Just Foreign Policy News
March 14, 2011
*Action: Urge your Rep. to sign the bipartisan "significant July drawdown" letter
54 Reps. have signed a letter being circulated by Barbara Lee’s office, urging President Obama to follow through on his promise of a July drawdown of troops from Afghanistan with a significant withdrawal. Many Reps. who recently voted to cut funding for the war have yet to sign the Lee letter. Urge your Rep. to sign. The letter is expected to close Wednesday.
https://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/leeletter
*Action: Lee bill for military withdrawal from Afghanistan
H.R.780 stipulates that funds for operations of U.S. forces in Afghanistan will be spent only for providing safe and orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces.
Check to see if your Rep. has co-sponsored; ask them to co-sponsor if they haven’t.
You can view the cosponsors here
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:HR00780:@@@P
You can ask your Rep. to co-sponsor here:
https://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/hr780
Al Jazeera video: Arab League passes contradictory resolutions on Libya
The Arab League endorsed calls for the UN to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. But the Arab League also opposed foreign military intervention. Al Jazeera’s correspondent examines the obvious contradiction. [Note: text at the link claims the league "reportedly decided to recognize a rebel council as the representative of the Libyan people," but this claim is contradicted by other press reports – JFP.] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOMHvdZE5G0
Video: Martelly jokes about killing Aristide
A candid video presents a side of Haitian presidential candidate Michel Martelly that hasn’t received much attention in the U.S. media. In the video, Martelly jokes with supporters about killing former Haitian President Aristide. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPM9f3YxVsk&NR=1
Help Support Our Advocacy for Peace and Diplomacy
The opponents of peace and diplomacy work every day. Help us be an effective counterweight.
https://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate
Summary:
U.S./Top News
1) President Karzai on Saturday appeared to call for NATO and the US to cease military operations in Afghanistan, the New York Times reports. "Our demand is that this war should be stopped," Karzai said. US officials were angered by Karzai’s remarks, said one official. A few hours after Karzai’s speech, his spokesman "clarified" that Karzai was only talking about operations that lead to civilian casualties.
2) Western diplomats remained mixed over intervention in the Libyan crisis, after the Arab League declared support for a UN-sponsored "no-fly zone," the Washington Post reports. France supports the plan. But the US has shied away from a position, fearing an anti-American backlash if it becomes involved in military action in another Muslim country.
3) Defense Secretary Gates said Saturday that the U.S. military would have no trouble enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya if President Obama orders one, the Washington Post reports. The question is whether such action would be wise, Gates said. There is concern that a no-fly zone would have little real effect on the current fighting, the Post says. The US would then be forced to consider further military action to support the rebels, some experts say. "Are you willing to escalate if it doesn’t work?" asked Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Cordesman noted that Gaddafi has not relied heavily on air power to battle the rebels.
"The air power that he’s using now has some impact on the rebels, but what they are dying from is artillery," said Retired Air Force Gen. Charles Horner. "Next step, you say let’s start bombing the artillery. The next step would be to take out his tanks. The next step would be targeting his ground forces. And then you’ve sided with the rebels in an all-out war." With each expansion of the kind of targets that can be hit, Horner said, the complexity and lethality of the operation increases. That increases the risk of collateral damage and a backlash against the use of US military power in another Muslim country.
France, which backs a no-fly zone over Libya, suspended its participation in the no-fly zone over Iraq because of civilian deaths, the Post notes.
4) Defense Secretary Gates warned Bahrain’s ruling family on Saturday that "baby steps" toward reform would not be enough, the New York Times reports. Gates warned that although the US had no evidence that Iran was behind the protests, the US feared that Iran could become involved if there were a protracted stalemate on protesters’ demands for reform. Administration officials say that the king listened when President Obama asked him to pull back his security forces at the start of the protests, when seven demonstrators were killed.
5) P.J. Crowley resigned as State Department spokesman under White House pressure after he criticized the Pentagon’s treatment of Bradley Manning, CNN reports. Crowley’s father was a POW in World War II, CNN notes. President Obama’s statement Friday, when asked about Crowley’s criticism, that Pentagon officials had assured him that Manning’s treatment was appropriate "drew howls of protest from liberals," CNN says.
