Israel Schemes in Kurdistan
By Les Blough, Axis of Logic
On August 12, 2009, Radio Netherlands announced, “New Israel-Kurd magazine surprises Arab world”. The article is republished below for the reader’s convenience. Axis of Logic correspondent, analyst and writer, Cherifa Sirry writes from Egypt: “Why the new magazine, ‘Israel-Kurd’ has been created for “building bridges between Israel and Kurdistan” to promote ‘Israeli emigration to Iraq’ is the obvous question. This is quite strange considering the amount of money spent by “the Jewish state” on attracting Jews and now even ‘converts’ to immigrate to the ‘Jewish state’. Demography is one of Israel’s worst enemies. So what is the objective of this new magazine?” Cherifa raises a good question. Perhaps the following conditions provide some context for understanding this push to build “Israeli-Kurd bridges”..

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Israelis Target Medical Teams
By Mel Frykberg
Fourteen-year-old Muhammad Nayif’s mother broke down as she spoke to IPS. Nayif died after being shot three times in the chest by Israeli soldiers Monday night. Palestinian medical personnel who tried to reach the critically injured boy near the Jelazon refugee camp north of Ramallah were threatened at gunpoint by Israeli soldiers and shot at. “We were sure that the boy was seriously wounded and needed urgent medical attention,” said Sameh Barghouti a medic in the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance which tried to evacuate the youngster…

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Recent and past martyrs: Gaza Ramadan day 13
Eva Bartlett, In Gaza
His murder was just another passing name in the news. Fisherman killed in the north of Gaza by Israeli navy shelling. Decapitated by the blast. Another gruesomely martyred Palestinian. The world somehow expects it over there. But beyond being a statistic in the tally of Palestinians lost to Israeli targeting, Mohammed is the 4th close family member to be killed in three years, not including cousins or other relatives. Preceding him were one brother, and his mother and a nephew, the latter 2 killed together on their farmland. With them was another brother who survived the ground-to-ground missile. His legs didn’t, however…

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Iraqi refugees fear expulsion from Syria
Phil Sands
Sitting in his small, dark apartment in a suburb of Syria’s ancient capital city, Abu Wasim has a new worry to add to his already long list of concerns. As an Iraqi refugee, he is increasingly alarmed by an escalating diplomatic row between Damascus and Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have fled the continuing violence in their own country for the safety of Syria. However with relations between the neighbours in free fall over allegations that Damascus is sheltering the militants behind a recent Baghdad bombing, there are growing fears among refugees that they may be the ones to suffer…Changing visa rules or refusing Iraqis permission to stay is a temptation the Syrian authorities have so far resisted. But Iraqi refugees have been on the lookout for signs this latest diplomatic crisis has exhausted Syria’s patience…

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Obama sent second letter to Khamenei
By Barbara Slavin and Iason Athanasiadis, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
President Obama sent a second letter to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, before Iran’s disputed presidential elections, an Iranian-American activist says. The Washington Times reported in June that Mr. Obama wrote to Ayatollah Khamenei in May seeking talks and improved relations between the longtime adversaries. An Iranian Web site, Tabnak, reported Wednesday that the president had sent a second letter, but did not provide a date. An Iranian individual familiar with the report told The Washington Times that the second letter arrived two weeks ago via the Swiss Embassy in Tehran. The individual, who asked not to be named because he was discussing sensitive matters, said the letter asked for “better cooperation” between the two countries, which have not had diplomatic relations since 1980…

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Maliki Points Finger at Syrian Government for Baghdad Bombings
Syria Demands Proof of Accusations
Jason Ditz
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki today formally asked the United Nations Security Council to launch an inquiry into last month’s Baghdad bombings, and in particular into “outside forces” who supported the attacks, an obvious reference to its publicly broadcast confessions implicating Syria in the attack. Maliki said the attacks, which killed roughly 100 people and did serious damage to two government ministries, amounted to “genocide” and should be punishable under international law…

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Israeli prosecutor’s office says West Bank settlements should be retroactively legalized
Saed Bannoura – IMEMC News
In two separate court cases heard in Israeli court on Wednesday, a representative for the State Prosecutor’s office issued statements that certain settlements previously considered illegal under Israeli law will now be retroactively legalized. The statements could indicate a major policy shift for the Israeli government, and a major rebuke to the US President’s recent push for a settlement freeze. The move came just days after a group of mayors from West Bank settlements met with members of the Israeli Prime Minister’s office to demand that all West Bank settlements be recognized, legal or not…

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Gaza Health Ministry: UNRWA holding up shipments of medical supplies
Ma’an News
The Ministry of Health in the de facto government in Gaza accused the UN refugee relief agency UNRWA on Thursday of withholding a shipment of medical supplies and equipment for months. In a statement, the de facto Ministry of Health said that “the seizure of drugs by UNRWA has affected the lives of thousands of patients who needed treatment and medicine urgently. Dozens of patients have died because of the lack of medicine and because of the ongoing [Israeli] siege.”..

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Gaza Fishermen – Daily Suffering with No Notice
Ayman Quader, via Desertpeace
Everyday in the news, I hear about the suffering of the Gaza fishermen – one was killed, others wounded, and the Israelis are firing on still others. And I wanted to shed a light on their pain.I went to the main Gaza port. While I was there, I figured out how sad the sea and the fishermen are. Boats are stuck and fishermen are looking at the sea with no hope. The Palestinian fishermen have been consistently harassed by the regular Israeli attacks on them, as they abuse the fishermen for pursuing their livelihood. Furthermore, they are prevented to work for far distances inside the sea…

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NATO: 2 US service members killed in bomb attack
AP
NATO says two U.S. service members have been killed in southern Afghanistan. The two died after a bomb went off as they patrolled an area of Afghanistan that has seen some of the most intense fighting of the war. The deaths Thursday come during the deadliest year for American troops during the eight-year Afghan war…

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