Meshaal, Abbas, and The Doha Agreement

Monday, February 13, 2012
written by: Sheila Quinn
Source: A New Era

Within the last few days Meshaal, as the leader of Hamas, signed an agreement which is both illegal and unethical. I have read a number of articles about him and this agreement. My initial response was one of anger. I wanted to speak out against him ,but decided against it because I thought of it as an internal Hamas issue and a Palestinian issue.

But the more I read about it and the more I learn about it, the more angry I became. I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong. This agreement is not just an internal Hamas issue, nor an internal Palestinian issue-but an issue of The Islamic Nation. It is an issue that ALL Muslims have a right to speak on!

Why do I say this? Because, Palestine is a territory of The Islamic Nation. It’s borders are between the ocean and The Jordan River. The Israeli State is an illegal state that has absolutely no legitimacy whatsoever. The U.N. partition of Palestine was conditioned upon the The Palestinians accepting it. They rejected such a partition. Only with their acceptance of the partition will The Israeli State become “legally” legitimate. The second reason is because Al- Aqsa Masjid (Al Aqsa Mosque)is in Palestine. Al-Aqsa has been-and is continuing to be- threatened with destruction.

For the last few weeks I have been reading different articles about Meshaal. Meshaal is from The West Bank. Meshaal is calling for a change in strategy. He is calling for adopting non-violent protests as a replacement for armed resistance. (Non-violent protests have proven to be ineffective with The Zionists. Fatah has used such strategy in The West Bank and the results are the loss of land and lives. Armed resistance is the only way to stop the aggression of The Zionists. Any other way has been proven to be impractical.) Hamas officials in Gaza have both the right-and the responsibility- to reject the agreement. They have every right in the world to refuse cooperation in its implementation. Since the agreement involves Gaza, the cooperation of the officials of Gaza are vital to it’s implementation.

Hamas should continue to work for the liberation of all of Palestine through armed resistance. Any other way has been proven to be totally ineffective.

As for Abbas, he has proven himself to be a puppet of those who want to destroy Al-Aqsa Masjid (Al-Aqsa Mosque). He has proven himself to be a puppet of the global oligarchy- which includes the leadership of both The U.S. and The European Union. It is clear that the global oligarchy wants Al-Aqsa Masjid to be destroyed. It is clear that Abbas is their puppet. Others in the “interim government” may be technocrats, but Abbas is not! The Zionists are in the process of: stealing all of the West Bank; evicting all Muslims from Jerusalem, and destroying Al-Aqsa Masjid. Abbas and the leaders of Arab countries want peace with The Zionists??? All of them-including King Abdullah of Jordan- are puppets of the global oligarchy!

Until now Gaza has been a stronghold of Palestinian resistance-unlike The West Bank. Does Meshaal want to open up Gaza to The Zionists -like The West bank?

Here are some quotes from articles that I have read:

“Meshaal might be able to put down the unprecedented rebellion against him, but would need the good will and cooperation of Hamas leaders in Gaza to make the agreement work.” (“Public rift as Hamas strongman in Gaza rejects unity deal”)

“On Sunday, the head of the bloc of Hamas legislators in Gaza, Ismail al-Ashkar, alleged that Fatah has not carried out promised confidence building measures, such as releasing Hamas loyalists held in the West Bank.” (“Public rift as Hamas strongman in Gaza rejects unity deal”)

“MPs of the Hamas majority in the Palestinian parliament called on Thursday for the scrapping of a reconciliation accord with Fatah on constitutional grounds.

“After examining the question of Mahmud Abbas taking on the premiership as well as the presidency” and consultation with judicial experts, such a scenario was found to be contrary to the Basic Law, 31 MPs said in a statement.” (“Hamas MP’s call for scrapping of Fatah Deal”)

“Meshaal has been based in Damascus since 2001, fearing for his safety and hoping to avoid the restrictions on his movement in Gaza. He has been the chief leader of Hamas’ political wing since 2004.” (“Hamas political chief to step down”)

Some References:

“Public rift as Hamas strongman in Gaza rejects unity deal” written by: Mohammed Daraghmeh, published by “The Daily Star” on February 13, 2012. Link: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-13/163004-public-rift-as-hamas-strongman-in-gaza-rejects-unity-deal.ashx.