Haiti
6) The State Department urged former President Aristide to delay his return until after Haiti’s March 20 run-off presidential election, Reuters reports, charging that to return this week "could only be seen as a conscious choice to impact Haiti’s elections." A spokeswoman for Aristide said on Friday that the former president would return to Haiti "in a few days" but said it was unrelated to the upcoming election. [There is a very clear reason for Aristide to return now; the current government has apparently ended its collaboration with opposition to Aristide’s return, and that might change when the current government becomes a lame-duck administration – JFP.]
Bahrain
7) Troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates crossed into Bahrain on Monday to help quell unrest there, a move Bahraini opposition groups denounced as an "occupation," the New York Times reports. A senior US official said the US was "definitely concerned" by the deployment of troops, saying the protests in Bahrain needed "a political solution, not military."
Saudi Arabia
8) A senior Saudi prince said loyal Saudis had foiled plans by "evil people" to stage protests, Reuters reports. "Some evil people wanted to spread chaos in the kingdom yesterday and called for demonstrations that have dishonorable goals," said Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz, whose ministry warned last week that protests were un-Islamic and illegal.
Israel/Palestine
9) Israel said Sunday it would build hundreds of new housing units within West Bank settlement blocs, the New York Times reports.
10) Hamas authorities in Gaza should investigate claims that security officials tortured a blogger who called for demonstrations in favor of ending the split between Fatah and Hamas, Human Rights Watch said. "Whatever political differences Hamas may have with Fatah, one thing they appear to share is disdain for the rights of Palestinians to assemble and express their views," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
Yemen
11) Witnesses said security forces opened fire on antigovernment protesters near Sana University, killing at least one and injuring hundreds, the Los Angeles Times reports. Before Saturday, 30 people had been killed since the uprising began last month. The US ambassador said the situation had become "dangerous" and urged both sides to pursue negotiations.
Contents:
U.S./Top News
1) Afghan Leader Questions U.S. Military Operations
Rod Nordland, New York Times, March 12, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/world/asia/13afghan.html
Kabul, Afghanistan – President Hamid Karzai on Saturday appeared to call for NATO and the United States to cease military operations in Afghanistan, but then issued a clarification saying that he was referring only to specific operations that had caused civilian casualties.
In an emotional speech on Saturday in the eastern city of Asadabad, in Kunar Province, the Afghan president told relatives and neighbors of civilian victims that he sympathized with their plight. "With great honor and with great respect, and humbly rather than with arrogance, I request that NATO and America should stop these operations on our soil," he said. "This war is not on our soil. If this war is against terror, then this war is not here, terror is not here."
Mr. Karzai’s remarks were made at a memorial service for the victims, in the presence of local officials as well as the second highest ranking American general in Afghanistan, David M. Rodriguez. "Our demand is that this war should be stopped," Mr. Karzai said. "This is the voice of Afghanistan."
Whether his remarks were premeditated, taken out of context or just an emotional overstatement, his speech was another symptom of a deteriorating relationship between the Afghan president and the United States military command.
American officials were angered by Mr. Karzai’s remarks, said one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the dispute with the Afghan president. Officially, NATO refrained from any direct response. But a spokesman, who said he could speak only on the condition of anonymity because of orders from superior officers, said the NATO force in Afghanistan "shares President Karzai’s concern about civilian casualties, and we will continue working to reduce civilian casualties to an absolute minimum."
A few hours after the speech, Mr. Karzai’s spokesman, Waheed Omer, said the president’s remarks had been in the context of two recent cases of civilian casualties in Kunar Province, one of which NATO conceded had killed nine children in error. In the other case, Afghan officials maintained that 65 civilians had been killed, but NATO officials still insist the victims were insurgents, although an investigation is under way.
