MFS - The Other News

                       Morning  Posting.

• Syria Live Blog - May 31. Here .(Al-Jazeera).

• Libya Live Blog - May 31. Here (Al-Jazeera). 

• Yemen Live Blog - May 31 . Here. (Al-Jazeera).

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan  today 5.1  ! Lots of activity in Turkey.More info here.

• Japan - Latest official Situation Update No. 124.On 31.05.2011 at 03:03 GMT+2
  
  Conditions at Fukushima’s Daiichi nuclear facility are deteriorating, with a sudden rise in the contaminated water level in tunnels at No.1 reactor, a halt to the cooling system at No.5 reactor, and fear of radiation spreading by an approaching storm. Japan’s Daiichi nuclear plant near Fukushima is facing yet more misfortune on Monday, with Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) saying a breakdown has occurred at the No.5 reactor at Daiichi. A system used to cool the No.5 reactor and its fuel pool stopped working late Saturday causing core and fuel pool temperatures to rise. At a Sunday news conference, TEPCO noted the backup water-injection plan is in place, according to the Japan Times. A company official has stated the cooling breakdown would not lead to a rapid rise of temperatures which could endanger the reactor and its spent fuel pool. TEPCO also said radioactive water levels at the No.1, 2 and 3 reactors‘ tunnels and basements have increased appreciably over the weekend, believed to have been caused by heavy rainfall. During the 24-hour period from 7 a.m. on May 28, the basement water level at No.1 rose 1.1 centimeters, but the following 24 hours saw the water level spike 19.8 centimeters. Water at the No.2 reactor’s tunnel rose 6.2 centimeters during a 24-hour period over the weekend and the No.3 tunnel rose by 4.4 centimeters during the same period.Source : Here .

• Japan : For the most accurate info on the nuclear disaster go to : Paul Langley's Nuclear History Blog.Here.

• Bachmann"If [Obamacare is] allowed to stand we will never get our country back,".(Politico).Her formal announcement about whether she’ll run for president isn’t expected for a few weeks, but Rep. Michele Bachmann already has her sights set on President Barack Obama.Asked Monday night why she’d run for president rather than challenging Democrat Al Franken for his Senate seat, the Minnesota Republican’s answer focused where she’s put much of her energy in recent months: “Because we need a person who is going to stand up to Obamacare,” she said, according to The Washington Post.“You’ve got to be willing to take on our party, the other party and then explain it to the people,” she told Republicans in New Hampshire. “I know I can make the case to the American people and win them over to our side.”“Obama has to go and has to be replaced, but not just by anyone,” Bachmann said. “We need someone who is committed to taking that thing out,” she continued, referring to Obama’s health care law, “because it is the crown jewel of socialism, and if it’s allowed to stand we will never get our country back.”Read the full story here.

• Where Obama is leading Israel.By CarolineB.Glick.(JPost).In the aftermath of US President Barack Obama’s May 19 speech on the Middle East, his supporters argued that the policy toward Israel and the Palestinians that Obama outlined in that speech was not anti-Israel. As they presented it, Obama’s assertion that peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians must be based on the 1967 lines with agreed swaps does not mark a substantive departure from the positions adopted by his predecessors in the Oval Office.But this claim is exposed as a lie by previous administration statements. On November 25, 2009, in response to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s acceptance of Obama’s demand for a 10-month moratorium on Jewish property rights in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, the State Department issued the following statement: “Today’s announcement by the Government of Israel helps move forward toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.We believe that through good-faith negotiations the parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements.”

