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TheCENTCOM This OSINT publication contains foreign mediaderived entirely from open sources in andaround the CENTCOM AOR.

06 Jun 201

EGYPT

Iranian Official: Mubarak Ruling Proves US and Israel Influence on SCAF: Egypt IndependentIran criticized on Monday the court ruling against former President Hosni Mubarak and former Interior Ministry

officials on charges of killing protesters during the 25 January uprising. (Source: Cairo, Egypt; Independent;Daily; Undetermined).

Thousands Demonstrate In Different Governorates against Mubarak Verdict and Shafiq: Al-Masry Al-YoumThousands of people in various Egyptian governorates staged demonstrations on Tuesday demanding the retrial ofdeposed President Mubarak and the other defendants in the case of protester murders during the 2011 revolution,and the application of the Political Isolation Law on presidential candidate Shafiq, Mubaraks last prime minister. (Source: Cairo, Egypt; Independent; Daily; Undetermined).

SCAF Gives Parties 48 Hours to Resolve Constituent Assembly Crisis: Ahram OnlineAfter a meeting with Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Tuesday, political partyrepresentatives said that the council had given them a two-day period in which to issue a parliamentary decision onthe membership criteria for Egypt's constituent assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution or else the SCAFwould either issue a 'constitutional annex' or revive the 1971 constitution. (Source: Cairo, Egypt; Daily; Neutral)

Mubarak Health Deteriorated As Thousands Protest Over Verdicts: Al BawabaThe health condition of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak deteriorated sharply Tuesday, said an official atthe Cairo prison where he is detained. The former president was sentenced to life in prison on Saturday. (Source:Amman, Jordan; Popular Arab media; Daily; Claims Neutrality)

Foreign Ministry: Kuwait Tops Expat Voting In Last 2 Days: Egypt IndependentNearly 50,000 Egyptian expatriates voted in the last two days, with the Gulf nation of Kuwait recording the mostvoters, Egypts Foreign Ministry said on its website. (Source: Cairo, Egypt; Independent; Daily; Undetermined).

ISRAEL / GAZA

Shin Bet Exposes Terror Cell Planning To Kidnap Israelis: Ynet NewsAccording to the indictment, filed by the Southern District Prosecutor's Office, the three prisoners, who belong tothe al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, met in prison last January and decided to kidnap an IDF soldier in hopes of forcinganother prisoner exchange agreement on Israel. (Source: Israel, Yedi'ot Media Group)

Netanyahu Complains Of 'Inadequate' World Pressure On Iran: NaharnetIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said international pressure on Iran aimed at curbing its nuclearambitions is "inadequate", in comments published in a German newspaper Wednesday. (Source: Lebanon,English edition of An Nahar, Liberal)

Amnesty Calls On Israel To End Administrative Detention Of Palestinians: Al ArabiyaIsrael must free all Palestinians held without charges under so called administrative detention orders or give thema swift and fair trial, rights group Amnesty International said on Wednesday. (Source: Dubai, UAE; Owned byMBC Group, Intl (Large Iraqi following); Neutral; Daily)

Tensions Before Israel Vote On Legalising Outposts: Ahram OnlineIsraeli MPs were on Wednesday to vote on two bills to retroactively legalise settler units built on private Palestinianland, in a move which has sharply divided Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition. (Source: Cairo,Egypt; Daily; Neutral)

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: [email protected]

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JORDAN

Jordan, Japan Discuss Mideast Peace: PetraForeign Minister Nasser Judeh on Tuesday discussed peace efforts in the Middle East with Special Envoy of theGovernment of Japan for the Middle East Yutaka Iimura, the Jordan News Agency, and Petra, reported. (Source:Amman, Jordan; Pro-Govt)

Islamists, Popular Movements to Unite Ranks: The Jordan TimesThe Muslim Brotherhood, independents and leftists on Tuesday took the first step toward launching a nationalcouncil to confront what they describe as decision makers reversal on political reform pledges. (Source: Amman,Jordan; Independent; Neutral)

LEBANON

Hezbollah Condemns Blast Targeting Shiite Endowment In Iraq: Al ManarHezbollah denounced the blast which targeted the headquarters of the Shiite endowment in Iraq, urging the Iraqipeople to unite against the western interference. (Source: Beirut, Lebanon, LCC, Intl, Hezbollah TV outlet)

Hizbullah, Jamaa Islamiya Stress Need to Maintain Civil Peace: NaharnetHizbullah and al-Jamaa al-Islamiya held talks on Wednesday on the need to maintain cooperation to ensure unityon the Islamic scene in Lebanon. (Source: Lebanon, English edition of An Nahar, Liberal)

Lebanese Syndicate Slams Requests To Stop Broadcasting Syrian Channels: Now LebanonThe syndicate of Lebanese press editors rejected the Arab Leagues call on Arabsat and Egypt's Nile sat to takethe necessary measures to stop the broadcast of both the official and unofficial Syrian satellite channels."(Source: Beirut, Lebanon; Privately Funded / Independent; Liberal)

1 Killed In Clashes on Lebanon-Syria Border: The Daily StarA Lebanese man was killed and five people were wounded Wednesday in a series of clashes between the Syrianarmy and Lebanese gunmen along the northeastern border shared by the two countries. (Source: Beirut,Lebanon; Independent; Daily, Except Sunday; Neutral)

Lebanese Army Intervenes To Address Aarsal Clashes: Now LebanonThe Lebanese army intervened to control the situation after clashes erupted in the border town of Aarsal in easternLebanon. Clashes erupted in the area of Khirbet Daoud in Aarsal between Syrian army forces and armed [men].The Lebanese army immediately intervened, patrolled the area and set up points in the eastern area of Aarsal tocontrol the security situation . (Source: Beirut, Lebanon; Independent; Daily, Except Sunday; Neutral)

SYRIA

Live Blog on Developments in Syria: Now LebanonArmed rebels went on the offensive in and around Damascus over night, 7-15 people were killed in heavy shellingin Latakia, Syrian army shelled the towns of Douma and Erbeen near Damascus, President Assad tasked PM RiadHijab with forming new government, Russia said President Assad could leave power as part of a settlement to endbloodshed in Syria, (Source: Beirut, Lebanon; Privately Funded / Independent; Liberal)

Syria Considers Western Envoys Persona Non Grata: Al ManarSyria declared on Tuesday that the ambassadors and diplomatic staff of several western states as well as turkeywere personae non Grata in Damascus. (Source: Beirut, Lebanon, LCC, Intl, Hezbollah TV outlet)


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Assad Appoints New Syria Prime Minister: Al JazeeraSyrian President Bashar al-Assad has named former agriculture minister Riyad Hijab as prime minister to form anew government, state television has reported. (Source: Doha, Qatar; Independent; Website of the TVNetwork; Claim Neutrality)

Moscow Distances Itself from Assad: Al BawabaMoscow reported said Tuesday it had not considered President Al-Assad's stay in power as a prerequisite forresolving the conflict in Syria. "We never said or made a condition that Assad must necessarily remain in power atthe end of the political process," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the Itar-Tass news agency. (Source: Amman, Jordan; Popular Arab media; Daily; Claims Neutrality)

Syria Bars Diplomats, Gunships in Action: The Daily StarSyria's government banned 17 Western diplomats and its helicopter gunships pounded rebels in a coastal provinceon Tuesday as President Bashar al-Assad defied international pressure to halt his campaign to crush the uprisingagainst his rule. (Source: Beirut, Lebanon; Independent; Daily, Except Sunday; Neutral)

Gulf States Losing Faith in Annan Syria Plan: Saudi FM: Ahram OnlineGulf Arab states have begun to lose hope that international envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan can end more than ayear of violence in Syria, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Tuesday. (Source: Cairo, Egypt; Daily; Neutral)

