When The Night Closes In
As long as it is day,
we must do the work of him who sent me.
Night is coming,
when no one can work.
~John 9:4
Thousands of Palestinians on Thursday marked the 61st anniversary of the Naqba, the "catastrophe" that sparked an exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees after Israel was created in 1948.Abdullah urges PM to commit to 2-state solution immediatelyHolding Palestinian flags and photos of Arab villages razed by Israeli forces six decades ago, demonstrators marched in the centre of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
"The right of return is sacred", "No peace without the right of return", read the banners held by the marchers.
The ceremonies took place a day early because the May 15 anniversary of the Naqba falls this year on a Friday, a day off in the mostly Muslim Palestinian territories.
BTW the "Arab Plan" is identical to the "Baker Plan"
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made an unannounced, lightning visit to Aqaba on Thursday where Jordan's King Abdullah II urged him to commit to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Abdullah pressed the prime minister to "immediately declare his commitment to a two-state solution, acceptance of the Arab peace initiative and to take necessary steps to move forward toward a solution," according to a royal palace statement. It did not give Netanyahu's response.The Arab peace initiative would offer Israel relations with the 23 Arab League members in exchange for its withdrawal from land it conquered in the 1967 Six Day War, a just solution for Palestinian refugees and the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
Abdullah said there "is consensus in the international community that there is no alternative to the two-state solution."
Nothing clears the mind like no alternative.
Obama warns Netanyahu: Don't surprise me with Iran strike
Somalian Insurgent Head Vows To Fight "Until Jerusalem Freed"
A founder and top leader of Somalia's insurgent Shebab group Wednesday vowed to continue his armed struggle until Islamic law spreads across the world and Jerusalem is "liberated." Ahmed Abdi Godane, best known in Somalia by his nom de guerre "Abu Zubayr", spoke in a recorded message that was distributed to local media in Mogadishu. "We will fight and the wars will not end until Islamic Sharia is implemented in all continents in the world and until Muslims liberate Jerusalem," the senior Shebab leader said.UN envoy "destroying" Somalia
Lebanon charges six more with spying for Israel
Israel comes to blows with Germany over Iran
Their headline, not mine.
The German government's move to send a special envoy to Iran to discuss a solution to resolving the crisis in Afghanistan has drawn fierce criticism from Israel.Obama refuses to update Israel
Why should he, it's only THEIR FUCKING COUNTRY!
The doubting right had always questioned President Obama’s allegiance in the Middle East issues, but now at least some answers seem evident.George Jonas :
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has confirmed that the Obama Administration has cut them out of the information loop in negotiations on Middle East Issues.
The Bush Administration kept the Israelis up to date on a weekly briefing, but no such information has come since the Obama Administration took office.
Admittedly with the recent changes in administration in both governments, there hasn’t been much time to establish communication, but the complete “black-out” is baffling. In the past Israel’s input has been a factor in establishing policies, but it doesn’t appear that the Obama Administration is seeking any input now.
Listen up, world. America and Israel have their marching orders from Jordan.
King Abdullah told the media last week that Barack Obama has a peace plan for the Middle East that he’ll put on the table when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes to visit later in May. At least, the U.S. President had better do so, King Abdullah warned, and the Israeli Prime Minister had better go along with it — or else.And please, don't forget General Dayton's American/ Palestinian Nationalist Army, who can "only be strung along for so long"
“If there is procrastination by Israel on the two-state solution,” Jordan’s anointed told The Times of London, “or there is no clear American vision for how this is going to play out in 2009, then all the tremendous credibility that Obama has worldwide and in this region will evaporate overnight if nothing comes out in May.”
Well, yes, the rate of evaporation is high in the Middle East. Under Levantine skies “tremendous credibility” can “evaporate overnight.” No wonder the good Lord could part the Red Sea on the first try.
What’s the deal? Is Mr. Obama using Jordan’s ruler to float a trial balloon before Mr. Netanyahu arrives in Washington, or is the ingenious King using the Rose Garden from which to launch his own trial balloon? No one’s sure, but the smart money says it’s wily Mr. Obama dipping his toes in the water.
