesty and Honour!”

(www.whyislamtrue.com / 31.07.2012)

Eight killed in fighting between Yemeni forces, Saleh loyalists in Sana’a

Eight people have been killed in clashes between Yemeni forces and armed men loyal to ousted dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh in the capital, Sana’a.

The fighting erupted near the Interior Ministry on Monday night, when some 300 gunmen wearing security uniforms broke into the ministry building, a police official said on Tuesday.

Witnesses have also heard explosions in the area.

On Sunday, Saleh loyalists took a number of Interior Ministry employees hostage, but released them shortly afterward.

(www.presstv.ir / 31.07.2012)

Lebanese Boycott of Israel: Purely Cosmetic

Syneron manufactures a wide range of medical equipment, including face reconstruction and anti-wrinkle instruments; laser hair removal…

An investigation by the Campaign to Boycott Israel Supporters in Lebanon has exposed that Israeli-made products are being widely used in the beauty and cosmetics sector in Lebanon.

Therapeutic and cosmetic laser surgery is now an integral part of a booming medical tourism industry in Lebanon. Medical and beauty centers are sought after by locals and patients from the Arabian peninsula.

But unknown to most of these patients, the Lebanese market hosts a wide variety of medical equipment originating in Israel. These banned products make their way into the Lebanese market disguised as imports from the US, Europe, and Dubai. They are marketed through distributors who have no problem getting front seats at specialized conferences organized by the Lebanese health ministry.

The issue is under investigation and scrutiny by the Campaign to Boycott Israel Supporters in Lebanon, which found that the Lebanese market has been invaded by four such Israeli companies.

Boycott campaign activist Samah Idriss told Al-Akhbar that they had been working on the case for a long time, but did not want to slander distributors of Israeli products. Instead, he had met with them to warn them about the identity of these companies which tend to conceal their primary source or that they originate in Israel.

Syneron was established by Shimon Eckhouse, a physicist who later specialized in medical technology. Its main headquarters are in the Yokneam Illit industrial zone in occupied Palestine.

Idriss indicated that the campaign expects that the ministries of economy and health will seriously tackle the issue. They need to conduct a comprehensive survey to discover the amount and types of Israeli products in the cosmetic medicine sector in Lebanon, and confiscate them immediately.He said it was unfortunate that medical scientific associations welcome the sponsorship of their medical conferences by these companies. Some doctors even boast about these products on television.

Idriss said that the campaign will decide what to do next based on steps taken by Lebanese authorities, but it will not remain silent.

The most famous of these companies is Syneron. Its products are available on the Lebanese market, as confirmed by its sole agent, Medica, located in Jal el-Dib with headquarters in Dubai.

Its products are marketed under the Syneron and Candela brands, the most prominent of which are CO2RE, ePrime, eLaser, elōs Plus, eMatrix, eMotif, VelaShapeII, VelaSmooth, and Ultrashape.

Medica enjoys remarkable promotion for its Israeli products on many Lebanese stations, including MTV (Murr TV) and Sawt al-Mada radio station. The two outlets responded to a letter sent by the boycott campaign and vowed to stop broadcasting ads from the agents of such products.

Syneron was established by Shimon Eckhouse, a physicist who later specialized in medical technology. Its main headquarters are in the Yokneam Illit industrial zone in occupied Palestine, south of Haifa. It is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Eckhouse had worked in the Rafael military technology complex in Israel, before founding a wide range of Israeli medical equipment companies.

Another activist from the Campaign to Boycott Israel Supporters in Lebanon, Asad Ghsoub, described to Al-Akhbar how a delegation from the campaign visited Medica’s headquarters in mid-May. They were met by the company’s manager Elias al-Chabtini.

Chabtini explained that Medica imports Syneron products from Irvine, California to Dubai, before they are re-exported to Beirut. He told the delegation that the company was not aware of the Israeli origin of the products and that they were misled by the company’s representative in the US.

The campaign requested customs records that indicate the US origin of the products, but the company’s lawyer responded by saying that they are not obliged to provide the campaign with such documents.

Syneron manufactures a wide range of medical equipment, including face reconstruction and anti-wrinkle instruments; laser hair removal; Botox technologies; body and face liposuction; fat injection to fill wrinkles in the face, hands, and other skin blemishes; treatment of varicose veins; and hair transplants. Eckhouse also developed the Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment.