In his speech, Obama stated: “The United States believes... the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states.”That is, he took “the Palestinian goal” and made it the US’s goal. It is hard to imagine a more radically anti-Israel policy shift than that.And that wasn’t Obama’s only radically anti-Israel policy shift. Until his May 19 speech, the US agreed with Israel that the issue of borders is only one of many – including the Palestinians’ rejection of Israel’s right to exist, their demand to inundate Israel with millions of foreign Arab immigrants, their demand for control over Israel’s water supply and Jerusalem – that have to be sorted out in negotiations. The joint US-Israeli position was that until all of these issues were resolved, none of them were resolved.The Palestinians, on the other hand, claim that before they will discuss any of these other issues, Israel has to first agree to accept the indefensible 1967 boundaries as its permanent borders. This position allows the Palestinians to essentially maintain their policy of demanding that Israel make unreciprocated concessions that then serve as the starting point for further unreciprocated concessions.It is a position that is antithetical to peace. And on May 19, by stipulating that Israel must accept the Palestinian position on borders as a precondition for negotiations, Obama adopted it as US policy.SINCE THAT speech, Obama has taken a series of steps that only reinforce the sense that he is the most hostile US president Israel has ever faced. Indeed, when taken together, these steps raise concern that Obama may actually constitute a grave threat to Israel. Friday’s Yediot Aharonot reported on the dimensions of the threat Obama may pose to the Jewish state. The paper’s account was based on administration and Congressional sources. The story discussed Obama’s plans to contend with the Palestinian plan to pass a resolution at the UN General Assembly in September endorsing Palestinian statehood in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and Gaza.According to Yediot, during his meeting with Obama on May 20, Netanyahu argued that in light of the Palestinians’ automatic majority support at the General Assembly, there was no way to avoid the resolution.Netanyahu reportedly explained that the move would not be a disaster. The General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed the PLO’s declaration of independence in 1988.And the sky still hasn’t fallen.According to Yediot, Mitchell recommended that Obama work with the Europeans to draft a series of anti-Israel resolutions for the UN Security Council to pass. Among other things, these resolutions, which Mitchell said would be “painful for Israel,” would include an assertion that Jewish building in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria is illegal.That is, Mitchell recommended that Obama adopt as US policy at the Security Council past Palestinian demands that Congress forced Obama to reject just months ago at the Security Council. The notion is that by doing so, Obama could convince the Palestinians to water down the even more radically anti-Israel positions they are advancing today at the UN General Assembly that Congressional pressure prevents him from supporting.Since General Assembly resolutions have no legal weight and Security Council resolutions do carry weight, Mitchell’s policy represents the most anti-Israel policy ever raised by a senior US official. Unfortunately Obama’s actions since last week suggest that he has adopted the gist of Mitchell’s policy recommendations.First there was his speech before AIPAC. Among other things, Obama used the international campaign to delegitimize Israel’s right to exist as a justification for his policies of demanding that Israel capitulate to the Palestinians’ demands, which he has now officially adopted as US policy.As he put it, “there is a reason why the Palestinians are pursuing their interests at the United Nations. They recognize that there is an impatience with the peace process – or the absence of one. Not just in the Arab world, but in Latin America, in Europe, and in Asia. That impatience is growing, and is already manifesting itself in capitals around the world.”From AIPAC, Obama moved on to Europe. There he joined forces with European governments in an attempt to gang up on Israel at the G8 meeting.Obama sought to turn his embrace of the Palestinian negotiating position into the consensus position of the G8. His move was scuttled by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who refused to accept any resolution that made mention of borders without mentioning the Palestinian demand to destroy Israel through Arab immigration, Israel’s right to defensible borders, or the Palestinians’ refusal to accept Israel’s right to exist.If Harper had not stood by Israel, the G8’s anti-Israel resolution endorsing the Palestinian negotiating position could have formed the basis of a US-sponsored anti-Israel Security Council resolution.Israelis planning their summer trips should put Canada at the top of their lists.THE FINAL step Obama has taken to solidify the impression that he does not have Israel’s best interests at heart, is actually something he has not done. Over the past week, Fatah leaders of the US-backed Palestinian Authority have made a series of statements that put paid any thought that they are interested in peace with Israel or differ substantively from their partners in Hamas.At the Arab League meeting in Qatar on Saturday, PA President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian state “will be free of all Jews.”Last week the US-supported Abbas denied the Jewish connection to the land of Israel and claimed absurdly that the Palestinians were 9,000 years old.Equally incriminating, in an interview last week with Aaron Lerner from the IMRA newsgathering website, Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath said that now that Hamas was the co-leader of the PA with Fatah, responsibility for continuing to hold IDF St.-Sgt. Gilad Schalit hostage devolved from Hamas to the PA. And the PA would continue to hold him hostage.Shaath’s statement makes clear that rather than moderating Hamas, the Fatah-Hamas unity deal is transforming Fatah into Hamas.And yet, Obama has had nothing to say about any of this.Obama’s now undeniable antipathy for Israel and his apparent willingness to use his power as American president to harm Israel at the UN and elsewhere guarantee that for the duration of his tenure in office, Israel will face unprecedented threats to its security. This disturbing reality ought to focus the attention of all Israelis and of the American Jewish community. With the leader of the free world now openly siding with forces bent on Israel’s destruction, the need for unity has become acute.MADDENINGLY, HOWEVER, at this time of unprecedented danger we see the Israeli media have joined ranks with Kadima in siding with Obama against Israel in a joint bid to bring down Netanyahu’s government. Yediot Aharonot, Maariv, Haaretz, Channel 2, Channel 10, Army Radio and Israel Radio’s coverage of Netanyahu’s visit and its aftermath was dominated by condemnations of the prime minister, and praise for Obama and opposition leader Tzipi Livni, who called for Netanyahu to resign.The fact that polling data showed that only 12 percent of Jewish Israelis regard Obama as pro-Israeli and that the overwhelming majority of the public with an opinion believes Netanyahu’s visit was a success made absolutely no impression on the media.With the notable exceptions of the Zionist Organization of America and the Committee for Accuracy in Middle Eastern Reporting in America (CAMERA), leaders of American Jewish organizations have refused to condemn Obama’s anti-Israel positions.Their silence becomes all the more enraging when placed against the massive support Israel receives from rank-and-file American Jews. In a survey of American Jews taken by CAMERA on May 16-17, between 75% and 95% of American Jews supported Israel’s position on defensible borders, Jerusalem, Palestinian “refugees,” Palestinian recognition of Israel’s right to exist and the right of Jews to live in a Palestinian state.The refusal of most American Jewish leaders, the Israeli media and Kadima to condemn Obama today makes you wonder if there is anything the US president could do to convince them to break ranks and stand with Israel and with the vast majority of their fellow Jews. But it is more than a source of wonder. It is a reason to be frightened. Because Obama’s actions over the past two weeks make clear to anyone willing to see that in the age of Obama, silence is dangerous.Hmmmm....Since the days of Nazi Germany and Hitler the threat towards the Jewish people has never been greater than now,will the World betray them once more?Read the full story here.

• "You've Got Mail".A UN Resolution to Recognize a Palestinian State within the "1967 Borders" Would Be Illegal.(Jcpa).•The following is a letter drafted jointly by lawyers of the Legal Forum for Israel and by Amb. Alan Baker, Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

•The letter is directed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and signed by jurists and international lawyers from around the world.

•The letter cautions the Secretary General as to the inherent illegality and harm to the UN and to the Middle East peace process which would be caused by the adoption of a resolution declaring a Palestinian state and determining its borders.May 25, 2011

His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon,

 Secretary-General of the United Nations,

1st Avenue and 44th St.

New York, NY 10017

 Excellency,

Re: The Proposed General Assembly Resolution to Recognize a Palestinian State "within 1967 Borders" - An Illegal Action

We, the undersigned, attorneys from across the world who are involved in general matters of international law, as well as being closely concerned with the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, appeal to you to use your influence and authority among the member states of the UN, with a view to preventing the adoption of the resolution that the Palestinian delegation intends to table at the forthcoming session of the General Assembly, to recognize a Palestinian state "within the 1967 borders." By all standards and criteria, such a resolution, if adopted, would be in stark violation of all the agreements between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as contravening UN Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and those other resolutions based thereon.

