Archive for the ‘Medio Oriente’ Category
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 |
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President George W. Bush, former British prime minister Tony Blair and media mogul Rupert Murdoch are among the 13 heads of state, 14 former heads of state and a number of other distinguished guests that have arrived, or will arrive Wednesday, to attend President Shimon Peres’ Presidential Conference in Jerusalem.
The conference, which begins Tuesday, is being held in honor of Israel’s 60th anniversary.
Bush will arrive on Air Force-1 with 15 journalists on Wednesday. On a separate plane there will be another one hundred members of the press. Bush and his wife, Laura, will stay at the King David Hotel.
Former U.K. Prime Minister and Quartet envoy Tony Blair will be staying in a suite at the Inbal Hotel as will former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who asked for the penthouse suite.
In total, seven suites have been added to the 25 that already existed at the 5 star hotel.
All 250 Inbal hotel employees will be on call to cater to the distinguished guests that will also include former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid, who will be arriving with his daughter and is the only Muslim invited to the conference.
Other guests include at the Inbal are former Ukranian President Leonid Kuchma, who asked for special security, Albanian President Bamir Topi and his wife, former Slovenian President Danilo Turk and his wife and Latvian President Valdis Zatlerswho asked for five more rooms for his entourage.
Former German foreign minister Yoshka Fisher will also be staying at the Inbal Hotel, as will Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who asked for 14 rooms for his entourage, Google founder Sergey Brin and his wife, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and tycoon Sheldon Adelson, who will be in the presidential suite. |
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Compártelo
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Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 |
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Gaza’s Hamas leaders say that captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit will not be included in any truce deal with Israel, as has been suggested by Egyptian mediators and demanded by Israel officals.
Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar said Tuesday that the militant group would not
offer Shalit for free and his release is not related to truce talks.
Hamas’ comments come after Israel demanded that the indirect understandings with Hamas include real progress on a deal to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit.
Israel told Egyptian envoy Omar Suleiman it is favorably considering the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
A spokesman for Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said on Monday that Hamas doubts Israel seriously intends to accept the Egyptian truce proposal.
“If Israel does not agree to the cease-fire, all means are open to us,” Abu Zuhri warned.
Hamas spokesmen explained on Monday that Israel’s decision to condition its acceptance of a truce on Gilad Shalit’s release is tantamount to rejecting the Egyptian proposal.
Al-Zahar also said that Hamas would take action against Israeli communities around Gaza as part of what he termed “self-defense” if the truce were rejected. However, Zahar qualified his remarks by saying that Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman will inform Hamas of Israel’s position only Tueday, and then Hamas will make a formal decision on its own position.
Meanwhile, despite the death on Monday of an Israeli woman, Shuli Katz, in a rocket attack on Moshav Yesha, Israel will make do with a limited military retaliation to avoid a major escalation in the situation during U.S. President George Bush’s visit to Israel this week.
However, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Suleiman Monday that if the rocket fire and terror attacks from Gaza do not stop, Israel will have no choice but to expand its military activity in the Strip.
Islamic Jihad took responsibility for the fatal attack, as well as for rockets fired at Ashkelon Monday morning.
Suleiman, who is spearheading the truce talks, met with government officials in Israel on Monday to present the main points of the plan Egypt brokered with Hamas.
In response, Israeli officials presented him with an outline of the agreement as conceived by Jerusalem: In the first phase, there would be a gradual lull in the fighting in the Strip, with both sides ceasing offensive activity, while in the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces would continue its operations as usual. In the second phase, more goods would be allowed into the Strip. In the third phase, the Rafah border crossing would be opened to Palestinian traffic from the Gaza Strip into Egypt – although this point requires the agreement of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who still has reservations about it and is demanding a presence there for his forces. In return, Israel demands that Shalit be transferred to the Egyptians, as an interim stage prior to the release of 450 Palestinian prisoners.
But despite its reservations, there seems to be a consensus in Israel regarding the need to agree to the truce outline Suleiman delivered on Monday. A senior official who took part in the talks said that “Israel has no legitimization for saying no, even if not all of the components are acceptable to us.”
The official added that “Israel must not come across in the international community as a naysayer regarding the truce in Gaza.”
