Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday 24/11/09 warned that Lebanon , not Hezbollah, would be the target of retaliatory attacks should the militant group escalate tension along Israel's northern border. "Lebanon grants Hezbollah permission to operate on its soil," said Barak. "We must clarify for the international community that we do not accept that a militia like Hezbollah exists in Lebanon, a sovereign country, and even sits in its parliament." Barak added that it holds Lebanon responsible for any conflict with Hezbollah. "Hezbollah is not our target," in such a case, said Barak. "Our target will be the state of Lebanon."
Mr. Barak made his comments at a meeting with regional leaders in the north, where he stressed that he holds the Lebanese government responsible for any conflict along the border with Lebanon. The Israeli defense minister added that Israel's deterrence power will last for some time. Earlier this month, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said that Hezbollah guerrillas now possess tens of thousands of rockets, some capable of reaching up to 300 kilometers within Israel. These capabilities would put Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well cities much further south, into rocket range. "There is a war in the Middle East between two camps, the extremists and the moderates, which is pushing Iran to take radical steps. Without Iran's support to finance weapons and terrorist groups they would be lacking the means available to them today," said Ashkenazi. Israel, the United Nations and Hezbollah itself have all said that the militia is stronger today than it was during the Second Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
It is so sad and extremely disappointing that the Israeli government, the moderate Arab countries as well all the Western free world, including the USA and France are ignoring the essence and the core of the actual Lebanese peoples' ongoing agony and dilemma with Hezbollah.
All these countries are well informed that Hezbollah, the Iranian militant terrorist organization, has erected its powerful mini Iranian state inside Lebanon during the Syrian occupation era of the country that lasted from 1976 until 2005.
This mini state with its scattered cantons all over Lebanon is much stronger in all domains than the Lebanese central government. The Lebanese people in general and the Lebanese Shiite community in particular had no saying in this matter. The mini state was imposed on all of them by Syria and Iran.
All the free world countries, Arab states, and especially Israel are, with no shed of doubt, fully aware that Hezbollah's mini state controls and dominates directly and through proxies all the affairs of the Lebanese central government via cancerous infiltration, intimidation, oppression, corruption, drug trafficking, religious decrees (fatwas), murder, crime, bribing and multifold tactics of terrorism. Not even one decision could be made by the Lebanese government or any of its institutions without Hezbollah's approval.
It has become clear even to the blind that the Lebanese state is massively dominated by the Hezbollah mullah's leadership. This terrorist militant organization boldly dictates its Iranian decrees on all the Lebanese officials and institutions, manipulates their activities and greatly influences the whole country's decision making process in all fields and on all levels.
The Israeli and the western satellites that carry out round-the-clock very close surveillance over Lebanon, Syria and other Middle East countries have their own solid data that shows the ABC's of how Hezbollah receives its weapon openly from Iran through Syria under the eyes of the Lebanese army and with its blessings.
Hezbollah does not smuggle its weapons to Lebanon from Syria through the joint borders as the UN and many countries keep on parroting in their official statements and reports. All of them know for a fact that Hezbollah has its own free military routes via the Syrian-Lebanese border through which hundreds of its arms-loaded trucks travel on a regular basis from Syria to Lebanon.
The question is why when all these plain facts are cut and clear to these countries and especially to Israel that they still act as if there is actually an independent Lebanese government that controls the country's decision making process?
One wonders, when Iran and Syria have erected the Hezbollah mini state against the will of the Lebanese people, and when these two axis of evil countries keep on arming, financing, harboring, training and fully control Hezbollah's militia, why Mr. Barak is threatening Lebanon and not Syria, Iran and Hezbollah?
Mr. Barak as well as the whole world knows that the Lebanese people earlier this year and against all the odds did not give Hezbollah and its allies a majority in the parliamentary elections. They voted courageously against Hezbollah's mini state and its weapons.
BUT, unfortunately the elected majority up until this day is unable to effectively face Hezbollah and stop its gradual devouring of the state's authority, and as we all know, Syria and Saudi Arabia have recently cut a deal to give Hezbollah a right to veto in the new Lebanese government, and to keep in its ministerial statement with the same clause that the previous " Saniora" government used to legitimize Hezbollah's weapons and to give this organization control over the country's war-peace decision making.
Israel and all other countries are loudly and strongly addressing only the symptoms of Hezbollah’s hegemony over the whole of Lebanon, while deliberately overlooking the main disease that Iran and Syria have inflicted on the Lebanese people and on all the country's institutions.
In summary, Lebanon is still an occupied country and the occupier is Hezbollah. Mr. Barak should not threaten to punish the Lebanese people who in the majority are against Hezbollah, having bravely proved this stance in the last parliamentary elections.
The Lebanese people and their country must not be dealt with as scapegoats. The disease is Syria and Iran and their proxy, Hezbollah. If Israel really wants to deal with the problem that threatens its security and existence, the actual and long lasting solution is not by inflicting devastation on the Lebanese people and their country as was the situation during the 2006 war, but through addressing its serious problem directly with Iran, Syria and Hezbollah.
Article Source:analyst-network.com
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Spokes around the world
YUCCA VALLEY — For most people, an adventure may be rafting down a river, climbing a mountain or flying off to an exotic locale for a two-week vacation.
But for Amaya Williams and Eric Schambion, both 42, life is a constant adventure, a thrilling two-wheel ride that has taken them to more than 60 countries around the world. So far.
The couple is traveling the globe soaking up culture, meeting new people and fulfilling a need for excitement, an escape from an ordinary nine-to-five existence. And they’re doing it on bicycles.
“We were reaching middle age, and we saw all our friends settling down with comfortable lifestyles and big mortgages, and we decided we didn’t want that,” Williams said. “We wanted to go on a big adventure.”
Figuring Africa was the most adventurous place on the planet, Williams conceived a plan to circumnavigate the continent on bikes. Her husband was dubious and needed persuading.
“He said, ‘That’s really crazy. There’s desert, war, famine, wild animals…’” Williams recalled, laughing.
But after exhaustive research they decided the trip was feasible and set off in June 2006. They started in France and biked through Spain and Portugal before arriving in Morocco. Their goal: Cape Town.
The couple found most Africans to be hospitable.
“Villagers get really excited when they see people on bicycles,” Williams said. “Your arrival is heralded and a stream of youngsters run along beside you. It’s the biggest news ever. Every tribe had a different, special name for foreigners.”
The trip was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. The pair traveled between 60 miles and 80 miles a day, each carrying a load that weighs about 110 pounds.
In Africa they camped out a lot, but were often accommodated in villages, usually in some basic kind of structure.
“It’s a little concrete block with bars on the windows, probably no electricity,” Williams explained.
“For water, probably someone has gone down to the well or the river for some buckets of water. There might be a little cubicle where you can take a bucket shower.”
The lack of traditional showers for hikers and bikers is a worldwide problem for wanderers. However, a network of like-minded people has come together to provide shelter for fellow nomads.
Which is what brings Williams and Schambion to the Morongo Basin after 31⁄2 years on the road.
Their hosts are Craig and Barbara Walker of Yucca Valley, who have given them the use of the small guesthouse on their property. Warm showers, warm bed and creature comforts, of which the couple took advantage for three days. It was a refuge after many months on the road.
Bike rebels, meet real rebels
Schambion’s incredulous exclamation before the trip proved prophetic. Besides encountering many wild animals, the couple had a near-brush with rebels in the Republic of Congo, faced corrupt officials and contracted illnesses that challenged their endurance.
In one incident in the Republic of Congo, the travelers were stopped by the military and advised not to go further because the area was controlled by rebels. They were told one of three things could happen: they could be allowed to pass, they could be taken hostage or they could be killed.
They were forced to take a slow-moving freight train guarded by heavily armed soldiers.
In another incident, though they rarely paid bribes on principal, the couple happily paid double after a drunken soldier in Equatorial Guinea took out an AK-47 and threatened to take them to jail.
Trip taps into years of savings
The couple travels on a budget of about $20 a day, most of which is for food.
“We know how to travel cheap,” Williams admitted.
Williams and Schambion, married for 11 years, were living and working in Germany near Frankfurt when they heard the call to adventure. They were working hard and putting away a lot of money.
“We probably saved 80 percent of what we were earning,” Williams said.
Strangers invite couple home
After circumnavigating Africa, which took about 17 months, Williams and Schambion pondered what to do next.
“We didn’t know what to do with our lives after that,” Williams said. “We got really used to the rhythm of being on the road, meeting new people, adventure and being exposed to new ideas.”
They decided to continue into the Middle East.
In Syria where the springtime weather was cold and rainy, people were especially hospitable, even though they rarely spoke English. Once the couple was allowed to sleep in a mosque.
“Often they invited us to come home with them,” Schambion said.
Perhaps the most challenging trials of the trip occurred when they came down with malaria. One day while still in Africa, Schambion threw down his bike and laid down on the side of the road.
“I can’t go any further,” he declared.
Williams worried because it seemed like they were in the middle of nowhere.
“I thought, what are we going to do?” she said.
But soon after a man rode by on a bicycle and said there was a hospital only three kilometers away. The sick man was able to go on after all, though the hospital was actually a small brick structure with no running water and staffed with only a medical student.
Nevertheless, the student started an IV on Schambion and laid him on a cot underneath a tree. He survived only to become afflicted with malaria again later, and then typhoid, even more frightening. In each case they were able to obtain medication for the ailment and continue their travels.
‘Maybe we’ll never be done’
Incredibly, the pair used only three maps while traveling 22,000 miles in Africa. Where there are few roads, few maps are needed. Ironically, Williams and Schambion had more trouble navigating from John F. Kennedy Airport to Brooklyn.
From New York the couple traveled to Montana, then on to the West Coast and into California. They came to the Mojave Desert specifically because they fell in love with desert vistas in Africa.
“The vast openness and great expanse of land …” Williams reflected. “The sky in the desert, in Africa especially, there’s no other light so the stars shine beyond belief.”
After leaving the California desert, Williams and Schambion headed for Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. From there they plan to travel into Mexico, through Central America and to South America. They plan to spend Christmas 2010 in Tierra Del Fuego.
That will have put them on the road for 41⁄2 years. After that adventure the couple is eyeing Asia. After that, who knows?
“Maybe we’ll never be done,” Williams ventured. “It’s become a lifestyle, and we’ll travel as long as we can live frugally and it continues to be fulfilling.”
To follow the couple’s amazing journey around the world, log on to www.worldbiking.info.
Article Source:hidesertstar.com
Travellers Guide to the Red Sea
Apart from some impressive sunsets – and Trichodesmium erythraeum, algae which occasionally turn the water a reddish-brown colour – not much. Roman geographers used the term Red Sea (Mare Erythraeum) to refer to the entire Indian Ocean; the body of water dividing Africa from Arabia was dubbed the Arabian Gulf (Sinus Arabicus). Why or when the name-change occurred is not clear, though 16th-century maps show that ancient usage was already waning.
This vast sea stretches from the Bab Al Mandab strait, separating Djibouti and Yemen in the south from Suez in the north. It is 2,250km long but, at its widest, only 355km across.
The Red Sea has been an avenue of trade for millennia, used by the Queen of Sheba, the Pharaohs, Greeks, Romans, Axumites and more. Thanks to the Suez Canal it remains a trade route, but is now equally renowned as a holiday destination. Yemen, Eritrea and Sudan have had other things on their minds, but for Egypt, Israel and Jordan, attracting those seeking sun, sea and sand is big business.
The consistently warm waters of the Gulf of Aqaba – the sea's north-eastern arm – also support one of the world's most northerly coral reefs. The volume and variety of marine life here, coupled with crystal-clear water and fringing reefs in the shallows, make for world-class diving and snorkelling.
Egypt's Ras Mohammed National Park, at the tip of the Sinai peninsula, includes the celebrated Thistlegorm wreck: expect to see striped angel fish, luminescent butterfly fish, rays and plenty more. Tuna, barracuda and turtles are regular visitors. The briny wildlife, coral gardens and wreck dives continue all along this coast.
Who are the big fish?
In terms of tourism Egypt leads the way, hosting 12 million visitors last year; one in 10 of those tourists were from Britain. The main focus is Sharm el Sheikh, a modern, tourist-happy city which makes a fine living from diving, watersports and beach holidays. This winter British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com) has launched flights from Gatwick, and mainstream operators offer countless good-value packages; Thomas Cook (0871 895 0055; thomascook.com), for example, has a week in February at the Coral Hills resort for £322 per person (with breakfast), including flights from Luton.
Further north, Taba is much quieter, offering stupendous mountain views, an 18-hole championship golf course and optional mini-cruises to Jordan. Red Sea specialist Longwood Holidays (020-8418 2516; longwoodholidays.co.uk) has a week half board in January at the five-star beachfront Hyatt Regency for £499 from Gatwick or £509 from Manchester.
