woensdag 17 augustus 2011

Wat ontbreekt er in dit CNN verhaal?

 

De NRC was iets minder extreem, maar ook daar ging bijna alle aandacht naar de vergelding van Israel. Over de Palestijnse raketten werd slechts dit vermeld:

Het Israëlische leger zegt dat vier doelen werden geraakt als vergelding voor raketbeschietingen in het zuiden van Israël in de nacht van zondag op maandag, waarbij geen gewonden vielen.

Bij een andere aanval van Israël werd een groep gewapende mannen beschoten die van plan zouden zijn geweest raketten af te vuren. 

Geen gewonden, dus wat zeurt Israel nou weer? Grad raketten zijn beter dan Qassams, en het is een veeg teken dat er nu zomaar een raket op het 40 km verderop gelegen Beersheva wordt geschoten. Sderot en ook Ashkelon hebben allerlei maatregelen genomen vanwege de vele raketbeschietingen, zoals safe rooms in alle huizen en extra beveiligde scholen. Moet Beersheva, een stad van zo’n 200.000 inwoners, dat straks ook allemaal gaan doen? Ik bedoel maar, de impact van zo’n raket gaat veel verder dan de directe schade die het ding aanricht.

RP

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What's missing from this CNN story?

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/08/whats-missing-from-this-cnn-story.html

Here is an entire story from CNN:

Airstrikes wound three in Gaza

At least four airstrikes hit Gaza early Tuesday, leaving two people critically wounded and a third on life support, Palestinian medical and security sources said.

All three injuries occurred in a strike east of Gaza City, where a group of Palestinian militants had gathered, the sources said. The other strikes targeted a training field for the military wing of Hamas, the Palestinian faction that controls Gaza, east of the city, and a site outside Khan Younis that militants recently used to fire rockets out of the territory into Israel, the security sources said.

A fourth strike hit near the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, but no details were immediately known.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strikes, which occurred shortly after 2 a.m. (8 p.m. Monday ET).

 

So what's missing?

Just the fact that a Grad rocket was fired from Gaza to Beersheva a couple of hours earlier. 

In fact, CNN has nothing on that story, nor have they updated this with the IDF statement confirming that this was the reason:

 

Overnight, IAF aircraft targeted four targets in the Gaza Strip. Direct hits were confirmed.

These sites were targeted in response to the firing of a rocket from the Gaza Strip at the city of Be’er Sheva.

In a separate incident, IDF soldiers identified a squad of terrorists planning to fire rockets at Israel. IAF aircraft thwarted the attempt, confirming a hit.

The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, and will respond with determination to any attempt to use terror against the State of Israel. The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip.


The person who was killed in Gaza was a Hamas terrorist.

 

 

Zonder iets te verliezen roept UCP op tot een Israelboycot

Het mag niet verbazen. UCP heeft zich nu openlijk voor boycots van Israel
(oftewel BDS, Boycott, Sanctions and Desinvestment) uitgesproken. Deed zij
dat eerder nog in enigszins bedekte termen, nu zij haar subsidie is
kwijtgeraakt is er geen enkele reserve meer nodig. UCP noemt zich een
mensenrechtenorganisatie, maar agiteert uitsluitend tegen Israel. Hamas,
Hezbollah, en andere vijanden van Israel worden zelden bekritiseerd.
Natuurlijk, hun acties worden immers veroorzaakt door de wrede en
onmenselijke bezetting, en dan ga je je vanzelf opblazen in bussen en
restaurants. UCP baseert zich ook op uitsluitend Palestijnse bronnen, en
omarmt iemand als de omstreden Richard Falk van de VN, meermaals in opspraak
geweest vanwege nazi-vergelijkingen en onlangs vanwege een antisemitische
cartoon op zijn website. Zie ook: United Civilians for Peace op Israel
Palestina Info
<http://www.israel-palestina.info/unitedciviliansforpeace.html>

Zie over de werkelijke doelen van de BDS beweging ook:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnpilMYsR0I

RP
----------

Zonder iets te verliezen roept UCP op tot een Israelboycot
http://www.cidi.nl/Nieuwsberichten/UCP-heeft-niets-te-verliezen-en-roept-op-
tot-een-Israel-boycot.html

WO 17-08-2011

Enkele maanden na het verlies van haar overheidssubsidies, liet het
anti-Israel clubje UCP haar ware gezicht zien. Tien jaar lang verzweeg UCP
voor een boycot van Israel te zijn. Nu het echter geen subsidie meer
ontvangt, liet het alle eerdere voorzichtigheid varen, en noemde het de
boycotcampagne tegen Israel onderdeel van de UCP visie.

UCP (United Civilians for Peace) is in 2001 opgericht door ICCO,
Oxfam-Novib, IKV Pax Christi en aanvankelijk ook Kerk in Actie voor het
bevorderen van een 'rechtvaardige oplossing van het Israëlisch-Palestijnse
conflict'. In maart kondigde UCP zijn opheffing aan 'wegens een tekort aan
financiële middelen'. Voor de opheffing, genoot UCP van een jaarlijks
budget van circa 500.000, dat verschaft werd door de oprichters – die op hun
beurt stevig ondersteund worden door de Nederlandse overheid.

Gedurende het tienjarig bestaan zorgden de woordvoeders van UCP er voor dat
de organisatie gepresenteerd werd als een evenwichtige groep, die zich
inzette voor mensenrechten. Er verscheen echter met regelmaat bewijs dat
UCPs raison d'etre slechts het selectief kritiek uiten tegen Israel was.

Na UCPs opheffing in maart – waarna de organisatie geen negatieve reacties
van de regering meer hoefde vrezen – publiceerde de organisatie voor het
eerst op hun website een officieel standpunt met een verwijzing naar de
zogenoemde BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) beweging. "Een oproep tot
BDS kan een legitiem en vreedzaam middel zijn om schenders van
internationaal recht en mensenrechten ter verantwoording te roepen en het
staat maatschappelijke organisaties vrij om er toe op te roepen," stelde UCP
op zijn website. "Toch heeft UCP de oproep tot BDS niet onderschreven en is
ook niet van plan dat te doen."

CIDI kwam er echter al snel achter dat deze uitspraak niet klopte en dat dit
maar een verwaterde versie is van UCPs werkelijk standpunt met betrekking
tot de delegtimisatie van Israel.