The president had meant that such operations leading to civilian deaths should be stopped, Mr. Omer said. "Civilian casualties have been a great source of concern to the president and people of Afghanistan and a big reason behind the current disagreements between our government and the international forces," Mr. Omer said in a statement, which he described as a "clarification" of the speech. "Afghans have lost their patience and cannot tolerate irresponsible operations that result in civilians’ losing their lives," Mr. Omer said.
[…]
2) Gaddafi Forces Retake Key Oil Port
Libyan forces gains control of more rebel-held territory
Liz Sly and Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, Sunday, March 13, 5:37 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/libya-gains-control-of-more-rebel-territory/2011/03/13/ABHWYwT_story.html
Tripoli – Libya’s government said it had taken over the oil terminal of Brega on Sunday and would press eastward to the rebels’ self-styled capital of Benghazi, as Western diplomats remained mixed over intervention in the Libyan crisis. The takeover of Brega came three days after a similar capture of Ras Lanuf, another oil port 77 miles further west, following heavy bombardment.
"Brega has been liberated," said Col. Milad Hussein, an army spokesman, adding that he did not anticipate a tough battle in Benghazi. He said that the government hopes to resolve the crisis "through reconciliation" with tribal leaders in eastern Libya but that the rebel movement is not proving to be a potent adversary.
[…] The government’s announcement came as world leaders debated the merits of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent airstrikes by Gaddafi forces.
The Arab League on Saturday endorsed the idea, which is to be discussed by NATO representatives this week. France supports the plan and has officially recognized the opposition government.
But the United States has shied away from a position, fearing an anti-American backlash if it becomes involved in military action in another Muslim country in addition to Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to meet with Libyan opposition leaders in Paris on Monday.
Supporters of a no-fly zone fear it may come too late to be useful. The area around Benghazi, the center of rebel command, appeared increasingly unstable over the weekend.
[…]
3) Gates Says U.S. Military Could Enforce A No-Fly Zone In Libya If Obama Ordered One
Peter Finn and Scott Wilson, Washington Post, Sunday, March 13, 1:46 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gates-says-us-military-could-enforce-a-no-fly-zone-in-libya-if-obama-ordered-one/2011/03/12/ABlXOPS_story.html
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Saturday that the U.S. military, already fighting two wars in Muslim nations, would have no trouble enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya if President Obama orders one.
The comments appeared designed to counter the criticism surrounding his earlier remarks on the issue and came as the Arab League endorsed a no-fly zone to protect Libya’s civilians from forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi.
Gates indicated earlier this month that the creation of a no-fly zone would be a "big operation." NATO would need to deploy an array of air power to target not only defense systems and fighter jets, but also the low-flying attack helicopters that Gaddafi has used against rebels and civilian protesters.
The assessment drew criticism, in particular, from those who favor a more aggressive American response to the Libyan conflict, now tilting back in favor of Gaddafi’s better-armed forces. Some accused Gates of inflating the dangers and scope of a no-fly zone mission over a large desert country with a small population.
Speaking Saturday to reporters as he returned to Washington from Manama, Bahrain, where the Navy’s 5th Fleet is based, Gates said, "A little bit too much has been read into some of my remarks last week."
"If we are directed to impose a no-fly zone, we have the resources to do it," he said. "This is not a question of whether we or our allies can do this. We can do it. The question is whether it’s a wise thing to do. And that’s the discussion that’s going on at a political level. But I just want to make clear we have the capacity to do it."
While enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya is easily within NATO’s military capability, there is concern that it would have little real effect on the current fighting. The United States and its allies would then be forced to consider further military action to support the rebels, according to some military and regional experts.
"Are you willing to escalate if it doesn’t work?" asked Anthony H. Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who has studied Libya’s military capabilities. "Will they even bother" to challenge a no-fly zone?
Cordesman noted that Gaddafi has not relied heavily on air power to battle the rebels and could choose not to fly his Soviet-era fighter jets while continuing to attack the opposition with artillery and ground forces.
Retired Air Force Gen. Charles A. Horner said the administration should ask itself why it wants to intervene, and what it expects to achieve, rather than how it plans to intervene. Horner said those basic questions have yet to be clearly answered.