For a touch more individuality, plump for a smaller operator. For £340 excluding flights, the eight-day Sinai Safari tour run by Egypt Uncovered (0845 130 4849; egypt-uncovered.com) concentrates on Dahab, an easygoing resort between Sharm and Taba.
More options lie near humdrum Hurghada, where developers have built new resorts around isolated sandy beaches, offering self-contained tranquillity supplemented by spas and golf courses. The best known is El Gouna, where Thomson (0871 231 4691; thomson.co.uk) offers a week's B&B at the three-star Arena Inn including flights for a rock-bottom £227 departing this Friday from Gatwick, or £228 next Friday from Manchester. Similar resorts include Soma Bay, near Safaga, and Port Ghalib, near Marsa Alam.
Anything more upmarket?
Six-star splendour resides 9km north of Sharm at the Four Seasons (00 800 6488 6488; fourseasons.com), where the tourist bustle is replaced by palm trees, pools, a coolly elegant spa and fine dining. Double rooms start at £242, including breakfast.
Otherwise, aim for the stunning Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh (00 800 1234 0101; oberoihotels.com), south of Hurghada on the opposite side of the Red Sea. Boasting a private beach almost a kilometre long and 102 suites – 18 with their own pool – this is a retreat to savour. Other than stroll beneath the palms, laze by the water, take a spa treatment and eat, there is nothing to do – and that's the point. Doubles cost from £252, including breakfast.
What about Israel?
With only 12km of Red Sea coastline, it's tempting to dismiss Israel – but that short stretch of beach hosts the popular resort of Eilat (explore-eilat.com), one of the better Red Sea destinations for families, featuring an underwater observatory, swimming with dolphins, an IMAX-3D cinema, theme parks and bowling alleys. The borders are open with Taba (Egypt) and Aqaba (Jordan), making travel between all three countries straightforward.
Direct flights from the UK to Eilat restart next month: local hotel group Isrotel (isrotel.co.uk) is operating charters from Luton between 13 December and 12 April, apart from a gap in January and early February. Seven nights' room-only at the Royal Garden, an apartment hotel with its own waterpark, start at £454 per person including flights. Book through a specialist agent such as Travelink (020-8931 8000; travelinkuk.com) or Superstar Holidays (020-7121 1500; superstar.co.uk).
And Jordan?
Quieter than Eilat or Sharm, Aqaba (aqaba.jo) offers a more traditional atmosphere. The town has been settled for millennia: a Roman road led from here into Syria, and on the beach stands an impressive 14th-century Mamluke fort, once an important stop on the pilgrimage route towards Mecca.
Aqaba also presents greater opportunities for independent travellers. Budget hotels and hostels include Darna Village (darnavillage.com), with beds from £18. And well-kept double rooms at Captain's (00 962 3206 0710; captains-jo.com), a sleek, family-owned four-star, cost £75, including breakfast.
Voyages Jules Verne (0845 166 7003; vjv.co.uk) offers seven nights' B&B including Gatwick flights at five-star hotels such as the Radisson Blu (from £495) or the phenomenally swish Kempinski (from £777). For a last-minute deal, departing this Tuesday, Libra Holidays (0800 458 5402; libraholidays.co.uk) has a week's B&B at the four-star Days Inn for £361, flights included.
How do I get afloat?
Hotels in all the major resorts organise day-voyages – the trip from Aqaba, Eilat or Taba to the Crusader fortress atop rocky Pharaoh's Island is a classic – while glass-bottomed boats at every tourist beach offer views of the coral from topside.
Arab Bridge Maritime (abmaritime.com.jo) operates daily catamarans and ferries between Aqaba and Nuweiba, with fares from US$60 (£34). Ferries also link Sharm and Hurghada, as well as Saudi ports such as Duba and Jeddah from Suez, Safaga and Port Sudan.
Further south, you could haggle for deck space aboard vessels plying between Mokha (Yemen) and Massawa (Eritrea).
Louis Cruises (0800 018 3883; louiscruises.com) runs regular mini-cruises between Suez, Sharm and Aqaba. The Voyages of Discovery 13-day Egypt to India cruise (0845 018 1808; voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk), departing Sharm on 8 December, sails the full length of the Red Sea, with two stops in Oman before reaching Mumbai. From £999, including flights and all meals.
What about culture?
Sinai's Bedouin culture is often distorted and sanitised for tourists. Subvert the stereotypes by helping to build village schools or maintain dams on the Makhad Trust's (01242 544546; makhad.org) week-long working trips. Next departure is 11 March (£750 excluding flights).
Amid the high peaks behind Dahab looms Mount Sinai (2,285m), where Moses received the Ten Commandments. Climb the camel path (three hours) for the sunset, then either stay for sunrise – sleeping bag essential – or head down the 3,750 Steps of Penitence. These lead to St Catherine's (9am-noon, closed Friday and Sunday), a Greek Orthodox monastery sheltering a 6th-century church and what is said to be the Burning Bush, from which God spoke to Moses. The El Milga hostel (sheikmousa.com) has beds from £2.
You can easily sign up for an overnight tour to St Catherine's and Mount Sinai, or build it in to a longer itinerary. Plenty of adventure operators run tours that include the Sinai Peninsula, such as the 15-day Discover Egypt tour from Dragoman (01728 861133; dragoman.com), which starts and ends in Cairo and includes St Catherine's, Mount Sinai and beach camping as well as visits to Luxor and Aswan; from £505, excluding flights from the UK.
Further south, Jeddah is one of the Middle East's most cosmopolitan cities, its souks perpetually packed with Mecca-bound pilgrims from around the world. Jeddah's atmospheric old quarter has many traditional coral stone houses sporting lattice-work wooden balconies. A nine-day Saudi Arabia tour, run by The Traveller (020-7436 9343; the-traveller.co.uk), spends two nights there, for £3,125, including flights on Saudia from Heathrow to Riyadh, returning from Jeddah.
South again, Yemen's port of Mocha made its fortune on the medieval coffee trade, lending its name to a chocolatey-tasting variety of coffee bean. Few tours pass this way – though Undiscovered Destinations (0191 296 2674; undiscovered-destinations.com) offers a fortnight in Yemen (£2,595) that includes time in easygoing Hodeidah nearby, now the Red Sea's leading coffee port.
Eritrean odyssey: Italy in Africa
After the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the European powers scrambled for a foothold on the African shore of the Red Sea. Italy gained the upper hand in Eritrea, ruling it as a colony from 1890 until 1941 (whereafter it became federated with Ethiopia, finally gaining independence in 1993).
The country still shows marked Italian influence: the capital Asmara sports an art deco cinema, Cubist and Futurist buildings galore, a Catholic cathedral and dozens of colonial villas, while the Red Sea port of Massawa – Ottoman-ruled for more than three hundred years – is an eclectic mix of pointed arches and coral stone. Explore (0845 013 1537; explore.co.uk) is one of the few UK tour operators to visit: eight days costs £1,375.
Into the deep: Diving
Diving is where the Red Sea leads the world. If you've explored Ras Mohammed, dived the Blue Hole – a deep-water cavern off Dahab – and roamed Aqaba's wreck of the Cedar Pride, head for richly rewarding waters further afield.
A memorable sequence in the recent BBC series The Frankincense Trail was when Kate Humble dived an unmarked wreck off Saudi Arabia. Although that location remains secret, her specialist guide, Saudi-based Eric Mason, leads diving tours in similarly pristine waters off the Farasan Islands south of Jeddah. A week – either at the Al Ahlam resort in Al Lith, or on a liveaboard – start at £1,228. Book through Regaldive (01353 659999; regaldive.co.uk).
Then there's the final frontier of Red Sea diving: Sudan. Experienced divers can book with Regaldive or Scuba Travel (0800 072 8221; scubatravel.com) for two weeks aboard the Royal Evolution, sailing south out of Port Ghalib in Egypt to spectacular reefs off Port Sudan, with sightings of hammerhead shark thrown in. Prices start at £2,145.
Travel essentials: The Red Sea
Getting there
Scheduled flights to Red Sea airports include easyJet and FlyGlobespan to Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada, British Airways and jet2 to Sharm, and Saudia, BMI or British Airways to Jeddah.
Intrepid souls could go independently. To go overland (explained at seat61.com), take trains from London to Paris, Munich, Budapest, Bucharest, Istanbul, Aleppo and Damascus, from where buses and shared taxis link to Amman and Aqaba. It takes about a week.
Alternatively take ship aboard a freighter. The Grande Europa, inset, sails from Southampton this Tuesday on a two-week voyage to Ashdod in Israel: €816 (£734) buys you a berth and all meals. Departures are weekly year-round (grimaldi-freightercruises.com). A bus from Ashdod to Jerusalem and another to Eilat (£14; egged.com) transport you from Med to Red.
Red Tape
Visas for Israel are issued free on arrival. For Jordan, the usual visa fee of 10 dinars (£8.50) is waived if you enter at Aqaba (by land, sea or air). Egypt issues free Sinai-only visas at Sharm airport, Nuweiba sea port and the Taba land border, but these are valid only along this stretch of coast (including St Catherine's). To visit the rest of Egypt you must hold a full visa, which can be bought on arrival at any airport (US$15).
Yemen issues visas on arrival (£25), Sudan takes six weeks to process visa applications (£53; applying in Cairo is quicker), and Saudi Arabia issues tourist visas only as part of a pre-booked group package. These three refuse entry to people whose passports show evidence of a visit to Israel. Eritrean visas (£25) come with travel restrictions; check details with the London embassy (020-7713 0096).
When to go
Temperatures this week in Sharm, Hurghada, Aqaba and Eilat are 25-30C. Things stay comfortable into April, though summer (May-Sept) can be stifling.
Travel advice
All of the Red Sea's shoreline countries get a drubbing from the Foreign Office, which advises against non-essential travel to Yemen. Eritrea is deemed to have an "underlying" threat of terrorism, Jordan and Israel have a "general" threat, while Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Egypt – which suffered a bomb attack that killed 88 in 2005 – have a "high" threat.
More information
Contact the tourist boards of Egypt (020-7493 5283; egypt.travel), Eritrea (020-7713 0096), Israel (020-7299 1100; thinkisrael.com), Jordan (020-7371 6496; visitjordan.com), Saudi Arabia (scta.gov.sa), Sudan (sudan-tourism.gov.sd) and Yemen (yementourism.com).
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Article Source:independent.co.uk
Report: Shalit deal hinges on one prisoner
Hamas-affiliated Al Risala newspaper reports negotiations stuck on one prisoner; Hamas officials: Disagreement on several prisoners – not just one. Hamas delegation from Syria, Gaza to meet in Cairo Monday in effort to solve deal
Ali Waked Published: 11.23.09, 13:50 / Israel News
A news publication affiliated with the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip has reported that sealing the deal on the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit hinges on one prisoner, whose release is still being negotiated by the two sides.
Al Risala newspaper reported that negotiations have reached a very advanced stage, but did not publish the name of the said prisoner.
Hamas also reported that big headway has been made in the negotiations, however said that a deal has yet to be reached due to disagreement on several prisoners – not just one.
A Hamas delegation from Syria is scheduled to travel to Cairo Monday and meet with the leadership from the Gaza Strip in order to discuss the latest proposal given to Israel.
Earlier, it was reported that the delegation will be headed by a Senior Hamas member Mahmoud al-Zahar.
Flow of media reports
Many reports have surfaced in recent days about the deal nearing completion.
Saudi network al-Arabiya reported Sunday that the deal will be executed as early as this coming Friday – the first day of Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Palestine Journal, Hamas's official publication in the Strip, did not mention the deal; instead, Monday's main headline discussed recent offences of the IDF in the Gaza Strip.
The only mention given to the Shalit deal was in Hamas representative Osama Hamdan's statement, in which he denied that the deal was nearing completion, adding that this will only occur once Israel concede to the demands of Shalit's capturers.
Meanwhile, the Shalit family made last efforts to press the government before a final decision is made. Aviva and Noam Shalit met Monday morning with Hagai Hadas, the main negotiator for their captured soldier son, Gilad.
The meeting, which was held at Tel Aviv's Kirya military base, lasted about two hours. Reporters wishing to speak with the family prior to the meeting were told by Noam Shalit that "now is not the time to talk."
After the meeting concluded, Noam Shalit told reporters: "We cannot speak at the moment, and I have nothing to add. We will share our joy if there is one to share, but I am not at ease."
"I've participated in far more interesting meetings in my life," Shalit said in response to questions about the meeting's content.
Later today, Shalit is scheduled to travel to Jerusalem and meet with several ministers.
Article Source:ynetnews.com
Ali Waked Published: 11.23.09, 13:50 / Israel News
A news publication affiliated with the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip has reported that sealing the deal on the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit hinges on one prisoner, whose release is still being negotiated by the two sides.