Een document van UCP van juli 2009 omschrijft het boycotten van Israel zo:
"BDS is een vorm van geweldloos verzet dat door het publiek aan te spreken
als consumenten het potentieel heeft om mensen in actie te laten komen en
dat concrete mogelijkheden biedt om actie te voeren op een basisniveau."

"Als je mensen als belastingbetalers benadert, kan je hen mobiliseren om hun
overheden ter verantwoording te roepen," stelt de tekst, die gepubliceerd
werd in een boekje over het UCP symposium "The ICJ and Israel's Wall" dat
plaatsvond in Den Haag op 9 juli 2009. Het boekje draagt het UCP logo. De
bovenstaande tekst wordt gepresenteerd als een standpunt van UPC zelf en
niet als een uitspraak van een ander.

Het symposium bevatte overigens ook sprekers die onafhankelijk opriepen tot
een boycot van Israel. De belangrijkste spreker op het symposium was Richard
Falk, mensenrechtenvertegenwoordiger en "Palestina gezant" van de VN. Hij
riep tot een boycot van Israel. In juli dit jaar moest Falk zijn excuses
aanbieden voor de publicatie van een antisemitische cartoon op zijn website.
In de cartoon stond een hond die "VS" heette, met een keppel op zijn hoofd
mensenvlees te eten terwijl hij over Justitie heen plaste.

De ander spreker was Omar Barghouti, die international bekend staat als een
vooraanstaand leider binnen de BDS-beweging. Beide sprekers moedigden het
publiek aan om zich aan te sluiten bij de BDS campagne.

In 2007 publiceerde <http://www.cidi.nl/files/get/34.pdf> het CIDI een
rapport over UCP, dat waarschuwde dat UCP menrechten retoriek gebruikte om
een flagrante anti-Israel agenda te verhullen. In 2006 kwam Kerk in Actie,
een van UCPs oprichters, tot dezelfde conclusie en trok zich terug uit de
organisatie van UCP.

UCP's reactie demonstreerde hun hypocriete tactiek:: "We zijn bezorgd over
mensrechten in Palestina en we hebben ook de mensrechtensituatie in de
Gazastrook dat onder bewind staat van Hamas bekritiseerd." Het rapport
toonde aan dat UCP positief staat tegenover een nucleair Iran en de
legitimisatie van Hamas. Ook liet het zien dat UCP akkoord gaat met de
vergelijking van Israel met Nazi Duitsland en dat zij profielen maken van
Israelische bedrijven, die geen ander doel lijken te hebben dan het
faciliteren van de pro-boycot lobby.

Het onderzoek van het CIDI kon indertijd echter geen publieke uitspraak van
UCP vinden die pleitte voor een boycot van Israel. Een dergelijke uitlating
zou immers haaks staan op de visie van UCPs hoofdsponsor: het officiële
Nederlandse regeringsbeleid is het onderhouden en bevorderen van nauwe
betrekkingen met Israel.

"UCP heeft tien jaar lang zijn echte agenda verborgen gehouden voor de
Nederlandse belastingbetaler," zegt CIDI directeur Ronny Naftaniel. "UCP
toonde zijn ware gezicht alleen nadat het duidelijk werd dat het niets meer
te verliezen had. Deze tactiek wordt door een aantal Nederlandse
hulporganisaties gebruikt: zij bevorderen een anti-Israel beleid zonder er
openlijk voor uit te komen, uit angst voor hun portemonnee."

De anti-Israel lijn van UNRWA (met Nederlands geld)

 

UNRWA heeft een lange geschiedenis van vooringenomenheid tegen Israel. Ieder interview dat je leest met woordvoerders of leiders van UNRWA staat vol met politieke uitspraken en vaak harde beschuldigingen aan het adres van Israel. De Palestijnen gaan daarentegen altijd vrijuit, zijn slechts onschuldige slachtoffers. Tijdens de Gaza oorlog beschuldigde de UNRWA Israel er onterecht van een UNRWA school te hebben gebombardeerd, en overdreef het aantal doden (er waren twee granaten op de weg nabij de school gevallen). Hieronder meer voorbeelden van eenzijdigheid en onjuiste beweringen door UNRWA. Zie ook: http://www.israel-palestina.info/verenigde_naties.html#A._UNWRA

 

Nederland is een belangrijke donor van UNRWA, met bijna 25 miljoen dollar in 2010 (zie bericht onderaan).

 

RP

---------

 

 

UNRWA's Anti-Israel Bias

http://www.meforum.org/2996/unrwa-anti-israel-bias

by Arlene Kushner
Middle East Quarterly
Summer 2011, pp. 84-91 (view PDF)

On October 22, 2010, the outgoing director of the New York office of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Andrew Whitley, stunned his listeners at a Washington conference by arguing that "the right of return is unlikely to be exercised to the territory of Israel to any significant or meaningful extent," and that UNRWA should help resettle the refugees rather than perpetuate their refugee status.[1]

Confronted with a barrage of criticism from the Palestinian Authority and many Arab states, Whitley quickly backed down, claiming, "It is definitely not my belief that the refugees should give up on their basic rights, including the right of return."

Middle East analyst Daniel Pipes commented: "That UNRWA might contemplate going out of business and helping end the Arab-Israeli conflict … was too good to be true."[2]

Indeed it was, especially when taking into account that UNRWA was established more than sixty years ago on December 8, 1949, as a temporary humanitarian organization: "To carry out in collaboration with local governments the direct relief and works programs" and to "consult with the interested Near Eastern governments concerning measures to be taken by them preparatory to the time when international assistance for relief and works projects is no longer available."[3]

With the passage of time, this modest, transient outfit has evolved into a permanent feature of the Middle Eastern sociopolitical landscape with tentacles spreading well beyond its originally mandated relief operations to virtually all walks of Palestinian life from education, to health, to community-based services, to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The propensity for senior UNRWA staff to make inappropriate, incendiary, and highly politicized statements—in stark contrast to the organization's mandate—has long been documented by the Jerusalem-based Center for Near East Policy Research.[4] The case made by UNRWA staff, that such statements are a necessary element of protecting the Palestinian refugees, can be seen to be without justification: Nowhere is "protection" in the political sense part of the UNRWA mandate; UNRWA was originally charged with providing direct relief and work programs, and this was later expanded to include education. Moreover, even if political protection had been mandated, it would not warrant misrepresentations of fact, let alone incitement.