“Come on in, the water is lovely!”
Hezbollah deputy chief: We actively support Hamas: Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that the Lebanese militant group has been actively supporting Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
"It is one of the secrets of the resistance that we don't talk about the details of our support, but suffice to say that we are giving them every type of support that could help the Palestinian resistance. Every type that is possible," Qassem said in an interview with the Financial Times published on Tuesday.
When asked whether Hezbollah was supplying arms or training to Hamas, the sheikh said, "We leave this to be seen in time to come."
Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria, last month admitted to having operatives working in Egypt, after Cairo arrested 49 members of a suspected Hezbollah cell. Hezbollah, however, denied that it was planning terror attacks on Egyptian soil.
"Egypt has now revealed that we have given military support to Palestine," Nassem told the Financial Times.
OIC to set up independent human rights commission
Attention Jews, Crusaders, Infidels & Dhimmis:
As you know are not human and therefore you have no rights.
OIC meeting in Syria to face heavy agenda
Prior to the opening of formal meeting on May 23, the foreign ministers of 57 States would meet on May 22, 2009 to have a joint look at the agenda which includes Middle East peace process, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Islamophobia, terrorism, racial disputes among Muslims in a number of countries and a review of new charter for the organization which originally came into being on September 25, 1969 in Morocco. It will also discuss evolving regional and international scenarios impacting on the Muslim world as a whole, sources told Pakistan Observer here Tuesday afternoon.
Behold Our Peaceful Friends in the UAE:
A member of the United Arab Emirates' ruling family who was filmed torturing people on videotapes has been detained, the country's state-run news agency reported today.WAM said Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan was being held after Abu Dhabi prosecutors officially launched a criminal investigation "into the events depicted on video" that showed him abusing and beating another man.BTW... in the irony department? Issa is Arabic for Yeshua.
In one tape, obtained by the ABC News television channel and broadcast last month, Issa is shown attacking a helpless Afghan merchant he accuses of cheating him in a business deal. He appears to fire guns at him, sodomise him with a cattle prod, set fire to his testicles and run him over.
See now, this whole tape thing is a big problem for the super calaphabulous glow ballers of Oymerika because the shiek's little deviant diversion is currently impeding our NUKE DEAL with them:
APRIL 2009: Torture tape delays U.S.-UAE nuclear deal, say U.S. officials
A videotape of a heinous torture session is delaying the ratification of a civil nuclear deal between the United Arab Emirates and the United States, senior U.S. officials familiar with the case said.Today: UAE nuclear deal may stall as US condemns torture
SNIPThe civil nuclear agreement was signed in January between the United Arab Emirates and the Bush administration, but after the new administration took office, the deal had to be recertified. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently signed the document and sent it to President Obama for his signature. It should have reached Capitol Hill by now, the senior U.S. officials say, but Obama hasn't yet signed it. And officials say it deliberately has not yet been sent to Congress for ratification.
"It's being temporarily held up because of that tape," one senior official said.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the department was consulting with Congress about the agreement, which could be blocked if an outcry over the video grows. The deal could be worth billions of dollars to U.S. energy companies that build and operate nuclear power plants.Fuel traders put faith in UAE as fourth trading hub
The United Arab Emirates is well on its way to becoming the world's fourth major fuel trading hub, making the region as important a swing factor in gasoline and diesel markets as it has long been for crude.Its growth as a center of physical trading remains embryonic: liquidity is still too thin and diffuse to create benchmark prices; access to storage facilities is still largely limited to the owners; and hoped-for local futures and derivatives contracts for oil products have yet to be launched.
Yet many say it is only a matter of time, with many firms expanding their presence in anticipation of short-term shortages and longer-term surpluses that will make for profitable trade.
"The Gulf market is becoming increasingly important as many of the states are substantially short on key products, especially diesel and gasoline," said David Kirsch, director of market intelligence services at PFC Energy in Washington.
Pakistan president accuses Taliban of trying to create new world order There's that damn phrase again.
