Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Alejandro Wolff underlined Washington’s concern over “the unbalanced focus on Israel”. He declared, “We take the allegations in the report seriously”, but added, “Israel has the institutions and the ability to carry out serious investigations of these allegations and we encourage it to do so.” British Ambassador John Sawers supported the American lead, “We urge the Israeli government to carry out full, credible and impartial investigations into the allegations,” while French Ambassador Gerard Araud urged both Israel and Hamas to initiate “independent inquiries in line with international standards”.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gabriela Shalev criticized the Security Council for even considering the matter, “Instead of discussing the real and worrying questions facing the Middle East, the UN is focusing on the Goldstone report, which Israel believes legitimizes terror organizations.”
She returned fire on Libya, which brought the issue to the Security Council:
An ordinary person would think that an emergency UN session would be called when Gazan and Lebanese terrorists fire missiles into Israeli territory, or because of the Iranian nuclear threat.
The pretense of urgency in this session is an attempt to “hijack” the council’s agenda to promote the report, a move supported by none other than Libya – a country that has only recently celebrated the return of the Lockerbie bomber.
The Goldstone Report on the Gaza War is no longer a set of findings on possible crimes by both sides during the fighting. So, an enquiry that was supposed to cast bring light on the bombed rubbleis now a political tool to be wielded against the “enemy”. And that is not only the “enemy” in the Israel-Palestine conflict but also within Palestinian politics.
Yesterday the Palestinian UN Mission issued a press release saying asserting full support for the Libyan request for a meeting of the UN Security Council. However, Libya’s proposal was rejected. Although the Council decided to move its next meeting from 20 October to 14 October, Washington’s position was clear. US Deputy Ambassador Alejandro Wolff said that the Obama Administration would not approve any decision: Read the rest of this entry »
UPDATE 1330 GMT: EA readers have noted this report, originally from Palestine’s Shahab News Agency: “[Palestinian Authority] representatives at a meeting in the US initially rejected Israel’s request not to endorse the Goldstone report. But, then, Brigadier Eli Avraham, an Israeli representative, played a videotape showing a meeting between Abbas and Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister during the Gaza war, in which Tzipi Livni, Israel’s former foreign minister, was also present. The tape showed Abbas trying to convince Barak to continue the offensive.
“Avraham also played an audiotape of a telephone call between Dov Weissglass, a senior Israeli official, and al-Tayyib Abdul Rahim, secretary-general of the Palestinian president’s office….In the conversation, Abdul Rahim noted that circumstances were suitable for entry of the Israeli army into Jabalya and al-Shatea refugee camps, and said that the fall of these two camps would end Hamas’s rule in Gaza Strip….Weissglass then told Abdul Rahim that such an army operation would lead to the deaths of thousands of civilians, but, according to Shahab, Abdul Rahim said: ‘They have all elected Hamas, so they are the ones who have chosen their fate, not us.’”
We have found no further information about this claim, but Al-Manar, Hezbollah’s media outlet, adds: “[Israel's] Ma’ariv newspaper had previously quoted the Israeli occupation Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi as saying that the Palestinian Authority, represented by its President, went to war with Israel in Gaza. Ashkenazi sent a letter to the Israeli Attorney, in which he revealed that the Abbas maintained unprecedented cooperation with the Israeli occupation army during the Gaza war.”
All this may be considered in the context of our repeated analyses, during the December-January Gaza War, that the Fatah party of Abbas was backing the Israeli operations against Hamas. See, for example, a 6 January entry, “Gaza: The Israel-Fatah Collaboration”.
The pressure on Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, after his support for the deferral of a UN vote on the Goldstone Report on the Gaza War, is increasing. Read the rest of this entry »
Jumblatt added: “We need anti-tank weapons and anti-aircraft weapons….Americans are not really willing to provide us with such weapons. They will tell you these weapons will be used against Israelis. OK, but my enemy is Israel.”
Jumblatt called for the unity of the Arab world through dialogue between Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran, as well as between the Arab League and Iran. This unity between the Shiite and Sunni blocks could bring an end to Israel’s “aggression.”
Preparing for the UN Show: There have already been vehement discussions at the United Nations General Assembly in advance of next week’s speeches by national leaders. Libyan diplomat Ali Treki is taking over the UNGA Presidency from Nicaraguan President Miguel d’Escoto Brockman, as it is reported that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi will attend the Assembly next week after the release of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi by Scottish officials.
I wanted to help Palestine, but those who should supposedly have been most interested denied their support for reasons of “caution” that I was incapable of understanding.
He blamed the permanent five members of the Security Council (United States, Britain, France, China and Russia) of being “passive and apparently indifferent” on the Israeli blockade of Gaza in the past two years and called their behavior “disgraceful”.
