Kiev proclaims post-referendum Donetsk, Lugansk regions ‘terrorist organizations’

Published time: May 16, 2014 19:10

Local residents at the rally devoted to the results of the referendum on the status of the Lugansk republic in the square in front of Taras Shevchenko monument in Lugansk on May 12, 2014 (RIA Novosti / Vitaliy Belousov)

“The two so-called 'people’s republics' in Donetsk and Lugansk regions are terrorist organizations, which have a clear hierarchy, financing, and channels of weapons supplies,” Ukraine’s deputy prosecutor general, Nikolay Golomsha, said.New authorities in post-coup Kiev have listed the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as terrorist organizations. The two regions proclaimed themselves sovereign states after the controversial May 11 referendums.

The statement confirmed a similar statement made by Ukraine's minister of justice, Pavel Petrenko. The minister said the two “were created for assaulting people, intimidation, sabotage, terrorist attacks, beatings, and murder of our citizens.”

Criminal cases have been launched to investigate the “formation of the terrorist organizations.”

On Friday, Golomsha stressed that the General Prosecutor's Office has managed to reveal channels through which weapons are being supplied to Donetsk and Lugansk.

On May 11, the Ukrainian regions held referendums and voted for self-rule. Kiev and Western countries condemned the ballots, calling them illegal.

RIA Novosti / Natalia Sileverstova

Kiev has intensified its military crackdown in the region, deploying tanks, APCs and helicopters. It formed paramilitary forces which are now on the ground in Donetsk and Lugansk regions as part of an “anti-military operation.”

The self-proclaimed republics are demanding the withdrawal of Kiev fighters which continue to clash with local self-defense units.

The deadline for an ultimatum issued by the Donetsk People's Republic, which demanded that Kiev pull out its troops, passed on Friday.

A deputy commander of the pro-autonomy militia of Donbass, Sergey Zdrilyuk, said on May 15 that all Ukrainian armed forces had 24 hours to withdraw their armored vehicles and checkpoints from around “Donetsk, Mariupol, and other cities.”

He threatened to “destroy and burn down all of this” if the demand was not met. However, Kiev's forces still remain in the region. According to the Donetsk People's Republic, the troops were enlarged following the ultimatum.

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NICK SHABBOS GOY CLEGG

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014 AT 12:57PM GILAD ATZMON

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVTnOq5DVfQ 

Nick Clegg, the laughable Lib Dem leader, probably the most pathetic character in the history of British politics, has done it again. In a desperate attempt to appease some Jewish donators, he produced a shameless endorsement of Jewish politics.

I guess that someone within the dysfunctional Lib Dem orbit better advise Clegg that Zionists do not like their subordinates to manifestly bend over. They somehow prefer their Shabbos Goyim to operate delicately and in a clandestine manner.

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سورية تلوي ذراع الفيصل… وإيران ترعب سلمان!

محمد صادق الحسيني

سعود الفيصل يعلن دعوة قديمة إلى ظريف لزيارة الرياض، ويقول إنه مستعد للتفاوض مع طهران…

الفيصل يلبّي بذلك، متأخراً، طلباً أميركياً بالإذعان بالفشل في سورية، حفاظاً على حصته في الحكم أو الإعفاء على غرار بندر.

الفيصل يؤخر بذلك خروجه من دائرة الحكم بعض الوقت لا أكثر، وطهران لن تلبّي الدعوة إلا بقبول الملك كامل الشروط الإيرانية. وأهمّ الشروط الايرانية إذعان الملك وحاشيته لحقيقة أنّ عرين الأسد غير قابل للاختراق، وأنّ العراق دولة عربية مستقلة تماماً، وأنّ إيران دولة نووية وإقليمية عظمى بامتياز، وأنّ لبنان دولة مقاومة لا حصة فيها للقتلة ولا لرجالات ما بعد الربع الخالي…
والبقية على الطريق…!

هذا في ما يخصّ الجناح الفيصلي الذي يحاول الملك عبد الله قصقصة أجنحته على غرار البندريّين.

في هذه الأثناء يستمرّ بقايا السديريين أو من كان يطلق عليهم اسم «أخوة فهد» بالتلويح بما يسمّونه بـ«الخطر الإيراني» كما جاء على لسان ولي عهد «الإنعاش» سلمان بن عبد العزيز، وهو يخطب بوزراء الدفاع الخليجيين وهم مجتمعون بحضرة تشاك هيغل وزير الحرب الأميركي!

يحصل ذلك كما بات معروفاً في إطار التسابق المحموم بين الأجنحة السعودية المتصارعة حول من يخفّف الوطأة عن الخطر الحقيقي للأمة، ألا وهو الخطر «الإسرائيلي» واستبداله بالخطر الوهمي أي «إيران»!