“Hamas MPs call for scrapping of Fatah deal” written by: Mahmud Hams, Published on:AFP – Wed, Feb 8, 2012 Source: Yahoo News Maktoob

“Hamas political chief to step down” Published on: Jan 21, 2012 By: AlJazeera Source: Yahoo News Maktoob

“The Association of Palestinian Scholars issues plea to Muslims to protect al-Aqsa” Published on: 13 February 2012 By: Middle East Monitor Link: http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/3420-the-association-of-palestinian-scholars-issues-plea-to-muslims-to-protect-al-aqsa.

Source: A New Era.
Link: http://truthseeker-anewera.blogspot.com/2012/02/meshall-abbas-and-doha-agreement.html.

Polls open in Yemen with sole US-backed pres. candidate

Tue Feb 21, 2012

Voting has begun in Yemen’s presidential election with only one candidate on the ballot amid the opposition’s call for the downfall of the entire regime.

The polls opened Tuesday, with 12 million eligible voters, and the sole candidate Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The election is to put an end to Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule and formally transfer power to his assistant, Hadi.

However, the country’s major opposition groups, including the Southern Movement and the Southern Shia group have boycotted the election, demanding the removal of the regime that abounds with Saleh-era officials.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has thrown Washington’s weight behind Yemen’s election, offering his support to Hadi.

In a letter to the Yemeni vice president, Obama said Yemen could be an example of the peaceful transition of power in the Middle East.

This is while demonstrations are expected to continue in Yemen as protesters say their revolution will not end until Saleh and all corrupt government officials are put behind bars.

On Monday, several polling stations were the target of bomb attacks prior to the beginning of the polls in the southern province of Aden and the southern port city of al-Makla, with no reports of casualties. The protesters also blocked roads leading to five villages in Daleh province, making it impossible for poll organizers to send ballot boxes there.

Saleh is currently in the US for medical treatment. He left Yemen in mid-January, shortly after the country’s parliament passed a law which grants him full immunity from prosecution.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/227790.html.

Saudi Arabia threatens anti-regime protesters with iron fist

Tue Feb 21, 2012

Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry has defended the regime forces’ ruthless repression of anti-government protests and threatened to use an “iron fist” against protesters.

“It is the state’s right to confront those that confront it first… and the Saudi Arabian security forces will confront such situations … with determination and force and with an iron first,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

An interior ministry spokesman said the statement was released in reaction to a last week sermon delivered in the Qatif region in the Eastern Province, which took a swipe at the Saudi government’s handling of the protests.

Saudi authorities claim that the regime does not practice discrimination against the Shia minority, pointing a finger of blame at protesters.

Earlier on Thursday, several anti-regime protesters in the kingdom’s eastern province of Safwa were abducted.

Since February 2011, Saudi protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in the oil-rich Eastern Province, mainly in Qatif and the town of Awamiyah, calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.

Saudi protesters also want an end to economic and religious discrimination against the oil-rich region. Several demonstrators have been killed and scores of activists have been arrested since the beginning of protests in the region.

Riyadh has intensified its crackdown on protesters since the beginning of 2012.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/227806.html.

MPs of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish BDP party begin hunger strike

Mon Feb 20, 2012

MPs of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) have begun a two-day hunger strike to protest recent detentions, Press TV reports.

BDP co-chairman Gulten Kisanak announced the decision at a press conference in Ankara on Monday.

“Over 6,000 people have been arrested because of their thoughts and political activities. Over 60 of our friends, including our lawmaker from Sirnak (province), Selma Irmak, and another Sirnak lawmaker, Faysal Sariyildiz, are regularly on hunger strike to protest the intensification of political and military operations. The demands of our friends are clear. In order to support the resistance of our friends, we, as the BDP bloc, begin a two-day hunger strike today.”

Turkey recently arrested dozens of people across the country in operations against the Union of Kurdish Communities (KCK) — the alleged urban wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group that is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, Iran, the United States, and the European Union.

The Turkish government believes the KCK paves the way for the implementation of PKK plots against the country and views the operations against the KCK as a parallel campaign with the military operations against the PKK in the mountains of southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/227756.html.

Palestinians stage demos in support of hunger strike activist

Tue Feb 21, 2012

Palestinians have held protest rallies across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in support of Palestinian activist Khader Adnan, who has been on hunger strike for 65 days in an Israeli jail.

“People are trying to express their anger at what is happening to Khader Adnan and all Palestinian prisoners. The Israelis have no right to hold him or any of them, especially over 300 administrative detainees,” said Osama Wahaidi, a former prisoner and spokesman for the Palestinian Detainees’ and Ex-detainees’ Association.

