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A US Army Signal Corps soldier blogs about the Army, radios, Defense Transformation, politics, terrorism, organized crime, and anything else that comes to mind.
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| Good News from the Middle East |
| 22.8.05 |
ISRAEL-PALESTINE: "Watching the dramatic footage of Israeli soldiers pulling Jewish settlers from synagogues Thursday, many Arabs cheered what they saw as a victory for the Palestinian cause while wondering how the Gaza withdrawal will reshuffle Mideast politics. Egypt, meanwhile, was preparing to post hundreds of troops along the Gaza border to heighten security once Israeli troops leave. Around 450 Egyptian soldiers arrived Wednesday [August 17] in the town of el-Arish, near the border. The deployment increases Egypt's role in the future of the Gaza Strip and the wider peace process. Israel wants Egypt to ensure that weapons and other materials are not smuggled across the border to militant groups in Gaza. Israel and the United States have said the degree to which the Palestinian leadership curtails militants and establishes control in Gaza after the Israeli departure will have an effect on future peace moves. Cairo has given few details on the deployment, including when its troops will move into place. Israel is to complete the removal of its forces from the Mediterranean strip in about three weeks." (Associated Press)
"Security forces have uncovered a plot masterminded by the Islamic Jihad to attack evacuating forces or Gaza settlers during disengagement, details released for publication on Wednesday [August 17] revealed. A 10-kg explosive-belt was found hidden in a solar water heater at the Muwassi Palestinian enclave in Gush Katif Wednesday morning. According to officials, two of the cell members were supposed to be suicide bombers who were expected to wear IDF uniforms. In addition, it was revealed that forces detained three residents of the Muwassi and a man from Khan Younis, where it is believed the bomb-belt had been prepared. Border police sappers performed a controlled detonation of the charge. This Jihad cell is also believed responsible for digging a tunnel laden with explosives under Neveh Dekalim, which was uncovered by the IDF about a month ago." (Jerusalem Post Online)
ISRAEL: "Thousands of troops poured into four Gaza settlements Sunday [August 21]--the final phase of removing settlers from the coastal strip--and were met by blazing barricades, pleading settlers and a mock cemetery built 'for anyone who expels Jews from their homes.' Israel's Cabinet, meanwhile, gave final approval to the evacuation of the last seven of 25 Gaza and West Bank settlements marked for dismantling. A senior U.S. envoy said during a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that Israeli's pullout will help re-energize the U.S.-backed 'road map' peace plan that envisions Palestinian statehood. 'The United States views the Israeli disengagement from Gaza as an important opportunity to re-energize the 'road map,' to take further steps forward toward a better future for Israelis and Palestinians,' U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Welch said. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the two sides agreed that 'Gaza will not be first and last! .' In the West Bank, extremists traded blows with soldiers and slashed tires of army jeeps near Sanur, one of the enclaves to be dismantled later this week. The clashes gave a foretaste of the violent confrontations expected when the evacuations move to the West Bank." (Associated Press)
PALESTINE: "The long-delayed Palestinian elections will be held on 25 January 2006, the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has announced in Gaza. The parliamentary elections were originally scheduled for last month, but were postponed indefinitely. Last week there were suggestions the vote would be held on 21 January, but the date clashed with a Muslim holiday. Hamas, the militant rival of Mr Abbas' Fatah, is expected to do well in the elections, the first in a decade. Various reasons have been given for the delay, including Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip and disputes over electoral reform. Many observers suggest the real reason was fear that Hamas would do well. The militant group refused to participate in legislative elections in 1996, but did well in local elections earlier this year. It has said it will field candidates in the poll in January. Fatah has lost public support over its alleged corruption and what many Palestinians see as its mismanagement! of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Militant groups including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine rejected an offer from Mr Abbas to form a unity government in July." (BBC News)
"In conjunction with Israel’s decision to disengage from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank, a number of countries, international agencies and private donors have agreed to provide financial aid for those territories now coming under Palestinian control…The United States will double the $275 million aid, to $550 million, that it gives the Palestinians this year, according to Adam Ereli, a State Department spokesman. Since 1993, Palestinians have received more than $1.5 billion in U.S. economic assistance--more than from any other donor country. In May, President Bush pledged $50 million in direct aid to the Palestinian Authority to build housing and other infrastructure projects in Gaza once Israel completes its disengagement. The administration also appointed former World Bank President James Wolfensohn as special economic envoy to the 'quartet'-- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations--tasked with raising money for aid and reconstruction from public and private sources." (San Francisco Chronicle)
