Center Report Reveals Radical Islamist Views and Agenda of Senior State Department Official Huma Abedin's Mother.

Center Report Reveals Radical Islamist Views and Agenda of Senior State Department Official Huma Abedin's Mother.(CenterForSecurityPolicy).WASHINGTON, D.C.:  A book published and translated by the mother of Obama administration State Department Deputy Chief of Staff Huma Abedin provides fresh evidence that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's closest aide has deeply problematic foreign associations that could, in violation of departmental guidelines, "create... a heightened risk of foreign exploitation, inducement, manipulation, pressure, or coercion."

In light of the escalating controversy over the role being played in U.S. security policy-making by Ms. Abedin and others with personal and/or professional ties to the Muslim Brotherhood (see Part 8 of the Center for Security Policy's online curriculum at MuslimBrotherhoodinAmerica.com), the revelations contained in a new Center report-- Ties That Bind? The Views and Agenda of Huma Abedin's Islamist Mother-- could not be more timely, or important.

The Center's report excerpts and analyzes relevant passages from a book published and translated by Saleha S. Mahmood Abedin called Women in Islam: A Discourse in Rights and Obligations by Fatima Umar Naseef. Naseef is a past head of the "women's section" and professor of shariah at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, where Dr. Abedin is also on the faculty.  The book was published in 1999, the same year Dr. Abedin founded Dar Al Hekma, a university for women also in Jeddah, that Secretary Clinton visited and spoke admiringly of with Huma Abedin in February 2010.  [See Remarks on that occasion by Mrs. Clinton, including her comment that Huma holds a "very sensitive and important position" in her department, and those by her hosts.]

Excerpts from Women in Islam in Ties That Bind? The Views and Agenda of Huma Abedin's Islamist Mother include Islamic shariah justifications for the following practices:

• Stoning for Adultery when Married; Lashing for Adultery when Unmarried
• No Death Penalty for the Murder of an Apostate
• Freedom of Expression Curtailed to What Benefits Islam
• Women's Right to Participate in Armed Jihad
• Social Interaction Between the Sexes is Forbidden
• Women Have No Right to Abstain from Sex with their Husbands
• A Woman Should Not Let Anyone Into the House Unless Approved by Her Husband
• Female Genital Mutilation is Allowed
• Man-Made Laws "Enslave Women"

The organization responsible for the publication of Women in Islam was the InternationalIslamic Committee for Woman and Child (IICWC), chaired at the time by Dr. Abedin.  IICWC misleadingly describes itself as "an international organization of concerned women who are committed to improving the condition of women and children around the world."  In fact, like the Muslim Brotherhood, the Muslim World League (MWL) and other Islamist organizations with which it is associated, the IICWC is committed to eviscerating the rights of women and children by imposing everywhere shariah, a code that denies them fundamental - and, in the United States, constitutional - liberties.Read the full story here.Downlaod the report here.

Iranian Diplomat on Iranian Canadians:"It is obvious that this large Iranian population can only be of service to our beloved Iran."

Iranian Diplomat on Iranian Canadians:"It is obvious that this large Iranian population can only be of service to our beloved Iran."(VT).By Eeyore.

Read this interview with this Iranian ‘diplomat’ (Iran has a habit of appointing terrorists and ‘former’ terrorists to its diplomatic core, certainly in South America) especially the last question and answer.

Hamid Mohammadi, the “Cultural Counselor” of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI)’s Ottawa Embassy, was interviewed by Iran’s press agency about Iranians living in Canada.
Following is a translation of the text from the original Persian.
The Islamic republic of Iran should be prevented from propagating ” their” so called “Islamic” culture in Canada. Iranians are Iranian no matter if they are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Bahai, Buddhist, agnostic or atheist.
Regards,
Shabnam Assadollahi and Shadi Paveh.

Interview with Mr. Hamid Mohammadi, representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Office of Cultural and Foreign Affairs of Iran, in Ottawa.

Question1: Mr Mohammadi, I want to thank you very much for giving us the time for this interview. Could you kindly inform us about the total Iranian population in Canada today?

Answer: I can tell you that according to our statistical studies, the Iranian population in Canada is approximately 500,000. Of course, this number is most likely higher due to the arrival of new students from Iran and the birthrate within this group.

Q2: Could you tell us about the cultural, social and economic situation of Iranians residing in Canada?
A: Studies have shown the status of Iranians immigrating to Canada differs from immigrants from other countries with regard to living conditions and social status. As a result of Canadian immigration laws, the spectrum of Iranian immigrants consists of highly educated individuals of high social standing.

Q3: Mr. Mohammadi can you please explain to us the differences between Iranian immigrants and those of other countries?

A: I can tell you that Iranian immigrants have certain characteristics that set them apart from other immigrants in Canada.

First, although they are not that different in their demographic profiles, more than 60% of recent immigrants are specialists and scholars. These individuals have decisively preserved their strong attachments and bonds to their homeland.
Second, if there is one major distinguishing factor that separates the Islamic-Iranian culture from the rest, it is their resistance to being absorbed and digested by the dominant culture. On the other hand, these same immigrants, compared to other immigrants of similar type, are rather malleable and more easily influenced by overpowering and dominant cultures. For this reason, the Iranian immigrants are easily affected by the overpowering and dominant Canadian society. There are many different reasons for this, and the source of this could be the subject of another report and interview.


Q13: Lastly, can you make any recommendations for the betterment of Iranians residing in Canada?

A: To this question I can say that by 2031 the total immigrant population of Canada will increase by 64%, and that the number of Iranians will increase due to birthrate. So therefore, we need to put into effect very concentrated cultural programs in order to enhance and nurture the culture in this fast-growing population. It is obvious that this large Iranian population can only be of service to our beloved Iran through these programs and gatherings.
Second, the Iranian community, while maintaining its Islamic and Persian cultural roots, can survive as an elite community and resist being melted into the dominant Canadian culture only if it aspires to occupy high-level and key positions. This would not be possible in any way other than by arming their children with a high level of education and preparing them for cultural survival in Canada.
Translation from Persian to English by: Shadi Paveh and Shabnam Assadollahi.Read the full story here.

UN nuclear agency finds ‘higher enrichment’ at Iranian site.

UN nuclear agency finds ‘higher enrichment’ at Iranian site.(Yahoo).VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. atomic agency has found evidence at an underground bunker in Iran that could mean the country has moved closer to producing the uranium threshold needed to arm nuclear missiles, diplomats said Friday. The International Atomic Energy Agency has found traces of uranium enriched up to 27 percent at Iran's Fordo enrichment plant, the diplomats told The Associated Press. That is still substantially below the 90-percent level needed to make the fissile core of nuclear arms. But it is above Iran's highest-known enrichment grade, which is close to 20 percent, and which already can be turned into weapons-grade material much more quickly than the Islamic Republic's main stockpile, which can only be used for fuel at around 3.5 percent. The diplomats — who demanded anonymity because their information is privileged — said the find did not necessarily mean that Iran was covertly raising its enrichment threshold toward weapons-grade level. They said one likely explanation was that the centrifuges that produce enriched uranium initially over-enriched at the start as technicians adjusted their output. Calls to Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's chief delegate to the IAEA, were rejected and the switchboard operator at the Iranian mission said he was not available. IAEA media officials said the agency had no comment.Iran went into Wednesday's talks urging the West to scale back on recently toughened sanctions, which have targeted Iran's critical oil exports and have effectively blackballed the country from international banking networks. The 27-nation European Union is set to ban all Iranian fuel imports on July 1, shutting the door on about 18 percent of Iran's market. The diplomats said a confidential IAEA report on Iran's nuclear program to be released later Friday to the agency's 35-nation board will mention of the traces of 27-percent enrichment found at Fordo. Iran already has around 700 centrifuges churning out 20-percent enriched uranium at Fordo. The diplomats said the report will also note that — while Iran has set up around 350 more centrifuges since late last year, at the site — these machines are not enriching.While the reason for that could be purely technical, it could also serve as a signal from Tehran that it is waiting for progress in the negotiations.Hmmmm......."Time is on my side......Yes it is."Read the full story here.

