U.S. urges Israel to sign anti-nuclear arms treaty
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- Written by Reuters Reuters
- Published: 05 May 2009 05 May 2009
- Hits: 2844 2844
India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel should join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the global pact meant to limit the spread of atomic weapons, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.
Speaking on the second day of a two-week meeting of the 189 signatories of the pact, Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller also defended a U.S.-India civilian nuclear deal, which developing nations have complained rewards New Delhi for staying outside the NPT.
"Universal adherence to the NPT itself, including by India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea ... remains a fundamental objective of the United States," Gottemoeller told the meeting, which hopes to agree on an agenda and plan to overhaul the treaty at a review conference next year.
Speaking to reporters later, she declined to say whether Washington would take any new steps to press Israel to join the treaty and give up any nuclear weapons it has. Israel neither confirms nor denies whether it has what arms control experts assume to be a sizable atomic arsenal.
"The administration of President Barack Obama was encouraging all holdouts to join the treaty," she said.
Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have never signed the treaty. North Korea withdrew from it in 2003 and tested a nuclear device in 2006.
At the NPT meeting, developing countries have criticized the endorsement of the U.S.-India nuclear agreement by the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, an informal club of the world's top producers of nuclear-related technology.
The group agreed in September to lift a ban on nuclear trade with India, imposed after New Delhi's first nuclear test in 1974.
Delegates from poor nations complain that the endorsement was tantamount to rewarding India for remaining outside the treaty and secretly developing nuclear weapons. In contrast, they say, developing states are denied access to sensitive technology because they are often deemed proliferation risks.
Gottemoeller defended the agreement. "India is coming closer to the non-proliferation regime," she said.
She cited India's willingness to work with Washington in pushing for a binding international treaty that would prohibit the further production of bomb-grade nuclear material and by improving its nuclear export controls.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali Hosseini on Monday railed against the United States and what he said was its continued nuclear support for the "Zionist regime" (Israel). Western diplomats called this an attempt to divert attention away from its own nuclear program.
In failing to mention Iran even once in her speech, Gottemoeller broke from a tradition established by the administration of former President George W. Bush, which had used NPT meetings to criticize Iran and North Korea.
Gottemoeller said that Iran came up indirectly in her statement when she spoke of the need for "consequences for those breaking the rules or withdrawing from the treaty."
Obama has offered Iran's leaders direct talks on a wide range of issues, including its nuclear program. Tehran has reacted coolly to the U.S. overtures nearly three decades after Washington severed ties with Tehran during a hostage crisis.
The West suspects Iran is developing weapons under cover of a civilian atomic energy program, a charge Tehran denies.
Gottemoeller also reiterated commitments to disarmament that Obama made in a speech in Prague last month. She said the United States would continue its two-decade long moratorium on testing nuclear explosives and urged others to follow suit.
Pelosi the Hawk
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- Written by Stephen Zunes Stephen Zunes
- Published: 05 May 2009 05 May 2009
- Hits: 2867 2867
Reports by international human rights groups and from within Israel in recent weeks have revealed the massive scale of war-crimes and other violations of international humanitarian law, committed by Israeli forces during their three-week offensive against the Gaza Strip earlier this year. Despite this, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has steadfastly stood by her insistence that the U.S.-backed Israeli government has no legal or moral responsibility for the tragic consequence of the war.
This is just one episode in a long history of efforts by Pelosi to undermine international humanitarian law, in regards to actions by a country she has repeatedly referred to as America’s most important ally in the Middle East. It’s also part of her overall right-wing agenda in the Middle East. As the powerful Speaker of the House, Pelosi could very well undermine efforts by President Barack Obama in the coming years to moderate U.S. policy toward that volatile region.
Call for action - Leonard Cohen plans concert in Tel Aviv
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- Written by AUPHR AUPHR
- Published: 05 May 2009 05 May 2009
- Hits: 2626 2626
Call for action - Leonard Cohen plans concert in Tel Aviv
Please forward to groups and activists along his path
As many of you might be aware, Leonard Cohen’s world tour, that started 3 May 2009, is scheduled to end 24 September in Tel Aviv.
BRICUP have written him an open letter urging him to cancel the concert in Tel Aviv www.bricup.org.uk/index.html#lcohen .
Their call has been followed by a letter from Israelis, which can be seen at http://kedma.co.il/index.php?id=2426&t=pages (English follows the Hebrew letter) and at http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10493.shtml
It would be great if pressure could be applied during his tour by local groups along his path. Letters, and various actions, might prove instrumental in helping him take the decision to cancel his last concert. It is obvious the situation in Palestine and Israel is quite clear to him, to judge by his song QUESTIONS FOR SHOMRIM: http://www.auphr.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3220&Itemid=84((
You can write to him through his manager, Mr Robert Kory This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
You might also consider signing up to his website and chatting there about his Tel Aviv concert.
