Month: May 2018

US Judges Weigh Fate of Program Protecting Young Immigrants

Posted on by SeeUS

A panel of three appeals court judges in California on Tuesday asked the federal government to defend its decision to end a program protecting from deportation some immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children, who are often referred to as “Dreamers.”

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals must rule on whether to uphold a lower court’s nationwide injunction ordering the government to keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in place while litigation challenging its termination proceeds.

The administration of President Donald Trump announced in September it would scrap the 2012 program launched by former President Barack Obama, and said it was up to Congress to find a legislative solution.

Several plaintiffs, including the University of California, which enrolls many DACA recipients, sued over the administration’s decision, and in January, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco issued the injunction. A judge in Brooklyn, New York, made a similar finding, and a judge in Washington, D.C., gave the government extra time to explain its reasoning.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the program was unlawful when he announced the end of DACA, a position the appeals court judges asked attorneys for the government to explain on Tuesday.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hashim Mooppan responded that it was within the government’s discretion to decide the fate of the program.

“It is perfectly lawful to have a zero tolerance enforcement policy, but it is potentially unlawful to not enforce the law on a large swath of people,” Mooppan said.

Lawyers for plaintiffs challenging DACA’s termination argued that while Obama was clearly within his rights to establish the program, its end robbed hundreds of thousands of young immigrants of protections they had come to rely on.

Outside the Pasadena courthouse on Tuesday, some 30 DACA supporters gathered in a rose garden, shouting slogans in Spanish and English.

Ali Torabi, 27, a DACA recipient who came from Iran with his mother and younger brother 23 years ago, said he is hoping for a favorable decision from the courts since Congress seems unable to act.

“Both parties are playing a lot of politics with our lives,” Torabi said. “They’ve let us down so many times.”

The panel of judges, all appointed by Democratic presidents, could issue its decision at any time. The Supreme Court, which in February declined a request to weigh in before the appellate court, said at the time it assumed the appeals court would rule swiftly.
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Israel at 70: Images of Victory, Violence

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Seventy years since the day of Israel’s founding, wildly contrasting images of victory and violence showcased the contradictions that bedevil the Jewish state.

Deadly protests flared along the Gaza border, where troops killed dozens of Palestinians, while politicians feted the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem as a symbol of ironclad alliance with Washington. And with improbably odd timing, seemingly oblivious to both, crowds gathered in liberal Tel Aviv to exult over the winner of a campy European pop contest.

Nahum Barnea, Israel’s leading columnist, said the events highlighted the country’s fragmented nature and how even after seven decades it still cannot escape its conflict with the Arabs or its unquenchable thirst for recognition.

“This is a small country that typically lives only one story, usually either that of readiness for battle or bereavement,” he said. “This was really an unusual example of the mythological national campfire coming apart.”

Barnea said the Arab threat, or even the perceived threat, has existed since Israel’s 1948 founding. And as long as that’s the case, he added, there will always be an element of national cohesion.

Monday’s violence was limited to the Gaza border area, unlike the full-scale wars of recent years in which missiles rained on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and that enabled much of Israel to direct its attention elsewhere, Barnea said.

But in Israel, it is difficult to escape the effects of the 50-year occupation of Palestinian territories captured in 1967. Israel’s continued control over millions of stateless Palestinians, and years of failed attempts to resolve the conflict, drive political discourse, fuel societal divisions and draw near-daily criticism from friends and foes alike around the world.

Indeed, Israel’s two largest cities, which symbolize its two opposing political camps, seemed to be doing their best to ignore the violence and seemingly intractable conflict with the Palestinians.

​Gaza bloodshed

The heavy Palestinian death toll, along with hundreds of wounded, made Monday by far the bloodiest day of cross-border violence since a devastating 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. It further dimmed already bleak prospects for President Donald Trump’s peace plan. 

The Gaza protesters set tires ablaze, sending up thick plumes of black smoke, and hurled firebombs and stones toward Israeli troops across the border. The Israeli military, which has come under international criticism for firing on unarmed protesters, said Hamas militants tried to carry out bombing and shooting attacks under the cover of the protests and released video of protesters ripping away parts of the barbed-wire border fence.

It was the culmination of more than a month of weekly demonstrations aimed at breaking a crippling Israeli-Egyptian border blockade. But the U.S. Embassy move, bitterly opposed by the Palestinians, added further fuel.

Jerusalem fervor

In Jerusalem, the Israeli government celebrated the ancient city’s Jewish history, Israel’s control over it, the president who finally moved the U.S. Embassy there, and the ever-closer ties between the two countries. There was no direct mention of Gaza.

While Israelis overwhelmingly welcomed the embassy move, the ceremony had a distinctly un-Israeli feel about it. The audience was made up mostly of skullcap-wearing Jews and Republican-leaning evangelical Christians who hardly share the values or politics of Israel’s secular majority, let alone the liberal-leaning Jewish diaspora. 

The speeches were peppered with biblical passages and references to God, and two American pastors with a history of derogatory remarks about other faiths delivered blessings. The Reverend John Hagee once spoke of Adolf Hitler as a hunter sent by God to kill Jews, while the Reverend Robert Jeffress has called Islam and Mormonism “a heresy from the pit of hell” and said Jews “can’t be saved.”

Still, they were part of the evangelical embrace of Israel that they say stems from Christianity’s Jewish roots, and many view Israel’s establishment as the fulfillment of a biblical prophecy. In Israel, they have been welcomed by a growing group of religious-nationalist Jews who share their messianic fervor.

“Jerusalem is where Messiah will come and establish a kingdom that will never end. We thank you, O Lord, for President Donald Trump’s courage in acknowledging to the world a truth established 3,000 years ago — that Jerusalem is and always shall be the eternal capital of the Jewish people,” Hagee said in his closing benediction. “Let every Islamic terrorist hear this message: Israel lives.”

Tel Aviv party

In secular Tel Aviv, the scene could hardly have been more different. Tens of thousands flooded to Rabin Square for the raucous return of Israel’s newest folk hero, the charismatic winner of the gay-friendly Eurovision Song Contest. In Israel’s cultural and financial heartland, neither the Jerusalem embassy nor the Gaza carnage was even mentioned.

Netta Barzilai, 25, has won over Israelis and Europeans with her techno-dance tune about female empowerment, her message of inclusiveness and a personal story of overcoming adversity. Barzilai’s victory, propelled by a European popular vote, was celebrated as proof that Israel could overwhelm those seeking to boycott it over its conflict with the Palestinians. As with any international success, it was part of Israel’s quest to project its “normal” image to the world, rather than a place of conflict. And Barzilai used her newfound platform to project unity.

“We are coming together like we haven’t in years,” she screamed to the adoring crowd. “We have a reason to be happy. Don’t let anyone dampen your spirits.”

