A basis for hope
Gaza, 30 January 2009
George Mitchell, President Obama’s special envoy to the Middle East, visited UNRWA’s West Bank Field Office on the 30th of January. Mr. Mitchell was given a briefing of the humanitarian situation in Gaza by John Ging – Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza, Robert Serry – United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and Lana Abu Hijleh – CHF International country director.
Mr. Mitchell thanked humanitarian agencies, in particular UNRWA and CHF for the work that they had done to channel assistance to the people of Gaza, and praised the ‘dedication and commitment’ of their staff. He also spoke of President Obama’s ‘deep concern’ about the recent loss of life and substantial suffering in Gaza and announced the donation of another $20.3 million to provide emergency food and medical assistance to the wounded and displaced in Gaza.
Mr Mitchell stated that the United States would ‘continue our efforts, in cooperation with others in the region and elsewhere’, but also said that the tragic violence in recent weeks was a ‘sobering reminder of the challenges at hand and the setbacks that will inevitably come.’ He reiterated the need to consolidate a sustainable and durable ceasefire while addressing the most immediate humanitarian needs and ended by reaffirming the United States’ commitment to ‘actively and aggressively seeking a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as between Israel and its Arab neighbors.’ John Ging, following his briefing with Mr Mitchell, seemed optimistic ‘I now have a realistic basis for hope’ he said.
January 31, 2009
Posted by almasakinnewsagency |
Gaza, Palestine, President Obama, The White House, UNRWA, USA, West Bank |
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Turkish PM gets hero’s welcome after telling Peres: ‘You kill children’
Israeli president’s tone showed he feels guilty: Erdogan
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was given a hero’s welcome on his return to Istanbul on Friday after accusing Israel of “knowing very well how to kill” during a heated debate at the World Economic Forum.
Israel’s President Shimon Peres had launched a fiery defense of his country’s offensive in Gaza over the past month, and with a raised voice and pointed finger, questioned what Erdogan would do if rockets were fired at Istanbul every night.
“When it comes to killing, you know very well how to kill,” Erdogan, visibly angry, responded as he sat next to Peres at the debate, which also included United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Arab League chief Amr Moussa. He then walked out of the room.
Thousands of people gathered at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport to greet Erdogan when he returned from the gathering of business and political leaders, waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting “Turkey is proud of you.”
“Our people would have expected the same reaction from any Turkish prime minister,” he told a news conference at Ataturk airport on Friday morning after speaking to the crowd.
“This was a matter of the esteem and prestige of my country. Hence, my reaction had to be clear. I could not have allowed anyone to poison the prestige and in particular the honor of my country,” he said.
Several thousand supporters of Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement that governs Gaza and was targeted by Israel, rallied across the strip, many holding posters of Erdogan.
“Hamas praises the brave position by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement.
Fuat Keyman, an international relations professor at Koc University, told Turkey’s NTV broadcaster: “There has been a feeling among Arabs and those in the Middle East that someone needs to speak out in this way against Israel. Erdogan did this.”
Peres had asked Erdogan directly at Davos: “What would you do if you were to have in Istanbul every night a hundred rockets?”
Erdogan had responded strongly to Peres’s repeated question to the panel of what they would do in Israel’s position.
“President Peres you are older than me and your voice is very loud. The reason for you raising your voice is the psychology of guilt. I will not raise my voice that much, you should know that. When it comes to killing you know very well how to kill. I know very well how you hit and killed children on the beaches,” he said during the panel discussion.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said: “Nobody should expect the Prime Minister of Turkey to swallow a disrespectful act. He gave the necessary response,” Gul said.
January 31, 2009
Posted by almasakinnewsagency |
Gaza, Israel, Palestine, Shimon Peres, Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, World Economic Forum |
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In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times, Mr. Kennard stated that it is sheer hypocrisy when sanctions are placed on Iran while the United States ignores the nuclear weapons programs of certain countries and has even recognized India as a legitimate nuclear power.
Following is an excerpt of the interview with Mr. Kennard, who also runs the global news and comment site The Comment Factory:
Q: The U.S. vetoed three rounds of UN Security Council resolutions against Israel but supported the imposition of UN economic sanctions on Iran for its peaceful nuclear energy program. What do you make of that?
