Gazette 081314

Wednesday August 13th 2014

Six dead as Gaza disposal team tackles Israeli missile

Six people were killed in the Gaza Strip when an Israeli missile exploded amid attempts to dismantle it.

The dead included two journalists - an Italian and a Palestinian - and a number of bomb disposal officers.
The incident happened in the town of Beit Lahiya, in the north of the Gaza Strip
It comes hours before a three-day ceasefire agreed between Israel and the Palestinians is due to expire.
Indirect talks aimed at finding a long-term solution to the Gaza conflict having been taking place in Cairo involving negotiators from the two sides.
Among those killed in Wednesday's explosion was Simone Camilli, a video journalist working for several international agencies, including Associated Press.
Some 2,000 people have died since the fighting in Gaza began on 8 July.
Those killed include more than 1,900 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the UN.
Sixty-four Israeli soldiers have been killed in the violence and three civilians in Israel have also died.

Palestinians weighing Egyptian proposal for Gaza truce

CAIRO – Palestinian negotiators were mulling over an Egyptian proposal to end the monthlong Israel-Hamas war as the latest 72-hour cease-fire in the Gaza Strip was due to expire on midnight Wednesday.

Since the truce went into effect Sunday, Israel has halted military operations in the coastal territory and Gaza militants have stopped firing rockets.

The cease-fire was meant to give the two sides time to negotiate a more sustainable truce and a roadmap for the coastal territory.

A member of the Palestinian delegation to Egyptian-brokered talks in Cairo said Wednesday that his team was considering an Egyptian proposal, which was tabled on Tuesday. Egyptian mediators have been were ferrying between the Palestinians and their Israeli counterparts in an attempt overcome the differences between the sides.

The Egyptian proposal calls for easing parts of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, bringing some relief to the territory, according to Palestinian officials in the talks. But it leaves the key areas of disagreement, including Hamas' demand for a full lifting of the blockade and Israeli calls for Hamas to disarm, to later negotiations.
Related: 

•  Israel-Hamas truce on the line as temporary cease-fire nears expiration

• Israel not taking Jordan, Egypt, and the Saudi’s belated criticism too seriously

Iran's Supreme Leader Backs Iraq's New Prime Minister 

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lent his support to new Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Haider al-Abadi on Wednesday, the clearest sign yet that Tehran was no longer standing by old ally Nuri al-Maliki. 

"I hope the designation of the new prime minister in Iraq will untie the knot and lead to the establishment of a new government and teach a good lesson to those who aim for sedition in Iraq," Khamenei said during a meeting, according to a statement on his website.

Abadi has won swift endorsements from the United States and Iran as he called on political leaders to end feuds that have allowed Islamist militants to seize a third of Iraq. But Maliki said on Wednesday that Abadi's appointment to replace him violated the constitution and "had no value". (Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Iraq crisis: France to deliver arms to Iraqi Kurds

France will supply arms to Iraq's Kurds "in the coming hours", French President Francois Hollande has announced.

France has received approval from authorities in Baghdad for the decision, French media reports say.
Kurdish forces have been fighting militants from the Islamic State (IS) group. The conflict has displaced thousands of people.
The US has also reportedly begun supplying weapons to the Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga.
A statement from Mr Hollande's office said the move was "in response to the urgent need expressed by the regional authorities in Kurdistan".
"For several days, France has had the necessary measures in place to support the operational capabilities of the forces fighting IS," the statement said.
"The catastrophic situation faced by the population of Iraqi Kurdistan means the international community must step up its mobilization," it went on.
Related: France to send arms to besieged Yazidi community in Iraq

Syrian forces, Islamic militants encircling key rebel city of Aleppo

Syrian rebels could suffer their biggest setback of the war as government troops and Islamic militants are encircling the key northwestern city of Aleppo.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the fall of the city could also be a recruiting boon to the Islamic State, the militant group formerly known as ISIS, with members of the Western-backed Free Syria Army (FSA) joining with the militants.

Rebel commanders in Aleppo told the Journal that they are stocking up on food and other supplies to prevent the type of starvation-inducing siege that forced them to surrender the city of Homs earlier this year, and warn that losing Aleppo could be the death blow to the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that began in 2011.  
"We're about to lose Aleppo and no one cares," Hussam Almarie, a FSA spokesman, told The Wall Street Journal. "We won't be able to recover the revolution if this happens. And we'll lose the moderates in Syria."

Abu Thabet, whose moderate Aleppo Swords brigade is affiliated with the FSA, told The Associated Press Wednesday that the FSA is encircled in Aleppo province by Syrian government forces on one side and the Islamic State group on the other side.
On Wednesday, Syrian opposition activists told the Associated Press that Islamic State fighters captured the towns of Akhtarin and Turkmanbareh in the Aleppo countryside near the border with Turkey, dislodging other rebels in the process.

Egyptian security forces 'planned massacre,' says HRW

The killings of at least 817 people by Egyptian security forces last year probably amount to a crime against humanity, Human Rights Watch says.