Short memory

Amid all the commotion, it was easy to forget that less than a week ago Israel seemed to be on the brink of war with Iran. Israel had just unleashed its most massive bombardment in Syria in decades, targeting nearly all of Iran’s military installations there after an Iranian rocket barrage was fired toward Israel’s positions on the Golan Heights. 

That unprecedented confrontation between the two bitter enemies came only days after Israel successfully hosted the start of the Giro d’Italia cycling race. The first Grand Tour event ever held outside Europe was yet another milestone in Israel’s quest for normalcy and acceptance.

Monday’s split-screen images captured much of what still plagues Israel: a conflict with no end in sight and two opposing domestic camps trying to ignore it.

“For a single historic second, Israel could ignore the elephant in the room. But we can’t really erase the bitter parts of reality,” wrote Nadav Eyal in Yediot Ahronot. “We can dance in Rabin Square to celebrate the Eurovision win and to imagine that history and all of its complexities have been shunted aside forever, but they haven’t — the Palestinians are still there.”
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Ukraine Raids Russian Media Outlets, Arrests Journalist

Posted on by SeeEU

Ukraine’s state security agency raided offices of two Russian state-owned media outlets in the Ukrainian capital Tuesday and leveled treason accusations against a journalist, a move that drew sharp criticism from the top trans-Atlantic security and rights group.

Ukraine’s domestic security agency, the SBU, said the raids of the Kyiv offices of the RIA Novosti news agency and RT television were part of its investigation into Russian media outlets being “used as tools in a hybrid war against Ukraine.”

The agency said the head of RIA Novosti’s Ukrainian office, Kirill Vyshinskiy, was detained for alleged treason, a crime that carries a prison term of up to 15 years upon conviction.

Relations between Moscow and Kyiv soured in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea and threw its weight behind separatists in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has long blamed Russian state media for fanning the flames of the war in the east, which so far has killed more than 10,000 people.

Moscow angrily protested Tuesday’s raids. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced the Ukrainian action as an “unacceptable” attack on freedom of speech and urged the West to condemn it “without any double standards.”

Harlem Desir, a media freedom representative at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a top security and rights group, expressed “serious concern” about the raids.

“The fight against propaganda must not fall short of international standards and should not represent disproportionate interference in media activities,” Desir said in a statement. “OSCE participating states have committed to facilitating the conditions under which journalists from one participating state exercise their profession in another participating state.”

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States shared concern about Russian propaganda, but noted that Ukraine must take care to ensure it abides by the law, including international human rights law.

The raids came several hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to southern Russia to attend the opening ceremony of a bridge linking Russia and the Crimean peninsula.
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US Homeland Security Boss Defends Separating Immigrant Families

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The head of the Department of Homeland Security defended the Trump administration’s practice of separating children from parents when the family is being prosecuted for entering the U.S. illegally, telling a Senate committee Tuesday that removing children from parents facing criminal charges happens “in the United States every day.”

Kirstjen Nielsen, who has headed the agency since December, came under attack by Democratic senators days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions said a “zero tolerance” policy toward people entering the country illegally could lead to more families being split up while parents are prosecuted.

In a contentious exchange with Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Nielsen said her department was not taking children from parents as a way to deter illegal immigration. Rather, Nielsen said, if a person crosses the border illegally: “We will refer you for prosecution. You’ve broken U.S. law.”

When Harris pressed her about what that would mean for a 4-year-old child whose family faces charges of entering the country illegally, Nielsen said, “What we’ll be doing is prosecuting parents who’ve broken the law, just as we do every day in the United States of America.”

The children are transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services within 48 hours, she said. That department then finds people for the children to stay with while the parents are in custody, she said.

“They will be separated from their parent,” said Harris, who’s considered a possible contender for her party’s 2020 presidential nomination.

“Just like we do in the United States every day,” Nielsen replied.

But she did not dispute criticism by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., that the government could do a better job of monitoring the children it places in a family’s custody to make sure they’re safe.

“I could not agree with your concerns more, period,” Nielsen said.

Nielsen told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that her agency and HHS have procedures aimed at making sure the people caring for the children are not criminals.

“It is our duty to protect them, to keep them in a safe environment,” Nielsen said.

DHS has said it would refer all arrests for illegal entry to federal prosecutors, backing up Sessions’ policy, announced last month, to expand criminal prosecutions of people with few or no previous offenses. A conviction for illegal entry carries a maximum penalty of six months in custody for first-time crossers – though they usually do far less time – and two years for repeat offenses.

Nearly one in four Border Patrol arrests on the Mexican border from October through April was someone who came in a family. That means any large increase in prosecutions will likely cause parents to be separated from their children while they face charges and do time in jail.

Just last week, President Donald Trump criticized Nielsen at a Cabinet meeting for not doing enough to stop illegal border crossings. He discounted her explanation that her department faces legal restrictions on what it can do, according to people familiar with the exchange.

The agency has denied a report by The New York Times that the confrontation left Nielsen close to resigning. 
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Pennsylvania Primaries Could Herald Shift of Power in US House

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Voters cast ballots on Tuesday in crucial party primaries in Pennsylvania, a state that has become central to Democrat’ hopes of retaking control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The state offers Democrats the opportunity to pick up as many as five seats from Republicans in congressional elections in November, analysts said. Democrats need a net total of 23 to assume the House majority, which would likely derail Republican President Donald Trump’s policy agenda.

The polls closed at 8 p.m. and final results were expected within hours. Voters in the state were also choosing Republican nominees to take on incumbent Governor Tom Wolf and U.S. Senator Bob Casey, both Democrats.

Pennsylvania’s politics were thrown into turmoil earlier this year when the state Supreme Court found that the current congressional districts had been unconstitutionally tailored to favor Republicans. The redrawn map has made some districts more competitive.

In addition, six incumbent House Republicans are not running for re-election, further scrambling the races and requiring voters to become familiar with a raft of first-time candidates. 

81 candidates for 18 seats

Some 81 candidates are running for 18 congressional seats, including 10 Democrats in a single race.

Democrats feel confident they can ultimately win three districts in suburban Philadelphia regardless of which candidates win their primaries on Tuesday because of the liberal tilt of those areas.

A more interesting contest comes in the northeastern district being vacated by retiring Representative Charlie Dent, one of the few remaining moderate Republicans in the House.

Huge job losses

The largest city in the district, Allentown, sustained huge job losses with the 1995 closing of the Bethlehem Steel plant, once been a pillar of the region’s economy.

The three top contenders represent the diverse viewpoints in the modern Democratic Party: Greg Edwards, a pastor backed by progressive U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and the Congressional Black Caucus; Susan Wild, endorsed by the abortion rights group Emily’s List; and John Morganelli, who opposes abortion rights and has been supportive of Trump’s hardline immigration policies.