Clashes Rock Syrian Capital as Rebels Go On Offensive, Says NGO: Now LebanonArmed rebels went on the offensive in and around Damascus during the night, while seven people were killed inheavy shelling and fighting in the coastal province of Latakia, a watchdog said on Wednesday. (Source: Beirut,Lebanon; Privately Funded / Independent; Liberal)

EDITORIALS

Re-Shaping Palestinian National Identity: Al JazeeraDespite the frozen 'peace process' - or perhaps in part because of it - there have been a number of interestingdevelopments in the Palestinian political scene in recent years, (Source: Doha, Qatar; Independent; Website ofthe TV Network; Claim Neutrality)

MB SecGen Calls On Egypt to Unite Behind Mursi: Asharq Al-AwsatSecretary-General of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood [MB], Dr. Mahmoud Hussein, stressed that the only availablesolution to save the Egyptian revolution is to rally behind MB presidential candidate Mohamed Mursi, adding thatwith the looming threat to Egypts revolution, now is not the time to talk about political assurances. Source:London, England; pan-Arab daily news; Pro Arab)

Containing Syria: Jerusalem PostThere is real danger that loose weaponry and WMDs might fall into the wrong hands, endangering not just Israels

security, but the security and stability of the entire region. (Source: Israel, Independent, Slightly right leaning /Pro West)

Let Mubarak Feel the Egyptians Pain: The Daily StarMany images from the court verdict session of the Hosni Mubarak trial last Saturday remain vivid, and carry politicalweight: the strong statement by the judge, the defendants behind bars, the packed courtroom, and the scuffles afterthe verdict was read. (Source: Beirut, Lebanon; Independent; Daily, Except Sunday; Neutral)

Supporting Documentation:


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EGYPT (Top)

05 June 2012Egypt IndependentIranian Official: Mubarak Ruling Proves US and Israel Influence on SCAF

(U) Yahia Rahim Safavi, senior military adviser to Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei

Iran criticized on Monday the court ruling against former President Hosni Mubarak and former Interior Ministry

officials on charges of killing protesters during the 25 January uprising.Yahia Rahim Safavi, senior military adviser to Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, told the Al-Jazeera website that theverdict proves that the Egyptian revolution has not been completed, and that the US and Israel still have aninfluence on the country through the ruling military council.

On Saturday, a Cairo criminal court sentenced former president Hosni Mubarak and his interior minister Habib al-Adly to 25 years in prison on charges of complicity in the murder of pro-democracy protesters during the 2011uprising that forced Mubarak to step down. The court also exonerated six former security officials on the same

charges and acquitted Mubarak, his sons and fugitive businessman Hussein Salem of financial crimes. Safavi told Al-Jazeera that Egyptians will make their final decision through the runoff in the presidential election,scheduled for 16 and 17 June, voicing confidence that Egyptians will make a choice that conforms to the essence

of Islam and Egyptian hatred toward the Israeli occupation.The Muslim Brotherhoods Mohamed Morsy and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq will compete in the runoffs.Relations between Iran and Egypt were strained when former President Anwar Sadat signed a peace treaty with

Israel in 1979 and then hosted Irans ousted shah after its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Under Mubarak, Egypt had accused Iran of destabilizing the Middle East by meddling in countries' internal

affairs.

06 June 2012Al-Masry Al-YoumThousands Demonstrate In Different Governorates against Mubarak Verdict and Shafiq


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Unclassified

Thousands of people in various Egyptian governorates staged demonstrations on Tuesday demanding the retrial ofdeposed President Hosni Mubarak and the other defendants in the case of protester murders during the 2011revolution, and the application of the Political Isolation Law on presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq, Mubaraks lastprime minister.

In Alexandria, 8,000 demonstrators gathered in Al-Qaed Ibrahim Square in solidarity with the protesters in TahrirSquare, who called their protest a million-man demonstration of justice.

Laila Marzouk, the mother of Khaled Saeed, whose brutal death at the hands of police officers is considered on ofthe motivations for the revolution, took part in the Alexandria demonstration and called for preventing the remnantsof the former regime from ascending again to power.

In Damietta, hundreds of revolutionary forces and Salafis staged demonstrations that the Brotherhood joined insmall numbers, as its members are already demonstrating in Tahrir Square. Protesters said that the military councilshould leave and a civil presidential council should be formed in its place.

In Hurghada, Red Sea Governorate, the Coalition of Revolutionary Youth, the April 6 Youth Movement, the MuslimBrotherhood, Jamaa al-Islamiya and Salafis staged demonstrations in Dahhar Square for the same purpose.

In Zagazig, Sharqiya governorate, thousands of protesters congregated in Qawmeya Square and tore apart abillboard of Shafiq. The residents threw flowers at them from the balconies and praised them.

Similar demonstrations were staged in Minya, Suez and Ismailia.

05 Jun 2012Ahram OnlineSCAF Gives Parties 48 Hours To Resolve Constituent Assembly Crisis


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Unclassified

After a meeting with Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Tuesday, political partyrepresentatives said that the council had given them a two-day period in which to issue a parliamentary decision onthe membership criteria for Egypt's constituent assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution or else theSCAF would either issue a 'constitutional annex' or revive the 1971 constitution.

Party representatives and MPs who attended the meeting with the SCAF said they had refused a proposal toamend Article 60 of the Constitutional Declaration, which, if modified, would state that the constituent assemblyshould be appointed according to a set of criteria set by parliament, as opposed to its original text stating thatassembly members should be directly elected by sitting MPs.

Party representatives announced that, if parliament failed to agree to issue viable membership criteria by Thursday,

the SCAF had said it would unilaterally issue a 'constitutional annex' or revive Egypt's 1971 constitution, suspendedsince last year's Tahrir Square uprising.

Independent MP Mostafa Bakri said in the statement that party representatives who had attended the meetingwould negotiate with the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and other parties the issue ofproposed legislation laying down membership criteria of the constituent assembly instead of amending theConstitutional Declaration.

The proposed amendment stipulates that the assembly include heads of parties represented in parliament; headsof judiciary bodies; elected heads of professional syndicates; and civil society representatives, in order to ensurethe assembly is not dominated by a single political current. Twenty public figures representing women, youngpeople and Copts would also be included, although exactly who would select them remains unclear.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Salafist Nour Party, the liberal Wafd Party, the liberal FreeEgyptians party, the Islamist Building and Development Party, the Reform and Development Party, the nationalistKarama Party, the leftist Taggamu Party, the Salafist Assala Party, the liberal Adl Party and the Democratic FrontParty.

A number of independent MPs also attended the meeting, including Mostafa Bakry, Marianne Kamal, Yasser El-Kadi and Mohamed Abu-Hamed.

Several parties, however, stated that they would not attend the meeting. The FJP stated on its official website that itwas "not appropriate" to take part in such a meeting at the current juncture, given ongoing protests in Cairo's Tahrir


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Square. The Egyptian Social Democratic Party, headed by Mohamed Abul-Ghar, and the moderate-Islamist WasatParty, headed by Abu-Ela Madi, also refrained from attending the meeting.

There will soon be negotiations between the FJP, the Wasat Party and the Egyptian Social Democratic Party onone side, and the Nour Party and the Free Egyptians party on the other aimed at reaching agreement on criteriaregulating the constituent assembly. According to party representatives who met with the SCAF, talks will be heldwithin the next 48 hours.

Days after formation of the first constituent assembly in April, a mass walkout by non-Islamist members jeopardizedthe assembly's future. Members of liberal and leftist parties, prominent independent figures and representatives ofprofessional and trade unions, as well as representatives of the Coptic Church and Islamic authority Al-Azhar, allpulled out of the constitution-drafting body, saying the assembly in its current form was "unrepresentative" ofEgyptian society.

06 June 2012Al BawabaMubarak Health Deteriorated As Thousands Protest Over VerdictsThe health condition of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak deteriorated sharply Tuesday, said an official atthe Cairo prison where he is detained. The former president was sentenced to life in prison on Saturday.

