Gabriel Helou

“The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has mentioned as precedent a famous case involving former Turkish President Süleyman Demirel to rule on the heavily publicized trial against a   French citizen for having insulted former leader   Nicolas Sarkozy   back in 2008, daily Sabah reported March 30 .”

“In a symbolic move, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas committed to a special Jordanian role in caring for holy shrines in Jerusalem; Jordan's 1994 peace treaty with Israel already recognizes this role .” The text of the Agreement (Arabic)

“Women stood shoulder to shoulder with men in Tahrir Square in 2011. Now they are back on the streets, opposing a new constitution that sweeps away their rights and opens the way for girls of 13 to be married. And in Cairo's slums, life grows harder as the gulf between the sexes widens ”

After almost 46 years of occupation, Arab leaders think that they can save Jerusalem through a fund full of prostration and hollow promises.

On Land Day, we wish to remind the international community that Israeli settlements - a standard Israeli policy since 1967 - left no lands for a viable Palestinian State !   Also, on Land Day, we wish to remind the international community of its obligation to put an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. 

They talk about the “Iraqization” of   Syria. I’m afraid that it will be the “Syrianization” of Iraq through the so-called “Iraqi Spring” !

“French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that the situation in Syria was still too unsure to start supplying weapons to opposition forces …” 

“ Russia   vowed on Thursday to oppose an expected push by the Syrian opposition to take over Syria's seat at the United Nations and predicted that any Syrian National Coalition bid at the world body would fail .”

“A BOSNIAN Serb ex-army general who led the 1995 attack on Srebrenica, one of the bloodiest episodes of the Bosnian war, has been charged with contempt after refusing to testify on behalf of former leader Radovan Karadzic, a UN war crimes court says. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) ordered the indictment for contempt after Radislav Krstic's refused to testify on medical grounds following a subpoena . ”

“President Mahmoud Abbas has pardoned a journalist whose year-long sentence for insulting him on Facebook was upheld earlier Thursday. Abbas' office said in a statement that the president had pardoned Mamdouh Hamamreh, a correspondent for al-Quds satellite channel, hours after a Bethlehem court rejected the reporter's appeal against the jail term .”

In The New York Times: Guy Verhofstadt: “Now that the crisis in Cyprus has been temporarily resolved, the unspoken question is: Who’s next? Perhaps Malta, which has an even bigger banking sector than Cyprus relative to G.D.P., much of it highly reliant on offshore depositors. Or maybe Latvia, fast becoming the destination of choice for Russian funds flowing out of Cyprus and now on course to join the euro zone .”

“Draft Arms Trade Treaty Text (including draft decision)”

“The effort over many years to forge an international treaty regulating the booming $70 billion annual trade in conventional weapons headed toward fruition on Wednesday with a final draft sent to the governments of all United Nations member states for approval. Supporters, including a majority of member states, hope that the Arms Trade Treaty will be approved by consensus at a final negotiation session here on Thursday. The treaty would for the first time set international standards for conventional weapons sales, tying them to respect for human rights, the prevention of war crimes and the protection of civilians. Rights advocates have called the treaty the most ambitious attempt to stop the illicit spread of weapons that fuel deadly conflicts around the   world .”

“Turkish military police have fired teargas at Syrian refugees protesting against living conditions in their camp today .”

“As part of his efforts to restart negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, John Kerry has   reportedly   asked Mahmoud Abbas to promise that he won’t try to bring Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC). To many observers, this may seem like a modest request. After all, the U.S. has long made clear that it opposes efforts to engage the ICC in the conflict . ”

“The government of   Mali   should investigate allegations that Malian soldiers tortured seven suspected supporters of Islamist armed groups in Léré, near Timbuktu, Human Rights Watch said today. The seven men, all of whom showed visible signs of torture, described to Human Rights Watch being beaten and kicked, burned, injected with a caustic substance, and threatened with death while in army custody between February 15 and March 4, 2013. One said he was subjected to simulated drowning akin to “ waterboarding .” ”

“Also Wednesday, the UN   Security Council   called on the Syrian government and rebel fighters to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of the UN   peacekeeping force   that has monitored a cease-fire line between   Israel   and   Syria   for nearly four decades. Council members underscored the increased risk the conflict poses to UN personnel, highlighted by the recent hostage-taking of 21 peacekeepers by armed opposition elements. There has also been firing directed at UN personnel and facilities, and the carjacking of UN vehicles .”