Al Risala newspaper reported that negotiations have reached a very advanced stage, but did not publish the name of the said prisoner.
Hamas also reported that big headway has been made in the negotiations, however said that a deal has yet to be reached due to disagreement on several prisoners – not just one.
A Hamas delegation from Syria is scheduled to travel to Cairo Monday and meet with the leadership from the Gaza Strip in order to discuss the latest proposal given to Israel.
Earlier, it was reported that the delegation will be headed by a Senior Hamas member Mahmoud al-Zahar.
Flow of media reports
Many reports have surfaced in recent days about the deal nearing completion.
Saudi network al-Arabiya reported Sunday that the deal will be executed as early as this coming Friday – the first day of Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Palestine Journal, Hamas's official publication in the Strip, did not mention the deal; instead, Monday's main headline discussed recent offences of the IDF in the Gaza Strip.
The only mention given to the Shalit deal was in Hamas representative Osama Hamdan's statement, in which he denied that the deal was nearing completion, adding that this will only occur once Israel concede to the demands of Shalit's capturers.
Meanwhile, the Shalit family made last efforts to press the government before a final decision is made. Aviva and Noam Shalit met Monday morning with Hagai Hadas, the main negotiator for their captured soldier son, Gilad.
The meeting, which was held at Tel Aviv's Kirya military base, lasted about two hours. Reporters wishing to speak with the family prior to the meeting were told by Noam Shalit that "now is not the time to talk."
After the meeting concluded, Noam Shalit told reporters: "We cannot speak at the moment, and I have nothing to add. We will share our joy if there is one to share, but I am not at ease."
"I've participated in far more interesting meetings in my life," Shalit said in response to questions about the meeting's content.
Later today, Shalit is scheduled to travel to Jerusalem and meet with several ministers.
Article Source:ynetnews.com
Syrian-British Workshop on Encouraging Tourism Movement
Damascus – A Syrian-British workshop encompassing representatives of tourism and travel agencies reviewed on Sunday cooperation between the two countries for attracting more European tourists into the countries.
Both sides discussed means of encouraging the travel exchange and organizing tourist programs to activate tourism movement between the two countries.
The British travel agencies expressed readiness to put Syria on the list of the most important tourist destinations and to provide the Syrian travel agencies with the best international services.
Ministry of Tourism has launched an ads campaign at London main streets and the British media along with its participation in the International Traveling Market recently held in London.
Article Source:champress.net
Both sides discussed means of encouraging the travel exchange and organizing tourist programs to activate tourism movement between the two countries.
The British travel agencies expressed readiness to put Syria on the list of the most important tourist destinations and to provide the Syrian travel agencies with the best international services.
Ministry of Tourism has launched an ads campaign at London main streets and the British media along with its participation in the International Traveling Market recently held in London.
Article Source:champress.net
Syria urges French Mid-East role
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has called for France to play a bigger role in Middle East peace efforts.
Mr Assad said the issue would be the focal point of his talks in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
He said he was disappointed by Barack Obama's record in the region, saying no plan of action had been developed since he took over the White House.
The message comes days after Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu told Mr Sarkozy he was ready for talks with Syria.
"France must act," said Mr Assad ahead of Friday's talks with his French counterpart.
He criticised what he called the US "weak link" in efforts for renewed peace talks in the Middle East in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro.
French interests
During the Paris talks with Mr Assad, Mr Sarkozy is expected to pass on the message that Israel is prepared for serious talks on a peace deal with Damascus.
Bernard Kouchner is due to travel to the Middle East to promote talks
Senior Israeli officials say Mr Netanyahu told President Sarkozy he would be willing to meet President Assad "any time anywhere to move on the peace negotiations on the basis of no pre-conditions".
The Israelis deny that Mr Netanyahu expressed his willingness to withdraw from the Golan Heights - territory captured by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War.
Syria wants the area back and is not interested in negotiations unless they produce this outcome.
While Israel is interested in drawing Syria away from more radical elements in the region - Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas - it is far from clear that Mr Netanyahu is willing to pay the price of the Golan Heights to achieve this goal, says the BBC's diplomatic correspondent, Jonathan Marcus.
France has a strong interest in pushing for Israel-Syria talks, our correspondent adds, as it has been the leading player in Europe in trying to bring Damascus in from the diplomatic cold.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is due to travel to the region in the next few days in an effort to promote talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
Article Source:bbc.co.uk
Hizbullah denies links to weapons shipment
BEIRUT: Hizbullah flatly denied on Thursday Israel’s claim that a cargo ship it seized in the Mediterranean was carrying weapons destined for Lebanon, even as officials in Tel Aviv hurled fresh allegations of arms smuggling. “Hizbullah categorically denies any link to the weapons that the Zionist enemy claims it removed from the vessel Francop,” the group said in a statement on Thursday. “At the same time it condemns Israeli piracy in international waters.”
Israeli naval commandos stormed a ship it said was carrying hundreds of tons of weapons just before dawn on Wednesday in waters close to Cyprus. Israeli media reports on Thursday suggested that the haul consisted of more than 3,000 rockets.
Military officials claimed to have obtained a document proving that the ship was en route from Iran, had docked in Beirut and was due to travel on to Latakia in Syria after receiving its cargo in Egypt. However, as of Thursday evening, no concrete proof had been provided by Israel.
Israeli media reported that the Antiguan-owned ship, Francop, left the port of Ashdod in the early hours of Thursday morning to continue its initial route once all its cargo had been detained by security officials. Its 11 crew were allowed to leave with the vessel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran on Thursday of seeking to execute a “war crime” in supporting Hizbullah’s military designs in south Lebanon.
“This is a war crime that the General Assembly meeting today should investigate and discuss,” Netanyahu told reporters in Tel Aviv. “It is a war crime that the UN Security Council should have a special meeting over. It explicitly violates Security Council decisions.”
“It is a war crime that we know the Iranian regime intended for Hizbullah to carry out after they already fired thousands of rockets at our communities. This is what the international community should focus on especially today,” he added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem were quick to deny any involvement from their respective countries.
Moallem accused Israel of obstructing trade movements between Iran and Syria.
“This ship does not carry Iranian weapons to Syria and does not contain military material to manufacture weapons in Syria,” Moallem said in a joint press conference with Mottaki on Wednesday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman insisted on Thursday that his country’s claims regarding the proposed destination of the seized cargo were legitimate.
“The crew’s questioning, the documents and our intelligence prove above and beyond all doubt that the ship contained weapons destined for Hizbullah,” Lieberman was quoted as saying in Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharanot.
“They changed their route, moved from one ship to another; there is more than irrefutable evidence that it was destined for Hizbullah,” he added.
Lieberman echoed Israeli military intelligence chief Moshe Yaalon’s comments earlier in the week which alleged that the bulk of Hizbullah’s arsenal was being channeled through Syria.
“It is clear that the Syrians are capable of almost completely preventing arms smuggling to south Lebanon, but each and every day they do the exact opposite. That is why I believe there is no room for illusions here.”
He also referenced the rocket attacks between Israeli military positions and the southern Lebanese village of Houla of 27 October.
“We saw the Katuysha that was fired at [Israel]. We saw the test of the rocket that is meant to hit civilian population in central Israel,” Lieberman said.
Israel has been criticized by UN officials for its excessive response to rocket attacks across the Blue Line.
It has long held that Iran and Syria transport weapons into south Lebanon to increase Hizbullah’s military capabilities.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s report on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, released to journalists this week, said that it took such accusations seriously but lacked the capacity to verify them Hizbullah, for its part, savaged the report on Thursday, claiming it overlooked many Israeli violations of international law while exaggerating incidents of Security Council Resolution 1701 violations occurring within Lebanon.
Ban’s evaluation “was unfair regarding Lebanon and its resistance,” the group said in a statement issued Thursday.
“What’s a more dangerous violation, the continuation [of Israeli airspace violations], spying activities, launching rockets on south Lebanon, [Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny] Ayalon’s statement that Israel will continue its spying activities in Lebanon, or a limited number of incidents that do not match repeated violations?” the statement asked.
Resolution 1701 was drawn up to end Israel’s war on Lebanon in the summer of 2006 and stipulates that Lebanese “internationally recognized” borders not be breached.
Ban said he had repeatedly asked Israel to cease its aerial reconnaissance missions over Lebanese airspace, yet the exercises persist on a near-daily basis.
The statement continued: “[The report] should have highlighted the Israeli violations that cause concern and instability in the region since Resolution 1701 does not only concern Lebanon – which expresses commitment to its full implementation – but also Israel to a further extent.
“Why disregard and encourage Israel to continue its aggression?” the statemnet added.
Ban’s report was the 11th evaluation of the implementation of Resolution 1701 and called for the eradication of non-state-controlled weapons within Lebanon.
– With agencies
Article Source:dailystar.com.lb
Israeli naval commandos stormed a ship it said was carrying hundreds of tons of weapons just before dawn on Wednesday in waters close to Cyprus. Israeli media reports on Thursday suggested that the haul consisted of more than 3,000 rockets.
Military officials claimed to have obtained a document proving that the ship was en route from Iran, had docked in Beirut and was due to travel on to Latakia in Syria after receiving its cargo in Egypt. However, as of Thursday evening, no concrete proof had been provided by Israel.
Israeli media reported that the Antiguan-owned ship, Francop, left the port of Ashdod in the early hours of Thursday morning to continue its initial route once all its cargo had been detained by security officials. Its 11 crew were allowed to leave with the vessel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran on Thursday of seeking to execute a “war crime” in supporting Hizbullah’s military designs in south Lebanon.
“This is a war crime that the General Assembly meeting today should investigate and discuss,” Netanyahu told reporters in Tel Aviv. “It is a war crime that the UN Security Council should have a special meeting over. It explicitly violates Security Council decisions.”
“It is a war crime that we know the Iranian regime intended for Hizbullah to carry out after they already fired thousands of rockets at our communities. This is what the international community should focus on especially today,” he added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem were quick to deny any involvement from their respective countries.
Moallem accused Israel of obstructing trade movements between Iran and Syria.
“This ship does not carry Iranian weapons to Syria and does not contain military material to manufacture weapons in Syria,” Moallem said in a joint press conference with Mottaki on Wednesday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman insisted on Thursday that his country’s claims regarding the proposed destination of the seized cargo were legitimate.
“The crew’s questioning, the documents and our intelligence prove above and beyond all doubt that the ship contained weapons destined for Hizbullah,” Lieberman was quoted as saying in Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharanot.
“They changed their route, moved from one ship to another; there is more than irrefutable evidence that it was destined for Hizbullah,” he added.
Lieberman echoed Israeli military intelligence chief Moshe Yaalon’s comments earlier in the week which alleged that the bulk of Hizbullah’s arsenal was being channeled through Syria.
“It is clear that the Syrians are capable of almost completely preventing arms smuggling to south Lebanon, but each and every day they do the exact opposite. That is why I believe there is no room for illusions here.”
He also referenced the rocket attacks between Israeli military positions and the southern Lebanese village of Houla of 27 October.
“We saw the Katuysha that was fired at [Israel]. We saw the test of the rocket that is meant to hit civilian population in central Israel,” Lieberman said.
Israel has been criticized by UN officials for its excessive response to rocket attacks across the Blue Line.
It has long held that Iran and Syria transport weapons into south Lebanon to increase Hizbullah’s military capabilities.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s report on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, released to journalists this week, said that it took such accusations seriously but lacked the capacity to verify them Hizbullah, for its part, savaged the report on Thursday, claiming it overlooked many Israeli violations of international law while exaggerating incidents of Security Council Resolution 1701 violations occurring within Lebanon.
Ban’s evaluation “was unfair regarding Lebanon and its resistance,” the group said in a statement issued Thursday.
“What’s a more dangerous violation, the continuation [of Israeli airspace violations], spying activities, launching rockets on south Lebanon, [Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny] Ayalon’s statement that Israel will continue its spying activities in Lebanon, or a limited number of incidents that do not match repeated violations?” the statement asked.
Resolution 1701 was drawn up to end Israel’s war on Lebanon in the summer of 2006 and stipulates that Lebanese “internationally recognized” borders not be breached.
Ban said he had repeatedly asked Israel to cease its aerial reconnaissance missions over Lebanese airspace, yet the exercises persist on a near-daily basis.
The statement continued: “[The report] should have highlighted the Israeli violations that cause concern and instability in the region since Resolution 1701 does not only concern Lebanon – which expresses commitment to its full implementation – but also Israel to a further extent.
“Why disregard and encourage Israel to continue its aggression?” the statemnet added.
Ban’s report was the 11th evaluation of the implementation of Resolution 1701 and called for the eradication of non-state-controlled weapons within Lebanon.
