Syria has planted landmines near its border with Turkey along routes used by refugees fleeing the regime's deadly crackdown on dissent, the Turkish deputy prime minister said on Thursday.
"The Syrian administration has been planting mines, taking measures not to allow refugees to flee to the other side of the border," Besir Atalay said in televised remarks.
Up to 500,000 Syrians may cross into Turkey seeking refuge from the deadly year-long crackdown on protests by the Damascus regime, the head of the Turkish Red Crescent warned Thursday.
Ahmet Lutfi Akar said his organisation expected more refugees "to cross into Turkey through the border province of Hatay in the upcoming days, as there is an extreme situation. There are various scenarios that this figure may climb up to 500,000," the Anatolia news agency quoted him as saying.
Atalay said the Syrian army was militarily intervening in any attempt by the people fleeing the unrest. "Many have lost their lives," he added.
The number of Syrians arriving at the Turkish border is increasing daily. Around 1,000 Syrian refugees, including a defecting general, flocked into Turkey in the last 24 hours, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
So the total through Monday is 91 Grads, 121 short range rockets and 47 mortars, or 259 projectiles for these three groups. There may have been others that shot rockets as well.
Interestingly, they are not counting any rockets fired since the "cease fire" on Tuesday night.
The fragile armistice between Israel and the Gaza terror groups was stretched further on Thursday night as several rockets were fired at western Negev communities from the Strip.
Gaza terrorists fired a Grad rocket at Ashdod, which was intercepted by a nearby Iron Dome battery. Moments later Qassam rockets hit open areas in Eshkol Regional Council and the outskirts of Ashkelon.
Thursday morning saw a Gaza-launched rocket explode in an open area near Netivot. Several hours later a Grad rocket fired at Beersheba was intercepted by the Iron Dome system.
None of the terror groups are taking responsibility for these rockets. So, by the logic of the Western world, they cannot be considered "cease fire" violations.
Only when Israel responds is it a violation.
Those are the rules of the media, and who am I to argue?
The Methodist Pension Board rejected a proposal to divest from companies that supply products to Israel's military.
The United Methodist General Board of Pension and Health Benefits unanimously approved a resolution earlier this month that would allow the board to continue to invest in Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions and Hewlett-Packard. Petitioners had called for divestment from the three companies, saying that they supply products to Israel that are used to violate the human rights of Palestinians.
The board resolved to continue to urge the companies to protect and respect human rights, as well as to seek a remedy for any human rights violations including, but not limited to, the Palestinians.
"The board of directors strongly believes that divesting of stock in a company where you have a dispute is not an effective tool to impact a company's policy or practices," said Tim Smith, a member of the board of directors' United Methodist Church Principles Committee. "If you sell stock as a protest, another investor simply purchases it. As an investor, having a seat at the table with a company has generally proved to be a more powerful means of communicating with a company's management."
I guess the BDSers better concentrate on tiny Yuppie food co-ops and insecure second-tier pop singers.
The Muslim Judicial Council on Wednesday received Palestinian exchange prisoner, Dr. Abdul Aziz Umar. Dr. Abdul Aziz is a true symbol of hope as he in many ways represents the attitude and strength of the Palestinian people in their continuous struggle for freedom against the Israeli Zionist occupiers. Dr. Abdul Aziz related some of his experiences as a prisoner of the corrupt occupying forces and gave detailed accounts of how he was tortured and how on numerous occations the Zionists tried to break his spirit and his resolve. "I was used as a guinea pig for Israeli medical experiments in order that they could enjoy and display medical genius, even though I have lost the blessing of sight. However, they could not conquer and overpower my will and desire to turn prison into an educational academy."
With this introduction the blind deported prisoner, Dr. Ábdul Ázīz Úmar (51 years old) started his discussion with "ar-Risālah Net" talking about his suffering and torture that he experienced in Israeli prisons. The emancipator Úmar (i.e. Dr. Ábdul Ázīz Úmar) is the first blind prisoner that carries a doctorate degree and who received a prison sentence of "7 life sentences and 30 years" when he was imprisoned on 27/09/2004.