The official said Hosni Mubarak had suffered several ailments and was connected to life support machine. Hiscondition worsened after a visit by his wife Suzanne on Monday, who cried after seeing him in his prison uniform.

The prison authorities rejected a request by the former president to allow two of his personal physicians to checkhim, the source conveyed, adding the authorities, however, have authorized the transfer of his son Gamal toMubarak's prison.

Hosni Mubarak has been transferred to the Tora prison for the first time after his conviction. Since his arrest in April2011, he stayed in a military hospital on the outskirts of Cairo. His sons Gamal and Alaa were acquitted oncorruption charges Saturday, but they are held as part of another trial on economic charges.

Meanwhile, thousands of Egyptians demonstrated in Cairo and the provinces to what they called too lenientverdicts in the trial of Mubarak. Several thousands of people gathered in the famous Tahrir Square in central Cairo.

Rallies were also reported in Alexandria (north), in major cities along the Suez Canal (Suez, Port Said, Ismailiya)and Assiut (south), according to security sources. The controversy surrounding this trial has further intensified thepolitical atmosphere ahead of the second round of presidential elections on 16 and 17 June

05 June 2012Egypt IndependentForeign Ministry: Kuwait Tops Expat Voting In Last 2 Days


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Nearly 50,000 Egyptian expatriates voted in the last two days, with the Gulf nation of Kuwait recording the mostvoters, Egypts Foreign Ministry said on its website.

Ministry spokesperson Amr Roshdy said in a statement published on the ministrys website that the EgyptianEmbassy in Kuwait received some 17,000 votes, followed by the Egyptian Embassy in Riyadh, the capital of SaudiArabia, with about 10,000. The Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia recorded about 5,000 votes.

The Tuesday statement showed that some 5,000 Egyptians voted in Doha, Qatar and 3,000 in Dubai, United ArabEmirates.

The Egyptian Consulate in Milano, Italy topped participation among European countries with 1,500 voters.

The Foreign Ministry earlier reported that nearly 20,000 Egyptians went to the polls Sunday at Egyptian embassies

and consulates abroad.

The Presidential Elections Commission website said the total number of Egyptians abroad registered to vote in therunoff is about 587,000. Out of those voters, 262,000 live in Saudi Arabia and 119,000 in Kuwait.

The voting period for Egyptians abroad is set to end on 9 June. The domestic vote is scheduled for 16 and 17 June.

Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsy led the first round of the presidential election with 24.4 percent ofthe vote, followed by former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq with 23.3 percent.

ISRAEL / GAZA (Top)

05 June 2012Ynet NewsShin Bet Exposes Terror Cell Planning To Kidnap IsraelisThree Palestinian prisoners plotted to kidnap an IDF soldier after they were not included in the Shalit prisonerexchange deal between Israel and Hamas, according to an indictment filed on Tuesday with the Beersheba DistrictCourt against Ramzi Arar, 32, from the Palestinian village of Zurif in the West Bank.

According to the indictment, filed by the Southern District Prosecutor's Office, the three prisoners, who belong tothe al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, met in prison last January and decided to kidnap an IDF soldier in hopes of forcinganother prisoner exchange agreement on Israel.


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One of the prisoners suggested that Arar, his relative, advance the kidnapping plan by carrying out a terror attack inIsrael - either by opening fire or panting a bomb in Ashdod or Beit Shemesh. Arar was also scheduled to travel toSaudi Arabia and meet with a man who was supposed to fund the purchase of weapons needed for the plannedattack.

But in early May Arar was arrested by Israeli security forces in Ashdod, Arar was charged with contacting a foreignagent, plotting to commit a crime and residing in Israel illegally, Indictments against the other Palestinians involvedin the plot are expected to be filed in the near future.

06 June 2012NaharnetNetanyahu Complains Of 'Inadequate' World Pressure On Iran

(U) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said international pressure on Iran aimed at curbing its nuclearambitions is "inadequate", in comments published in a German newspaper Wednesday.

Netanyahu told the Bild daily that although sanctions affected Iran and its economy, they did not halt its nuclearprogram.

"That is because the demands that accompany the sanctions are inadequate. You apply this whole set of pressures-- for what? For practically nothing!" he said in the second part of a wide-ranging interview with the mass circulationnewspaper.

"Iran could stop the 20-percent enrichment at any moment now and not in any way retard their advance in thenuclear program.

"The P5 + 1 (the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France plus Germany) is so keen on getting any agreementthat they have lowered the demands," he added.

He said Iran should be given three clear demands.

"One, stop all enrichment, high and low. Second, remove all material that has been enriched from Iran. Third,dismantle the underground nuclear bunker in Qom," he said.


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World powers have held two rounds of talks with Iran aimed at convincing the Islamic republic to roll back itsnuclear program, which Israel and much of the West believes is a front for developing atomic weapons.

So far, the negotiations have not produced any tangible results although a third round is due to take place inMoscow later this month.

Israel, which sees a nuclear Iran as an existential threat, has refused to rule out a pre-emptive military strike on itsnuclear facilities.

Tehran denies its intentions are anything but peaceful.

06 June 2012Al ArabiyaAmnesty Calls On Israel To End Administrative Detention Of PalestiniansIsrael must free all Palestinians held without charges under so called administrative detention orders or give thema swift and fair trial, rights group Amnesty International said on Wednesday.

In a new report released under the title Starved of justice: Palestinians detained without trial by Israel Amnestycalled on Israel to release all administrative detainees unless they are promptly charged with internationallyrecognizable criminal offences and tried in accordance with international fair trial standards. End the practice ofadministrative detention, the rights group added.

Administrative detention dates back to the pre-1948 British Mandate under which military courts held suspectswithout charge for periods of up to six months, which could be renewed indefinitely.

For decades, Amnesty International has urged Israel to end the practice of administrative detention and to release

detainees or charge them with an internationally recognizable criminal offence and try them according tointernational standards, said Ann Harrison, Amnesty Internationals Deputy Director for the Middle East and NorthAfrica.

The report pointed out to the human rights violations associated with administrative detention. Administrativedetainees like many other Palestinian prisoners have been subjected to violations such as the use of tortureand other ill-treatment during interrogation, as well as cruel and degrading treatment during their detention,sometimes as punishment for hunger strikes or other protests, the report said.

The rights group underlined in its report that administrative detainees and their families must live with theuncertainty of not knowing how long they will be deprived of their liberty and the injustice of not knowing exactlywhy they are being detained.

These practices breach Israels obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law,according to Amnesty.

The report underlined the importance that Israel must also allow family visits for all Palestinian prisoners anddetainees, and end forcible transfer and deportation. It also called on Israel to investigate violations, bringperpetrators to justice, and provide reparations to victims.

Israel has used its system of administrative detention intended as an exceptional measure against people posingan extreme and imminent danger to security to trample on the human rights of detainees for decades. It is a relicthat should be put out to pasture, Harrison said.


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Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody ended a mass hunger strike on May 14, in return for improved conditionsand an Israeli pledge that prisoners held without charge would be freed at the end of their current period ofdetention -- unless fresh evidence emerged against them.

But Palestinian prisoners minister Issa Qaraqaa said on Sunday that Israel was not keeping its end of the bargain.

Israel has begun to violate the deal it signed with the prisoners, and within 10 days after announcing the end of thestrike, Israel renewed administrative detention orders for approximately 30 prisoners, Qaraqaa said at a pressconference, according to AFP.

One of the prisoners, Thaer Halahla who fasted for 76 days in the protest, was released on Tuesday evening,relatives told AFP.

Family members in the West Bank city of Hebron said that Halahla, who along with fellow inmate Bilal Diab set arecord for a Palestinian hunger strike, was freed after being held without charge since June 2010.

Despite many media reports suggesting that the Israeli authorities had agreed as part of the deal to releaseadministrative detainees at the end of their current orders unless significant new information was received, ourinformation is that it is business as usual when it comes to detention without charge or trial, said Harrison.

We believe that Israel has renewed at least 30 administrative detention orders and issued at least three new onessince this deal was struck, and family visits for Gazan prisoners have still not started, she added.