أما الملك المعظّم وصاحب الطموح الأقوى بنيل ثقة الأميركيين الديمقراطيين، والذي عيّن مقرن بن عبد العزيز وصيّاً على العرش، فهو مستمرّ في تصفية السديريين ومحاصرة نفوذهم في كلّ مكان، فما أن وصل تشاك هيغل حتى تحركت ماكينة الإعفاءات والتعيينات المضادة، فأعلن إعفاء سلمان بن سلطان كنائب لوزير الدفاع وتعيين خالد بن بندر مكانه… فيما عُيّن بأمر ملكيّ آخر تركي بن عبد الله أميراً على الرياض، وهي الحصن الحصين لسلمان بن عبد العزيز، آخر رموز السديريين! ويجمع المتابعون والمطلعون على الشأن السعودي بأنّ حرباً مستعرة تدور على قدم وساق بين الأجنحة المتصارعة على حكم القبيلة في مملكة بن عبد العزيز، وأن أحد أهمّ أسباب تسارعها هو لعنة سورية التي تلاحقهم مثل ظلّهم بعدما تورّطوا فيها حتى آذانهم، وباتوا يحصدون الفشل بعد الفشل والخيبة تلو الأخرى كلّما تقدم بهم الزمن واقترب موعد الاستحقاق الرئاسي السوري.

ليس وحده أمير الكويت من نصحهم باكراً باتباع طريق الحوار مع طهران لعلّهم يفتحون «كوريدوراً» آمناً الى العاصمة السورية. قبله حاول معهم طويلاً وزير الخارجية العُماني المعروف بحنكته وتلمّسه طريق فك رموز النزاعات في المنطقة، وحسّه المرهف تجاه الأمن الخليجي، إذ ظلّ ينصحهم بأنّ بطاقة المرور الى دمشق تمرّ عبر طهران وحدها، بعدما هدمتم بقراراتكم كامل جسور العروبة والإسلام! وعندما اكتشف باكراً من العام الفائت خلية أمنية عسكرية في بلاط السلطان قيل إنّ محمد بن زايد، حاكم الإمارات الحقيقي، كان يخطط من خلالها انقلاباً ضدّ قابوس بن سعيد، بدعم أميركي، مسنوداً بصقور التيار السعودي، عندئذٍ تقطعت السبل بين مسقط والرياض ولم تبق سوى جهود أمير الكويت التي نجحت في رأب الصدع، لكن موقتاً وحتى إشعار آخر!

في إطار معركة تقاسم النفوذ والحصص أولاً، ثمّ تحميل كلّ طرف الطرف الآخر سبب الهزيمة النكراء في سورية، خسرت الرياض شريكها القطري في سفك الدم السوري أيضاً وأيضاً. ذلك كله أبقى ملك الرياض وحيداً أمام أوباما وكيري وتشاك هيغل وظهره إلى الحائط، ما اضطره الى خوض معركة حياة أو موت مع الأجنحة المتصارعة معه داخل المملكة من جهة، ومعركة حجز مقعد له في النظام الإقليمي والعالمي الجديد من جهة أخرى، ما يعني الكفاح لأجل الوصول إلى بوابات طهران ببعض ماء الوجه، وإنْ أسعفه الحظ ووصل إليه الدور فتح «الكوريدور» الآمن الى دمشق، بعد انتخاب الأسد لدورة جديدة.

هي السنن الكونية ذاتها، وسفينة الوجود والحياة، وقواعد التاريخ والجغرافيا التي لا تخطئ. من فهِمَها واستوعَبَها وحفظ دروسَها جيداً حكم بأمان وسلّم الأمانة إلى مَن هو بعده بأمان، ومَن لم يستوعبها ولم يحفظ الدرس يُسحق ويخرج من اللعبة ويُهزم شرّ هزيمة… ويهلك ملوكاً ويستخلف آخرين…!

البناء

Families of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike push for more solidarity

A Palestinian girl holds a banner reading in Arabic: "water and salt" and "Stop Ad" calling for the end of administrative detention as others wave their national flag during a rally in Gaza City on May 16, 2014 after Friday prayers to express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails. (Photo: AFP-Mohammed Abed)

By: Mohammed Marar

Published Saturday, May 17, 2014

Ramallah: Up to 140 Palestinian administrative detainees – Palestinians held without charge or trial in Israeli jails – have now been on hunger strike for 24 days to protest Israel’s policy of administrative detention. The hunger strike continues in conjunction with a popular and official Palestinian show of support, despite the small number of participants and the limited scope of solidarity activities.