Earlier this month, Sanders, who sought the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, visited Allentown to campaign with Edwards, drawing a crowd of more than 1,000.

Electoral risk

Terry Madonna, an expert on state politics at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, said Democrats risked losing the Allentown race if a candidate viewed as too liberal wins Tuesday’s primary. In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton edged Trump in the district by a single percentage point in the presidential election, he noted.

Democrats are also hoping to pick up a seat held by first-term Republican Brian Fitzpatrick in another district outside of Philadelphia. Attorney Scott Wallace faces Navy veteran Rachel Reddick in the Democratic primary there.

Nebraska is also holding a primary on Tuesday that could affect the balance of power in the House. Two Democratic candidates, moderate former U.S. Representative Brad Ashford and progressive Kara Eastman, are battling to take on Republican Representative Don Bacon in an Omaha-area district Democrats believe they can win.
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UN: Education, Roads Key to Withstanding Food Crises

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Another year in education and an extra kilometer of road for every 1,000 people could dramatically improve communities’ ability to withstand food crises, the United Nations has said.

Last year, 124 million people in 51 countries faced crisis levels of hunger, mainly due to conflicts and climate disasters, and experts say the situation is getting worse.

Emergency food assistance costs billions of dollars, but improving road access and ensuring people stayed in education for one more year could save over $1 billion, said a World Food Program (WFP) report published on Monday.

That is a fifth of the $5.3 billion the WFP spent on food assistance in 2016, when 108 million people in 48 countries suffered acute hunger, said the report.

Even low-income countries can reduce the risk of large-scale food crises by focusing their investment on roads and schools, said the WFP’s food systems chief Steven Were Omamo.

“The world is awash in food crises at the moment,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview.

“Preventing food crisis is not the preserve of rich countries. Governments are investing all the time, even in low-income countries.”

Aid agencies say the expense of emergency food assistance often hampers the long-term development that is key to making populations resilient to shocks that could lead to starvation.

“Immediate relief, when we have a crisis, is no doubt a priority. But … that is not enough,” said José Graziano da Silva, director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Aid agencies need to provide an approach that builds resilience, Graziano da Silva told journalists on Friday at a conference in Rome on North Africa and the Middle East, where millions are going hungry.

The biggest impact could be made through promoting peace, according to report, based on analysis of data from 152 countries between 2009 and 2015, of which 77 received WFP’s assistance.

A one-point increase in the World Bank’s index of political stability and absence of violence could halve food assistance expenditure, Omamo said.

That would mean a country like Central African Republic having the level of stability of Uganda, or Somalia having the stability of Kenya, he said.

WFP’s new report makes clear that raising incomes is not enough to avoid hunger crises, said Dina Esposito, a vice president at international charity Mercy Corps.

While significant progress has been made, “trends suggest that food crises could continue to grow due to increasing and protracted violence in places like Yemen, South Sudan and elsewhere,” she said in an email.
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Europe, Iran Work to Save Nuclear Deal

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European and Iranian foreign ministers are working to salvage the nuclear deal, after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the pact.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said European and Iranian officials held talks to address various challenges — from maintaining and deepening economic, transport and financial relations, to protecting European companies doing business with Iran in light of promised U.S. economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Despite reported calls for a new or broader deal, Mogherini said the goal was to retain the 2015 agreement.

“If we want to save this deal — which is not an easy exercise — but if we want to save this deal, we know that the sooner we manage to do it, the better,” Mogherini said. “Again, it will not be easy. … But if I can use the metaphor, we all have a relative in intensive care, and we want to get him out of intensive care as soon as possible.”

Mogherini spoke after talks Tuesday between the foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany and their Iranian counterpart, Mohammed Javad Zarif.

Zarif said Tehran wants to make sure that the interests of the deal’s “remaining participants, particularly Iran, will be preserved and guaranteed.”

Trump said the agreement was insufficient in curbing Iran’s nuclear program and its role in Middle East conflicts, and in addressing what happens after the deal expires.

Mogherini, however, said the EU believes the nuclear deal should be considered separately from other areas of disagreement with Iran.

“We are, and we have always been, clear on this: There are more chances and more possibilities to open avenues of discussions on other issues, if the Iranian deal stays in place rather than not,” she said.

European leaders will be discussing the nuclear deal at a summit in Bulgaria that starts Wednesday.
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Putin: New Weapons Will Maintain Russia’s Might for Decades

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Russia’s new weapons, including an array of new nuclear systems, will ensure the country’s security for decades to come, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday at a meeting with top military brass.

Speaking in Sochi, Putin said the new systems unveiled this year would significantly increase Russia’s military capabilities and “ensure a strategic balance for decades.”

The Russian leader presented an array of new nuclear weapons in March that he said couldn’t be intercepted. They included a new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile; a nuclear-powered global range cruise missile; and an underwater drone designed to strike coastal facilities with a heavy nuclear weapon.

Putin said at Tuesday’s meeting that the development of the weapons would remain a high priority.

He also mentioned other weapons systems, including the prospective S-500 air defense system that is meant to be precise and powerful enough to hit targets in space.

Putin said the strategic nuclear forces should receive new batches of Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles to replace the older Topol ICBMs. Also in the pipeline are modernized Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers equipped with long-range cruise missiles and the new Borei-class nuclear submarines armed with ICBMs.

The navy, Putin said, will commission more warships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles that the military tested during the war in Syria.

The Russian president said the army would receive a range of new armored vehicles, including the new Armata main battle tanks.

The Kremlin has made military modernization a top priority as Russia-West ties plummeted to post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and other disputes.
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Exiled Burundian Activists Call for Action Against Bujumbura

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Exiled Burundian activists and the Paris-based FIDH, or International Federation for Human Rights, are sending a strong message to world powers: It’s time to impose more effective sanctions and other measures on President Pierre Nkurunziza and his government. 

Burundian journalist Elyse Ngabire, who said she fled to France in 2015 after receiving death threats, said the international community must take measures that will force the ruling power into negotiations to end the crisis.

That call came as Burundians prepare to vote Thursday on a proposal to extend the president’s term in office from five to seven years. That could allow Nkurunziza— already on his third mandate after a controversial 2015 election — to stay in office for another 14 years. 

Rights groups say violence that erupted with that 2015 vote has killed more than 1,700 people and uprooted another 400,000. Burundi’s bishops, the United States and the European Union and others have denounced violence, intimidation and other excesses targeting opponents of the proposed constitutional changes. 

Burundian authorities deny they target their own citizens, claiming exiled activists are spreading propaganda.