A: Well your question really highlights the hypocrisy of the UN. It is basically a clearinghouse for U.S. foreign policy and when it shows any principled demurral, the U.S. goes forward anyway, like they did in Iraq and the war on Serbia in 1999, illegally both times.
So there should be no surprise that the UN is used to condemn Iran for their nuclear activities, while it stays silent on the 200-300 nuclear warheads Israel has and the thousands the U.S. and their allies have.
Q: Why is almost nothing being said about Israel’s nuclear arsenal?
A: I believe all nuclear warheads should be phased out everywhere, but the fact is that Iran is actually a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is aimed at curtailing nuclear weapons, so it is therefore more committed to the scale-down than Israel, Pakistan, or India, all of whom have refused to sign up to the NPT, and all of whom have nuclear weapons, and all of whom are big allies of the U.S.
It shows that if you are an ally of the U.S. you don’t have to abide by international treaties because you just don’t sign up to them!
Of course, it is rank hypocrisy to put sanctions on Iran while supporting other states doing exactly the same thing. In fact, in October last year the U.S. recognized India’s legitimate place as a nuclear power. Why not Iran’s?
Q: How do you assess UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s response to the Gaza crisis?
A: When you talk about the UN you have to understand its power relations. It’s a fundamentally undemocratic institution. Five powers hold veto power over the Security Council and the U.S. inevitably vetoes any resolution critical of its client state, Israel, so the chances of getting a representative statement from the UN on anything is just institutionally impossible. The secretary general himself has to be proposed by the Security Council, so the candidate has to be sufficiently veto-proof, i.e. will not speak out too forcefully against any of the “Great Powers’” clients.
Add to that the fact that nearly a quarter of the UN’s budget comes from the U.S. and you start to understand why its employees find it so difficult to criticize Israel.
Having said this, Ban Ki-Moon did make the journey to Gaza, something which the “Peace Envoy” Tony Blair has never done, and did speak out at the devastation that Israel caused, which included the pounding of UN facilities and the destruction of aid, and said Israel should be held “accountable”.
But when you think about the level of the crimes committed in Gaza, and against the UN as well, these words seem completely insufficient. The whole world witnessed the massacre of 1,300 defenseless people over two weeks; is this all Ban Ki-Moon could come up with? It really goes to show that anyone fighting for justice and against war should not hold out hopes for the UN.
Q: Do you believe Arab states and the European Union are also partially responsible for the civilian deaths in Gaza?
A: Well, the performance of the Arab countries really showed them up for what they are: stooges of the U.S. just like Israel. Saudi Arabia, a monarchy, had its hands tied because it is allowed to carry on its ways for it is the biggest friend of the U.S. in the Middle East after Israel. So how can it speak out against its own friend?
Egypt is the same. The corrupt dictator Mubarak has helped the U.S. and Israel crush the Palestinians for years by refusing to let aid and commerce through the Rafah crossing and other points. Why does he do this? Because Egypt is the second largest recipient of aid from the U.S., after Israel, and you can’t upset your biggest backer!
In the case of Egypt, Mubarak has overseen the brutal suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is intimately linked with Hamas, so Mubarak had another interest in seeing Hamas, and the Palestinian people who voted for them in a democratic election, smashed to pieces.
The only Arab leader that has consistently supported the Palestinian people is Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and whatever you think of Hezbollah, his commitment is unmatched by anyone else.
Q: Do you believe a tribunal should be established to investigate Israel’s war crimes in Gaza? And how would the international community have reacted if Syria, Lebanon, Venezuela, or Bolivia had committed such atrocities?
A: I think there should definitely be an investigation into the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. That’s without question, and it would be unthinkable not to have an investigation if this was any other state than Israel. Look at what happened in the aftermath of NATO’s attack on Serbia and the atrocities in Kosovo. The perpetrators of the attacks were hunted down and put on trial, and the search still continues for those responsible.
That should happen to Israel too. But it won’t because, like the UN, the international justice institutions are a function of power, and when they actually do take a stand they are dutifully ignored. Ehud Barak has already said that the Israeli government will help defend any of their soldiers who are tried for war crimes, because, of course, he is a criminal himself, and if they are found guilty, then so is he.
If the atrocities carried out by Israel were emulated by any of the states you mention, they would probably be bombed, arraigned before a court, and then the leaders put in jail for the rest of their lives.
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Al-Masakin News Agency
http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com/
January 31, 2009
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Iran, Israel, Journalism, Palestine |
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