One of the hunger strikers is 27-year-old Mahmoud Yousef Abu Dawood from the city of Hebron. Nicknamed the “prisoner groom,” he was arrested earlier this year shortly after his wedding. He is serving an administrative sentence of 6 months, but his brother Ahmed is concerned for his health, especially since Israel does not allow any direct communication with the detainees.

Ahmed Abu Dawood told Al-Akhbar, “The Occupation has shortened visits even for lawyers. The media is the only way to get news about the detainees, whose health is deteriorating.” Ahmed confirmed that he and his family were taking part in the activities held in solidarity with the detainees throughout the Palestinian territories.

Solidarity events are taking on a progressively escalating trend and are growing each day. This means that these events have momentum and have an impact.

Another detainee on hunger strike is Yasser Mansour from Nablus. He has been detained by Israel since the end of 2013, and is serving a second six-month sentence. His brother Dhafir says that the popular and official involvement in support of the detainees’ cause is below expectations, but their family is doing everything they can to support the detainees during their strike. Dhafir pointed out that the members of the family are taking turns in attending solidarity events, saying that the detainee’s relatives were taking shifts between protests and sit-in tents.

He continued, “After work, my brother’s wife spends all her time at the sit-in tent. I also take turns with my brothers in manning the tent so that there’s always someone there.” In a tone marred by a sense of reproach, he then said, “The response of the Palestinian people has been lukewarm vis-à-vis the detainees’ issue. When we go to the sit-in we see only small numbers of people, not more than 20 or 30.”

Mansour called on the government to take advantage of the international recognition of Palestine to sign international treaties that enable Palestinians to defend the rights of prisoners and seek an end to the practice of administrative detention.

Things are more or less the same in Tuklakrem, where Fadwa, the wife of detainee Adnan Khader, has been desperate for any news about her husband and the other detainees. Fadwa’s suffering is triple, since Israel has also deported her eldest son to Jordan, while the Palestinian security services detained her youngest son, who is also on hunger strike.

Fadwa Khader, whose husband has been in detention for nearly a year and a half, expressed deep sorrow for her husband and her sons, saying, “Only my daughters and I are left, and we cannot go to the sit-in tent with the families of the detainees. What we need is international pressure to get all the prisoners released, led by administrative detainees.” She also voiced her discontent over what she called the absence of interest in the detainees’ issue in her city, indicating that solidarity with the prisoners in other cities was much more broad based.

Abdel Aal al-Anani, director of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, said that his organization was collaborating with the families of the detainees on hunger strike to put on a show a support for their relatives, stressing that the families were participating extensively in all events despite their plight and their many worries.

Speaking to Al-Akhbar, Anani said that the burden of supporting the detainees should not be carried by their families alone, adding, “The detainees do not belong to their families alone, but to the Palestinian people. Their cause enjoys unanimous support and it is the collective responsibility of all Palestinian institutions, associations, and unions.” Replying to a question about how effective the events held in solidarity with the detainees are, Anani said, “Solidarity events are taking on a progressively escalating trend and are growing each day. This means that these events have momentum and have an impact.”

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.

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Syria’s “President” Jarba visits USA: Washington vs. Moscow, Weapons vs. Votes

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The leader of the foreign-backed Syrian “opposition” Ahmed “Assi” Jarba has visited Washington and met US President Barak Obama. Much advertised is, that “Saudi Arabia’s Syrian Man” returns with a 1.7 billion check for “US humanitarian aid”. Less advertised is that Jarba took to Washington with a Saudi blanck check for advanced weapons for the “opposition”.

May 14, 2014, NSNBC

Obama met Jarba when he “dropped by” a meeting between Jarba and Obama’s national security adviser Susan Rice. The White House stated that Obama and Rice condemned the Assad regime’s “deliberate targeting of civilians through aerial bombardments, including the use of barrel bombs, the denial of food and humanitarian assistance to civilians located in areas under siege by the regime”.

The White House issued a statement, saying that Jarba thanked Obama for a total $287 million US aid to opposition forces and noted the US role as the largest humanitarian donor to Syrian refugees with a total aid grant of $1.7 billion.

The White House did not acknowledge that Jarba had asked or received guarantees for deliveries of advanced weapons. US officials at the State Department have, however, privately and under condition of anonymity, acknowledged that Secretary of State had discussed the delivery of advanced weapons with Jarba last week.

Last week, nsnbc received information from a Palestinian intelligence expert who reported that Jarba was scheduled to visit Washington  equipped with an open line of Saudi money to pay for the surface to air missiles and other advanced weapon systems. Other weapons to be discussed include additional Russian made Konkurs anti-tank missiles.

