IDF kills One

Das die Feierlichkeiten zu Israels 60tem Geburtstag endlich zelebriert werden tragen die gute Nachricht in sich das die Feierlichkeiten damit bald wieder beendet sind. Gleichzeitig sehen Palästinenser wenig Grund zum Feiern. Israelische Araber fühlen sich wenig eingeladen. Blogger Lirun berichtet von einer Veranstaltung der Combatans for Peace. Und meine persönliche Meinung ist das der 70te Geburtstag hoffentlich was zum Feiern hergibt. Der 60te wirkt etwas sehr gequält.

Supporters of Lebanon's U.S.-backed government fought battles in Beirut on Wednesday with gunmen loyal to the Hezbollah-led opposition, escalating the worst internal crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. Followers of the Iran-backed Hezbollah paralyzed the capital and cut routes to its sea and air ports by blocking roads with blazing tires, old cars, heaps of earth and concrete blocks. An opposition source said the protest campaign would continue until the government rescinded decisions affecting Hezbollah, including a move to take steps against a telecommunications network operated by the group. [...] A General Labor Confederation (GLC) strike turned political and violent on Wednesday when supporters of the opposition took to the streets and blocked the main road leading to Beirut's international airport in protest at the government's recent decision to sack the facility's security chief, General Wafiq Shoucair, and counter Hizbullah's private phone network. [...] Airport shut, at least 10 injured as mobs do battle in capital.

Israel Defense Forces tanks and bulldozers rumbled into the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday, and Israeli aircraft struck a series of targets. One militant was killed and at least 14 Palestinians, including one civilian, were wounded in the fighting, according to witnesses and medical officials. [...] Für die Westbank wurden heute 35,5 Millionen € an Lohn- und Pensionszahlungen aus dem EU-PEGASE-Topf frei gegeben. 74 000 Personen/Haushalte sollen damit finanziell versorgt werden. Damit wäre der Regelsatz pro Person verdoppelt worden, oder die Hälfte wird versteckt abgeleitet. In Jenin sorgt eine IDF-Aktion für Ärger: Ohne erkennbaren Grund und ohne Verhaftungen oder Hausdurchsuchungen zu tätigen invasiert eine Horde IDFler die Stadt deren Sicherheitsstruktur soeben der PA mit massivem Pomp und 600 Neu-Polizisten übergeben wurde. Die IDFler halten schlicht eine Parade in der Stadt ab.

The head of the UN Nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday he hoped his agency would be able to shed light in the next few weeks on whether a Syrian facility bombed by Israel last year was an undeclared atomic reactor. ... Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that the IAEA was in contact with Syria to verify the US Intelligence and recalled Damascus' obligation to report any nuclear activities to the agency. [Erstaunlicher Vorgang sollte die Meinung stimmen die Syrer würden kooperieren.] [...] Sehr schön zusammengefaßt: The alleged Rendon Group meeting comes amid reports that principal deputy assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs Jeffrey Feltman, a former US ambassador to Lebanon, held a rare two hour meeting with Syria’s ambassador to the US Imad Mustapha earlier this week. After the meeting, the Syrian ambassador immediately flew to Damascus for consultations. What’s going on? Israel and Syria have been feeling out possible outlines for peace talks, mediated by Turkey, for some time. But Syrian president Bashar Assad reportedly wants Washington’s involvement, in order that it could negotiate to be taken off Washington’s list of state sponsors of terrorism. Washington has reportedly until recently blocked such talks, because it says Syria has not done enough to impede the flow of foreign insurgents and suicide bombers from Syria into Iraq, and has acted to destabilize the Lebanese government. Washington has recently appeared to withdraw that veto. So, one might speculate: perhaps Feltman met with Mustafa to give him the list of specific actions Washington would expect to see from Damascus in order to bless future possible negotiations. Eher wahrscheinlich ist jedoch die einfachste Lösung: Am Donnerstag soll Saad Harriri in Washington vorreiten [falls er rechtzeitig vom Flughafen weggkommt.], die aktuelle Hezbollah-Krise hat sicherhlich damit auch etwas zu tun, und so ist mit Sicherheit das Gespräch Feltman-Mustapha als ausloten von Harriri-Gedanken zu sehen, wobei wohl ein "Interims"-Verhandlungspaket vorgelegt wurde.

Daniel Levy, "Counting West Bank Checkpoints—Making Gulliver Look Lilliputian": ... In his wonderfully insightful and honest new book “The Much Too Promised Land: America’s Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace”, Aaron David Miller discusses what he calls ‘Gulliver’s troubles’—how America as a great power is made to look Lilliputian when it gets sucked in to unsuccessful micro-management by the small powers of the Middle East. ...