Our reasoning is as follows:

1. The legal basis for the establishment of the State of Israel was the resolution unanimously adopted by the League of Nations in 1922, affirming the establishment of a national home for the Jewish People in the historical area of the Land of Israel. This included the areas of Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem, and close Jewish settlement throughout. This was subsequently affirmed by both houses of the U.S. Congress.
2. Article 80 of the UN Charter determines the continued validity of the rights granted to all states or peoples, or already existing international instruments (including those adopted by the League of Nations). Accordingly, the above-noted League resolution remains valid, and the 650,000 Jews presently resident in the areas of Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem reside there legitimately.
3. "The 1967 borders" do not exist, and have never existed. The 1949 Armistice Agreements entered into by Israel and its Arab neighbors, establishing the Armistice Demarcation Lines, clearly stated that these lines "are without prejudice to future territorial settlements or boundary lines or to claims of either Party relating thereto." Accordingly, they cannot be accepted or declared to be the international boundaries of a Palestinian state.
4. UN Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) called upon the parties to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East and specifically stressed the need to negotiate in order to achieve "secure and recognized boundaries."
5. The Palestinian proposal, in attempting to unilaterally change the status of the territory and determine the "1967 borders" as its recognized borders, in addition to running squarely against Resolutions 242 and 338, would be a fundamental breach of the 1995 Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in which the parties undertook to negotiate the issue of borders and not act to change the status of the territories pending outcome of the permanent status negotiations.
6. The Palestinians entered into the various agreements constituting what is known as the "Oslo Accords" in the full knowledge that Israel's settlements existed in the areas, and that settlements would be one of the issues to be negotiated in the permanent status negotiations. Furthermore, the Oslo Accords impose no limitation on Israel's settlement activity in those areas that the Palestinians agreed would continue to be under Israel's jurisdiction and control pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations.
7. While the Interim Agreement was signed by Israel and the PLO, it was witnessed by the UN together with the EU, the Russian Federation, the U.S., Egypt, and Norway. It is thus inconceivable that such witnesses, including first and foremost the UN, would now give license to a measure in the UN aimed at violating this agreement and undermining major resolutions of the Security Council.
8. While the UN has maintained a persistent policy of non-recognition of Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem pending a negotiated solution, despite Israel's historic rights to the city, it is inconceivable that the UN would now recognize a unilaterally declared Palestinian state, the borders of which would include eastern Jerusalem. This would represent the ultimate in hypocrisy, double standards, and discrimination, as well as an utter disregard of the rights of Israel and the Jewish People.
9. Such unilateral action by the Palestinians could give rise to reciprocal initiatives in the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) which could include proposed legislation to declare Israel's sovereignty over extensive parts of Judea and Samaria, if and when the Palestinians carry out their unilateral action.

Excellency,

It appears to be patently clear to all that the Palestinian exercise, aimed at advancing their political claims, represents a cynical abuse of the UN Organization and of the members of the General Assembly. Its aim is to bypass the negotiation process called for by the Security Council. Regrettably, this abuse of the UN and its integrity, in addition to undermining international law, has the potential to derail the Middle East peace process. We trust that you will use your authority to protect the UN and its integrity from this abuse, and act to prevent any affirmation or recognition of this dangerous Palestinian initiative.Signed by jurists and international lawyers. Source .

• White House pushing churches to be 'Palestinian green'?(WND).The "greenest" church on the planet? Scripture as it relates to the Palestinians? Fighting American "racial injustice"? Meet the latest addition to President Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, a White House group already replete with advocates for using religion to advance "social justice." In January, Obama named to his faith council Lynne Hybels, a leader of Willow Creek Church, an inter-denominational, multi-generational megachurch located in a Chicago suburb. The church is led by Hybels' husband, Bill, a social justice advocate who created the Global Leadership Summit, an international Christian group. Lynne Hybels' official title at Willow Creek Church is Advocate for Global Engagement. She is also a regular contributor to the progressive Sojourners magazine, the publication of a ministry by the same name professing a devotion to the pursuit of "social justice." Sojourners was founded by Jim Wallis, who is also a member of Obama's faith council. Hybels and her husband are deeply involved in Sojourners initiatives and participate in the ministry’s events.Hybels is a regular traveler to the Middle East. In March, she keynoted a conference in Bethlehem called "Christ at the Checkpoint: Theology in the Service of Peace and Justice." She wrote about the experience in a Sojourners magazine article entitled, "Jesus-Focused Conversations in Occupied Bethlehem." According to its own description, the Bethlehem conference was meant to "equip the global church to understand Scripture as it relates to the Palestinian context, and to discuss the theological importance of Peace and Justice in an Evangelical context." One year earlier, she signed a letter to Obama, entitled, "Christians Support Bold Action for Holy Land Peace Campaign" calling for an immediate deal to create a Palestinian state. The letter urged U.S. engagement with a "Palestinian unity government," a reference to a unity deal the Palestinian Authority had inked with the Hamas terrorist organization. The letter had one sentence noting Palestinian rocketing on Israeli towns, but the majority of the text decried purported Israeli actions, including settlement growth , as "rapidly diminishing any possibility for the creation of a viable Palestinian state." The letter demanded an immediate end to the Israeli naval blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Israel has said the blockade is necessary to ensure Hamas cannot rearm itself. A review of Hybels' Sojourners magazine articles finds a focus on issues of race and the Middle East. Titles include, "An Apology to My Muslim Friends," and "Racial Reconciliation: A Necessary Conversion." In the latter article, Hybels wrote against what she deemed the "reality" of ongoing "racial injustice" in the U.S. "In 2001, my husband Bill was jolted out of racial complacency," she related. "Through books he read and conversations he had with African-American pastors, he was broken by the reality of ongoing racial injustice in the U.S." Continued Hybels: "He describes it as having a kind of 'second conversion,' where the scales fell off his eyes and he suddenly saw with horrible clarity of something that broke the heart of God and ought to break his heart." In one article, Hybels argued the church should be used to fight so-called global warming. In a blog posting entitled, "Beyond Charity: Living a Life of Compassion and Justice," Hybels writes at Sojourners: "The battle against injustice is a tough and ugly war. While I am proud that Willow has entered that war, the truth is we have just begun to fight. … "I look forward to the day when we as a church will be known for being the greenest church on the planet, not just because we enjoy the beauty of God's creation, but because we know that climate change is a justice issue," she wrote. Indeed, her church is at the center of using faith to fight so-called social justice. Hybels herself established a church board for Middle East engagement. She writes on her website she is an advocate for "Comprehensive Immigration Reform." With her husband, she addressed a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Refugees in October 2009, arguing for comprehensive immigration reform.Hybels and Wallis are the latest in a list of progressives to grace Obama's faith council. WND reported Eboo Patel, also a member of the White House faith council, declared that everything he was taught about Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson and American "fairness" and "equality" was wrong. WND also reported Patel, a Muslim activist from Chicago, compared al-Qaida to what he called Christian "totalitarians" in the U.S. and Jewish "totalitarians" in Israel. Earlier, WND reported Patel is deeply tied to Weatherman terrorist group founder Bill Ayers. Also, Patel blasted what he called the "myths" of America – describing them as beliefs that the country is "a land of freedom and equality and justice." Hmmmmm......More "Change"?Read the full story here.