A report by the US-based group says 1,000 or more people probably died in one day around Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque.
The deaths came during demonstrations broken up by Egyptian security forces.
Executive director Kenneth Roth said the deaths were "one of the world's largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history".
Mr Roth and a colleague were stopped from entering Egypt on Monday.
They were due to launch the new report at a press conference in the Egyptian capital, but were deported after being held for 12 hours at Cairo International Airport.
The group's year-long investigation focused on six demonstrations in July and August 2013 that were forcefully broken up by security forces, then under the command of now-President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.
Mr Sisi, who was then a general running Egypt's military and was elected head of state in May 2014, oversaw the ousting of President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.
In the aftermath his armed forces launched a brutal crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood supporters. 

Libyan assembly asks for UN help as militias clash

CAIRO –  Libya's newly elected parliament is turning to the United Nations, asking for an "international intervention" as militia violence rages across the country.
Libya is undergoing its worst spasm of violence since the 2011 ouster and killing of former dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Thousands have fled the country, including diplomats and foreign nationals. Scores of embassies have closed down and international organizations have shut their offices.

Lawmakers convened on Wednesday in Libya's easternmost city of Tobruk, far from weeks-long militia fighting over the international airport in the capital, Tripoli, and clashes in the country's second-largest city, Benghazi.
They adopted a resolution asking the Security Council for help. It passed with 111 votes in favor from among 124 lawmakers present at the session.
Meanwhile, random shelling in Tripoli killed three people overnight.

Obama To Poroshenko: Russian Intervention 'Unacceptable'

WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama told Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that any Russian intervention in Ukraine without Kiev's consent would be "unacceptable" and a violation of international law, the White House said on Monday.

Poroshenko, in a phone call, told Obama that there has been continued shelling of Ukrainian territory from Russia, the White House said. Obama urged Poroshenko to exercise restraint in military operations in order to avoid civilian casualties, it added.
Related : Ukraine crisis: Russian aid convoy sits and waits

No Solution In Sight On China Sea Dispute

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Despite U.S. and Asian calls for self-restraint and new impetus for the resolution of territorial disputes involving China, a high-profile Asian security summit ended over the weekend where it began, with no solution of the rifts in sight.
China dismissed a new U.S. proposal for a freeze on hostile actions that could heighten tensions in the disputed South China Sea, leaving Washington unable to overturn an impression that it can do little to back up allies at odds with Beijing over the contested waters and islands. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, remains divided and is similarly unable to pressure China to back down.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was overseeing multiple crises unraveling in Iraq, Gaza and Ukraine as he flew to Myanmar's capital of Naypyitaw to attend the annual ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia's premier security gathering of 27 Asian and Western countries, including China.

Under Kerry's proposal, China and the four ASEAN members that have long disputed strategic South China Sea territories — Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam — should voluntarily halt provocative actions, including occupying new islands or reclaiming land to enlarge naturally submerged reefs. Taiwan, which is not an ASEAN member, also contests the territories.
The Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, backed Kerry's proposal and also urged the full enforcement of a 2002 accord that also called for an end to tension-producing actions as well as long-term arbitration that could eventually resolve the claims under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
ASEAN, a key battleground for influence between the U.S. and China, generally has backed American calls for an easing of tensions, including the start of negotiations for a binding regional "code of conduct" to govern activities involving conflicting claims. But China has resisted, and progress on the code has been slow.

Nigeria fears fourth Ebola frontline after infected man lands in Lagos

Officials in Africa's most populous city are scrambling to avoid mistakes that have helped fuel biggest epidemic in history

The man was acting strangely even before he boarded the plane, hunching over in pain and avoiding physical contact with other passengers milling around the airport in Monrovia, Liberia's capital. Once airborne, he was sick several times. By the time he disembarked in Lagos airport – one of the busiest in the continent – he was no longer able to stand unaided, diplomats and a witness told the Guardian.
Those who rushed forward to help didn't know Patrick Sawyer was in the final stages of an Ebola-induced breakdown, when the deadly disease is at its most contagious. More than 24 hours passed before the Liberian-American civil servant was diagnosed, allowing the virus to gain a toehold in Africa's most populous city and, for the first time ever, turning the threat of an urban outbreak into a nightmarish possibility.
After watching three regional neighbours battle an eight-month-long epidemic, Nigerian officials are scrambling to avoid mistakes that have helped fuel the biggest epidemic in history. In Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, 916 have died, or around half of those who been infected.
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Michael Brown shooting: Obama calls for calm

US President Barack Obama has appealed for calm in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting of a black teenager by police sparked two nights of violence.