The third Israeli company to penetrate the Lebanese market long ago was Alma, through its Beirut-based agent, Kalium. Kalium imports the products from Alma’s US branch.

In an interview with Israeli business website Globes, Eckhouse said that Israeli technology is distinguished by the desire for progress and creativity. He himself became famous for developing a home hair removal system which combines infrared light waves and radio waves.Although the product is not available in Lebanon, it is sold in GCC countries. Saudi social networking sites are full of comments and praise about the device.

Notably, before moving to Syneron, Eckhouse had established and managed a company called Lumenis, a leader in Israeli medical technology. In 2002, Lumenis filed a lawsuit against Eckhouse and demanded a $30 million compensation, accusing him of stealing the company’s secrets and taking a large number of its clients to his new firm.

Lumenis is based in the Yokneam industrial zone. Among its most popular brands are LighSheer, UltraPulse, VersaPulse, Novus, and Selecta II.

Primary information obtained by Al-Akhbar indicated that the agent for Lumenis in Lebanon was Hajj Medical. Surprisingly, the company provided Al-Akhbar with requested import-related information.

Hajj Medical General Manager Antoine al-Hajj maintained that the company “used to import the LightSheer laser hair removal device from a US company called Coherent, which had sold the brand to Lumenis a long time ago. Hajj Medical no longer imports the product to Lebanon.”

He indicated that one of their clients had requested spare parts for LightSheer two years ago and they had imported them for him without any obstacles.

But Hajj Medical’s denial of importing new Lumenis equipment into Lebanon does not change the fact that they are still being sold on the Lebanese market. Al-Akhbar could not find the agent that currently imports them.

The third Israeli company to penetrate the Lebanese market long ago was Alma, through its Beirut-based agent, Kalium. Kalium imports the products from Alma’s US branch. It produces a range of specialized medical equipment used for aesthetic and eye surgery.

Its main headquarters are in the Caesarea Industrial Park in al-Qaisariya in occupied Palestine. Its board of directors is made up of Ziv Karni, Karen Sarid, Ronen Lazarovich and Lior Dayan.

Alma’s products were identified in a booklet which included the program for the Seventh National Congress of the Lebanese Society for Dermatologists, held under the auspices of Lebanese Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil in Beit al-Tabib in Beirut on May 24 of this year.

The most popular products available in dermatology and aesthetic clinics in Lebanon are Harmony, Soprano, Accent, and Pixel CO2.

Alma has been sponsoring medical conferences in Lebanon for many years. Notably, this year it included the phrase “Made in the USA” on its posters, in a blatant attempt to cover up the fact that the company and its products are “Made in Israel.”

Al-Akhbar and the Campaign to Boycott Israel Supporters in Lebanon both tried to contact the company for clarifications. But all requests were denied. The Kalium employee in Beirut who answered our calls refused to provide any information on the products they imported.

The fourth Israeli company whose products are on the Lebanese market is Invasix, also based in Yokneam and with a branch in the US. Research conducted by the campaign shows that company products, most prominently Body Tite, are available in at least two Lebanese clinics.

The first is the aesthetics clinic run by Brazilian-Lebanese doctor, Toni Nassar. Its website mentions that they use the Body Tite technique.

The British website for Zenith Cosmetics Clinics says the Body Tite technique was introduced in Beirut to treat excess body fat.

The head of the Lebanese Society for Dermatologists Fouad al-Sayyid denied to Al-Akhbar that he had any knowledge of Israeli equipment or medications in Lebanon.

The website claims that “it’s not just women in Beirut who are interested in having the procedure either. Because the technology is particularly effective in fibrotic areas like men’s love handles and gynecomastia (breasts), men in particular are reaping the rewards of the operation.”“Dr. Ashok Maini, from Zenith Cosmetic Clinics has been training and lecturing in Beirut” and “recently gave a lecture and live demonstration at the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) Conference, in Beirut.”

Al-Akhbar attempted to contact several cosmetic surgeons to inquire about the use of Israeli technology and equipment. But none of those contacted replied to our repeated email queries.