Washington has been delivering limited amounts of these weapons to the so-called “opposition” since 2013 via Turkey and Jordan. Deliveries of advanced weapons systems have regularly been met with warnings from the side of some US Senators who are concerned that the weapons could fall into “the wrong hands”.

Evaluations of available intelligence led to the conclusion that the US and Saudi government as well as Jarba would act on the basis of a previous agreement and that the argumentation for weapons deliveries will be based on sparing bloodshed by breaking “the Assad regime’s air superiority”. Opposition against the additional deliveries would be countered with a media campaign, assuring the public that “Jarba would assure” that weapons exclusively are given to “the moderate opposition”, said the expert.

The evaluation is consistent with the White House statement today and the admission of State Department officials that Jarba and Kerry discussed the weapons deliveries last week.

Meanwhile, the fact on the ground in Syria is that there does not exist any “moderate opposition”. Even the so-called “Free Syrian Army” is everything but moderate and responsible for serious war crimes, while religious fanaticism and an anti-democratic attitude is endemic among its leadership. Moreover, about 80 or more percent of the fighters on the ground belong to Al-Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood brigades who are based on a radical Islamist philosophy.

The intelligence expert said that new weapons deliveries could suggest an increased international effort to destabilize and sabotage the upcoming elections in Syria, scheduled for June, at any cost.

Ahmed “Assi” Jarba is heavily backed by Saudi Arabia, which finances most of the Al-Qaeda-linked brigades in Syria as well as those in Lebanon and Iraq’s Al-Anbar province. The planned media campaign aims at omitting or minimizing the fact that any advanced US weapons systems, bought in the US, with Saudi money, invariably will end up in the hands of Al-Qaeda linked brigades, said the analyst to nsnbc.

Syria: USA vs. Russia – Weapons vs. Votes. While the White House equipped Jarba with a 1.7 billion dollar check, allegedly for “humanitarian and non-lethal aid”, the USA will be delivering advanced, shoulder-fired surface to air missile systems as well as anti-tank missile systems to the mercenary forces in Syria, courtesy of Saudi Arabia.

Analysts had forecast that the USA, Turkey, Saudi-Arabia, Israel and allies would intensify the military, political and propaganda campaign up the upcoming presidential elections on June 3.

Ahmed “Assi” Jarba is heavily backed by Saudi Arabia, which finances most of the Al-Qaeda-linked brigades in Syria as well as those in Lebanon and Iraq’s Al-Anbar province. The planned media campaign aims at omitting or minimizing the fact that any advanced US weapons systems, bought in the US, with Saudi money, invariably will end up in the hands of Al-Qaeda linked brigades, said the analyst to nsnbc.

Syria: USA vs. Russia – Weapons vs. Votes. While the White House equipped Jarba with a 1.7 billion dollar check, allegedly for “humanitarian and non-lethal aid”, the USA will be delivering advanced, shoulder-fired surface to air missile systems as well as anti-tank missile systems to the mercenary forces in Syria, courtesy of Saudi Arabia.

Analysts had forecast that the USA, Turkey, Saudi-Arabia, Israel and allies would intensify the military, political and propaganda campaign up the upcoming presidential elections on June 3.

Meanwhile, the election campaign in Syria began, officially, on May 4, when Syria’s Supreme Constitutional Court announced the names of the three presidential candidates.

Running for the 2014 presidential elections are, Maher Abdul-Hafiz Hajjar Hassan al-Nouri, and Bashar Hafez al-Assad.

The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council, Ilyas Umakhanov, endorsed the upcoming presidential elections in Syria, saying that holding elections is the right solution with regard to ending the crisis in the country. Syria invited Russian parliamentarians to monitor the elections in June.

Umakhanov expressed the readiness of the Council members to attend the presidential elections, scheduled for June 3, and affirmed that the Syrian people alone are entitled to determine the future of their country and to elect their president.

The Russian Federation Council Chairman expressed his view, that the elections will have a positive impact on the situation in Syria overall.

Member of the Rusian Parliament (Duma) and head of the Russian Liberal Democratic Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, said to the Syrian news agency SANA, that  the elections are entirely legal and that Russia fully supports these elections.

Zhirinovsky said that he believes that these elections will be carried out fairly and will enable the Syrian people to express their views and perspectives through them.

Zhirinovsky added, that it is the sovereign right of the Syrian people alone to decide the political leadership of the country, and he condemned the double-standard policies of western countries, embodied in depriving Syrians in their countries from participating in the election via Syrian embassies.

Zhirinovski’s statements were reflected by a number of other Russian MPs, among them Valentin Shurshanov and Nicolay Ryabov.