STFU! Eleventy!
IRAN: Our relations with the UK are normal
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki Wednesday said that despite the troubles between the two countries, the relations of Iran and Britain are "normal," the semi-official Fars news agency reported.Semi-official!
US, Allies Set October Target for Iran Progress
Happy Ramadan!
Iranian Presidential Campaign Round-Up
The Potato Revolution
"Death to potatoes!"A Vanishing Breed: Iranian Satirist Pens From Exile
This pointed exclamation, hurled from the crowd at a recent rally for Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi, might seem an odd way to show support for a man who has twice been Iran's prime minister and is today incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's most formidable opponent.
But potatoes, it seems, have everything to do with the Iranian elections this year. Ramping up the public distribution of potatoes, along with a wide range of other government subsidies and alms, has become Ahmadinejad's preferred strategy for buying votes. While the Western world has focused on the incumbent's inflammatory statements about the Holocaust and his confrontationist nuclear policy, his domestic critics have focused their ire on his flawed economic remedies and populist demagogy, in addition to his erratic diplomatic style. Hence, potatoes, and the surprise return of Moussavi, a man little known outside Iran.
Ebrahim Nabavi is a diminutive man with an oversized sense of humor -- and a sarcastic wit that has twice landed him in jail.Iran moves to explore offshore Caspian
Through his writings, Nabavi gleefully sheds light on what he regards as some of Iran's paradoxes.
He cites President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's opening speech at a recent UN conference on racism -- during which the president launched into an anti-Israeli diatribe -- as one of the latest examples of contradictory Iran.
"The Iranian president was the only president who agreed to give a speech at the [Durban review] meeting in Geneva," Nabavi says. "Twenty or 30 percent of the participants left the meeting [in protest at his comments]. Then, all over Iran, there was a celebration for what was described as 'a great victory.' Don't you think that's funny?"
The 50-year-old Nabavi has been living and working in Belgium for about six years -- a self-imposed exile prompted by harassment from Iranian authorities related to his work.
The biggest diplomatic Gordian knot left over from the 1991 demise of the Soviet Union is how equitably to divide the Caspian Sea, until then partitioned between the Soviet Union and Iran. The Caspian's coastline is now rimmed by Iran, the Russian Federation and three new nations that emerged from the implosion of the Soviet Union -- Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, all eager to develop the sea's hydrocarbon assets. While Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have been at the forefront of developing oil deposits in their commonly recognized sectors, Iran, in a historic move, is now preparing tentatively to dabble its feet in its coastal waters as well.
Maliki, Russians discuss Kirkuk-Banias pipeline repairAswat al-Iraq: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Thursday discussed with a Russian delegation plans to repair the Kirkuk-Banias pipeline, which carried oil from Kirkuk to the Syrian Banias port. “We hope that an agreement can be reached on repairing or replacing the pipeline,” Maliki said in a statement that was released by his office and received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.The Kremlin Sez:
The delegation included representatives of several Russian oil companies and the chairman of Russia’s Union of Oil and Gas Producers, Yury Shafranik.
Russia may face wars on its borders in the near future over control of energy resources, a Kremlin document on security policy said Wednesday.Gorbachev Sez: Europe misunderstands RussiaThe paper did not name potential adversaries, but Russia, the world's biggest energy producer, shares a border of more than 3,600 km (2,250 miles) with resource-hungry China and a small sea border with the United States.
"In a competition for resources, problems that involve the use of military force cannot be excluded that would destroy the balance of forces close to the borders of the Russian Federation and her allies," said the document, which maps out Russia's security strategy until 2020.
"The attention of international politics in the long-term perspective will be concentrated on the acquisition of energy resources," the paper said.
Sovietski of Peace, my friends!
"We must achieve an understanding of Russia by Europe. This is absent," Gorbachev told a news conference, according to excerpts posted on the Web site of his charitable foundation.Russia vetoes deal on OSCE monitors in Georgia"Russia as an aggressor, Russia as an imperialist — this is all nonsense," he was quoted as saying. "Russia is a self-sufficient state that has everything it needs to conduct its long-term policy. Russia does not want to fight anyone."