In a phone conversation with Al-Akhbar, president of the Lebanese Society for Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgeons Nabil Hokayem said that he abides by the decision of the head of the Beirut Order of Physicians, Sharaf Abu Sharaf, not to speak to the media for three months.

On the other hand, he promised that the association would follow up on the issue of Israeli-made aesthetic equipment in the coming period. He assured us that specialized doctors will abide by the decisions of Lebanese authorities.

For his part, the head of the Lebanese Society for Dermatologists Fouad al-Sayyid denied to Al-Akhbar that he had any knowledge of Israeli equipment or medications in Lebanon.

He referred the issue to the Order of Physicians and the health ministry who are required to control the process, pointing out that Lebanese doctors use equipment that is approved and legally available in the Lebanese market.

(english.al-akhbar.com / 31.07.2012)

Israel wall used for segregation, not just security

 

Israel’s separation wall is unjustly disassociating Palestinian neighbourhoods from the city of Jerusalem.

In East Jerusalem, the separation wall forces many Palestinians to pass through checkpoints every day

It was recently revealed that a senior official in the Jerusalem municipality has asked the Israeli military “to take responsibility for handling civilian matters pertaining to Jerusalem residents east of the separation fence”. Jerusalem municipality’s director-general Yossi Heiman told the meeting a few weeks ago that the city “wants the IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] to take responsibility for monitoring construction and providing sanitation services”. Ha’aretz reported that “the meeting concluded with a decision to form a committee that will present a plan to the government”. Tens of thousands of East Jerusalem residents with blue Israeli identity cards living in Palestinian neighbourhoods beyond the Separation Wall are “cut off from the bulk of the city” and forced ”to pass through checkpoints on a daily basis in order to get to work, attend school, obtain medical services, visit family, etc”. This “physical separation”, in the words of the UN’s OCHA, means “residents suffer from impeded access to services on the ‘Jerusalem’ side of the Barrier, the lack of municipal services in situ, a security vacuum and increasing lawlessness and crime”. “In a few years, Israel can turn around and say that those on the other side of the Wall are no longer part of the city.“ - Salim Anati, local doctor Behind a new checkpoint, and hemmed in by the Wall and Israel’s colonies, Shuafat refugee camp typifies the bitter irony behind Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat’s hollow claim to oversee a “united” city. Household waste gathers in piles, construction is unregulated, and crime is unchecked. As local doctor Salim Anati told me during one of my visits to the camp in 2010, Shuafat camp is “a problem” for the Israeli plan of making “a continuity of settlements on the east side of Jerusalem” – thus the camp is “on the wrong side” of the Wall. He predicted that “in a few years, Israel can turn around and say that those on the other side of the Wall are no longer part of the city”. That same year, Jerusalem city councillor Yakir Segev made a speech in which he said that the Palestinian areas east of the Wall were “no longer part of the city“, noting that the “separation fence… was built for political and demographic reasons – not just security concerns”. In December 2011, Mayor Barkat publicly proposed “relinquish[ing] areas of the municipality that are located outside of the fence”, adjustments that, “according to a municipal source”, would mean “a very small territorial gain for Jerusalem, with a loss of approximately 40,000 Arab residents”. It is a familiar story. Speaking to BBC’s Hardtalk in July 2011, Mayor Barkat confirmed that he wants to maintain a Jewish majority in the city. A 2010 US diplomatic cable records Barkat’s belief that the natural growth of Jerusalem’s Palestinians is a “strategic threat” (comments that the cable notes “reflect long-standing GOI [Government of Israel] policy regarding the desired demographic balance in Jerusalem”). A previous mayor of Jerusalem, Ehud Olmert, said while in office that it is “a matter of concern when non-Jewish population rises a lot faster than Jewish population”. The desire to be rid of Palestinian neighbourhoods east of the Wall thus shatter two persistent myths. The first is that the route of the Wall was designed for “security”, rather than as an element in a regime of colonial segregation. The second myth is that Jerusalem – where, in the words of Deputy Mayor Meron Benvenisti, “an ethnic population ratioserves as a philosophy” – is a city whose residents enjoy equality. In other words, the myth and reality is a microcosm of Israel as a whole, where the motto continues to be “maximum land with minimum Palestinians, maximum Palestinians on minimum land”. (www.aljazeera.com / 31.07.2012)

Jordanian aid convoy ‘Ansar 3′ heads to Gaza next month

The Jordanian Lifeline Committee started preparations for Ansar 3 aid convoy which is planned to travel to Gaza in September.