Shurshanov said that the Russian State Duma assesses the election process in Syria positively, adding that the Duma considers the elections as a positive process that would lead to a legal change in political power in Syria.

Shurshanov  denounced western countries double-standard policies in calling out for presidential elections in Ukraine, while denying Syrians to vote.

Ryabov, for his part, said that the election should be carried out on time, despite the attempts of the United States and her western allies to thwart them. Ryabov denounced the US for imposing its will on the world.

Ryabov stressed that the US, illegally, imposes its will on the world and attempts to disrupt the elections. He stressed that the United States failure to recognize the legitimacy of the elections has nothing to do with the legality and legitimacy of the presidential elections.

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Shocking report: US launched 201 out of 248 wars in world since WWII, 90% of their victims are civilians

http://en.alalam.ir/news/1594657

The United States is responsible for 41% of the world’s total military spending.

The United States has launched 201 out of the 248 armed conflicts in the world since the end of WWII, a new report says, adding that 90 percent of causalities in these wars were civilians.

The report, published in the American Journal of Public Health, June 2014 edition and written by David Swanson says, “Since the end of World War II, there have been 248 armed conflicts in 153 locations around the world. The United States launched 201 overseas military operations between the end of World War II and 2001, and since then, others, including Afghanistan and Iraq.”

The report adds, “The proportion of civilian deaths and the methods for classifying deaths as civilian are debated, but civilian war deaths constitute 85% to 90% of casualties caused by war, with about 10 civilians dying for every combatant killed in battle.”

Swanson notes, “A top defense of war is that it must be used to prevent something worse, called genocide. Not only does militarism generate genocide rather than preventing it, but the distinction between war and genocide is a very fine one at best.”

The report future notes “The United States is responsible for 41% of the world’s total military spending. The next largest in spending are China, accounting for 8.2%; Russia, 4.1%; and the United Kingdom and France, both 3.6%. . . . If all military . . . costs are included, annual [US] spending amounts to $1 trillion”.

In other words, America has apparently adopted an “total power standard,” spending more on military than most of the rest of the world combined: “The United States spent more on its military than the next 13 nations combined in 2011,” the report says.

The United States is one of the strongest supporters of the extremist-marked war in Syria which has killed tens of thousands of people over more than three years.

Washington has been conducting a provocative policy toward the crisis in Ukraine, heating tensions with Russia, causing many to suspect rise of a new cold war between the two world powers.

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The Brotherhood al-Qaeda war against the Arab armies

The Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen supports al-Qaeda against the army

Yemeni soldiers brandish their weapons as they take part in an offensive against extremists in the southern province of Shabwa, on May 7, 2014. (Photo: AFP/STR)

By: Jamal Jubran

Published Saturday, May 17, 2014

Despite the overwhelming public support for the army campaign against al-Qaeda controlled areas in Yemen, groups affiliated to the local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood are opposed to these operations and are, instead, calling for disarming all parties, particularly the Houthis.

Sanaa: Two weeks after stepping up a military campaign against al-Qaeda insurgents in southern Yemen, public support for the army is still strong. However, certain Islamist parties are opposing these operations under various pretexts and aren’t even hiding their sympathy with extremists.

The current clashes between the army and al-Qaeda seem different from previous confrontations; today the army is seriously seeking to make this battle the last one.

Since the Yemeni army still appears divided, military commanders loyal to interim President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi are restricting the participation in the current campaign to credible army staffs that are committed to “ousting jihadis from all Yemeni territories.”

For the first time ever, Yemenis feel that their army “is waging a real war for their sake.” Today, it is not surprising to hear that military chiefs in charge of the battles in the southern regions of Shabwah are becoming local heroes.

This drastic shift in the way Yemenis view their army arises from their belief that the military puts the “country’s best interests,” as a top priority.

The current clashes between the army and al-Qaeda seem different from previous confrontations; today the army is seriously seeking to make this battle the last one.

Previously, the army was divided between officers loyal to former President Ali Abdallah Saleh and others affiliated to Major General Ali al-Ahmar. Both launched vendetta wars against one another, and used al-Qaeda to pressure international donors.

Despite public support, some parties are opposing the military campaign, which is seeking to eradicate al-Qaeda. Major General Ali al-Ahmar, who had previously joined the revolution against Abdullah Saleh, today became a fierce opponent of Mansour Hadi, standing against decisions affecting the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (al-Islah party) - the Yemeni branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Ahmar’s ties with the Islamist party are ideological and date back to the days of Islamic jihad in Afghanistan, when Yemeni youth were enrolled to fight against communism.

