US condemns Hezbollah ‘intimidation’ in Lebanon

(AFP) – The United States accused Hezbollah on Tuesday of using intimidation to gain government control in Lebanon and vowed that the work of the UN-backed Hariri tribunal would continue regardless.

“The make-up of Lebanon?s government is a Lebanese decision, but this decision should not be reached through coercion, intimidation and threats of violence,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, Hezbollah, backed by Syria, engaged in all three in pursuit of its political goals.”

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States accused Hezbollah on Tuesday of using intimidation to gain government control in Lebanon and vowed that the work of the UN-backed Hariri tribunal would continue regardless.

“The make-up of Lebanon?s government is a Lebanese decision, but this decision should not be reached through coercion, intimidation and threats of violence,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, Hezbollah, backed by Syria, engaged in all three in pursuit of its political goals.”More

Hezbollah Chooses Lebanon’s Next Prime Minister

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A prime minister chosen by Hezbollah and its allies won enough support on Monday to form Lebanon’s government, unleashing angry protests, realigning politics and culminating the generation-long ascent of the Shiite Muslim movement from shadowy militant group to the country’s pre-eminent political and military force.

Lebanese soldiers try to put out a fire lit by supporters of Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri in Beirut on Monday.
Hezbollah’s success served as a stark measure of the shifting constellation of power in this part of the Middle East, where the influence of the United States and its Arab allies — Egypt and Saudi Arabia — is seen by politicians and diplomats as receding, while Iran and Syria have become more assertive.

American diplomats tried to forestall the triumph of Hezbollah’s candidate, Najib Miqati. Although the final votes will be cast Tuesday, Mr. Miqati won the decisive vote from a politician who said he had to deal “with the reality on the ground.”

The government that Mr. Miqati, a billionaire and former prime minister, forms may in the end look much like past cabinets in this small Mediterranean country. Indeed, Mr. Miqati struck a conciliatory tone, calling himself a consensus candidate.More

US defends Israeli flotilla attack

The US has described an Israeli probe into a raid on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla aid convoy that killed nine Turkish activists as a “credible and impartial” effort.

The praise came after an Israeli investigation panel declared Tel Aviv’s military attack on the Freedom Flotilla as “legal” under international law, Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported.

The panel also claimed that the Israeli soldiers who took part in the killing of the nine activists acted in self-defense.

The activists aboard the aid convoy, which was attacked in international waters, were unarmed and only planned to deliver aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip.

“We think that this is an independent report, credible and impartial and transparent investigation that has been undertaken by Israel,” US State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said on Monday.More

Now leaked documents hit Palestinians Jerusalem was offered to Israel

JERUSALEM: Palestinians were prepared to compromise over two of the toughest issues, Jerusalem and refugees, during peace talks in 2008, according to a report by the Al-Jazeera TV channel that quoted from documents it said came from the talks.

Palestinian negotiators quickly denied the report, which was broadcast Sunday, saying parts of the documents were fabricated. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he has kept Arab countries fully briefed on the negotiations with Israel.

Al-Jazeera said the Palestinians offered to let Israel keep all but one of the Jewish enclaves it build in east Jerusalem after capturing it in the 1967 Mideast war. About 200,000 Israelis live there now.

In return, according to the quoted documents, the Palestinians wanted Israeli land, including a section close to the West Bank-Israel line where many of Israel’s minority Arab citizens live.

Also, they proposed international control of the key Jerusalem holy site as a temporary measure. The Palestinians, Israel, the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan would administer the site where the Al Aqsa Mosque compound sits atop the ruins of the biblical Jewish temples, until Israel and the Palestinians could work out a permanent arrangement.

On the issue of refugees, the documents said the Palestinians agreed that Israel would take in 10,000 refugees a year for 10 years _ a total of 100,000. The Palestinians have insisted that all refugees from the 1948-49 war and their descendants _ several million people _ have the right to return to Israel. The Israelis have always rejected that as a threat to the Jewish character of their state.