This document tracks that trend during the course of 2010 with a special emphasis on the agency's statements concerning the Gaza situation with the author's rebuttals in italics.

Whitewashing Hamas

In a Sky TV News interview from Gaza, John Ging, director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza, said:

The announcement [regarding Israeli intentions in Operation Cast Lead] was that this whole war was about demolishing the infrastructure of terrorism. But we look around and see that this was not the case. The infrastructures of the economy and education were destroyed. And the infrastructure of the government—ministries and the president's compound. These are not the infrastructures of terror, these are the infrastructures of peace—the infrastructures of a state … the parliament building, the infrastructure of democracy.[5]

This protestation of innocence is highly disingenuous for it is inconceivable that Ging was unaware of Hamas's propensity for operating from within civilian infrastructure, housing terrorists and weapons in private homes and public buildings (mosques, hospitals, schools, etc.), and using such sites for rocket and missile attacks.[6] By alluding to the parliament building—used by the Hamas terror group, the governing entity of Gaza—as an "infrastructure of democracy," Ging willfully distorted the oppressive reality in the strip.

In early April 2010—ignoring the years of radicalization of the Gaza population under the influence of Hamas-controlled UNRWA schools[7]—Ging laid the blame for the dismal state of Gaza youngsters at Israel's feet:

If you have no reason to live, you will seek a glorious death. It's worse now than it ever was before. A whole generation of Palestinians will have never got out of the besieged strip, never interacted with foreigners, or even met Israelis except as enemy soldiers intent on killing and destruction. Their violent behavior and disrespect to their parents is symptomatic of the desperation they are growing up in.[8]

On April 22, Ging gave a major press conference at the U.N. where he claimed that the people of Gaza were "struggling to survive" because of the "political situation," ignoring altogether the underlying causes of their plight:

There is a distance between the mischaracterization of Gaza, as a so-called "hostile entity," and the scale of the civility of the people who populate the Gaza Strip in these very uncivilized circumstances. They are very civilized people who manifest very clearly interact[ion] with visitors.[9]

The denial of Gaza's position as a "hostile entity" is a highly politicized and totally false statement. When thousands of rockets have been fired from the strip at Israeli population centers for nearly a decade, and its governing party Hamas is openly sworn to Israel's destruction,[10] Gaza cannot but be considered a hostile entity by any political, legal, or moral criterion. Ging implies that the Gaza residents are devoid of associations with Hamas—which he never mentioned—and totally innocent bystanders.

Additionally, Ging insisted:

All [UNRWA] teaching staff is closely vetted by the U.N. in order to provide a non-political education.[11]

This is perhaps Ging's most outrageous misrepresentation of the facts at this press conference. The reality is that Hamas, via its affiliate Islamic Bloc, has dominated the UNRWA teachers' union in Gaza for fifteen years, and, in 2006, gained full control of the union's executive council. Hamas enormously influences the education in the classroom.[12]

Promoting the Flotilla

On May 3, in an interview in his Gaza office with the Norwegian paper Aftenposten, Ging urged international intervention in Gaza since "Israel refuses to act reasonably":

Therefore we ask the international community: Bring us the supplies we need to rebuild schools and run them; bring us the supplies we need [for] hospitals and medical centers. Everybody knows how desperate the situation [in the Gaza Strip] is after almost three years of blockade. We need action now.

And who would stop the ship with such things as teaching materials and materials to [build] schools? In that case, we would get a new reality for the international community. Then the purpose of the blockade would be to destroy Gaza, not to protect Israel.[13]

We believe that Israel will not intercept these vessels because the sea is open, and human rights organizations have been successful in similar, previous operations proving that breaking the siege of Gaza is possible. Where there is a political will, there is always a way.[14]

The blatant incitement for action against Israel, hardly a part of UNRWA's mandate, made news internationally and was repeated in a variety of media sources. Not only does it inflate the severity of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and ignore its real causes, but it arguably helped inspire the so-called "Freedom Flotilla" launched later that month. A May 6 flotilla video from the "Free Gaza Movement"—which begins by citing Ging—provides prima facie documentation of this.[15]

Misrepresenting the Gaza situation

On July 7, 2010, a British member of the European parliament, Chris Davies, sent a letter to the British foreign secretary in which he said that he had met with Ging, who had "confirmed the view that… Israel's blockade of the territory [Gaza] is profoundly counterproductive … Ging emphasized that although Israel was now allowing all foodstuffs through its checkpoints, it was not allowing anything for construction, commerce, and industry."[16]

Ging ignored the Israeli concern about letting into Gaza materials that would enable Hamas to build bunkers and storage areas for rockets or otherwise strengthen the organization's infrastructure. Also ignored was the Israeli government's announcement on June 20, 2010, of the loosening of restrictions and of plans to meet with international agencies to discuss advancing such projects as the construction of schools and hospitals.[17] In fact, three months earlier in March 2010, U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon announced that Israel would be launching a housing project in the Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, which would involve the rebuilding of 150 housing units, a mill, an UNRWA school, and sewage infrastructure.[18] This alone refutes the statement that Israel was not permitting construction.

In mid-September Ging claimed that much of the water in Gaza was polluted and that 90 percent of it was not drinkable.[19]

What Ging neglects to acknowledge is that Israel continues to send water into Gaza even though there is no requirement to do so according to international law: Every year Israel provides five million cubic meters of water (each cubic meter equals 1,000 liters) to Gaza, transferred through three pipes—one in the center of the Gaza Strip and two in the southern part of the strip—in addition to the shipment of bottled mineral water via the Kerem Shalom crossing.

As to water sources within Gaza, they are administered exclusively by the Palestinian water board with no Israeli interference. The entire water infrastructure (including water processing) that belonged to the Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip was left intact and ready for use when Israel disengaged from Gaza in 2005.[20]

At that time, Israeli and Palestinian officials toured the Israeli water processing facilities to ensure their proper operation. The Palestinians were given documentation to allow them to use the facilities the Israelis built to process sewage water for reuse in agriculture. Whether the facilities have been used efficiently is another question: It was noted at the time of the tour that chlorine that was being held by the Israelis for use in the water plant was not promptly claimed for use by the Palestinian Authority (PA).[21] On September 13, 2010, Jerusalem allowed 250 tons of construction materials into the strip to upgrade a major sewage plant in Gaza City.[22]

On May 18, 2010, an Olympic-sized swimming pool was opened in Gaza.[23] As recently as summer 2010, a "Crazy Water Aqua Fun Park," featuring three swimming pools, a canal 100 meters long, and ponds, was held in Gaza. [24] Whatever water resources are available in the strip were sufficient for these projects and activities.