A media campaign has been launched against the army operation, and newspapers affiliated to al-Ahmar, such asAkhbar al-Yawm, have been publishing daily reports slamming the “wrong timing” of the army’s actions, amid what they called a “deteriorating economic situation,” and warning from an “economic abyss.”

Al-Islah also warned of the “gravity of current confrontations between the army and al-Qaeda,” through their media outlets and through prominent figures influencing the poor, such as radical cleric Abel Majid al-Zandani, head of al-Iman school, where a number of individuals involved in suicide bombings were enrolled.

It has been reported that al-Zanadani suggested establishing an advisory committee similar to the religious authority (the police of vice and virtue) in Saudi Arabia. The committee would advise the interim president about the “risks of the war against al-Qaeda” and about the necessity to “hold a dialogue with insurgents and to call them to surrender their arms.” In a statement last week, prominent Wahabi cleric, Abdel Wahab al-Daylami called the timing of the army campaign against al-Qaeda “absurd,” warning that it might further harm the already deteriorating economy.

Prominent Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Yemen also commented on the military campaign, but opted to speak their minds as independents in order to relieve pressures on al-Islah. They called to “treat all armed groups equally,” in reference to Houthis in northern parts of the country. This reflected the divergence between Houthis and al-Islah, supported by General al-Ahmar. In fact, it was widely reported that Ahmar and al-Islah stood behind recent battles in Saada between Houthis and salafi groups.

Meanwhile, tension escalated between army forces and local tribes in Maarab, eastern Sanaa, following the assassination of Sheikh al-Shabwani, a prominent Maarab cleric. The incident that took place near the presidential palace in the capital last week, resulted from a wrong piece of information suggesting that the cleric was an al-Qaeda leader.

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.

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Syria’s Palestinian Refugees to Lebanon

Franklin Lamb

Homs Palestinian camp, Syria
Al-manar

The screws continue to tighten on Palestinian and Syrian refugees fleeing for their lives and seeking safety in Lebanon. As the seemingly eternal governmental crisis in Lebanon escalates and various “warlord” veterans from the Lebanese civil war, who thanks to their auto- arranged general amnesty in 1989 designed to thwart justice for an assortment of war crimes, have appointed themselves Lebanon “political lords” seek again to choose a President. Certain anti-Palestinian and pro-Zionist parties who continue Lebanon’s “cold civil war” do not miss an opportunity, for political purposes, to bash the Palestinian refugees still stuck in Lebanon.

The old bromide of “the Palestinians are seeking Lebanese naturalization and the sky is falling” is being trotted out again this month to incite sectarian fears in order to gain political leverage for various parties. One anti-Palestinian Lebanese President wannebe, just had his former office staffer and now son-in-law, appointed Foreign Minister. And the gentleman wasted no time blurting out with his family’s frequent anti-Palestinian mantras, the latest being “The Lebanese Constitutional forbids nationalization and naturalizing Palestinians would damage the country’s demography!” This headline seeking red herring statement is completely off the wall and aimed solely at getting Christian votes for one right-wing faction as a knee-jerk reaction to last week’s political boom-let of attention snatched by his family’s Christian nemesis, militia leader Samir Geagea.

The Lebanese Forces leader shockingly got 48 out of the 86 votes needed to win in the first round of Parliamentary votes for President. The well-known truth is that, by design, Palestinian refugees who are treated here worse than anywhere in the world, including occupied Palestine, and allowed virtually no elementary civil rights, do not, never have, and likely never will, seek naturalization. Their focus continues to be Full Return to their country, Palestine. Claiming otherwise during this electoral season is what certain local “leaders” do, but its gibberish.

But the new Lebanese Foreign Minister is not alone in targeting Palestinian refugees this spring for political benefit. Lebanese General Security and the Ministry of Interior among others are joining the chorus and are actively playing their rabbit eared ‘Palestinian card.”

For example, last week’s amended Lebanese General Security measures deny entry to Palestinians fleeing for their lives, unless three new Kafkaesque conditions are met. As of now, Palestinians arriving at Masnaa crossing must have a” pre-authorization” from the Lebanese government, hold a residency permit in Lebanon, or be in transit, in which case they could be allowed 24 hours inside Lebanon and they must quickly travel onward. The first two conditions are virtually impossible to meet and no one is likely to be able to overcome these barriers.

Two days ago, the Lebanese government informed UNRWA that the measures might be “temporary and exceptions will be considered in due course if yet to be formulated humanitarian requirements are met.” But this is more nonsense. Last week a survey by this observer of more than 30 randomly selected Palestinians seeking to enter Lebanon from Syria at the Masnaa border crossing found that all were barred. Exactly two were allowed to travel to Beirut airport to catch their flight to Europe or elsewhere.

