Yemeni police open fire as hundreds storm the US embassy in Sanaa, casualties reported

 

Yemeni police fire warning shots as protesters storm US embassy in Sanaa (Image from Twitter/@FelixNewsAgency)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/yemen-police-protesters-embassy-020/

Yemeni police reportedly fired at hundreds of demonstrators storming the US embassy in the capital city of Sanaa. The embassy personnel are currently being taken to a secure location, the Yemen Times reported.

The demonstrators allegedly breached the embassy grounds but were unable to enter the building.

The embassy denied reports that protesters had entered its offices, saying that the clashes took place at the perimeter of the embassy grounds.

Muslims have taken to the streets across the Middle East in protest against a US amateur film satirizing the Prophet Muhammad. US embassies around the world have responded to the unrest by tightening security measures.

On Wednesday, the US ambassador to Libya and three other embassy staffers died when militia members attacked the Benghazi consulate.

Egyptian demonstrators also clashed with police near the US embassy in Cairo.

In a bid to stem the violence, Afghanistan and Pakistan have blocked access to YouTube to prevent the incendiary film from being viewed.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Israeli Night of Broken Glass: Africans attacked in Tel Aviv anti-migrant demo

Hundreds of people demonstrate in the impoverished Hatikva neighborhood of the southern Mediterranean city of Tel Aviv on May 23, 2012 (AFP Photo / Roni Schutzer)Israel Out)

Source: Russia Today
http://www.rt.com/news/israel-anti-migrant-demo-061/

Thousands of Israelis, including high-profile politicians, attended an anti-African demonstration in Tel Aviv. The rally turned violent, with attacks on Africans and grocery shop windows being smashed.

The gathering, which took place in Tel Aviv’s Hatikva neighborhood, targeted the influx of African asylum seekers and was organized by Michael Ben Ari, a Knesset member from the National Union party, along with far-right activists Itamar Ben-Guir and Baruch Marzel, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.

Many protesters also blamed the government, and Benjamin Netanyahu specifically, for inaction.

But the rally was also attended by politicians from the ruling Likud party, including Knesset members Miri Regev and Danny Danon. While Regev described asylum seekers as a “cancer in our body,” Danon said the “infiltrators” had to be immediately expelled from Israel.

“We should not be afraid to say the words 'expulsion now,'” Danon was reported as saying.

The crowd carried signs proclaiming messages such as “This is not Africa” and “Stop talking, start expelling.”

But as the sun set the rally turned violent, with demonstrators attacking at least a dozen African men and women who were unfortunate enough to be near the scene. They also smashed the shop front of a grocery store that served the migrant workers, subsequently looting it. Demonstrators also broke the window of a cab driven by a suspected African migrant worker. A bonfire was also lit up in the street. Seventeen people were reportedly arrested.

The rage of those who attended the rally seems to reflect a growing intolerance of the incoming African asylum seekers and migrant workers, even among those in the highest ranks of power.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his ministers that the phenomenon of “illegal work infiltrators” was “very grave,” and that it “threatened the social fabric of society,” Israel’s national security and national identity. He also warned that unless action is taken, the migrants could “inundate” the country and “cancel out its image as a Jewish and democratic state.”

Netanyahu’s words were strongly supported by Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who called for the deportation of asylum seekers.

Thousands of migrants from Eritrea and South Sudan came to Israel, saying they wanted to escape the poverty and political instability at home. Most of them are headed for Europe, but are unable to use their traditional path through Libya because of the ongoing post-civil war strife in the country. Once in Israel, they are looked after by local NGOs and the UN High Commission for Refugees. Most of them settle in Tel Aviv.

The government has been trying to deport refugees from South Sudan back to their homeland, but the motion was halted by the Jerusalem District Court. The court issued a temporary order prohibiting the deportation until it rules on a petition filed by five human rights organization against the state’s decision to deport the immigrants, arguing that their lives may be endangered if they return home. Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein is set to appear before the court next week to argue that there is no legal obstacle to the expulsion, as individual checks will show that none of the immigrants face any threats to their lives back South Sudan.

Thousands call for reforms in Morocco

A file photo of nationwide protests in Morocco

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/191776.html

Thousands of protesters have poured into the streets across Morocco, demanding better living conditions and social justice.