"The air power that he’s using now has some impact on the rebels, but what they are dying from is artillery," Horner said. "Next step, you say let’s start bombing the artillery. The next step would be to take out his tanks. The next step would be targeting his ground forces. And then you’ve sided with the rebels in an all-out war. But what is the cost and what are our interests?"
Horner said NATO can effectively strike even very low-flying helicopters. But with each expansion of the kind of targets that can be hit, he said, the complexity and lethality of the operation increases.
That carries the risk of collateral damage and a backlash against the use of Western, and particularly American, military power in another Muslim country.
Before the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, when the United States enforced a no-fly zone over the Kurdish north and Shiite south, American war planes hit any air defense radar that "locked on" to the aircraft. But the campaign cost civilian lives, according to the assessment of a Washington Post reporter who traveled in Iraq in 2000.
France, which backs a no-fly zone over Libya, suspended its participation in the no-fly zone over Iraq because of civilian deaths.
[…]
4) Gates Tells Bahrain’s King That ‘Baby Steps’ To Reform Aren’t Enough
Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, March 12, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/world/middleeast/13military.html
Manama, Bahrain – In the wake of a violent clash between protesters and Bahrain’s security forces and pro-government vigilantes, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned this tiny kingdom’s ruling family on Saturday that "baby steps" toward reform would not be enough to meet the political and economic grievances sweeping the region.
Mr. Gates also cautioned Bahrain’s king and crown prince during two hours of meetings in Manama, Bahrain’s capital, that if the reform process was prolonged, the United States feared that Iran would become involved and create more chaos.
"I expressed the view that we had no evidence that suggested that Iran started any of these popular revolutions or demonstrations across the region," Mr. Gates told reporters afterward on his plane. "But there is clear evidence that as the process is protracted, particularly in Bahrain, that the Iranians are looking for ways to exploit it and create problems." He added, "Time is not our friend."
[…] Despite his warnings, Mr. Gates said he was convinced that the king, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, and the crown prince, Sheik Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, were serious about reform and starting a dialogue with protesters demanding more democracy. The immediate problem, Mr. Gates said, was that the main opposition party in Parliament had not agreed to conditions for the talks – an obstacle that the crown prince appeared to address in comments to reporters traveling with Mr. Gates.
"There are people far, far more conservative than I," the crown prince told reporters at the Sakhir Palace in Manama. "I by no means am on the right of the political spectrum, and they need to sit down and talk. I’m hopeful that they will join the dialogue without preconditions."
[…] Mr. Gates, the highest-ranking member of the Obama administration to visit Bahrain since the protests started last month, was in the kingdom to reassure the rulers of Washington’s support, but also to prod them toward change. To the consternation of the largely Shiite protesters, Washington has continued to back the government of the royal family, whose members are Sunni.
Administration officials say that the king listened when President Obama asked him to pull back his security forces at the start of the protests, when seven demonstrators were killed, and has earned the administration’s support to try to undertake reform on his own.
[…] Mr. Gates said he told the king and crown prince that with pro-democracy protests sweeping the region – in Bahrain alone, as many as 100,000 demonstrators have massed in the streets – there could not be a return to the status quo. Mr. Gates said he told them that change "could be led or it could be imposed." He added, "Obviously, leading reform and being responsive is the way we’d like to see this move forward."
[…]
5) Crowley out as State Department spokesman
Ed Henry, CNN, March 13, 2011
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/13/state-departments-p-j-crowley-stepping-down/
Washington (CNN) – P.J. Crowley abruptly resigned Sunday as State Department spokesman over controversial comments he made about the Bradley Manning case.
Sources close to the matter said the resignation, first reported by CNN, came under pressure from the White House, where officials were furious about his suggestion that the Obama administration is mistreating Manning, the Army private who is being held in solitary confinement in Quantico, Virginia, under suspicion that he leaked highly classified State Department cables to the website WikiLeaks.
Speaking to a small group at MIT last week, Crowley was asked about allegations that Manning is being tortured and kicked up a firestorm by answering that what is being done to Manning by Defense Department officials "is ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."