“Human Rights Watch says it stands by its assessment of the situation in Bahrain following an attack on its findings by Britain's ambassador in the troubled Gulf kingdom. At the end of a fact-finding visit last month, HRW   said   Bahrain’s rulers had "made no progress on key reform promises, failing to release unjustly imprisoned activists or to hold accountable high-level officials responsible for torture ".”

The   Doha Arab Summit decided to set up a fund to support Jerusalem. I think they were referring to "West Jerusalem".

“French President Francois Hollande's popularity rating has fallen to its lowest level since he came to power, a poll found on Wednesday, a day before he is due to address the nation to ask for patience as he attempts to revive the   economy . ”

“ Russia on Wednesday called  the Arab League's decision to award Syria's seat at the organisation to the anti-regime National Coalition"illegal and indefensible".  "In terms of international law,  the League's decision on Syria is illegal and indefensible because the government of the Syrian Arab Republic was and is the legitimate representative member-state at the United Nations," the Russian foreign ministry said in a  statement .”

Arab League's decision on   Syria's seat interferes in Syrian internal affairs, and therefore violates international law. Top of Form

The West's wealthy puppets are not influential, but are only given some space to play, until the day the West drops them down, rendering them totally useless.

The Arab Summit came up with only one decision, and that is to bring more destruction to   Syria. That’s not the right way to end the crisis. But how did Arab States "give" themselves the "right" to send arms to   Syria? By voting or by a communiqué imposed on them by Hague and Fabius? On the other hand, according to Morsi, no one should interfere in Egypt's internal affairs, but everyone has the right to interfere in Syria's internal affairs.

The   Doha   Arab Summit called for developing the "joint Arab action". Does this action include conspiring against one another?  

“Photoshop and the Syrian crisis: One of the most famous examples of photoshopping during the ongoing foreign-orchastrated Syrian crisis is the photo which appeared in Austria’s largest newspaper Kronen Zeitung on July 28 (first photo below) when readers were treated to the image on the left of bombed out Aleppo. The original photo on the right came from the European Pressphoto Agency and shows a Syrian family that was or wasn’t fleeing for the violence …”

The final communiqué issued by the Doha Arab Summit withheld any mention of the Palestinian prisoners ! 

“A major Syrian opposition coalition took a seat as the  legitimate  government of Syria at an Arab League summit Tuesday, and the group’s outgoing leader promptly pushed for the United States to use Patriot missile-defense batteries against Syrian warplanes. ” How can it be “legitimate” when it was appointed by the West and its puppets? And how can Al-Khatib be a “patriotic leader” when he asks for the deployment of US Patriot   missiles ?

“An Israeli general has raised the possibility of creating a buffer zone in Syria,   in cooperation with local forces   wary of jihadist fighters, should President Bashar Assad be toppled...   Syrians " with a common interest in cooperating with us " against radical Islamist fighters would be Israel's natural allies in any such security zone, Golan said. "If an opportunity presents itself -- and it hasn't as yet -- we should not hesitate," he said. "Everything should be done wisely and   secretly, with a true examination of where the interests of the other side lie ."” 

“American promises to help shape a stable democracy in Syria have been met with skepticism by some Iraqi officials. In an interview late in 2012, Sheikh Humam Hamoudi, the chairman of the Iraqi Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, recalled a visit in September from A. Elizabeth Jones, the acting assistant secretary of state for   Near Eastern Affairs .   “What she said was that they would educate the Syrians on how to be a democracy,” Mr. Hamoudi said, adding with a hint of sarcasm, “just like what happened in   Iraq .””