Video - UN Watch's Neuer takes down the 'human rights council' over its hypocrisy.

HT: IsraelMatzav.

MFS - The Other News

                        Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Chile: 5.2 ! More info here.

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

• Hurricane Irene : Latest Updates here , more here.

• Hurricane Irene: Videos, Photos.Hurricane Irene wreaks havoc on the Northeast, Matzav.com, in its leading online coverage, has put together numerous video links and photos of the damage wrought by the storm and the response to the raging hurricane.See an album of over 100 photos of the hurricane.See it here.

• CAP (Center for American Progress) : 'Anti-Islamists small in number, but influential beyond US'(TodaysZaman).In fact, according to the study, the “majority of terrorist plots in America since Sept. 11 have been committed by non-Muslims, particularly right-wing extremists and white supremacists.”A report on the Islamophobia network in the United States released by the Washington-based Center for American Progress (CAP) has highlighted that although the sources that spread anti-Islam sentiments based on false information in the country are but a handful of people, their influence on American politics and public opinion reach beyond the US borders and reach distant corners of the world as well as extremists, including the Norwegian assailant who murdered 76 people in a matter of hours to underscore his claim that Islam is a threat to the world.The extensive research, titled “Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” was published in August with collaborative efforts by prominent experts of the center on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, which traumatized not only the US but the whole world when planes hijacked by the al-Qaeda terrorist organization brought down the World Trade Center towers, a scene that still haunts the American psyche to this day.The center noted in the study that the anniversary of the tragic events might be an opportunity for right-wing extremists in the US to manipulate and “to ratchet up the nonexistent threat of Shariah and warn of apocalyptic dangers stemming from Muslims living in America,” while it claimed that the groups espousing anti-Islamic rhetoric were “small but effective,” with a reaching and extending influence over right-wing extremists across the world.Commenting on the ability of right-wing media outlets on cable TV and more abundantly on the Internet to disseminate ideas of hate and intolerance against Muslim with belief that the followers of the faith have been conspiring to control the US, the study drew attention to the rhetoric of right-wing officials elected at a state and national level, who “put these myths as facts and then craft political fundraising campaigns and get-out-the-vote strategies based on debunked information about Muslims and Islam.”Hmmmm......Did these 'authors' even contact the FBI for numbers?Read the full story here.

• Syria rejects Arab League statement as Turkey says lost trust in Damascus.(AlArabiya).Syria on Sunday rejected an Arab League statement demanding an end to the bloodshed in the country as the organization’s chief waited for a green light to travel to Damascus and as Turkish President Abdullah Gul said he has lost confidence in Syria.In a diplomatic note to the organization’s secretariat seen by AFP, Syria said the statement amounted to “a clear violation ... of the principles of the Arab League charter and of the foundations of joint Arab action.”The Syrian delegation protested that the declaration was issued “despite the meeting having closed with an agreement that no statement would be published or statement made to the press,” according to AFP.The statement contained “unacceptable and biased language,” the note said, adding Damascus would act as if it had never been published.The Arab League announced a peace initiative aimed at solving the crisis in Syria where more than 2,000 people have been killed in anti-regime protests, to be delivered in person by its secretary general, Nabil al-Arabi.The 22-member organization’s foreign ministers at a meeting on Saturday night called in the statement for an “end to the spilling of blood and (for Syria) to follow the way of reason before it is too late.”They expressed their “concern faced with the grave developments on the Syrian scene which have claimed thousands of victims and wounded.”The foreign ministers also called for respecting “the right of the Syrian people to live in security and of their legitimate aspirations for political and social reforms.”Arabi said on Sunday that he was awaiting a Syrian invitation to travel to Damascus. “I’m waiting for the response of Syria’s government,” he told journalists in the Egyptian capital, adding he was ready to leave immediately.Turkish President Abdullah Gul, meanwhile, said he has lost confidence in Syria.“In today’s world there is no place for authoritarian rule, one-party governments and closed regimes,” Gul said in an interview with Turkeys state-run Anatolia news agency. “These will either be changed by force or by the initiative of those who rule.” International pressure has been mounting for an end to more than five months of violence. US President Barack Obama earlier this month joined the leaders of the UK, France, and Germany in calling for Assad to step down. The protests that began in mid-March are part of the wave of unrest across the Middle East and North Africa this year that has unseated the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia and threatened the regime of Muammar Qaddafi in Libya.Gul said he was receiving detailed daily intelligence reports on the shootings of protesters in neighboring Syria.“Today how many will it be?” he asked. “We’ve lost our confidence.”Read the full story here.

• Perry Rips Obama For “Throwing Israel Under The Bus” With Calls For Withdrawing To 1967 Borders.(MySanAntonio). Iowa — Riding high in the polls, Gov. Rick Perry rode into Iowa on Saturday with tough talk on President Barack Obama and a declaration that Social Security is not only a Ponzi scheme but a “monstrous lie” for younger people.“If you’re for the status quo in America, I’m not your guy,” Perry told an overflow crowd eager to see the presidential candidate at The Vine Coffeehouse.Asked by a woman in the crowd about Social Security being viewed as an entitlement program, Perry reiterated the suggestion in his anti-Washington book “Fed Up!” that the program amounts to a Ponzi scheme.“It is a Ponzi scheme for these young people The idea that they’re working and paying into Social Security today (and) the current program is going to be there for them is a lie,” Perry said. “It is a monstrous lie on this generation, and we can’t do that to them.”Later, in Des Moines, when a reporter asked about the suggestion his campaign was backing off some positions in the staunch states-rights book, Perry said, “I haven’t backed off anything in my book. So read the book again and get it right.”He told the Ottumwa crowd that for people who are drawing Social Security or “like me” near eligibility, he wasn’t proposing a change in the program. But he said there should be a national conversation about potential changes for others, including raising the age of eligibility and establishing a threshold based on a person’s means.“Does Warren Buffett need to get Social Security? Maybe not,” he said.On foreign policy, Perry was asked about Israel and cited a statement by Obama that Israel’s borders with a Palestinian state should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps — a position Perry called “throwing Israel under the bus.”“I’m going to stand with Israel,” he said.Asked whether he’d consider pre-emptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Perry said there are “a lot of different ways to deal with Iran,” including diplomatically and financially, But he added, “I’m never going to take off the table our ability to have a military solution to a country like Iran.”Read the full story here.

• Is Rick Perry good for the Jews?(IsraelMatzav).Obviously, if Rick Perry remains a serious contender for the Republican nomination, I will look at this a lot more closely, but for now, here's a short blurb on Perry and the Jewish community.Read the full story here.

• CEO of Gibson Guitars' Main Competitor is a Huge Democrat Donor; Also Uses Same Wood Without Any Complaints From Feds.(DougRoss).Like almost all of the actions of the Holder Justice Department, the raid was likely motivated by political considerations....Henry E. Juszkiewicz, Gibson’s Chief Executive Officer, is a [large] donor to a couple of Republican politicians... When warrants as ridiculous such as these are issued and executed, there appears no other reason than because the company or individual at hand is being targeted, not because there is any sort of wrongdoing. As a company, Gibson is a legendary. They’ve done nothing wrong, except, apparently, deigning to have a Republican CEO. The plot thickens, however. One of Gibson’s leading competitors is C.F. Martin and Company. The C.E.O., Chris Martin IV, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the DNC over the past couple of election cycles. According to C.F. Martin’s catalog, several of their guitars contain “East Indian Rosewood.” In case you were wondering, that is the exact same wood in at least ten of Gibson’s guitars. So how could the federal government justify its attempts to shut down one of the few companies still manufacturing valuable products in the United States? This federal government -- a behemoth now operated by the most partisan political hacks in my lifetime -- is completely out of control.Hmmmmm......Thugocracy coming out of the woodworks?Read the full story here.

