10th January, 2009
JERUSALEM–Israeli dissidents, opposed to their country’s military offensive in Gaza, have run into a police crackdown on a scale not seen in nearly a decade, say human rights campaigners here.
Archive for January, 2009
Israeli peace activists face crackdown
Posted by seumasach on January 10, 2009
Posted in Palestine | Tagged: Gaza, Gaza solidarity protests, Palestine | Leave a Comment »
China sends envoy to Middle.E
Posted by seumasach on January 10, 2009
10th January
BEIJING – CHINA’S special Middle East envoy will return to the region in the coming days to press for a halt to fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
The emissary, Sun Bigan, would visit Egypt, Gaza and Israel, spokesman Qin Gang said on the ministry’s website (www. fmprc.gov.cn).
Mr Qin expressed Beijing’s serious concern about the escalating conflict, which has defied international efforts to stop it.
China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council but has traditionally wielded relatively little clout in the Middle East. — REUTERS
Posted in Palestine | Tagged: Chinese diplomacy, Gaza, Palestine | Leave a Comment »
Gaza war crimes probe called for
Posted by seumasach on January 10, 2009
10th January, 2009
A high-ranking UN human rights official calls for an independent investigation into possible war crimes committed by Israeli’s in Gaza.
Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on Friday called for the investigation. She specifically referred to the killing of 30 Palestinian civilians in a home in central Gaza that was shelled by Israeli forces.
“I am concerned with violations of international law. Incidents such as this must be investigated because they display elements of what could constitute war crimes,” Pillay, told Reuters.
“There is an international obligation on the part of soldiers in their position to protect civilians, not to kill civilians indiscriminately in the first place, and when they do to make sure that they help the wounded,” Pillay said. “In this particular case these children were helpless and the soldiers were close by,” she said.
Speaking earlier to a special session of the UN Human Rights Council held on the Gaza crisis, Pillay had said that Israel should be held accountable for any violations of international law.
Pillay continued by noting that a large number of people, including children, had been killed or wounded in “Israel’s totally unacceptable strikes” against clearly marked UN facilities sheltering Gaza civilians.
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1860 calling for an immediate cease-fire in the 14-day-old conflict and a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza but Israel rejected the resolution and continued its offensive on Friday.
SM/HAR
Posted in Palestine | Tagged: Gaza, Gaza massacre, Palestine | Leave a Comment »
Hamas ‘kills 12 soldiers in one day’
Posted by seumasach on January 10, 2009
10th January, 2009
At least 12 Israeli military forces have been reportedly killed in fierce clashes with Palestinian resistance forces in the Gaza Strip.
Posted in Palestine | Tagged: Gaza, Palestine | Leave a Comment »
German Government Takes Large Stake in Commerzbank
Posted by seumasach on January 9, 2009
Here is a striking contrats to Brown’s much- vaunted “part-nationalisations”: the German government has taken a 25% stake and representation on the board with the right of veto.
The German government has agreed to take a 25-percent share in Commerzbank. The move signals the first time the government has taken a stake in a major private bank and comes as Commerzbank is set to buy Dresdner Bank.
Posted in Financial crisis | Tagged: bank nationalisation, German banks | Leave a Comment »
‘Israel behind missile fire from Lebanon’
Posted by seumasach on January 9, 2009
9th January, 2009
A Lebanese lawmaker holds sleeping cells working for Tel Aviv responsible for carrying out rocket attacks from southern Lebanon into Israel.
Posted in Palestine | Tagged: Gaza, Palestine | Leave a Comment »
Russia warns Israel war may spread beyond Gaza
Posted by seumasach on January 9, 2009
9th January, 2009
Russia has warned Israel that the continuation of its military operation in the Gaza Strip could spread beyond the coastal sliver.
Posted in Palestine | Tagged: Gaza, Palestine, Russian diplomacy | Leave a Comment »
Israel targets Press TV station in Gaza
Posted by alfied on January 9, 2009
Israeli forces have targeted the office of Press TV and the Iranian Arab-language satellite channel al-Alam in the Gaza Strip.
There were two people wounded in the Israeli attack, a Press TV correspondent said Friday, adding that Press TV’s sister channel, Al-Alam, which was also based in the building has been affected by the attack. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Palestine | Tagged: Israeli Crimes, Palestine | Leave a Comment »
‘Iran aid ship nears Gaza’
Posted by alfied on January 9, 2009
An Iranian ship carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians is scheduled to arrive at the port of Gaza in the coming days, a report says. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Iran aid to Palestine | Leave a Comment »
First Bees, Now Birds
Posted by seumasach on January 9, 2009
8th January, 2009
First the frogs started disappearing.
Then the bees started disappearing.
Now, according to the Seattle Times, its birds:
Pelicans suffering from a mysterious malady are crashing into cars and boats, wandering along roadways and turning up dead by the hundreds across the West Coast, from southern Oregon to Baja California, Mexico, bird-rescue workers say.
Posted in Ecological and Public Health Crisis | Tagged: EM radiation health hazard | 1 Comment »
Report: Obama to Appoint Neocon as Special Envoy to Iran
Posted by seumasach on January 9, 2009
Is this the fruit of Israel’s terrorist assault on Gaza?
by Jim Lobe (source: IPS)
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The matchless Nelson Report has updated the news about the prospective appointment of Dennis Ross as Special Envoy for Iran, and the update is even more concerning than the original report. Chris Nelson apparently got hold of an internal memo from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy(WINEP) in which its director, Robert Satloff, outlines Ross’ much-expanded job description. It reads as if Ross will be a sort of Middle East “czar”. Here it is, as quoted in the Report:
Posted in Iran | Tagged: Gaza massacre, Obama agenda | Leave a Comment »
In These New Times 