“François Hollande is at an all-time low with voters: The French president was elected to tackle the economic and social crises, but now most people don't think he's up to the job ”

So the “FSA” refused to recognize Ghassan Hitto as a transitional Prime Minister because he is “backed by foreign powers”. Does it get any funnier? Don’t the same foreign powers support, fund and train the “FSA”? But when they say that the ““FSA” refused to recognize Hitto”, are we supposed to believe that it has its independent decision? On the other hand, Muath Al-Khatib - recognized by the West and its puppets in the region - resigned from something that never existed.

“ Israel   did not commit to ending its Gaza blockade as part of reconciliation with   Turkey   and could clamp down even harder on the Palestinian enclave if security is threatened, Israeli officials said on Sunday .”

“Benjamin Netanyahu   wrote on his Facebook page Saturday that Israel and Turkey, which border Syria, need to communicate with each other over the Syrian crisis. "The fact that the crisis in   Syria   intensifies from moment to moment was the main consideration in my view," Netanyahu wrote .”

“ Full text of President Obama's speech in Ramallah: United States President Barack Obama traveled to Ramallah, on the West Bank, where he offered remarks and gave a joint press conference with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority.”

“Whatever happened last week in the town of Khan al-Assal, west of Aleppo, it achieved something extraordinary in the Syrian civil war: unity among Washington, Moscow and Damascus. All welcomed the rapid decision by Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, to investigate an alleged chemical attack that reportedly killed 26, including Syrian soldiers. Unusually, the request for that investigation came from the Syrian regime, which claimed that Islamic jihadist rebels launched a chemical weapons attack. Since then, precious little evidence in any way has come from the area despite an awful lot of diplomatic noise around the world. However a senior source close to the Syrian Army has given  Channel 4 News  the first clear account of what he claims is believed to have occurred on Tuesday. He is a trusted and hitherto reliable source who does not wish to be identified. The Syrian military is said to believe that a home-made locally-manufactured ro...

“Erdogan: No quick restoration of ties with   Israel ”. This necessarily means that Turkey-Israel ties have already been restored. He never stops playing games.

By the way, Netanyahu  offered his  apology  during a  phone  call to Erdogan. So it wasn’t really an “official” apology. 

“Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday an Israeli apology for the 2010 deaths of nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists that was brokered by U.S. President  Barack Obama   met Turkey's conditions and signaled its growing regional   clout .” Turkey’s clout? Is that why it took Israel almost three years to apologize? Indeed, Erdogan tries once again to manipulate and play with sentiments. It is not a secret that Erdogan-Netanyahu reconciliation was the result of Obama’s pressure on the Israeli Government. On the other hand, Erdogan’s planned visit to Gaza next month will occur with Israel’s “blessing”. But he is expected to pretend that his visit is meant to “break” or to “challenge” Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip! Watch out the events.

“ A century after their ancestors fled mass killings in Ottoman Turkey, Armenian communities are again on the move - amid fears they could become victims of violence in Syria . ”

“The United States has quietly unblocked almost $500 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority which had been frozen by Congress for months, a top US official said Friday. The news that the funds had finally been freed up came after US President Barack Obama met top Israeli and Palestinian leaders in a landmark visit to Israel and the West Bank earlier this week .”

“ France   and Britain failed to persuade the European Union to back their call to lift an arms embargo on Syrian rebels on Friday …”

“The Secretary-General welcomes that the Governments of Israel and Turkey have agreed to restore normal relations between them, and appreciates the role of US President Obama in reaching this positive outcome . ”

Israel apologized to Turkey over Mavi Marmara during Obama’s visit. That’s interesting!   Obviously, Obama pushed for an Israeli apology to Turkey, so that the latter would “accept” to be involved again in the peace process.

“A “temporary Syrian government” for the opposition ... a Qatari coup against Saudi Arabia in the  National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces   (NCR) ... and the sabotaging of the US-Russian understanding. The first fruit of the above is that 12 NCR members froze their memberships a few hours after provisional prime minister Ghassan Hitto presided over his new Syrian “government” in contravention of the deal that Qatar and Saudi brokered among the various wings in the NCR. The Qataris came out victorious in their struggle to influence a large part of the Syrian opposition abroad and in determining the next course of action. Over the coming days, Qatar may score another victory by granting the “temporary government” Syria’s seat in the Arab League, which meets in Doha on Tuesday [March 26].”

