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Israel blocks popes representative

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GAZA, (PIC)– The IOA blocked father Antonio Franco, the representative of the Pope, and his accompanying delegation on Sunday from entering the Gaza Strip to hold Sunday service despite the arrangements made days ago to facilitate their entry.

A statement issued by the information office of the Latin patriarchate in Jerusalem said that the papal delegation which was composed of archbishop Franco, fathers Shawki Boutrian and Hammam Khozoz and the secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature arrived at the Beit Hanoun crossing and waited more than three hours attempting to enter Gaza but to no avail.

 

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Interview with hamas vice chair musa abu marzuk

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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

In his exclusive interview with Ikhwanweb, Hamas vice Chair Musa Abu Marzuk confirmed that Hamas "is not interfering with Arab politics. In fact many of those who bet on attacking, excluding, and marginalizing it began reviewing themselves and are now starting to deal with them as a real entity for the sake of building healthier future relations."

Marzuk also said that "the Bush government had confined itself to a cage when it categorized Hamas as terrorists. We are not willing, whether in the present or future, to acknowledge Israel. And if they are willing to deal with the Arab initiative with this reservation, we will be pleased."

"Egypt has met with the different Palestinian faction representatives in Cairo to get acquainted with each faction’s vision of dealing with the current crisis. These sessions which all started in September and ended with Hamas’s meeting on October 8th were for the sake of dialogue rather than presenting final solutions," Marzuk added.

 

 

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Rebuilding somalia is the real answer

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Gulf News
Published: November 20, 2008, 23:35
 
Piracy off the coast of Somalia is finally attracting the interest of the international community. The Arab states bordering the Red Sea met yesterday in Cairo to define a plan of action they can adopt. Nato secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who described piracy yesterday as a "very serious challenge", called for more international action, although he ruled out a land offensive against the pirate bases. American, French, British and Indian naval forces are already active in the region.

Clearly, the short-term solution is for a coordinated international naval force to protect shipping off the Horn of Africa. It should include forces from the major international powers whose ships are being hijacked, as well as from countries from the region who have to bear some responsibility for taking control of their regional problems.

This force would make piracy a lot more difficult and less attractive than it is at present. It could organise convoys, which are more easily protected than individual ships scattered all over the sea. It could put commandos onboard ships so that when small boats appear over the horizon, soldiers are ready to blow them out of the water.

However, the main problem is that the world has ignored the disaster that Somalia has become. The years of terrible civil war have split the state into many small factions, run by warlords and terrorised by their militias. There is no central state, there are no national institutions and commerce has collapsed. The real answer to piracy is to rebuild Somalia, offer the people stability and security, and let them restart their normal lives. That will not be done by the Nato convoys off their coast. It will be done by a determined regional commitment, backed by the United Nations.
 

 

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Gaza situation desperate and unacceptable

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GAZA, (PIC)– United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes on Wednesday slammed the continued Israeli closure of the Gaza border-crossings and  described the situation as “desperate” and “unacceptable.”

No fuel, humanitarian supplies or commercial commodities were allowed into Gaza on Wednesday, according to the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO).

Mr. Holmes – who is also Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs – told journalists in Geneva that the closure was seen as collective punishment. Half the population of Gaza was under 15 and were being held hostage by the situation.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Tuesday to urge him to facilitate the freer movement of urgently needed humanitarian supplies and of UN personnel into Gaza. Mr. Olmert denounced the continuing rocket fire into Israel from Gaza, although he agreed to look seriously into the urgent matter.

Starting Thursday, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) had to suspend cash assistance to some 98,000 of the poorest people in Gaza due to the lack of Israeli shekel bank notes in Gaza banks.

The agency also warned that it is facing “a grave and imminent crisis” and must receive additional pledges in the first quarter of 2009 if it is to continue assisting the 4.6 million people in its five field operations.

UNRWA Commissioner General Karen AbuZayd told donors, host governments and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners that according to present projections its core services will suffer a deficit of more than $87 million by then, leading to an overall shortfall of $160 million when combined with unfunded projects on hold from previous years.

“This will bring UNRWA closer to financial crisis than it has ever been,” she said today at the agency’s annual meeting in Amman, Jordan, which heard updates from the directors for the five field operations – Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza.
 

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