 

 (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – The Jordanian Lifeline Committee started preparations for Ansar 3 aid convoy which is planned to travel to Gaza in September.

“Ansar 3 convoy will leave from Jordan to Gaza in the second half of next September,” Wael Al-Sakka, Jordanian Lifeline Committee Chairman and spokesperson said in a press release on Sunday.

“The convoy will be launched from Amman to Aqaba, to Nuweiba Egyptian port, and then to the Rafah crossing through El-Arish in Egypt, aiming to support the Palestinian people in Gaza and development projects to reduce unemployment rates in the Strip,” he added.

“The convoy will collect donations during the holy month of Ramadan for this purpose,” he stated, noting that “the aid will be used to finance small projects in order to reduce unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip.”

Al-Sakka expected that 100 activists will participate in this convey that will stay in the Gaza Strip for a week.

Meanwhile, the Jordanian Islamic Action Front (IAF) party has strongly denounced the Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, calling on the Jordanian government to act to bridle the almost daily incursions to the holy compound.

The IAF official in charge of the Palestinian file Murad Adayleh held the Jordanian government responsible for protecting the holy sites, calling on it to take a firm position towards the recent violations.

He called on the government to “use all necessary means to stop the Israeli violations that took place at the behest of the extremist right-wing government”, which he said was trying to demolish Al-Aqsa mosque in order to establish the alleged Temple on its ruins.

The Jordanian Islamic party asked Arab and Muslim governments to “condemn the recent attacks and to act to stop them,” pointing out that “the attacks violate the international laws and conventions”. It also called on the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and human rights organizations “to intervene to stop the recent serious assaults.”

(abna.ir / 31.07.2012)

Aleppo residents give Syria rebels mixed reviews

ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) — There are no colored lights, no crowds of shoppers thronging the markets for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in rebel-held Aleppo. Trash lines the roadsides, and a few worried faces make their way past quickly.

While some welcome it, other residents seem wary of the ragtag rebels who have seized of parts of this ancient city, which for months stood on the sidelines of the 16-month revolt against President Bashar Assad that has shaken most of the country.

The revolt finally came to Aleppo this month, with rebel fighters from the countryside pouring in with ambitions to “liberate” Syria’s economic center and its 2.5 million inhabitants. The army has hammered back some areas with helicopter gunships, artillery and mortars.

In some of the slums on the outskirts of the city, men in traditional white robes cluster on the doorsteps of each other’s squat, cinderblock homes. They debate the situation as they wile away the final hours before they can break the daily Ramadan fast for the evening.

Some are excited to be under opposition control, but admit that freedom has been less comfortable than they hoped.

“I would say 99.9 percent of the people aren’t fasting. How can you fast when you hear mortars and artillery hitting the areas nearby and wondering if you will be next?,” said Jumaa, a 45-year old construction worker with deep wrinkles etched into his leathery skin.

“We have hardly any power or water, our wives and kids have left us here to watch the house and have gone somewhere safer. It’s a sad Ramadan.”

Despite that, Jumaa is excited to see rebels on the streets of Syria’s second city. “My spirits are high. Seeing them from my doorstep makes me feel the regime is finally falling.”

Crouched on the next stoop, his neighbor sees it differently.

“All we have now is have chaos,” Amr grumbles.

Some of the men object angrily. “But they are fighting to free us from oppression,” one says.

Amr shakes his head. “I’m still oppressed, stuck between two sides making me to choose. I just want to live my life.”

‘The side of truth’

When crowds of children rush to greet Free Syrian Army rebels driving past on flatbed trucks, others grab their mothers’ hand tightly, and stare at the ground.

Rebel fighters, most of whom have come into the city from the countryside, are bewildered by the mixed reception.

“I think many Aleppans want to be rid of the regime but they want us villagers to do it for them, lose our relatives and jobs. They want this without suffering themselves,” said a fighter named Mustafa, who came from a nearby village to fight in Aleppo.

At the market, in a neighborhood on the city outskirts, most shops are shuttered, and those open have little more than canned and boxed goods.