– With agencies
Article Source:dailystar.com.lb
ATB Travel Fair opened by Syrian Tourism Minister Dr. Sadaalah Al Qala’a
DAMASCUS, Syria - With participation from official tourism boards such as Greece, Thailand, Jordan, Turkey, India, Malaysia, and Syria together with airlines, hotels, tour operators, restaurants, and travel and tourism services companies, the Arab Tourism Borsa in its 6th edition was concluded with a new record for visitors that exceeded 1,200 trade professionals and over 6,000 from the general public.
This year ATB was special and much better than last year as the Minister of Syria Tourism Dr. Sadaala Agha Al Qalaa opened the fair together with an official team. The minister spent around three hours at the event and paid visits to all the stands, in particular the foreign participants, whom he warmly welcomed.
Syria is one of the best travel and tourism destinations in the Middle East with the most attractions. The only thing that ATB is missing are hosted buyer and hosted media programs. The organizer of the event, Mr. Emad Sarayri, said that hotels in Damascus are not offering rooms, and they are not supporting the event, simply because its known that Syria still has a shortage of 5-star hotel rooms, although a few 5-star hotels are under construction.
Dr. Sadallah visited the eTurboNews stand where Motaz Mothman, eTN Middle East representative, confirmed to him that our publication is interested in writing about Syria and being partners with Syria Tourism.
The organizers held a dinner on the second day in Al Raya restaurant, where popular Syrian food was served accompanied with Arabic Music and singers specializing in the "tabla," a popular Indian percussion instrument, and the “oud," a stringed instrument commonly used in Middle Eastern music. Dinner also included a Malaysian folklore team who played and sang traditional Malawi songs. The Ambassador of China attended the dinner and give a 5-minute speech to the attendees, during which he confirmed China's participation next year.
The next day, the organizers invited the exhibitors to lunch at Al Khawali restaurant, located in the old city of Damascus. The old city is a big tourism attraction where most of the old houses have been turned into restaurants and showrooms for handmade Syrian furniture and mosaics.
A Jordanian delegate arrived on the 3rd day of the event and held meetings one-on-one with major Syrian tour operators, confirming that tourism and travel between Jordan and Syria is at its best time since taxes will be removed for travelers from Jordan and Syria in order to increase traffic and business between the two friendly neighboring countries.
The minister informed the organizers to participate in a partnership with an international event organizer so as to attract more exhibitors and to organize a hosted buyer and media program as well.
Ms. Fotini Nakou, Greece representative, said they were happy to participate in Syria, as Greece is the closest European country to them and because of the similarities in food and culture. Mr. Gangadhar, assistant director for India for the Middle East, said they always exhibit at ATB as they believe that Syria and the Arab world is attractive for them. Mr. Zaid Malhas, representing Thailand, said they were at the event to invite Syria travelers to enjoy their honeymoon programs, as well as their spas and the wonderful nature in Thailand. Mr. Maher Al Qaryouti, head of the Arab countries division on the Jordan Tourism Board, mentioned that as the relationship between the two countries is going better, they will, as a tourism board, support the future development of this ongoing relationship. Kuwait is a regular exhibitor at ATB, because thousands of Syrians work in Kuwait and tens of thousands of Kuwait tourists arrive in Syria every year.
Article Source:eturbonews.com
MIDEAST MORNING BRIEFING: Gulf Mkts Seen Flat Ahead Of Eid
DUBAI (Zawya Dow Jones)--The Gulf markets are seen trading mostly flat Wednesday as investors shy away from holding positions over a long religious holiday amid mixed global market sentiment, traders said.
"Investors have stayed well away now for a while, not wishing to hold positions of significance with the holiday period approaching," a Saudi-based trader said.
Asian stocks are trading mixed Wednesday, after a subdued performance by U.S. equities overnight.
U.A.E.: Dubai's benchmark stock index ended -1.9% at 2070.89 Tuesday. Abu Dhabi's market slipped 0.5% to 2893.87.
Volumes remained low ahead of the Eid holidays.
The markets have been on a rollercoaster ride this week as investors track mixed economic recovery signals, said a trader.
He noted weaker Asia and Europe stocks, a stronger U.S. dollar, and lower crude prices, all impacting sentiment Tuesday.
Arabtec Holding, the U.A.E.'s largest construction firm by market value, expects its performance next year to match 2009's effort at best, the company's chief financial officer said Tuesday.
Union Properties Tuesday said it expects fourth-quarter operating profit to be better than a year earlier, but warns that it may be forced to take provisions on contracting activities that could impact its bottom line.
Aabar Investments said late Wednesday it has entered into a $1.62 billion club loan agreement with a number of international and local lenders.
SAUDI ARABIA: The Tadawul benchmark index closed +0.2% at 6303.81 Tuesday.
"Volumes remain extremely thin, roughly half of the year-to-date average daily traded - the expectation locally though is that activity should pick up post Eid, with investors starting to position themselves for 2010," a Saudi-based trader said.
Emaar The Economic City, or EEC, said Tuesday it has canceled a SAR650 million contract it signed last year with City Cool Co. to build, own and operate two cooling stations at the residential and commercial buildings within Bay La Sun Village on the Red Sea.
KUWAIT: The benchmark stock price index rose 1.1% to 6869.10 Tuesday.
Bellwether Zain gained 4.2% to KWD1 Tuesday. Nomura upgraded Zain to neutral from reduce rating, saying it should produce a better financial performance in 2010, supported by an improved economic position and improving currency trends.
Kuwait's Kharafi Group, which is leading a consortium of investors selling a 46% stake in Zain, has appointed BNP Paribas SA as advisor to the deal, which could be worth a potential $13.7 billion, a Kharafi Group official said Tuesday.
Agility closed up 2.4% at KWD0.87 Tuesday. Its shares fell 5.6% Monday, after losing 17% in the previous four sessions on news that the U.S. government has filed a criminal indictment against the company.
QATAR: Doha's market closed -1.5% at 7150.52 Tuesday, after rising 1.2% Monday.
Resistance is seen at 7300, said Shuaa Capital, noting this level represents an important test for buyers and a break above it could further extend the bounce and possibly push the index to its October high around 7650.
"That being said, we still believe that the move is unlikely to travel far from current levels and that traders should use the bounce as an opportunity to lighten up on their exposures," Shuaa added.
BAHRAIN: The benchmark index rose 0.1% to 1449.05 Tuesday, supported by shares of investment firms.
OMAN: The Muscat market closed flat at 6393.67 Tuesday. Bank stocks finished lower while industrials were up.
EGYPT: The EGX 30 index closed +0.6% at 6316.61 Tuesday.
Al Ezz Steel Rebars Co., Egypt's largest producer of steel, Tuesday reported a nine-month net profit of EGP29 million compared with EGP1.5 billion in the same period last year.
Bellwether Orascom Construction rose 5.8% to EGP242.73. OCI was up 3% Monday, after it posted a 41% slide in third-quarter net profit, but still beat analyst expectations.
SYRIA: Damascus Securities Exchange, or DSE, trade sessions take place on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE GULF: Qatar will propose the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, creates a regional development bank, similar to that set up in Europe, when the bloc meets next month in Kuwait, the group's secretary-general told Al Arabiya television Tuesday.
Abu Dhabi plans to build the largest sports stadium in the United Arab Emirates as it seeks to invest $100 billion on new infrastructure to attract visitors.
Sovereign wealth funds from Kuwait, Qatar and the U.A.E. are poised to pour billions of dollars into the markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China next year as they seek to tap into the BRIC countries explosive economic growth, a senior executive at Credit Suisse said.
Saudi Arabia will remove a two-year-old subsidy on rice imports November 29 in an attempt to trim the kingdom's spending on food imports, traders said Tuesday.
Qatar plans to spend as much as $1 billion on a solar-powered water desalination plant that will support the gas-rich Persian Gulf state's agricultural industry, the chairman of a recently formed government body said.
Oman will boost government spending by 9% to OMR7.18 billion in 2010 as oil prices increase, the country's economy minister Ahmad bin Abdul-Nabi Mekki said Tuesday.
Kuwait could switch the pricing of its crude sold to U.S. customers to the Argus Sour Crude Index, or ASCI, from Platt's West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, following in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia, Kuwaiti oil officials said.
Bahrain's Mumtalakat Holding Co., which owns Gulf Air, may sell a stake in the national carrier and is eyeing other investments globally, the head of the Gulf state's investment arm said.
-By Nikhil Lohade, Dow Jones Newswires, +9714 364 4963, nikhil.lohade@dowjones.com
Copyright (c) 2009 Dow Jones & Co.
Article Source:wsj.com
"Investors have stayed well away now for a while, not wishing to hold positions of significance with the holiday period approaching," a Saudi-based trader said.
Asian stocks are trading mixed Wednesday, after a subdued performance by U.S. equities overnight.
U.A.E.: Dubai's benchmark stock index ended -1.9% at 2070.89 Tuesday. Abu Dhabi's market slipped 0.5% to 2893.87.
Volumes remained low ahead of the Eid holidays.
The markets have been on a rollercoaster ride this week as investors track mixed economic recovery signals, said a trader.
He noted weaker Asia and Europe stocks, a stronger U.S. dollar, and lower crude prices, all impacting sentiment Tuesday.
Arabtec Holding, the U.A.E.'s largest construction firm by market value, expects its performance next year to match 2009's effort at best, the company's chief financial officer said Tuesday.
Union Properties Tuesday said it expects fourth-quarter operating profit to be better than a year earlier, but warns that it may be forced to take provisions on contracting activities that could impact its bottom line.
Aabar Investments said late Wednesday it has entered into a $1.62 billion club loan agreement with a number of international and local lenders.
SAUDI ARABIA: The Tadawul benchmark index closed +0.2% at 6303.81 Tuesday.
"Volumes remain extremely thin, roughly half of the year-to-date average daily traded - the expectation locally though is that activity should pick up post Eid, with investors starting to position themselves for 2010," a Saudi-based trader said.
Emaar The Economic City, or EEC, said Tuesday it has canceled a SAR650 million contract it signed last year with City Cool Co. to build, own and operate two cooling stations at the residential and commercial buildings within Bay La Sun Village on the Red Sea.
KUWAIT: The benchmark stock price index rose 1.1% to 6869.10 Tuesday.
Bellwether Zain gained 4.2% to KWD1 Tuesday. Nomura upgraded Zain to neutral from reduce rating, saying it should produce a better financial performance in 2010, supported by an improved economic position and improving currency trends.
Kuwait's Kharafi Group, which is leading a consortium of investors selling a 46% stake in Zain, has appointed BNP Paribas SA as advisor to the deal, which could be worth a potential $13.7 billion, a Kharafi Group official said Tuesday.
Agility closed up 2.4% at KWD0.87 Tuesday. Its shares fell 5.6% Monday, after losing 17% in the previous four sessions on news that the U.S. government has filed a criminal indictment against the company.
QATAR: Doha's market closed -1.5% at 7150.52 Tuesday, after rising 1.2% Monday.
Resistance is seen at 7300, said Shuaa Capital, noting this level represents an important test for buyers and a break above it could further extend the bounce and possibly push the index to its October high around 7650.
"That being said, we still believe that the move is unlikely to travel far from current levels and that traders should use the bounce as an opportunity to lighten up on their exposures," Shuaa added.
BAHRAIN: The benchmark index rose 0.1% to 1449.05 Tuesday, supported by shares of investment firms.
OMAN: The Muscat market closed flat at 6393.67 Tuesday. Bank stocks finished lower while industrials were up.
EGYPT: The EGX 30 index closed +0.6% at 6316.61 Tuesday.
Al Ezz Steel Rebars Co., Egypt's largest producer of steel, Tuesday reported a nine-month net profit of EGP29 million compared with EGP1.5 billion in the same period last year.
Bellwether Orascom Construction rose 5.8% to EGP242.73. OCI was up 3% Monday, after it posted a 41% slide in third-quarter net profit, but still beat analyst expectations.
SYRIA: Damascus Securities Exchange, or DSE, trade sessions take place on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE GULF: Qatar will propose the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, creates a regional development bank, similar to that set up in Europe, when the bloc meets next month in Kuwait, the group's secretary-general told Al Arabiya television Tuesday.
Abu Dhabi plans to build the largest sports stadium in the United Arab Emirates as it seeks to invest $100 billion on new infrastructure to attract visitors.
Sovereign wealth funds from Kuwait, Qatar and the U.A.E. are poised to pour billions of dollars into the markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China next year as they seek to tap into the BRIC countries explosive economic growth, a senior executive at Credit Suisse said.
Saudi Arabia will remove a two-year-old subsidy on rice imports November 29 in an attempt to trim the kingdom's spending on food imports, traders said Tuesday.