He described the death on Saturday of Michael Brown as heartbreaking and added: "Remember this young man through reflection and understanding."
In two nights of unrest in the St Louis suburb, dozens were arrested, shops looted and tear gas fired by police.
On Tuesday night, anger had turned to reflection at a community forum.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon told a packed crowd at Christ the King United Church of Christ that the shooting felt "like an old wound torn fresh".
Ferguson's mayor and police chief also attended the meeting and were greeted with applause.
Earlier, the Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist, appealed for peace.
"To become violent in Michael Brown's name is to betray the gentle giant he was," he said, flanked by Mr Brown's parents.
He said no-one had the right to take Michael Brown's name and "drag it through the mud".
Police say Brown was shot several times after a struggle in a police car, but witnesses have said the unarmed Brown was shot when he had his arms raised.

Officials: Pentagon considering rescue mission for Iraqis trapped on mountain

The Pentagon sent additional military planners to Iraq on Tuesday to figure out a way to rescue and relocate the tens of thousands of religious minorities trapped on a mountain by Islamic militants, senior U.S. officials said.
A senior U.S. official told Fox News that 130 military personnel have arrived in Irbil for the job. 

The troops will work with State Department officials and USAID to develop plans to help the Yazidi people, a religious minority displaced on Sinjar Mountain.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel formally announced the deployment in remarks to Marines at Camp Pendleton, California.
"This is not a combat boots on the ground kind of operation," Hagel said.
The deployment comes as Defense officials openly voice doubts about the impact airstrikes alone can have, and as Kurdish forces struggle with the rescue mission.  
When President Obama authorized military force last week, it was for the dual purpose of protecting American personnel and helping Kurdish forces as they try to aid members of the Yazidi minority trapped in the Sinjar mountain range. They were driven there by militants with the Islamic State (IS), and have been relying largely on international aid drops for food and water.
Officials say any relocation effort likely would involve international partners.

David Axelrod Hits Hillary Clinton Over Foreign Policy Dig

Ouch.
David Axelrod lashed out at Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, taking her to task for her recent comments criticizing President Barack Obama's foreign policy doctrine.
"Just to clarify: 'Don't do stupid stuff' means stuff like occupying Iraq in the first place, which was a tragically bad decision," Obama’s former top adviser wrote on Twitter.

Clinton, of course, voted in favor of the Iraq war resolution in 2002, a decision which many blame for her eventual defeat in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries.
Axelrod’s dig came in response to Clinton’s interview in The Atlantic which was published over the weekend. In the interview with Jeffrey Goldberg, she distanced herself from Obama’s foreign policy approach.
“Great nations need organizing principles, and ‘Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle,” she said.
Obama has long used the motto "Don't do stupid stuff" to summarize his foreign policy doctrine.
She also called Obama’s inaction in Syria a “failure” and claimed it was responsible for the rise of jihadists in the area. 

Administration warns some could lose health-care coverage on federal exchange

Federal health officials are warning hundreds of thousands of people who have bought health plans through the federal insurance exchange that their coverage will be cut off unless they quickly provide proof that their citizenship or immigration status makes them eligible to be insured through the new marketplace.
The warnings, in letters being mailed this week to 310,000 people in the three dozen states that rely on the exchange, give the recipients until Sept. 5 to send copies of green cards, citizenship documents or other information showing that they qualify for the coverage. If they miss the deadline, their coverage will end on Sept. 30.
This move is the first step the administration has taken to hold consumers accountable when information on their applications conflicts with records on file at federal agencies or is missing altogether.
The action, announced Tuesday, will affect only people with lingering eligibility issues involving their citizenship or immigration status. They are included in about 2 million cases of several kinds of application discrepancies involving people who have obtained coverage through the exchange.

After criticism of Obama policy, Hillary Clinton to party with President

Edgartown, Mass. (CNN) — Only days after offering a stinging rebuke of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, Hillary Clinton plans to attend a party in Martha’s Vineyard alongside the President on Wednesday.

The former top diplomat, on the tiny Massachusetts island to promote her book, will find herself at the same social gathering as Obama and his wife, first lady Michelle Obama, on Wednesday night.
The party is at the island home of Vernon Jordan, who acted as an adviser to former President Bill Clinton during his White House years. He’s married to a cousin of Valerie Jarrett, a top Obama aide.
“The President and First Lady are very much looking forward to the occasion and seeing Former Secretary Clinton,” a White House official said.
Earlier in the day, Clinton is slated to promote her book, “Hard Choices,” in Vineyard Haven at the Bunch of Grapes bookstore.
Over the weekend, the former secretary of state appeared to harshly criticize her former boss’ foreign policy choices in an interview with “The Atlantic,” saying the decision not to arm Syrian rebels had led to Islamic militants taking over swaths of territory in the region.
"The failure to help build up a credible fighting force of the people who were the originators of the protests against Assad – there were Islamists, there were secularists, there was everything in the middle – the failure to do that left a big vacuum, which the jihadists have now filled," Clinton said.
She also took a hit at an oft-repeated phrase Obama uses to sum up his foreign policy choices — “don’t do stupid stuff.”
"Great nations need organizing principles, and ‘Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle," Clinton told The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg.
Wednesday's Clinton-Obama encounter was first reported by Politico.
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