Mohamed al-Shaer |

The mid week review for September 16, 2009.

Hamas does not authorize Abbas to negotiate with the Zionist entity

Izzat Al Rishiq, member of the Hamas political bureau, stated that the Hamas movement does not authorize President, Mahmoud Abbas, to hold talks with the occupation before internal unity is achieved, and added that he fears the current internal divisions would lead to more concessions. In an interview with the Quds Net news agency on Sunday, Al Rishiq stated that Mahmoud Abbas, who has termed out of office, and his negotiations team, are not authorized to hold talks with Israel, and that any outcome of these talks would not be binding to the Palestinians. He also said that the peace talks without unity are worthless, and would not lead to any positive outcome. Al Rishiq also said that there is no momentum for with the fundamental Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. He stated that the Palestinians need to achieve comprehensive unity, and warned that Palestinian negotiators might make concessions especially regarding the Right of Return, Jerusalem and Historic Palestine. IMEMC, September 15, 2009.

Syria against talks with Israel without Turkish mediation – President Assad

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad reaffirmed Tuesday evening opposition to the resumption of talks with Israel without the Turkish mediation. Syria is against direct talks with Jewish state without Turkey’s mediation, the president said in his meeting with chief editors of Turkish dailies here on the eve of his visit to Turkey. “We had held several rounds of direct talks with Israel in 1990s but we failed to tackle the core issues. There had been general topics, not specific core issues,” he recalled. “When the bilateral indirect talks started under Turkish mediation, we started to talk about specific points. “Syria has always been for direct talks that could be reached only through the indirect talks, brokered by Turkey,” he said, noting that the direct talks could only start then there were “sound and firm grounds.” KUWAIT NEWS AGENCY, September 15, 2009.

Egypt defends the shooting of African migrants

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has released a statement defending the shooting of African migrants attempting to cross the border into Israel, claiming that national security takes precedence. Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said in the statement that primary objectives in these situations “are the Egyptian borders security, national security protection, guaranteeing the safety and security of the Egyptian troops as well as implementing Egypt’s international commitments in combating all kinds of smuggling.” Since early 2008, some 40 African migrants have been killed at the border while attempting to cross into Israel according to Amnesty International. Four African migrants were killed last week by border guards as they attempted to make the crossing. DAILY NEWS, Egypt, September 16, 2009.

Italy Ex-President – CIA and Mossad Ran 9-11

Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga, who revealed the existence of Operation Gladio, has told Italy’s oldest and most widely read newspaper that the 9-11 terrorist attacks were run by the CIA and Mossad, and that this was common knowledge among global intelligence agencies. In what translates awkwardly into English, Cossiga told the newspaper Corriere della Sera: “All the [intelligence services] of America and Europe know well that the disastrous attack has been planned and realized from the Mossad, with the aid of the Zionist world in order to put under accusation the Arabic countries and in order to induce the western powers to take part in Iraq [and] Afghanistan.” Cossiga was elected president of the Italian Senate in July 1983 before winning a landslide election to become president of the country in 1985, and he remained until 1992. PALESTINIAN TELEGRAPH, September 15, 2009.

.

Fatah accepts Egypt offer to delay election

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction on Monday said it had accepted an Egyptian offer to end a rift with Hamas and would delay presidential and parliamentary elections due in January. Egypt last week proposed holding elections during the first half of 2010 to allow more time to work out a deal between the two rival factions. “We have decided to accept the Egyptian proposal, including holding the elections during the first half of next year and no later than this date,” said Abbas Zaki, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, according to Reuters. THE AL BAWABA GROUP, Jordan, September 14, 2009.

Egypt destroys 10 Gaza smuggling tunnels

Egyptian security forces destroyed 10 tunnels used to smuggle contraband to the besieged Gaza Strip after a tip-off from a runner arrested last week, a security official said yesterday. The tunnels were found north of the Egyptian border town of Rafah late on Sunday after Mohamed al-Shaer gave details of their location, the official told AFP, adding that the tunnels were immediately destroyed. Shaer was arrested last week at the Rafah border crossing as he tried to enter Gaza on false documents. He was one of the most wanted smugglers in the area and could provide vital information on smuggling networks operating in Egypt, the official said. GULF TIMES, Qatar, September 15, 2009.

.

Israeli, Palestinian activists present peace manual

Israeli and Palestinian activists yesterday presented the most detailed vision yet of what a peace deal could look like – more than 400 pages crammed with maps, timetables for troop withdrawals and even a list of weapons a non-militarized Palestine would be barred from having. The manual has no official standing, but has generated interest among Israeli and Palestinian leaders and is meant to show it’s still possible to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel, despite many setbacks, said those involved in the drafting. The plan’s details illustrated the many obstacles that have to be cleared: The plan is complicated and expensive, and the proposed borders would require the removal of tens of thousands of Jewish settlers. There is also the reality on the ground that Hamas militants remain in control of the Gaza Strip. The core of the plan is a Palestinian state in nearly 98 percent of the West Bank, all of the Gaza Strip and the Arab-populated areas of Jerusalem. The plan was put together over the past two years by Israeli and Palestinian experts, ex-government officials and former negotiators. It builds on the 50-page outline of a peace deal published in 2003 by the same group, known as the Geneva Initiative. KUWAIT TIMES, September 16, 2009.

Kuwaitis used as human shields for terrorists

The Public Prosecution Department has prepared a detailed report on the Kuwaiti citizens who travelled to Afghanistan to fight alongside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The report follows an investigation into a number of those who returned from fighting there and subsequently face being charged with state security crimes, with early indications suggesting that the young men involved were misled by figures claiming to be religious preachers, and suggesting that the numbers of young men being deceived in to fighting there have been increasing in recent months. One Public Prosecution Department official said that the report indicated that most of the young men who went to Afghanistan did not participate in jihadist activities, but were instead used as human shields to protect fighters, who would place them in the frontline during battles to protect the fighters. The official also stated that the preachers who convinced the young men to travel to Afghanistan for jihad were doing so for personal gain, since they refused to join in the fighting there themselves, reported Al-Qabas. Many of the young men had to go through severe hardships and disillusionment following their arrival in Afghanistan, the official added, after discovering that they were simply viewed as servants for the terrorists and had to fend for themselves in facing the enemy after offering a lot of money in exchange for gaining their freedom. KUWAIT TIMES, September 15, 2009.

(Photo credits: Hamas- IMEMC; Italian Ex. Pres. – Weblo; Gaza tunnels -viiphoto)

Check out our latest videos. Click here, or on our link located on the top right hand side of our main page