FIDH deputy Africa bureau head Tcherina Jerolon issued a warning to international powers that helped secure the 2000 Arusha peace deal that helped to end years of civil war. 

“There is a risk to reduce the whole credibility of the involvement of the international community in the peace process … in this context and in this region,” Jerolon said. “DRC is at risk, we have the situation in South Sudan, the situation in Central African Republic … there really is a need to have consistency and coherence.”

Burundian activist Pierre Claver Mbonimpa fears the fallout of the referendum and warned that Burundi could again tip into civil conflict. 
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EU Says Cuba Could Help Broker Dialogue in Venezuela

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The European Union’s top diplomat said on Tuesday Communist-run Cuba could help broker fresh dialogue between the government and opposition in Venezuela, despite Havana’s frequent assurances the crisis afflicting its leftist ally was a sovereign matter.

Federica Mogherini made the comments at a news conference in Brussels after hosting the EU’s first “joint council” with Cuba since the bloc dropped all sanctions on the island and agreed on a political framework within which to strengthen ties.

The EU has said it is now Cuba’s top trade and investment partner, and arguably plays a bigger role than traditional allies like Venezuela or Russia as the island implements market reforms to its centrally-planned economy.

Analysts say the EU has also taken advantage of U.S. indifference or a diplomatic vacuum, as the Trump administration backtracks on a fragile detente with Cuba.

“I personally believe that Cuba could play a positive role in trying to avoid further negative developments (in Venezuela) and trying to re-open and negotiate a political solution and dialogue,” Mogherini told joint news conference with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

Venezuela will hold a presidential election on May 20 that the opposition coalition is boycotting, saying it is a farce intended to legitimize a “dictatorship” led by President Nicolas Maduro.

The Lima Group of largely Latin American nations on Monday urged the Venezuelan government to suspend the vote, calling the process “illegitimate and lacking in credibility.”

Cuba has played the role of broker in several disputes in recent years, notably hosting peace talks between the Colombian government and Marxist rebel groups it has been at war with for five decades.

The Cuban government has stood steadfast by Venezuela, denouncing foreign interference in its internal affairs, despite a sharp decline in subsidized Venezuelan oil shipments amid the OPEC nation’s economic crisis.

The EU has sent several high-level delegations to Cuba this year. First Mogherini visited, then a delegation from the European Investment Bank.

The bloc signed on Tuesday an agreement with Cuba to invest 18 million euros to help its achieve its ambitious goals in terms of developing renewable energy on the island.

The EU has said it will sign cooperation agreements worth 49 million euros in total.
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At Least 100 People Kidnapped Along Road in Northern Nigeria

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At least 100 people have been kidnapped along a road in northern Nigeria in the past few days, officials, witnesses and relatives of the abducted told Reuters on Tuesday, underscoring the insecurity still afflicting parts of the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari won elections in 2015 partly on promises to bring security to Nigeria, but has struggled to fulfil them. He is now seeking a second term in February 2019.

His critics and opponents question his record of tackling the multitude of conflicts that plague Nigeria, from Boko Haram and an Islamic State insurgency in the northeast to clashes between farmers and herders in which hundreds have died.

Kidnapping is also rife. In 2014, the abduction of more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok shot the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency into the spotlight, prompting the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

“Over 120 people were kidnapped between Friday and today, Tuesday along the Birnin Gwari-Kaduna road,” said Surajo Usman, of Nigeria’s National Union of Road Transport Workers, who escaped an abduction himself.

Birnin Gwari, in the northern state of Kaduna, is infamous for its lawlessness, and thick forests provide bandits with hideouts from security forces. Earlier this month, at least 45 people died in an attack on a village in the region.

Those bandits have for years frustrated authorities’ attempts to apprehend them. In some cases, they have amassed thousands of stolen cattle and fought off security agents sent to deal with them.

Yahaya Hussaini, who works for a civil society group, said his organization’s motorcade was waylaid.

“On Sunday, in our entourage alone four vehicles were blocked by the kidnappers in military fatigue,” he said, adding that eight of them carried assault rifles.

“They kidnapped about 48 people,” Hussaini said. “Many of those vehicles attacked are still left on the road and the luggage of victims still litters it.”

Ibrahim Aliyu’s daughter was one of those abducted by kidnappers seeking the equivalent of $16,000. “They have contacted me with a 5 million naira ransom demand,” he said.

“Where do I get that kind of money that I have never seen in my life?”

Kaduna state’s commissioner of police, Austin Iwar, told Reuters he would have been informed if there had been reports of such attacks, adding that he would investigate.
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Bosnia Families Demand Justice for Dead Sons

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Two grieving fathers from across Bosnia’s ethnic divide called Tuesday for justice for sons they believe died in separate killings covered up by the police.

David Dragicevic, 21, an ethnic Serb student, was found in a river in March a week after he went missing in the northwestern town of Banja Luka. Dzenan Memic, 22, a Muslim, died of wounds to his head in Sarajevo in 2016.

Their fathers, Davor Dragicevic and Muriz Memic, believe the two cases were both covered up by police acting in cahoots with the killers, evidence they say of corruption that has plagued Bosnia’s two ethnically based regions since war in the 1990s.

They were joined on Tuesday in Sarajevo by hundreds of supporters holding placards and T-shirts reading “Justice for David” and “Justice for Dzenan.”

David Dragicevic’s death in March has triggered daily protests in Banja Luka for more than 50 days, with demonstrators rebuking the police for giving conflicting accounts of the case.

The police have said he drowned and had alcohol and drugs in his body. His father said he was captured, tortured and killed.

“I demand the names of accomplices, killers and all those who hid evidence,” he told the gathering in Sarajevo.

‘I will never forgive them’

“My child was killed by a system created after the war. I will never forgive them for David, Dzenan and all the other children,” Dragicevic said. “Criminals have no religion nor nationality, just their own interests.”

When Dzenan Memic died in 2016, prosecutors initially said he had been slain but later dropped the investigation and declared he had been killed in a car accident.

The Memic family has never accepted that, saying he was slain and that the crime was covered up. Numerous street protests have been organized to demand the truth about his death over the past two years.

“It is sad that we are demanding justice in streets, but remaining silent is the worst,” said Munira Abidzan, a protester.

Bosnia’s ethnic Serbs, Croats and Muslims fought each other in a multisided war from 1992 to 1995. Since then, the country has been divided into a Serb region and a region of Croats and Muslims. Critics say the system has entrenched in power ethnic-based political parties, which have grown corrupt.
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S. Africa Withdraws Envoy to Israel Amid US Embassy Move Protests

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South Africa recalled its ambassador from Israel on Tuesday, after Israeli forces killed around Palestinians 60 protesters during demonstrations against the U.S. embassy’s move from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem.