About 4,000 people protested in the country's biggest city Casablanca and about 5,000 in the northern city of Tangier on Sunday, local government officials said, Reuters reported.

The protesters also demanded that the power of the North African country's King Mohammed VI be further curbed.

Also in the capital Rabat, hundreds of protesters chanted slogans against King Mohammed, calling for a "change that marks a break with the past.”

The demonstrations coincided with the ceremony of allegiance with the king, where hundreds of regional representatives pledged their allegiance to the Moroccan monarch.

The protesters also challenged the newly amended constitution, arguing that the reforms proposed by the king don't go far enough.

Based on the draft of the new constitution that has been announced by the king -- and amended by a special committee chosen by the king himself -- more power has been given to the country's prime minister and the parliament.

Moreover, under the new constitution, the king, who has a “spiritual” position, is allowed to interfere in selecting ministers, military commanders, and other national figures.

The Sunday rallies came a day after King Mohammed called for speedy parliamentary elections, saying, “A new head of government can be named from the party which comes first."

"This protest is not meant to be a response to the allegiance ceremony. It is our response to the overall political climate in the country," said activist Mohamed al-Aouni.

Inspired by popular revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, tens of thousands of Moroccans have been taking part in protests in Casablanca, Rabat and other Moroccan towns since February 20, calling for political and social reforms.

Jordanians hold anti-US protest

Jordanian protesters carry a national flag during an anti-government demonstration in Amman, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit on June 3, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/190286.html

Jordanian protesters have held an anti-US rally in the capital, criticizing Washington's interference in the country's reform movement.

Burning a US flag and chanting anti-US slogans, protesters on Friday accused the US of meddling in their government's policies and trying to direct and influence the protest movement in Jordan.

The anti-US protest rally was held in response to efforts by American diplomats to meet and advise anti-government activists and remarks made by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in praise of reform efforts by Jordan.

"We don't need Washington's help and we don't take orders from you," the Associated Press quoted activist Mohannad Safiin as saying.

"These are our protests. Keep out of our business. For years, the US government supported these same Arab regimes which have killed our own people," he added.

Demonstrators also called for the resignation of Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit, whom the protesters hold responsible for the delay in adopting the promised economic and political reforms as well as failure to fight corruption.

They also called for freedom of press and condemned the government's "oppression" and "terrorizing" of the media a week after several journalists were beaten up by police as they tried to cover an anti-government sit-in in Amman.

Similar protest rallies were also held in several other cities.

Jordan's king has criticized the violence against journalists, saying that the government and police must allow journalists to cover political events and guarantee their safety. The government has promised to punish police officials involved in the attack.

Jordan has faced anti-government rallies demanding reforms and an end to corruption since January.

Last month, in a bid to appease protesters, King Abdullah II announced some concessions, including the formation of future governments that were based on an elected parliamentary majority rather than one appointed by the monarch.

He later said it may take two to three years to put an elected government in place.

Moroccans approve new constitution

Morocco's King Mohammed VI

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/187126.html

Moroccans have approved a new constitution that curbs the powers of King Mohammed VI, the interior minister has announced.

Moroccan Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui said the referendum on a new constitution was approved by 98 percent of voters and the turnout was 72.65 percent at the 94 percent of the polling stations reporting so far, AFP reported on Saturday.

"The referendum went ahead in a normal atmosphere, and showed the degree of interaction between the people and the content of the constitutional project," Cherkaoui said.

Thirty percent of voters were under the age of 35, according to the Moroccan interior minister.

The constitutional referendum was the first under King Mohammed's 12-year rule.

The new constitution grants executive powers to a prime minister. However, the king remains the head of the military, religious authorities, and judiciary.

King Mohammed has described the reforms as a “decisive historic transition.”

Jordan king's motorcade attacked

In this photo released by the Jordanian Royal Palace, King Abdullah II (center top) greets people during his visit to Tafileh city, June 13, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/184537.html

The motorcade of the Jordan king has been attacked while he was on an official tour in the southern city of Tafileh, a security official says.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the security official said King Abdullah II was unharmed in the Monday incident but 25 police officers were injured, one of them seriously.

"(The rear) part of King Abdullah II's motorcade was attacked with stones and empty bottles by a group of men in their 20s and 30s after the king's car entered Tafileh," the official said, adding that the motorcade changed its route following the attack.