Another senior Israeli official said that “the outline for a truce is close to ripening, and will be ready to be implemented within a few weeks.”
A defense source added that “this is not a process that will culminate in the sides signing an agreement. De facto understandings are being formulated, but we still need clarifications from the Egyptians.”
The defense establishment believes that Hamas is very interested in securing a truce, despite the rocket fire from Gaza in the past few days, but wants to do so from a position of strength, so as to be perceived as dictating the truce terms to Israel.
Suleiman told his Israeli hosts on Monday that he is unhappy about incorporating Shalit in the deal. Rather, he argued, improving the atmosphere by means of a truce would help advance Shalit’s release in the future.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Barak demanded that Suleiman resume pressing Hamas on this point.
Olmert also emphasized that Israel wants a stop to arms smuggling to be a central part of any truce agreement.
He asked Suleiman to convey Israel’s messages to Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian factions, and Suleiman promised to return with an answer.
Shalit’s father, Noam, said on Monday that any truce must include his son’s release.
“The latest escalation began with the kidnapping, and the escalation must end with an end to the kidnapping,” he said.
He accepted the possibility of Gilad being transferred to Egypt until Israel and Hamas finish negotiating the release of prisoners in Israeli custody.
“it is possible to reach understandings about a temporary cease-fire with a clear timetable – securing Gilad’s release within 30 to 60 days in return for Palestinian prisoners,” he said. |
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Compártelo
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Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 |
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Abcé de la crisis La milicia prosiria y proiraní del Hezbolá, un grupo chií al que Israel acusa de ‘terrorista’, tiene en jaque al gobierno prooccidental de Beirut. Los combates se incrementan y se teme lo peor.
Si no hay una guerra civil en el Líbano, desde luego no es lo que los libaneses perciben. Todos los pasos fronterizos que unen a Siria con el país de los cedros están cerrados, a excepción de Jedeit Yabous, que conduce al Valle de la Bekaá, al este del país.
Para poder llegar a Beirut hay que atravesar las montañas y circular por carreteras secundarias, porque las carreteras principales están bloqueadas por combatientes de ambos lados que “levantan barricadas, queman neumáticos, y disparan a los vehículos”, nos explica Alí Muqdad, un conductor que se ofrece a llevarnos porque otros taxistas no se atreven a bajar a Beirut o subir a Trípoli, por lo arriesgado que resulta circular por la noche.
“Tienen miedo de quedarse varados en medio de un fuego cruzado”, añade.
“Estamos en guerra civil, la situación es más peligrosa que la del verano de 2006″, cuando hubo la guerra entre Hezbolá y el Ejército israelí.
Los enfrentamientos entre partidarios de la oposición prosiria y la mayoría progubernamental prooccidental han causado ya al menos 58 muertos y cerca de 200 heridos desde el pasado miércoles, aunque algunos medios locales eleva a 82 el número de víctimas mortales.
“El Líbano ha quedado partido en dos”, lamenta nuestro conductor, que se confiesa seguidor de la milicia chií.
“Yo soy árabe y por eso apoyo a Siria e Irán, y no como el Gobierno del primer ministro (Fuad) Siniora, que es un títere de E.U.”.
“Ellos (el Ejecutivo) han arruinado al país con la corrupción” denuncia, mientras se queja de que “el combustible ha doblado su precio y que hay cortes de luz cuatro horas diarias”.
Muqdad explica que el sueldo medio de un libanés es de 250 dólares y que sólo en combustible para la calefacción gasta 400 dólares en invierno. “Nosotros somos una familia de 11 miembros y todo lo que gano lo gasto. Si no trabajo un día, mi familia no tiene nada que comer”, añade afligido.
Este chií acusa al líder druso Walid Jumblat de haber provocado al Hezbolá al solicitar en el Parlamento que desmantelara la red de
comunicaciones del grupo.
“La crisis actual es por culpa de Jumblat. Hezbolá, Amal (el otro partido chií) y Saad Hariri (el líder suni de la mayoría parlamentaria) estaban negociando para encontrar una solución, pero los milicianos drusos rompieron el alto el fuego al matar a tres miembros de Hezbolá”.
