Netanyahu confirms Gaza man held by Israel
"Abu Sisi is a Hamas man. He is being held in detention in Israel. It is a legal arrest, "Netanyahu said, replying to a question from an Israeli reporter who moderated the forum.
"He has provided valuable information, that is all I can say," Netanyahu added.
Relatives of Abu Sisi, an engineer and manager of the main power plant in Hamas-ruled Gaza, say he was abducted while aboard a train in Ukraine, where authorities say the disappearance is under investigation.
Israeli officials confirmed some weeks later that Abu Sisi is in custody but have refused further comment, citing court-issued gag orders. Sources in Gaza have said he was not known to have political affiliations to Hamas.
Smadar Ben-Natan, an Israeli lawyer for Abu Sisi, accused Israel in an interview of trying to concoct charges against her client, linking his detention to efforts to gather intelligence on Hamas and on an Israeli soldier held by the group.
COVER-UP?
The court sessions had led her to believe "they are trying to cover up the mistake" of seizing him, she said.
"When someone came along who they thought was senior (in Hamas) and was located outside the Gaza Strip, they got their hands on him, without this matter being really justified, in retrospect," Ben-Natan said.
"Instead of confessing and saying, 'Sorry, turns out what we thought was a mistake, we are sorry, go home, Sir,' they are trying to find what they can blame him with so that it doesn't became clear this whole matter was one big farce," she added.
German newspaper Der Spiegel on Tuesday quoted an unnamed source as saying Israel may have suspected Abu Sisi of knowing the whereabouts of Shalit, held since a 2006 cross-border raid.
Netanyahu would not answer any questions about whether Abu Sisi was being questioned or had given any details about Shalit.
But he laid out some of Israel's negotiating position when asked about the prospect of swapping Palestinian prisoners for Shalit.
Netanyahu said he was willing to release some 450Buy cheap nike mens sandals prisoners as the Islamists want, but would not agree that 150 of those whom Israel accuses of involvement in lethal attacks could return to the West Bank, saying they had to go to Gaza or abroad.
"We are taking a lot of action (on the case), and only a small amount of this is known (published)," Netanyahu added.
Abu Sisi was scheduled to appear at another remand hearing on Thursday. Ben-Natan, an Israeli, said she expected to know then "how the state intends to indict (him), if at all."
Israel occupation 'morally and politically unsustainable, must end'
The UN secretary general called on Israel Wednesday to halt settlement building in occupied territory, and put a stop to all forms of violence and incitement, the UN News Center reported. nike running shoes online
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke at the UN Latin American and Caribbean Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, convened by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People that opened in Uruguay Wednesday. According to the report, Ban saying said it was a "crucial time" for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
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UN Chief Ban Ki-moon meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu |
| Photo by: EPA |
“The target dates for reaching an Israeli-Palestinian agreement on permanent status issues and completing the Palestinian Authority’s two-year State-building program are fast-approaching. Yet, the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations remain at a worrying standstill. We must intensify efforts to break the deadlock,” Ban said. Buy cheap nike mens acg sandals
Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians hit a standstill in September after Israel resumed building in the West Bank following a moratorium on settlement building.
The secretary general continued, saying “actions that prejudge the outcome of the process must stop,” referring to Israel's continued settlement building in the West Bank and Jerusalem, demolition of Palestinian homes and any form of violence or incitement.
Ban then commended the Palestinian Authority for its efforts, the UN News center report said, praising the PA's efforts to establish state institutions, enforce security in the West Bank and receive international funding and recognition of its statehood goals.
The UN chief chastised Israel, the report said, calling on the government to take the necessary steps to improve economic and security conditions for Palestinians by removing obstacles to freedom of movement, stopping military operations and enhancing the PA's scope of influence in the West Bank.
Ban also implored Israel to further ease its blockade in Gaza, the report said, which has been under Hamas control since 2007. Israel has refused to negotiate with Hamas, whose charter calls for Israel's destruction and is responsible for numerous attacks perpetrated against Israel and its civilians.
In recent weeks, Hamas and the more moderate West Bank-based Fatah have been engaging in preliminary talks, with the possibility of unification in the future. Israel has made it clear that in the event that Fatah and Hamas join forces, Israel will not be open to negotiations, and Fatah must choose its ally.