• Iran Temporarily Denies Merkel Overflight Rights.(Spiegel).Iran temporarily denied Chancellor Angela Merkel's plane overflight rights during her flight to India. The plane had to circle over Turkey for two hours before being given permission to enter Iranian airspace.For German Chancellor Angela Merkel, it should have been a routine trip abroad. But her flight to India was disturbed by a diplomatic incident that could further sour relations between Berlin and Tehran. In the early hours of Tuesday, Iran denied Merkel's government aircraft overflight rights at short notice. The chancellor's plane, which had a large delegation of politicians and journalists on board, had to circle over Turkey for around two hours. It was finally allowed to pass through Iranian airspace following a lengthy negotiation with Tehran which was mediated by Turkey and involved the Foreign Ministry in Berlin. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle protested strongly against Iran's action. Speaking on Tuesday during the start of his visit to Australia, Westerwelle said it showed "a lack of respect toward Germany that we cannot accept." The Foreign Ministry in Berlin responded by summoning the Iranian ambassador to Germany on Tuesday. It would be made clear to him that "such a breach of international protocol against Germany would absolutely not be accepted," Westerwelle said."There has never been an incident like this," said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert. He said that the plane had already entered Iran's airspace when Iranian air traffic control asked the pilot to leave again, saying that the aircraft did not have permission to enter. The German pilots insisted they had the necessary authorization. The plane had been given permission to enter Iranian airspace before it left Berlin on Monday evening.After a long discussion with the Iranian authorities, the pilot returned to Turkish airspace. At some point the Turkish air traffic control had to become involved, as the Iranians refused to talk to the German pilots any longer. "I have never experienced anything like this in my career," said one veteran government flight attendent, according to a SPIEGEL ONLINE reporter who was on board the flight. "They're really hot under the collar up there," she added, gesturing to the cockpit.Merkel, however, was initially unaware of the problem. She was sleeping in a private cabin at the front of the plane at the time, and her staff did not want to disturb her. The plane was unable to take an alternative route to India as it was not possible to get permission to fly through other countries' airspace at such short notice. The pilots were concerned about the plane's fuel levels and were about to fly back and land in Ankara when Tehran suddenly granted permission to enter its airspace.Merkel, who was traveling to India for an official visit, arrived in New Dehli more than two hours late on Tuesday morning as a result of the delay. An appointment with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to be cancelled. It was the inaugural flight of the new government plane "Konrad Adenauer," an Airbus A340-300.A second aircraft carrying several members of Merkel's cabinet, including Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière and Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, was able to cross Iranian airspace without any problems. It had left Berlin before Merkel's plane.The reason for the denial of overflight rights was initially unclear. The German delegation said that "coordination problems" were to blame. Merkel herself was relaxed in her reaction, saying only that it had been an "interesting start to the trip."Despite Iran's pariah status, Germany is still the third-largest exporter to the country. Last year, German exports to the Islamic republic were worth €3.8 billion ($5.5 billion). Nevertheless, a number of major German companies, such as Siemens and ThyssenKrupp, have decided to stop doing business with Iran.Read the full story here.