• First Circuit Affirms Right to Record the Police.(Cato).By David Rittgers.Right to Record, a website devoted to the legal aspects of recording police officers, has the scoop. A panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the right of citizens to openly record police officers.Gathering information about government officials in a form that can readily be disseminated to others serves a cardinal First Amendment interest in protecting and promoting “the free discussion of governmental affairs.” Moreover, as the Court has noted, “[f]reedom of expression has particular significance with respect to government because ‘[i]t is here that the state has a special incentive to repress opposition and often wields a more effective power of suppression.’” This is particularly true of law enforcement officials, who are granted substantial discretion that may be misused to deprive individuals of their liberties. Ensuring the public’s right to gather information about their officials not only aids in the uncovering of abuses, but also may have a salutary effect on the functioning of government more generally.Read the whole thing. It provides a great discussion of the developing legal landscape, as well as some juicy details — like the fact that the attorney defending the statute for Massachusetts wrote her student note about how the Massachusetts wiretapping law is unconstitutional.This decision is a big deal. The case comes from Massachusetts, one of two states (the other being Illinois) that continues to criminalize recording audio in public. It’s the latest in a string of victories against the Massachusetts wiretapping law that has become a useful tool for police who want to shield their actions from public scrutiny. A Massachusetts District Attorney recently refused to proceed with charges against a woman who recorded a vicious police beating, the D.A. declaring that police officers have no reasonable expectation of privacy while on duty and in public. Cop Block founders Pete Eyre and Adam Mueller were just acquitted on felony wiretapping charges for openly recording their encounter with police officers Massachusetts.Moving on to the other holdout, Illinois, a woman who surreptitiously recorded Chicago Police Internal Affairs officers trying to persuade her not to file a sexual harassment complaint against police officers was acquitted of felony wiretapping charges. All of this sets the stage for the ACLU v. Alvarez, a lawsuit seeking to prevent future wiretapping charges against citizens who record on-duty police in public.For more Cato work on the right to record police, take a look at this video and this post on Anthony Graber’s victory over abuse of the Maryland wiretapping statute. Speaking of which, Right to Record provides a page on the Maryland wiretapping statute, supplying the decision in Graber’s case for anyone who faces similar charges in the future.Hmmm....."Know your rights".Read the full story here.

• No US parole for maid abuser.(Arabnews).RIYADH: Family and friends of a Saudi research student convicted of abusing his maid have expressed dismay after his efforts to receive parole were dashed late on Monday.Humaidan Al-Turki, who was jailed in 2006 in the United States, was left bemused after his review before a parole committee at Limon Correctional Facility, Colorado, was denied. The committee will now review the case next year, according to family spokesperson Fahd Al-Nassar.Al-Turki was sentenced in August 2006 to 28 years in prison on 12 felony counts of false imprisonment, unlawful sexual contact with his Indonesian housekeeper, theft and criminal extortion.Al-Turki had his sentence reduced on appeal. He received a revised sentence of eight years in jail in February this year.Al-Turki’s defense team had filed for a parole hearing after he completed half his sentence.The parole committee meets usually to review release requests for those who have already served half of their jail sentence.Other considerations taken into account when requesting parole include the humanitarian circumstances of the prisoner and his family, security and political issues related to the case as well as the costs of keeping the convict in jail.Al-Nassar had been optimistic Al-Turki would be paroled. He said the committee would consider the trial’s costs, which have proven to be a burden on the state, and the lawsuit Al-Turki filed against facility authorities for not providing him with treatment for his ill health.Al Turki, according to Al-Nassar, has been suffering from acute renal complications since August last year.Hmmmmm........He wouldn't be by any chance related to Sulaiman Al-Turki Deputy Minister at The Saudi Ministry of Finance?Read the full story here.

• Solid proof of Al-Qaida in lybian rebel group - Senior Islamist rebel is veteran Gaddafi foe.(TundraTabloids).

* Islamist rebel has long record of opposing Gaddafi

* Belhadj once spent time with Qaeda leaders

* Rebel once negotiated reconciliation with Gaddafi

By William Maclean - LONDON, Aug 26 (Reuters) – A senior Islamist rebel reported to have helped depose Muammar Gaddafi is a skilled guerrilla leader and veteran dissident who led a failed revolt in Libya in the 1990s and once spent time with al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan, security experts say.Abdel Hakim Belhadj, reported by Arab media to have been prominent in the assault on Tripoli, helps lead an Islamist group that has fought in close cooperation with the main rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), analysts say.The Libyan Islamic Movement for Change (Al-Haraka Al-Islamiya Al Libiya Lit-Tahghir), is made up of former members of the now defunct Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) that once plotted against Gaddafi from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.Belhadj, in his late 40s and also known as Abu Abdullah al-Sadeq, is a highly skilled leader, said Noman Benotman, a former associate and fellow LIFG commander.Read the full story here.

• ANTICOPTISM !THE ANTISEMETISM OF EGYPT.(AlexanderMunch).By Dioscorus Boles.Anticoptism (anti-coptism or anti-Coptism) معاداة الأقباط, المعاداة للأقباط، معاداة القبطية, ضـد القبطية: is the antisemitism of Egypt, but that is not enough to define it. Let us first start by defining a much better known concept – anti-Semitism, and from there try to define anticoptism.Read and see the full story here.

• Obama-Allied Center For American Progress Blames Rich Jews For Stoking “Islamophobia” In America.(AT).The Center for American Progress being run by John Podesta, who was co-chairmnan of Obama’s presidential transition team and helped form his initial cabinet after the 2008 election.— The Obama-allied Center for American Progress has released a report that blames Islamophobia in America on a small group of Jews and Israel supporters in America, whose views are being backed by millions of dollars. This “network”, according to the news release, have “have worked hard to push narratives that Obama might be a Muslim, that mosques are incubators of radicalization, and that “radical Islam” has infiltrated all aspects of American society — including the conservative movement.Who are the figures mentioned as the promoters of prejudice? Most of them are prominent Jews and supporters of Israel, such as David Horowitz, Daniel Pipes and Steven Emerson (the founder of the Investigative Project on Terrorism). The eight foundations mentioned as funding this effort include are almost exclusively ones founded and funded by Jewish donors, and lest readers not be aware of this fact, the Center for American Progress lists not only the other beneficiaries of the charities and foundations (most of them having Jewish or Israel in the title) but also goes to the trouble of naming the individuals behind these charities — not just the donors but also those who serve on the boards.Why include this additional information except to highlight that Jewish people are behind this effort to “defame” Muslims? By “outing” the people involved, the report puts endangers them. Furthermore, this “report” relies on the conspiracy and age-old anti-Semitic trope that Jews fan prejudice towards others and promotes divisions for their own nefarious purposes (to support Israel in this case). This mindset is straight out of Mein Kampf.The report also stokes the view that rich Jews operate behind the scenes and use their wealth to control the media and government policy (politicians are also mentioned as being ensnared in this web).The Center for American Progress was founded by Herbert and Marion Sandler (prominent mortgage bubble billionaires who partner with George Soros in his political activities). The Center for American Progress to a great extent is funded by George Soros and his Open Society Institute. George Soros is a fierce opponent of Israel and alleges that the Israel “lobby” all but controls American foreign policy. This view is echoed by Stephen Walt who flags this report in his column at the Foreign Policy website.Hmmm......Read the full story here.