Unforgettable Memories
He said about losing his sight: "I lost my sight when I started my university studies (i.e. undergraduate level) but that wasn't a stumbling block in front of me. I completed my Bachelors Degree at Beir Zayt University thereafter I obtained a PhD. (Doctorate Degree) from the Hebrew University in English Literature."
The academic Úmar speaks about his "incarceration journey": "I was excelling in my studies despite my disabilities. The occupation forces tried to involve me in some issues by running some medical tests and exams on me but I disagreed. I was imprisoned in a very barbaric way in 1996 and they accused me of aiding and abetting the brave Mujāhid and Martyr Muḥyiddīn ash-Sharīf. After a while they released my innocense but placed me under house arrest for two years."
He added: "The imprisonment did not stop there. I was arrested again in 2004 in front of my children in a very horrible way and without any charges. This impacted very negatively and adversely on my small children resulting in them having to receive treatment for the traumatic experience."
He follows up: "Some months after my seizure (imprisonment) I was convicted and given a prison sentence of "4 life sentences and 30 years".The charge was that I was spreading new and strange ideas in my intellectual and academic works." " ...ideas are more dangerous than weapons..." this was the message wispered in the ear of Dr. Abdul Aziz, by an Israeli soldier whilst being arrested and with a gun pointed to his chest. Úmar further explained that he didn't abandon the quest to seek knowledge and further studies, despite this severe sentence that was handed to him. He dedicated himself to teach the prisoners English and Arabic in the precincts of the prison, as well as conducting different symposia and seminars.
He specifically said with regards to his "journey of punishments" in the prisons of the occupation forces: "The occupation forces were artists/ masters in torturing me, trying and hoping to breakdown and destroy my mind more than my body. They used truth serums, electric shock instruments as well as sleeping and relaxation tablets on me. They were the ones who always suffered from fatigue in the end, because my mind remained completely awake and alert.
He further relates about certain tortures he had to endure: "One day they tied me up on the confessions chair and they forced a strong electric and painful x-ray apparatus on my head for more than two hours leading to my body suffering from severe limpness. Some hours after that I was moved to another room whilst I was shackled and they threw me down spread out. They then shocked me with electricity that resulted in me suffering from paralysis in my entire skeleton (bone) structure, and a lost the ability to move." He continued: "The physical torture barely stopped when they started with psychological torture. They brought the prisoner and the freedom fighter Nāil Bharghūti to us, in order to inform us that "your destiny will be like his" seeing that he (Nāil Bharghūti) is the longest serving political prisoner that they have in their prisons. However, he overpowered them when he said to us: Do not despair and loose hope, victory and freedom are near."
Really? He was arrested for no reason and sentenced to seven (or four, he says) life terms for "spreading new and strange ideas"? He was tortured mercilessly but still managed to teach other prisoners? The prisons service brought Barghouti to break his will and Barghouti fooled them?
What kind of moron would believe this garbage?
Well, obviously, people who hate Israel - and the entire Muslim population of South Africa.
Former Palestinian prisoner Dr Abdul Aziz Umar, who is visiting Cape Town to give a series of lectures, has claimed that he was arrested by the Israelis for "spreading new and strange ideas" in his academic works.
The reality is very different
The real reason why Umar was sentenced to seven life sentences by Israel in 2004 was because of his participation in the Café Hillel bombings in Jerusalem on 9 September 2003. Seven Israeli civilians were killed in this cold-blooded terrorist attack. They included Dr David Appelbaum, head of the emergency room at Shaare Zedek Medical Centre and his daughter Nava, who was to have been married the following day.
Whilst in prison, Umar was allowed to further his academic qualifications by studying through an Israeli university, at the Israeli tax payer's expense. He was freed last year as part on a prisoner exchange deal, in which hundreds of Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for a single Israeli one.
Those responsible for bringing Abdul Aziz Umar to South Africa have falsely depicted him as an innocent victim of Israeli oppression and prison brutality. The truth is that he is a convicted terrorist with innocent blood on his hands. He has never expressed any remorse for his murderous actions, and he remains a committed supporter of terrorist violence against Israel.
