Category Archives: Global Politics

Netanyahu: We will allow settlers to return to Hebron houses – PNN

The Israeli prime minister,  Benjamin Netanyahu during cabinet meeting on Sunday said that “Israel will allow the settlers evicted from two houses in Hebron to return once the proper paperwork is in order,” Haaretz reported.Haaretz cited Netanyahu saying that “The government supports the settlements, especially in days like these, when they are under terror attacks,” adding that “at the same time, we are a lawful country and must respect the rule of the law. The moment that the purchase process is authorized, we will allow the population of the two houses in Hebron.”

Source: Netanyahu: We will allow settlers to return to Hebron houses – PNN

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu calls for execution of Palestinians – PNN

Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post reported him saying: “Should we leave them alive in order to then free them in another gesture to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas? The fact that they still have a desire to commit terrorist attacks shows that we are not operating strongly enough,” he said.Explaining more about his fatwa, Eliyahu wrote on his facebook page that “The Israel Police officers who do keep terrorist Palestinians alive should be prosecuted under the law.”He went on: “We must not allow a Palestinian to survive after he was arrested. If you leave him alive, there is a fear that he will be released and kill other people.” He added: “We must eradicate this evil from within our midst.”

Source: Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu calls for execution of Palestinians – PNN

Viewpoint: The Flint Water Crisis from the Ground Up | Labor Notes

It would be one thing if those responsible for this crisis were democratically elected officials. We could just vote the bums out, right? Well, that isn’t the case in my hometown.Through a bill called P.A. 436, better known as the Emergency Manager law, Governor Rick Snyder appoints an “emergency manager” who answers to the governor and the governor alone.The emergency manager has the power to dismantle everything from local laws to public sector union contracts. All the local officials who were voted in, and all the public sector workers, are under the control of this state-appointed dictator.It was the Snyder-appointed emergency manager, Darnell Early, who initially switched Flint over from the long trusted-source of Lake Huron water, provided by Detroit, to the more corrosive water of the Flint River. It was the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, also answerable solely to Snyder, that deemed the move safe.This was only intended to be a temporary measure, but it didn’t take long for the damage to be done. The aging pipes in Flint were leaching lead into the city’s drinking water and into people’s homes. An entire community was poisoned, just like that.There is no safe level of lead; lead damage is permanent and irreversible. It can cause a staggering array of physical and behavioral problems, from lower IQ to miscarriages.To add insult to injury, the emergency manager in his infinite wisdom raised water rates to astronomical levels. So we’re paying $100-plus per person, per month, for water that is basically poison and practically useless.

Source: Viewpoint: The Flint Water Crisis from the Ground Up | Labor Notes

Former Political Prisoner Wai Wai Nu on Discrimination, the Rohingya People, and the Future of Myanmar | wnn interviews global

I am hopeful. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is very much eager to promote rule of law, so I believe she has a plan to do this. We want to see less discrimination, less arbitrary arrests, less killings. I think she can revoke some of these repressive and unnecessary laws. In terms of what she can do immediately in Rakhine State, I think she could work to return IDPs and work for proper resettlement, as well as remove the restrictions faced by the Rohingya in regards to education, movement and both general and reproductive healthcare. Those are some of the easier jobs for her to do, but even then I could see it taking two to three years.

Source: Former Political Prisoner Wai Wai Nu on Discrimination, the Rohingya People, and the Future of Myanmar | wnn interviews global

WHO reports more local Zika confirmations, GBS spike | CIDRAP

Local transmission on St. Martin, GuadeloupeMeanwhile, the WHO today confirmed the first two locally acquired Zika infection cases in the French part of St. Martin and in Guadeloupe. It said French health officials notified the WHO of both cases on Jan 18.The two territories already appear on PAHO’s list of affected locations in the Americas, which stands at 20. Like most other parts of the Caribbean, both areas have been affected by the chikungunya virus outbreak over the past year.WHO urges no travel restrictionsThe WHO said in both statements today it does not recommend any trade or travel restrictions to the affected areas.So far the WHO has held off on recommending that pregnant women, or those planning to become pregnant, avoid the affected countries due to the microcephaly threat. In its most recent update on the

The two territories already appear on PAHO’s list of affected locations in the Americas, which stands at 20. Like most other parts of the Caribbean, both areas have been affected by the chikungunya virus outbreak over the past year.WHO urges no travel restrictionsThe WHO said in both statements today it does not recommend any trade or travel restrictions to the affected areas.So far the WHO has held off on recommending that pregnant women, or those planning to become pregnant, avoid the affected countries due to the microcephaly threat. In its most recent update on the

WHO urges no travel restrictionsThe WHO said in both statements today it does not recommend any trade or travel restrictions to the affected areas.So far the WHO has held off on recommending that pregnant women, or those planning to become pregnant, avoid the affected countries due to the microcephaly threat. In its most recent update on the

The WHO said in both statements today it does not recommend any trade or travel restrictions to the affected areas. {Deja vu – same thing they said too long about ebola outbreak last year – giving in to local government’s fears of losing trade dollars and further increased the impact of the epidemic}

So far the WHO has held off on recommending that pregnant women, or those planning to become pregnant, avoid the affected countries due to the microcephaly threat. In its most recent update on the disease it urges pregnant women to take steps to protect against mosquitoes and to consult with their local health officials before traveling.