In its report, Amnesty said that at the end of April there were at least 308 Palestinian administrative detainees.

Among them 24 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), including its speaker, Aziz Dweik, human

rights defenders such as Walid Hanatsheh and at least four journalists, in addition to university students andacademic staff.

Among its recommendations were that Israel should end the forcible transfer of Palestinians from the West Bank tothe Gaza Strip and that authorities protect all those in Israeli custody from all forms of torture and other ill-treatment.

The authorities in Israel have a duty to protect everyone in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories fromthreats to their lives and physical integrity. But they must do so in a manner that respects human rights, saidHarrison.

06 June 2012

Ahram on LineTensions Before Israel Vote On Legalising OutpostsIsraeli MPs were on Wednesday to vote on two bills to retroactively legalise settler units built on private Palestinianland, in a move which has sharply divided Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition.

The move is an attempt to circumvent a Supreme Court ruling ordering the removal of five buildings from asettlement outpost known as the Ulpana neighbourhood by 1 July.The planned demolition, which would affect 142 people, has sparked fury among settlers and their supporters inparliament, with right-wing MPs set to bring the two bills for debate and a vote in a Knesset session scheduled forthe late morning.


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Netanyahu strongly opposes the bills on the grounds they would create an international backlash, and hasreportedly threatened to sack any cabinet minister or deputy who backs the proposed legislation.

Despite a commanding majority of 94 within the 120-seat coalition, Netanyahu has struggled to rein in the far-rightmembers of his ruling right-wing Likud party, many of whom have said they will back the move to legalise theUlpana homes.

But just hours ahead of the vote, Netanyahu appeared have won the power struggle, with a majority of MPs set tovote the bills down, Israeli commentators said.

At least two ministers have said they will back the billYuli Edelstein, a Likud minister who holds the publicdiplomacy portfolio, and Science Minister Daniel Hershkowitz, who heads the Jewish Home party.

But after some hesitation, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who heads the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenufaction, said he and his party of 15 seats would vote against, a statement said.

Netanyahu has said he backs the idea of physically relocating the five buildings, moving them stone by stone to anew location, in a plan which is being examined by Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein.

Meanwhile, hundreds of settlers began the last leg of a three-day march to Jerusalem in support of the bills.

The march began on Monday morning outside the condemned buildings, which lie on the outskirts of the Beit Elsettlement near Ramallah.

Israel differentiates between "legal" settlements and "illegal" outposts, but the international community views allsettlement on occupied territory as a violation of international law.

JORDAN(Top)

06 June 2012PetraJordan, Japan Discuss Mideast PeaceForeign Minister Nasser Judeh on Tuesday discussed peace efforts in the Middle East with Special Envoy of theGovernment of Japan for the Middle East Yutaka Iimura, the Jordan News Agency, and Petra, reported.

During the meeting, Judeh reviewed Jordans efforts to push the peace process forward to ultimately lead to theestablishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, Petrasaid.

In addition, Judeh underlined that establishing a Palestinian state on the basis of the two-state solution andaddressing all final status issues, including water, refugees and borders, lie at the heart of Jordans nationalinterests, according to Petra.

For his part, Iimura expressed appreciation for Jordan's efforts to bring about peace and stability in the region,voicing his country's keenness on maintaining coordination with the Kingdom on issues of mutual concern paramount of which is the peace process in the Middle East, Petra said.


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06 June 2012Jordan TimesIslamists, Popular Movements to Unite RanksThe Muslim Brotherhood, independents and leftists on Tuesday took the first step toward launching a nationalcouncil to confront what they describe as decision makers reversal on political reform pledges.

In the first so-called national reform congress, Islamists and representatives of 35 reform coalitions, tribal andpolitical forces discussed ways to unite a protest movement that some say remains fractured over a year-and-a-half after its inception.

Today marks a new beginning, a new movement, and a renewed drive to arrive at true political and economicreform the Jordanian people deserve, Salem Fallahat, former overall leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, told TheJordan Times.

During the meeting, held at the Muslim Brotherhoods Amman headquarters, independents and the Kingdomslargest opposition movement agreed to form a National Popular Movement Council: an umbrella organization tocoordinate pro-reform activities and serve as an alternative to what they describe as a fraudulent parliament.

You are the true parliament; you are true representatives of the Jordanian people, Muslim Brotherhood OverallLeader Hamam Saeed send in an address to attendees.

The various political and social forces say the organization will move beyond their differing political ideologies andbe built upon common reform goals: an elections law based on proportional representation and constitutionalreform leading to the formation of elected governments and protections against Parliaments dissolution.

If formed as planned, the coalition will become the largest union of Jordanian political and social forces since thestart of the Arab Spring early last year.

Activists say the councils formation is an attempt to revive a stalled pro-reform movement that they admit hasfractured over the past several months due to differences over the Syrian crisis and intervention by securityforces.

At Tuesdays meeting, the political activists discussed several other proposals, such as grouping the grass-rootspopular movements into northern, central and southern regions, taking united stances on political issues, draftingan economic policy and raising the protest movements core message from the people are the source of authorityto the people are the authority.

The next generation will be the ones who lead the country and if we are successful, they will be the decisionmakers, said Abdul Rahman Dweiri of the Northern Popular Movement.

One of the first tasks of the planned council will be to study a potential united boycott of upcoming parliamentaryelections should MPs and authorities fail to introduce drastic changes to the current draft elections law, activistssay.

Participants from various popular movements also called for the formation of peoples courts grass-rootscommittees of lawyers and former judicial officials to place MPs and former and current officials on trial forsuspected corruption.

During the gathering, tribal activists called for constitutional reform to transform Jordan into a constitutionalmonarchy, changing the Monarchs role from the source of authority to head of state.


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The Islamist movement also took advantage of the gathering to stress that it has no intention to exert its influenceover popular movements.

We are not here to lead you, we are here today to stand with you. Our voice is your voice, and your role is ourrole, Saeed said.

Despite the Muslim Brotherhoods reassurances, activists say serious reservations remain.

The Jordanian Popular Movement Coordination Committee, a coalition of seven of the largest popular movements,announced that it would not join the new umbrella organization in order to maintain the movementsindependence.

We want to ensure that popular movements are actual movements on the ground and not fronts for personal orpolitical agendas, said Mohammed Abbadi, member of the committees executive board and representative of theSalt Popular Movement.

Despite reservations, representatives of various pro-reform coalitions and the Islamist movement pledged to forgeahead with the union, launching discussions on the councils formation and bylaws late Tuesday night.

The congress is expected to convene again next month.

LEBANON (Top)

05 June 2012Al Manar

Hezbollah Condemns Blast Targeting Shiite Endowment in Iraq

(U) Hezbollah flag

Hezbollah denounced the blast which targeted the headquarters of the Shiite endowment in Iraq, urging the Iraqipeople to unite against the western interference.

In a statement released by Hezbollahs Media Relations, the party said: The hand of terror has hit again the heartof the Iraqi capital, targeting this time the headquarters of the Shiite endowment and leaving dozens of martyrs andmore than a hundred injured.


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As Hezbollah denounces this flagrant crime, it urges Iraqi people to unite in order to rise up with their countrywhich has been liberated from the US occupation through the honorable resistance. These people must keep theirefforts in a bid to liberate their country from the US and western interference which has been taking place throughintelligence agents and their puppets of extremist terrorists.

This horrible crime carries all signs of terrorism and indicates that the criminals who committed are the followers ofextremist groups which are related to the US and western intelligence, the statement said, adding that theseservices have been working hard to spread sedition and sectarian strife.

Hezbollah also offered condolences to the families of the martyrs, wish speedy recovery.

06 June 2012NaharnetHizbullah, Jamaa Islamiya Stress Need to Maintain Civil Peace

Unclassified

Hizbullah and al-Jamaa al-Islamiya held talks on Wednesday on the need to maintain cooperation to ensure unityon the Islamic scene in Lebanon.