• Al-Jazeera footage captures 'western troops on the ground' in Libya.(Guardian).Armed westerners have been filmed on the front line with rebels near Misrata in the first apparent confirmation that foreign special forces are playing an active role in the Libyan conflict.A group of six westerners are clearly visible in a report by al-Jazeera from Dafniya, described as the westernmost point of the rebel lines west of the town of Misrata. Five of them were armed and wearing sand-coloured clothes, peaked caps, and cotton Arab scarves.The sixth, apparently the most senior of the group, was carrying no visible weapon and wore a pink, short-sleeve shirt. He may be an intelligence officer. The group is seen talking to rebels and then quickly leaving on being spotted by the television crew.The footage emerged as South Africa's president, Jacob Zuma, arrived in Tripoli in an attempt to broker a ceasefire. He described reports that he would ask Muammar Gaddafi to step down as "misleading", and said he would instead focus on humanitarian measures and ways to implement a plan concocted by the African Union for Libya make a transition to democratic rule but not seek Gaddafi's exile.The westerners were seen by al-Jazeera on rebel lines late last week, days before British and French attack helicopters are due to join the Nato campaign. They are likely to be deployed on the outskirts of Misrata, from where pro-Gaddafi forces continue to shell rebel positions to the eastThere have been numerous reports in the British press that SAS soldiers are acting as spotters in Libya to help Nato warplanes target pro-Gaddafi forces. In March, six special forces soldiers and two MI6 officers were detained by rebel fighters when they landed on an abortive mission to meet rebel leaders in Benghazi, in an embarrassing episode for the SAS.The group was withdrawn soon afterwards and a new "liaison team" sent in its place. Asked for comment on Monday, a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "We don't have any forces out there."The subject is sensitive as the UN security council resolution in March authorising the use of force in Libya specifically excludes "a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory".Despite more than two months of bombing by Nato, rebels have remained unable to advance west of Misrata, or west of Brega, 300 miles to the east. The capital, Tripoli, also remains in the grip of Gaddafi, who has defied all attempts to force him to leave.However, a fresh blow to his position came yesterday as eight Libyan army officers appeared in Rome, saying they were part of a group of as many as 120 military officials and soldiers who had defected from Gaddafi's side in recent days.The eight officers – five generals, two colonels and a major – spoke at a news conference organised by the Italian government. The officers said they had defected in protest at Gaddafi's actions against his own people, citing killings of civilians and violence against women. They claimed that Gaddafi's campaign against the rebels was rapidly weakening.Read the full story here.

• Flotilla passengers were in Jordan ‘Nakba’ protest.(JPost).As the IDF continues preparing to forcefully stop a protest flotilla planning to sail to the Gaza Strip in late June, Israel is intensifying its media campaign to expose what it believes is the true face of the organizations behind the initiative.On Monday, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center revealed in a new report that a group of Turkish Islamic activists who are members of the IHH organization and were aboard the Mavi Marmara passenger ship last year as it was stopped by the Israel Navy on its way to Gaza, participated in a violent anti-Israel demonstration in Jordan earlier this month on the Palestinian “Nakba Day.”According to the report, the bus carrying the delegation of 28 Turkish activists was detained in Syria as it made its way to Jordan, since some of the members had Israeli stamps in their passports, a result of their deportation from Israel following last year’s flotilla.The delegation eventually arrived at the Israeli-Jordanian border opposite Jericho and began marching toward the fence while violently clashing with Jordanian security forces. Several members of the delegation were injured and treated in hospitals in Jordan before being ordered to return to Turkey.During the demonstration in Jordan, the activists carried a banner with pictures of the nine men killed by commandos from the Israel Navy’s Flotilla 13 aboard the Mavi Marmara last May. Israel has provided video evidence that the commandos were attacked by the passengers, many of whom were mercenaries paid to attack the soldiers.“The delegation’s decision to participate in the demonstrations in Jordan was not spontaneous but is part of a larger campaign by radical Islamic elements from groups like IHH to try and breach Israel’s borders whether by land, air or sea,” the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center report concluded.Due to the size of the flotilla planned for next month, which organizers hope will reach 15 ships, the navy has enlisted all of its Flotilla 13 commandos from the reserves and has conducted special training sessions in recent weeks in coordination with the IDF’s Counter-Terrorism School.If the government decides to stop the flotilla, the commandos will board the ships either by sea or air, similar to the operation that stopped the Mavi Marmara last year.The commandos’ goal will be to complete the operation without casualties on either side, but they have received updated rules of engagement and will work quickly when boarding the ships to quell the violence. The IDF Operations Directorate recently drafted new operational guidelines for flotilla operations that involve coordination between various security organizations and government ministries. The new guidelines regulate the way the military and police are to handle the detainees as well as their belongings after intercepting a flotilla.Read the full story here.

• Pakistan - Anti-Christian violence in Faisalabad: tombs desecrated, young woman gang-raped.(AsiaNews). Faisalabad – Christian tombs were recently desecrated and a young Christian woman was gang-raped for an entire night. In both cases, police refused to file a First Information Report, allowing the culprits to escape justice. These are examples of the ordinary violence visited upon Pakistan’s Christian minority. Whether it involves Christian-owned land and property or individuals who are targeted because they are defenceless, victims will not find justice with the country’s legal system. Gradually, Pakistan’s ‘Islamisation’ slowly progresses, especially in the densely populated province of Punjab.  The Pakistan Christian Post reports that, in Chak Jhumra (Faisalabad), Muslim landowners destroyed and desecrated a Christian graveyard, using a tractor to plough over a number of tombs. Buried coffins were broken and the bones of the dead were brought to the surface. The local police refused to open an inquiry, whilst the landowners utter threats against local Christians to get them to stop legal proceedings.The Faisalabad chapter of the National Commission for Justice and Peace of the Pakistani Catholic Church has intervened in the affair. A team sent by the commission visited the desecrated graveyard and collected evidence. However, a local Muslim has filed a claim, saying he owned the land on which the cemetery is located. The first hearing in the case is scheduled for 13 June 2011.Fr Joseph Jamil, a Faisalabad priest, strongly condemned the anti-Christian violence. “The Church,” he said, “is closing monitoring the issue.”“Landowners and extremists are actively involved against the Christian minority in Punjab,” he told AsiaNews. “Most attacks happen in the central part of the province.” The government, he said, should “take charge of the situation and defend the minority.”As additional evidence of the prevailing atmosphere of violence, a story came to light involving a 29-year-old Christian woman who was abducted by a Muslim co-worker, roughed up, drugged and gang-raped. Afshan Sabir is a factory worker and a mother of three. She was assaulted over night on 27 March in an unspecified area near Gojra. When she woke up, she sought help in a state of disorientation. She later tried to file a complaint with the local police station. However, instead of helping the woman, police officers helped the rapists cover their tracks.On this occasion, the National Commission for Justice and Peace also intervened, providing the victim with legal counsel and following the case on her behalf.Read the full story here.