“In our recent analysis, we demonstrate that Netanyahu’s government has been pursuing unilateral policies that are creating a coherent base-line border between Israel and “Palestine” which are incompatible with any reasonable interpretation of the two-state solution. The strategic thrust to determine a new, base-line border between Israel and “Palestine” has been dubbed by Israeli authorities as “ Spatial Shaping ”.” Netanyahu's policies will lead to a "Palestinian maze", and not a Palestinian State.

Barack Obama: "It is not just when settler violence against Palestinians goes unpunished." So would he accept Palestinians to turn to the  International Criminal Court?

“The United Nations will investigate accusations that chemical weapons were used earlier this week in Aleppo Province in northern Syria, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced on Thursday. Mr. Ban said the investigation would begin “as soon as  practically   possible ,”” And when will it “practically” be possible? Next year, for example? This directly reminded me of paragraph 11 of UNGA Resolution 194 - adopted on 11 December 1948 - which states: “Resolves that the   refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours   should be permitted to do so at the earliest   practicable   date …” Have they returned home, yet?

The title: “ Leading pro-Assad cleric killed in Damascus bombing ” “A top Syrian cleric was killed Thursday in a large explosion that hit a mosque in the center of the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria’s state television reported. … * Sheikh al-Bouti, the Syrian Sunni cleric who stood by Assad ” The report . Notice how the report focuses on the fact that the cleric used to support the regime. And it also links it – in bold letters –  with another report that talks about the cleric’s stance. The message to be conveyed is as follows: “Yes, Al-B0uti was killed, but remember: he used to support the regime. So killing him is permissible”.

"Full text of Obama's speech in Jerusalem: "So long as there is a United States of America, ah-tem lo lah-vahd" - 21 March 2013

“US   President Barack Obama   on Thursday expressed full backing for the establishment of a Palestinian state following talks in   Ramallah   with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. "Palestinians deserve a state of their own," he said. "The   United States   is deeply committed to seeing... an independent, sovereign state of Palestine ."”

“Obama criticised the continued expansion of Israeli settlements, but says these should not prevent peace talks. He said he has told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that settlements activity is not constructive or appropriate. The expansion of settlements in the E1 area does not square with a two state solution, he added. The core issue is how to achieve sovereignty for the Palestinians and security for the Israelis, the US president told the press conference .” Notice how US officials never refer to security for Palestinians.

“The Israeli rights group   B’Tselem   protested the detention on Wednesday of 27 Palestinian children suspected of throwing rocks at settlers and soldiers in the West Bank city of   Hebron ... Among the Palestinians arrested by the military on Wednesday morning in Hebron,   B’Tselem said , were at least five children 8 to 10 years old, “with possibly others below the age of criminal responsibility .””

“A Saudi prince jailed for life in  Britain  for murdering his servant has been flown home to serve the rest of his sentence, the British government said   Wednesday . ” Is he going to serve the remainder of his sentence at a 5-star hotel in Saudi Arabia?

Human Rights Watch: "Satellite Image Analysis shows 1,690 damaged or destroyed   structures ." I would also like to see satellite images of destruction caused by NATO during its intervention.

“French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius reiterated on Monday his country's support for the Lebanese cabinet's policy of disassociation towards Syria's war .” Since France supports Lebanon’s disassociation policy, it should adopt it too, and stay away from Syria. 

“A Florida Republican House member plans to introduce a bill halting U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) until it formally “recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state” and cuts off all ties with the terror group Hamas. Rep. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.) will introduce on Thursday “ The Palestinian Accountability Act ,” a bill timed to coincide with Obama’s meetings in the West Bank with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The measure would freeze all U.S. aid to the ailing PA. It would also cut aid to the United Nations should the international body recognize an independent state of Palestine outside of the peace process with Israel .”