The royal court and the Jordanian government, however, have denied the report that the monarch was the target of the violence in the southern town, saying angry young Jordanians attacked anti-riot police guarding the motorcade of King Abdullah II.

"It is absolutely groundless. Footage taken during the visit to Tafileh proves that," a court official told AFP.

"The motorcade of his majesty the king was not attacked and the visit to Tafileh was successful," government spokesman Taher Adwan told state-run Petra news agency.

"All that happened was a quarrel between police and people who wanted to greet the king," he added.

Some reports say that the violence came after Tafileh mayor barred young unemployed from a town meeting with the king and also because of the harsh treatment by anti-riot police, who beat them as they tried to line the sidewalk for the motorcade and present petitions to the king.

"Those who do not represent the people of Tafileh have been chosen to sit with the king. We have been marginalized in a provocative step that shows how security apparatuses control the people," said a group calling itself the "Freemen of Tafileh."

The attack came a day after King Abdullah II vowed to enhance political and economic reforms and promised a new electoral law leading to a parliamentary government in an attempt to end months of anti-government protest rallies in the country.

Tafileh, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of the capital Amman, like other Jordanian cities, has been the scene of anti-government protests over the past months. Jordanians demand reforms, effective measures to fight corruption and the resignation of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit and his cabinet.

Israeli police attack al-Aqsa mosque

An Israeli policeman is detaining a Palestinian outside the al-Aqsa mosque compound (file photo).

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/184068.html

Israeli troops have attacked Palestinian worshippers in al-Aqsa mosque compound, using tear gas and stun guns to disperse the crowd.

An Israeli police spokesman said troops entered the holy site and clashed with Palestinian worshippers after they threw stones at security forces.

The spokesman did not mention how the stone throwing started.

Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, however, says Jewish settlers provoked the incident after they desecrated the compound with the grace of Israeli forces, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.

Three Palestinians were arrested but no injuries were reported during the clashes.

A spokesman for the Islamic authorities running the mosque said only one or two youths had been throwing stones.

The complex, which is the most important religious site in al-Quds (Jerusalem), has been the scene of violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops during the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have abducted eight Palestinians, including senior Hamas official Wasfi Qabha, in the West Bank, Palestinian security officials said.

Qabha, who was minister for prisoner affairs in the Hamas government in 2006, was kidnapped from his home in the West Bank city of Jenin early on Friday.

He was kept in Israeli prisons from 2007 until 2010. The Israeli regime has abducted at least 11 Hamas politicians in the West Bank since October last year.

The Israel army confirmed it had made an arrest in Jenin, but refused to provide further details.

Tensions rise in Turkey election drive

Turkish protesters clash in Hopa with riot police firing a water cannon during a demonstration against Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on June 2, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/183109.html

As election campaign has increased the ongoing tension among different political groups in the Turkish society, the incidents in the Black Sea town of Hopa has further ignited the delicate situation.

The clashes between political groups in Hopa on Tuesday left a retired schoolteacher dead and one police officer in a coma.

Instead of ramping down their rhetoric for the June 12 elections, political leaders, to win over voters' emotions, are blaming each other for the Hopa incidents. While some blame the election campaign for the increasing tension in the country, many academic experts say growing intolerance is at the root of the problem, the daily Hurriyet reported Friday.

“We always had structural polarizations in Turkey but this election is extremely important,” said sociologist and political-science theorist Yucel Demirer. “Both the changing of the Turkish Constitution and the Kurdish issue, which needs to be addressed immediately, are critical factors. That's why party leaders are quite tense.”

“Whether they accept it or not, the main opposition Republican People's Party [CHP] is going through a significant change. The pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party [BDP], is also becoming stronger in the eastern provinces. Even if the ruling Justice and Development Party [AKP] wins the election, all these factors are making the ruling party nervous, which increases the tension,” Demirer added.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the protesters “bandits” while the CHP and MHP blamed the ruling party and Erdogan for the excessive force used by police.

Tensions further rose between the AKP and the BDP during Erdogan's visits to eastern and southeastern provinces where many shopkeepers closed their doors in protest.

According to polls, Erdogan is expected to win more than 50 percent of the votes in the June 12 parliamentary elections.