 

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation condemned the actions of Israeli forces against pro-Palestinian protesters in Gaza, saying, “The victims were taking part in a peaceful protest against the provocative inauguration of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.”

That violence, said the department, prompted South Africa to immediately withdraw its ambassador from Tel Aviv, where most foreign embassies in Israel are based.  

“As we have stated on previous occasions, South Africa reiterates its view that the Israeli Defense Forces must withdraw from the Gaza Strip and bring to an end the violent and destructive incursions into Palestinian territories,” the statement said. “South Africa maintains further that the violence in the Gaza Strip will stand in the way of rebuilding Palestinian institutions and infrastructure.”

The move was welcomed by the 100 or so protesters who gathered outside the United States consulate in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

‘Taking a stand’

Among the protesters — many of whom wore shirts that read, “Free Palestine” and “End Israeli Apartheid” — was a small group of people who identified themselves as members of a group called South African Jews for a Free Palestine.

 

“It is a really important move for South Africa to start taking a stand,” said a young woman, Rosa, who asked that we not use her full name but who other protesters confirmed is a member of the group.

“South Africa, you know, was crippled by apartheid, and as Nelson Mandela said, ‘South Africa cannot be free until Palestine is free.’

“And I think it’s really important that the South African government is hearing the voices of the people who are saying, ‘We can’t just watch, we can’t just let children get murdered, we can’t let civilians get murdered,’ and this is, I guess, a small symbolic gesture where they’re starting to do something.”

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies, a much larger group, disagreed in a joint statement with the SA Zionist Federation.

Wendy Kahn, national director of the Board of Deputies, said the group was “disappointed” by the ambassador’s withdrawal.

“We believe that nothing can be achieved by shutting down a diplomatic channel,” she told VOA. “South Africa has a history of negotiation and dialogue and we believe that in so many ways they could have played a role in resolving this really awful conflict.”

Africa-Israel tensions

South Africa’s reaction is the strongest to come out of the continent. But it is not new, or surprising, says analyst Alfred Majaye Dube of the Institute for Security Studies. The divide, he says, dates back to the Arab-Israeli wars in the 1960s and 70s, which coincided with the early days of independence for many African nations.

“I think as the years passed, Africa’s position on decolonization was very clear, and therefore by extension there was a very strong feeling that Israel was in violation of various resolutions of the United Nations in terms of the occupied territories,” he told VOA from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“And therefore, a resolution of the Organization of African Unity was that African states would not have diplomatic relations, or those that had would break relations with Israel over the question of the occupied territories.”

That stance persists. Today, Israel has just 11 embassies on a continent of 54 countries. And the African Union has admitted the Arab League as the only non-African member state, and allows the body to address the bloc at its annual summit.

And, when the United Nations voted overwhelmingly last year to reject the United States’ move to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, only one African state – the tiny West African nation of Togo – voted with the United States and Israel.   

President Donald Trump, who initiated the embassy move, tweeted Monday that the opening of the new mission in Jerusalem represents “A great day for Israel.”
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Bahrain Revokes Citizenship of 115 People in Mass Trial

Posted on by SeeEA

A Bahrain court on Tuesday revoked the citizenship of 115 people at a mass terrorism trial, sentencing dozens to prison amid a years-long crackdown on all dissent in the island kingdom.

 

Bahrain’s Public Prosecution said the case involved a little-known militant group it identified as the “Zulfiqar Brigades,” whose mass arrests authorities previously announced in 2016.

 

Prosecutors said those accused built and detonated bombs, received weapons training and plotted to kill police officers in Bahrain, an island off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf.

 

A statement from prosecutors said 53 defendants received life sentences, while dozens of others faced prison time. It said 23 defendants were acquitted.

 

Bahraini officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment for more information.

 

Bahrain, a nation only some 760 square kilometers (290 square miles) in size, is home to some 1.4 million people. About half are Bahraini citizens, the majority of them Shi’ite. The island is also home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and a new British naval base.

 

The island has been ruled since 1783 by the Sunni Al Khalifa family. King Hamad, who took the throne in 1999, initially took steps to move the country from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. The first parliamentary elections since 1973 were held in 2002.

 

However, the island’s Shi’ite majority accused the government of treating them like second-class citizens. They joined pro-democracy activists in demanding more political freedoms in 2011, as Arab Spring protests swept the wider Middle East. Saudi and Emirati troops ultimately helped violently put down the demonstrations.

 

Amid this recent crackdown, local Shi’ite militant groups have carried out several attacks on security forces. Independent news gathering in Bahrain also has grown more difficult, with the government refusing to accredit two Associated Press reporters and others while shutting down a prominent local independent newspaper.

 

 
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Erdogan A Battleground in Germany-Turkey Soccer Vote

Posted on by SeeEU

Strained diplomatic relations between Germany and Turkey have taken on a sporting dimension as they bid to host soccer’s 2024 European Championship.

Four months before UEFA decides the destination of the tournament, concerns about Turkey’s increasingly repressive direction under Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s presidency have been raised by the head of Germany’s soccer federation.

Reinhard Grindel criticized Turkey’s authoritarianism after seeing two of his players posing for photos with Erdogan in London. Both Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan play for English clubs and have Turkish roots, and Grindel suspected Erdogan was meddling with “integration efforts” by the German federation, known as the DFB.

When Germany heads to Russia next month to defend its World Cup title, Ozil and Gundogan will be at the heart of the squad. Turkey failed to make the 32-team cut for the World Cup.

But Germany and Turkey will come head-to-head when the UEFA executive committee votes on the Euro 2024 host in September.

“I don’t think it’s fair that we get them involved in our campaign,” Turkish soccer federation vice president Servet Yardimci said in London. “Mr. Erdogan used to be an active football player so he loves having meetings with Turkish football players. He does also meet foreign players in Turkey whenever he has got the time.

“That’s one of the reasons why he met them yesterday. To find out how many goals they scored, how they are doing. Football chatting.”

Grindel, though, is concerned Ozil and Gundogan are being used by Erdogan as the president seeks to cement his grip on power in a snap election in June.

“The DFB of course respects the special situation for our players with migrant backgrounds,” said Grindel, who made the transition from the Bundestag to sports politics. “But football and the DFB stands for values that Mr. Erdogan does not sufficiently respect. Therefore, it is not a good thing that our internationals have let themselves be exploited for his election campaign stunt.”

While Grindel was speaking specifically about the Turkish presidential campaign, his words came amid a UEFA bidding contest. This is the first bidding process run by European soccer’s governing body where contenders must abide by human rights criteria.

Just as Grindel was speaking out against Erdogan in Germany, his Turkish counterpart on UEFA’s ruling executive committee was in London promoting the Euro 2024 bid. It was coincidental that Erdogan was in the British capital at the same time, said Yardimci, a graduate of London Metropolitan University.