Qatar plans to spend as much as $1 billion on a solar-powered water desalination plant that will support the gas-rich Persian Gulf state's agricultural industry, the chairman of a recently formed government body said.
Oman will boost government spending by 9% to OMR7.18 billion in 2010 as oil prices increase, the country's economy minister Ahmad bin Abdul-Nabi Mekki said Tuesday.
Kuwait could switch the pricing of its crude sold to U.S. customers to the Argus Sour Crude Index, or ASCI, from Platt's West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, following in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia, Kuwaiti oil officials said.
Bahrain's Mumtalakat Holding Co., which owns Gulf Air, may sell a stake in the national carrier and is eyeing other investments globally, the head of the Gulf state's investment arm said.
-By Nikhil Lohade, Dow Jones Newswires, +9714 364 4963, nikhil.lohade@dowjones.com
Copyright (c) 2009 Dow Jones & Co.
Article Source:wsj.com
Painting a kinder picture of Syria
WASHINGTON // Being the Syrian ambassador to the United States is not an easy job. There must be times when it is frustrating to be the representative of a country which America has designated a rogue state, criticised for its relationship with Iran and taken issue with over alleged support of the insurgency in Iraq.
For the eight years of the Bush presidency, the administration adopted a policy of “not talking” with the Syrian regime.
Mention a trip to Syria to most Americans, and jaws drop; they associate the country more readily with subterfuge and centrifuges than with souks and citadels.
So, very soon after his appointment as Syrian ambassador to the US in 2004, Imad Mustapha tried a new tactic to reshape his country’s image abroad. He took his love of all things cultural, sized up what Syria had to offer the US, and began an extraordinary diplomatic mission to take the modern, vibrant Syrian art scene to his newly-adopted home.
Sitting in the embassy in Washington, DC, he gesticulates at the abstract paintings on his walls – a part of his collection of paintings and sculptures by modern Syrian artists. They form the focus of a regularly updated blog and of his diplomatic work with which he tries to build understanding of Syria.
“Culture counts,” he says firmly. “It opens doors.”
Mr Mustapha recalls clearly the moment four years ago when he visited a Toulouse Lautrec exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Since his wife was away, he thought he might turn the experience into an article for one of the art periodicals he used to write for in Syria. He began taking notes in Arabic, attracting the attention of a polite American man who enquired whether he was an art historian. “No,” Mr Mustapha replied, laughing about it now, “I am a diplomat, I am just writing down my impressions.”
A month later came an invitation to dine alongside the famous Impressionist paintings at the Phillips Collection. He does not say so, but possibly in 2005, as the insurgency raged in Iraq, social invitations were thin on the ground for a Syrian diplomat. So he went, admired the art, met influential people and discovered that the polite man at the National Gallery had been the director.
It was shortly after this, he says, when the relationship between the US and Syria deteriorated and “people like Fox News started to paint a very vile picture of Syria”.
Mr Mustapha’s response was to paint a different picture of Syria.
Since then, he has organised a number of art shows, the largest of which was in 2007, held at the American University Museum. He features the works of distinguished artists from Syria on his blog, gives tours of his personal collection and he and his wife find themselves being sought as advisers on Syrian art.
Syrian art is getting a good showing in the US. The late Louay Kayyali’s oil paintings of stylised Syrian figures sold for more than US$100,000 (Dh367,000) and Ahmad Mualla’s turbulent canvasses were seen at the Art Basel Miami Beach art show.
The idea of artists painting freely in Syria, says Mr Mustapha, shattered preconceptions. People came up to him and said, “do you mean these painters are living and working in Syria?”.
While he and other Syrian art devotees agree that there is no one defining characteristic of the paintings, the works on his walls are very muscular and modern in style. Syria’s reputation as a closed and repressive state seems at odds with the dozens of painters working in avant-garde styles.
Syrian painters, he went on, benefit from the lively faculty at the University of Damascus, and, “there is a vibrant scene … with a number of young painters springing up”. Particularly beneficial to his national pride, he says, is that, “these young people are not only talented but have transcended the need to emulate European schools – they start from within.” Many paintings take traditional Syrian folk motifs – for example birds – and interpret them in new ways, using techniques like screen printing as well as painting.
There were also diplomatic benefits.
“When I started this,” says Mr Mustapha, “some US diplomats were not very friendly to Syria, but they would come and discuss art and their promotion of art in other countries – at least it opens a start for a friendly conversation.”
Marjory Ransom, who lives not far from the embassy, has a painting by a different Syrian painter on every wall of her apartment.
“I think Syrian art is extraordinary,” she says.
Mrs Ransom was the first female US foreign service officer to serve in the Arab world, and was in Damascus first as a public affairs officer with a cultural focus in the 1980s, and then as deputy head of mission in the 1990s.
“I absolutely support Imad Mustapha,” she said, “I think what he is doing is right.”
Relationships built on art and culture, she said, “withstand different circumstances. They bring people together in a very personal way.”
However, in the Syrian art scene she was involved with — and at one time she had works by around 50 artists — there were many restrictions on artists. “I don’t think the situation has changed much, is my impression from afar.”
Artists who addressed political issues in their work, or whose subject matter appeared to be human rights in Syria, either lived in exile or took the risk of being banned from travel or even imprisoned by the authorities. For this reason, she said, when she asked her painter friends about the meaning of their work “they changed the subject”.
Radwan Ziadeh, a Syrian academic who now works with the National Endowment for Democracy, a non-governmental organisation, also looked to put Syrian art in the context of a restricted society.
“The first thing is freedom of expression,” he said, “and if you don’t have basic rights you don’t have freedom of expression.”
Pointing to the limited number of newspapers and magazines and their adherence to the “party line”, Syria, he said, ranked 165 out of 175 in the 2009 annual report by Reporters Without Borders on press freedom.
The restrictions extended to people working in the creative arts, he added, saying that some artists, novelists and filmmakers were banned from travel “because the national organisations don’t want people to speak out about human rights in Syria outside, where they can’t control it”.
Mr Mustapha looks surprised when asked about this. “I don’t believe there are limitations on artists leaving Syria,” he says, adding that, “artists have more freedom than the overwhelming majority of Syrians.”
Miriam Cooke, an expert on Syria working at Duke University in the US, wrote Dissident Syria: Making Oppositional Arts Official, a book published in the 1990s asserting that Syrian authorities allowed some carefully controlled freedom of expression to give the impression that Syrians enjoyed basic freedoms. She called the phenomenon “commissioned criticism”. Now, she said, it seems that artists may have more freedoms than other Syrians as the incentive to give the impression of a changed society is stronger. “Obama is making overtures now,” she said, and Syrian authorities are looking to demonstrate cultural freedoms as they seek to build their relationship with the US.
Mr Mustapha said he plans to continue his work to raise cultural awareness of his country. “People ignore everything about Syria in the US. The US is ubiquitous – in Syria there is American cinema, songs, CNN … Syrians still have some misconceptions but it’s not the same.”
There are still negative reports about Syria in the press, he says, but he demonstrates the advantage of culture rather than politics as he says that whenever a newspaper “sends a travel person to Syria, they write wonderful things. The moment things become apolitical, we get wonderful reviews.”
Article Source:thenational.ae
Great Arabian escapes
Sea and sand: From grand mosques to camel safaris, discover the mystique of Arabia aboard Costa Cruises' two new liners.
Seven-night Jewel of the Emirates tours aboard Costa Luminosa depart from Dubai and cruise to Oman, Fujayrah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. From $952 a person. From February next year, the Costa Deliziosa will depart from Savona and cruise to Dubai before sailing to India and the Maldives. More: costacruises.com.au.
Air fair: Early birds can take flight and keep a nest egg at home with Etihad Airways' new Aussie earlybird fares. On sale to December 4 and valid for travel January 19-September 30 next year, the special fares are available for economy and business-class travel from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to more than 25 destinations in Europe, the Middle East and South Africa. From $1714. More: 1800 998 995; etihadairways.com.
Learn the ropes: Odyssey Ed-Ventures has an educational travel program to Jordan and Syria that departs October 5 next year. The 14-night itinerary includes airfares and taxes from main Australian cities, accommodation, breakfast and dinner daily, 13 lunches, travel insurance, visas, lectures and more. The tour will be led by archeologist Alison Betts from the University of Sydney, who has spent 30 years travelling in the region. From $8950 a person twin-share. More: 1300 888 225: odysseytravel.com.au.
Midnight at the oasis: Spoil yourself in luxury accommodation on the Arabian Peninsula. Creative Holidays has a special offer at two Abu Dhabi resorts. Stay four nights for the price of three in a Deluxe Room at the newly built five-star Anantara Qasr Al Sarab, located amid sand dunes in the Liwa district of Abu Dhabi. The package includes the choice of two activities such as a desert camel ride, desert walk at sunset or sunrise, a four-wheel-drive desert tour, archery or falconry. Available for travel to December 31. From $965 a person, twin-share, including breakfast. For a coastal escape, try the five-star Anantara Desert Island Resort & Spa on the island of Sir Bani Yas off the coast of Abu Dhabi and set in a wildlife reserve. Package includes three nights in a Deluxe Sea View Room, breakfast and a choice of two sightseeing activities such as wildlife viewing, snorkelling and archery. Available for travel to December 23. From $1169 a person twin-share. More: creativeholidays.com.
Doha round: Qatar Airways has released introductory business and economy-class fares to Europe ahead of the airline's launch of scheduled services from Melbourne later this year. The highly competitive fares are available from Melbourne to numerous European destinations via Qatar Airways' operational hub of Doha. From $1562. More: 1300 340 600; qatarairways.com.au.
Arabian nights: Cruiseco has a choice of 13 seven-night fly, cruise and stay packages to the Middle East from January to April next year. The five-star Brilliance of the Seas will sail from Dubai to Muscat in Oman, Fujairah and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Mina in Bahrain and back to Dubai. The package includes airfares, day-use of a room at the Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa in Dubai, a night pre-cruise aboard ship, and another post-cruise aboard in Dubai for additional sightseeing and shopping. From $3479 a person twin-share. More: 1800 225 656.
Article Source:theaustralian.com.au
Seven-night Jewel of the Emirates tours aboard Costa Luminosa depart from Dubai and cruise to Oman, Fujayrah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. From $952 a person. From February next year, the Costa Deliziosa will depart from Savona and cruise to Dubai before sailing to India and the Maldives. More: costacruises.com.au.
Air fair: Early birds can take flight and keep a nest egg at home with Etihad Airways' new Aussie earlybird fares. On sale to December 4 and valid for travel January 19-September 30 next year, the special fares are available for economy and business-class travel from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to more than 25 destinations in Europe, the Middle East and South Africa. From $1714. More: 1800 998 995; etihadairways.com.
Learn the ropes: Odyssey Ed-Ventures has an educational travel program to Jordan and Syria that departs October 5 next year. The 14-night itinerary includes airfares and taxes from main Australian cities, accommodation, breakfast and dinner daily, 13 lunches, travel insurance, visas, lectures and more. The tour will be led by archeologist Alison Betts from the University of Sydney, who has spent 30 years travelling in the region. From $8950 a person twin-share. More: 1300 888 225: odysseytravel.com.au.
Midnight at the oasis: Spoil yourself in luxury accommodation on the Arabian Peninsula. Creative Holidays has a special offer at two Abu Dhabi resorts. Stay four nights for the price of three in a Deluxe Room at the newly built five-star Anantara Qasr Al Sarab, located amid sand dunes in the Liwa district of Abu Dhabi. The package includes the choice of two activities such as a desert camel ride, desert walk at sunset or sunrise, a four-wheel-drive desert tour, archery or falconry. Available for travel to December 31. From $965 a person, twin-share, including breakfast. For a coastal escape, try the five-star Anantara Desert Island Resort & Spa on the island of Sir Bani Yas off the coast of Abu Dhabi and set in a wildlife reserve. Package includes three nights in a Deluxe Sea View Room, breakfast and a choice of two sightseeing activities such as wildlife viewing, snorkelling and archery. Available for travel to December 23. From $1169 a person twin-share. More: creativeholidays.com.
Doha round: Qatar Airways has released introductory business and economy-class fares to Europe ahead of the airline's launch of scheduled services from Melbourne later this year. The highly competitive fares are available from Melbourne to numerous European destinations via Qatar Airways' operational hub of Doha. From $1562. More: 1300 340 600; qatarairways.com.au.
Arabian nights: Cruiseco has a choice of 13 seven-night fly, cruise and stay packages to the Middle East from January to April next year. The five-star Brilliance of the Seas will sail from Dubai to Muscat in Oman, Fujairah and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Mina in Bahrain and back to Dubai. The package includes airfares, day-use of a room at the Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa in Dubai, a night pre-cruise aboard ship, and another post-cruise aboard in Dubai for additional sightseeing and shopping. From $3479 a person twin-share. More: 1800 225 656.