Poll: Saudi Kingdom will collapse

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/172707.html

A Press TV survey reveals that almost half of the public think the brutal crackdown and tight security measures in Saudi Arabia will not safeguard the Kingdom against collapse.

According to the public opinion poll, some 51.6 percent of people think that crackdown will result in a massive bloodshed and the collapse of the Saudi kingdom.

The poll indicates that 13.04 percent of people believe that the issue will only result in massive bloodshed, while another 18 percent said the strict security measures will just not be enough to save the kingdom from falling.

An estimated 17.36 percent of the voters went for the choice that said the crackdown will eventually discourage the public in its revolutionary drive.

The survey also found that the voters from the United States topped the list of participants by 26.3 percent of the votes, while 11.4 percent were from the United Kingdom.

Voters from Canada made 6.3 percent, along with Australians and the Dutch, with 2.6 and 1.6 percent respectively.

Some 51.8 percent of the votes were also from other countries.

The poll was conducted while hundreds of people have recently protested peacefully in Saudi Arabia, calling on the country's military to end its incursion into Bahrain.

Moreover, hundreds of anti-government Saudi protesters took to the streets in Qatif and surrounding villages in eastern Saudi Arabia on March 25, demanding the immediate release of what they called forgotten political prisoners. The protesters said the prisoners were being held unjustly and without trial, some as long as 16 years.

Demonstrators also called for political freedoms and an end to sectarian discrimination by the Wahhabi monarchy.

Jordanians renew call for premier ouster

Jordanian protesters at the central square on March 25, 2011 in Amman, Jordan, Getty Images

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171747.html

The opposition to Jordan's government has renewed calls for the ouster of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit amid violent crackdown on protesters which has left two people dead and many others injured.

"We demand the prime minister and intelligence chief [Mohammed Raqqad] quit," Firas Mahadin of the Youth of March 24 Movement stated at a news conference on Saturday.

"We have reached a point of no return," AFP quoted him as saying.

The leader of Islamic Action Front, the main opposition party, went on to say that the regime has carried out "crimes against humanity."

Trade unionists along with opposition politicians have joined the youth movement.

The opposition began a protest camp at the Interior Circle in Gamal Abdel Nasser Square in the capital Amman on Thursday, March 24.

Their camp was attacked by around 200 pro-regime loyalists, who assaulted protesters with rocks and stones, on Thursday night. The loyalists then raided the camp after police cut the power supply to the square, killing two and injuring at least 130 others, three of them remain in critical condition.

Riot police arrested several protesters and used water cannons to break up the camp on Friday.

Police chief Hussein Majali said a protester -- 55-year-old Khairy Saad Jamil -- has died of a heart attack. Jamil's son, however, insists that his father had suffered several blows to his body. The family now refuses to bury Jamil until Interior Minister Saad Srur quits and security officials are fired.

Srur, who accuses the opposition of seeking to create chaos in the country, says an investigation has been launched to determine who's responsible for the violence.

Friday's unrest in Amman was the second of its kind since protests erupted in the country three months ago. Jordan's opposition wants political reforms including those that would strip King Abdullah II of some of his powers, specifically in appointing the prime minister.

Jordan's king, who has already offered a series of concessions to end the protests, has reportedly called for an early election by the end of 2011.

Jordan loyalists attack student protest

Jordanian anti-government protesters in Amman, January 21

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171548.html

Several young Jordanian protesters have been hospitalized after government loyalists attacked their protest camp in the capital Amman on Friday.

Witnesses say security forces stood by and did not intervene as demonstrators were attacked, AFP reported.

Around 500 students were camping next to Gamal Abdel Nasser Square in the capital when the government loyalist assaulted them on Friday.

At least 35 people were injured when security forces and supporters of King Abdullah II cracked down on the crowd.

Police spokesman Mohamad Khatib claimed he was not aware of any casualties.

At nightfall, police had tried to disperse the crowd by cutting off electricity to the square.

Protesters say they will continue with street protests until their demands are met.

Thursday's protest saw the most violence since the demonstrations began three months ago.

The Jordanian Youth Movement used Facebook to organize the protest camp. The group has now reportedly changed its name to Youth of March 24 to mark the beginning of an open-ended demonstration at the main square.

