Archive for Mid-East News

| September 17, 2013
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Jericho: 112 Palestinians graduate from West Bank security studies program

112 newly graduated Palestinian officers from security studies program in Jericho were congratulated by Palestinian President Abbas & foreign diplomats who attended the program’s first graduation ceremony.

The Media Line

JERICHO – In a first event of its kind, Independence University celebrated the graduation of 112 officers at the Academy for Security Studies’ campus in the West Bank city of Jericho this week.

Academy for Security Studies, Jericho - Photo: AP

Academy for Security Studies, Jericho – Photo: AP

Amid their parents’ cheers, graduates marched to the stage in green uniforms while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stood to honor them. In the official ceremony, also attended by foreign diplomats, President Abbas called upon the graduates to protect the state of law and the security of the citizens. Continue Reading »

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| September 16, 2013
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Der Spiegel: Rohani ready to close Iran nuclear plant if U.S. halt sanctions

 

Iran’s new atomic energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi, says Tehran is optimistic about the outcome of negotiations with U.S. & Europe.

By and Reuters

 

Iranian president Hassan Rohani is reportedly prepared to shutter the Fordow uranium enrichment facility, as part of a possible deal with the United States and Europe.

Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi

Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi. – Photo: AP

In exchange, Rohani would seek the removal the harsh economic sanctions facing the Islamic Republic, according to Der Spiegel, the German weekly news magazine.

According to the Der Spiegel report, Rohani plans to announce his offer before the United Nations General Assembly, scheduled for the end of September. Continue Reading »

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| September 16, 2013
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152 smuggling tunnels to Gaza destroyed since July by Egyptian Army

An Egyptian Army Spokesman said that the Egyptian army was closing Gaza’s smuggling tunnels on the Egypt-Gaza border because of Hamas’ military support for Sinai jihadists.

By , and Reuters
 

 

 

The Egyptian army has destroyed 152 tunnels on the Egypt–Gaza border since the end of July, an army spokesman said Sunday.

Egyptian soldiers on Sinai border.

Egyptian soldiers stand guard on at the border between Egypt and southern Gaza Strip, July 5, 2013.- Photo: Reuters

Ahmed Ali, the spokesman, said the Egyptian army demolished buildings constituting a security threat up to a kilometer from the border. He added that Gaza-based groups were carrying out operations together with armed Islamists in the Sinai Peninsula. Continue Reading »

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| September 16, 2013
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Saudi Daily Reports: Hezbollah Successfully Smuggled Chemical Weapons to Lebanon

A leading Saudi newspaper reports that Syria has successfully smuggled some of the regime’s chemical weapons to the Hezbollah.

By Adam Ross

 

President Bashar Al-Assad has smuggled part of his chemical weapons arsenal to Hezbollah in a bid to evade international inspection, the Saudi newspaper Al Watan reported Monday.

Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah – AFP photo

The report quoted Syrian National Coalition member Kamal al-Labwani as claiming that: “The Syrian regime has transferred some of its chemical weapons arsenal to its ally Hezbollah aboard trucks used to transport vegetables.”

The article published Monday, also included a claim that the Assad regime had covertly moved significant parts of its chemical weapons aboard Russian ships docked along the Syrian coastline. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| September 14, 2013
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Muslims, stop blaming Israel for your problems

Did a bomb explode on the other side of the world, or is there a problem with some country’s economy? -No need to look any further than Israel. And where else would the control center for destabilizing the Arab world be? Israel of course!

by Sinem Tezyapar

 

Whenever calamities befall Muslim-majority nations, there is always a country to blame: Israel. Is there a revolution against a tyrant? Zionists are responsible. Who else could be at fault if there is a clash between Sunni and Shia groups? The Jews. Did a bomb explode on the other side of the world, or is there a problem with the economy? Continue Reading »

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| September 13, 2013
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Egyptian Tanks Cross Border Fence to Gaza

2  Egyptian tanks crossed a fence around the Gaza Strip as the army stepped up its efforts to eliminate Islamic terrorists in the Sinai.

By Adam Ross

 

Two Egyptian army tanks have crossed an initial border fence leading to Gaza for the first time on Thursday, witnesses said.

Egyptian Tank in Sinai – Screenshot

The Hamas administration in Gaza neither confirmed nor denied the incursion, only commenting that no Egyptian tanks had actually entered the Gaza Strip itself.

Witnesses told the AFP news agency that two tanks “crossed the first Egyptian border fence along the corridor between Egypt and (Gaza), and drove along the road running next to the cement wall that Egypt built.”

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| September 13, 2013
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Al-Qaeda Swears to Slaughter Christians After US Finishes in Syria

 

An Al Qaeda faction of the Syrian rebels that’s supported by the Americas, intend to kill the local Christians should they win.

By Raymond Ibrahim

 

While U.S. leaders continue pushing for war against the Syrian government, “Al-Qaeda-linked rebels,” reports AP, “launched an assault on a regime-held Christian mountain village in the densely populated west of Syria and new clashes erupted near the capital, Damascus… In the attack on the village of Maaloula, rebels commandeered a mountaintop hotel and nearby caves and shelled the community below, said a nun, speaking by phone from a convent in the village. She spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.” Continue Reading »

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| September 12, 2013
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2 Syrian Shells Again Fall in Israeli Golan Heights

IDF Analysis:  Syrian fire into Israeli territory likely unintentional.

3 more Syrians admitted into Israel for hospital attention.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

Two mortar shells fired from Syria landed in the southern Golan Heights adjacent to the Israeli-Syrian border on Thursday.

An IDF Lieutenant-Colonel (front) and comrades during a patrol along Israel's border with Lebanon.