Yardimci balks at critics of Turkey, which hosted two major European club finals in the previous decade in Istanbul and has staged international youth soccer tournaments.

“We don’t think human rights will be a problem from UEFA’s point of view because Turkey is fully compliant,” Yardimci said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Turkey has cracked down on dissent online, targeted journalists, activists and politicians, and blocked social media and messaging sites, including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.

“This is more of a political area,” Yardimci said. “Obviously the Turkish government is doing whatever is necessary to protect its unity and its system in place. There may be areas of shutting down social media and so forth but I don’t think this is in breach of Turkey’s compliance or commitment to the human rights treaties.”

A state of emergency declared by Erdogan after the failed military coup in 2016 was used to crack down on the alleged coup plotters. The emergency powers have been used to arrest other government opponents and forced the closure of media and non-governmental organizations for links to extremist groups.

The detention of German citizens by its NATO ally has contributed to the troubled ties between Chancellor Angela Merkel and Erdogan.

Without directly mentioning Euro 2024 bidding in his denunciation of Erdogan, Grindel has raised the issue of human rights in Turkey as the UEFA contest intensifies.

“Turkey does suffer from the negative perception,” Yardimci said. “2024 will give the opportunity to the UEFA family, to the outside world how Turkey is a fantastic footballing country. The hospitality is legendary in Turkey.”

Yardimci said Turkey is an “open society” ready to host the European Championship after three unsuccessful bids, but security is further a stumbling block. Gaziantep is among nine proposed venues despite the U.S. State Department warning against travel to the southern city because of terrorism. The foreign ministries in Germany and Britain advise against all but essential travel to the city, which is 40 miles from the porous border with Syria.

“Turkey is clearing its border areas from these terrorist groups,” Yardimci said. “By 2024 I’m sure things will have settled down in the area.”

Turkey is hoping UEFA executives take a longer-range view, too, when it comes to judging the country’s human rights record.

“I don’t think these issues will be influencing their decisions when it comes to voting for this tournament,” Yardimci said. “They will look at it from the footballing point of view.”

The Germans also want Ozil and Gundogan to look at their meeting with Erdogan from the sporting perspective – and how bad it looks for the world champions. Condemnation of the photo has reignited a prickly debate in Germany about whether people with immigrant backgrounds are sufficiently committed to the country and its values.

The DFB moved to highlight in a statement that it does not doubt the players’ commitment to the team or their values.

“It was not our intention to make a political statement with this picture, still less to take part in election campaigning,” said Gundogan, who won the Premier League title with Manchester City. “As German national players, we stand by the values of the DFB and are aware of our responsibility.”

Even more so given the charged environment as Germany competes with Turkey for the right to stage one of the biggest events in sports.

“Football is our life,” Gundogan said, “and not politics.”
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Wedding Countdown Begins for Royal Wild Child, American TV Star

Posted on by SeeEU

Britain’s Prince Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne, and American Meghan Markle, who is best known for her former role in the TV drama Suits, are due to marry this Saturday in Windsor, England. 

For many fans, it is a fairy-tale romance and Meghan breaks the mold of the demure princess, says British royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams.

“Meghan is an American biracial divorcee who is an activist, a feminist and former actress. Those were credentials that might well have barred her from marrying a senior member of the royal family only a relatively short time ago. Now they are being positively welcomed,” he said.

In Britain, the day has added significance for many who watched a 12-year-old Harry grieve at the funeral of his mother, Princess Diana. The prince, now 33, cites her as his inspiration for the charitable work that he and Meghan will continue as a couple.

“She’s been an activist for much of her life,” Fitzwilliams said of Meghan. “This is taking the role to a new level and she can lobby at the very top.”

However, that lobbying has a limit. Some fear Meghan’s outspoken nature may not go over well in the gilded corridors of a royal dynasty where politics is taboo.

“The royal family does things quietly, with dignity,” said Thomas Mace-Archer-Mills, a self-styled royal obsessive and founder of the British Monarchist Society, “and that’s what we count on them for. So it’s going to be very difficult for her to really curtail her activism. And we’ve seen a few stumbles here and there as she’s been acclimating to royal life.”

Meghan and Harry met in 2016, reportedly in Canada, although the full details surrounding their early romance remain hazy. The couple announced their engagement last November in the gardens of London’s Kensington Palace, where Harry was raised by Diana and Prince Charles, alongside his older brother, William.

For Britons, the wedding will mark a particularly happy milestone for Harry, said Fitzwilliams.

“This will be the royal wild child who has developed beyond levels that perhaps we thought he would.”

The death of Princess Diana in a Paris car crash scarred a nation and deprived two young boys of their devoted mother. In recent years, Harry has described the mental trauma of the funeral.

“It was an extraordinary experience,” Fitzwilliams said. “There is no doubt that he’s had some deeply troubling times. The army has made him, and also it’s very important to remember his commitment to charity.”

Those twin passions have seen Harry serve in Afghanistan and champion charitable causes around the world, including the Sentebale charity for young people affected by AIDS and the Invictus Games for wounded servicemen and women. Both he and Meghan have spoken of their desire to build on that work.

While it may take some time for Meghan to adjust to life in the royal family, she’s already laying down a few domestic ground rules, according to Mace-Archer-Mills.

“She’s brought a California lifestyle to Britain,” he said. “She’s slimming him down, she’s putting him on [diet of] shakes, eating less meat. What Brit do you know that doesn’t like meat?”

It is the tale of the royal wild child tamed by the American star. While millions will tune in for the wedding, many more will watch with fascination in the coming years as the new couple make their way in the world.
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UN Condemns ‘Appalling’ Violence in Gaza

Posted on by SeeEA

The U.N. human rights office said Monday’s killing of 58 Palestinians by Israeli forces is “appalling” and it is worried what might happen on Tuesday and in the future.

Palestinian officials said more than 2,700 protesters were injured in clashes along the Gaza border during the deadliest day of cross-border violence since a 2014 war with Israel.

“It seems anyone is liable to be shot dead or injured: women, children, press, first responders, bystanders, and at almost any point up to 700 meters from the fence,” the U.N. human rights office said Tuesday.

Israeli forces have faced criticism over the use of live fire to confront Palestinians at the border during demonstrations the past seven weeks, but Israeli officials say the actions are necessary to protect the border and accused Hamas militants of using protests as a cover to carry out attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Twitter Monday every country is obligated to defend its borders.

“The Hamas terrorist organization declares it intends to destroy Israel and sends thousands to breach the border fence in order to achieve this goal. We will continue to act with determination to protect our sovereignty and citizens,” he said.