Y remata: “espero que el Gobierno de Siniora dimita, porque si no habrá más derramamiento de sangre”.
‘No pararemos hasta que caiga’
Hezbolá “no parará” su lucha hasta lograr que Jumblad abandone la dirección del Partido Socialista Progresista (PSP) y dimita el Ejecutivo de Siniora (suní), explica una fuente del grupo chií, que quiso guardar el anonimato.
“El movimiento de resistencia libanesa le dará un ultimátum al líder del PSP para que trasfiera la presidencia a su hijo, Taimur Jumblat, considerado prosirio. “Si no acepta nuestras condiciones tomaremos a la fuerza todas sus sedes, para debilitarlo políticamente”.
“Y nunca dejaremos las armas, es nuestro derecho a la resistencia”, dice la fuente.
Ahora la pelota está en el tejado del líder druso. El futuro del Líbano es cada vez más oscuro. Difícilmente, el Ejecutivo de Siniora aceptará que el ‘Partido de Dios’, al que acusa de intentar dar “un golpe de Estado” tenga una representación en un Gobierno de unidad nacional como demanda la oposición.
El ex presidente Amin Gemayel, portavoz de la mayoría parlamentaria, condicionó ayer el diálogo interlibanés a que Hezbolá se comprometa a no volver a recurrir a las armas para solucionar los problemas del país.
Y mientras los políticos se dedican a dar discursos, la situación empeora día tras día en el Líbano. Los enfrentamientos se han extendido por todo el país.
Ni los milicianos drusos ni los chiíes tienen la intención de alcanzar una tregua. Muchas carreteras están cortadas y los combates se recrudecen y se extienden a otras regiones. |
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Compártelo
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Monday, May 12th, 2008 |
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Sesenta años después de la declaracion de independencia israelí en la Palestina bajo mandato británico, se puede hablar de varias categorías de palestinos: los ocupados, habitantes de la Cisjordania tomada por militares y colonos hebreos; los cercados, un millón y medio de habitantes de Gaza controlados por tierra, mar y aire por Tel Aviv; los refugiados, 5,5 millones de exiliados, la mayoría en condiciones lamentables, acogidos en los países del entorno; y los que, sencillamente, no existen.
Mohamed Yusef es uno de esos 3.000 ciudadanos sin identidad. Nació en Ramala hace 64 años, cuatro antes de que la política emprendida por la minoría judía para expulsar a la población natal –descrita por el historiador israelí Ilan Pappe como la “limpieza étnica de los palestinos”- comenzase.
“Sólo tenía cuatro años, pero recuerdo las calles de Ramala, la mezquita y la iglesia”, dice hoy Yusef con la voz rota por el tabaco desde una desconchada oficina del campo de refugiados de Shatila, en Beirut. “Si no tuviera recuerdos no tendría identidad”, farfulla en protesta por las dudas de tan tempranos recuerdos.
En 1948, su familia se marchó de la ciudad por miedo a las milicias judías y se estableció en Jordania, donde recibió un pasaporte en el que figuraba como palestino de origen. Con la mayoría de edad Mohamed se integró en el Ejército jordano, pero tras la Guerra de los Seis Días que derivó en la conquista israelí de toda Palestina, parte de Siria y de Egipto, el soldado Yusef se sumó a la escisión que nutrió las filas de Yasir Arafat para “participar en la revolución palestina”.
Los ataques más espectaculares de las facciones y las repuestas israelíes comenzaban a afectar a Jordania, y el rey Husein decidió combatir, en septiembre de 1970 –conocido como el ‘Septiembre Negro’- a los palestinos. En julio de 1971, Arafat y sus combatientes de la Organización para la Liberación de Palestina, entre ellos Mohamed, fueron expulsados del reino.
Así fue como Mohamed se convirtió en nadie. Ninguna autoridad le pidió papeles para acceder al exilio libanés, pero una vez allí su pasaporte le expiró y la embajada jordana en Beirut se negó a renovárselo al haber sido expulsado.
Ahora, ni el Gobierno de Beirut ni la UNRWA, agencia de Naciones Unidas para los refugiados palestinos, le reconocen, como no reconocen a otros 3.000 palestinos en su situación, la mayoría combatientes y allegados y la minoría, personas que simplemente perdieron sus documentos durante su huída.