On October 16, 2010, welcoming the international group calling itself "The Elders," a group of global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela,[25] in their visit to Gaza, Ging said:

I am delighted that the Elders come again to Gaza to witness and speak of simple and obvious truths that go untold. The truth that every one of the 800,000 children in Gaza knows is that we are in the fourth year of an illegal, inhumane, and counterproductive blockade on 1.5 million innocent civilians.[26]

Leaving aside Ging's cavalier use of figures to exaggerate the Gaza situation—four months earlier he spoke of 750,000, rather than 800,000 children allegedly "paying the toll" of the Israeli blockade[27]—Israel has not been contravening international law and has actually exceeded its requirements with regard to the extent of humanitarian assistance permitted into Gaza.[28] Moreover, while Ging uses the term "blockade" broadly, in actuality the only blockade is at sea as hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian and commercial goods are allowed into Gaza weekly via land crossings from Israel.[29]

On November 11, Ging complained of persistent problems attending the Israeli blockade:

There's been no material change for the people on the ground here in terms of their status, the aid dependency, the absence of any recovery or reconstruction, no economy … The easing, as it was described, has been nothing more than a political easing of the pressure on Israel and Egypt.[30]

Yet three weeks later Ging rebutted his own claim by acknowledging that "the shops were full of consumer goods."[31]

Still in December, addressing a Gaza festival promoting a reduction in gender violence, Ging blamed Israel for the prevalence of this phenomenon by claiming that the "blockade" had devastated the economy and made daily life more difficult. Consequently, domestic violence had increased due to escalating levels of stress and unemployment.[32]

On December 27, Ging gave a talk at the Limmud Conference in Britain—an annual broad-based, Jewish community learning week featuring lectures and workshops. He acknowledged that matters were not dire—infant mortality figures, for example, were those of the first world; and while there were hungry children, "they're not emaciated." Yet he claimed that "we should not wait until they are emaciated" as the situation was deteriorating.

But less than two minutes further into the talk, he contradicted the deterioration claim by saying that "we've now turned the corner … since the new Israeli government decision [June 2010] on adjusting the blockade, every day is better than yesterday."[33]

New Commissioner, Same Old Story

In January 2010, Filippo Grandi succeeded Karen Abu Zayd as UNRWA commissioner-general. His inauguration statement to the organization's staff, posted on the UNRWA website, promoted the theme of Israeli injustices against the Palestinians of Gaza:

I need not tell you how difficult this period is for the Palestinian people. We are all painfully aware of the counterproductive policies collectively punishing the people of the Gaza Strip; conscious decisions that have caused untold suffering and a dramatic deterioration in the lives of the population, in contravention of international law.[34]

Like Ging, Grandi takes a highly politicized view of the Gaza situation, ignoring altogether its underlying causes—the years of continuous missile attacks on Israel's cities and villages—and misrepresenting both the nature and scope of the Israeli reaction and its legality.

On May 31, Grandi issued a joint statement with Robert Serry, U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, about the flotilla incident, which laid the blame for the event solely on Israel:

We are shocked by reports of killings and injuries of people on board boats carrying supplies for Gaza, apparently in international waters. We condemn the violence and call for it to stop … We wish to make clear that such tragedies are entirely avoidable if Israel heeds the repeated calls of the international community to end its counterproductive and unacceptable blockade of Gaza.[35]

Referring yet again to the flotilla incident on June 6, Grandi argued that

It is terrible to say this, but I hope that the tragedy could be a turning point, a watershed in terms of the blockade. I hope that world leaders, those who make decisions, open their eyes to the suffering of the Palestinians.

This time, however, he included a veiled threat: "If you have one and half million Palestinians affected 60 kilometers from Tel Aviv, it is not a healthy situation for Israel's security," he said,[36] describing Gaza as the "largest open-air prison in the world."[37] At the beginning of July, during a visit to Japan, Grandi again framed his Gaza concerns as a veiled threat:

Frustration among refugees in Gaza has reached a bursting point with further unrest likely unless Israel lifts its blockade against them immediately. There is mounting disturbance among the refugees because they do not see their problems solved … this commotion will pose a risk to the peace process.[38]

In the fall of 2010, Grandi was still echoing the same themes. Calling for an end to Israel's "siege" of Gaza, he maintained that children enrolled in UNRWA schools would be studying in 186 shipping containers[39] since Israel had not allowed the entry of one single truckload of construction materials requested by UNRWA.

Grandi's claim that Israel has not allowed entry of a single truckload of construction materials is not only false but the inverse of the truth. As the October 2010 report by the Israeli Coordinator of Government Assistance in the Territories (COGAT) makes clear:

Materials were transferred, via crossings from Israel into Gaza, in October for the follow UNRWA projects:

Riad school in Rafah, 32 truckloads.
Eight classrooms being constructed in the Za'arah school, one truckload.
Rehabilitation of a medical center in Nutzirat, 21 truckloads,
Five housing units in Um-Nazer, seven truckloads,
Seven housing units in Khan Younis, nine truckloads.[40]

On November 30, Grandi released a statement to the UNRWA Advisory Commission meeting that was held in Jordan, which included the following:

In the West Bank, there were signs of continuing economic growth. However, the context of occupation, human rights violations, and a variety of related factors conspired to deny many Palestinians and Palestine refugees the material benefits of economic revival. These factors included the construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land; the separation barrier; and the associated regime of movement restrictions … unacceptable and growing restrictions are replicated throughout the West Bank and are incompatible with the objective of Palestinian statehood as affirmed by the international community, and as embodied in the plan of the Palestinian Authority in that regard.[41]

Grandi's politicized statements regarding Palestinians who are not refugees and the objectives of Palestinian statehood as embodied in the PA plan, on the one hand, and regarding Israel's activities in the disputed territories, on the other, are well beyond the purview of UNRWA.