"Today is the dawning of the Jordanian revolution,'' said group spokesman Ziad al-Khawaldeh. "We will not move an inch from here until our demands are met,'' he added.

Jordanians have held protest rallies since January, demanding reforms. They are calling for the dissolution of parliament and constitutional amendments.

Their demands include the ouster of newly-appointed Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit and the prosecution of officials accused of corruption and nepotism.

Jordan's opposition also wants to strip the king of some of his powers, specifically in appointing the prime minister.

Jordan's king, who has already offered a series of concessions to end the protests, has reportedly called for an early election by the end of 2011.

Jordan protesters attacked in capital

Jordanian protesters hold flags and banners during a demonstration organized by a group called itself March 24th Youth Movement in Jordanian capital of Amman, on March 24, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171544.html

In Jordan, government loyalists have attacked protesters in the capital Amman leaving several demonstrators injured.

Witnesses say security forces stood by as demonstrators were attacked, AFP reported.

Around 2,000 Jordanians gathered for a protest camp at the Interior Circle of Jamal Abdul Nasser Square in Amman, following demonstrations held in the city on Thursday.

At least 35 people were injured when security forces and supporters of King Abdullah II cracked down on the crowd.

Thursday's protest saw the most violence since the demonstrations began three months ago.

The Jordanian Youth Movement used Facebook to organize the protest camp. The group has now reportedly changed its name to Youth of March 24 to mark the beginning of an open-ended demonstration at the main square.

“Today is the dawning of the Jordanian revolution,'' said group spokesman Ziad al-Khawaldeh. “We will not move an inch from here until our demands are met,'' he added.

Jordanians have held protest rallies since January demanding reforms. They are calling for the dissolution of parliament and constitutional amendments.

Their demands include the ouster of newly-appointed Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit and the prosecution of officials accused of corruption and nepotism.

Jordan's opposition also wants to strip the king of some of his powers, specifically in appointing the prime minister.

Jordan's king, who has already offered a series of concessions to end the protests, has reportedly called for an early election by the end of 2011.

Fresh protests break out in Morocco

Pro-democratic protests in Morocco

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170929.html

Amid escalating unrest in Middle East and North of Africa, Moroccans have also taken to the streets to protest corruption in Morocco and demand better civil rights.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters gathered in Rabat and Casablanca on Sunday shouting "the Moroccan people demand change!" and holding up placards reading "For the freedom and dignity of the Moroccan people."

Protests in Morocco began earlier this year following revolutions in Egypt and Tunis which led to the overthrow of the governments in both countries.

In February thousands of Moroccans staged peaceful demonstrations across the country, prompting Morocco's King Mohammed VI to emphasize his commitment to “pursuing the realization of structural reforms.”

The king announced on March 9 that he had appointed a committee to draft a reform of the constitution widening the prerogatives of elected officials and ensuring officials are accountable and the judiciary independent.

Mohammed VI added that the new proposals would be announced in June and the draft constitution will be put to a referendum.

On March 14, however, Morocco's riot police armed with truncheons broke up peaceful protest in Casablanca in an unusual show of violence, injuring 13 people and arresting 54 others.

Saudi or Israeli, which regime is worse?

Saudi forces in Bahrain

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170360.html

Political observers have compared the crimes committed by Saudi Arabia to those of Israel amid Riyadh's military invasion of Bahrain to help quell the anti-government protests.

On March 14, Saudi Arabia dispatched troops to Bahrain to crush Bahraini protesters who have been demanding the downfall of the al-Khalifa dynasty in the small Persian Gulf kingdom.

The move has prompted political observers to look back at the crimes of the Saudi regime throughout history and pose the question, “How different are the Saudi and Israeli regimes?”

Israel invaded Palestine and changed its name to “Israel,” and the Saudi dynasty invaded Hijaz and put its family name on the territory, calling it “Saudi Arabia.”

Israeli regime invaded Lebanon and Gaza under the pretext of establishing security; Saudis launched an onslaught on Bahraini civilians to prevent anti-government protests from spreading to their territory.

Israel violated international rules of engagement and used non-conventional weapons against the Lebanese and Gazans; Saudis used live ammunition and nerve gas in their attacks on defenseless Bahraini protesters.