• PM: Cabinet will rule on changes in Egypt peace deal.(Ynet).The cabinet will have to approve any changes in the deployment of forces around the Egyptian border and in the Sinai Peninsula, as well as any amendments to the Israel-Egypt peace deal – should they be required, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday."Israel has to deal with complex security challenges that have to do with the changes the region is undergoing – and we are dealing with them," he said.Over the weekend, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that in view of the recent terror attacks emanating from Sinai and the area adjacent to the Israel-Egypt border, Israel was considering allowing Egypt to deploy additional troops in the Sinai Peninsula. Such a move would be contrary to the 1979 peace treaty between Jerusalem and Cairo, but according to Barak, "Sometimes you have to subject strategic considerations to tactical needs." Though Barak said that Netanyahu was backing the plan, the prime minister stressed on Sunday that any such decision would have to be carefully reviewed and approved by the cabinet. "Security arrangements must be dealt with," the prime minister said, adding that the government plans to invest additional resources into the border project with Egypt. Still, a security source said Sunday that since Egypt has yet to make an official request to allow more of its forces into Sinai, the matter is "not on the agenda at this time." Speaking to reporters prior to the cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz also addressed the security situation vis-à-vis Egypt: "Israel's relations with Egypt are of strategic importance and every move has to be reviewed carefully, with its long-term effects in mind. "There are tactical and strategic considerations that have to taken into account in the long run, so every change has to be reviewed carefully," he added. Speaking of the nearing Palestinian bid for statehood, Steinitz said that Israel was "dealing with a Palestinian Authority which has turned its back on the core of the peace process and is trying to push for a hostile Palestinian state, without security or peace, without declaring an end to the conflict and without relinquishing the right of return." The PA, he added, "is mounting a campaign against the legitimacy of the State of Israel and we have to do everything in our power to either prevent it altogether or minimize the damage. I'm sure the prime minster will make an informed decision as he has done on other issues," Steinitz said. Meanwhile, senior Egyptian officials told Egypt's al-Masri al Youm newspaper that Cairo was considering the possibility of establishing a five kilometer buffer zone with Gaza.According to the report, Egyptian security forces have already begun preparations for the destruction of tunnels. The report stated that heavy machinery has already arrived in Egyptian Rafah to assist with the demolition of the tunnels. Over the weekend, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said on Friday that all peace treaties are subject to the Vienna Convention and that as such, the Israel-Egypt accords was "not sacred - they are not the Koran or the New Testament."Hmmmm......Read the full story here.

• Turkey and Iran wants a Kurd against Kurd war, says Iraqi MP.(Firat).Kurdish Alliance MP warned that Iran and Turkey are trying to ignite a Kurdish-Kurdish war through pressing Iraqi Kurds to fight against Turkish and Iranian opposition Kurds.Mahmoud Othman MP told Aswat al-Iraq that "this matter is clear through the pressures put against Kurdish region government".He called both countries to solve their Kurdish questions internally through dialogue and not resorting to violence."It seems that peaceful choice does not satisfy both countries and their continued desire to fight against PKK and PJAK parties, while both parties have their rights in freedom ", he added. Dr. Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish legislator, an Iraqi parliament member on the Kurdistan Alliance list.The Iranian bombardment continued for the last two months, while the Turkish started before two weeks which led to a number of casualties and material losses in the border villages.From August 17, Turkish jets carried out air strikes against the Kuridsh guerrillas in Iraqi Kurdistan region, forcing large numbers of Kurdish citizens of those areas to desert their home villages, including an air raid that killed 7 Kurdish civilians in a village north of Kurdistan’s Sulaimaniyah city on August 21st.The Turkish army is continuing its raids, under the pretext of chasing PKK members in the Iraqi mountains.Read the full story here.

• Religious Freedom for Turkey?(TheHill)By Elizabeth H. Prodromou and Nina Shea.The recent resignation of Turkey's military high command, along with reports that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will subordinate the military to civilian rule, could mark a new era for that nation. Sweeping constitutional changes, however, are still needed to ensure fundamental rights and avoid exchanging one form of repression for another. The United States should challenge Turkey's civilian leadership to make such long-overdue changes, especially regarding religious freedom, including for religious minorities.While Turkey has long been a formal democracy, it has been a decidedly imperfect one. Since Kemal Ataturk founded the Republic of Turkey in 1923, his rigid state secularism has stifled religious freedom. Restrictions have hindered the majority Sunni Muslim community and have discriminated against and threatened religious minority communities, including Greek, Armenian, and Syriac Orthodox Churches; Catholic and Protestant Churches; the Jewish community; and the Alevis.Constitutionally, the military was the protector of the secular state apparatus that engaged in or tolerated religious freedom violations. Indeed, the context for the recent military resignations was Erdogan's refusal to promote officers who allegedly plotted within Ergenekon, a clandestine ultranationalist group, to topple his Islamic-oriented government and commit violence against numerous faith communities and their houses of worship.As the inheritor of this legacy, Erdogan and his AK Party have faced an uphill battle to deepen Turkey's democratic institutions and culture. Their moves to bolster civilian rule have positive implications for respecting international human rights norms, including religious freedom.Indeed, the AKP government has widened the opening for public religious expression, which has helped Turkey's Sunni Muslim majority. Since 2007, imams have had some autonomy in drafting their sermons. While the ban on religious dress in state institutions continues, last month, the Council of State overturned Turkey's high court ruling which had barred the wearing of headscarves during the Selection Examination for Academic Personnel and Graduate Studies. Enrollment in Imam-Hatip religious schools has expanded notably. Without a doubt, Sunni Islam flourishes.When it comes to religious minorities, however, Turkey's record remains disappointing.To be sure, the AKP government has ushered in some improvements, including the addition of worship services allowed for a particular church, citizenship for the leaders of another, accurate national identity cards for converts, and continued engagement with Alevis. Yet, Turkey's widely publicized constitutional reform process currently omits any attention to religious freedom, thereby suggesting no systematic relief for Turkey's smallest minorities, such as Christians and Jews.Turkey's Christian minority has dwindled to just 0.15 percent of the country. In the words of one church leader, it is an "endangered species." In past centuries, violence exacted a horrific toll on Turkey's Christians and their churches. This provides a frightening context and familiar continuity to a number of recent high-profile murders by ultranationalists.Turkey's Jewish community also fears a reprise of past violence, such as the 2003 al Qaeda-linked Istanbul synagogue bombings. Societal anti-Semitism has been fueled in recent years by Erdogan's rhetoric against Israel's activity in the Middle East and by negative portrayals in Turkey's state-run media.Today, however, it is the state's dense web of regulations that most threatens Turkey's religious minorities.Religious communities are being strangled by legal restrictions on internal governance, education, houses of worship and wider property rights. It is difficult even to have a frank national discussion about their plight; those who have tried can face constitutional charges for insulting "Turkishness", as well as a broader climate of impunity.One example of the oppressive regulatory climate is the meddling in internal governance, as seen in the interference in the election procedure for the acting Armenian Patriarch, as well as in the refusal to recognize the title of "ecumenical" of the Greek Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarch and the inherited titles of Alevi leaders.Another is the government's refusal to allow non-Muslim clergy to be trained in Turkey. The military's shuttering in 1971 of the Greek Orthodox Theological School of Halki, once the educational center for global Orthodox Christianity, is a case in point. Successive governments' policies have put at risk the very survival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its Greek Orthodox flock.A third example is the expropriation of land from the 1,600-year-old Mor Gabriel Monastery, the world's oldest Syriac Orthodox monastery. Last January, Turkey's Supreme Court granted its treasury parts of the monastery's territory. Besides impacting the church, such arbitrary state expropriations encourage acts of impunity against all religious minorities.Finally, there is the status of the Alevis, the nation's largest religious minority. Turkey refuses legal recognition of Alevi meeting places (cemevi) as houses of worship, and has denied them construction permits.These examples underscore how Turkey's religious minorities still lack full legal status and are deprived of full rights as citizens. To help remedy this injustice, the United States should urge Erdogan to fulfill his pledge to amend the military-drafted constitution of 1982 by making changes in line with religious freedom and the other human rights guarantees found in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Turkey ratified.By strengthening civilian control, Turkey has an opportunity to chart a clearer course toward greater freedom for all its citizens. It's time for the country's leaders to embrace constitutional reform, end impunity, protect religious diversity, and advance religious freedom for every citizen.Hmmmmm.......How can you expect 'religious freedom' from a leader schooled at an Imam-Hatip religious school?Read the full story here.