So what do these most recent Palestinian refugee bashing antics have to do with Rasha Halabi, a just turned 18 year old student who grew up in Homs Palestinian refugee camp?

A fair bit, as it turns out.

Rasha and thousands of Syrian and Palestinians students have been preparing for months for a tough and fast approaching June. This is the month of the vital Syrian Baccalaureate exams required on all Syrian and Palestinian high school students in order to enter university. Rasha’s first “BACC” exam will be administered on Sunday June I and her last one is on June 17.

Historically, Syria has had a strong education system which from kindergarten through university is free and internationally respected. Like everything in Syria these days, the “situation” has taken a heavy toll. Syria still has one of the highest literacy rates (90 + %) among the 197 UN member states according to UNICEF. Before March 2011, 4.8 million Syrian children – or 97% of primary school-age children and 67% of secondary school-age children – attended classes regularly; a UNICEF staffer informed this observer last month. But with more than 4,000 destroyed or damaged schools, half a million Syrian and Palestinian students who have had to flee Syria are not in school.

Despite all the problems facing Palestinian and Syrian students, examples of which include lack of security, mortars hitting Damascus and elsewhere, serious gaps in electricity, inflation, fear of what might happen at any moment, losing their homes, generally unemployed family members, some are claiming that the current crisis does not allow for the luxury of students taking the BACC this year. But Rasha and thousands of other students are studying hard and are determined to get good grades on next month’s BACC. Rasha’s mother Noor laid down some serious rules for her daughter’s exam preparation five months ago as a sort of New Year’s resolution. Until the exams are over she does not allow Rasha to go online, no Facebook stuff or email is allowed, Rasha’s mobile is in her mom’s purse, so consequently no “whatups”, sms or chatting stuff , plus zero TV. Also Rasha is not allowed to hang out with friends. When Rassha is not in class she is to be in her room preparing for the BACC at her desk stacked with exam prep books and papers. As her mom explained to this observer, “This exam is Rasha’s future. It will determine what she becomes in life. She must do well!”

Unfortunately, after spending the past nearly six month preparing for her BACC and gaining some confidence about her prospects, as thousands of other Palestinians and Syria students have been doing, it does not appear that Rasha will be able to take her exam.

The reason is that four months ago her family was forced to flee to Lebanon to escape the shelling very near her home in Homs Palestinian camp. Her plan, as with thousands of other Palestinian students in Lebanon from Syria, was to return to Syria for the BACC and then to rejoin their families in Lebanon’s Ein el Helwe camp.

Early this month, Palestinian students studying for the Syrian BACC have been told by Lebanese General Security and Masnaa border crossing staff, that when they cross the border to take their BACC exams they will not be allowed back into Lebanon. So these students’ options are limited. They can take the BACC and be stuck in Syria without their families or they can forgo the BACC and once more put their future on hold.

Some fairly intense meetings in Damascus this past week in between a volunteer with the Sabra-Shatila Scholarship Program (sssp-lb.com) and UNWRA’s department of education as well as the Syrian Ministry of Education has failed so far to negotiate a solution. An obvious one that is being advocated by the SSSP is to simply have Syrian officials administer the Syrian BACC in Lebanon to Palestinian and Syrian students stuck there. UNWRA is overwhelmed with many other problems and does not appear to be willing to get involved with this one despite many entreaties that it does so. The Syrian Ministry of Education promised to look into what could be done but time is getting very short and this observers’ calls this week are being answered with statements like “We are looking into the situation.” Understandably, Rasha and thousands of other students are feeling tremendous pressures to add to their many others. Rasha and her mom are sort of panicked at the moment.

The simplest solution to this latest humanitarian crisis would be for Lebanese General Security to issue a one-time exemption for Palestinian and Syrian students who fled for their lives to Lebanon allowing the students to return to Syria to take next month’s BACC and then return to Lebanon until conditions allow them to return to Syria and eventually to Palestine.

Source: Al-Manar Website	17-05-2014 - 13:08 Last updated

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Saudi bid to Iran, admission of defeat

By Finian Cunningham

Wed May 14, 2014 7:39PM GMT

It sounds as if the House of Saud is finally admitting to defeat in its regional proxy terror wars.

This week the Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal bin Abdulaziz made an apparently surprise announcement indicating that the oil-rich Arab kingdom wanted to improve relations with Iran.

Western media reports suggested that the Saudi rulers are sending a friendly overture to Iran. 'Saudi Arabia moves to ease regional tensions with Iran,' read a headline in the London-based Financial Times.