Israel targeted residential areas, hospitals and schools during its assaults; Saudis hit ambulances and raided hospitals in crisis-hit Bahrain.

Israel resorts to kidnapping, bombing and other terrorist operations in other countries to maintain its hegemony; Saudis have set up al-Qaeda to continue their dominance and sent terrorist groups to Iraq to massacre innocent people in the war-ravaged country.

Now the question remains: “Between Israeli and Saudi regimes, which one is more criminal and which one enjoys more US support?”

Activists plan 2nd Gaza-bound flotilla

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/164162.html

International activists are planning to send an aid convoy to the blockaded Gaza Strip on the anniversary of Tel Aviv's deadly attack on a humanitarian mission.

The mission has been organized by Spanish activists Manuel Tapial and Laura Arau and is expected to set off from the country to the Palestinian coastal sliver in the spring, Press TV correspondent Sonia Labboun reported on Monday from the Spanish capital, Madrid.

The human rights campaigners survived Israel's deadly attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in May 31, which killed nine Turkish activists and injured around 50 others onboard the civilian fleet.

Enjoying Turkey's support, the six-ship convoy had set sail to challenge Israel's years-long closure of Gaza aimed at turning Palestinians in the impoverished enclave against the democratically elected Hamas government based there.

Tapial said, “80 percent of Gazans manage to live thanks to international donations. During these last four years, Israel has closed the borders that led to the bankruptcy of 90 percent of local businesses."

"We will continue our fight to end this illegal situation and this time with more activists and ships,” he vowed.

Spain has hosted the meeting of the human rights campaigners who are expected to join the next flotilla.

The country would contribute two vessels to the aid mission. The vessels are expected to carry 200 tons of relief supplies and around 200 activists from 17 countries, including Canada, Malaysia, Switzerland, Italy and Algeria.

Erdogan: Israel should oust Lieberman

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/159974.html


Turkey's prime minister has called for the ousting of Avigdor Lieberman before the far-right Israeli foreign minister causes more political waves.

Speaking to the Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Lieberman constituted “a problem at the head of Israel.”

Tel Aviv was obliged to “rid” itself of the official whom, Erdogan said, was in a course of creating further political problems.

Relations between Turkey and Israel took record damage after Tel Aviv's May 31 violent attack on an Ankara-backed aid convoy, known as Freedom Flotilla.

The commando assault on the fleet, which had set sail for the Gaza Strip, killed nine Turkish activists and injured around 50 others, causing international furor.

The ties had already been soured by Israel's December 2008-January 2009 war on the Gaza Strip, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.

In December, Lieberman said Israel would never apologize to Turkey over the deadly convoy attack.

It was “a cheek” for Ankara to request an apology before normalizing ties with Tel Aviv, he said.

Ankara has also asked Tel Aviv to compensate the families of the human rights campaigners who were killed in the May incident.

Egypt bans activists from Gaza convoy

Members of the Asia to Gaza Caravan

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157965.html


Egypt has prevented some 50 Iranian and Jordanian activists on the Asia 1 aid convoy from reaching the Gaza Strip through its soil.

The Egyptian embassy in Damascus, Syria, has informed the convoy of a permit that allows only 120 activists to pass through Egypt and then enter Gaza via El Arish port, the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram reported Thursday.

Palestinian authorities said that Cairo is also denying entry to 10 generators donated by Iranians. This will decrease the size of the humanitarian convoy to below 300 tons, which will be limited to food and medical aid, in addition to toys, for the besieged Palestinians.

Gaza has been under a crippling blockade since 2007.

The Asia to Gaza Caravan, or Asia 1, consists of activists from more than 15 countries, including Iran, India, Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Kuwait. It was scheduled to reach Gaza by December 27, in time for the second anniversary of Israel's 22-day war on the Strip that started on December 28, 2008.

Over 1,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and thousands others injured or maimed in the three-week Israeli-imposed war. Half of Gaza's infrastructure was destroyed and remains unrepaired as a result of Israel's siege, which includes a ban on the entry of building materials into the coastal sliver.

The convoy has travelled 7,000 kilometers but has been stuck in Latikia, in Syria, since last week awaiting Egypt's permission.