Monday’s clashes occurred as U.S. and Israeli officials celebrated the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. The Israeli military said more than 40,000 people protested.

Along with rejecting the U.S. Embassy move, Palestinians are protesting to mark the anniversary of what they call the “nakba” or “catastrophe” in reference to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were expelled or fled during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation.

Some countries, including U.S. allies France and Britain, called for restraint on Israel’s part to curb the bloodshed. But the United States did not join their call and laid the blame for the violence on the militant group Hamas that controls Gaza.

“We shouldn’t lose sight that Hamas is responsible for the entire situation,” White House spokesman Raj Shah said. He accused Hamas of “engaging in cynical action” against the Jewish state .

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the Israeli actions “massacres.”

As the U.S. embassy was opened, U.S. President Donald Trump, in a video message, proclaimed Jerusalem as “the capital of Israel.” Netanyahu declared, “We are in Jerusalem and we are here to stay.”

Shah said the Gaza violence and the opening of the embassy in would not affect U.S. efforts to forge an Israel-Palestinian peace accord.

In his video remarks, Trump described the moving of the American diplomatic outpost to Jerusalem as “a long time coming.” But the U.S. leader said the United States “remains committed to a lasting peace agreement” between Israel and the Palestinians.

Arab leaders condemned the U.S. action, with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri calling the embassy move “provocative” and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif describing it as “a day of great shame.”

Abbas said he “will not accept” any peace deal with Israel that is proposed by the Trump administration.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called on Israel to respect the “principle of proportionality in the use of force” and should act “with utmost restraint to avoid further loss of life.”

Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its capital, while most Palestinians hope to see East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Heather Murdock contributed to this report.

 
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Royal Wild Child & American Star: Countdown to Harry and Meghan’s Wedding

Posted on by SeeEU

Britain’s Prince Harry, fifth in line to the throne, and American Meghan Markle, best known for her former role in the TV drama “Suits,” are due to marry Saturday (May 19) in Windsor, England. For many fans, it is a fairy-tale romance as a former American actress becomes a princess; and the marriage also breaks many of the unspoken conventions of the British royal family. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London.
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California Sets Sights on Solar Power

Posted on by SeeUS

California has become the first U.S. state to require solar installations on most new homes, by the year 2020.  Mike O’Sullivan reports that the state is leading a national effort to reduce carbon emissions as Washington adopts less ambitious goals.
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US China Sending Signals, but is Deal Close?

Posted on by SeeUS

Even before US and Chinese officials sit down this week for a second round of high-level trade talks in Washington, both sides have been signaling a willingness to try and make a deal or at least meet the other halfway.

Whether or not that will be enough to get them across the finish line remains to be seen, analysts say.

Late last week at a forum sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C., Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai signaled China’s willingness to address a range of issues from the deficit to the protection of intellectual property rights.

Deficit detente

Cui said that while it is overly simplistic to say trade deficit means loss and surplus means gain, there is a clear need for better macroeconomic coordination between the two countries.

“A huge deficit for you and a huge surplus for us – I don’t think this should continue,” he said. “I don’t think it will continue. For us, such an imbalance is already a problem rather than a benefit.”

When Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and China’s Vice Premier Liu He led trade delegations earlier this month in Beijing, the deficit loomed large. A leaked list of some of Washington’s demands included a request that China help cut the trade deficit between the two countries by $100 billion a year over the next two years.

Many have scoffed at the figure and the possibility that Beijing could bridge such a seemingly huge gap, but Cui’s remarks are telling.

Gene Ma, head of China research at the Institute of International Finance, said that even though negotiations may be hard, messy and ugly, that is better than not negotiating.

And while there is room for hope, any agreement is unlikely without some compromise, he said.

“A lot of the tough measures put out can eventually be watered down, the tariffs can be postponed, some sectors can be wavered, China can buy more products from the U.S.,” he said. “There is something that both sides can do, but of course there are other sectors that are harder such as technologies.”

China has long been criticized for its trade policies, for forcing foreign companies to hand over technology in return for access to its markets and its rampant problem of intellectual property theft.

In a bid to change that, the Trump administration launched an investigation into Beijing’s policies and trade practices related to technology transfer, innovation and intellectual property.

The president has threatened to levy up to $150 billion in tariffs against China and the deadline for that action is fast approaching.

A public hearing will be held on Tuesday in Washington to discuss the tariffs, and if he chooses, President Trump could place a levy on Chinese goods as early as next week.

If he does, China has pledged to respond in kind, threatening to raise tariffs on some $50 billion in American goods, including soybeans.

IC Bargaining Chip

As for Beijing’s demands, one big concern is Washington’s recent decision to place a seven-year ban on the sale of American components to Chinese mobile phone maker ZTE.

In the first round of talks, Beijing demanded that the United States amend the ruling. And then late last week, just days before talks were set to resume in Washington, the company claimed that its main business operations had ceased due to the ban imposed by the U.S. government.

The move has highlighted the incredible leverage Washington has when it comes to technology, but also limits as well.

Over the weekend, however, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he was working with Chinese President Xi Jinping to throw a lifeline to the company. Trump’s about-face has sparked outrage from some and concern from others. Some argue that if Trump does anything to reverse the ruling, he would be interfering with law enforcement.

Others said the move will conveniently buy the administration more time to strike a deal.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that the two sides are narrowing in on a deal that could see Washington use the ZTE ban in exchange for a reprieve of Chinese tariffs on billions of dollars of American agricultural products.

But there are other obvious reasons for Trump’s shift. The most glaring of them is that while the ban would hurt ZTE and highlights how China lags far behind in the computer chip industry, it is also an issue of American jobs.

“Unlike soybeans, finding customers for such a large amount of semiconductor chips in such a short period of time is not easy and that would not only impact on American jobs but go against Trump’s campaign promises,” said Eric Zhou, a Beijing-based commentator. “And because of that it’s more pragmatic [for Washington] to use the ban as a policy measure and trade war bargaining chip.”

Brian Kopczynski contributed to this report.
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Soros Foundation Leaving Hungary

Posted on by SeeEU

The foundation of U.S.-Hungarian billionaire George Soros said Tuesday it is closing its office in Budapest and shifting those operations to Berlin in response to what it called “an increasingly repressive political and legal environment in Hungary.”

The Open Society Foundations released a statement in which it highlighted restrictions on nongovernmental organizations that are expected to be among the first legislative priorities for Hungary’s new parliament.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government is backing a so-called “Stop Soros” bill that would include taxes and bans on NGOs involved in immigration. The government has cited national security concerns, and Orban has accused Soros of working to undermine Europe’s cultural identity by working to bring large numbers of migrants to the continent.

“The government of Hungary has denigrated and misrepresented our work and repressed civil society for the sake of political gain, using tactics unprecedented in the history of the European Union,” said OSF President Patrick Gaspard.