SAUDI ARABIA: "Saudi security forces shot dead one of the country's top Al-Qaeda leaders in the holy city of Medina Thursday [August 18], adding to a toll of the group's successive chiefs gunned down in shootouts. The clash that killed Saleh al-Ufi coincided with another operation in the north of the capital Riyadh and was the first of its kind since Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz assumed the throne of the oil-rich kingdom this month. It came days after Western governments warned that fresh terror attacks may be imminent in Saudi Arabia, where suspected Al-Qaeda militants launched a spate of bombings and shootings in May 2003, many targeting Westerners. An interior ministry statement carried by state media said Ufi was one of two members of the 'deviant group' --official terminology for Al-Qaeda--killed when security forces returned fire as they tracked presumed extremists in Medina. A third militant was wounded in the shootout and arrested, said the ministry, which identified Ufi as 'wanted by security authorities.'" (Middle East Online)
JORDAN: "Several suspects have been detained in Jordan by security forces investigating three rocket attacks near the Red Sea port of Aqaba, security sources say. Among those being held is an Iraqi man thought to be one of at least four militants behind Friday's [August 19] attacks. Other Iraqis, Syrians, Egyptians and Jordanians have also been detained. One rocket narrowly missed a US warship, killing a Jordanian soldier. Another rocket landed near a military hospital and a third landed in Israel. The failed attack on the USS Ashland is seen as the most serious threat to the US Navy in the region since the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen nearly five years ago. Interior Minister Awni Yirfas told the Associated Press news agency that security forces had found the launcher used to fire the three Katyusha rockets. The launcher was found in a warehouse in an industrial hillside area overlooking Aqaba. Police sources said a number of unused rockets were also found there, leading them to believe that further attacks had been planned. Internet claim A big security sweep is being carried out across Jordan, with house-to-house searches, road blocks and tighter security in the capital, Amman. Up to 30 people have been detained as part of the investigation but some of those were released after questioning. A group saying it has links to al-Qaeda has said in an internet statement that it was behind the rocket attacks." (BBC News)
EGYPT: "Egypt's first competitive presidential campaign kicks off Wednesday [August 17], with little likelihood that the opposition will mount a successful challenge to incumbent Hosni Mubarak. Both the regime and the opposition's chances of bringing about real change appear to have been further dimmed by a fresh wave of terror attacks on Egyptian soil. Under international pressure, the 77-year-old Mubarak has for the first time in his 24-year rule allowed rivals to challenge him in a presidential election. Among the nine challengers, reform champion Ayman Nur and liberal Wafd party leader Numan Gumaa stick out as the most high-profile but a fifth term for Egypt's 'rais' looks guaranteed. The election has nevertheless yielded some novelties on the political scene, with parties arguing over whether or not to boycott the poll and civil society groups making an unprecedented push to monitor it... Opposition groups have reported widespread fraud in previous elections, but the regime has so far rejected Washington's request for international monitors to be allowed in. Analysts have also warned that a fresh wave of attacks in Egypt risks undermining the electoral process, by inhibiting the opposition and offering the regime reasons to maintain the 24-year-old state of emergency." (Middle East Online)
SYRIA: "Violent clashes between Syrian Kurds and police have erupted in the northern town of Ein al-Arab, according to a human rights organization. The Arab Organization for Human Rights in Syria said rioting broke out after Kurds were prevented from showing their support for a banned separatist group. Cars were damaged and stones thrown at police who responded by firing tear gas and making a number of arrests. The Kurds are supporters of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). A statement from the rights group condemned the violence of both sides, stressed the importance of national unity and urged self-restraint. There was no response from the Syrian government, which rarely comments on security issues. There are more than 1.5 million Kurds in Syria, who often complain of harassment by the security services." (BBC News)
LEBANON:"The chief UN investigator into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is seeking more time to complete his work, a UN spokesman said. The investigator, Detlev Mehlis, is to report to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on August 25 about the bomb explosion that killed Hariri and 20 others as his motorcade was passing through central Beirut on Feb. 14. 'In his report, Mehlis will request an extension of his mission,' the UN spokesman, Nejib Friji, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. He declined to say how much more time Mehlis will seek. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said the UN mission may need 'a few weeks only' beyond its Sept. 15 deadline to complete the investigation. Saniora, who spoke after meeting with Mehlis, had no specifics on the investigation and Mehlis, a German prosecutor, did not talk to reporters. Hariri's assassination shook Lebanese politics. It triggered mass protests that brought down the pro-Syrian government two weeks later, and it greatly increased international pressure on Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon. Syria withdrew the last of its troops in late April." (TehranTimes.com)
IRAN: "Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday [August 9] that weapons have been found in Iraq that were 'clearly, unambiguously' from Iran and that the weapons would ultimately become a problem for Tehran. Speaking at a Pentagon briefing with Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Rumsfeld said it was unclear whether the weapons were coming from elements of the Iranian government or from other parties in that country. 'What you do know is that the Iranians did not stop them from coming in,' he told reporters. 'It's notably unhelpful for the Iranians to be allowing weapons of those types to cross the border,' said Rumsfeld. He offered no further specifics on the weapons." (Washington Post) |
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