Activists expelled for Gaza T-shirts

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157966.html


Four activists have been forced to leave an art gallery in New York for wearing T-shirts in support of the besieged Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Eight people had worn black T-shirts with “NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM” printed on the front and “US BOAT TO GAZA” on the back. The writings were in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

The activists had worn the T-shirts on the final day of an exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery called “Next Year in Jerusalem,” in an effort to include an American boat in the next blockade-challenging aid convoy to break the Israeli siege on Gaza.

Half of the group had left when ordered to leave but the four refused to vacate the place and the police were called in to force the activists, who had tried to draw attention to their cause, to leave.

But according to witnesses, when one of the activists refused to go, she was pulled so roughly that she fell on the ground. The woman, who was in her late 50s, was dragged across the floor of two long rooms to the doorway. Police have denied the violence, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

The activists explained that they were part of an organization called "US Boat to Gaza," which plans to sponsor a ship in the next flotilla to sail against the Israeli blockade.

Senior cleric hails Asian Gaza Convoy

Iran's Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157851.html


Iranian Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi has lauded an Asian humanitarian aid convoy for making an effort to break the Israeli crippling siege of the Gaza Strip.

“I am so happy with your visit [to Gaza] which pursues a humanitarian goal,” Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi said in a letter to the Asian Gaza Convoy, ISNA reported on Thursday.

“This act of yours will be internally recorded in history and be aware that this absolutely humanitarian move to save an innocent community will be reflected around the globe,” he added.

The senior cleric condemned the “usurper Israeli regime” for its occupation of the Palestinian territories and scorned the blockade of the Gaza Strip as an imprudent move that earns further shame and disgrace for Tel Aviv.

“Another consequence of this insane move is forging a link among various ethnicities and faiths,” Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi said, noting how the occupation of Palestine has grown from an Arab world issue to an international issue which is not limited by boundaries of religion or race.

This paves the way for the further decline of the Zionist regime [Israel],” he went on to say and expressed hope that the “brave and meditated” move by the Asian Gaza Convoy would make a great contribution to the collapse of Israel.

In the letter delivered to the aid fleet in Syria, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi said he wished he could accompany the convoy.

“Although I am not physically amongst you, my heart is with you all your journey long, and I hope this visit will be effective in the awakening of the human community and disgrace of the usurpers and sympathizers of the Israeli regime.”

He also expressed hope that the move would set an example for the emancipation of humans from oppressors and occupiers across the world.

A group of 50 activists originally started their planned nine-country road convoy trip from India and entered Iran through the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan on December 9.

Accompanied by a group of Iranian lawmakers, the convoy was scheduled to arrive at the Rafah crossing in late December to deliver its cargo of the much needed medical and relief supplies for the impoverished people in Gaza.

Canadians protest Israel's Gaza siege

File photo

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157516.html


Pro-Palestinian groups in Canada have staged a demonstration to mark the second anniversary of the Gaza war and protest Tel Aviv's crippling siege of the coastal strip.

Scores of people gathered outside the Israeli consulate in the Canadian city of Toronto on Monday to commemorate the second anniversary of the Israeli carnage in the Gaza Strip.

On December 27, 2008, Israel launched a massive offensive against the densely populated coastal enclave, leaving more than 1,400 Palestinians dead and thousands more injured.

The protesters condemned the Israeli war crimes during the 22-day war and the killing of hundreds of children during the relentless bombardment of civilian positions and residential areas during the onslaught.

The demonstrators also called for an immediate end to the paralyzing blockade of the impoverished Gaza Strip, which is home to nearly 1.5 million Palestinians.

The Monday gathering was also meant to raise awareness of a Canadian aid boat which will set sail for the besieged enclave next spring.

During the past two years, several international groups have attempted to break the siege of Gaza by sea and by land.

On May 31, a Turkish-organized Freedom Flotilla was severely attacked by Israeli navy commandos in international waters.

The bloody takeover of the six-ship convoy left nine Turkish activists dead and injured more than 50 others onboard the civilian fleet.

While the naval closure of the Gaza Strip -- tightened since 2007 -- stands, the Free Gaza Movement in Canada has organized an aid boat to Gaza.

Set to sail in early 2011, the convoy has already collected USD 125,000 in donations, in the face of enormous efforts from pro-Zionist groups to block further funds for the aid mission.