Article Source:theaustralian.com.au
ERCAN YAVUZ HATAY:Turkey, Syria extend cooperation to tourism
Until the 2000s, bilateral relations between Turkey and Syria had been somewhat limited, and even strained, but the two countries have begun to cooperate in tourism after recently abolishing visa requirements along their border, with the Syrian Tourism Ministry requesting Turkey’s aid in marketing Syria to the world as a tourist destination.
If the planned cooperation can be fully implemented, tourists arriving in Turkey will be able to visit Syria as well. Syria has a rich potential, particularly for faith tourism, and it is estimated that the Palmyra region in central Syria can attract about 5 million tourists a year.
The tourism ministers of the two countries met in Latakia in August to discuss the potential for cooperation in tourism and decided to make use of Turkey’s experience in order to market Syria. The Syrian Tourism Ministry is also intent on securing Turkish help in promotion activities as well as in jointly marketing both countries to potential tourists. Speaking to Today’s Zaman about the Syrian proposal, which Turkey has accepted, Turkish Association of Travel Agents (TÜRSAB) Vice President Çetin Gücün noted that they are trying to complete the cooperation project in time for the 2010 tourism season.
“Syria proposed that the two countries should be jointly promoted and marketed in the field of tourism. They suggested that joint destinations should identified. After the tourism ministers of the two countries shook hands, TÜRSAB’s research and development department started to work on it. These two countries will be promoted together in the Far East, North and South America and Africa. We are still working on this. Combined tour programs are being prepared for the two countries. For tourists coming from remote destinations, visiting a single country is not enough. They are eager to visit more than one country. There are successful implementations of this policy. If we manage to put in place a similar cooperation with Syria, the two countries’ market share in tourism will increase exponentially. I believe this project will be very successful,” he said.
Some 485,000 Turkish citizens visited Syria in 2008, and in the first half of 2009 -- before visa requirements were abolished -- 324,000 Turks visited the country. With the lifting of visa requirements, the number of visits between the two countries has exceeded 100,000 monthly. It is estimated that Syria, which was visited by 20,000 Turks in 1990, will receive more than 1 million Turkish tourists in 2010.
According the statistics provided by the tourism ministers of the two countries, the number of Syrians visiting Turkey increased by 20 percent in 2008. A 50 percent increase is expected in this figure by the end of the year. İstanbul, Mersin, Hatay, Adana and Bolu are the most popular destinations for Syrian tourists. A significant portion of Syrian tourists visiting İstanbul tend to travel to a third country from there. The officials of the two countries are conducting talks for allowing people to use the Hatay and Adana airports while traveling from third countries to Syria. Syria has been somewhat isolated from the rest of the world since the US intervention in Iraq and sees Turkey as its door to the external world. In return, Turkey regards Syria as its gate to the Middle East.
Syria was visited by 1.2 million tourists during the period when its bilateral relations with Turkey were strained, and it is said that with the recent rapprochement between the two countries, the number of tourists visiting Syria has skyrocketed to 6 million. With the abolishment of visa requirements, people have rushed to the three border crossings between Syria and Turkey. In an effort to handle the increased demand, officials from the two countries met again and decided to build separate counters for tourists and tour groups arriving from third countries. This measure is expected to solve the problem of the projected increase in demand during the 2010 tourism season. Moreover, the Cilvegözü Border Crossing, a major gate between the two countries, will be modernized as was done with the Habur Border Crossing.
The part TÜRSAB will play is not limited to promotion. TÜRSAB will also provide training services to Syrian travel agencies that are less experienced in tourism. Actually, TÜRSAB has already begun training Syrian tour guides.
Noting that despite the global economic crisis, more than 25 million tourists have visited Turkey so far this year and that Turkey is among the world’s top 10 countries in terms of its tourism revenues, which amount to $7 billion, TÜRSAB Vice President Gürcün said: “There are 90 airplanes that belong to private airlines. Turkish Airlines [THY] has 132 airplanes. The bed capacity is about to exceed 1 million in tourism. Last year, 31 percent of Turkey’s foreign trade deficit was compensated for by tourism revenues. Although a 6 percent contraction is expected in the tourism sector around the world due to the global crisis, we expect Turkey to be significantly successful with 1 percent growth in 2009. Thanks to cooperation with Syria, the Turkish tourism sector may break another record in 2010.”
Article Source:champress.net
Krak des Chevaliers: Crusade to find castle
Your tour was canceled. I am sorry," my hotel manager in Hama, Syria, said to me, shrugging his shoulders.
All morning I had been anxiously awaiting my departure for Krak des Chevaliers, a crusader castle near the Syrian coast that T.E. Lawrence once described as "the most wholly admirable castle in the world."
Though I initially had reservations about traveling to Syria and the region as a whole after perusing State Department travel advisories, those fears proved baseless as I made my way around a country hungry for visitors and eager to show off its historical sites. Krak was at the top of my Middle East agenda, and missing it would be admitting defeat.
"You could get there on your own," the manager said, noticing my disappointment.
I took my bag and walked to the bus station in the blistering heat. After being pulled to and fro by bus company agents promising adventure, I found a bus to Homs, the nearest major town to the castle.
"Krak des Chevaliers?" I asked the bus driver. "Yes! Yes," he yelled impatiently, pulling me onto the bus, probably having not understood my question.
An hour later the bus slowed to a halt. "Qal'at al Hosn," the driver yelled. The passengers looked at each other, waiting for someone to exit the bus.
After a moment of confusion, the driver pointed at me and signaled that I needed to get off. Bewildered, I took my bags and stepped onto the highway emergency lane.
The other passengers looked sorry for me as the bus sped away, leaving me directionless. I walked off the highway to the nearest town and bargained with a bored-looking local to take me to the castle. He agreed and motioned for me to enter his antiquated Russian-made car.
Outside the village, the terrain rolled and then began to climb. I finally caught a glimpse of the castle between two hills in the distance, easing my anxiety that I was headed straight to his relative's curio shop - a common destination for those who find new friends on the street in the Middle East.
The castle was breathtaking. My driver pointed toward it and said something in Arabic before ending in a long "Booooteefull."
It certainly was. After we passed through a rather unremarkable village, the castle came into full view, its size overwhelming. The rich history was easy to feel, particularly amid the bland concrete structures that surround the castle's base. The site was chosen by the emir of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, who built a fortress there in the mid-11th century.
It was captured by Crusaders during the first Crusade but only really inhabited in the mid-12th century by the Knights Hospitallers, contemporaries of the Knights Templar, who began as a protection service for pilgrims bound for the Holy Land.
As their numbers grew, the Hospitallers transformed themselves into a considerable fighting force against Muslim "infidels" who were seen as occupiers of Jerusalem. The Hospitallers paid heed to no other power except the pope, and at the height of their power, they were proprietors of seven major fortresses. The largest, Krak des Chevaliers, was used to stave off invading Muslim armies.
The Hospitallers expanded Krak's original structure, adding 3-meter-thick walls, a moat, a drawbridge, stables, a chapel and seven guard towers that peered out toward the Mediterranean Sea. The Hospitallers fended off numerous attacks by Muslim armies, including one led by Salah al-Din, the most famous Muslim military and political leader during the Crusades. The fortress was eventually captured in 1271 by Baibars, the Mamluk sultan who defeated the Crusaders during their ninth and final crusade to the Holy Land. Depending on the source, it is said that the Crusaders left without a fight, beleaguered and never to return again.
My enterprising tour guide, who had approached me at the front gate, recited the history of the castle in near perfect English.
He took me into the castle's passages, secret doors and hidden tunnels, recounting the tall tales and political intrigue that occurred through the centuries. Though my guide was clearly dwelling in the realm of fiction for the most part, I admired his ability to bring antiquity to life.
As I walked through the dark corridors of the castle, its history was palpable. Gothic, Byzantine and Islamic architecture meld to form one of the most eclectic castles of the period, one that reminds you that you are not in Europe.
After touring the bakery, the kitchen and the latrines (which smell as if they are still in use today), I made my way up to the windswept towers, which offer breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside, including the mountains of Lebanon in the distance.
Just for a moment I could sense the solitude and fear that soldiers must have felt looking out over this strange land, convinced their cause was divinely inspired - with invading soldiers similarly convinced.
When I left, the castle was nearly devoid of visitors, a phenomenon due largely to foreigners' unwarranted fear of travel to Syria rather than the site's lack of grandeur. It's a pity because Krak is no doubt one of the world's great historic sites - and worth the entire 25 cents it costs to enter.
If you go
Syria's desert climate has hot, sunny summers with cold winters. Fall and spring are cool and are the best months to visit.
Getting there
There are no direct flights between Syria and the United States. Recent fares online for flights in the spring round-trip started at $2,500 from the continental United States. Prices are more reasonable if you already in the Middle East, with connections to the Syrian capital, Damascus. U.S. passport holders must obtain a Syrian visa before arrival.
Where to stay
Most visitors to Krak stay in the historic town of Hama and visit the castle on a day trip.
Apamee Cham Palace Hotel: Abi Nawas Street, Hama. (963) 33 525335 or 525346. Hama's luxury option with spectacular views over the city.
Riad Hotel: Sharia Shoukri al-Quwatli Street, Hama. (963) 33 239 512. A well-maintained budget hotel in downtown Hama.
Cairo Hotel: Sharia Shoukri al-Quwatli Street, Hama. (963) 33 222 280. Hama's clean but basic backpacker hotel in the center of town.
More information
Both the Riad and the Cairo hotels offer day tours of Krak des Chevaliers and other tourist attractions in the region for very affordable prices. It is possible to reach Krak from the bus station in Hama, but transportation is irregular.
Article Source:sfgate.com
All morning I had been anxiously awaiting my departure for Krak des Chevaliers, a crusader castle near the Syrian coast that T.E. Lawrence once described as "the most wholly admirable castle in the world."
Though I initially had reservations about traveling to Syria and the region as a whole after perusing State Department travel advisories, those fears proved baseless as I made my way around a country hungry for visitors and eager to show off its historical sites. Krak was at the top of my Middle East agenda, and missing it would be admitting defeat.
"You could get there on your own," the manager said, noticing my disappointment.
I took my bag and walked to the bus station in the blistering heat. After being pulled to and fro by bus company agents promising adventure, I found a bus to Homs, the nearest major town to the castle.
"Krak des Chevaliers?" I asked the bus driver. "Yes! Yes," he yelled impatiently, pulling me onto the bus, probably having not understood my question.
An hour later the bus slowed to a halt. "Qal'at al Hosn," the driver yelled. The passengers looked at each other, waiting for someone to exit the bus.
After a moment of confusion, the driver pointed at me and signaled that I needed to get off. Bewildered, I took my bags and stepped onto the highway emergency lane.
The other passengers looked sorry for me as the bus sped away, leaving me directionless. I walked off the highway to the nearest town and bargained with a bored-looking local to take me to the castle. He agreed and motioned for me to enter his antiquated Russian-made car.
Outside the village, the terrain rolled and then began to climb. I finally caught a glimpse of the castle between two hills in the distance, easing my anxiety that I was headed straight to his relative's curio shop - a common destination for those who find new friends on the street in the Middle East.
The castle was breathtaking. My driver pointed toward it and said something in Arabic before ending in a long "Booooteefull."
It certainly was. After we passed through a rather unremarkable village, the castle came into full view, its size overwhelming. The rich history was easy to feel, particularly amid the bland concrete structures that surround the castle's base. The site was chosen by the emir of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, who built a fortress there in the mid-11th century.
It was captured by Crusaders during the first Crusade but only really inhabited in the mid-12th century by the Knights Hospitallers, contemporaries of the Knights Templar, who began as a protection service for pilgrims bound for the Holy Land.
As their numbers grew, the Hospitallers transformed themselves into a considerable fighting force against Muslim "infidels" who were seen as occupiers of Jerusalem. The Hospitallers paid heed to no other power except the pope, and at the height of their power, they were proprietors of seven major fortresses. The largest, Krak des Chevaliers, was used to stave off invading Muslim armies.
The Hospitallers expanded Krak's original structure, adding 3-meter-thick walls, a moat, a drawbridge, stables, a chapel and seven guard towers that peered out toward the Mediterranean Sea. The Hospitallers fended off numerous attacks by Muslim armies, including one led by Salah al-Din, the most famous Muslim military and political leader during the Crusades. The fortress was eventually captured in 1271 by Baibars, the Mamluk sultan who defeated the Crusaders during their ninth and final crusade to the Holy Land. Depending on the source, it is said that the Crusaders left without a fight, beleaguered and never to return again.
My enterprising tour guide, who had approached me at the front gate, recited the history of the castle in near perfect English.