The South African Zionist Federation questions the motivations and the morality of bringing someone with Umar's record to South Africa. There can be no place in our country for those who propagate hatred and falsehood and who have chosen the path of violence over that of peace.
As long as no one challenges the lies, they will continue to spread.
Muslims and other Israel-haters will not even think twice about inviting and honoring a mass murderer - as long as he hates Israel along with them.
Was there a single Muslim in South Africa who publicly opposed the honor of a mass murderer? Just one, out of over 700,000 South Africa Muslims? Was there even one Muslim who had the moral strength to criticize an unrepentant terrorist and obvious liar whose actions led to the vicious murder of seven people?
A senior Hamas figure in Gaza, Mahmud Zahar, is visiting Tehran for meetings with top Iranian officials, media reported on Thursday.
Zahar's trip was taking place shortly after Gaza militants and Israel agreed a fragile truce that ended four days of deadly cross-border violence.
Zahar, who serves as Hamas's foreign minister, met his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, who voiced his country's support for the Palestinians.
Salehi condemned Israeli air strikes on Gaza as "savage attacks by the Zionist regime against the innocent Palestinian population," the official IRNA news agency reported.
"Support for the Palestinian population is part of our principles and religious beliefs and we are certain that the Palestinian people will triumph," he said.
Zahar, in return, thanked Iran for its "limitless support."
Mahmoud Zahar, aka Mr. Sunshine, with pals
On Wednesday, Zahar met the head of Iran's supreme national security council, Saeed Jalili, and the leader of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Zahar's visit followed one by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh last month, who shared the podium with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on February 11 to commemorate the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Israel and the United States consider Hamas to be an armed proxy of Iran able to strike Israel with Iranian-supplied rockets should the Islamic republic be threatened militarily.
Hamas has reportedly lost a lot of funding over Iran's displeasure at Haniyeh's support of the Syrian revolution. And recently we have seen that Hamas using exorbitant taxes to make up the shortfall, causing Gazans to complain.
Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad, which just waged a mini war against Israel, still has its Iran funding intact. And Islamic Jihad gained in popularity in Gaza for shooting rockets at civilians, while Hamas did not join in.
So it sounds like Zahar is trying to mend fences with Iran to get back on the mullah's good sides, replenish their cash supply, and re-establish their terrorist bona-fides.
Muslim career women in Britain are choosing to become involved in polygamous relationships because of a lack of suitable men.
Some of them even choosing to become second or third wives to married men, according to the Islamic Sharia Council.
The charity, based in Britain, gives legal guidance to Muslims and has said it is receiving a high number of queries from women struggling to find suitable partners.
Many of the women have also said they would prefer to hold down high-profile jobs rather than look after their husbands.
Taking more than one wife is illegal in the UK but men marry again in a nikah religious ceremony, allowing them to take up to four wives.
Mizan Raja, 35, who organises Muslim marriages around the world, told the Sunday Times, that he has had hundreds of calls in the past six months from women asking about becoming second wives.
Mr Raja said: 'The demand for these relationships is led by the women, not the men. In one generation women have become educated, entrepreneurial and professional.
'The Muslim community is struggling with this, how do you cope with women who wear trousers?'
He said that many Muslim men just wanted a 'homemaker' and to come home to a clean house and a plate of food on the table.
He added the men didn't want the 'headache' of being in a relationship with a professional woman.
It is thought the Muslim women are also actively seeking out married men because they do not want the hassle of having to cook for their husbands after a hard day at work and are quite happy to have part-time relationships.
In the end, is this any different from European men openly having mistresses?
Of course, in both cases, the feelings of the first wife are being trampled upon.
Only one problem: the photo was not taken this year.
Obviously those massive IAF airstrikes didn't create images that were photogenic enough for CNN Arabic, so they swiped a photo that was used multiple times by the BBC in 2009.
This is hardly the first photo that has gone around this past week that originated years ago, but it is one thing to see tweeters misuse photographs, and quite another for CNN.
Maybe they think that their stellar journalistic standards mentioned in the last post don't have to be so high for their mere Arabic site.