My name is called Vlad. I am Grand High Sovietski of Peace!
Russia, US call for resumption of six-party talks
Russia and the United States are against putting too much pressure on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and urged the resumption of the six-party talks, a Russian diplomat said Wednesday.Russia Willing to Help North Korea Build Space Program
To da moon, Kim Jong!
Russia might be willing to help nuclear-armed North Korea conduct satellite launches, Voice of America reported yesterday (see GSN, April 28).North Korea to put US journalists on trial in JuneForeign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in remarks that at the time received little attention, last month said Moscow is open to assisting the North in building a peaceful space program by letting it launch satellites from Russian territory.
Uzbekistan Marks Andijon Anniversary with Arrests
In exclusive interviews with RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, several human rights activists reported that they had been arrested or confined to their houses today in Uzbekistan's capital city, Tashkent. The activists had sought to organize a demonstration marking the fourth anniversary of a bloody government crackdown in the eastern city of Andijon. On May 13, 2005, Uzbek troops opened fire on a crowd of peaceful protesters, killing around 700 people.Activists Urge Investigation of Uzbek Massacre
Human rights defender Bahodir Namozov told RFE/RL, "I just learned that five people have been arrested. I am under house arrest. I have been blockaded in my home since yesterday evening. The police followed me everywhere and warned me not to leave my house. They said if I did not obey them, they would take me into custody."
Massacres? We have no massacres here. Move along.
Uzbekistan: The advocacy becomes the part of executive authorities
IOW all lawyers now work for the State, not the client.
On April 21, 2008 the Republic of Uzbekistan launched the registration process for lawyer. The procedure is expected to be finished by July 1. As a result, one side of professional lawyers will be issued new licenses and ID cards while others will be deprive a right for operation.Two hundred dead seals found at Kazakhstan coast of Caspian Sea
This is the first event in its kind in Uzbekistan and it produces sharp criticism among lawyers community. According to lawyers, the qualification examinations aim at getting rid of all unwanted professionals. Specifically, the merit rating is conducted in contradiction with the fact that licenses have no expiration date. For some reason though, the inspectors, prosecutors and judges, often times demonstrating not perfect knowledge of legislation, are not required to take the exam.
Chronic toxicosis was named as the reason of death: the products of decomposition of crude oil, furnace and black sea oil, and pesticides were found in the animals that led to substantial lowering of immunity in seals and increase of susceptibility to infectious diseases.Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan ratified agreement
The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, signed law of Kazakhstan on ratification of the agreement between the governments of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan on cooperation in construction of the Near-Caspian gas pipeline, the agency reports citing the president's press service.IMF says they welcome the reforms in Turkmenistan
I think IMF actually stands for International MFers but that's just me.
Dictator Deal Could Open Back Door Supply Route to Afghanistan
Early this week, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak paid a visit to Central Asia to strengthen his country’s ties to the region; during his stopover in Uzbekistan, he signed a bilateral trade deal with Uzbek President Karimov, including a memorandum on the development of an air transport hub.
Ordinarily, that’s not the kind of announcement we would pay attention to. But according to Eurasianet.org, the deal paves the way for Uzbekistan to become a transit route for resupplying U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan: The press-shy Karimov revealed on Monday that a cargo airport in the city of Navoi is already being used as a way station for shipping non-lethal supplies to coalition forces based in Afghanistan.
A short recap is in order here: Uzbekistan once hosted U.S. forces at Karshi Khanabad (”K2″) airbase, which was an important supply link at the beginning of the Afghanistan war. But exactly four years ago today, Karimov’s security forces killed unarmed civilians in a security crackdown in the city of Andijan. The incident soured relations between the United States and Uzbekistan, and Karimov gave Washington six months to to quit K2. The United States moved the K2 logistics operation to Kyrgyzstan, which is now also threatening a base closure.