• Letter from Cairo / Sonia Farid: Let’s call a mask a mask.(Al-Arabia).In May 2000, Israel ended its 22-year occupation of Lebanon after sustaining serious losses at the hands of Hezbollah militias, which not only forced the Israeli Defense Forces to retreat to the Blue Line, demarcated by the UN in 1978, but also dealt a fatal below to Israel’s proxy, the Southern Lebanon Army, which totally collapsed after a spate of attacks by the Shiite resistance group.In July 2006, Israel waged war on Lebanon in retaliation for the abduction of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah. For 34 days, the militia surprised its opponents with sophisticated weaponry and highly trained fighters as well as an unprecedented number of rocket attacks into the inside of Israel.In February 2011, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said the Egyptian revolution is bound to change not only the region, but also the entire world. “Today, with your voices, blood and steadfastness, you are retrieving the dignity of the Arab people; the dignity which was humiliated by some rulers of the Arab world for decades,” he told Egyptian revolutionaries.

In January 2009, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stormed out of Davos after a heated debate with Israeli President Shimon Peres over Israel’s 2008 invasion of Gaza and after giving a speech slamming the Hebrew state for the atrocities committed against civilians in the strip and accusing the rest of the world of cowardice and inaction. Putting aside the first’s “suspicious” ties with Iran and what they imply as far as Shiite infiltration is concerned or speculations about Hezbollah’s involvement in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and also putting aside rumors about second’s keenness to restore the “glories” of the Ottoman Empire and apprehensions of the way his Islamist tendencies might undermine the only secular state in the region and which constitutes a pattern several liberal intellectuals look up to, the two men have for the past couple of years been hailed as heroes in Egypt even by those who had strong reservations on their ideologies or internal policies. The “heroism” bestowed by Egyptians upon Messrs. Nasrallah and Erdogan, from my own point of view, was emotional rather than political, for both men provided them with an example they have not seen for years, particularly since Mubarak came to power since even Nasser and Sadat were looked upon as heroes in some way or another.

The comparison between Messrs. Erdogan and Nasrallah might seem far-fetched for many since one is the prime minister of his country while the other is the leader of a militia specialized in guerilla warfare and labeled terrorist by several world power, yet let me point out that within the context of the resentment Egyptians felt for their president for his subservience to the U.S. and Israel made all those demarcations fall and rendered the two men simply “brave,” “honest,” and “strong.”

Wouldn’t both Mr. Nasrallah and Mr. Erdogan been in a slightly better position now that they support the Syrian regime had they not repeated those empty slogans about Palestine or Egypt? In fact, there is a double benefit in that. They would not be as loathed as they are now since being always the devil is one thing and being the devil now when a couple of minutes ago a halo popped out of your head is another. Let them just stay silent so they won’t be faced by those waves of anger and this spat of disgust. They better become like Hitler—Nazi all through—and always bear in mind that no one seemed to have been shocked when Stalin starting killing members of his own Communist Party or when Slobodan Milosevic turned out to be the mastermind of the Bosnian genocide campaign. Instead of bearing the weight of the masks and the health hazards this might entail on the skin and the respiratory system, they should have left their faces bare so that we could have seen the malicious grins and the sly eyes from the start. The effect of the sudden removal of the mask is traumatic for both the one who wears the mask and those who witness the taking off process, so why bother? In The Phantom of the Opera, Christine insisted on seeing the Phantom’s face and when she did, it was the beginning of the end, for she realized how repulsed she will always be and he realized she will never be his. Had he deposed of the mask before he first met her, they would certainly not have lived happily ever after, but at least each of them would have known where he/she stands and both would have been spared the shock that accompanies the discovery.In Egypt, we refer to an insolent person as one with “a bare face.” Well, that is how it is supposed to be from now on. Better insolent than hypocrite! Masks have become démodé and faces are back this summer… so better stay as “stylish” as you are always known to be! Hmmmm......Erdogan ,Nasrallah "The Masks are off".Read the full story here.

• Israel Minister: Strike on Iran Could Be Necessary.(Fox).MOSCOW – An Israeli Cabinet minister said the civilized world must take joint action to avert the Iranian nuclear threat, including a pre-emptive strike if necessary.Moshe Yaalon — the minister for strategic affairs — made the statement in an interview with Russia's Interfax news agency released Monday ahead of a visit to Moscow."We strongly hope that the entire civilized world will come to realize what threat this regime is posing and take joint action to avert the nuclear threat posed by Iran, even if it would be necessary to conduct a pre-emptive strike," Yaalon was quoted by Interfax as saying.Yaalon wouldn't discuss who might deal the strike, saying the entire world, not just Israel, must be concerned about the danger posed by a nuclear-armed Iran."An Iran possessing nuclear weapons would be a threat to the entire civilized world," he was reported as saying.Yaalon's spokesman Ofer Harel told The Associated Press later Monday that the minister was repeating Israel's position that all options are on the table and not calling for anybody to attack Iran.Iran has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, but the U.S., Israel and many others believe it is cover for developing atomic weapons.Hmmmm......A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. Read the full story here.