They stressed in a statement the need to exert all efforts to preserve civil and national peace.

The gatherers at the meeting included the head of Hizbullahs politburo Ibrahim Amin al-Sayyed and the head of al-Jamaa al-Islamiyas politburo Azzam al-Ayyoubi.

The meeting also tackled Arab and Islamic affairs and the threats facing the region as embodied in Americanattempts to restore its hegemony in the area, which need to be confronted.

The two sides last met in August 2011, during which they stressed the resistances role in fortifying the future ofthe nation and in protecting our nations from offensive threats.

06 June 2012Now LebanonLebanese Syndicate Slams Requests to Stop Broadcasting Syrian ChannelsThe syndicate of Lebanese press editors rejected the Arab Leagues call on Arabsat and Egypt's Nile sat to takethe necessary measures to stop the broadcast of both the official and unofficial Syrian satellite channels."


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We are disappointed by this decision and reject it because it is a dangerous precedent that harms the [right] ofexpressing different points of view, the syndicate said in a statement.

It added that adopting the decision would lead to targeting other media outlets in different [countries], and calledon the League to retreat from its position.

The syndicate also called on Arabsat and Nile sat not to commit to the Leagues request, and called for notinvolving media in political struggles.

Meanwhile, the National Audiovisual Media Council in Lebanon also slammed the Leagues request and said itthreatened Arab media.

[We] remind Arabsat and Nile sat that responding to this call [harms] their professionalism and neutrality. [If theyaccept to implement the request] they will become a political body [used] to suppress freedoms, the council said ina statement.

06 June 2012The Daily Star1 Killed In Clashes on Lebanon-Syria Border

(U) The town of Arsal, Bekaa, east Lebanon. (The Daily Star/Rakan Fakih)

A Lebanese man was killed and five people were wounded Wednesday in a series of clashes between the Syrianarmy and Lebanese gunmen along the northeastern border shared by the two countries.

The clashes began at 4 a.m. and lasted 30 minutes, and renewed around 10 a.m. for almost an hour.

Mohammad Hussein Hmayed was killed in the early morning clashes in the Bekaa village of Kherbet Daoud on theoutskirts of Arsal, northeast Lebanon, and Arsals Mayor Ali Hujeiri said.

He added that the Syrian military was in possession of Hmayeds body.

NBN television station reported that the Syrian army was ready to return Hmayed's body to Lebanon.


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Lebanese security sources, speaking to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity, said four people were woundedat around 4 a.m. when the first clashes took place between the Syrian military and Lebanese gunmen.

They added that at about 10 a.m., when clashes renewed, Lebanese national Khatib Hujeiri was wounded.

Lebanese Army Intelligence is conducting patrols in the area and army personnel, backed by armored vehicle, havearrived on the scene.

06 June 2012Now LebanonLebanese Army Intervenes To Address Aarsal ClashesThe Lebanese army intervened to control the situation after clashes erupted in the border town of Aarsal in easternLebanon, the National News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Clashes erupted in the area of Khirbet Daoud in Aarsal between Syrian army forces and armed [men]. TheLebanese army immediately intervened, patrolled the area and set up points in the eastern area of Aarsal to controlthe security situation, the report said.

The NNA also said that missiles were used in the clashes and that there was an uneasy calm in the area, addingthat casualties were reported. Al-Manar television said that two were killed and 10 were injured.

A security source told AFP earlier on Wednesday that the clashes broke out between Syrian troops and residentsof Aarsal after a Lebanese man was killed and three wounded at dawn.

SYRIA (Top)

06 June 2012Now LebanonLive Blog On Developments In Syria13:02 armed rebels went on the offensive in and around Damascus during the night, while seven people were killedin heavy shelling and fighting in the coastal province of Latakia, a watchdog said on Wednesday.

11:17 At least 15 people were killed by Syrian army shelling of the Kurd Mountain in Latakia, activists told Al-Arabiya TV.

11:04 The Syrian army shelled the towns of Douma and Erbeen near Damascus, Al-Jazeera quoted activists assaying.

10:49 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad tasked PM Riad Hijab with forming new government; AFP reported stateTV as saying Wednesday.

9:58 The Syrian army entered the Lebanese Bekaa town of Aarsal, killing one and injuring three others, LBCreported.

8:56 MORNING LEADER: Russia said on Tuesday that President Bashar al-Assad could leave power as part of asettlement to end bloodshed in Syria, as Saudi Arabia called on Moscow to end its support for his


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06 June 2012Al ManarSyria Considers Western Envoys Persona Non GrataSyria declared on Tuesday that the ambassadors and diplomatic staff of several western states as well as turkeywere personae non Gratae in Damascus.

"Some states recently informed heads of our diplomatic missions and embassy staff that they are unwelcome," theforeign ministry said in a statement, adding Syria was now designating the ambassadors of the United States,Britain, France and Turkey, among others, as personae non Grata.

The ambassadors of Canada, Italy and Spain were also named in the statement, as well as various embassy staffmembers from Belgium, Bulgaria and Germany.

The statement concluded by saying that Syria "still believes in the importance of dialogue based on principles ofequality and mutual respect" and that diplomacy is a "necessary tool" for countries to resolve disputes.

"We hope that those countries which initiated this step will adopt the same principles, allowing for relations to benormalized," it added.

06 June 2012Al JazeeraAssad Appoints New Syria Prime Minister

(U) Al Jazeera

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has named former agriculture minister Riyad Hijab as prime minister to form anew government, state television has reported.

Wednesday's appointment comes after a new parliament was voted in on May 7 in elections boycotted byopposition groups.

"President Assad issued a decree asking Riad Hijab to form a new government," the broadcaster said.

Hijab replaces Adel Safar, who was appointed in April last year shortly after a popular uprising erupted in thesouthern province of Deraa and later spread across the country, presenting Assad with the sternest challenge to his12-year rule.

A member of the ruling Baath Party, Hijab was minister in the previous cabinet.


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Jihad Makdissi, Syrian foreign ministry spokesman, confirmed the report on Twitter, saying: "Dr Riad Hijab is thenew prime minister of Syria and will form the new government."

In a speech to parliament on Sunday, Assad said the new government would "take into account the new politicalforces"after the May election, held under a revised constitution which allowed for new political parties to be established.

A prominent dissident said that by appointing Hijab, 46, the president was snubbing demands for change.

"We expected Assad to play a game and appoint a nominal independent but he chose a hardcore Baathist," NajatiTayyara said.

"In any case the cabinet is just for show in Syria and even more so now, with the security apparatus totally takingover".

06 June 2012Al BawabaMoscow Distances Itself from AssadMoscow reported said Tuesday it had not considered President Bashar al-Assad's stay in power as a prerequisitefor resolving the conflict in Syria. "We never said or made a condition that Assad must necessarily remain in powerat the end of the political process," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the Itar-Tass newsagency.

In late May, the New York Times reported that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama wanted Russiato agree to a plan to end the crisis for Syria, including the ouster of President Bashar Al-Assad. This would be the

core of the plan similar to the plan which ended earlier this year the presidency of Yemeni President Ali AbdullahSaleh, after 33 years in power. According to the US plan, some members of the Syrian regime, which suppressesthe protest movement for a little over a year, would remain in place. Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin shoulddiscuss this proposal during their meeting to be held on 18 and 19 June in Mexico City.

Meanwhile, Syria allowed Tuesday to UN bodies to provide humanitarian aid, as stipulated by the plan of UN andthe Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to end the crisis. The delivery was reported in four provinces. After initialmissions on Sunday, humanitarian organizations allowed to move into Homs (center), Idleb (northwest), Deraa(south) and Deir Ezzor (east), to distribute food and medical aid. Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Meqdadreaffirmed the willingness of Damascus to implement Annan's plan and "protect the observer mission".