The secretary general reportedly condemned the recent escalation in rocket fire from Gaza to Israel, calling on both sides to prevent civilian casualties and act in conformity with international law. He then, according to the report, reiterated his “strong condemnation” of the recent bombing in Jerusalem, in which a 59-year-old Briton was killed and over 30 wounded.
“Time is of the essence in realizing the two-State solution, " Ban said, "the occupation that started in 1967 is morally and politically unsustainable, and must end. The Palestinians have a legitimate right to the establishment of an independent and viable State of their own." Buy nike cheap mens acg sandals
He stressed that "Israel has the right to live in peace and security within internationally recognized and secure borders." According to the report the secretary general then said that both Palestinians and Israelis are entitled to Jerusalem as its capital, with "arrangements for holy sites acceptable for all."
The UN chief also said there "must be a just and agreed solution to the prolonged plight of the Palestinian refugees," an issue that has been highly disputed in past peace negotiations.
The two-day meeting in Uruguay will discuss settlement expansion, Jerusalem and the recent recognition of Palestinian statehood by governments in the region, including Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, the report said.
Carter arrives in Cuba
Jimmy Carter met here privately Monday with Cuba's Catholic primate, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, and with leaders of the Jewish community as the former U.S. president began a three-day private visit to the island.Buy nike running shoes online
Neither Ortega nor Carter spoke to reporters after their one-hour talks at the Havana Archdiocese.
"Mr. Carter expressed to Cardinal Ortega his happiness over the process of dialogue Cuba's Church is pursuing with the government of President Raul Castro Ruz, one of whose results has been the release of more than 100 Cuban (political) prisoners," the archdiocese said later in a statement.
While most of the freed prisoners accepted what they hope will be temporary exile in Spain, the Communist government has allowed some to remain on the island.
Carter met with Ortega after paying a call on the Council of the Jewish Community of Cuba.
The former president spoke with Chairwoman Adela Dworin and several other council members before touring the offices and adjacent synagogue. nike cheap mens acg sandals
Dworin told reporters they did not discuss the case of U.S. government contractor Alan Gross, recently sentenced by a Cuban court to 15 years in prison on charges of trying to undermine the island's independence.
Gross, 61, was arrested in Havana in December 2009 while distributing computers and satellite gear. He said the equipment was intended to help Cuba's small Jewish community better communicate with the outside world.
"In reality, we didn't talk any politics. We told him about the Jewish community in Cuba, how many members it has, and that we openly practice our religion," Dworin said of the meeting with Carter.
Carter, making his second visit to Cuba in nine years, is the highest-ranking U.S. politician to set foot on the island since the triumph of the 1959 revolution.
His current visit was prompted by an invitation from Raul Castro, who formally succeeded ailing older brother Fidel three years ago and is to receive the former U.S. president on Tuesday.Find brand shoes
The United States and Cuba have not had diplomatic relations for nearly half a century, but interests sections were established in the respective capitals during Carter's 1977-1981 administration.
Now for the harder bit
It is no more true to pretend that Saturday's TUC anti-cuts march changes everything than to pretend it changes nothing.Buy nike running shoes online The march through London was a very successful and impressive protest. A quarter of a million is a big turnout by any standards. There is also considerable polling evidence that it spoke, in general terms, for an increasingly large section of public opinion. To exaggerate the strength of the protest would be foolish – the public sector dominated TUC has not overnight become the voice of middle Britain. But it is even more foolish to dismiss the march as an event of no consequence. Opposition to the government's spending cuts and tax increases is rising, and is of growing importance in British politics. This cannot but have an increasing impact, whatever the denials. The real questions, however, are whether the government can keep the growth of opposition within bounds over the next two years and whether Labour can persuade those who are tempted to align themselves with it that the party has a credible alternative. Saturday's march does not answer either question.