Politicizing UNRWA

On June 18, 2010, in response to Israel's pronounced intention to ease restrictions on materials allowed into Gaza, Christopher Gunness, UNRWA spokesperson, demanded the complete "lifting [of] the siege and blockade, which is regarded as a violation of international law," adding that the "collective punishment of 1.5 million" people in Gaza was illegal.[42] Four days later, in a widely cited statement, he argued that nothing short of the full lifting of Israel's blockade would allow Gaza to be rebuilt:

The Israeli strategy is to make the international community talk about a bag of cement here, a project there. We need full unfettered access through all the crossings … Israel's blockade became a blockade against the U.N.[43]

Masterful for its public relations effect, this statement is a blatant distortion of reality in that it pits Israel against the U.N., which wants school construction materials brought into Gaza, rather than against the strip's actual ruler—Hamas—which seeks to smuggle weapons to destroy Israel and building materials for weapons bunkers. Needless to say, Gunness fails to acknowledge Israel's legitimate need to prevent weapons or potential war materials targeting its civilian population from reaching Gaza. In referring to an Israeli strategy of making the international community talk about "a bag of cement here, a project there"—a phrase that caught on with the media—Gunness obscured the fact that Jerusalem had reasons for what was being done (which he surely knew) and created the false impression that it was being arbitrarily negative.

In a highly politicized article, run by the Palestinian Ma'an News Agency on December 16, Gunness commented on political issues well beyond his purview as a representative of UNRWA, or for that matter beyond UNRWA's mandate, and further promoted the organization's involvement in political matters. The article included the following:

The arrival of that day [when UNRWA can fold its operations], however, is contingent upon a real peace process that bears tangible results for Palestine refugees in line with United Nations resolutions and with international law and practice …

UNRWA recognizes that the API [Arab Peace Initiative] is an important element in the pursuit of peace.

The responsibility to ensure a negotiated end to the conflict lies with states and other political actors. That said, UNRWA is a stakeholder in the outcomes of any peace process. The agency is obligated to advocate for the realization and protection of the human rights of Palestine refugees … In keeping with UNRWA's mandate and its focus on promoting the well-being of refugees, the agency could serve as a facilitator and advisor to refugees, the United Nations and other entities engaged in formulating and implementing a future dispensation.[44]

Arlene Kushner serves as a consultant for the Center for Near East Policy Research, Jerusalem and drew this article from an investigative report she undertook for the center.

[1] "Hamas Is in Contact with Most Foreign Countries," The Jerusalem Post, Oct. 23, 2010.
[2] Daniel Pipes, "UNRWA Official Calls on Palestinians to Accept Reality," danielpipes.org, Oct. 23, 2010.
[3] "Assistance to Palestine Refugees," A/RES302 (IV), United Nations General Assembly, New York, Dec. 8, 1949.
[4] See, for example, Arlene Kushner, "UNRWA: A Hard Look at an Agency in Trouble," The Center for Near East Policy Research, Jerusalem, Sept. 2005; idem, "UNRWA: Its Role in Gaza," The Center for Near East Policy Research, Jerusalem, Aug. 2009.
[5] "UNRWA's John Ging and Children's Psychiatric Hospital in Gaza," YouTube, Jan. 4, 2010.
[6] See, for example, Jonathan Fighel, "Hamas in Gaza—Urban Warfare Strategy," International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, Jan. 11, 2009; The Jerusalem Post, Mar. 15, 2010.
[7] Kushner, "UNRWA: Its Role in Gaza," pp. 10-2; author e-mail correspondence with Lt. Col. (ret.) Jonathan D. Halevi, spring 2009.
[8] "Guns n' teddy bears," Journey to Gaza: A Journalist's Diary Blog, Apr. 3, 2010.
[9] Kuwait News Agency, Apr. 22, 2010.
[10] "Hamas Covenant 1988," Yale Law School Avalon Project, accessed Mar. 30, 2011.
[11] Talk Radio News Service, Apr. 22, 2010.
[12] Kushner, "UNRWA: Its Role in Gaza"; The Jerusalem Post, Mar. 29, 2009.
[13] Aftenposten (Oslo), May 3, 2010.
[14] Al-Jazeerah: Cross-Cultural Understanding (Dalton, Ga.), June 15, 2010.
[15] "John Ging Gaza," YouTube, accessed Mar. 30, 2011; Aftenposten (Oslo), May 3, 2010.
[16] Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA, Tehran), July 7, 2010.
[17] "The Civilian Policy towards the Gaza Strip: The Implementation of the Cabinet Decision (June 2010)," Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (CoGAT), Israel Ministry of Defense, Jerusalem.
[18] ShalomLife (Concord, Ont.), Mar. 24, 2010.
[19] The Voice (Leuven, Belg.), Sept. 20, 2010.
[20] Author e-mail correspondence with Guy Inbar, CoGAT, Jan. 3, 2011.
[21] Shlomo Dror, CoGAT, "Israel Turns over Gaza Water Processing Facility to Palestinians," Jewish Virtual Library, Nov. 21, 2005.
[22] "Construction Equipment to Upgrade Gaza Sewage Treatment Facilities," Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sept. 13, 2010.
[23] Ma'an News Agency (Bethlehem), May 18, 2010; Israel Matzav blog, May 25, 2010.
[24] "Crazy Water Park—Gaza," PhotoCamel.com, accessed Mar. 31, 2011. The park was closed by Hamas and subsequently burned down by vandals.
[25] "About the Elders," The Elders website, accessed Mar. 19, 2011.
[26] "Gaza: the Simple Truths that Go Untold," The Elders, Oct. 16, 2010.
[27] Ma'an News Agency, June 27, 2010.
[28] The Jerusalem Post, Aug. 27, 2010; Abraham Bell, "Is Israel Bound by International Law to Supply Utilities, Goods, and Services to Gaza?" Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Feb. 28, 2008.
[29] See, for example, "Gaza Strip—Land Crossing Activities: Crossing Status Weekly Report," CoGAT, Mar. 13-19, 2011.
[30] BBC News, Nov. 11, 2010.
[31] John Ging, UNRWA, U.N. press briefing, Nov. 30, 2010; idem, presentation, Limmud Conference of Jewish Learning, London, Dec. 27, 2010.
[32] "Gazans Rally Together at Festival to Combat Gender Violence," U.N. Women, New York, Dec. 9, 2010.
[33] Ging, Limmud Conference of Jewish Learning, Dec. 27, 2010.
[34] "Commissioner-General's Inaugural Letter to Staff," UNRWA, Jan. 26, 2010.
[35] Robert Serry and Filippo Grandi, joint statement, Office of the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Jerusalem, May 31, 2010.
[36] Ma'an News Agency, June 8, 2010.
[37] All Voices News (San Francisco), June 8, 2010; Stephen Lendman, "End the Gaza Siege," MWC News, June 15, 2010.
[38] The Daily News Egypt (Giza), July 2, 2010; Now Lebanon, July 2, 2010; Agence France-Presse, July 2, 2010.
[39] "Alternative Report Submitted to UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Response to Israel's Third Periodic Report" (E/C.12/ISR/3), The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Gaza City, Oct. 18, 2010.
[40] "Humanitarian and Civilian Activities vis-à-vis the Gaza Strip – Monthly Report, October 2010," CoGAT, Nov. 10, 2010.
[41] "Commissioner-general's Statement on the UNRWA Advisory Committee Meeting," Mövenpick Hotel, Dead Sea, Jordan, Nov. 30, 2010.
[42] BBC World Service, June 18, 2010; Ma'an News Agency, June 18, 2010.
[43] Reuters, June 26, 2010.
[44] Ma'an News Agency, Dec. 16, 2010.