“One thing is clear before, during and after the visit of President Barack Obama to the region: When it comes to the issue of  Jewish settlements in Palestine , it is all a game.  A few weeks before the visit of the US president, Israelis were rushing to build as many housing units as possible because they were worried that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will agree to some kind of   freeze .” They must be very worried. Poor them.

Obama's Limo towed For more on the story

“Prominent Egyptian writer Youssef Zeidan on Tuesday posted a letter on his Facebook page correcting a speech recently delivered by President Mohamed Morsi in Pakistan, which the writer described as having been “riddled with errors .” ”

“Two senior Saudi princes who claimed sovereign immunity to avoid a court case involving their business interests cannot exempt themselves from English justice, the high court has   ruled .”

“Former Guatemalan dictator José Efraín Ríos Montt faced charges of genocide and crimes against humanity on the first day of a tense trial which few believed until recently would ever be   possible .”

“The evidence was incontrovertible, captured on   video   and posted on YouTube for all the world to see. During a demonstration against the Syrian regime, Wael Ibrahim, a veteran activist, had tossed aside a banner inscribed with the Muslim declaration of faith. And that, decreed the officers of the newly established Sharia Authority set up to administer rebel-held Aleppo, constitutes a crime under Islamic law, punishable in this instance by 10 strokes of a metal pipe .”

“The European Union signed an aid deal Tuesday with the Palestinian prime minister to bolster ties and promote economic development against a backdrop of a stalled peace process with Israel. EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton told visiting Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad that an action plan approved by EU leaders was based on a "shared commitment to deepen our bilateral relations and strengthen our privileged partnership." The plan provides eventually for a "fully-fledged Association Agreement" with the EU, Ashton noted .”

A day before President Barack Obama’s arrival, Israel evacuated  two “illegal outposts” in the West Bank. But almost certainly, tens - if not hundreds - of them will be built - instead - after he leaves.

“The collapse of the International Criminal Court's case against an ally of Kenya's president-elect Uhuru Kenyatta is the latest blow to a tribunal under close scrutiny for securing just one conviction since it was set up more than a decade ago. Handed the difficult - some might say impossible - task of building cases for crimes committed years earlier and many thousands of miles away, based on testimony from often unreliable or uncooperative witnesses in hostile environments, prosecutors have struggled to make charges stick. The unraveling of the case against Francis Muthaura is illustrative of the court's difficulties. Muthaura was accused, along with Kenyatta, of crimes against humanity for allegedly orchestrating violence after Kenya's 2007 election that cost 1,200 lives. Both men deny the charges…   "It's pretty bad when, as in the Ngudjolo case, judges don't believe the witnesses," said William Schabas, an international law exper...

Nicolas Sarkozy has arrived in Tripoli “upon the invitation of Libyan authorities”. Would he be setting the ground for the next round of elections?

Of course, according to France, this is not a serious violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty; only Syria violates Lebanon’s sovereignty: “Israeli jets dropped flare bombs along the coast of the southern city of  Tyre  Monday, security sources told The Daily Star. The aircraft launched five flares to illuminate the night sky for reconnaissance purposes, the sources said, adding that the devices extinguished five to 10 minutes after they were released. Earlier Monday, the Lebanese Army said four Israeli warplanes violated Lebanon’s airspace and flew over various areas .”

 “The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry says a journalist who spent than 150 days in captivity in Syria has returned home… Kochneva, who has written for Syrian and Russian newspapers, was kidnapped in western Syria on Oct. 9 and reportedly held by members of the Free Syrian Army opposition group. Kochneva escaped captivity last week and headed   home .”

Remember: France  didn't  even condemn the Israeli airstrike on Syria back in January. Maybe it considered it as an “act of peace” rather than an act of aggression !

France says that the   Syrian bombing raid in Lebanon constitutes a "new serious violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.” And what about Israel’s continuous violation of Lebanon’s airspace, in France’s eyes?

“ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel was ready for a “historic compromise” in talks with the   Palestinians …” For him, a “historic compromise” means a maximum of two streets somewhere in the West Bank.