The violence of a few hundred rioters on Saturday should be seen in this wider context. That's not to say the violence does not matter. The violence is wrong. It does no good. It should certainly not be romanticised. But it should not become an excuse for framing Saturday's march as a law and order issue rather than an issue of politics and economics. The overwhelming majority of marchers, Ed Miliband and the TUC included, had nothing whatever to do with smashing windows, throwing things at the police or behaving badly. They were there to make afashion 2011 nike running shoes peaceful protest. Most of them only learned about the rioting when they got home. The march was well stewarded and well policed. Unfortunately, there will always be a fringe who prefer to riot. It was ever thus. They irresistibly attract the attention of the police and the television cameras. They should probably have been factored into the planning better; on another occasion, some shops might be more sensible to close in advance. But the public are not stupid. They know the rioters are a minority. They can tell the difference between the grown-ups and the trouble-makers.
In the end, it is this wider public that matters most of all. The TUC campaign was, or should be, a campaign to win their support. At the moment, according to last weekend's Guardian-ICM poll, those who think the cuts go too far – the marchers' cause – have only 35% support, while 57% think the cuts strike the right balance or don't go far enough. Other polls, including yesterday's YouGov-Sunday Times survey, have findings that can be read more favourably to the TUC cause, though based on different questions. But these differences should not obscure the fact that public opinion on the deficit, the cuts, the alternatives and the blame has not yet reached a settled place. The public now sees the coalition and its economic policies negatively. But it still has more trust in the coalition than Labour on the deficit.buy Reebok EasyTone
As the financial year begins, the public faces cuts and higher taxes on a scale not yet directly experienced. Opinion is likely to move around, probably initially against the government. But the anti-coalition anger of 2011 may be no more durable than the pro-coalition honeymoon of 2010. Labour cannot assume that it will be the lasting beneficiary until it is able to spell out a believable alternative that speaks to the undecided at the moment when it matters. But the government cannot simply pretend that there is nothing happening out in the country. It will have to respond. The TUC march was a success. Ed Miliband was right to address it. But the campaign remains rooted in the agenda of the public sector unions. The Labour leader faces a much bigger task now. He needs to reach out to those who think of themselves as much as taxpayers as consumers or producers of public services. A longer march now beckons.
Hundreds of Thousands Flee Ivory Coast Crisis
Daily gunfire spurred by Laurent Gbagbo’s efforts to stay in power after losing a presidential election in November
Buy nike running shoes online has pushed thousands of residents out of neighborhoods surrounding the city’s central districts, while the closing of banks and businesses have led to widespread unemployment.
“The massive displacement in Abidjan and elsewhere is being fueled by fears of all-out war,” a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees told reporters Friday in Geneva, estimating that 700,000 to one million people had already left their homes.
“Bus terminals are overcrowded with passengers desperate to get seats on vehicles heading to northern, central and eastern parts of the country where there has been no fighting so far,” an agency spokeswoman, Melissa Fleming, said.
In Abidjan, Mr. Gbagbo’s security forces have waged an armed campaign against neighborhoods loyal to the man recognized by international bodies as the winner of the presidential election, Alassane Ouattara, killing at least 25 people with mortar shells at a market last week, the United Nations said.
This month, unarmed demonstrators against his rule were mowed down with machine-gun fire. Guerilla fighters have waged attacks against Mr. Gbagbo’s forces in Abidjan, while civilians, caught in the cross-fire, are now deserting neighborhoods wholesale. fashion 2011 nike running shoes
The United Nations and African political bodies have been unable to stop the attacks on civilians, despite the presence of a large United Nations peacekeeping force in Abidjan and repeated visits to the city by political leaders from across the continent seeking to mediate a settlement.
At the United Nations, France and Nigeria are calling for additional sanctions on Mr. Gbagbo and his inner circle — to add to those imposed late last year by the European Union and the United States — as well as a ban on heavy weapons use in Abidjan.
The United Nations estimates that nearly 500 people have been killed since the election; Mr. Ouattara puts the figure at nearly double that. The mortar attack last week may amount to “crimes against humanity,” the United Nations said, but a spokesman for Mr. Gbagbo later riposted with a blast against “Western media” for spreading “false information,” warning that international journalists there would be considered a “media extension of prevailing terrorism.” buy Reebok EasyTone online
Fighting in the western part of Ivory Coast has also displaced tens of thousands of residents, according to the United Nations and aid agencies, as fighters loyal to Mr. Ouattara skirmish with militias and troops tied to Mr. Gbagbo.
Towns near the Liberian border have been deserted by people fleeing to the neighboring country, the United Nations said, and there has been looting, rape and killing of civilians in the region.