Source: WHO reports more local Zika confirmations, GBS spike | CIDRAP

Don’t underestimate Iraqi nationalism

The anti-IS campaign in Iraq has deepened sectarian divisions between Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish regions, but despite communal and political fractures, many communities remain loyal to the Iraqi state.

Source: Don’t underestimate Iraqi nationalism

Sunni Arabs also continue to defend Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity. For instance, while recognizing the importance of regional relations, Sunni Arabs joined Shiite Arabs and other Iraqis in opposing Ankara’s military expansion into northern Iraq. The Iraqi parliament’s Council of Representatives, including leading Sunni and Shiite blocs, criticized Turkey’s engagement as a violation of state sovereignty. Iraq’s Sunni Arab Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi, as well as the Arab League, whose majority is Sunni Muslim, also requested the full departure of Turkish forces from Iraq. Only former Ninevah Gov. Atheel-al Nujaifi and Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani welcomed Ankara’s engagement in training Sunni Arab and Kurdish peshmerga forces to counter IS — as well as to check the Kurdistan Workers Party, create a Sunni Muslim zone of influence and secure energy resources in Mosul.

Nor have Iraqi Shiite groups given Iran carte blanche in Iraqi affairs. Indeed, most are grateful for Tehran’s immediate and ongoing military assistance against IS. Some Shiite political parties and militias continue to act as proxies for Iran’s Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. Yet another part of the Shiite community seeks to balance Iraq’s interests in the region and assure Iraqi sovereignty. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has attempted to mediate the Saudi-Iranian dispute — to no avail — by insisting on Iraq’s neutrality.

Eritrean man was lynched by Israelis in uniform, new video shows | The Electronic Intifada

On 18 October, 29-year-old Eritrean refugee Haftom Zarhum was severely beaten and shot to death by a vengeful mob of Israeli soldiers, prison officers and police in and out of uniform, security camera footage recently obtained by the Tel Aviv newspaper Haaretz has revealed.The mob mistook Zarhum, unarmed and injured, for the gunman who had opened fire moments earlier at the central bus station in Bir al-Saba (Beer Sheva), a city in the south of present-day Israel.

Source: Eritrean man was lynched by Israelis in uniform, new video shows | The Electronic Intifada

Mossad proxy faked violent Facebook anti-Semitism | The Electronic Intifada

An Israeli legal group with intimate ties to the state’s intelligence agencies has admitted to faking an ostensibly pro-Palestinian Facebook page and using it to post anti-Semitic statements including “Death to all the Jews.”The Israeli group has also filed a lawsuit against Facebook, for allegedly permitting Palestinian “incitement.”Shurat HaDin claims to be a “civil rights organization.” Various media reports have described it as an “Israeli non-governmental organization,” an “advocacy group,” or even a neutral-sounding “law center” – the group’s self-description also adopted by The Guardian and PBS.But US embassy cables leaked by Chelsea Manning and published by WikiLeaks tell a very different story.Shurat HaDin director Nitsana Darshan-Leitner privately told a US embassy official that her group “took direction” on which court cases to pursue. She claimed that she “receives evidence” from Israel’s international espionage and assassination agency Mossad and from Israel’s National Security Council.Mossad anti-SemitismIn a video published to YouTube last week, Shurat HaDin claimed responsibility for the creation of a Facebook page titled “Stop Israelis” on 29 December.

Source: Mossad proxy faked violent Facebook anti-Semitism | The Electronic Intifada

Senator Heinrich: Armed Extremists at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Must Be Prosecuted – Native News Online

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Committee on Indian Affairs, expressed his concern over the continued takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon by armed extremists, and urged the U.S. Department of Justice to fully prosecute anyone who has broken the law.US Senator Martin Heinrich“Unfortunately, the attack on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is only the latest effort in a growing campaign by anti-government interests to seize and sell off the American people’s public lands,” Sen. Heinrich wrote in the letter. “I am concerned that the absence of federal prosecution after similar events in the past, such as the 2014 standoff near Bunkerville, Nevada, may have emboldened these individuals to seize federal property in the Malheur standoff. There must be consequences for this sort of dangerous action. When the federal government does not fulfill its duty in prosecuting violations of the law, individuals are emboldened to further defy the law.”Efforts to seize and sell off America’s public lands are deeply unpopular in the West. Recent polling in Western states, including New Mexico, found that an overwhelming majority of voters in the region oppose transferring national public lands to state ownership.

Source: Senator Heinrich: Armed Extremists at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Must Be Prosecuted – Native News Online