• Saudi Arabia - Indonesian autopsy reveals violence killed maid in Hail.(ArabNews).RIYADH: The case of an Indonesian housemaid allegedly killed by her employers in the northwestern Saudi city of Hail took a fresh twist on Saturday after the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh rejected a Saudi hospital's autopsy report into her death.The embassy said it would send its own report to the Saudi Foreign Ministry after a leading hospital in Indonesia carried out an autopsy that revealed the maid, identified as Ernawati, died of injuries caused by blunt force, abuse and trauma.Embassy spokesman Hendrar Pramutyo said the autopsy results contradict a previous examination by the Saudi government, which the Saudi Foreign Ministry has always referred to in explaining the cause of Ernawati’s death.He said Ernawati sustained injuries from physical abuse at the hands of her employer in Hail. There were bruises on her face, chest, arms and knees because of injuries caused by a blunt object, said a report obtained by Arab News. There was also swelling, bleeding in the lungs, and bruises on the chest that was the result of violence by a blunt object, causing bleeding in lung tissue that led to her death. Ernawati died on Feb. 10 this year, several days after her elder sister Yenni Larasati filed a report with the Foreign Ministry in Jakarta alleging that her sibling was being physically abused by both her employer and his lover. Larasati said Ernawati was forced to kneel while her employer often slapped, punched, kicked, threw things at her or whipped her with a hose. But the first autopsy performed in Saudi Arabia determined that she died after consuming rat poison.Meanwhile, Pramutyo also denied the reports that the Saudi and Indonesian governments have agreed to lift the ban on recruitment of Indonesian women workers.He said that he had sought an answer from Jakarta about the authenticity of the news. He, however, pointed out that there had been substantial progress in talks since the visit of a presidential task force to the Kingdom last month.According to the latest available figures, there are still about 1,719 Indonesian workers, mainly maids, stranded in jails across the Kingdom.The moratorium on workers came into force on Aug. 1 after a spate of cases of alleged violence against Indonesian workers were reported, including the execution of a maid who had been convicted of killing her employer. Pramutyo said several steps had been taken by the Indonesian government to address the grievances of workers abroad.Read the full story here.

• Malaysian church raid increases tensions between Muslims and Christians.(AlArabiya).A raid by state Islamic enforcers on a church function in predominantly Muslim Malaysia has stirred religious tensions and revived fears of growing Islamization in the multi-ethnic country.Officials swooped on a dinner at a Methodist church hall outside the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on August 3, saying they had information that a group of Muslims were being converted, which is prohibited in much of the country.The relatively tame incident has unnerved some in one of Southeast Asia’s most prosperous nations, where religion and race are intertwined and the various ethnic groups have generally co-existed peacefully.The Damansara Utama Methodist Church denied the event was held to convert Muslims, but Islamic officials and pro-government media pounced on the case to allege a widespread Christian proselytizing campaign.Many Christians, however, dismiss the charge and say they face increasing pressure in a country whose ethnic Malay-dominated government has long presented Malaysia as a modern, ethnically harmonious Muslim state.“I am very unhappy with the way Christians are being portrayed and why authorities are treating the community so suspiciously,” Maria Varghese, 37, a Kuala Lumpur schoolteacher and ethnic Indian Christian, told AFP.“We are not trying to convert anyone. We have friends of all races and religions and have lived happily for centuries. I don’t understand why they are attacking us.”Half of Malaysia’s population are ethnic Malay Muslims − there are also sizeable Chinese, Indian and indigenous minorities − while Christians from a range of races form nine percent of the country’s 28 million population.Overt racial and religious antagonism has been minimal in recent decades, following deadly race riots in 1969.But an Islamization trend has gained pace recently as the long-ruling government coalition vies for Muslim votes with the increasingly influential Islamic opposition party, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).“Both Muslims and Christians have been carrying out missionary work in this country for centuries so this is not a new phenomenon,” said Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, head of ethnic studies at the National University of Malaysia.“But what is worrying is that this is now being politicised.”In 2009, churches were attacked with gasoline bombs after a court lifted a government ban on the use of “Allah” as a translation for “God” in Malay-language bibles.The ban had been in place for years but enforcement only began in 2008 out of fear the word could encourage Muslims to convert.Premier Najib Razak, head of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), has called for national unity and met Pope Benedict XVI in July about opening relations with the Vatican.But with a hotly contested election expected soon, the Damansara raid has triggered anti-Christian rhetoric by some ruling-party politicians, Islamic officials and UMNO-backed media.A coalition of about two dozen Muslim civil society groups also issued a call to make apostasy a national crime.Converting from Islam is already banned in most of Malaysia’s 13 states and three federal territories, which have Islamic Sharia courts that run parallel to civil courts. Muslims, however, are allowed to proselytize.“As long as no one tries to convert Muslims, we can live in harmony with everyone,” said Ibrahim Salleh, 58, an elder at a Muslim prayer hall in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Subang. “But if missionary groups try to exert their influence and erode Islam, then we must fight back.”The uproar has raised questions about the powers of the state Islamic Religious Affairs Department, known for its raids to enforce Islamic rules ranging from the alcohol ban to illicit relationships between unwed Muslims.Christian leaders warn the church incident risked upsetting the country’s delicate racial and religious balance.“These actions are calculated at creating mistrust and tension among the various religions in Malaysia and people should know better than to try and stoke such tensions through baseless allegations,” said Reverend Thomas Philips, president of the Christian Churches of Malaysia.But with Najib widely expected to call an election soon, he faces an uphill challenge to defuse the situation, said Shamsul of the National University of Malaysia, “as he is head of UMNO, which champions Malay rights and Islam.”Hmmmmm.....The 'religion of peace'.Read the full story here.

• Nasrallah: Syria's Assistance Enabled Iran to Assist Hizbullah, Palestinians.(Memri).In a speech on the occasion of Al-Quds Day (August 26), Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said that, if it were not for the Syria regime, Iran may not have been able to give Lebanon and Palestine assistance, beyond moral and political assistance. He added that the sides in Syria must hold dialogue and settle their differences peacefully, for any other way would endanger Syria, Palestine and the region as a whole. He accused "elements in Lebanon" (i.e., the March 14 Forces) of working to exacerbate the conflict in Syria and arming the protesters there, and of persuading countries around the world to withhold support from the Lebanese government and army. He accused the Al-Mustaqbal faction of inciting rebellion in the Lebanese armed forces.Read the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                        Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Mongolia: 5.4 and Fiji 5.1! More info here.

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

• Hurricane Irene : Latest Updates here , more here.Update : Two forecast models give a more land inwards track.

Hurricane Irene : danger to North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and the rest of the New England coast. Irene is capable of inundating portions of the coast under 10 - 15 feet of water, to the highest storm surge depths ever recorded.I strongly recommend that all residents of the mid-Atlantic and New England coast familiarize themselves with their storm surge risk‏.Read the full warning here.