• Turkish group: Israel won't dare attack us.(Ynet).Pro-Palestinian activists told Israel on Monday not to interfere in a planned aid flotilla to Gaza in late June, barely a year after Israeli commandos boarded an aid ship killing eight Turks and one Turkish-American. Holding a news conference on the deck of the Mavi Marmara where the May 31 2010 confrontation occurred, a coalition of 22 activist groups called on governments to ensure there was no re-run of the incident."They will not attack. We don't believe they will repeat the same big mistake against humanity," said Huseyin Oruc, a spokesman for the Turkey-based IHH Islamic charity. The activists later held a minute's silence for those who were killed in 2010. "It is the Mavi Marmara, it is a peace boat and the other 14 boats are also peace boats," he told the news conference on the ship, overlooking the Golden Horn inlet in Istanbul, as workmen carried out maintenance work on the decks below. In an interview with Reuters on Monday Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the onus was on Israel to avoid any repeat of the bloodshed, adding it should abandon its illegal blockade of 1.5 million Palestinians living in the enclave. "We are sending a clear message to all those concerned. The same tragedy should not be repeated again," he said. The minister added that democratic governments cannot stop their citizens launching another pro-Palestinian flotilla to Gaza."No democratic country can think that they have full control over these NGOs (non-government organizations)," he said. But Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon warned that future flotillas would be stopped for security reasons and accused IHH of provocation, setting the stage for a possible confrontation. He said Turkey was not acting responsibly. "No responsible country allows its citizens to go to conflict areas, areas under dispute and clashes, in which they can get hurt. We have had great success with all of the region's countries except Turkey," he told a TV interview in Jerusalem.Hmmmmm........Why not cross over land, this is a deliberate provocation trying to break the blockade?Read the full story here.

• Ratko Mladic loses extradition appeal.(Al-Jazeera).Serbian judges reject appeal by former Bosnian Serb general's against his extradition to UN war crimes court.A Serbian court has rejected an appeal by Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army commander, against his extradition to a UN war crimes court in The Hague.The 69-year-old will be extradited to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) "as soon as possible," Bruno Vekaric, Serbia's deputy war crimes prosecutor, told the AP news agency.The move on Tuesday came shortly after the Belgrade court said it had received the appeal.Mladic's lawyers have said he is too ill to travel to the court in the Netherlands, saying that he has suffered a number of strokes and has a paralysed arm.Milos Saljic, representing Mladic, said he is not mentally and physically fit to stand trial and has asked for a team of doctors to examine his client.The former general is charged by the tribunal for atrocities committed by his Serb troops during the war, including the notorious Srebrenica massacre where around 8,000 Muslim men and boys were rounded up and killed, and the 44-month long seige of Sarajevo which left an estimated 10,000 people dead.Earlier on Tuesday Mladic was allowed to visit the grave of his daughter who committed suicide during the 1992-95 war.He was let out of his jail cell and taken under tight security to the red marble grave in a Belgrade suburb on Tuesday morning.Ana Mladic took her own life at the age of 23 in 1994 with her father's pistol. Media speculated that she was depressed because of her father's role in the war, but Mladic has insisted she was killed by his enemies.Bruno Vekaric, Serbia's deputy war crimes prosecutor, said Mladic was at the grave for a few minutes.Europe's most wanted war crimes fugitive was arrested Thursday in a village north of Belgrade after 16 years on the run.His son Darko Mladic said on Sunday that his father insists he "had nothing to do with" the Srebrenica massacre and had in fact saved lives.However Vekaric has accused Mladic of using delaying tactics and said nothing should prevent his extradition to tribunal."Doctors are saying he's capable of standing trial," Vekaric said.On Monday, Boris Tadic, the Serbian president, rejected speculation that authorities had known of Mladic's hiding place and delayed his arrest to coincide with a visit by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton."Any such comment makes no sense," Tadic told the AP news agency."The truth is that we arrested Ratko Mladic the moment we discovered him."The EU had repeatedly said that Serbia could begin pre-membership talks only after it arrested the wartime Bosnian Serb commander.Read the full story here.

• US firm seeks legal action to ensure Egypt keeps gas flowing to Israel.(Al-Arabia).US investors in the East Mediterranean Gas Co (EMG) have taken legal steps against the Egyptian government to ensure gas flow resumes to Israel, an official in a partnering firm with EMG told Reuters on Monday.The American firm EGI which is also a partner in EMG said that it was seeking international arbitration over what it contended was Egypt's failure to protect its investment as stipulated in a US-Egyptian agreement.EMG which exports Egyptian natural gas to Israel had its work disrupted in late April when supplies were halted for more than a month following explosions on Egypt's side of the pipeline in the wake of the country's political turmoil and ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.In a letter to the Egyptian government, EGI accused Egypt of "failing to provide EMG with full protection and security" for its investment and "refusing to resume delivery of gas to EMG."There was no immediate official comment from Egypt.The official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Reuters that arbitration, which could lead to a ruling that Egypt violated its agreement and force it to pay a large compensation, could take place in Washington DC within six months."We don't think there is a political decision to stop gas exports to Israel, but rather a problem in the decision making process within the Egyptian government," he added.The official said EMG invested $550 million in the off-shore pipeline that connects al-Arish, Egypt to Ashkelon, Israel.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday alluded to a weaker Egyptian state when he said that Egypt was having trouble maintaining control in the Sinai Peninsula, where saboteurs had blown up the pipeline, disrupting gas flows to Israel and Jordan."Egypt is currently run by a transition government," Mr. Netanyahu was quoted by an official as telling a parliamentary committee. "Egypt is having difficulty asserting its sovereignty in Sinai. We saw this in the gas explosion."Under an agreement signed in 2005 Israel will receive natural gas from Egypt for 20 years. Egyptians called the deal “unfair” as their country’s gas export to Israel was lower than the market price.Since the April 27 disruption, the official said, Egypt was losing four million dollars a day.Last month, Egypt’s Prime Minister Essam Sharraf said that the government was in the process of reviewing the country’s gas contracts with all of Israel and Jordan in a bid to boost the country’s returns to between three billion to four billion dollars. EMG is owned by Egyptian businessman Hussain Salem, Egypt Natural Gas Co, Thailand's PTT, American businessman Sam Zell, chairman of EGI, Ampal-American Israel Corp and Israel's Merhav.Mr. Salem is a controversial figure known for his close ties to the former Egyptian regime and Mr. Mubarak. He was being investigated for financial violations involving his activities in the oil sector and the export of Egyptian gas to Israel. He fled the country in January and authorities requested Interpol to issue a warrant for his arrest. He was caught in Dubai reportedly with $500 million cash in his possession.Hmmmmmm........."Egypt is having difficulty asserting its sovereignty in Sinai. We saw this in the gas explosion."any plans Bibi?Read the full story here.