He took me into the castle's passages, secret doors and hidden tunnels, recounting the tall tales and political intrigue that occurred through the centuries. Though my guide was clearly dwelling in the realm of fiction for the most part, I admired his ability to bring antiquity to life.
As I walked through the dark corridors of the castle, its history was palpable. Gothic, Byzantine and Islamic architecture meld to form one of the most eclectic castles of the period, one that reminds you that you are not in Europe.
After touring the bakery, the kitchen and the latrines (which smell as if they are still in use today), I made my way up to the windswept towers, which offer breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside, including the mountains of Lebanon in the distance.
Just for a moment I could sense the solitude and fear that soldiers must have felt looking out over this strange land, convinced their cause was divinely inspired - with invading soldiers similarly convinced.
When I left, the castle was nearly devoid of visitors, a phenomenon due largely to foreigners' unwarranted fear of travel to Syria rather than the site's lack of grandeur. It's a pity because Krak is no doubt one of the world's great historic sites - and worth the entire 25 cents it costs to enter.
If you go
Syria's desert climate has hot, sunny summers with cold winters. Fall and spring are cool and are the best months to visit.
Getting there
There are no direct flights between Syria and the United States. Recent fares online for flights in the spring round-trip started at $2,500 from the continental United States. Prices are more reasonable if you already in the Middle East, with connections to the Syrian capital, Damascus. U.S. passport holders must obtain a Syrian visa before arrival.
Where to stay
Most visitors to Krak stay in the historic town of Hama and visit the castle on a day trip.
Apamee Cham Palace Hotel: Abi Nawas Street, Hama. (963) 33 525335 or 525346. Hama's luxury option with spectacular views over the city.
Riad Hotel: Sharia Shoukri al-Quwatli Street, Hama. (963) 33 239 512. A well-maintained budget hotel in downtown Hama.
Cairo Hotel: Sharia Shoukri al-Quwatli Street, Hama. (963) 33 222 280. Hama's clean but basic backpacker hotel in the center of town.
More information
Both the Riad and the Cairo hotels offer day tours of Krak des Chevaliers and other tourist attractions in the region for very affordable prices. It is possible to reach Krak from the bus station in Hama, but transportation is irregular.
Article Source:sfgate.com
Turkey's flip
Turkey’s ties with its neighbors have been transformed since the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, came to power seven years ago.
Some analysts have described the AKP’s foreign policy as a “zero problems with neighbors” approach. However, Turkey’s new foreign-policy environment indicates otherwise.
Under the AKP, Ankara has indeed eliminated problems and built good ties with some neighbors, such as Syria and Iran, and signaled a thaw with Armenia, with whom Turkey shares a closed border.
On the other hand, Ankara’s traditionally good ties with neighbors such as Georgia and Azerbaijan have deteriorated under the AKP, and Turkish-Israeli ties could unravel despite diplomats’ best efforts. Subsequently, rather than having a zero-problems approach to all neighbors, the AKP’s foreign policy has resulted in significant ups with some neighbors and significant downs with others, especially those that are pro-Western.
For starters, the AKP’s foreign policy has focused heavily on the Muslim Middle East. Some analysts have referred to the party’s foreign policy as “neo-Ottomanist,” suggesting “secular” imperial ambitions or the desire to achieve the status of a regional power. In fact, though, the AKP’s foreign-policy energy has not exactly reflected Ottoman ambitions. The party does not assert Turkey’s weight equally in all the areas that were under Ottoman rule, namely the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East.
Instead, the AKP has focused its energy on the Middle East, with a slant toward Islamist and anti-Western actors, while building a finance-based relationship with Russia. In this regard, the party’s use of diplomacy is evocative: A study of high-level visits by AKP officials in the region reveals that the party asymmetrically focuses on anti-Western Arab countries and Iran while ignoring Israel, the Balkans and the Caucasus.
Between November 2002 and April 2009, the Turkish foreign minister made at least eight visits to Iran and Syria, but only one visit each to Azerbaijan, a Turkic nation once considered Turkey’s closest partner, and to Georgia, despite the fact that Turkey acted as a mentor after Georgia gained independence. Similarly, between November 2002 and April 2009, the Turkish prime minister made at least seven trips to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, while paying only two visits to Greece and Bulgaria, Turkey's two immediate European and Balkan neighbors.
Much of the AKP’s energy in the Muslim Middle East has been focused on Syria. In the 1990s, Turkey viewed Syria as an enemy because of its support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, as it launched terror attacks against Turkey. Despite this, Turkey and Syria opened their borders Oct. 13, facilitated visa-free travel and began joint cabinet-level meetings to encourage bilateral policymaking.
Although Turkish-Syrian rapprochement began in the late 1990s when Damascus stopped supporting the PKK, the past seven years of détente under the AKP have led to a significant strengthening of Syrian-Turkish ties. The party’s sympathy toward Turkey’s Arab neighbors, its tendency to analyze the Middle East through a religion-based “us vs. them” political lens and its favoring of anti-Western causes in the region have helped build Turkish-Syrian relations. Today, diplomats describe these relations as perfect.
Turkey’s ties with Iran have also improved under the AKP’s leadership, though not to the same extent as those with Syria. This is due to the fact that Tehran is a regional power and, unlike the Ba’ath regime in Damascus, it does not need patrons to survive. Still, the AKP also defends Iran’s nuclear program through its “us vs. them” lens.
As international pressure to prevent Tehran’s program mounts, Iran will likely launch diplomatic overtures to strengthen its bonds with Turkey. Trade links, including the Turkish purchase of and investment in Iranian natural gas, will upgrade bilateral ties. This activity, however, will create also tensions between Ankara and Western powers who will view AKP-promoted investments in Iran as an obstacle to economically isolating Tehran.
While ties with Iran have improved, Turkish-Israeli relations have significantly deteriorated under the AKP. The party’s critical rhetoric regarding Israel, which has eroded all Turkish public support for ties with the country, has been dismissed for a long time in the West and in Israel as domestic politicking. However, that evaluation changed earlier this month: On Oct. 7, the AKP withdrew an invitation to Israel to the Anatolian Eagle, a NATO air force exercise that has been held in central Turkey with the participation of Israel, the United States and other Western nations since the mid-1990s.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan justified his party’s decision by saying that Israel is a “persecutor.” Yet the next day, the AKP announced that it had requested that Syria, whose regime persecutes its own people, participate in joint military exercises. The AKP’s “us vs. them” mindset, which does not see nations but rather religious blocks in the Middle East, is corroding the foundations of Turkey’s 60-year-old military and political cooperation with Israel.
Rather than being pro-Western or neo-Ottoman in a “secular” sense, the AKP’s foreign policy is asymmetrically focused on anti-Western Middle East powers, as well as Russia. Rather than having a “zero problems with all neighbors” approach, the AKP’s foreign policy is a mixed bag, eliminating problems with some neighbors while souring previously good ties with other neighbors, especially pro-Western ones.
Could someone please explain to me how this is good for Turkey’s interests?
Article Source:hurriyetdailynews.com
Some analysts have described the AKP’s foreign policy as a “zero problems with neighbors” approach. However, Turkey’s new foreign-policy environment indicates otherwise.
Under the AKP, Ankara has indeed eliminated problems and built good ties with some neighbors, such as Syria and Iran, and signaled a thaw with Armenia, with whom Turkey shares a closed border.
On the other hand, Ankara’s traditionally good ties with neighbors such as Georgia and Azerbaijan have deteriorated under the AKP, and Turkish-Israeli ties could unravel despite diplomats’ best efforts. Subsequently, rather than having a zero-problems approach to all neighbors, the AKP’s foreign policy has resulted in significant ups with some neighbors and significant downs with others, especially those that are pro-Western.
For starters, the AKP’s foreign policy has focused heavily on the Muslim Middle East. Some analysts have referred to the party’s foreign policy as “neo-Ottomanist,” suggesting “secular” imperial ambitions or the desire to achieve the status of a regional power. In fact, though, the AKP’s foreign-policy energy has not exactly reflected Ottoman ambitions. The party does not assert Turkey’s weight equally in all the areas that were under Ottoman rule, namely the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East.
Instead, the AKP has focused its energy on the Middle East, with a slant toward Islamist and anti-Western actors, while building a finance-based relationship with Russia. In this regard, the party’s use of diplomacy is evocative: A study of high-level visits by AKP officials in the region reveals that the party asymmetrically focuses on anti-Western Arab countries and Iran while ignoring Israel, the Balkans and the Caucasus.
Between November 2002 and April 2009, the Turkish foreign minister made at least eight visits to Iran and Syria, but only one visit each to Azerbaijan, a Turkic nation once considered Turkey’s closest partner, and to Georgia, despite the fact that Turkey acted as a mentor after Georgia gained independence. Similarly, between November 2002 and April 2009, the Turkish prime minister made at least seven trips to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, while paying only two visits to Greece and Bulgaria, Turkey's two immediate European and Balkan neighbors.
Much of the AKP’s energy in the Muslim Middle East has been focused on Syria. In the 1990s, Turkey viewed Syria as an enemy because of its support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, as it launched terror attacks against Turkey. Despite this, Turkey and Syria opened their borders Oct. 13, facilitated visa-free travel and began joint cabinet-level meetings to encourage bilateral policymaking.
Although Turkish-Syrian rapprochement began in the late 1990s when Damascus stopped supporting the PKK, the past seven years of détente under the AKP have led to a significant strengthening of Syrian-Turkish ties. The party’s sympathy toward Turkey’s Arab neighbors, its tendency to analyze the Middle East through a religion-based “us vs. them” political lens and its favoring of anti-Western causes in the region have helped build Turkish-Syrian relations. Today, diplomats describe these relations as perfect.
Turkey’s ties with Iran have also improved under the AKP’s leadership, though not to the same extent as those with Syria. This is due to the fact that Tehran is a regional power and, unlike the Ba’ath regime in Damascus, it does not need patrons to survive. Still, the AKP also defends Iran’s nuclear program through its “us vs. them” lens.
As international pressure to prevent Tehran’s program mounts, Iran will likely launch diplomatic overtures to strengthen its bonds with Turkey. Trade links, including the Turkish purchase of and investment in Iranian natural gas, will upgrade bilateral ties. This activity, however, will create also tensions between Ankara and Western powers who will view AKP-promoted investments in Iran as an obstacle to economically isolating Tehran.
While ties with Iran have improved, Turkish-Israeli relations have significantly deteriorated under the AKP. The party’s critical rhetoric regarding Israel, which has eroded all Turkish public support for ties with the country, has been dismissed for a long time in the West and in Israel as domestic politicking. However, that evaluation changed earlier this month: On Oct. 7, the AKP withdrew an invitation to Israel to the Anatolian Eagle, a NATO air force exercise that has been held in central Turkey with the participation of Israel, the United States and other Western nations since the mid-1990s.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan justified his party’s decision by saying that Israel is a “persecutor.” Yet the next day, the AKP announced that it had requested that Syria, whose regime persecutes its own people, participate in joint military exercises. The AKP’s “us vs. them” mindset, which does not see nations but rather religious blocks in the Middle East, is corroding the foundations of Turkey’s 60-year-old military and political cooperation with Israel.
Rather than being pro-Western or neo-Ottoman in a “secular” sense, the AKP’s foreign policy is asymmetrically focused on anti-Western Middle East powers, as well as Russia. Rather than having a “zero problems with all neighbors” approach, the AKP’s foreign policy is a mixed bag, eliminating problems with some neighbors while souring previously good ties with other neighbors, especially pro-Western ones.
Could someone please explain to me how this is good for Turkey’s interests?
Article Source:hurriyetdailynews.com
Luxury travel trends for 2010
The Chic Collection’s head of global travel, Jessica Hudson, identifies luxury travel trends
Long weekend escapes
Syria is now the Middle East’s hottest destination with Vogue magazine recently holding a fashion shoot of supermodel Stella Tennant in the city. Offer The Art House, a converted stone mill and the city’s only art hotel, hosting regular art exhibitions and concerts.
India — fly with Air Arabia from Sharjah to Jaipur and stay at Samode Haveli.
Istanbul is a heady mix of east meets west and Ajia Hotel or Hotel Les Ottomans are über-chic.
Eco chic
Soneva Fushi in the Maldives is looking to go carbon neutral in 2010 and new property Scarlet in Cornwall has embraced green technology, carbon offsetting, natural power and rainwater harvesting. Other eco- chic options include Zafara Camp, Botswana; Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef, Australia; La Casona Cusco, Peru (the country’s first carbon neutral hotel); and the new Casa La Siesta, located just outside Vejer de La Frontera, which is made entirely from reclaimed materials and manages to be both exquisite and affordable.
Small but perfectly formed and a million miles away from the cookie-cutter concept of the large hotel chains, bijou chic is setting new standards in luxury travel.