“Me siento un fugitivo, permanentemente humillado”, se queja Yusef. “No me atrevo a salir del campo de refugiados por miedo a que me detengan. Construí cuatro casas y de las cuatro me echaron por no tener papeles. La ONU me considera jordano y no palestino, y los jordanos me consideran palestino y dicen que no me pueden ayudar”, se lamenta este hombre con seis hijos, todos ellos herederos de su condición de inexistentes.
Ciudadanos de segunda clase
Los refugiados palestinos asentados en el Líbano son tratados, de por sí, como ciudadanos de segunda clase. Los 400.000 exiliados tras la Naqba de 1948 –el ‘desastre’, como califican a la campaña de expulsiones que siguió a la declaración del Estado israelí que ahora celebra Tel Aviv con gran boato- o la campaña de 1967 no pueden acceder a 72 trabajos, según la Constitución libanesa, ni poseer una vivienda, como tampoco acceden nunca a un sueldo digno por alta que sea su formación profesional.
En el caso de los no documentados, ni siquiera pueden poseer un coche o un teléfono móvil, dado que no tienen un carné que presentar para firmar un contrato. “No puedo ni vender cafés o limpiar botas”, se lamenta Mohamed.
Ahmed Talal, de 58 años, tiene más suerte: al ser empleado de la OLP recibe un salario por su trabajo en Shatila. Enseña su acreditación con orgullo, pese a ser inservible: un folio plastificado con el membrete de la OLP en Beirut que le identifica como nacido en Gaza.
“Si salgo del campo pueden arrestarme o no, depende del humor del oficial de turno, porque las autoridades no reconocen este papel”, explica. Ahmed cuenta que fue expulsado en 1967 de Gaza, durante la Guerra de los Seis Días, y que tras pasar por Egipto, en Siria le afectó el ‘Septiembre Negro’ y fue expulsado como otros muchos militantes.
Talal había partido de Gaza sin papeles, así que nunca tuvo documentos. “Antes no los necesitábamos”, se sonríe. Ahora, sin ellos no puede hacer nada. “Por eso dejé a mi mujer y mis hijos en Siria, donde el certificado de la OLP es suficiente para que les permitan estar registrados, tener estudios y comprar una casa”, puntualiza.
“Yo no puedo visitarles por miedo a que me arresten en el camino, pero dentro de dos años, cuando me jubile, me arriesgaré para reunirme con ellos en Damasco”.
La casa de Talal, dos habitaciones insalubres propiedad de la UNRWA, es tan austera que carece de cualquier objeto prescindible. “La única propiedad que tengo es el recuerdo de Gaza, y es precisamente lo único que no puedo recuperar”, se lamenta. |
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Compártelo
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Monday, May 12th, 2008 |
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The investigation into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s alleged illegal receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars from American businessman and fund-raiser Morris Talansky is currently focused on Olmert’s tenure as industry and trade minister in the Sharon government – not on the mayoral election campaigns in which Olmert participated, the funding for which he said he had received from Talansky, sources involved in the probe told Haaretz.
However, Haaretz has also learned that the debts of an organization that campaigned for Olmert’s election as mayor of Jerusalem were covered out of funds received from Talansky.
Olmert said Friday that the investigation dealt with donations to the 1999 and 2002 campaigns for the Jerusalem mayoralty and the Likud primary.
The prime minister further said the funds were also intended to cover losses. He said he had met Talansky 20 years ago and acknowledged receiving funds from him, saying they were campaign contributions when he twice ran for mayor of Jerusalem and that he never kept any money for himself or took bribes.
However, the sources said investigators were primarily gathering incriminating evidence about Olmert’s activities circa 2005.
“The investigators are currently focusing on reinforcing suspicions that are relatively easy to verify,” one of the sources said. “They are dealing with the period during which it is possible to unearth findings that will strengthen the suspicions against Olmert. By virtue of these things, it is easier to deal with and to investigate suspicions related to a more recent period than to suspicions related to something that happened 15 years ago, when the relationship between Olmert and Talansky began.”
The sources said the evidence unearthed so far all points in the same direction.