• 'Spain will recognize Palestinian state on 1967 lines'.(JPost).The Palestinian Authority announced on Thursday that Spain has decided to recognize a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines before September. A spanish diplomat told Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath that Spain would support making the state of Palestine a UN member.The announcement came as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met in Cairo on Monday, under the auspices of Egyptian authorities, with Ramadan Shallah, Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad organization, and his deputy, Ziad Nakhleh.The meeting between Abbas and the Syrian-based Islamic Jihad leaders dealt with ways of consolidating Palestinian national reconciliation, a PA official said.The two sides also discussed the PA security crackdown on Islamic Jihad operatives and supporters in the West Bank, the official said.Islamic Jihad has condemned the ongoing crackdown and urged the PA to release all its men, especially in wake of the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation accord that was reached in Cairo three weeks ago.Under the former regime of Hosni Mubarak, Islamic Jihad leaders and members were unwelcome in Egypt.An Islamic Jihad official said that the talks also focused on ways of “confronting future challenges and Israeli threats.” He described the meeting with Abbas as positive and thorough.Abbas, who arrived in Cairo, also held talks with Gen. Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and briefed him on the latest developments surrounding the stalled Middle East peace process.Abbas also briefed Tantawi on the outcome of the emergency meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Qatar last weekend.The ministers voiced their backing for Abbas’s plan to ask the United Nations in September to recognize a Palestinian state on the 1967 lines.Abbas is also seeking Cairo’s help in overcoming differences with Hamas over the establishment of a unity government in accordance with the reconciliation agreement.PA negotiator Nabil Shaath announced on Monday that Spain was planning to recognize the Palestinian state before September.Shaath’s announcement came after he met in Ramallah with Spanish Consul-General Alfonso Portable.Shaath said that the PA was pursuing its efforts to secure additional backing and international recognition for the statehood bid.He said that the Spanish diplomat stressed that his country would support making the state of Palestine a member of the UN.Shaath said that he was planning to visit Armenia, Moldavia, the Philippines, Mexico and Columbia to persuade them to support the statehood bid in September.Hmmmmm......On the other hand Spain has yet to recognize the fact that it ceded the island of Gibraltar to Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.Read the full story here.

• Report: Over 400 al-Qaida terrorists now in Sinai.(JPost).Egyptian security official tells Al-Hayyat that Palestinian, Beduin, foreign citizens seeking to carry out attacks, have already attacked.Over 400 al-Qaida members have made their way into the Sinai Peninsula, a senior Egyptian security official told the Al-Hayyat satellite television station on Monday.Egyptian security officials were pursuing the terrorists, who are composed of Palestinians, Beduins and foreign Arab citizens, according to the report. The group was reportedly planning to carry out terror attacks in Egypt, the official said.Additionally, the terrorists carried out "a number of attacks against [Egyptian] security forces in the Sinai city of El Arish," the official told Al-Hayyat.Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday also addressed Egypt's security problems in Sinai. "Egypt has had difficulties exercising its sovereignty over Sinai," he said at a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee."We saw this in the two gas pipe explosions that occurred there," Netanyahu said. "What's happening in Sinai is that global terrorist organizations are meddling there and their presence is increasing because of the connection between Sinai and Gaza."Read the full story here.
• Related - Security Chaos and Tribal Clashes in Sinai.In northern Sinai, the Egyptian security apparatuses are hunting over 400 al-Qaeda members suspected of involvement in attacks on security facilities in Rafah and Al-'Arish and of planning further terror operations on Egyptian soil.In Nuweiba, dozens of armed Bedouin tribesmen have shut down the sea port, halting the movement of passengers and goods. In Al-'Arish a conflict has broken out between two Bedouin tribes, each of them claiming that the other has kidnapped some of its members. Tribesmen in the city have threatened to block major roads in protest of the collapse of security in Sinai.Source.

• Bangladesh woman cuts off 'attacker's' penis.(BBC).Police in southern Bangladesh say a woman cut off a man's penis during an alleged attempt to rape her and took it to a police station as evidence.The incident took place in Mirzapur village, Jhalakathi, about 200km (124 miles) south of the capital, Dhaka.Monju Begum, 40, a married mother of three, told police that neighbour Mozammel Haq Mazi forced his way into her shanty and started assaulting her.Mr Mazi, who denies the accusation, has been admitted to a nearby hospital."We will arrest him once his condition gets better," police spokesman Abul Khaer told the BBC."She said she fought back and cut off his penis and brought it to our police station in a polythene bag to prove that Mr Mazi tried to rape her," police spokesman Abul Khaer told the BBC. "She has registered a case accusing him of attempted rape," he said."It is quite an unusual incident. As far as I am aware, this is the first time that a woman has brought a severed penis to the police station as evidence."Monju Begum told police that Mr Mazi, a married father of five, had been harassing her for the past six months. But Mr Mazi denied the allegations."We were having an affair and recently she suggested that both of us can go and settle down in Dhaka," Mr Mazi told the BBC from the hospital in nearby Barisal. "I refused and told her that I cannot leave my wife and children, so she took revenge on me." Prof AMSM Sharfuzzaman, a senior surgeon at the Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital in Barisal town, told the BBC it had not been possible to reattach the organ."Police brought his severed penis several hours after the incident," he said."We are treating him so that he can urinate normally without the penis."Read the full story here.