Then again, why should any news organizations be expected to portray events accurately? As bad as this is, there is somewhere else this photo was used recently: by a Spanish news site to describe Syrian bombing in Homs!
Israeli aircraft targeted two "terror activity sites" in northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said early Wednesday, in another round of tit-for-tat that appeared to end a shaky truce.
"Direct hits were confirmed," the Israel forces in a statement. The attack was carried out in response to rockets fired at Israel over the past day, the statement said.
...The attack came after a truce between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants appeared to have held much of Tuesday, despite reports of rockets being fired into Israel.
You get that? When terrorists fire rockets into Israel the truce is still in place; when Israel shoots back, then the truce has ended.
And the rockets into Israel on Tuesday? CNN, one of the largest news organizations on the planet, can't confirm them. They can only mention "reports" of such rockets.
Some more bias (and inaccuracies) in the same article:
Twenty-five Palestinians were killed in the fighting and hundreds of rockets were fired toward civilian population centers in southern Israel. Fourteen of the Palestinian victims belonged to the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad. At least 80 others were wounded.
First of all, 24 were killed, not 25. CNN is still counting the teenager who Gaza medical officials falsely claimed was killed by an airstrike.
But worse than that was CNN's note that 14 of those killed were Islamic Jihad members. The implication is that the "11" others were civilians, when in fact 6 of them were PRC terrorists. So in fact 20 of 24 killed were terrorists and most of the others seem to have been effectively human shields, as the airstrikes that killed them also injured militants.
Finally, this CNN article has a link to an Arabic version. But it is not a translation; rather a completely different article. And in CNN's Arabic world, the IDF is referred to as an "'occupation' army" - the word "occupation" is in scare quotes but it is not quoting any Arab; this is CNN's description of the IDF. (At only one point in the article is the term IDF used - and that is when they are quoting an Israeli official.)
Also, CNN Arabic claims 27 deaths, not 25 or the more accurate 24.
Moreover, here is how CNN English reports on an incident during a funeral:
Earlier Tuesday, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the Israeli army opened fire at a funeral east of Jabaliya, north of Gaza, wounding three people, according to witnesses.
"They said the army opened fire at the funeral procession when it reached the Jabaliya cemetery, which is close to the Gaza borders with Israel," the news agency said.
IDF said its soldiers operating along the security fence in Gaza identified approximately 50 Palestinians gathering near a security fence and, in accordance with the rules of engagement, fired warning shots to disperse the group.
Initial reports indicate that there were no injuries to the suspects, said the spokeswoman who, in line with IDF policy, would not identify herself.
But in CNN Arabic:
Palestinian sources confirmed the fall of three wounded, shot by "the Zionist occupation forces" Tuesday, during the funeral of large crowds of citizens to the bodies of "martyrs" killed in an Israeli air strike on Monday night. The spokesman for the Supreme Committee for Ambulance and Emergency services described the injuries as "moderate."
CNN Arabic does not even make an effort to quote any IDF version of events, and it continues to gratuitously refer to the IDF as "Zionist occupation forces" in scare quotes for no valid reason.
A U.N. report ridiculed worldwide for lavishing praise on the Qaddafi regime's human rights record was unanimously adopted today by the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council, with president Laura Dupuy Lasserre overruling the objection made in the plenary by UN Watch. (Click here for video; see text below.)
After it was first exposed by UN Watch last year, the report card giving high marks to Qaddafi was mocked by the New York Times, The Economist and other major media worldwide, causing a red-faced UN to postpone the report's adoption repeatedly — until today.
Said the Times:
"Until Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's violent suppression of unrest in recent weeks, the United Nations Human Rights Council was kind in its judgment of Libya. In January, it produced a draft report on the country that reads like an international roll call of fulsome praise, when not delicately suggesting improvements. Evidently, within the 47-nation council, some pots are loath to call kettles black, at least until events force their hand. Last week Libya was suspended from the body, and the report was shelved."