Crowley did add that "nonetheless, Bradley Manning is in the right place" because of his alleged crimes, according to a blog post by BBC reporter Philippa Thomas, who was present at Crowley’s talk.
"The unauthorized disclosure of classified information is a serious crime under U.S. law," Crowley said in a statement Sunday. "My recent comments regarding the conditions of the pre-trial detention of Private First Class Bradley Manning were intended to highlight the broader, even strategic impact of discreet actions undertaken by national security agencies every day and their impact on our global standing and leadership.
"The exercise of power in today’s challenging times and relentless media environment must be prudent and consistent with our laws and values," Crowley said. "Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take full responsibility, I have submitted my resignation."
Crowley has told friends that he is deeply concerned that mistreatment of Manning could undermine the legitimate prosecution of the young private. Crowley has also made clear he has the Obama administration’s best interests at heart because he thinks any mistreatment of Manning could be damaging around the world to President Obama, who has tried to end the perception that the United States tortures prisoners.
Nevertheless, Crowley’s political fate was sealed Friday when Obama was asked at a White House news conference about his comments regarding Manning.
Obama revealed that he had asked Pentagon officials "whether or not the procedures that have been taken in terms of (Manning’s) confinement are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards."
In a comment that drew howls of protest from liberals, Obama added that Pentagon officials "assure me that they are. I can’t go into details about some of their concerns, but some of this has to do with Private Manning’s safety as well."
Manning’s treatment has become a flashpoint for liberals, with Amnesty International noting he has been confined to a windowless cell for 23 hours a day, is stripped down to his boxers at night and is not given pillows or blankets.
Manning’s lawyer also says the young private recently had to sleep in the nude because defense officials thought there was a suicide threat and decided to take away his boxer shorts.
[…] A little-known factor in Crowley’s comments about Manning was revealed Saturday by April Ryan, a White House correspondent for American Urban Radio who covered Crowley in the Clinton White House. Ryan wrote on Twitter that Crowley "dislikes treatment of prisoners as his father was a Prisoner of War."
While it’s true that Crowley’s father was imprisoned during World War II, people close to him downplay that as a major factor in his comments about Manning, saying the biggest factor is simply that Crowley believes what he said.
[…]
Haiti
6) US urges Aristide to delay return to Haiti
Deborah Charles, Reuters, March 14
http://af.reuters.com/article/southAfricaNews/idAFN1416311420110314
Washington – The United States on Monday urged Haiti’s exiled former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to delay his return until after Haiti’s March 20 run-off presidential election.
Responding to reports of Aristide’s imminent return to Haiti, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said it was up to Port-au-Prince to decide whether to permit the return of its former leader who has lived in exile in South Africa since his 2004 ouster. "Former President Aristide has chosen to remain outside of Haiti for seven years," said Toner. "To return this week could only be seen as a conscious choice to impact Haiti’s elections."
"We would urge former President Aristide to delay his return until after the electoral process has concluded, to permit the Haitian people to cast their ballots in a peaceful atmosphere," he said, adding that a return before the election could "potentially be destabilizing to the political process." Toner said the United States was also urging the South African government to urge Aristide to delay his return until after the election.
A spokeswoman for Aristide said on Friday that the former president would return to Haiti "in a few days" but said it was unrelated to the upcoming election.
Election officials have barred Aristide’s party from running a candidate in the election, which was tainted by allegations of widespread fraud during November’s first round of voting.
Bahrain
7) Saudi Troops Enter Bahrain to Help Put Down Unrest
Ethan Bronner, New York Times, March 14, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/world/middleeast/15bahrain.html
Cairo -Troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates crossed into Bahrain on Monday under the aegis of the Gulf Cooperation Council to help quell unrest there, a move Bahraini opposition groups denounced in a statement as an "occupation." The troop movement was confirmed by the state-run Bahrain News Agency.