Wahaidi reiterated that “administrative detentions” can be extended for years without evidence or trials and detainees have no idea when they will be freed.

Court officials and Adnan’s lawyers said on Monday that Israel’s Supreme Court scheduled a hearing on Tuesday for an appeal for the 33-year-old Palestinian activist.

The hearing had initially been scheduled for Thursday, but his lawyers and human rights groups called for a speedy hearing on Adnan’s case due to his worrying health condition.

The Palestinian activist was arrested on December 17, 2011 and later sentenced to four months of “administrative detention.”

Father of two small girls, Adnan went on hunger strike one day after his arrest, demanding an immediate release. He has not been charged with a crime.

Both the European Union and the United Nations have said they are following the case closely and have urged Israel to give Adnan an open trial.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/227792.html.

Russian officials feed pelicans in frozen Caspian

February 21, 2012 — MAKHACHKALA, Russia (AP) — Authorities are scrambling to save hundreds of starving and endangered Dalmatian pelicans after the Caspian Sea froze for the first time in years.

Hundreds of the gray-white birds with distinctive curly feathers at their napes are jostling one another in a rare patch of unfrozen water at a shipyard near the city of Makhachkala, the capital of the southern Russian province of Dagestan.

About 20 birds have died of hunger despite hundreds of kilograms (pounds) of fish that his ministry and a local lawmaker are purchasing daily to feed them, Dagestan’s Nature Protection Ministry spokesman Arslan Dydymov said Tuesday.

Fewer than 1,400 Dalmatian pelicans, the world’s largest, live in southern Russia. The birds are getting sprats from the local market because fresh fish from the iced-over Caspian is not available. “Yesterday it seemed they ate more than enough,” said Kurban Kuniev of the Dagestan nature reserve.

The birds flew to Makhachkala last week from the frozen deltas of the Volga and Terek rivers up north. Local residents were so excited by the arrival that the guards at the Makhachkala shipyard had to stop hundreds from entering with bread and other unsuitable foods.

“We did not let them in for the sake of the pelicans,” chief guard Magomed Eldarov said.

‘US-Taliban talks reveal America’s failure in Afghanistan’

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Mon Feb 20, 2012

A top Pakistani leader of the Taliban says the United States seeks to engage in talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan as its mission in the war-battered country has failed, Press TV reports.

Pakistan’s Tehrik-i-Taliban’s leader Waliur-Rehman Mehsud told Press TV that Washington has sought to launch peace talks with the Afghan Taliban over the US failure in Afghanistan.

Mehsud added that the US-led invasion of Afghanistan was initially aimed at eliminating the Taliban militants or making them surrender.

However, he said, the foreign forces’ failure to do so has forced Washington into a negotiating position.

Mehsud added that the US and its allies are trying to hide their defeat in Afghanistan under the guise of advocating dialogue.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, Afghan President Hamed Karzai admitted that the peace talks had taken place among the United States, the Afghan government, and Taliban over the past month.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Mehsud rejected reports that Tehrik-i-Taliban commander Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a US assassination drone strike. He said that Hakimullah is alive and well.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/227625.html.

Afghan police shoot dead 2 Albanian soldiers

Tue Feb 21, 2012

An Afghan police attack on US-led troops in southern Afghanistan has left two Albanian soldiers dead and two other foreign troopers injured, Press TV reported.

The incident occurred in the southern district of Spin Boldak in Kandahar province, where the troops were reportedly participating in the inauguration of two schools. The occurrence marks Albania’s first fatal casualties in Afghanistan.

According to the Albanian defense ministry, 11 Afghan policemen have been detained in the village of Robat where the incident took place.

Another Albanian soldier as well as an American trooper have been wounded in the shooting.

No further details have thus far emerged about the motive behind the incident.

Albania has dispatched 260 troops to Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led mission in the war-ravaged Asian country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/227781.html.

Afghans rally in Kabul to slam Qur’an burning by US-led forces

Tue Feb 21, 2012

Large numbers of people have turned up for angry demonstrations in Afghanistan after US-led forces in the war-wracked country burned copies of the Holy Qur’an, Press TV reports.

The angry protesters on Tuesday held protest rallies in Kabul as well as outside the US Bagram Airbase and chanted anti-US slogans, demanding the trial of the perpetrators of the desecrating act.

At least one Afghan protester was injured after US troops opened fire to disperse the angry demonstrators near the airbase, about 60 kilometers north of Kabul.

The protests came after reports emerged saying that foreign troops had burned “a large number of Islamic religious materials which included Qur’ans” at the Bagram Airbase.