For decades, the Wahhabi House of Saud, with its extreme Takfiri religious beliefs and its repressive monarchial system, has viewed Shia Iran as its archenemy, ever since the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

Saudi Arabia, for example, bankrolled the US-backed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to launch a gratuitous war against Iran between 1980-1988, with the objective of destroying the Iranian Revolution. That war resulted in more than one million total deaths.

The Saudi rulers are always accusing Iran of fomenting secret plots to destabilize the autocratic kingdom or its Persian Gulf Arab allies. They claim with absolutely no proof that an Iranian hand is stirring unrest in Bahrain, Yemen and in the oil-rich Eastern Provinces of the kingdom itself.

Now, it seems, a new era of conciliation is suddenly upon us, with the Saudi foreign minister this week sending an invitation to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, saying that he is welcome "any time he chooses" to visit the capital, Riyadh.

"Iran is a neighbor, we have relations with them, and we will negotiate with them," Al Faisal told reporters.

This is a marked shift in Saudi attitude. At the end of last year, following the landmark interim nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of six world powers, the Iranian foreign minister's proposal to visit Saudi Arabia as part of a Persian Gulf tour of neighboring states was reportedly snubbed then by the House of Saud.

The Saudi rulers were fuming at the success for Iranian diplomacy and the prospect of a breakthrough in the nuclear deadlock, which would normalize Iran's international relations and greatly enhance the country's regional prowess.

So, what has changed? It seems most likely that the failure of the Saudi-backed covert war of terror in Syria has prompted this sharp reassessment of attitude in Riyadh.

This week sees the beginning of the end of the Western and Saudi-backed regime change operation in Syria. That foreign-backed covert terror war has been running for more than three years with an estimated death toll of 150,000. The Saudi rulers have spent billions of dollars funding Takfiri extremist groups in a bid to topple the government of Bashar Assad, a close ally of Iran.

But this week, the main base of the militants - Homs Old City in Central Syria - was finally retaken by government forces, and thousands of residents were able to return to reclaim their homes and other property. There were bittersweet scenes as droves of civilians returned to war-strewn homes.

Homs, which was cloyingly mislabeled in the Western misinformation news media as the "cradle" of the so-called revolution, is now the graveyard for the foreign-sponsored covert terror war.

With this crucial logistical loss of Homs to the mercenary groups, the Syrian Arab Army is now gaining further momentum to retake other last remaining areas held by the foreign-backed militants around the northern city of Aleppo and in Idlib Province.

Moreover, Syrian citizens are rallying in massive numbers to support incumbent President Assad, ahead of the country's elections on June 3. Assad is expected to win another third term in office.

There is thus an unequivocal sense that Syria is slowly but surely emerging from the foreign-backed nightmare that the country was plunged into back in March 2011.

The scenes of victorious recovery for the Syrian nation dispel the Western propaganda myths of a "democratic uprising". The retaking of Homs, under a deal brokered by Russia and Iran last week, also spells the abject failure of the Saudi plot to destroy Syria, along with their other Western, Turk and Israeli terror sponsors.

That's why the Saudi minister sounded this week like he was trying to negotiate the terms of surrender with Iran, without actually uttering the word "surrender" of course.

"We will negotiate with them [Iran]," said Al Faisal, as if the mere act of diplomatic talking was a major concession to the enemy.

"We will talk with them in the hope that if there are any differences, they will be settled to the satisfaction of both countries," added the senior House of Saud figure.

In other words, the Saudi rulers are not approaching Iran out of any genuine conciliatory motive. They are desperately trying to limit the damage stemming from their proxy terror wars that they have fueled in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. And they want Iran to somehow help them smooth this process of damage limitation.

"Our hope is that Iran becomes a part of the effort to make the region as safe as possible," Al Faisal said.

The audacity of this statement is the implication that Iran is the country that has instigated violence and conflict, when it is the Saudis who have unleashed murderous mayhem across the region targeting Shia, Sunni, Alawites, Armenians, Christians and any other people who have courageously stood in the way of Takiri totalitarianism. And now the Saudis want Iran to "make the region as safe as possible".

The House of Saud needs to realize this: those who are defeated are in no position to dictate terms. And especially when the defeated ones are guilty of vast crimes against humanity.

FC/MHB

Finian Cunningham (born 1963) has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Master’s graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. Originally from Belfast, Ireland, he is now located in East Africa as a freelance journalist, where he is writing a book on Bahrain and the Arab Spring, based on eyewitness experience working in the Persian Gulf as an editor of a business magazine and subsequently as a freelance news correspondent. The author was deported from Bahrain in June 2011 because of his critical journalism in which he highlighted systematic human rights violations by regime forces. He is now a columnist on international politics for Press TV and the Strategic Culture Foundation.More articles by Finian Cunningham

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The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!