Fbi to profile muslims
FBI to “profile” Muslims US Justice Department is planning a change in the FBI methods so that it can keep… Read More »Fbi to profile muslims
Palestine – Features
Sudan criticises palin biden over darfur flight ban
Sudan criticised both U.S. vice-presidential contenders on Sunday for suggesting they might support a no-fly zone over Darfur, saying the plan showed they knew little about the conflict.
Many activists have called for the U.N. to police a no-fly zone over the region to stop attacks.
Sarah Palin, the Republican governor of Alaska, said she supported a flight ban in Sudan’s remote west during a televised debate with her Democratic rival Joe Biden on Thursday.
Biden, the Democratic senator from Delaware, did not explicitly call for a ban but said: "I don’t have the stomach for genocide when it comes to Darfur. We can now impose a no-fly zone. It is within our capacity. We can lead NATO if we are willing to take a hard stand."
But Sudanese foreign ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadig on Sunday dismissed the statements of both candidates saying a no-fly zone would be impractical and useless.
"They know very little about what is going on here," he said. "Their statements were meant for local consumption. They had nothing to do with Darfur."
Sadig said an air ban would be ineffective because the Sudanese armed forces were not using aircraft in their ongoing struggle against rebel groups in Darfur.
He said government planes and helicopters were only being used to fight bandits and protect humanitarian convoys.
"It would be a very short-sighted move. Curbing the actions of the armed forces would impede the flow of humanitarian aid to Darfur and tie the hands of the government in its efforts to prevent attacks on aid convoys," he added.
Earlier his year, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he would like to move ahead with a no-fly zone for Darfur "if it were at all possible".
But British foreign ministry officials later said they were not pursuing a ban because it would restrict humanitarian work. Darfur’s size and a shortage of planes to monitor the ban would also make it "a major logistical challenge", they added. The remote western region is roughly the same size as Spain.
Reuters
http://www.worldbulletin.net/ , printed on 06.10.2008.
Read More »Sudan criticises palin biden over darfur flight ban
Will fatah “ as much as Isarael “ be the target of the next intifada?
by Ben White
(source: The Conflicts Forum)
For the best part of half a century, Fatah dominated Palestinian politics. Israeli attempts to extinguish the movement failed; rivals were co-opted or sidelined. But gradually, as the Oslo years gave way to the Second Intifada, the peace process went up in smoke and Hamas emerged as a genuine contender for Palestinian political loyalties, serious and critical divisions within the movement have come to the surface. This piece examines the current crisis facing the Fatah movement, and possibilities for the future: critical issues facing the movement — internal divisions, differences over strategy often sharply focused on the question of resistance and/or negotiations, the relationship with Hamas, as well as some of the different options facing Fatah in terms of a way out of the crisis, and approaches being suggested as solutions to the crisis.
Background
From its beginnings as a guerrilla group in the 1960s, Fatah moved to the forefront of the Palestinian national movement, dominating the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and seeing off challenges to its leadership in the 1970s and 1980s. With the First Intifada raging in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) in the late 1980s, some within Fatah began initially secretive talks with the Israelis, ultimately culminating in the Oslo Accords.
Read More »Will fatah “ as much as Isarael “ be the target of the next intifada?
Press release
Egypt’s Steel Wall
By Iqbal Jassat
The Media Review Network is appalled at the latest action of the Egyptian government which aims to suffocate and stifle the already traumatised population of the Gaza Strip.
The creation of a steel wall along the Egypt-Gaza border by the Egyptian authorities is yet another manifestation of Hosni Mubarak’s puppet status.
This shameless viciousness enables Israel and Egypt to draw sadistic pleasure from seeing Palestinian children and civilians die as a result of Israel’s brutal siege and blockade of the Gaza. Egypt’s contribution to this humanitarian crisis will hold the Egyptian Authorities accountable for the genocide and ethnic cleansing being witnessed in the Gaza.
The Media Review Network is also concerned at the silence of the African Union in the face of this ignominy and disgrace. Apart from some routine statements by the AU, they are somewhat guarded and cautious on the ongoing Gaza nightmare. The MRN finds it unacceptable that the AU’s inaction will contribute to the suffering of the Gaza population. We therefore view this as a huge betrayal of the Gazan population and moral failure on the part of the AU leadership.
Since Egypt is a significant member of the AU, this attitude of the AU is morally and ethically problematic. It shows that the Union is quite helpless in the face of Egypt’s arrogance and insolence. In fact it is tantamount to rewarding Egypt, no matter what it does or what crimes against humanity it may commit.
It is common knowledge that by opening the Rafah Border the Egyptian economy will benefit. However the autocratic Egyptian leadership refuses to do so, citing “international agreements” with Israel as the reason. The MRN regards these reasons as a mere smokescreen which allows Egypt to act with impunity.
The Media Review Network also calls on the South African Government to intervene and pressurise the Egyptian Government to stop the erection of this wall which is a symbol of oppression, torture, coercion and tyranny.
Iqbal Jassat
Chairman,
Media Review Network
Cell: 083 594 3749
E-mail: mrn_ij@telkomsa.net