“During the short period being probed so far, the investigators managed to arrange a cross-checking of sources,” said the person involved in the probe. “There are documents, there’s Talansky’s testimony, there’s [attorney Uri] Messer’s testimony – all these findings reinforce the credibility of the other.”
A law-enforcement official, who is familiar with Olmert’s testimony and the investigators’ work, indicated that the prime minister may be attempting to mislead the public.
“There’s no doubt that Olmert is trying to pull the investigation in a certain direction, of collecting funds for elections,” the official said. “But in contrast to the impression Olmert is trying to create, the investigation team is currently focusing precisely on the period when there were no elections, and there was no apparent justification for collecting funds for an election campaign.”
The official said police suspect Olmert of receiving envelopes of cash but don’t know what happened to the money. Talansky told Channel 10 Sunday that he had no idea whether the money he gave Olmert went into his own pocket – which Olmert denied in a televised address Thursday night – or was used for political campaigns (see above video). Talansky said he had no idea the donations were illegal and that he had no intention of doing business in Israel.
“At present, the investigation is clearly focusing on the period when Olmert served as the minister of industry, trade and labor,” the official said, adding that investigators may yet expand their probe to cover the period during which Talansky raised funds for Olmert’s various election campaigns. “The investigators have solid information regarding envelopes of cash that were handed over to Olmert, and there is no information regarding the fate of that money.”
Meanwhile, investigators resumed looking into the allegations Sunday, for the first time since the details of the case were reported in the local press after Independence Day on Thursday. The investigators tried to lower their profile and shake off the media Sunday. The primary suspects – Olmert, Messer and Olmert’s former bureau chief Shula Zaken – were not questioned Sunday. |
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Compártelo
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Monday, May 12th, 2008 |
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Monday that Israel would not be able to avoid a wide military operation in the Gaza Strip, unless Palestinian militants cease firing rockets and carrying out terror attack on Israelis.
Barak passed this message on to Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who arrived in the region on Monday to present Cairo’s proposal for a cease-fire between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The two met alone for 40 minutes and followed up their discussion with more than an hour of talks with their consulting teams.
Barak told Suleiman that the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldiers Gilad Shalit should be included in Egypt’s proposed truce deal.
The defense minister emphasized that Israel demands all weapons smuggling from Egypt to Gaza be stopped. He also said that Israel would not agree to any deal which would restrict Israel Defense Forces operations in the West Bank.
Suleiman said following his talks with Barak Monday he had “high expectations” that a cease-fire deal could be reached between Israel and Hamas Islamists controlling the Gaza Strip.
Suleiman is in Israel for a series of high-level meetings on the outcome of recent talks between representatives of Egypt and Hamas and the other Palestinian factions in the Strip.
He met first with Barak in Tel Aviv and was due to meet later in the day in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi.
Asked by reporters about his expectations, Suleiman held up his thumb in a gesture of optimism and replied in English: “High expectations.” Barak said he hoped Suleiman’s visit would “produce productive discussions.”
In the Gaza Strip, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said he wished Suleiman success and called on Israel to “respond positively to the Egyptian efforts and to lift the siege and open the (border) crossings.”
Hamas seized Gaza from Abbas’s Fatah faction last June, prompting Israel to step up economic sanctions and Egypt to shut its frontier with the coastal enclave.
“We see our relationship with Egypt as one of the central foundations of regional stability, and a pillar of our foreign policy, and we are always eager to engage with the Egyptian government,” Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said.
Olmert, Mubarak to meet ‘within a few weeks’
Olmert is expected to visit Egypt in the coming weeks, where he will meet with President Hosni Mubarak to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, the framework for a cease-fire agreement and the continuing negotiations with the Palestinians on the core issues of a permanent settlement.
Olmert’s visit to Egypt was agreed to in principle during a conversation with Mubarak on April 30, before the Talansky Affair broke.
Mubarak had told Olmert that he is interested to talk in private about the situation in Gaza and the negotiations with the Palestinians, and the two agreed that the PM would visit Egypt in the wake of President George W. Bush’s visit to Israel and the summit with the Arab heads of state at Sharm el-Sheikh next week.