The OSF pledged to continue supporting civil society groups in Hungary, including work on arts, media freedom, transparency, education and health care.
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Deadly Protests Engulf Gaza as US Opens Embassy in Jerusalem

Posted on by SeeUS

More protests are expected Tuesday along the Gaza border following a day of clashes in which Israeli forces killed at least 58 Palestinians and wounded more than 2,700.

Monday was the deadliest day of cross-border violence in Gaza since a 2014 war with Israel.

The clashes happened as U.S. and Israeli officials celebrated the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem less than 100 kilometers away. The Israeli military said more than 40,000 people protested.

Along with rejecting the U.S. Embassy move, Palestinians are also protesting to mark the anniversary of what they call the “nakba” or “catastrophe” in reference to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were expelled or fled during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation.

Some countries, including U.S. allies France and Britain, called for restraint on Israel’s part to curb the bloodshed. But the U.S. did not join the call for Israel to limit its response to the protests and laid the blame for the violence on the militant group Hamas that controls Gaza.

“We shouldn’t lose sight that Hamas is responsible for the entire situation,” White House spokesman Raj Shah said. He accused Hamas of “engaging in cynical action” to promote the protests against the Jewish state and the U.S.’s action in moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem even as most countries have kept their diplomatic operations in Tel Aviv.

​Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the Israeli actions “massacres.”

As the U.S. embassy was opened, U.S. President Donald Trump, in a video message, proclaimed Jerusalem as “the capital of Israel.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “We are in Jerusalem and we are here to stay.”

Shah said the Gaza violence and the opening of the embassy in would not affect U.S. efforts to forge an Israel-Palestinian peace accord. 

But any semblance of peace was far from a reality along the Gaza border, where protesters massed along the dividing fence. Clouds of black smoke from tires set afire by the protesters filled the sky.

Some demonstrators hurled stones, firebombs and explosives at Israeli security forces, who responded with tear gas and gunfire.

Netanyahu said on Twitter: “Every country has an obligation to defend its borders. The Hamas terrorist organization declares it intends to destroy Israel and sends thousands to breach the border fence in order to achieve this goal. We will continue to act with determination to protect our sovereignty and citizens.”

Trump defied the sentiment of many governments around the world in December by upending longstanding U.S. policy to move the American embassy to Jerusalem.

Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a White House adviser and part of the U.S. delegation at the ceremony, said, “While presidents before him have backed down from their pledge to move the American embassy once in office, this president delivered. Because when President Trump makes a promise, he keeps it.”

In one of the few references at the celebration to the Gaza protests, Kushner called the Palestinians protesting in Gaza “part of the problem and not part of the solution.” 

In his video remarks, Trump described the moving of the American diplomatic outpost to Jerusalem as “a long time coming.” But the U.S. leader said the United States “remains committed to a lasting peace agreement” between Israel and the Palestinians. 

In Twitter remarks from Washington, Trump said, “A great day for Israel!” and congratulated the country. But he did not mention the violence.

 

Arab leaders condemned the U.S. action, with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri calling the embassy move “provocative” and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif describing it as “a day of great shame.”

Abbas said he “will not accept” any peace deal with Israel that is proposed by the Trump administration. He said the new U.S. facility in Jerusalem “is not an embassy, it’s a U.S. settlement outpost in Jerusalem.”

Critics have faulted Israeli forces for using live fire during weeks of protests in Gaza, while Israel says its actions are necessary for security as people threaten the border fence. The Israeli military said it launched five airstrikes in Gaza on training camps of Hamas militants.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called on Israel to respect the “principle of proportionality in the use of force” and should act “with utmost restraint to avoid further loss of life.”

The new U.S. Embassy site is an interim location operating inside the existing U.S. consulate building in Jerusalem while a search begins for a larger site.

Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its capital, while most Palestinians hope to see East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

The issue has long been seen as one of the last big items that would need to be resolved in any Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

Heather Murdock contributed to this report.
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US Criticizes China for Shielding Myanmar from UN Action

Posted on by SeeUS

The United States indirectly criticized China on Monday for shielding Myanmar from strong U.N. Security Council action over a military crackdown against mainly Rohingya Muslims that the U.S. and other countries have denounced as ethnic cleansing.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley did not mention China by name, but China proposed substantial amendments to a British-drafted Security Council statement on Myanmar last week. The 15-member council eventually agreed a weaker statement.

The Security Council met on Monday to discuss a visit by envoys to Myanmar and Bangladesh two weeks ago.

Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in August last year sparked a military operation that sent nearly 700,000 Rohingya fleeing to camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.

“Some members of the council have kept us from taking action for cynical and self-interested reasons,” Haley said. “Some undermined the unity of the council demonstrated during the trip with unhelpful edits that only weakened the council’s message.”

Speaking before Haley, China’s U.N. Ambassador Ma Zhaoxu told the Security Council that Myanmar and Bangladesh should be encouraged to solve the crisis bilaterally to make sure it doesn’t “drag on or become more complicated.”

“The council should continue to encourage Myanmar and Bangladesh to increase consultations and cooperation for the early implementation of the bilateral arrangement,” he said.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years but differences between the two sides remain and implementation of the plan has been slow.

Diplomats said Russia has also backed China in council discussions on Myanmar.

Speaking after Haley, Russia’s deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said the unity of the council on the issue was important and he hoped some members “will not fall prey to the temptation of using this situation to pursue their narrow, domestic political aims.”

Fleeing refugees have reported killings, rapes and arson on a large scale. Myanmar denies ethnic cleansing and has said its operations in Rakhine were a legitimate response to attacks on security forces by Rohingya insurgents.

“The government of Myanmar has stated time and again that no violation of human rights will be condoned,” Myanmar’s U.N. Ambassador Hau Do Suan told council on Monday. “Allegations supported by evidence will be investigated and action taken in accordance with the law.”

The United States and Canada have imposed unilateral sanctions against a general in Myanmar’s military for his role in the crackdown and the European Union is preparing individual sanctions.

Haley, who did not travel to Myanmar and Bangladesh, said that the Security Council had “unique tools to encourage Burma to take real steps towards resolving this crisis,” though she did not elaborate.

“We should move quickly to adopt a resolution that institutes real steps to resolve this enormous and growing humanitarian and human rights crisis,” Haley said.
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Conference in Europe Addresses the Danger Posed by Returning Foreign Fighters

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Government officials and experts from all over the world gathered in Rome last week for a conference to discuss foreign fighters returning to Europe and ways to mitigate the security risks they pose. The conference took place just as Italian investigators announced the break-up of two terror cells financing terrorism in Syria. VOA’s Sabina Castelfranco in Rome has more.
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