Obama Plans Cuts To US Nuclear ArsenalObama Picks Nuclear Panel Leader
A former adviser to Senator Harry Reid is President Obama’s choice to lead the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, giving opponents of a nuclear waste repository in Mr. Reid’s home state of Nevada another well-placed ally. The new chairman, Gregory B. Jaczko, has served on the five-member commission since January 2005. He will now serve as the commission’s official spokesman and as its chief executive, overseeing day-to-day operations as well as long-range planning.As Obama Pares Supreme Court List, Secrecy Is a Priority
Secrecy is the bedrock of totalitarian behavior.
SEE: Hannah Arendt
White House Pushes Back Against Obama Protesters
The White House today aggressively pushed back against the notion that the opposition of one Notre Dame University group to President Obama receiving an honorary degree at their commencement ceremony this Sunday is representative of widespread feelings on campus or among Catholics in general.Sure, Robert Gibbs....why should "Catholics In General" give a rat's ass about morality and life and all that stuff when the Pope himself could care less?
"I think there's one group organizing a boycott," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said, "and, as best I can understand it, there are 23 groups that have formed in support of the president's invitation."
Vatican Is Silent on Furor Over Obama, Notre Dame'
That Obama and the Vatican have some mutual interests is obvious & self evident.The official Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, which normally highlights news about the United States, has not published a word on the Notre Dame controversy. That omission is consistent with a record of friendly, even enthusiastic, treatment of Obama since his election in November.
Known as the "pope's newspaper," L'Osservatore is under the direct authority of the Vatican's Secretariat of State, which reportedly vets articles on sensitive topics before publication. The paper's coverage -- or lack of it -- offers the most extensive evidence so far that the Holy See has opted for a milder approach to Obama than have important elements of the U.S. church hierarchy.
You do the math.
NOW DIG THIS SHIT HERE:
Religious Affairs Directorate to teach Europe about Islam
The Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs will open an office in Brussels next month to teach Europe about Islam, in accordance with a decision made during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey in 2005.Abortion and Catholic Culture
During the pope's visit it was decided that Turkey's presence in Europe proves the possibility of the peaceful coexistence of Islam and Christianity.
Starting from there, it was concluded that Turkey, with its secular state and Muslim identity, could be a good reference for Muslims living in Europe. In order to block efforts to create misunderstandings about Islam and stir up Islamophobia in the continent, the Directorate of Religious Affairs decided to open a bureau in the European capital. This decision was supported by the pope, too.
In my view, the singular focus upon abortion as THE issue over which conservative Catholics will brook no divergence and around which we are called to rally reveals, to my mind, not evidence of robust Catholic culture as much as its absence. It seems to me that - along with the opposition to gay marriage - this issue represents the last stand, the inner-most wall barely keeping the hordes from overrunning the sanctum. The ferocity over this issue - and this issue almost to the exclusion of nearly every other issue that might be part of a rich fabric of Catholic culture - suggests to me that Catholic culture, where it existed, has been largely routed. And, in fact, it suggests further that it is precisely for this reason that this issue has become largely defined politically - and not culturally - with an emphasis on the way that the battle over abortion must be won or lost at the ballot box (and, by extension, Supreme Court appointments).Pope calls for 'sovereign Palestinian homeland'
Pope Urges Palestinians to Resist Terrorism
RESIST mind you.
Resist terrorism.
Because Mustapha Al Papa Von Popelewanky understands very deeply why you think you are justified in your desire to kill all these Jews but you must RESIST, at least until we unleash you.
Christians in Mideast Losing Numbers and Sway
Venezuela Oilfield Contractors Seen Dodging Battle With Chavez
Spain to end legal ban on abortion
German parliament votes to change law on late-term abortions
USA ill-equipped for a swine flu pandemic
The propaganda will continue until you all believe you are at risk and sick so just give in and die already.
New York Appeals Court Strikes Down Warrantless GPS Spying
UN asked to help PNG volcano homeless
3.0 earthquake strikes near Berkeley
will be in a separate post later -
there was just too much of it today.
Judas Priest
Night Comes Down
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