Witnesses said a convoy of 150 armored troop carriers and about 50 other lightly armed vehicles crossed the bridge linking Saudi Arabia to the tiny island kingdom, and a Saudi security official told The Associate Press that the troops were there to protect critical buildings and installations like oil facilities. However, witnesses later said that the convoy seemed to be heading for Riffa, a Sunni area that is home to the royal family and a military hospital that is closed to the public, Reuters reported.
The opposition statement said it considered the arrival of any soldier or military vehicle "an overt occupation of the kingdom of Bahrain and a conspiracy against the unarmed people of Bahrain."
A senior administration official said the United States was "definitely concerned" by the deployment of troops, saying the protests in Bahrain needed "a political solution, not military." The State Department dispatched Jeffrey D. Feltman, the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, to Bahrain on Monday. He had been scheduled to join Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on her travels to Egypt and Tunisia this week.
Pro-government lawmakers, called the Independent Bloc, asked the government to enforce martial law for three months to ensure public safety and national stability threatened by what it called "extremist" elements, the Bahrain News Agency reported.
Anti-government protesters remained in the streets of Manama, the capital, on Monday, a day after thousands clashed with security forces in the most chaotic day of confrontation since demonstrations began a month ago. The protests are part of the regional turmoil against autocracy but are fed in Bahrain by tensions between the majority Shiite population and the Sunni royal family and elite.
The demonstrators on Sunday effectively shut down the roads leading to the capital’s financial sector and held rallies at the main campus of the university as well. It was the most serious challenge to the royal family since the beginning of the protests, which have caused deep concern in Saudi Arabia, which has a restive Shiite minority in its eastern, oil-producing region.
[…]
Saudi Arabia
8) Saudi prince says loyal Saudi foil "evil" protests
Asma Alsharif, Reuters, Sun, Mar 13 2011
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/13/us-saudi-protests-nayef-idUSTRE72C11O20110313
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – A senior Saudi prince said in comments published on Sunday that loyal Saudis had foiled plans by "evil people" to stage protests.
Web activists had slated March 11 as the first day for mass protests around the country in favor of democratic government and a constitutional rather than absolute monarchy.
But a religious ruling banning demonstrations in the world’s biggest oil exporter, and a heavy police crackdown in key cities, appeared to intimidate most who are interested in demanding more political rights.
"I congratulate King Abdullah and his crown prince Sultan for having these kind and loyal subjects," Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz, the king’s half-brother, said in remarks published on the official news agency overnight. "Some evil people wanted to spread chaos in the kingdom yesterday and called for demonstrations that have dishonorable goals," said the veteran security chief, whose ministry warned last week that protests were un-Islamic and illegal.
Inspired by mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt which resulted in the toppling of long-standing leaders Zine al Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, activists have signed petitions in favor of a constitutional monarchy.
Governance in the U.S. ally is dominated by the Saudi royal family. Senior princes occupy key government posts, political parties and protests are banned, and the country has an advisory parliamentary body whose members are appointed by the king. The class of Sunni Muslim religious scholars, who have wide powers in society, uphold absolute obedience to the ruler.
The Eastern Province, where most Saudi oil fields are located, was the only region that saw protests on Friday – the latest in a series of demonstrations there in recent weeks. They are demanding the release of prisoners held for years without trial. Shi’ite community leaders met King Abdullah and the governor of the Eastern Province last week to seek the release of some 26 people detained in protests.
[…]
Israel/Palestine
9) Israel to Step Up Pace of Construction in West Bank Areas
Isabel Kershner, New York Times, March 13, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/middleeast/14israel.html
Jerusalem – Israel said Sunday that it would build hundreds of new housing units within the populous West Bank settlement blocs, ending a slowdown in government-supported construction that had lasted several months.
The move is meant to assuage settlers’ anger, particularly after the killings of five family members in the Itamar settlement late Friday. But it is also likely to complicate international efforts to revive the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
The announcement, which came from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the government’s Ministerial Committee on Settlements had decided to approve construction in Gush Etzion, Maale Adumim, Ariel and Modiin Ilit – areas of the West Bank that Israel intends to keep under any permanent accord with the Palestinians.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the decision, calling it "wrong, unacceptable and objectionable."