The chief Palestinian negotiator in the 2008 talks, Ahmed Qureia, told The Associated Press that “many parts of the documents were fabricated, as part of the incitement against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian leadership.”More

Iran open to more nuclear talks: Ahmadinejad

TEHRAN: Iran is open to holding further talks with six world powers over its nuclear programme, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday, a day after the failure of the latest round of dialogue.

Ahmadinejad’s remarks came after the world powers expressed disappointment over the two days of talks held in Istanbul, even as the United States and Germany voiced hopes of holding new negotiations with the Islamic republic.

“They have talked for a few rounds, but we never expected that issues would be resolved during these few sessions because of the record and mentality of the other parties,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech aired live on state television from the nothern city of Rasht.

“But if the other side is determined and committed to justice, law and respect, one can hope that suitable results could be achieved in future sessions.”

The talks in Istanbul on Friday and Saturday failed to yield results between Iran and the so-called P5+1 — UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany.

The dialogue was aimed at ascertaining whether Iran’s contentious nuclear drive masks a weapons programme as suspected by the West, but staunchly denied by the Islamic republic.More

Turkey’s report on Flotilla refutes Israel argument

An interim report prepared by Turkish officials rules out arguments by Israeli officials that its forces acted in self-defense during the naval raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, stating that there is no room for the Israeli side to justify a military attack in international waters targeting a civilian convoy carrying humanitarian assistance to a territory that is illegally blockaded.More

Op Ed Calling India Pariah State odd Choice for Israeli Publication

On September 19, 2010, the Jerusalem Post ran an Op Ed by Rob Brown, entitled “Why Isn’t India a Pariah State?”  The piece, in essence told Israelis that the Indian “occupation” of Kashmir was characterized by human rights abuses and is responsible for 70,000 deaths.  Read more

Chinese Ambassador: We Support Integrating the Israeli Mind in the Chinese Market to Generate Miracles

Ofer Petersburg
Tuesday marked 18 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Israel, during which trade relations have grown from $42 million to $6 billion. China’s Ambassador to Israel Zhao Jun said in an interview: “Israel contributes greatly to China in agricultural affairs….We have learned a lot from you.” “China is Israel’s No. 1 business partner in Asia. You are good with medicine, and our cooperation is good in this matter too.” “By the end of 2009, Israel set up 292 projects for investment in China, estimated at $220 million. The volume of trade grows every year.”
    “We believe in and support integrating the Israeli mind in the Chinese market in order to generate those same miracles you have created in this small country. History has taught us that we are true friends.” “The friendship between Israel and the Chinese people has been going on for over 1,000 years, including during the Holocaust when Jewish refugees were given shelter in China although China was in dire straits, under a Japanese attack.”…more

Hamas Leader: Arafat Ordered Hamas Attacks Against Israel in 2000

Khaled Abu Toameh
“President Arafat instructed Hamas to carry out a number of military operations in the heart of the Jewish state after he felt that his negotiations with the Israeli government then had failed” after the Camp David summit in 2000, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar revealed on Tuesday. Most of the “military operations” were suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians. This was the first time that a senior Hamas official disclosed that some of the Hamas suicide bombings during the Second Intifada were ordered by Arafat…more

UN Atomic Watchdog Rejects Resolution Against Israel

The UN atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), rejected Friday an Arab-backed resolution against Israel. The resolution urging Israel to accede to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was rejected with 51 votes against, 46 votes in favor, and 23 abstentions. Washington had flown in President Obama’s top nuclear advisor, Gary Samore, to try to persuade Arab nations to drop their plans. In 2009 the same resolution was adopted 49-45. A number of states that voted in favor last year, such as Singapore and Thailand, chose to abstain this year. Earlier this week, Israel’s nuclear chief Shaul Horev reiterated Israel’s stance that acceding to the NPT would run against its national interests. (AFP)more

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