Posted on November 27th, 2011 by Marian Houk
A report in YNet tonight tells us that Palestinian Authority [PA] Salaam Fayyad said today that he is unable to pay December salaries in the coming week because of Israel’s withholding of the VAT + Customs taxes it collects for the PA under the 1994 Paris Protocol [part of the Oslo Accords]. YNet doesn’t say [...]
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Filed under: Israel, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on November 26th, 2011 by Marian Houk
The Jerusalem Post reports today that it has been told that “Palestinian unity efforts stumble” after the reconciliation summit in Cairo on Friday. But, while there may be outstanding differences between the two largest Palestinian political factions, the real delay may be an attempt to avoid various threatened punishments, until something changes… Khaled Abu Toameh, [...]
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Filed under: Egypt, Human Rights, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on November 25th, 2011 by Marian Houk
The reconciliation “summit” between PLO Chairman + Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas [on the right in the photo below] and Hamas Politibureau chief Khaled Meshaal [on the left, beaming, beside Abbas] went ahead in Cairo on Thursday 24 November. In an almost-surreal — though all too real — backdrop to this meeting, the widely-detested use of [...]
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Filed under: Egypt, Human Rights, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on November 23rd, 2011 by Marian Houk
To my surprise, though perfectly according to plan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas turned up in Cairo this morning to meet Field Marshall Tantawy, who as head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces [SCAF] of Egypt was handed the country when Husni Mubarak was forced to step down last February. Abbas meeting Tantawi – [...]
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Filed under: Egypt, Human Rights, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on November 22nd, 2011 by Marian Houk
Protests — and casualties, including deaths — have continued in Egypt today, as a decision was awaited from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces on demands for an immediate transition to civilian rule. Egyptian riot police are reportedly responsible for the worst violence, but . A “million man” march was called for 4pm to [...]
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Filed under: Egypt, Human Rights
Posted on November 21st, 2011 by Marian Houk
Bloody hell broke out at Tahrir Square this weekend. There have been so many deaths and injuries — including a shocking number of protesters injured by rubber bullets in eyes, many of whom have reportedly lost their eyes as a result — that the figures are unreliable, and the tallies by various volunteers and news [...]
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Filed under: Egypt, Human Rights
Posted on November 20th, 2011 by Marian Houk
What is shown in this video — posted by TIME Magazine, here — is a very, very grave mistake, and an abuse of power and authority of the first degree. It is causing outrage locally, nationally and internationally. Peaceful protesters are shown here being pepper sprayed at very close range by big beefy guys (and [...]
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Filed under: Human Rights, USA
Posted on November 18th, 2011 by Marian Houk
The IAEA has passed what appears to be a mild resolution in response to its toughest report yet about Iran’s nuclear program. The IAEA report suggested that there was no way to understand parts of Iran’s nuclear research other than to believe there was an aim to study how a nuclear weapon might be developed. [...]
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Filed under: International Atomic Energy Agency - IAEA, Iran, Nuclear technology and weapons, UN General Assembly, UN Security Council, US in UN
Posted on November 9th, 2011 by Marian Houk
The latest and much-anticipated IAEA report on Iran was distributed to members of the Board of Governors in Vienna — and almost immediately leaked to the press. What does it say? It can be read in full here: here. It starts right out with this statement, rebuffing Iran’s efforts to negotiate or wheedle an arrangement [...]
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Filed under: International Atomic Energy Agency - IAEA, Iran, Nuclear technology and weapons, UN Security Council
Posted on November 5th, 2011 by Marian Houk
An annual event at the pastoral tranquility of the UN office in Geneva — or, as it is known locally, the Palais des Nations, which is former home and site of the sad story of the League of Nations — the sheep-grazing of the lawns in October-November. The photo below was taken by the dashing [...]
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Filed under: Blogging, Journalism and Journalists, Switzerland, United Nations