 

 

Netherlands Donates Over $6 Million to UNRWA in Palestinian Territory

http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16939

 

Date : 9/8/2011   Time : 17:55


GAZA, August 9, 2011 (WAFA) - The Dutch government Tuesday donated over $6 million to The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), in favor of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), according to UNRWA site.

Netherlands answered the UNRWA’s emergency call (UNRWA), made in 2011 to help Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza.

According to UNRWA, the donation, which amounts $6,18 million, will be destined to support UNRWA’s work in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which aims to lessen the effects of the deterioration of the political, economic, social and security status that the Palestinians suffer from.

UNRWA said that the emergency contribution for 2011 is to fund re-housing the Palestinian refugees in South of Gaza.

Netherlands also donated $18.6 million to support UNRWA’s main programs in the different fields, such as education, health, relief, and infrastructure and micro credits.

The Dutch government is the seventh largest donor to UNRWA in 2010, with donations allocated to support UNRWA’s programs, education of human rights in Gaza, teaching music in Jordan and legal assistance for the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

M.G./F.R.

 

Demonstraties voor vrijlating Gilad Shalit

 

U kunt ook in Nederland actie voeren voor Shalit: op woensdag 24 augustus is er een manifestatie in Den Haag van 2 tot 3 uur, op het Plein, waar u een verklaring kunt tekenen voor de Palestijnse ambassade, een steunbetuiging voor de familie van Shalit, een ballon met een kaartje voor hem kunt oplaten, en naar verschillende sprekers kunt luisteren. Organisatie: de Gilad Shalit Brigade

 

RP

----------

 

Schalit flotilla’ makes Ashkelon-Ashdod run

http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=233942

By SHIRA FRAGER 
08/16/2011 06:43 


The Blue and White Flotilla calls on all participants to show support for Israel and its right to protect itself and its citizens.

A blue and white wave swept the Ashkelon marina on Sunday as hundreds took part in a flotilla sailing to Ashdod calling for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit.

The Blue and White Flotilla, cosponsored by the Young Leadership Division of the World Mizrachi Movement, in collaboration with the student organization Yavneh Olami, followed recent anti-Israel campaigns after Israel blocked flotillas headed to Gaza.

The Blue and White Flotilla called on all participants to show support for Israel and its right to protect itself and its citizens. With the Palestinians scheduled to go to the UN in the coming weeks asking for statehood, one of the goals of the flotilla was to call on Jews around the world in support of the challenges Israel will face.

About half a dozen vessels, decorated with Israeli flags and signs calling for support of Israel, sailed from Ashkelon to Ashdod on Sunday, and participants ascended the yachts wearing T-shirts that read “Kulanu kachol lavan” (We are all blue and white) and “Gilad Schalit is still alive!” According to Mizrachi’s program director, Daniel Cohen, theevent was meant to express gratitude to the Israeli navy, who stopped the anti-Israel flotillas, and to gather support for Israel and missing Israeli soldiers.

Following the ride, which was accompanied by the Israeli navy, a special event was held in Ashdod. It included explanations in the significance of the flotilla, a concert featuring the band Mibereishit, special prayers recited by staff and government officials asking to protect the country and its soldiers, a salute to the navy, and videos calling for the release of Schalit, Jonathan Pollard and other MIA officers.


“I really enjoyed the convention,” said participant Talya Kleinberg. “The boat was rocky, but it was an interesting concept. I hope people see we’re on Israel’s side, and we want peace.”

In his speech during theevent, Solly Sacks, director-general of World Mizrachi Movement, congratulated the participants and expressed the importance of realizing that “the goodness of this country is [that it’s] the only country in the world that will secure and guarantee the goodness of the Jewish people.”

New Jersey participant Eli Rosen expressed enthusiasm in the cause and hoped to be able to contribute even after returning to the US.

“We’re actually part of something that could help,” he said.

 

Alan Dershowitz over Noorwegen en Israel

 

Dershowitz kan het weer eens heel helder uitleggen. Met het volgende stem ik 100% in:

The causes of terrorism are multifaceted but at bottom they have a common cause: namely a belief that violence is the proper response to policies that the terrorists disagree with. The other common cause is that terrorism has often been rewarded. Norway, for example, has repeatedly rewarded Palestinian terrorism against Israel, while punishing Israel for its efforts to protect its civilians. While purporting to condemn all terrorist acts, the Norwegian government has sought to justify Palestinian terrorism as having a legitimate cause. This clearly is an invitation to continued terrorism.

It is important for the world never to reward terrorism by supporting the policies of those who employ it as an alternative to reason discourse, diplomatic resolution or political compromise.

 

RP

---------------

Norway's Bigotry 
by Alan M. Dershowitz

Is terrorism against Israel really more justified than terrorism against Norway?