An IDF Lieutenant-Colonel leads and comrades during a patrol along Israel’s border with Lebanon. – Photo: REUTER/Baz Ratner

Initial evidence suggests that the shells were a result of errant fire from Syria’s civil war that accidentally entered Israeli territory, the IDF stated.

No injuries or damage were reported in the incident. IDF soldiers were searching the area for the spent shells.

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| September 11, 2013
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Anti-Assad group aims quietly for normalization with Israel

 

 

Political activist within Syrian opposition is seeking a liberal, pro-Western Syria with ties to Israel, including business & tourism.

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON

 

 

 

A Europe-based Syrian-opposition political activist who took part in the early stages of the uprising against the Syrian government told The Jerusalem Post he would like the Syrian and Israeli people to become partners, develop business connections and visit each other’s countries.

An Israeli soldier on the Golan Heights near Syria border

An Israeli soldier on the Golan Heights near Syria border – Photo: Reuters

The activist, who goes by the pseudonym Amin Muhammad, is working on forming a liberal Syrian party that would be pro-West and seek the normalization of relations with Israel.

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| September 11, 2013
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UN debates resolution for dismantling Syrian chemical arms

Russia’s Security Council proposal would put Syria’s chemical weapons under int’l control & end the Washington-Moscow stalemate over Damascus’ deadly  poison gas attack on August 21.

By
 

Beirut – A French official says tense negotiations have begun on a proposed United Nations resolution that would put Syria‘s chemical weapons under international control and end a diplomatic stalemate over a deadly August 21 poison gas attack.

Demonstrating in support of U.S. strike on Syria.

Syrian-Americans rallying in favor of proposed U.S. military action outside U.S. Capitol in Washington. – Photo: Reuters

The official close to the French president, who spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations remained sensitive, said Russia objected not only to making the resolution militarily enforceable, but also to blaming chemical attack on the Syrian government and demanding that those responsible be taken before an international criminal court.

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| September 10, 2013
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Cyprus reports: ‘Friendly country’ will test missiles in Med

AFP reports that Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioanis Kasoulides did not name the country, but did say missiles tests would be carried out this week in the Mediterranean.

By

 

 

Cyprus on Monday said a “friendly country” would be conducting missile tests in the Mediterranean this week, French news agency AFP reported, adding that the country carrying out the tests is not taking part in any potential military action against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

A "Sparrow" missile.

A “Sparrow” missile. – Photo by Defense Ministry

The report comes a week after Israel and the U.S. carried out a missile test in the Mediterranean Sea, amid rising tensions in the region over the crisis in Syria. Continue Reading »

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| September 10, 2013
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Jordanian Parliamentarian Shoots His AK-47 During Parliament Session

Jordanian Member of Parliament Sharif, opened fire with an AK-47 automatic assault rifle, in the Jordanian House of Representatives in Amman.

By Kochava Rozenbaum

 

A loud gunshot was heard from within the Jordanian House of Representatives as one Member of Parliament opened fire this morning, the Albawaba Middle Eastern news site reported.

According to news reports, MP Talal Al Sharif opened fire using an AK-47 on his colleague MP Qusai Dmeisi during a Foreign Affairs Council meeting inside of the House of Representatives, which is located in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

It remains unknown as to why Sharif opened fire, but no casualties have been reported. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags:
| September 10, 2013
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China supports Russian plan placing Syria’s chemical weapons under int’l control

 

China announces support for Russian plan, so France is drafting a UN resolution for Syrian chemical weapons to be place under international control.

By REUTERS

 

 
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France would propose a United Nations Security Council resolution setting out conditions for Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control and accept that they will be dismantled, a plan that could avert planned US military strikes in response to the country’s suspected use of its arsenal on civilians.
Syrian civilians take part in a candlelight vigil in solidarity with Syrian civilians killed.

Syrian civilians take part in a candlelight vigil in solidarity with Syrian civilians killed. – Photo: REUTERS

US President Barack Obama has argued that Syrian President Bashar Assad, fighting to continue his family’s four-decade rule, apparently used chemical weapons against its own population in an attack on the outskirts of Damascus on August 21.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| September 9, 2013
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Damascus accepts Russia’s suggestion of relinquishing control of its chemical weapons

Syria welcomed Russia’s foreign minister’s suggestion to surrender Assad’s chemical arsenal to int’l control, a move Moscow believes can avert a U.S. airstrike on Syria.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said on Monday that his country welcomed Moscow’s proposal to relinquish control over its chemical arsenals, a move Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said could avert a U.S. strike.

Syria chemical attack

Members of the UN investigation team take soil samples in the Damascus countryside of Ain Terma, Syria, Aug. 28, 2013. – Photo: AP

“The Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the Russian initiative, which is motivated by the Russian leadership’s concern for the life of our citizens and the security of our country,” Moallem told reporters in Moscow, according to the Interfax news agency.

Continue Reading »

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| September 9, 2013
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‘Spy’ stork arrested, interrogated, released then eaten in Egypt

 

Last week, after a stork was caught in Egypt wearing a tracking device, the police held it on suspicion it was a Mossad spy for Israel. After its release, stork hunted down, then eaten.

Ynet

Menes the stork was caught in Egypt last week and held by authorities on suspicion of being used to spy for Israel, due to the tracking device attached to its leg. Just days after its release into the wild, it was hunted down and eaten, according to the UK’s Guardian.

Stork ‘spy’ in Egyptian custody – Photo: AP

The stork was brought into police by an Egyptian who spotted a device used to track wildlife that was on it, and thought that this might be a method of spying. Continue Reading »

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