Bijou chic is for travellers who adore unique style and exclusivity. One of our long-term favourites in this category is Malabar House in Fort Cochin, Kerala, a heritage hotel with 17 rooms and suites that has been owned by tradesmen, spice merchants and tea traders. Another of our favourites is Dar Les Cigognes riad in the bustling souks of Marrakech with its own boutique and a library filled with books on Moroccan handicrafts.
Located on Kenya’s South Coast, Msambweni House is lovingly run by a local family. With only three suites, two villas and one luxury tent, it is fully staffed and can be rented in its entirety for the perfect hideaway retreat.
Wilderness chic
Wilderness chic is for adventurous clients seeking off-the-beaten-track experiences but these days, an ‘Out of Africa’ sojourn no longer means camping out in the wild. Ol Seki Mara Camp is one of the most luxurious tented camps you can find, with huge beds, en-suite bathrooms and private plunge pools.
Singita Grumeti Reserves in Tanzania’s Serengeti offers guests an eco-safari adventure in style. It’s on the migratory route traversed annually by more than a million wildebeest and there are three luxury properties from which to choose including Fundu Lagoon on Pemba Island for the ultimate Robinson Crusoe island hideaway experience and just a short air hop from Zanzibar.
South Africa is good value at the moment and can be combined with a beach add-on to Mozambique with its unspoiled islands and unrivalled diving spots. Azura and Londo Lodge are our favourites there.
Bhutan is another hot wilderness chic destination.
Cheap & chic
For cost-effective boutique chic offer the Pudi Boutique Hotel in Shanghai or Hillside Su situated close to Antalya, Turkey. Both are design-focused hang outs of the hip.
:Article Source:hoteliermiddleeast.com
Women-only accommodations to grow across Middle East and beyond
As hoteliers capitalize on the Middle East's growing young female population, women-only hotels are opening up more reveals the World Travel Market Global Trends Report 2009.
The concept of women-only hotels is an expansion of some operators, hoteliers, and other suppliers offering single-sex packages and products such as female floors in hotels and women-only tours.
The growing young and female population in the Middle East is encouraging suppliers to target this market with culturally-acceptable and tailored concepts. Saudi Arabia is leading the way with the first women-only hotel, Luthan Hotel & Spa.
Egypt and Iran are also key target markets for female-only concepts especially with women accounting for almost half of the total population in 2008. In destinations such as these, where cultures are conservative, women-only concepts are likely to appeal to Middle-Eastern women and westerners who want the additional reassurance, the World Travel Market Global Trends Report, in association with Euromonitor International, reveals.
The report predicts the concept could be broadened in appeal in less-conservative destinations by linking it to health and wellness and including the spa element. Additional opportunities also lie in medical tourism, as well as backpacking and adventure tourism for both regional tourists and westerners in destinations such as Oman, Yemen, Jordan, and Syria.
World Travel Market chairman Fiona Jeffery said: “It’s amazing to see new and innovative concepts rise up out of changing consumer trends. The women-only trend could really catch-on for many people who are traveling on business, looking for the health and wellness element or just want some time away from hectic lives balancing work and home lives.”
Euromonitor International Global Travel and Tourism Research manager Caroline Bremner said, “Saudi Arabia has 30 million domestic tourists with women more likely to travel internally because of the perception of it being risky to travel alone, as well as being frowned upon for religious and cultural reason.”
:Article Source:eturbonews.com
Jazeera Airways 10th largest carrier from Dubai International Airport, latest DNATA figures reveal
Jazeera Airways, the fastest growing airline in the Middle East, (KSE: Jazeera, Bloomberg: Jazeera KK, Reuters: JAZK.KW) is the 10th largest carrier operating from Dubai International Airport, according to the latest passenger figures released by DNATA.
After just four years in operation, the airline exceeded the total number of Guests carried from Dubai by a number of both regional and international low fare and legacy airlines, to secure the number 10 spot for the October 2009 period.
In addition to its position as the 10th largest carrier from Dubai International Airport - which recorded passenger numbers of more than three million for October alone - the airline has secured significant year-on-year growth, with a 34% increase in total Guests uplifted from Dubai since October 2008.
The success of the airline in securing its number 10 position and significantly growing its total number of Guests come despite limited traffic rights faced by the airline throughout the summer.
Stefan Pichler, Jazeera Airways CEO commented:
"We are thrilled by these figures and the success that we have been able to achieve over the past year despite a number of restrictions, and we are looking forward to expanding our operations even further next year with the opening of the Al Maktoum Airport in Jebel Ali, in June 2010 and we hope that the current restrictions can be overcome."
The airline is poised for future growth plans to grow its network of regional destinations throughout the coming years.
Jazeera Airways currently operates a fleet of 10 new Airbus A320s. Each aircraft is fitted with the airline's signature leather seating, while the Jazeera Business Class cabin offers business travellers a little extra convenience including easy booking, special check-in counters, 40 kgs baggage allowance, access to airport lounges and exclusive in-flight service and entertainment. The airline flies to destinations in the Middle East, North Africa, Iran, and the Indian subcontinent.
:Article Source:ameinfo.com
After just four years in operation, the airline exceeded the total number of Guests carried from Dubai by a number of both regional and international low fare and legacy airlines, to secure the number 10 spot for the October 2009 period.
In addition to its position as the 10th largest carrier from Dubai International Airport - which recorded passenger numbers of more than three million for October alone - the airline has secured significant year-on-year growth, with a 34% increase in total Guests uplifted from Dubai since October 2008.
The success of the airline in securing its number 10 position and significantly growing its total number of Guests come despite limited traffic rights faced by the airline throughout the summer.
Stefan Pichler, Jazeera Airways CEO commented:
"We are thrilled by these figures and the success that we have been able to achieve over the past year despite a number of restrictions, and we are looking forward to expanding our operations even further next year with the opening of the Al Maktoum Airport in Jebel Ali, in June 2010 and we hope that the current restrictions can be overcome."
The airline is poised for future growth plans to grow its network of regional destinations throughout the coming years.
Jazeera Airways currently operates a fleet of 10 new Airbus A320s. Each aircraft is fitted with the airline's signature leather seating, while the Jazeera Business Class cabin offers business travellers a little extra convenience including easy booking, special check-in counters, 40 kgs baggage allowance, access to airport lounges and exclusive in-flight service and entertainment. The airline flies to destinations in the Middle East, North Africa, Iran, and the Indian subcontinent.
:Article Source:ameinfo.com
Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban: Jewish Settlers and the Return to the Middle Ages
When you read a news story saying that “the United Nations called on Israel to stop demolishing Palestinian homes and put an end to the policy of forced evictions in East Jerusalem, warning that there are 60,000 Palestinians threatened of becoming homeless, you cannot but wonder about the role of the international organization today and about the goal for which it was created on the eve of the victory of the forces of freedom against brutal Nazism and Fascism and whether it is the same organization authorized by history and the world’s peoples to guarantee the right to ‘self determination’? Is it the same organization charged with “putting an end to colonialism”? Is it the same organization which believes in the right of all peoples to freedom without discrimination in terms of race or religion? If it is the same organization, why does it leave Palestinian civilians suffer from the brutality of armed settlers?
The shy and shameful language of the UN’s call comes in the context of the submission of the Security Council to the Zionist will, and consequently commits a historic disgrace in the form of ignoring the legitimate political, civil and human rights of the Palestinian people including their right to life and freedom like other peoples of the world.
For the UN not to take any initiative or measure which leads to giving the Palestinian people the right to self determination will remain a disgrace in the history of the organization which will never be removed except with the removal of Jewish colonialism in Palestine. The Palestinians have been under a racist settler form of colonialism for over sixty years; and they are targeted with a campaign of ethnic cleansing launched by armed gangs of settlers supported by the Israeli police and army. This is unparalleled in the 21st century in terms of the crimes which include siege, murder, food poisoning, starvation, assassination, demolishing houses, scorching crops, destroying farms, raping prisoners, trafficking in the organs of martyrs and preventing Palestinians from moving between their villages, farms and schools.
All this happens under the full gaze and silence of the ‘civilized’ world which fully supports the Israeli government and fully ignores the daily savage crimes committed by Jewish settlers and Israeli soldiers. This silence is also a crime against the Palestinian people, because it allows Israeli politicians and generals and their allies to carry on with their crimes against civilians and violate the Geneva conventions and international humanitarian law.
The shy and shameful UN call on Israel to “stop removing (demolishing) Palestinian houses” comes on the backdrop of demolishing the houses of the Hanoun and Ghawi families in al-Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem, and even removing the tent they built on the street near their house and confiscating its contents which consisted of covers to ward off the cold and some utensils. The tent housed fifty persons of the two families who, up until a few months ago used to live in their home demolished by Israeli occupation soldiers in their policy of Judaizing Jerusalem and committing genocide against the Palestinian people while the international organization is watching.
Every now and then, the UN or the EU acknowledge that “destroying the homes of Palestinians is a violation of international law”. But if this and the other crimes referred to above are violations of international law, why do not they move their conscience to protect the security of Palestinians while we hear them tirelessly repeating the shameful Western record of protecting the security of Israel, the aggressor armed with hundreds of nuclear bombs? The more important question is: what will the United Nations or Europe do? Will they limit themselves to acknowledging that Israeli acts are in sharp contrast with the UN Charter and international humanitarian law, while armed Jewish settler gangs continue to murder, demolish and set fires in Jerusalem, Nablus, Hebron and other places without any deterrent and without being brought to account?
If all these crimes committed daily against Palestinians do not amount to ethnic cleansing and genocide, what does? White settlers, centuries ago, used to throw contaminated blankets on red Indians to kill them. Today, Israel’s rulers deprive Palestinians of food and medicine, burn crops and poison drinking water in order to kill the Palestinians or force them to leave. The UN calls this crime “forced eviction”. So, is there voluntary evection? After all the crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces and armed gangs of settlers, the UN only “calls on Israel to stop demolishing houses”. Maybe, it forgot to add, “please!”
What Palestinian civilians urgently need now is an investigation into Israeli crimes and then to be reported to an international organization which still retains some self respect and concern for what remains of its credibility. The crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces, the terrorization of Palestinian unarmed civilians by armed settlers have become a shame for humanity which should not be tolerated. The acts of these settlers and their supporters in the Israeli government and financiers in the Western pressure groups return the world to the law of the jungle. Considering the shameful incapacity of the United Nations and president Obama’s reiteration of his commitment to “Israel’s security” on the 14th anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish settler – while he should have expressed an equal commitment to Palestinians’ security – makes it incumbent on the free people of the world and its intellectuals, including Jewish intellectuals, to raise their voice against Israel’s war criminals so that Jews are not eternally shamed for committing war crimes and genocides. They should not keep silence concerning these crimes and should not be satisfied with preventing Israeli criminals from travel. They should be brought to justice in the same way the world has brought to justice other criminals responsible for killing and occupation before them.
Jewish intellectuals in particular should ask themselves why should their government be built on the ruins of the life and freedom of another people? Why their only government in history should commit crimes of killing children, massacres, home demolition and assassination and then try to justify these crimes and blame all those who want to bring it to account? Why do not Jewish intellectuals face this historical moral dilemma in the Zionist entity? When Nazi Germany committed massacres against the Jews and other peoples, the Germans faced this dilemma and passed laws banning anti-Semitism. When the world paid the price of Japanese wars and ambitions, Japan took a historical and final decision against war. Why would Jewish intellectuals think they should justify all the acts of Israeli politicians and generals? How can they justify that Ehud Olmert is prosecuted for financial corruption and not for his and others’ crimes against Palestinian and Lebanese children and civilians? Why do they even consider these criminals heroes who should be secured and defended? Why do they form governments consisting of criminals competing with their records in assassination, murder and massacres against Palestinian civilians? These crimes are crimes against humanity by all standards. Why do not they criticize, in their culture, their criminals and tyrant rulers who have the blood of children on their hands? Silent Jewish intellectuals are responsible for the existence of anti-Semitism and for the continuation of crimes which bring them all eternal shame as a result of their silence concerning these crimes. The United Nations and the European Union, and all those who use a shy and shameful language in describing crimes which should bring about the world’s indignation and anger and push it to take immediate measures to stop medieval-minded settlers from continuing to play havoc into the life, dignity, freedom and resources of the Palestinian people, share the responsibility. History will condemn those who remain silent towards these crimes and will remember and thank only those who defend Palestinian children and the right of the Palestinian people to live in dignity, freedom, security and safety on their national soil.
DR. Bouthaina Shaaban is Political and Media Advisor at the Syrian Presidency, and former Minister of Expatriates. She is also a writer and professor at Damascus University since 1985. She's got Ph.D. in English Literature from Warwick University, London. She was the spokesperson for Syria. She was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
:Article Source:champress.net
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