Each day, vans and taxis crammed with families, pillows and blankets head out of town. Down one alley, a family puts all of its belongings – clothes, beds, closets – into a moving truck.

“We’re going to the country,” says the father. But he refuses to say why. “We just felt like it.”

Closer to the city centre, in the stone alleyways heading toward wealthier areas, there are plenty of fresh vegetables, meat and nuts on offer. But few shoppers are tempted to buy. Some warily eye fighters manning machine guns and checking people’s identifications on nearby streets.

The rebels seem to have their hands full trying to run the parts of the city they control. Gunmen now patrol traffic, smiling at cab drivers who wave and joke with them: “How do you like playing government?”

Mounds of trash are piled up, some so high rebels make them into roadblocks.

Whenever rebels idle their trucks on the street, residents come up asking for help to get gasoline for their cars. Many beg the fighters to open more bakeries so the breadlines move faster, and spare people an exhausting hours-long wait in the hot sun.

But some in line nod approvingly.

“They don’t let anyone cut in, no one is better than anyone else now. The bakers aren’t allowed to hike prices on us,” says Umm Khaled, her face wrapped in a conservative black veil. “For the first time in this city, I feel like all of us are equal.”

Down the street, a crowd of men gather to watch rebels inspecting a burned out police station they stormed last week. Papers, stray shoes and police caps litter the charred building.

One man shakes his head as he watches the scene.

“We don’t even know these fighters, they don’t talk to us much. But people here just accept whoever has power,” one man whispered. “I’m not with anyone, I am with the side of truth. Right now, that is only God.”

(www.maannews.net / 31.07.2012)

Overheid evalueert tentenkamp in Ter Apel

VLAGTWEDDE – Burgemeester Leontien Kompier besloot een dag vóór de ontruiming dat de situatie in het tentenkamp in Ter Apel onhoudbaar was geworden. Ze gaf orders het kamp af te breken. Toch bleef ze tot het moment suprême zwijgen over die situatie en haar beslissing. Dat was niet gunstig voor de beeldvorming.

Dat is een van de conclusies in een evaluatierapport over het tentenkamp van protesterende uitgeprocedeerde asielzoekers, dat van 8 tot 23 mei bij het uitzetcentrum in Ter Apel stond. De gemeente Vlagtwedde, de politie, het Openbaar Ministerie, Het Centraal orgaan Opvang Asielzoekers, de dienst Terugkeer & Vertrek, de Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst en het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken evalueerden de gebeurtenissen op 10 juli.

Het rapport concludeert onder meer dat er een alternatieve locatie moet komen voor betogingen rond asielzoekers, zodat het personeel van het aanmeldcentrum ongestoord zijn werk kan blijven doen.

In het evaluatierapport wordt ook stilgestaan bij het protest van journalisten, die zich in hun werk belemmerd zagen door ME-busjes die in beeld gingen staan. “De driehoek stelt vast dat dit hoe dan ook niet op deze manier had mogen gebeuren. Want waar het recht op betoging doorlopend werd gerespecteerd, dient dat evenzo voor het recht op persvrijheid en vrije nieuwsgaring te gebeuren.”

(www.dvhn.nl / 31.07.2012)

Gaffe-prone Nitwit Moron drops another stinker in Jerusalem!

JERUSALEM (AP) — Mitt Romney told Jewish donors Monday that their culture is part of what has allowed them to be more economically successful than the Palestinians, outraging Palestinian leaders who suggested his comments were racist and out of touch with the realities of the Middle East. His campaign later said his remarks were mischaracterized.

“As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000 dollars, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality,” the Republican presidential candidate told about 40 wealthy donors who ate breakfast at the luxurious King David Hotel.

Romney said the economic history of the world has shown that “culture makes all the difference.”

“And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things,” Romney said, citing an innovative business climate, the Jewish history of thriving in difficult circumstances and the “hand of providence.” He said similar disparity exists between neighboring countries, like Mexico and the United States.

The reaction of Palestinian leaders to Romney’s comments was swift and pointed.

“It is a racist statement and this man doesn’t realize that the Palestinian economy cannot reach its potential because there is an Israeli occupation,” said Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“It seems to me this man lacks information, knowledge, vision and understanding of this region and its people,” Erekat added. “He also lacks knowledge about the Israelis themselves. I have not heard any Israeli official speak about cultural superiority.”