According to the Egyptian proposal, Israel will agree to the opening of the Rafah crossing, and possibly other crossing points, and will cease military operations in the Gaza Strip. In return, Hamas will cease rocket and mortar attacks against Israel and other attacks from inside the Strip.
After a six-month period, Egypt will begin efforts to apply the agreement to the West Bank as well.
On Sunday morning, Olmert, Barak and Livni met to coordinate their views on the cease-fire proposal in the Gaza Strip, ahead of their individual meetings with Suleiman.
Suleiman is also expected to meet with Minister of Industry and Trade Eli Yishai, with whom he will discuss the case of the abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive in the Gaza Strip since June 2006.
Hamas spokesmen said in recent days that the organization is expecting an Israeli agreement to the offer at hand.
Olmert is expected to stress during his meeting with Suleiman that the framework for the tahadiyeh, the calm Egypt is proposing, will be brought before the political-defense cabinet and will require its approval. As such, Israel will not immediately offer its response to Suleiman and the offer.
Political source: Israel won’t flatly reject proposal
A senior political source said Sunday that Israel would not be able to flatly turn down the Egyptian proposal because it must not be seen as the party responsible for foiling the diplomatic effort. On the other hand, Israel will present Suleiman with a series of questions, as well as its reservations.
According to a political source, Olmert will tell Suleiman that Israel would like to learn whether the offer is only for a “time out” or a genuine calm – only then will it be able to formulate its position.
Israel will stress the following during the meetings with Suleiman:
a. In any agreement for calm in the Gaza Strip, the IDF will retain the freedom of action against the terrorist groups in the Strip.
b. The calm must include a complete cessation of rocket and terrorist attacks from the Gaza Strip, carried out by all groups.
c. There is a need to deal with the issue of smuggling of arms into the Gaza Strip and the growing strength of the terrorist groups.
d. Israel would like to explore the possibility of combining a deal for the release of Gilad Shalit in a package for a cease-fire.
During the cabinet meeting Sunday, Olmert said that Hamas is responsible for all activities in the Gaza Strip and that “the current reality there needs to change – either there will be calm or the State of Israel will act with such force that in the end there will be calm.”
Compártelo
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Monday, May 12th, 2008 |
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El último cargamento de gasolina entró el pasado miércoles, cuando las autoridades israelíes aislaron Cisjordania y Gaza por el 60 aniversario de la fundación del Estado de Israel
Israel ha reanudado hoy el suministro de combustible a Gaza después de cinco días de desabastecimiento, lo que permitirá a la planta de electricidad de la franja volver a la actividad, informó el jefe de la Autoridad Nacional Palestina de Energía, Kanan Obeid.
El responsable ha declarado que las autoridades israelíes han permitido el suministro de gasolina para vehículos, así como fuel para la planta de electricidad, que cesó de operar el pasado sábado por falta de combustible. Obeid ha precisado que durante esta jornada la planta eléctrica recuperará su actividad.
La central abastece al 35% de la población de la zona centro-norte de la franja mediterránea, donde residen millón y medio de personas. El último cargamento de fuel entró el pasado miércoles, cuando las autoridades israelíes aislaron Cisjordania y Gaza por los actos conmemorativos del 60 aniversario de la fundación del Estado de Israel.
Israel prohibió la entrada o salida de personas y productos de los territorios ocupados hasta el anochecer del sábado. El Gobierno de Ehud Olmert, que mantiene un férreo bloqueo a la franja desde que el movimiento islamista Hamás tomara ese territorio en junio de 2007, ha estrechado el cerco por los constantes ataques con cohetes y proyectiles de mortero desde Gaza contra su territorio.
Uno de cada seis israelíes quiere que Olmert abandone el Gobierno
Una amplia mayoría de israelíes quiere que el primer ministro, Ehud Olmert, deje su cargo después del escándalo causado tras admitir que aceptó dinero de un empresario judío-estadounidense y enfrentarse a una investigación por acusaciones de sobornos.