The story over the release of Libya’s Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person convicted over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, continues to the point of near-obsession in Britain. The latest framing is whether the British Foreign Office told Libyan counterparts that it, and the British Prime Minister, did not want al-Megrahi “to die in prison”.
Ali Yenidunya keeps his eye on the wider story over the economic context for the al-Megrahi case — WSL.
This may be one of the most depressing interviews I have read since the start of the Obama Administration. (And it will get worse later today — I have seen clips from a similar performance on NBC’s Meet the Press; we’re waiting for the full video and transcript.) The White House, amidst the political complexity of this week’s events in Afghanistan, put up two military men — Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and the US Ambassor to Afghanistan, General Karl Eikenberry — for set-up questions from John King.
The political knowledge in this exchange is almost vacant, with the platitudes about “democracy” (note Eikenberry’s excited spin that he couldn’t get the indelible ink off his finger) substituting for the serious issues about the election — today, there are reports that the declaration of the vote may be delayed because of fraud allegations — and the politics beyond it.
Instead the conversation turns to militarising the US involvement, with the question, “How many more troops?” And, of course, this is all rationalised by skipping over the Afghan people and referring to “Al Qa’eda” (who, I’ll note for the record, are not in Afghanistan but in another country).
KING: This is the “State of the Union” report for Sunday, August 23rd.
In Afghanistan today, both President Hamid Karzai and his top challenger are claiming victory in last week’s election, raising tensions, even though it could be weeks or more before the official results are certified. It is an uncertain military situation, as well, with fighting between U.S. forces and the Taliban intensifying. And fresh indications President Obama could soon be asked to commit more American troops.
Here to talk about this and other global challenges are the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen , and the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry. He joins us from Kabul.
And Mr. Ambassador, let me start with you. There are complaints, escalating complaints this Sunday about fraud in the elections. On the threshold question of will this balloting be credible, what is your answer?
EIKENBERRY: Well, John, it was an extraordinary two months that we’ve been through, with this being a very historic election. Afghanistan, the first time in the past 30 years that the Afghan people have led an election for their president, for provincial councils, very intense campaign that occurred over the last two months, all new in Afghanistan. Presidential televised debates, campaign rallies. A very civil debate that occurred over this time. Read the rest of this entry »
President Barack Obama, at his press conference after the end of the G8 Summit in L’Aquila, Italy, focused on the environment, global economy, and international security. As for Iran, he reiterated the deep concern of the international community over the extreme violence against demonstrations and stated that the door for negotiation is open to Tehran until September, when the G20 Summit will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the US.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Please, everybody have a seat. I apologize for being a little bit late. Good afternoon.
We have just concluded the final session of what has been a highly productive summit here in L’Aquila. And before I discuss what we’ve achieved these past three days, I’d like to take a moment to express my thanks to Prime Minister Berlusconi, his staff, the people of Italy for their extraordinary hospitality and hard work in setting up this summit. And particularly I want to thank the people of L’Aquila for welcoming us to your home at this difficult time. We’ve seen how you’ve come together and taken care of each other, and we’ve been moved by your courage and your resilience and your kindness. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the headlines from the joint appearance of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates before a Senate committee came not from the opening statements but from an exchange much later in the hearing.
Asked about a military option to curb or destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, Gates firmly rejected airstrikes in favour of diplomacy to deter Tehran from an arms race: “”Their security interests are actually badly served by trying to have nuclear weapons. They will start a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and they will be less secure at the end than they are now.” Read the rest of this entry »
On Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council discussed the Goldstone Report. Any movement, however, was limited by the United States, Britain, and France, who all tried to return the matter of illegal military activity in Gaza to the Israelis.
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The Goldstone Report on the Gaza War is no longer a set of findings on possible crimes by both sides during the fighting. So, an enquiry that was supposed to cast bring light on the bombed rubbleis now a political tool to be wielded against the “enemy”. And that is not only the “enemy” in the Israel-Palestine conflict but also within Palestinian politics.
UPDATE 1330 GMT: EA readers have noted 
Lebanon’s Jumblatt Pursuing Iran Link? Opposition MP Walid Jumblatt, the leader of Lebanon’s Druze community, told Iran’s Press TV on Saturday that 
The story over the release of Libya’s Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person convicted over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, continues to the point of near-obsession in Britain. The latest framing is whether the British Foreign Office told Libyan counterparts that it, and the British Prime Minister, did not want al-Megrahi “to die in prison”.
This may be one of the most depressing interviews I have read since the start of the Obama Administration. (And it will get worse later today — I have seen clips from a similar performance on NBC’s Meet the Press; we’re waiting for the full video and transcript.) The White House, amidst the political complexity of this week’s events in Afghanistan, put up two military men — Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and the US Ambassor to Afghanistan, General Karl Eikenberry — for set-up questions from John King.
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