06 June 2012

The Daily StarSyria Bars Diplomats, Gunships in Action


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(U) Norwegian Major-General Robert Mood, chief of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), shakes handswith Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad (R) after their meeting in Damascus June 5, 2012

Syria's government banned 17 Western diplomats and its helicopter gunships pounded rebels in a coastal provinceon Tuesday as President Bashar al-Assad defied international pressure to halt his campaign to crush the uprisingagainst his rule.

The declaration that ambassadors from the United States, Canada, Turkey and several European countries wereunwelcome was retaliation for the expulsion of Syrian envoys from their capitals last week, following the massacreof more than 100 civilians by suspected Assad loyalists.

On the battlefront, rebels fought with government forces backed by helicopter gunships in the heaviest clashes incoastal Latakia province since the revolt broke out 15 months ago.

It was the second day of combat since the rebels declared they would no longer abide by an internationallybrokered ceasefire, saying that the government had continued the repression in defiance of United Nations peaceobservers.

Rebel fighters said eight of their comrades were killed, while the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for HumanRights said 15 to 20 soldiers were killed.

Activists also reported heavy fire by government forces on the city of Homs, a focal point of the uprising thatendured a bloody siege for weeks earlier this year.

The latest developments emphasized the precarious state of a peace plan brokered by Nobel Peace laureate KofiAnnan, who has shuttled between Damascus and other capitals on behalf of the United Nations and Arab League.

Foreign governments are still clinging to the plan as the only option for finding a political solution and preventing awider and bloodier conflict. But with the failure of the ceasefire and Assad's intransigence, it is all but in tatters.

In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said Gulf Arab states had begun to lose hope thatthe peace plan would find a solution.

The comments are significant as Sunni-ruled Gulf countries have led international efforts to oust Assad, who isallied to Shi'ite Iran, and have hinted in the past they were willing to arm the rebels.


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Nevertheless, Russia and China, Assad's principle defenders on the diplomatic front, said on Tuesday that Annan'sefforts should not be abandoned.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, meeting in Beijing, urged internationalsupport for the plan despite calls from Arab and Western states for a tougher response to the bloodshed.

The two countries, permanent members of the U.N. Security Council with the power to veto resolutions, havestymied efforts by Western powers to condemn or call for the removal of Assad.

The United Nations says Assad's forces have killed more than 10,000 people since the uprising against his family'sfour-decade rule of Syria broke out in March 2011.

Assad says he is fighting to save the country from foreign-backed "terrorists" and will carry out his own reformprogramme. The government says more than 2,700 soldiers or security personnel have been killed by oppositionforces.

Opposition fighters appear to have stepped up assassinations of government loyalists in recent months - two armyofficers were assassinated on Tuesday in northeastern Deir al-Zor province, according to state news agencySANA.

Syria's Foreign Ministry said the move to declare the 17 Western diplomats personae non grata was a response tothe coordinated expulsions of Syrian envoys by 10 countries last week over the massacre at Houla.

But it was still open to re-establishing ties on a basis of "principles of equality and mutual respect," a ministrystatement said.

"We waited for so long for the other side to correct their policies and offer the needed support to Annan's plan and

the observers' mission. But we regret that we had to take this measure because they do not want this mission tosucceed," Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Makdad said in Damascus.

The diplomats, most of them ambassadors, included envoys from the United States, Canada, Britain, France andTurkey. Most had already left Syria.

Turkey is a former Assad ally and now a strong opponent which has provided haven to army defectors, rebels andrefugees.

A Turkish official said almost 2,700 Syrians had fled to Turkey during the first five days of June, mostly into Hatay, asoutheastern province that juts into Syrian territory. That brought the total of Syrians registered in camps to about2,700.

Villagers close to the border told Reuters that in the past few days Syrian soldiers had torched forested areas todestroy cover for armed insurgents suspected of operating there.

Videos uploaded by rebels showed clouds of smoke rising from mountainous areas close to Turkey.

The clashes in Latakia province were a rare surge of violence in a province outside the usual trail of bloodshed.

The head of the British-based Syrian Observatory, Rami Abdelrahman, said the fighting was in mostly Sunni areasin and around the city of Haffeh. Ambulances were seen rushing through the city carrying government casualties.


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Latakia province is home to several towns inhabited by members of the minority Alawite sect, a Shi'ite offshoot towhich Assad himself belongs.

06 June 2012Ahram onlineGulf States Losing Faith in Annan Syria Plan: Saudi FMGulf Arab states have begun to lose hope that international envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan can end more than ayear of violence in Syria, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Prince Saud Al-Faisal also called on the UN Security Council to put Annan's plan under Chapter 7 of the UNcharter, a measure that could authorize the use of force. The Annan plan calls for a negotiated end to the Syriancrisis after a ceasefire that has yet to take hold.

"We have begun to lose hope in the possibility of reaching a solution...within this framework," Prince Saud toldreporters in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah, referring to the Annan initiative.

"The UN Security Council is responsible for its duties... to take the appropriate measures to ensure the immediateapplication of the joint envoy's (plan), including resorting to Article 7 in the charter," he added, following a meetingof the Gulf Cooperation Council.After an initial lull in fighting following Annan's declaration of a ceasefire on April 12, government forces ignored thetruce call despite the presence of a 300-strong UN observer team. The rebels said on Monday that they hadabandoned their commitment to the ceasefire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao urged all nations on Tuesday to supportAnnan's mediation, the UN monitors and a political solution in Syria.

06 June 2012Now LebanonClashes Rock Syrian Capital as Rebels Go On Offensive, Says NGOArmed rebels went on the offensive in and around Damascus during the night, while seven people were killed inheavy shelling and fighting in the coastal province of Latakia, a watchdog said on Wednesday.

"Violent clashes broke out in Harasta between regime troops and rebel forces," the Syrian Observatory for HumanRights said, referring to a northern suburb of Damascus.

The battles were "violent," the Britain-based monitoring group said, adding that "rebel forces clashed with troops atmilitary intelligence headquarters and at a checkpoint."

Rebel forces also clashed with regime troops at checkpoints near Douma, Irbin amd Zamalka, all in the Damascusregion, the Britain-based watchdog said.

Battles and shootings also erupted in several other neighborhoods of the capital, including Tishreen, theObservatory said, without immediately giving any details of any casualties.

According to the watchdog's figures, at least 168 soldiers have been killed in the past week, including 76 at theweekend.


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The Observatory also reported that in Latakia province, regime forces Wednesday rained shells down on the townof Salma, killing a family of three, and on the town of Al-Hafa, where another three people died.

Wednesday's shelling followed clashes and raids the previous day in Latakia, including in Al-Hafa, during which 33people were killed, including 22 regime troops, nine rebel fighters and two civilians, the Observatory said.

It said the assault by regime forces on Al-Hafa, which has recently witnessed an escalation of anti-regime protests,continued into Wednesday morning, with tanks and helicopters joining the fray.

Ground troops, it added, were "now at the edges of Al-Hafa" and were being aided by "pro-regime armed men fromnearby towns."

Syria's main opposition coalition the Syrian National Council called Wednesday on "UN observers to go to the townof Al-Hafa immediately, in order to prevent a new massacre."

Residents "feared that the shelling would be a precursor to a bloody incursion," the SNC said, while calling onpeople of the area to show "resilience."

It called on Syrians across the country to "help the town and support its people."

The SNC called on some 300 UN observers in Syria to monitor a UN-brokered truce, in place since April 12 butwhich has been violated every day since, to "go quickly to the targeted areas."

The Observatory said anti-regime fighters seized two security headquarters in the town of Salma, in a region knownas Kurdish Mountains, and reported that a rebel fighter, who had defected from the regular army, was killed in theprovince.

Elsewhere, a student was killed when regime forces pounded Hreitan in the northern province of Aleppo, theObservatory said, adding that shelling continued into the early hours of Wednesday.

In the central province of Hama, a civilian was shot dead, the monitoring group added.

On Tuesday, 55 people were killed in violence across Syria, including 26 soldiers, 19 civilians and 10 rebels, themonitoring group said.