• Algeria suicide bomb attack hits military academy.(BBC).A suicide bomb attack on a military academy in Algeria has killed 18 people, officials say.The attack took place in the town of Cherchell, about 100km (60 miles) west of the capital Algiers.One or two bombers set off their explosives just after the breaking of the Ramadan fast, reports said.No group has said it carried out the attack. It comes 12 days after a suicide car bombing of a police station in Tizi Ouzu wounded 29 people.That attack was claimed by the Islamist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which is active in the region.It was not clear how many of those killed in the latest attack were military. A hospital source told Reuters news agency 16 soldiers had been killed and two civilians.Political violence has subsided since the 1990s when more than 150,000 were killed after the 1992 election, won by an Islamist party, was annulled.Read the full story here.

• Was Qaddafi spotted fleeing?Six Armored Mercedes cars enter Algeria from Libya.(AlArabiya).A convoy of six Mercedes cars have crossed from Libya into Algeria, Egypt’s state MENA news agency reported on Saturday, quoting a rebel source.It was impossible to verify the report and it was not immediately clear who might have been in any convoy, but MENA quoted the source as speculating that senior Libyan officials or Muammar Qaddafi himself and his sons may have fled the country.“It is believed that these vehicles were carrying senior Libyan officials, and possibly Qaddafi and his sons,” MENA quoted the source as saying.Algerian officials were not immediately reachable for comment.The agency quoted the source from the rebel Military Council in the city of Ghadamis, on the Algerian border, as saying that the convoy of armored cars crossed the frontier on Friday morning protected by the commander of a desert nomadic military unit that had apparently operated under Colonel Qaddafi.The source was quoted as saying the rebels were unable to chase and stop the convoy.Libyan rebels said on Friday they were close to capturing Col. Qaddafi, who has disappeared after his Bab al-Aziziya bastion fell to the rebels on Tuesday.Algeria’s Foreign Ministry denied on Friday that it was linking any recognition of Libya’s rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) to a commitment from the council to crack down on Islamist militants.A government source in Algeria had told Reuters on Thursday that it would not yet grant recognition to the NTC, and that it wanted to be certain that Libya’s rulers were engaged in fighting al-Qaeda’s north African wing.Read the full story here.

• Updated - Algeria denies Mercedes convoy carrying Qaddafi entered from Libya.(AlArabiya).Algeria’s Foreign Ministry denied on Saturday a report that a convoy of six Mercedes cars, suspected of carrying top figures of the ousted Libyan regime, had crossed its border from Libya.Egypt’s state MENA news agency had quoted a source from the rebel Military Council in the border city of Ghadames as saying the convoy of armored cars crossed the frontier on Friday morning protected by the commander of a desert nomadic military unit that had operated under Muammar Qaddafi.The agency quoted the source as saying that the convoy may have been transporting senior Libyan officials or even Qaddafi himself.“This information (about the convoy entering Algeria) has no basis and we categorically deny it,” Algeria’s state APS news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.Libya’s rebel leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said on Saturday the National Transitional Council (NTC) has no concrete information on the location of Qaddafi Rebel fighters who took control of the Libyan capital this week say Qaddafi and his sons are in hiding and have offered a $1.3 million reward and amnesty from prosecution for anyone who kills or captures him.A spokesman for the rebel council dampened speculation that Qaddafi might be holed up in Sirte.“He probably won’t be in Sirte because Sirte is landlocked from three sides and (there is) the sea from the other. There is no way for him to get away,” said the spokesman, Shamsiddin Abdulmolah.“There is a possibility he is still in the Tripoli area. But if not he’s more likely to be near the Algerian border because Algeria has still not recognized the NTC.”The rebel council is under pressure to establish its authority in Tripoli quickly and deal with a breakdown of public services that followed the collapse of Qaddafi’s rule.Corpses are rotting outside hospitals, garbage is piled up in the streets, and many people have no water.Asked when the NTC would move to the capital from its base in Benghazi, eastern Libya, Abdulmolah said: “Most of the executive committee is already over there now in Tripoli.But he said the question of when Abdel Jalil, a former justice minister under Qaddafi, would transfer to Tripoli, would depend on security considerations.Read the full story here.

• Abbas: We won't recognize Israel as Jewish state.(Ynet).Palestinian leader defiant ahead of UN statehood bid, urges international community to back off.The Palestinian Authority will not be recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday, adopting a belligerent tone ahead of his planned statehood bid in September. The Palestinian leader also criticized demands made by the International Quartet of his Authority, urging the international community to back off. "Don't order us to recognize a Jewish state," Abbas said. "We won't accept it."Speaking earlier Saturday, Abbas adopted a more moderate tone, saying that the PA's bid for UN recognition, planned for September, is not meant to isolate Israel or prompt a conflict with the United States.Responding to the Palestinian leader's defiant message, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the statement "reveals the true nature of the September motion: A Palestinian state to come in place of a Jewish state.""Countries around the world must make it clear to Abbas that the only way the Palestinians will be able to have a state is by stopping their attempt to destroy the only Jewish state in the world," Lieberman said.The foreign minister has adopted a tough attitude against the PA as of late, most recently blasting Ramallah for what he called its leaders' empty rhetoric vis-à-vis terror.Following the recent terror offensive in southern Israel that left eight people dead, Lieberman said: "The events of recent days prove that the Palestinian rhetoric professing that they have abandoned terror in favor on diplomacy in as removed from reality as Ramallah is from the UN building in New York City."Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said a real solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians can only be achieved through negotiations.Ashton was speaking Saturday ahead of talks with Palestinian officials and, later, with Israeli leaders.Hmmmmm.......The Grand Mufti Muhammed Amin al-Husseini and Hitler would be proud.Read the full story here.

• Anti-psychotic drugs found in over-the-counter UK painkiller packs.(RawStory).Drugs regulators have launched an investigation after packs of the painkiller Nurofen Plus were found to contain antipsychotic drugs.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a safety alert following reports that some batches of Nurofen Plus contained individual blister packs of another drug, Seroquel XL 50mg.Packs from the three batches -- numbered 13JJ, 57JJ and 49JJ -- have been distributed across the UK and thousands could be affected.It is unclear how the mix-up could have happened, especially as Seroquel XL is manufactured by AstraZeneca, while Nurofen is made by Reckitt Benckiser. Neither company is ruling out the possibility of sabotage, media reports said.The MHRA warned anyone buying the painkillers to be extra vigilant, while pharmacists have been advised to check before selling packs of the over-the-counter drug.The large Seroquel XL 50 mg capsules can be identified by their gold and black packaging while the smaller Nurofen Plus tablets have silver and black packaging.Ian Holloway, from the MHRA's defective medicines report centre (DMRC), said: "People should check to see if they have any affected packets of Nurofen Plus. If you do, return them to the pharmacy where you bought them from. You can also report this to the MHRA?s DMRC on 020 3080 6574.If you have taken a tablet and you have any questions, speak to your GP.Reckitt Benckiser said there had been three cases identified so far, all within the south London area. Thousands more packets could potentially be affected."Serious investigations" are under way to establish how the mix-up occurred, a statement issued by the company said."After careful review of the manufacturing system, manufacturing errors by the makers of Nurofen Plus or Seroquel XL are not thought to be part of the cause at this stage."We are taking this matter very seriously and are working closely with the regulatory authority, the MHRA, and pharmacies."The MHRA are investigating the issue, and have considerable law enforcement powers."Seroquel XL is a prescription-only antipsychotic drug used to treat several disorders including schizophrenia, mania and bipolar depression, while Nurofen Plus is a pain relief drug containing codeine and ibufrofen.The three batches of the painkiller affected each contain between 4,000 and 7,500 packs, however not all the 32-tablet packs were affected.Read the full story here.