Según la encuesta, casi el 60% de los ciudadanos de Israel creen que Olmert debería dejar “para siempre o temporalmente” el cargo de primer ministro hasta que al menos concluya la investigación policial. Mientras tanto, sólo un 33% quiere que permanezca al frente del Gobierno israelí. Los encuestados asimismo consideran que la actual ministra de Exteriores, Tzipi Livni, es la mejor para sustituir a Olmert en caso de que deje la política. |
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Compártelo
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Monday, May 12th, 2008 |
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Los milicianos chiíes atacaron ayer varias poblaciones y se enfrentaron con fieles al líder druso, Walid Yumblat
Al menos 36 personas han muerto en los enfrentamientos que mantuvieron ayer en las montañas situadas al este de Beirut las milicias del movimiento chií Hezbolá con los partidarios de un líder druso leal al Gobierno, según cifras ofrecidas por fuentes de seguridad libanesas. Entre estos muertos figuran 14 miembros de Hezbolá.
Los combates comenzaron después de que Hezbolá y sus aliados armados conquistaran posiciones de las milicias de Walid Jumblatt en el distrito de Aley. Y hasta ayer la lista de muertos no había sobrepasado la decena. Hezbolá alegó que los fieles al líder druso, Salid Yumblat, mataron a dos de sus milicianos y mantuvieron secuestrado a un tercero. A partir de ahí, atacaron varios pueblos y rebrotaron los enfrentamientos más allá de Beirut.
El odio sectario en Líbano es una realidad incrustada a la piel del país. Hezbolá controla el sur y centro de Líbano mientras las huestes del druso Yumblat dominan diferentes poblaciones y se enfrenta abiertamente a los milicianos chiíes. Yumblat es partidario del Gobierno prooccidental de Fuad Siniora. |
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Compártelo
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Monday, May 12th, 2008 |
U.S. President George W. Bush, former British prime minister Tony Blair and media mogul Rupert Murdoch are among the 13 heads of states and 3,500 guests expected to attend President Shimon Peres’ Presidential Conference in Jerusalem. The conference, which opens Tuesday, is being held in honor of Israel’s 60th anniversary.
(Details on the Facing Tomorrow Conference are available on Haaretz.com.)
The conference will bring together people from vastly different fields at the capital’s International Convention Center, in what Gil calls “a celebration of Jewish intellect.” Discussion subjects in panels and workshops are to range from medical ethics to “Why the new Middle East is not yet here.”
The conference budget, $21 million, has been entirely provided by Jewish donors from Israel and elsewhere. U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who is close to MK Benjamin Netanyahu, contributed $3 million and was named honorary conference president.
In the days leading up to the conference, it has been impossible to find any suites in Jerusalem hotels – eight hotels in the city are already fully booked.
The International Conference Center, where the opening ceremony will take place, has undergone a massive remodeling.
Hundreds of attendants have been hired to cater to the distinguished guests’ needs, and a number of special teams have been formed by the Foreign Ministry in order to escort some of the world leaders that will arrive.
Fifty representatoves will be on call to answer the press’ questions, and 400 hotel rooms have been booked for journalists.
The organizers of the conference are hoping that Peres’ stature will not be overshadowed by the investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Olmert is scheduled to speak to the conference twice. It is not clear whether the publication of the suspicions against Olmert will mean a change of plans.
Ex-U.S. diplomat analyzes threats to Israel in run-up to conference
In a run-up to the conference, former U.S. deputy secretary of state and treasury Stuart Eizenstat will present Monday a position paper on Israel’s future to the conference’s participants.
In the paper, Eisenstat analyzes the main geo-political trends that threaten and effect Israel and the Jewish world. The paper includes ways in which to deal with these issues as well.
The first trend Eisenstat discusses is a shift in the world’s economic and political power, as the United States will soon no longer be the lone super power. Eisenstat remarks that other players, such as India, China and Russia, will soon become much more influential.
The second trend Eisenstat writes of refers to both globalization and the “Clash of Civilizations”. The third is the rise of the radical Islam and terror groups. The fourth is on “untraditional” dangers such as nuclear proliferation, global warming and demographics.
The fifth and final trend is the rise of a new form of anti-Semitism which is mixed with anti-Israel sentiments.
“All these main trends will be most challenging to Israel and the Jewish world,” summarizes Eisenstat, “but Israel is in a good position. The economy is strong, Israel has an excellent military and the kind of creativity that turns these challenges into opportunities.”