 

In a recent interview, Norway's Ambassador to Israel has suggested that Hamas terrorism against Israel is more justified than the recent terrorist attack against Norway. His reasoning is that, "We Norwegians consider the occupation to be the cause of the terror against Israel." In other words terrorism against Israeli citizens is the fault of Israel. The terrorism against Norway, on the other hand, was based on "an ideology that said that Norway, particularly the Labor Party, is foregoing Norwegian culture." It is hard to imagine that he would make such a provocative statement without express approval from the Norwegian government.

I can't remember many other examples of so much nonsense compressed in such short an interview. First of all, terrorism against Israel began well before there was any "occupation". The first major terrorist attack against Jews who had long lived in Jerusalem and Hebron began in 1929, when the leader of the Palestinian people, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, ordered a religiously-motivated terrorist attack that killed hundreds of religious Jews-many old, some quite young. Terrorism against Jews continued through the 1930s. Once Israel was established as a state, but well before it captured the West Bank, terrorism became the primary means of attacking Israel across the Jordanian, Egyptian and Lebanese borders. If the occupation is the cause of the terror against Israel, what was the cause of all the terror that preceded any occupation?

Norway is the most anti-Semitic and anti-Israel country in Europe today.

I was not surprised to hear such ahistorical bigotry from a Norwegian Ambassador. Norway is the most anti-Semitic and anti-Israel country in Europe today. I know, because I experienced both personally during a recent visit and tour of universities. No university would invite me to lecture, unless I promised not to discuss Israel. Norway forbids Jewish ritual slaughter, but not Islamic ritual slaughter. Its political and academic leaders openly make statements that cross the line from anti-Zionism to anti-Semitism, such as when Norway's former Prime Minister condemned Barak Obama for appointing a Jew as his Chief of Staff. No other European leader would make such a statement and get away with it. In Norway, this bigoted statement was praised, as were similar statements made by a leading academic.

The very camp that was attacked by the lone terrorist was engaged in an orgy of anti-Israel hatred the day before the shooting. Yet I would not ever claim that it was Norway's anti-Semitism that "caused" the horrible act of terrorism against young Norwegians.

The causes of terrorism are multifaceted but at bottom they have a common cause: namely a belief that violence is the proper response to policies that the terrorists disagree with. The other common cause is that terrorism has often been rewarded. Norway, for example, has repeatedly rewarded Palestinian terrorism against Israel, while punishing Israel for its efforts to protect its civilians. While purporting to condemn all terrorist acts, the Norwegian government has sought to justify Palestinian terrorism as having a legitimate cause. This clearly is an invitation to continued terrorism.

It is important for the world never to reward terrorism by supporting the policies of those who employ it as an alternative to reason discourse, diplomatic resolution or political compromise.

I know of no reasonable person who has tried to justify the terrorist attacks against Norway. Yet there are many Norwegians who not only justify terrorist attacks against Israel, but praise them, support them, help finance them, and legitimate them.

The world must unite in condemning and punishing all terrorist attacks against innocent civilians, regardless of the motive or purported cause of the terrorism.

The world must unite in condemning and punishing all terrorist attacks against innocent civilians, regardless of the motive or purported cause of the terrorism. Norway, as a nation, has failed to do this. It wants us all to condemn the terrorist attack on its civilians, and we should all do that, but it refuses to live by a single standard.

Nothing good ever comes from terrorism, so don't expect the Norwegians to learn any lessons from its own victimization. As the Ambassador made clear in his benighted interview, "those of us who believe [the occupation to be the cause of the terror against Israel] will not change their minds because of the attack in Oslo." In other words, they will persist in their bigoted view that Israel is the cause of the terrorism directed at it, and that if only Israel were to end the occupation (as it offered to do in 2000-2001 and again in 2007), the terrorism will end. Even Hamas, which Norway supports in many ways, has made clear that it will not end its terrorism as long as Israel continues to exist. Hamas believes that Israel's very existence is the cause of the terrorism against it. That sounds a lot like the ranting of the man who engaged in the act of terrorism against Norway.

The time is long overdue for Norwegians to do some deep soul searching about their sordid history of complicity with all forms of bigotry ranging from the anti-Semitic Nazis to the anti-Semitic Hamas. There seems to be a common thread.

 

Wereldreacties op bloedbad in Syrië

 

Als commentaar onder een blog van Elder of Ziyon stond onderstaande verzameling van reacties op het gigantische bloedbad dat Assads leger aanricht in Syrië. Het is duidelijk dat dit internationale veroordelingen oproept, maar ook dat veel landen liever aan hun eigen hachje denken en strengere sancties tegen Syrië tegenhouden.

 

RP

---------

 

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-politician-said-this-about-syria.html#more

Given that the US government claims to be still waiting for
a global consensus (what's that, you say? A stunning display 
of non-leadership?) I thought that I would enumerate the 
positions that various government, NGOs and others have 
expressed regarding the ongoing bloodbath in Syria. Sorry
about the length; this is meant to be a fairly broad overview.
You're welcome to post it, or a modified version. I have tried
to specify sources for most of these comments.


Syrian people (broad consensus):

* Assad must go.

* Islamists: "No Iran, no Hezbollah, we want Muslim rulers who fear Allah"

(While Iran may, for political reasons, say that Alawites are Muslims, 
most Sunnis disagree. Syrian Alawites will truly be screwed if the Syrian 
regime falls)

* "One and all in the opposition to Bashar's rule are 
convinced that Hezbollah fighters and cadres of the 
Iranian Revolutionary Guard have made their way 
to Syria to aid in the grim work of repression. There 
are even local reports that Iran has offered a large 
subsidy to bail out Damascus from the economic fallout 
of the rebellion." [wsj]

(These reports are NOT unfounded rumors. [tel])

Arab League:

* zzz

Bahrain: 

* Recalled ambassador

Brazil:

* Protects Syrian regime in UN as it continues to massacre its 
own people.

China: 

* Protects Syrian regime in UN as it continues to massacre its 
own people.

* China is a strong opponent of "humanitarian" intervention in 
any country by world powers.

Egypt: 

* Grand imam of Al Azhar called on the Syrian rulers to stop facing 
unarmed protesters with "live bullets and iron and fire." [wsj]

* Demonstrators in Cairo: Assad must go.