• An Amazing Indictment of Obamanomics: Banks That Don’t Want Deposits.(Cato).By Daniel J. Mitchell.Here’s a Bloomberg story that provides what may be the most damning evidence that the President’s big government agenda is a failure:U.S. regulators have asked some banks to take more deposits from large investors even if it’s unprofitable, and lenders in return are seeking relief on insurance premiums and leverage ratios, according to six people with knowledge of the talks.Deposits are flooding into the biggest U.S. banks as customers seek shelter from Europe’s debt crisis and falling stock prices. That forces lenders to raise capital for a growing balance sheet and saddles them with the higher deposit insurance payments. With short-term interest rates so low, it’s hard for financial firms to reinvest the new money profitably.…At least one firm, Bank of New York Mellon Corp., tried to recoup some of the costs by charging depositors 13 basis points, or 0.13 percent, for holding unusually high balances.Let’s think about what this article is really saying. Banks normally make money by attracting deposits and then lending that money to people and businesses that have productive uses for the funds.Yet the economy is so weak that banks are leery of taking more money. The story is complicated by other factors, including capital flight from Europe, taxes (or premiums) imposed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and various regulatory issues. But even with these caveats, it’s still remarkable that banks want to turn down money — or charge people for making deposits. That’s sort of like McDonald’s turning away customers because the firm loses money by selling Big Macs and french fries. Or, better yet, like McDonald’s turning away free goods from suppliers because not enough people want to buy the final product.Hmmmm.......Help!... Save me People are depositing money?Read the full story here.

• Report: U.S. warns Palestinians it will halt aid - Obama regime replies "No need to worry".(Politico).American officials are dismissing a top Palestinian leader’s claims on Friday that the U.S. warned it will take “punitive measures” and cutoff aid if the Palestinians move forward on their statehood bid. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat released a statement Friday quoting U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem Daniel Rubinstein as saying the U.S. would veto the statehood recognition resolution at the United Nations Security Council in September and would stop aid if Palestine continued to seek statehood at the full General Assembly meeting. “The American Congress will take punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority including halting American assistance,” Erekat quoted Rubinstein as saying, according to the Associated Press. The U.S. currently grants Palestinians $470 million in an annual aid package. “The U.S. sees no benefits from the Palestinian efforts to get membership at the U.N. and it’s better to reach peace agreements through negotiations,” Erekat quoted Rubinstein as saying. “If the Palestinian Authority insists on going to the Security Council, then the U.S. will use the veto.” The U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem released a statement in response on Friday, saying that the quotes attributed to Rubinstein were not accurate. “While we cannot get into private diplomatic discussions, this report is not an accurate portrayal of the U.S position, nor did Consul-General Rubinstein make the comments reported in the media,” the statement said. The consulate did not offer any additional details on Erekat’s claims. “As President Obama has made clear, initiatives through the U.N. will not bring about the two-state solution and enduring peace which both parties and the U.S seek, therefore we continue to oppose initiatives by the Palestinians in the U.N. There is no substitute for serious and substantive negotiations between the parties, and that remains our focus,” the statement added.Hmmmm......Congress doesn't exist anymore for the "emperor" and he won't veto the bill?Read the full story here.

• Video - Horror scenes at Tripoli hospital.(BBC).More than 200 decomposing bodies have been found abandoned at a hospital in a district of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, that has seen fierce fighting.A BBC correspondent found corpses of men, women and children on beds and in the corridors of Abu Salim's hospital.Doctors and nurses fled after clashes erupted nearby between rebel forces and those loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi.Some residents accused the regime of murdering those at the hospital, but it is not yet clear how exactly they died.Meanwhile, rebel forces faced stiff resistance as they advanced on Sirte, Col Gaddafi's birthplace and the town regarded as his last stronghold.Rebel commanders said they were consolidating their frontline at the oil port town of Ras Lanuf, after withdrawing from positions nearer Sirte to put themselves out of range of rockets fired by pro-Gaddafi forces.The UK said its planes carried out an overnight missile attack on a large command-and-control bunker in Sirte.There was also intense fighting near Tripoli's international airport.In the west, the rebels took control of the Ras Jidir border crossing with Tunisia after regime loyalists fled, and then raised the pre-Gaddafi, green, red and black Libyan flag, witnesses said.The BBC's Wyre Davies in Tripoli says the scene at the hospital in Abu Salim was one of the most appalling and distressing he had ever seen.Around the hospital, on trolleys and in corridors, there were hundreds of dead people - men, women and children, our correspondent says. It is not known exactly who they were, but some were civilians, some fighters, some apparently African mercenaries, he adds. Residents said some had been alive when they were brought to the hospital, albeit with very bad injuries. Others had already died.However, the hospital was closed because nearly all medical staff had fled the fighting, and the people were left there to die, they added.The AFP news agency reported that the hospital was occupied by pro-Gaddafi snipers on Saturday, and that it was only on Thursday after days of intense fighting that it was secured by the rebels.The father of a 10-year-old boy who was shot in the back near Col Gaddafi's compound said he had to lie in the heat for almost a week with no help, while the stench of decomposing bodies grew around him."My son was wounded outside Bab al-Aziziya, but we didn't know where he had been taken," he told AFP. "It's the first time I've seen him in five days. But today we have got him back.The boy was one of 17 survivors taken away for treatment by the Red Cross, one of whose workers described the conditions as "dreadful".Osama Bilil, one of the doctors, told the BBC: "These bodies have been here in the hospital for five days. Nobody has taken care of them - to bring them to the mortuary, to identify them, to bury them.""We need help. It is very urgent. There is no government here. We need professional help, from the International Red Cross, because there has been a massacre in Abu Salim," he added.Our correspondent says the stench was appalling. People were trying to clean up some of the mess and return the hospital to normality, but that was an impossible task because of the sheer number of bodies, he adds.Human rights group Amnesty International earlier said it had evidence that both pro-Gaddafi forces and the rebels had abused detainees.Guards loyal to Col Gaddafi raped child detainees at Abu Salim prison, Amnesty said. It also accused rebels of beating prisoners, including a boy conscripted by Gaddafi forces who surrendered to the rebels at Bir Tirfas.The UN is to investigate reports of summary killings and torture through its existing commission of inquiry on Libya. It has previously said some reports could amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.Read and see the full story here.

• Iran, Syria, Interests and Liabilities.(Nervana).How far is Iran willing to go in order to save the Assad regime from crumbling?No one can truly answer this question; in fact, I think even Assad may not know the answer for sure. it is certainly true that Syria is Iran’s strategic gateway to the Arab world and it’s link with other proxy groups in Lebanon and Gaza. However,The recent events in Syria pose a serious challenge to the complicated relationship between the two countries and will probably expose its strengths and weakness.Looking back at the past few years may give us some clues about the mindset of both regimes and how united they are at crisis time. While the world was watching closely for a possible Israeli air strike on Iran nuclear facilities, an interesting debate (particularly in Israel) surfaced about the nature of the relationship between Assad ‘s regime and Iran.Read the full story here.