[…] The government said it considered the 300 to 500 units that are planned to be "measured construction" within existing settlements.
[…] Last year, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, the settlers began building at least 114 housing units and completed an additional 1,175 units during the settlement moratorium. In the last three months of 2010, work began on 427 new units, according to an analysis by Peace Now, an Israeli advocacy group that opposes settlement construction. Most of that was private construction in small, outlying settlements, rather than state-sponsored building in the larger settlements of the blocs.
[…]
9) Gaza: Investigate Torture of Protest Organizer
Hamas Should End Attacks on Demonstrators Calling for Palestinian Unity
Human Rights Watch, March 11, 2011
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/11/gaza-investigate-torture-protest-organizer
Jerusalem – Hamas authorities in Gaza should investigate claims that security officials tortured a blogger and activist and prosecute any officials responsible, Human Rights Watch said today. The blogger had called for demonstrations in favor of ending the split between the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza.
Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that Hamas police and plainclothes security officials prevented a demonstration at the Unknown Soldier square in Gaza City on February 28, 2011, without giving any reason, and detained and tortured one of the organizers, Ahmad Arar. Arar, 31, gave Human Rights Watch a detailed accounted of the abuse he said he suffered, an attempt, he said, to make him confess to being a Palestinian Authority agent. Since late February, Hamas internal security officials have threatened, confiscated equipment from, and repeatedly questioned young activists trying to organize similar protests for March 15, the activists said.
"The Hamas government has shown time and again that it cares little about the rights of Palestinians who peacefully challenge its policies," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Hamas says it’s fighting for liberation from occupation but is repressing people living under its control."
Other witnesses to the February 28 events told Human Rights Watch said that Hamas security officials threatened to assault journalists who tried to cover the protest and that they had assaulted a journalist trying to cover a similar demonstration on February 11.
[…] "It’s particularly shameful that an organization whose own members have experienced torture and abuse are now doling out the same cruelty to other Palestinians," Whitson said. "Whatever political differences Hamas may have with Fatah, one thing they appear to share is disdain for the rights of Palestinians to assemble and express their views."
[…]
Yemen
10) Yemen security forces fire on protesters, killing at least one
Yemeni anti-government protesters are attacked with nonlethal weapons and live ammunition upon waking near the university in the capital, witnesses say.
Haley Sweetland Edwards, Los Angeles Times, March 13, 2011
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-yemen-protests-20110313,0,3025166.story
Sana, Yemen – Security forces opened fire on antigovernment protesters when they awoke for prayers Saturday morning near Sana University, killing at least one and injuring hundreds, witnesses said.
Security forces used tasers, tear gas, water cannons and live ammunition against the camped-out protesters, witnesses said.
A government statement said the forces moved against the protesters at the request of residents in the area who felt besieged. The statement said the live ammunition was used by unaffiliated "third parties."
The protesters, calling for the immediate ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, ran for cover with scarves shielding their faces from tear gas. Many were barefoot, and some held raw onions to their faces in an attempt to dull the fumes.
Many of the protesters were carried in makeshift gurneys fashioned from scarves and blankets to a triage area in the courtyard of a mosque next to the university in the capital, where they lay sprawled on the concrete floor, vomiting.
Some convulsed uncontrollably, and they alleged that the government used nerve gas against them, a claim denied by the Yemeni government.
The protester who was killed was identified as Abdullah Ali Dahan. News reports said as many as five other people also died alongside him. Before Saturday, 30 people had been killed since the uprising began last month. "Look what our government is doing to its own people," said Dr. Mohammed Surmi, gesturing to a dead young man wrapped in a red blanket at his feet. "We need help to fight for our freedom. We need help from America."
The American ambassador to Yemen, Gerald Feierstein, said the situation had become "dangerous" and urged both sides to pursue negotiations.
[…]
–
Just Foreign Policy is a membership organization devoted to reforming US foreign policy so it reflects the values and interests of the majority of Americans. The archive of the Just Foreign Policy News is here:
https://www.justforeignpolicy.org/blog/dailynews