At least 57 soldiers were killed on Saturday, the largest number of casualties the military suffered in a single daysince an anti-regime uprising broke out in March 2011.

REGIONAL EDITORIALS (Top)

06 June 2012Al JazeeraRe-Shaping Palestinian National IdentityBy Ben White

Despite the frozen 'peace process' - or perhaps in part because of it - there have been a number of interestingdevelopments in the Palestinian political scene in recent years.


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This includes the emergence of new youth-based groups and actions, as well as a growth in coordination betweenPalestinians on both sides of the 'Green Line'. With this context in mind, a new initiative by BADIL Resource Centerfor Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights is instructive for the direction of the conversation amongstPalestinian activists.

The Ongoing Nakba Education Centre (ONEC) was launched this month by the Bethlehem-based non-profitorganization, boasting a website and Education Centre. At the heart of the project is the participatory websitewhich, in the words of BADIL's Rich Wiles, "uses multi-media tools to build a significant advocacy resource".

"[ONEC is] a research centre in the traditional sense of the word... a centre that aims to raise awareness in order tostrengthen political activity on all levels."

The site, which is still in an early stage of development, will depend on contributions in order to document stories ofPalestinian displacement, using photographs, short films, audio recordings - and covering everything from "photostories of demolitions" to "oral history interviews".

The emphasis is on an ongoing project that, while obviously not being able to highlight every story, will grow as aresource that provides networking opportunities for Palestinians and non-Palestinians working in the field. Nor isthere any need to be a 'professional'; BADIL say they will take unedited media to turn into content for the site.

Najwa Darwish, Director of BADIL, feels like there is something unique about the 'Ongoing Nakba' project:"The Education Centre presents the Palestinian story of displacement as one continuous and evolving storyspanning several decades. This is the fundamental issue at the root of Palestine's struggle, yet it is not usuallyaddressed in this way. So by presenting it in this manner, we clarify current Israeli policies by showing how theyevolved, as well as their origins".

Furthermore, having a physical space in a major tourist destination like Bethlehem dedicated to education and

advocacy means reaching a large number of visitors, and giving them ideas about possible rights-based eventsthey could do in their own communities or countries.

Nassar Ibrahim, Palestinian author, activist and Head of AIC (Alternative Information Centre), has described ONECas less of "a research centre in the traditional sense of the word" and more "a centre that aims to raise awarenessin order to strengthen political activity on all levels".

Links and ties

Such a project is not without its challenges: it can only reach its potential if people hear about it, and, moreimportantly, submit their contributions. Like many similar initiatives, a real test will be to broaden its appeal beyondthose activists already comfortable with the political vision behind ONEC.

However, with an emphasis on participation, popular 'ownership' and the creation of links and ties betweenPalestinian victims of displacement as well as those currently struggling against it, ONEC has the advantage ofstanding out from a host of NGO-based projects in Palestine. Furthermore, the political framework shaping ONECis one that challenges assumptions adopted by a number of human rights groups with regards to Palestine.

"At least 70 per cent of all Palestinians in the world today are displaced people... and no more than 45 per cent ofthe entire Palestinian people currently live within the opt."

"At least 70 per cent of all Palestinians in the world today are displaced people," notes Darwish, "and no more than45 per cent of the entire Palestinian people currently live within the opt". The vision behind the project, she says, is


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about political assurances. Hussein also rejected the proposal put forward by some Egyptian political forcesregarding the formation of a civilian presidential council to take power from the ruling Supreme Council of theArmed Forces [SCAF], saying this is an unpractical solution that SCAF will no doubt reject.

The Egyptian political scene was set ablaze on Saturday despite the fact that former Egyptian president HosniMubarak and former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly were sentenced to life imprisonment. The controversy focusedon the acquittal of a number of senior Interior Ministry officials, including on charges of issuing orders to kill Egyptsrevolutionaries. In light of the uncertain political scene in Egypt, political forces have suggested the formation of aPresidential Council to take over from SCAF, its tasks would include the drafting of a new constitution as well asarranging new presidential elections to replace the forthcoming presidential run-off vote that is scheduled to takeplace later this month between MB candidate Mohamed Mursi and former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.

However MB Secretary-General Dr. Mahmoud Hussein informed Asharq Al-Awsat that this idea is unrealistic,stressing that forming a presidential council is a proposal that cannot be implemented on the ground becauseSCAF will only hand over the reins of power to an elected president adding they will not pay any attention to thecalls made in Egypts squares and streets. Any challenge to SCAF must be realistic and practical. Hussein alsoasserted that we are in the midst of a democratic election, on the verge of the presidential run-off vote, and allefforts should be focused on this.

The MB Secretary-General viewed this presidential election run-off as being between the former NationalDemocratic Party and its symbols represented by former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and the entire Egyptianpeople, as represented by Freedom and Justice Party candidate Mohamed Mursi. He told Asharq Al-Awsat thatthe trial verdict and the forthcoming elections has placed us face to face with a scene that is dominated by the[former] head of the regime, the remnants of the National Democratic Party, and its corrupt symbols, assisted bythe media that are working to serve their interests. Hussein added the officials in Tora [prison] are running thescene in one way or another and the money that has been stolen from the Egyptian people continues to be used tobuy votes.

The MB Secretary-General said that no single political force is capable of confronting this crisis alone, adding thatall political, national and revolutionary forces should back MB candidate Mohamed Mursi in the forthcomingpresidential run-off vote, particularly in light of the fact that his opposing candidate, General Shafiq, was the lastprime minister of the Mubarak era.

Dr. Mahmoud Hussein told Asharq Al-Awsat that the revolution is at a crossroad, and this is something that appliesto all the political forces, including the MB. We have two options: either we join together to preserve the revolution,even if there are differences between usor we all lose the revolution. Hussein stressed that Egypts political andrevolutionary forces, not to mention the Egyptian people, are approaching an impasse and this necessitates unity inthe forthcoming period.

The Secretary-General of Egypt's MB claimed that the only realistic solution to save the revolution is to support Dr.

Mohamed Mursi, the candidate of the MB and the revolution, in the forthcoming presidential run-off adding now isnot the time to talk about assurances because we are facing a looming threat that will confront us in a seriousmanner, with regards to its media, political and economic forces. Therefore, we must unify our efforts to get rid ofthis candidate of the former regime [Shafiq], and then reach mutual understanding between our political forces,because there are areas where we can come to agreement.

One week following the announcement of the initial presidential election results, the Freedom and Justice party hasfailed to win broad-backing from other political forces for their presidential candidate Mohamed Mursi. The MBSecretary-General informed Asharq Al-Awsat that this may be due to their views on the performance of the MB,some of these views may be correct, whilst others might be wrong or mistaken, or due to these political forces


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being aware of certain details. However he stressed that the gravest threat is that some people are still doubtfulabout [the MBs] intentions, and I do not where this skepticism will lead us."

Hussein accused the media of raising doubts over Mursis presidential candidacy, claiming that there is a generalagreement to support Mursi, but the media is casting doubt about this. The MB has announced, since thebeginning, that it intends to form a coalition government, and that it is committed to a civil state

Despite the divisions and disagreements between the different political forces in parliament, the MB Secretary-General informed Asharq Al-Awsat that we are all in agreement on the constitution itself; therefore, the disputeover the constituent assembly is a fabrication, the creation of a problem from nothing. He added the politicalforces have agreed on the al-Azhar document and the Democratic Alliance codetherefore it is easy to draft aconstitution based on this, in accordance with what has already been agreed upon, regardless of who is draftingthis.

Tens of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets this week to express their anger over the acquittal of a numberof senior Egyptian officials, staging protests across the country. The MB Secretary-General said that theseacquittal were a message that the [Egyptian] people understood, and this represents an attempt to attack therevolution, and a message that no one will be brought to trial over the blood of the martyrshowever this will onlymake the people even more determined to preserve their rights."Hussein also told Asharq Al-Awsat that this verdict indicates that some people are trying to restore the formerregime, in an even stronger position adding the acquittals shocked the public, and has granted them theopportunity to unite the revolution once more.