• Ahmadinejad: No place for Israel in region.(Ynet).The creation of a universally-recognized Palestinian state would be just a first step towards wiping out Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments reflect his typical anti-Israeli rhetoric; He drew international condemnation when he said in 2005 that Israel should be "wiped off the map."He spoke at a ceremony Friday following nationwide pro-Palestine rallies marking Quds Day. The annual demonstration is an occasion for Iranian officials to show their support for Palestinians and condemn Israel. Ahmadinejad says establishment of a Palestinian state should be the first step in the liberation of entire Palestine. Iran's Islamic leadership is hostile to Israel and backs anti-Israel groups like Palestinian Hamas.Ahmadinejad, restating a position expressed soon after taking office in 2005 that Israel was a "tumor" to be wiped off the map, urged Palestinians not to settle for a two-state solution that is backed by Abbas but to strive for a complete return of what they consider their land."Recognizing the Palestinian state is not the last goal. It is only one step forward towards liberating the whole of Palestine," Ahmadinejad told worshippers at Friday prayers."The Zionist regime is a center of microbes, a cancer cell and if it exists in one iota of Palestine it will mobilize again and hurt everyone." Any move for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations is likely to be vetoed by the United States, but even if it were to pass and Israelis and Palestinians found a way to co-exist, that would still be entirely insufficient, Ahmadinejad said. "It is not enough for them to have a weak, powerless state in a very small piece of Palestine. They should unite to establish a state but the ultimate goal is the liberation of the whole of Palestine," he said."I urge the Palestinians never to forget this ideal. Forgetting this ideal is equal to committing suicide. It would be giving an opportunity to an enemy which is on the verge of collapse and disappearance."Hmmmm.......How long before Erdogan repeats the same thing? Read the full story here.

• Antisemitic Articles in the Egyptian Government Press: Jews are Descendants of Apes and Pigs. Protocols of the Elders of Zion are Being Realized in Today's Middle East.(Memri).Addressing recent developments in the region, the Egyptian government press recently published articles employing antisemitic motifs. One of the articles attributed the recent uprisings in the Arab states to a Jewish plot for world domination, as described in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Another article, written in the wake of the August 18, 2011 attacks on the Egyptian-Israeli border, called not to sign any agreements with the Jews, characterizing them as "the descendants of apes and pigs" who cannot be trusted.Hmmm.....Egypt....The 'people' the Obama administration is supporting financially and military.Read the full story here.

• Afghan Editor Condemns the Custom of Dancing Boys, Says: '[Boys] of Ages 15 to 20 are Normally Dressed in Women's Clothes, Dancing All the Night, Then Abused by Several Men'.(Memri).In a recent report, senior Afghan journalist Musa Khan Jalalzai drew attention to the custom of Afghan dancing boys and their sexual exploitation by powerful and wealthy warlords in the country. The report notes that the custom has become a status symbol in Afghanistan."A shameless business of teenage rape or Bacha-bazi has brought disgrace and shame to Afghan society. The tradition of teenage rape is an old tradition in northern and southern provinces. The tradition has roots in Afghan history. President Hamid Karzai, in his recent statement, warned that rapists should face 'the country's most severe punishment. "The interior ministry has failed to arrest powerful rapist warlords in northern Afghanistan, as the police administration has long been involved in many illegal businesses like drug trafficking, prostitution, and playboys. Corruption in the Afghan justice system is another problem. Courts are helpless before war criminals. Judges are the most corrupt people, who bail out or release criminals and receive millions in Afghan currency."Local residents now have demanded for a crackdown against these elements, but are skeptical because criminals are powerful and well-armed. War criminals have representation in Afghan parliament and in government institutions. Why did this illegal business take deep roots after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001? Afghan men of letters understand that both unemployment and poverty are the main motivators for the revival of the business of Bacha-bazi in Afghanistan. Recruitment of young and beardless beautiful boys is in progress."Powerful and wealthy warlords in northern Afghanistan, according to press reports, recruit young boys for sex and dance, while local authorities remain powerless in stopping the practice. Bacha-bereesh [boys] of ages 15-20 are normally dressed in women's clothes, dancing all the night, then abused by several men.""This is an established fact that a boy without beard and [is] smart normally becomes a status symbol for his master. Mohammad Zaher Zafari, head of the Northern Branch of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, hopelessly said: 'Sexual abuse and even the sale of boys has been going on for years; the boys involved are usually poor, underage or orphans, and they are forced into it by their economic circumstances."Another senior official, Hafizullah Khaliqyar, head of the prosecutor's office for Baghlan province, complains that teenage boys are forced to dance. 'They are sexually abused, and they are even bought and sold. Fights take place over these Bacha-bereesh. It's increasing day by day, and it's catastrophic,' he said.""A local Afghan reporter, Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi, recently interviewed some warlords saying that they play with dogs, boys, and love teenage girls. 'Some men enjoy playing with dogs, some with women. I enjoy playing with boys,' warlord Allah Daad told Ibrahimi. After the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, Bacha-bazi increased tremendously and is still on the rise."In the past, Afghans were ashamed of it and trying to hide it, but nowadays, nobody feels shame and they openly enjoy this shameless business. Religious scholars condemn the custom, which they count as one of the most sinful acts possible. Afghan ulema [Islamic scholars] are of the opinion that making boys dance and sexually abusing them is not allowed in Islam. Maulana Ghulam Rabbani of Takhar province understands that those involved in it need to be punished."Local officials in northern provinces of Afghanistan admit the practice is prevalent but show no specific interest to intercept it. The authorities are in much dismay about the police officers' involvement in this business. Members of Afghan police in various provinces are deeply involved in male prostitution. The interior ministry in Kabul has received thousands of complaints from locals regarding the police sexual attacks on young boys.""Keeping in view their sexual needs, in December 2010, WikiLeaks cables reported [that] U.S. company DynCorp had spent money on pimps who purchased young boys for Afghan policemen. The boys were used in Bacha-bazi. This shameless practice has also prompted the Defense Department of the United States to hire a social scientist, Anna Maria, to investigate the problem, as several U.S. soldiers on patrol often passed older men walking hand-in-hand with pretty young boys."Reuters, in its November 19, 2007 report and Revolutionary Association of Women in Afghanistan [RAWA], quoted a 42-year-old landowner, Inayatullah, of Baghlan province as saying, 'Having a boy has become a custom for us. Whoever wants to show off should have a boy.' In his short interview with Reuter's reporter, Mr. Inayatullah vowed: 'I was married to a woman 20 years ago; she left me because of my boy,' he said. 'I was playing with my boy every night and was away from home. Eventually my wife decided to leave me. I am happy with my decision, because I am used to sleeping and entertaining with my young boy,' He told Reuters."A recent U.S. State Department report assessed the situation bluntly, saying that it amounts to a 'widespread, culturally sanctioned form of male rape.' The majority of Afghans have no knowledge of their country's law about male prostitution. All kinds of prostitution are illegal under the Afghan law. In Afghan society, the victims of rape and assault – both male and female – are sometimes persecuted rather than the criminals who abuse them."There are thousands of young boys who have undergone ordeals. But the actual numbers of these vulnerable boys are not known. In Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kunduz, Takhar, Baghlan, Samangan, Panjshir, and Herat bazaars, Bacha-bazi CDs and DVDs are widely circulated serving an audience who can't afford the real thing."Read the full story here.

• Turkey - Man allegedly kills wife in İzmir for filing for divorce.(TodaysZaman).A man reportedly killed his wife in İzmir after learning that she had filed for a divorce while staying in a women’s shelter citing his alleged domestic abuse as the reason, according to a Cihan news agency report.When Y.B. (34) went to Ürkmez to visit her 3-year-old-daughter, her husband, H.B. (40), blocking the doorway, allegedly refused to let her leave unless she agreed to drop the divorce case. An argument broke out between the two, after which H.B. reportedly stabbed his wife in front of their daughter. Y.B. was taken to Seferihisar State Hospital, where she subsequently died. Close friends of the wife said the husband had constantly assaulted her. One time H.B. took a razor and carved his first and last name into his wife’s back, the friends claimed. While Yeşim B. stayed in a woman’s shelter in İstanbul, her five children -- between the ages of 3 and 15 -- were cared for in orphanages.Hmmmm.......'Dishonor' killings another reason to Keep Turkey out of the European union.Read the full story here.