As criticism mounted while Romney traveled to Poland, campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said: “His comments were grossly mischaracterized.” The Republican’s campaign contends Romney’s comparison of other nearby countries with income disparities – the U.S. and Mexico, Chile and Ecuador – shows his comments were broader than just the comparison between Israel and Palestine.

The economic disparity between the Israelis and the Palestinians is actually much greater than Romney stated. Israel had a per capita gross domestic product of about $31,000 in 2011, while the West Bank and Gaza had a per capita GDP of just over $1,500, according to the World Bank.

Romney, seated next to billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson at the head of the table, told donors at his fundraiser that he had read books and relied on his own business experience to understand why the difference is so great.

His comparison of the two economies did not take into account the stifling effect the Israeli occupation has had on the Palestinian economy in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem – areas Israel captured in 1967 where the Palestinians hope to establish a state.

In the West Bank, Palestinians have only limited self-rule. Israel controls all border crossings in and out of the territory, and continues to restrict Palestinian trade and movement. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in 1967, but has invested much less heavily there than in Jewish west Jerusalem.

And although Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, it continues to control access and has enforced a crippling border blockade since the Islamic militant Hamas seized the territory in 2007.

It’s true that Israel has logged tremendous achievements, said Abraham Diskin, a political science professor at the Inter-Disciplinary Center outside of Tel Aviv. But “you can understand this remark in several ways,” he added. “You can say it’s anti-Semitic. `Jews and money.’”

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund repeatedly have said that the Palestinian economy can only grow if Israel lifts those restrictions.

“It’s Israeli occupiers and Palestinians under occupation, and that’s why Palestinians cannot realize their potential,” Erekat said.

The breakfast with top donors – including Adelson, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson and hedge fund manager Paul Singer – concluded Romney’s visit to Israel, the second leg of a three-nation overseas tour designed to bolster the his foreign policy credentials.

Standing on Israeli soil for the first time as the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee, Romney on Sunday declared Jerusalem to be the capital of the Jewish state and said the United States has promised never to “look away from our passion and commitment to Israel.”

The status of Jerusalem is a critical issue in peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

During his visit to Israel, Romney did not meet with Abbas or visit the West Bank. He held a brief meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Romney’s campaign says the trip, which began in England last week, is aimed at improving the former Massachusetts governor’s foreign policy experience through a series of meetings with foreign leaders. The candidate has largely avoided direct criticism of U.S. President Barack Obama while on foreign soil.

The Jerusalem fundraiser, however, was a political event that raised more than $1 million for Romney’s campaign. It marks at least the second finance event during his tour. The first, in London, attracted about 250 people to a $2,500-per-person fundraiser.

Both presidential candidates have aggressively courted American donors living abroad, a practice that is legal and has been used for decades.

Romney’s declaration that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital was in keeping with claims made by Israeli governments for decades, even though the United States, like other nations, maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv.

His remarks on the subject during a speech drew a standing ovation from the audience, which included Adelson, the American businessman who has promised to donate more than $100 million to help defeat Obama.

Adelson was among a several donors who flew to Israel for a day of sightseeing with Romney in addition to private meetings with top Israeli officials.

A group of donors also met with a top aide to Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, one donor said on the condition of anonymity to discuss private meetings.

Romney met with Netanyahu and other leaders before his speech Sunday. He also visited the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, where he was mobbed by worshippers.

In his remarks, Romney steered clear of overt criticism of Obama, even though he said the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran “has only become worse” in the past five years.

Romney flew to the Middle East from Britain, where he caused a stir by questioning whether officials there were fully prepared for the Olympic Games. A stop in Poland will complete his trip.

Four years ago, Obama visited Israel as a presidential candidate, part of a five-nation trip meant to establish his own foreign policy credentials.

A goal of Romney’s overseas trip is to demonstrate his confidence on the world stage, but the stop in Israel also was designed to appeal to evangelical voters at home and cut into Obama’s support among Jewish voters and donors. A Gallup survey of Jewish voters released Friday showed Obama with a 68-25 edge over Romney.

Romney and other Republicans have said Obama is insufficiently supportive of Israel.

(truthaholics.wordpress.com / 30.07.2012)