MB Secretary-General Dr. Mahmoud Hussein also accused General Shafiqs campaign of exploiting village chiefsand elders in the Nile Delta region and Upper Egypt to recruit the votes of simple citizens, adding that he expectsthe acquitted Interior Ministry officials to support Shafiq in the forthcoming presidential run-off.

05 June 2012Jerusalem PostContaining SyriaThere is real danger that loose weaponry and WMDs might fall into the wrong hands, endangering not just Israelssecurity, but the security and stability of the entire region.

In times of insurgency when regimes are in varying stages of collapse, there is a real risk that unsecured weaponryincluding weapons of mass destruction will fall into the wrong hands. Militias and insurgents who are more likely tobe ruthless power-seekers than enlightened proponents of human rights exploit these situation to grab caches ofweaponry by the tons.

During the US-led invasion of Iraq, there was a real fear that in the midst of the anarchy, one of the militias roaming

the country would get its hands on the WMDs thought to be held clandestinely by Saddam Husseins regime. SinceUS troops and other allied forces were on the ground there, however, the vast majority of weapons stockpiled byIraqi military were destroyed or confiscated.

In contrast, the allied presence on the ground in Libya was much less pronounced, and the Obama administrationadopted a strategy of leading from behind emphasizing the importance of enlisting a wide coalition of states overaggressive military action.

As a result, little could be done to stop militiamen some affiliated with al-Qaida from looting Libyan strongmanMuammar Gaddafis stockpiles of rockets and surface-to-air missiles. In the wake of Hosni Mubaraks ouster and


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the subsequent opening of the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Islamist terrorists including Hamas andIslamic Jihad have managed to smuggle thousands of these missiles into the Gaza Strip to be used againstIsrael.

Now a similar danger exists in Syria. While Bashar Assad receives support from Iran, al-Qaida has been taking anincreasingly prominent role in the opposition campaign. The longer fighting continues, the more al-Qaida-affiliatedgroups entrench themselves and the more Tehran increases its influence. Under cover of the ongoing anarchy,Syrias WMDs in particular, its biological and chemical weapons might fall into the hands of extremist elements.This would have direct ramifications for Israels security.

Nearly any scenario poses dangers for Israel, perhaps not immediately but in the near future. Whether Assad,backed by Iran, succeeds in surviving the uprising or, alternatively, slowly loses control and al-Qaida-affiliatedgroups gain power, the time is not far off when Israel once again becomes a target. IDF officials including OCNorthern Command chief Yair Golan have noted that either al-Qaida elements or the Syrians or Hezbollah inLebanon might be tempted to renew attacks against Israel. He said that the IDF was preparing for such an optionby strengthening positions in the North.

But the loss of control over weaponry including WMDs poses a threat not just to Israel but to the entire Westernworld.

Admittedly, there are no easy solutions. A military option in Syria would be complicated for a number of reasons.Unlike in Libya, the opposition, though growing, is too weak and divided to forcefully overthrow Assad. Arming theFree Syria Army might only encourage the Assad regime to do away with the few restraints still imposed on thearmed forces. Imposing a no-fly zone is irrelevant since Assads forces do not need control of the air to rule, and allsides in the conflict are intertwined in areas with heavy civilian populations, which makes the use of air strikes toenforce safe areas highly impractical. Russia, which maintains in Syria its only military base outside the formerSoviet Union, and China have consistently opposed military action in the UN Security Council.

As a result, the US would have a difficult time garnering international support for a military endeavor that is likely tofail.

Still, there is real danger that loose weaponry and WMDs might fall into the wrong hands, endangering not justIsraels security, but the security and stability of the entire region. Therefore, alongside sanctions and strenuousdiplomatic efforts such as additional attempts, backed by China and Russia, to re-enforce a cease-fire whileproviding support where possible to the saner elements in the opposition movement more efforts need to bemade to locate Syrias WMD caches. If they cannot be destroyed, they should at the very least be contained. Thesafety of many people depends on it.

06 June 2012

The Daily StarLet Mubarak Feel the Egyptians PainBy Rami G. Khouri

Many images from the court verdict session of the Hosni Mubarak trial last Saturday remain vivid, and carry politicalweight: the strong statement by the judge, the defendants behind bars, the packed courtroom, and the scuffles afterthe verdict was read.

But far and away the most powerful image that stays in my head and will not go away maybe I do not want it to goaway, so I can savor it for some more days or weeks is that of Mubarak himself. The image of the former dictator


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speaks poignantly to the three key dimensions of his rise and fall: his years of dictatorial rule that demeaned anddegraded Egypt and its people; the popular revolt that overthrew him and sent him to jail to stand trial; and theverdict that found him guilty and sentenced him to life in jail, giving the Egyptian people a sense that justice hasbeen done, because Mubarak has been punished for his crimes.

The most striking aspect of his image as he lay motionless in his hospital bed was his total helplessness, almost anabsence of humanity. His sunglasses added another dimension to his subhuman state. We could not look into hiseyes and connect with him emotionally or intellectually. He seemed to stare ahead, almost in a catatonic state,mummy- or dummy-like to a large extent. He only muttered a brief word in response to the judges calling of hisname. Perhaps he had stopped thinking and had nothing to say.

He showed no emotion, perhaps because he no longer had any emotions to show. His biological functions tickedover, but nothing more than that operated. Mubarak the senior officer, the air force commander, the president forlife and more, had been transformed into a turgid biological blob of form without substance or vitality, a livingorganism without life or a role in the world.

Nobody had any pity for him, because in this sad state Mubarak had finally experienced what it was like to be anEgyptian in the era of Mubarak: a human being without agency, a citizen without rights, a living organism invisibleto the powers that be, unconnected to the world around it, floating in a national void where men with guns made allthe decisions and the individual only obeyed and acquiesced, never initiating or creating anything.In this state, the story of his presidential career had come full circle. He and the Egyptian people had finallyexchanged places. For three long and terrible decades, Mubarak and his security and political machine hadcrushed the Egyptian people and turned them into placid mummies, devoid of rights, intellectually shut down,politically neutered, and as a nation totally immobilized, embarrassed and humiliated. Worse, Egypt exported thiscondition of security-dominated castrated nationalism to many other Arab countries, sharing the pain with hundredsof millions of other hapless Arabs. What was ugly along the Nile became grotesque across our entire region. Thecriminal operated on a regional stage.

So it was satisfying for me and millions of others in the Arab world to see Mubarak in this state of dehumanizednumbness, because it represented a powerful measure of justice. This was not torture, or solitary confinement, orrepeated beatings. This was merely stripping the man of his manhood, the human of his humanity, and the citizenof his citizenship, just as he had done to so many others.

Maybe it would have been fair to subject Mubarak to the same sort of abuse by the police that his police hadinflicted on tens of thousands of Egyptians. That includes Khaled Said, whose death at the hands of police torturesparked the Egyptian protests of January 2011 that ultimately brought down the Mubarak regime.

This was my only moral anguish as I watched the lifeless Mubarak and cheered in my heart when he wassentenced to life in prison. What was the right balance between justice and mercy? How far should Egyptians pushto see him punished? How acute and visible should his suffering be? Had he been punished and humiliated

enough? I assumed that as he lay in jail, he was ill at ease, perhaps truly in anguish. Or maybe he had alsoadapted, living without emotions, expression or rights, as tens of millions of Egyptians had adapted to hismistreatment of them. Maybe he now understood why they danced and cheered when he announced hisresignation. Or maybe not.

Just in case, I thought, let him stay in jail and feel the pain. Justice must be served. Criminals must be punished.Mercy can, and must, come later. For now, I thought, criminals should suffer the same fate as their victims,because that is how victims become free and whole men and women once again, ravaged societies find a newbalance, and gutted nations come back to life.

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