In order to take advantage of these opportunities, Eisenstat believes Israel must fight the brain drain and invest heavily in education.
He adds that in order for Israel to preserve it’s Jewish and Democratic identity, it must have internationally accepted borders.
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Monday, May 12th, 2008 |
Beirut recuperó la calma, pero la violencia se trasladó al norte del país.
La calma volvió a Beirut tras la decisión del movimiento shiíta Hezbollah de entregar al Ejército el control de la zona oeste de la ciudad después de cuatro días de intensos combates, pero la violencia se trasladó ayer al norte del Líbano y zonas drusas cercanas a la capital, con nuevos choques entre partidarios del gobierno y grupos rebeldes.
Los enfrentamientos empezaron el miércoles en Beirut, cuando la decisión del gobierno prooccidental de desmantelar la red paralela de telecomunicaciones de Hezbollah desató la ira del grupo shiíta, que es a la vez un importante partido en el Líbano. Las autoridades también relevaron al jefe de seguridad del aeropuerto de la capital, un militar cercano a Hezbollah.
En cinco días murieron al menos 42 personas y más de 165 resultaron heridas, según datos de los servicios de seguridad, en los peores choques internos desde el fin de la guerra civil (1975-1990).
El sábado, en un intento por frenar una crisis que amenazaba con escalar, el gobierno del premier Fouad Siniora revocó las órdenes contra Hezbollah —calificadas por este movimiento como “una declaración de guerra”— y pidió al Ejército que se hiciera cargo de la seguridad. De a poco, los grupos armados shiítas desaparecieron de la zona oeste de Beirut, donde se produjeron los combates más duros.
Con todo, Hezbollah advirtió que mantendría la “desobediencia civil”, con barricadas en varios caminos, sobre todo en el de acceso al aeropuerto de Beirut, que ayer seguía cerrado.
El gobierno libanés cumplió un minuto de silencio y las campanas de la iglesias sonaron en Beirut en señal de luto por los muertos en los enfrentamientos. Pero, pese a la tregua, la tensión se mantenía en otras zonas del país, con violentos combates entre partidarios del gobierno y de la oposición en zonas de mayoría drusa en el sudeste de Beirut.
El Ejército tomó posiciones en todo el país, en especial en la capital y en la entrada de Trípoli, la segunda ciudad del país (90 km al norte de Beirut), de mayoría sunnita, donde los combates librados ayer con ametralladoras y lanzacohetes dejaron una mujer muerta y cinco heridos. El sábado, los choques habían dejado más de una decena de muertos y unos 20 heridos en Trípoli.
Además hubo combates entre milicianos shiítas y militantes del Partido Socialista Progresista del líder druso Walid Jumblatt, miembro de la mayoría parlamentaria, en las localidades de Aitat, Kayfun, Baisun y Maite. La cadena de TV árabe Al Jazzeera mostró escenas de intensos tiroteos en la montaña de Shueifat.
Allí los enfrentamientos fueron entre seguidores de Jumblatt y del Partido Democrático que conduce el druso Talal Arslan, que respalda a Hezbollah.
En medio de la escalada de tensión, Jumblatt pidió a Arslan que permitiera que el sur de la sacudida región de Monte Líbano quedara bajo control del Ejército para “poner fin a la guerra”.
El papa Benedicto XVI también llamó a poner fin a la violencia en el Líbano. “El diálogo, la comprensión mutua y la búsqueda de un compromiso razonable son el único camino” posible, dijo.
La violencia de los últimos días se da en el marco de una enorme turbulencia política en el país. El Parlamento no logra desde noviembre designar a un nuevo presidente debido a las presiones internacionales, tanto desde Irán, el mayor respaldo de Hezbollah, como de Estados Unidos y Francia, aliados con Arabia Saudita y Egipto, sunnitas adversarios de esa organización.
En El Cairo, tras una reunión extraordinaria, el Consejo de la Liga Arabe reclamó el cese inmediato de los combates en el Líbano, y anunció que el secretario general de la Liga, Amr Moussa, llegará hoy a Beirut y luego irá a Damasco para trabajar en una solución para la grave crisis.
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