GCC: 

* attacked Syrian regime's brutal repression (last week)

Hamas: 

* Leaders remain in Damascus (probably very frustrated)

* But Gazan columnists, even in pro-Hamas papers, are writing things 
like: “is extremely hostile to the aspirations and rights of its 
people” [bloom]

Human Rights Watch:

* "It's a continuation of a deliberate policy of the military 
crushing the protest movement," said Nadim Houry, Human Rights 
Watch's senior researcher for the Middle East and North Africa. 
"We've seen it now in so many cities." [1]

* Urged the Arab League to hold an emergency meeting on the 
bloodbath in Syria. [2]

India:

* Protects Syrian regime in UN as it continues to massacre its 
own people.

Iraq:

* PM Al-Maliki (historical ties to Assad regime) is allied with the 
al-Assad regime, an arranged wedding brokered by Iran last 
year. [kurd]

* Iraqi Kurds and the majority Sunni Iraqiya Party have vehemently 
criticized the Syrian regime. [kurd]

* Iraq is once again engaged in a heated dispute with Kuwait and
is increasingly leaning on Iran.

Jordan:

* PM: “World anger and rejection of the bloodshed in Syria are growing.” [cnn]

* PM: urged "immediate halt to military operations", adoption of 
meaningful reforms

* A Jordanian citizen was killed by sniper in Homs on Sunday. [jord]
A member of the regime's secret police, who fled to Turkey, claims that
Syria is using Iranian snipers [scot]

Kuwait:

* Recalled ambassador

* Mulling cutting off aid, loans [kuwait]

* Huge investor in Syria, and Kuwaiti companies hold over 10% of Syrian
insurance market [boyc]

Lebanon: 

* Government, dominated by Hezbollah, humiliatingly defending Assad 
regime in UN

* Future Movement: accusing Syrian regime of crimes against humanity

* Walid Jumblatt (Druze): abandoning Syria and aligning with Turkey. 
As a Druze leader, Jumblatt tends to align with the "strong horse."
Given that the Assads killed his father, Jumblatt will never love them.
But he complies with their wishes as long as he FEARS them.
[jumblatt]

* Lebanese Druze: worried by Syrian accusations that Leb Druze 
are arming the Syrian Druze. I would be worried too.

* Syrian-backed PFLP has stationed rocket launchers on Mt. Lebanon,
near Aley. Jumblatt is furious. "According to Jumhouriaya sources 
Jumblatt understood that from his Syrian visit that the developments 
on 888 hill were a message to him in response to his calls on Syrian 
president Bashar al Assad to immediately implement the reforms he 
promised."

* Hezbollah: continued support for Syrian regime, but trying to 
lower the profile. Support for HA in Arab street is mostly gone.

Maldives:

* Maldives calls for end to state-sponsored violence against civilians 
in Syria [mald]

* Foreign minister urges UNHRC to refer the issue in its upcoming session

* (Maldives is one of the freest of the "Muslim countries", though still
rated only "partly free"; its Freedom House scores are close to those of 
Turkey)

Morocco: 

* "The kingdom of Morocco, which has traditionally refrained from 
interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, expresses today 
its strong worries and deep concern over the sad events rocking 
Syria," [asiaone]

OIC:

* Accused Syria on Saturday of using "excessive armed force" and called 
on Damascus to stop the bloodshed. [reut]

PA: 

* Abed Rabo: accused regime of crimes against humanity [latimes]

* Abu Rudaineh: called on Syria to protect Palestinians in Syria [jpost]

* Permitted 100s of demonstrators in Ramallah to call for Syrian 
regime's overthrow [jpost2]

Pakistan:

* Pakistan's Bhutto family has historical ties to the al-Assad 
regime. [tribpk]

* Silent on regime atrocities. [tribpk]

* Supported Syrian regime at UN [tribpk]

Palestine Solidarity Campaign (and other BDS groups):

* - silence - 

Qatar: 

* Recalled ambassador (a month ago) [boyc]

* A huge investor in Syria. One large electrical project has 
been frozen after Syria retaliated for Al Jazeera coverage 
of the slaughter by refusing a permit. [boyc]

Russia: 

* Maintains naval presence in Latakia and Tarsus. Were the Russian 
sailors sitting idly by, watching Syrian gunboats pound Latakia?

* Protects Syrian regime in UN as it continues to massacre its own 
people.

Saudi Arabia: 

* Recalled ambassador (last Sunday)

* King Abdullah called on Assad to stop the "killing machine."

Spain:

* Offered Assad asylum in July [haaretz]

Turkey:

* Increasingly strident "ultimatum" language. Today, FM Davutoglu 
issued what it called its "final words" to the Syrian regime.

* FM in Saudi yesterday. Guess what they talked about? [arabiya]

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a vocal attacker of Israel:

* - silence -

UNHRC:

* Dictators R Us!

UNRWA:

* Latakia: "The situation is very bad. There are more than 10,000 
residents of the camp, and half of them left out of fear of 
incoming fire from the land and sea. We don't know where they 
are, and we're the ones responsible for them. We're just 
desperately trying to find out where everyone is." 

(Try looking in the stadium, where 1000s have been rounded up,
stripped of cell phones and IDs and are being held indefinitely.
Which should worry people.)

UNSC:

* Let's see how little we can accomplish, as slowly as possible.

UN Secretary General:

* Multiple futile condemnations of Syrian atrocities.

Misc. media:

* Jakarta Post editorial: "So much for the UN principles of 
Responsibility to Protect... . How many deaths will it take 
for the world to know that too many people have died?" [jakp]

* TIME: "Syria's City of Graves: Hama and its History of Massacres" [time]


Sources: 

[arabiya] http://english.alarabiya.net/a... 

[asiaone] http://news.asiaone.com/News/A...

[bloom] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/...

[boyc] http://www.haaretz.com/print-e...

[haaretz] http://www.haaretz.com/news/mi...

[iloub] http://www.iloubnan.info/polit...

[jakp] http://www.thejakartapost.com/...

[jpost] http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEas...

[jpost2] http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEas...

[jumblatt] http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Ne...

[kurd] http://www.atimes.com/atimes/M...

[kuwait] http://www.kuwaittimes.net/rea...

[latimes] http://www.latimes.com/news/na...

[mald] http://minivannews.com/politic...

[pflp] http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/0...

[reut] http://www.reuters.com/article... 

[scot] http://www.scotsman.com/news/S... 

[tel] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new...

[time] http://www.time.com/time/world...

[tribpk] http://tribune.com.pk/story/22...

[wsj] http://online.wsj.com/article/...

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