Mohammad Nabi, a protester who said he was an employee at the base, told reporters that US troops killed two Afghan employees and fired five more after they protested the burning of the copies of the Holy Qur’an inside the military base.

Meanwhile, similar protests were held in other parts of the capital and several other Afghan cities.

The US commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan in a statement apologized over the insulting move and ordered a full investigation into the incident.

“When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped them,” said General John R. Allen.

“The materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religious authorities,” he added.

“We are thoroughly investigating the incident and we are taking steps to ensure this does not ever happen again. I assure you… I promise you … this was not intentional in any way,” he further said.

The US general also expressed his “sincere apologies for any offense this may have caused, to the president of Afghanistan, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan.”

In April 2011, at least ten people were killed and several others injured in successive days of protests in Afghanistan over the burning of the Holy Qur’an in the US.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/227801.html.

China Now Has 500 Protests Daily: Party Scholar

By Gisela Sommer
February 20, 2012

China now experiences 500 protests on a daily basis; that’s over 180,000 a year, a troubling situation, with the psychology of the masses becoming easily unbalanced and public order is easily upset, according to a Chinese cadre.

While the Wukan protests in Guangdong Province late last year drew worldwide attention, an average of 500 such mass protests occurred daily in China during 2011, according to Niu Wenyuan, a member of the National Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee.

“This phenomenon indicates that today public order is easily upset, and the psychology of the masses can quickly become unbalanced. We cadres, must continually assess [our] efficiency and fairness and adjust accordingly,” Niu said in a speech to fellow party cadres during the inaugural ceremony of the tenth Guangzhou Municipal Meeting on Feb. 8, reported on by New Express Daily and cited by Sound of Hope (SOH) Radio.

Pressing Issues in Growing Urban Centers

According to the SOH article, Niu is also a Chinese State Department counselor and a chief scientist and research head at the Sustained Military Strategy Division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has been part of a new research and development city-planning group in China. The group publishes the Chinese City New Urban Planning Annual Report, which evaluates the progress of fifty cities.

In an interview with Nanfang Daily, Niu commented on China’s challenges with urbanization. He said China’s cities have to face seven “issues” in their development: sustainable wealth growth; population pressure; employment pressure; land, energy and water resource development strain; [need for] environmental improvement; infrastructure; and a social safety net.”

Niu’s statements reflect the Chinese communist regime’s anxiety over social unrest.

According to statistics from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in 2007 the number of mass protests rose to over 80,000, a 33 percent jump compared with 60,000 in 2006. The regime subsequently stopped publishing this statistic, SOH said.

Landless Farmers

A large percentage of mass unrest in China is about forced land confiscation, as was the case in Wukan. Land confiscation is also directly related to urbanization. For many years, farmers all across China have been pushed off their land and forced to live in towns. Often they end up without any means to make a living.

Urbanization has been touted by the regime as the engine behind China’s future economic development. According to a recent announcement by China’s Bureau of Statistics, China’s urban population has now surpassed the number of people living in the countryside.

Professor Patrick Chovanec at Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management told VOA on Jan. 17, “Mainland China’s policy makers have used urbanization as an excuse to build many buildings, but didn’t think about how to turn all that into an economic advantage for sustainable development.”

Housing Bubble

In a Feb. 16 report, Bloomberg quoted Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. saying, “China’s housing market is experiencing the “mother” of all bubbles.”

Peter Chiappinelli, a portfolio strategist for asset allocation at Boston-based GMO, said at the Bloomberg Link Portfolio Manager Mash-Up Conference in New York that they are very concerned about China’s economy. GMO, which oversees $97 billion in assets, is betting that shares of Chinese real estate developers, construction companies and cement producers will decline, Chiappinelli said, according to the Bloomberg report.

Bloomberg also quoted Lisa Emsbo-Mattingly, the director of research in the global asset allocation division of Fidelity Asset Management, saying they are “very concerned about China,” and it is “very difficult” to have an optimistic view on China because the housing price drop will afflict China’s banks. Furthermore China’s export market has been cooling because of the European debt crisis.

All of this spells trouble for China’s social stability.

According to China analyst Huang Hebian, the Wukan protests have had the effect of waking the masses across China, and this foreshadows increased tensions between the regime and workers and peasants. Huang told The Epoch Times for an earlier report he believes that more protests will take place in March during the National People’s Congress.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/china-now-has-500-protests-daily-party-scholar-193241.html.