Some of the cities his tour will include are listed below. See http://www.leonardcohen.com/tour.cgi for full listing
USA (May 5-17, May 29-June 2): Minneapolis- Minnesota, Edmonton and Calgary - Alberta, Chicago – Illinois, Detroit- Michigan, Columbia – Maryland, Philadelphia- Pennsylvania, New York City-NY, Boston- Massachusetts, Denver- Colorado
CANADA (May 19-26): Hamilton, Kingston, London, Ottawa-Ontario, Quebec City- Quebec
FRANCE (July 6-9): St. Herblain, Paris, Toulouse, Vienne
UK (July 11,14): London, Liverpool, Belfast (July 26)
IRELAND (July 19-23): Dublin
NORWAY (July 16-17): Langesund, Molde
PORTUGAL (July 30): Lisbon
SPAIN (July 31-August 15, September 12-17): Sevilla, Palma De Mallorca, Girona, Madrid, Granada, Bilbao, Barcelona
ISRAEL (September 24, if we are not successful): Tel Aviv
Israelis call on musician Leonard Cohen to cancel concert
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- Written by Open letter, various undersigned Open letter, various undersigned
- Published: 05 May 2009 05 May 2009
- Hits: 2828 2828
Open letter, various undersigned, 29 April 2009
Dear Leonard Cohen,
We are Jews, Palestinians, Israeli citizens, who hold your poetry and music in high esteem, and it is because of this respect for your artistic contributions and your moral Buddhist commitment to "save all beings" that we hope that our appeal to you to cancel your planned performance in Israel will not fall on deaf ears.
Israel is facing one of its most immoral historical moments. Its ruthless, criminal bashing of the Palestinians has been met with little international criticism or curbing. The silence of most of the world's governments continues to embolden successive Israeli governments to commit more violent acts. Israel has violated numerous international laws, but so far for Israeli Jews life in Israel goes on as if nothing happened. Indeed, your people, Cohen, have built "a new Dachau, And call it love, Security, Jewish culture," as you have so perceptively put it yourself in "Questions for Shomrim," but only a few voices have been raised against these injustices.
It is left for us, citizens of the world, to condemn Israeli atrocities and crimes against humanity. Dissociating ourselves from Israel's brutal policies is the only nonviolent way now to avoid becoming complicit in the killing, the wounding and the maiming, and the robbing of Palestinians. Faced with all this and more, Palestinians are calling on all people to support their struggle for their basic rights. Unfortunately, recognizing Palestinian rights will require a fundamental shift in Israeli society. We suspect that this change will be achieved only via external pressure. The least that one can do in such a situation is not act as if it is business as usual. We see our society becoming more and more calloused and racist and given your longstanding, vocal commitment to justice, we cannot envision you cooperating with continued Israeli defiance of justice and morality; we cannot envision you playing a part in the Israeli charade of self-righteousness. We appeal to you to add your voice to those brave people the world over who boycott Israel. We urge you to cancel your planned performance in Israel.
Undersigned:
Noa Abend, Adv. Ahmad M. Amara, Iris Bar, Yoav Barak, Ronnie Barkan, Smadar Carmon, Adi Dagan, Dr. Aim Deuelle Luski, Yvonne Deutsch, Diana Dolev, Shai Efrati, Prof. Nomi Erteschik-Shir, Naama Farjoun, Eva Ferrero, Racheli Gai, Prof. Rachel Giora, Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, Amos Gvirtz, Tal Haran, Iris Hefets, Ruth Hiller, Tikva Honig-Parnass, Dr. Irit Katriel, Gal Katz, Adam Keller, Yael Lerer, Yossef Lubovsky, Olivia Magnan, Ya'acov Manor, Eilat Maoz
Dr. Ruchama Marton, Dr. Anat Matar, Haggai Matar, Rela Mazali, Dorothy Naor, Dr. David Nir, Dr. Nurit Peled, Leiser Peles, Jonathan Pollak, Yonatan Shapira, Dr. Kobi Snitz, Kerstin Sodergren, Amir Terkel, Adi Winter, Beate
Israeli Arabs sue bus company for refusing to let them board
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- Written by Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
- Published: 05 May 2009 05 May 2009
- Hits: 2838 2838
The four residents of Kafr Qasem allege that the company discriminated against them, treating them in a "demeaning and humiliating manner" because of their background and ethnicity.
Each of four plaintiffs is demanding NIS 50,000 in compensation.
The plaintiffs allege that they sought to board the company's 186 line to Kafr Qassem in late January only to be denied entry by the driver after he inspected their identification cards and discovered that they were Arabs.
The four say that they were removed from the bus in a humiliating fashion while non-Arab passengers boarded the bus unhindered. They also say the driver refused to give them his personal and professional information.
According to the law suit presented Monday to the Kfar Sava Magistrate's Court, the plaintiffs have suffered extreme anxiety and deep humiliation as a result of the ordeal.
The plaintiff's attorneys say that they asked Dan to clarify offer their version of the incident and issue a public apology, but did not receive an adequate