“The International Criminal Court Prosecution was on Monday tasked to explain how President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta would be charged for contributing to a common plan on his own, after withdrawal of charges against his co-accused Francis Muthaura. Presiding Judge Kuniko Ozaki pressed prosecution lawyer Sam Lowery to explain how Kenyatta individually constituted a common plan in the absence of his co-accused. Apart from Muthaura being exonerated, charges were not confirmed against former police chief Hussein Ali, who faced similar charges. “This requires that each joint perpetrator is able to frustrate the commission of the crime by not performing his or her tasks. This means that the common plan could not have succeeded without the contribution of Muthaura or a common plan does not even exist without contribution of Muthaura,” Ozaki argued .”

“Rwanda’s Foreign Minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, has confirmed that General Bosco Ntaganda has surrendered himself to the US embassy in Kigali. Rwandan born General Ntaganda has been at large since a warrant for his arrest was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 22 August 2006. According to Victoria Nuland, spokeswoman for the US State Department, General Ntaganda has “specifically asked to be transferred to the ICC in The Hague .””

“The Palestinian Human Rights Organisations Council (PHROC) sent the below letter to President Mahmoud Abbas in advance of President Barack Obama’s visit to the region. The letter calls on President Abbas to invite President Obama to meet with him in the Orient House in occupied East Jerusalem, in order to refute Israel’s attempts to create “facts on the ground” through its settlement policy .”

European politicians used to refer to the "alliance" between Merkel and Sarkozy as: MerKozy. But now there is almost no "MerAnde".

“Keeping former President  Nicolas Sarkozy  in style costs the French taxpayer more than 2 million euros ($2.6 million) annually as his successor drags citizens through an unprecedented shrinking of the state budget. Sarkozy,  Jacques Chirac  and Valery Giscard d’Estaing, the three living French ex-presidents, are each entitled -- like their U.S. counterparts -- to an office, staff and a lifetime of security at taxpayers’ expense. Unlike the U.S., where the compensation and perks of ex-presidents are capped by the “ Former Presidents Act ,” France has no laws that limit or review the   benefits .”

“French President Francois Hollande's popularity has fallen to the lowest level since he was elected last May, taking his rating below that of far-right leader Marine Le Pen for the first time, a poll showed on Sunday . ”

“Israel to ask Obama to use air strikes in case of Syrian missile transfer: Israel   will use President Obama's visit on Wednesday to try to persuade the US to carry out air strikes on Syrian missiles if there is evidence that they are being to handed over to Hezbollah in Lebanon, or at least to give full support to Israeli military action to stop the transfer . ”

“Ten years ago this Tuesday, the U.S. invaded Iraq, and by any count — and there have been many — the toll has been devastating . ” Yet, another “war” awaits Iraq . 

"Many people inside Syria and in the West are absolutely convinced that the Syrian regime is bound to fall, but no one seems to be able to draw a picture of what Syria would look like after that happens." Not only is the Syrian territory going to be divided along sectarian lines, but the whole Syrian opposition will break up into factions, depending on how moderate or radical they are. "The distinction would be made between 'moderate Islam', as represented by the Muslim Brotherhood, and 'hard-line Islam', as represented by jihadist groups," Atwan wrote. We will also see regions dominated by the Kurds in the north, others by the Arabs in the south, and "it is not unlikely to see an autonomous Kurdish territory emerge, as has happened in Iraq", he noted. Remember Libya ?"

“T he League of Arab States is considering moving its offices to a capital of another Arab state or elsewhere in Cairo due to the violence there, a source in the league said Saturday .” I think the Headquarters should be moved to Tel-Aviv !!

“United Nations officials declared Friday that they had received barely one-fifth of the money needed to care for Syrian refugees for the first half of the year — the worst shortfall in recent memory — as their numbers grow at a staggering rate . ”

Despite UN and Amnesty International reports: “Most of the first contingent of Syrian rebels taught by U.S. army and intelligence officers in Jordan to use anti-tank and anti-aircraft weaponry have finished their training and are now returning to   Syria  to fight, a senior rebel said on  Thursday . ”