Even ardent defenders of the council have recently slammed the report. After UN Watch's recent protest, Suzanne Nossel, the head of Amnesty USA and former top human rights official in the Obama Administration, described the report as "abhorrent" and called for a complete "redo."
Here is UN Watch's Hillel Neuer telling the UN what a joke the report is:
In fact, the report is even worse than Neuer implies in his short speech. Here are some parts:
Algeria noted the efforts of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to promote human rights, which reflected the country's commitment to complying with Human Rights Council resolutions and cooperating with the international community.
Qatar praised the legal framework for the protection of human rights and freedoms, including, inter alia, its criminal code and criminal procedure law, which provided legal guarantees for the implementation of those rights.
The Syrian Arab Republic praised the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for its serious commitment to and interaction with the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms. It commended the country for its democratic regime based on promoting the people's authority through the holding of public conferences, which enhanced development and respect for human rights, while respecting cultural and religions traditions.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea praised the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for its achievements in the protection of human rights.
Bahrain noted that the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya had adopted various policies aimed at improving human rights.
Palestine commended the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for the consultations held with civil society in the preparation of the national report, which demonstrated its commitment to the improved enjoyment of human rights. Palestine praised the country for the Great Green Document on Human Rights.
Saudi Arabia commended the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya's achievements in its constitutional, legislative and institutional frameworks, which showed the importance that the country attached to human rights.
Tunisia noted progress made by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, such as the adoption of the Great Green Charter, which was very comprehensive and enshrined fundamental freedoms and rights as enshrined in international human rights instruments.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela acknowledged the efforts of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to promote economic, social and cultural rights, especially those of children.
Jordan welcomed the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya's achievements in the promotion and protection of human rights, including the establishment of institutions, particularly in the judiciary system.
Oman commended the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for its diligent efforts in the field of human rights and for making them its priority.
Egypt commended the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for progress in building a comprehensive national human rights framework of institutions and in drafting legislation and supporting its human resources in that area.
The Islamic Republic of Iran noted that the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya had implemented a number of international human rights instruments and had cooperated with relevant treaty bodies. It noted with appreciation the establishment of the National Human Rights Committee as an independent national human rights institution, and the provision of an enabling environment for non-governmental organizations.
Pakistan praised the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for measures taken both in terms of legislation and in practice, noting with appreciation that it was a party to most of the core human rights treaties.
Viet Nam congratulated the delegation on the quality of the national report. It noted with satisfaction the commitment of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to the protection and promotion of the human rights of its people.
Even Western nations would go out of their way to find something nice to say about Libya even as they voiced concerns.
The United States of America supported the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya's increased engagement with the international community. It called on the country to comply with its human rights treaty obligations. It expressed concern about reports of the torture of prisoners and about the status of freedom of expression and association, including in its legislation, which often resulted in the arrest of people for political reasons.
Canada welcomed improvements made by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in its respect for human rights, specifically the recent legislation that granted women married to foreigners the right to pass on their Libyan nationality to their children, as well as the acknowledgement of the deaths of hundreds of Abu Salim prisoners in 1996 and the first incountry release of a report by an international non-governmental organization in 2009.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland welcomed visits by Amnesty and Human Rights Watch to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. It encouraged the country to consider further visits and to issue a standing invitation to the United Nations special procedures. It remained concerned about the enjoyment of the freedoms of expression and association, and asked for further details in that regard, including on the development of a new press law. The United Kingdom encouraged improvements in Libyan prison standards.
Only two countries had nothing positive to say:
France referred to the situation of refugees; allegations concerning arbitrary detention, torture, ill treatment and enforced disappearance; the death penalty, which remained in force for a large number of crimes; the absence of non-governmental organizations with expertise in the field of human rights; and the severe restrictions on freedom of expression and association.
Israel noted that The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya should live up to the membership standards set forth in General Assembly resolution 60/251 and serve as a model in the protection of human rights; while, in reality, its membership in the Council served to cover the ongoing systemic suppression, in law and in practice, of fundamental rights and freedoms.
If you want proof that the UN Human Rights Council is a complete and utter joke, the fact that this resolution was adopted - in 2012 - is all the proof you need.
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