Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Israel needs a few more lessons in apartheid - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Scholars of the social sciences know how to defend a public opinion survey. In their way of thinking, this is a scientific tool with which it is possible to assess feelings and understand positions and trends at any given time. Together with these "quiz shows" that supply the masses with a glimpse of the mood of the public, we are also able to familiarize ourselves with the personal feelings, points of view and tendencies of those who conduct the polls.

Zionism did not merely pave paths of ethnic discrimination in the occupied territories. Discrimination against civilians exists in every corner of the country. Research institutes and the media, whether intentionally or not, cooperate with this discrimination and also perpetuate it. In parallel to that, the slogan "a light unto the nations" is repeated here ad nauseum. It is therefore worthwhile comparing the situation in Israel with that among "the nations."

Take, for example, the Population Registry Law. During the era of apartheid in South Africa, the citizens of that country were forced to register themselves with the authorities on the basis of their skin color: white, black or colored. In Israel it is not possible to oblige people to sign up in the registry according to their race or color, since the Jews themselves belong to assorted colors and races: Some are white because they came from Poland or Russia, and others are dark skinned - from Yemen or Ethiopia. With no other option, the Zionist mind was forced to invent a unique solution that was suitable to this place, and which answers the need for separation, and thus it was that the registration was born, of Jews, Arabs, Druze and so forth, in the Israeli Interior Ministry.

Another discriminatory law that was enacted in South Africa allotted separate living areas to different races. One can compare it with the local law about selection committees, whose entire objective is to make it possible for various community settlements to chose who will be allowed to become members - based on ethnic background.

Recently the state has managed to peek into the bedrooms of the Arab citizens via the Citizenship Law, which places restrictions on their marriages. And the last word has not been said on this matter.

The election season is drawing close here. This will no doubt bring blessings and money to all who deal with it, first and foremost the polling institutes. From reports about the surveys we can learn that ethnic separation is alive and well, both in these institutes themselves as well as in most of the Israeli media. Indeed, the latter will pounce on the polls' findings. Politicians will rush to check their popularity among herds of voters. The disappointed politicians who lack inspiration and intelligence will turn to recipes supplied to them by the witch doctors known as media advisers. These witch doctors will instruct the aspiring politicians how to win the support of the masses. Between them and their followers, they will no doubt explain that a political platform is not as important as the show: The more the hopefuls sweat, run around and appear on every screen, the greater their chances of influencing the average voter.

The public opinion surveys also tell us, as noted, about those who conduct them. "If elections were to be held now," the pollsters tell us, this party would get this number of seats, and that party would get that number of seats. Then, at the very end of the detailed report about this and that, within the context of the "menu" of Jewish-democratic parties, will come the eternal sentence: "And the Arab parties will receive such and such a number of seats." Because in the eyes of every "educated" Zionist, every single Arab is an Ahmed, or is assumed to be an Ahmed.

It is therefore not clear why so much time and money is being spent. After all, the election results are a forgone conclusion: 110 Knesset seats to the Jewish parties and 10 seats to the Arab parties - is that not so? Here is yet another lesson in the apartheid sciences

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Ethiopian & Eritrean dictators are using the tourist hostage as a pretext for war rather than simply let them go free

 The two horn of African dictators have been in war since 1998. They have transformed the proxy war int o hostage taking and killing of Innocent civilian and continue accusing one another  and taking their case to the UN to prove legitimacy to their in human actions. Both countries have been hell for their respective inhabitants , those e leaving their countries are  in hundred thousands every month. Both are  enemy grounds to any kind of free journalism. Both continually imprisoned their oppositions with out any human considerations. Both act like they are in the struggle. Both never be able  to create a stable state institution  rather they are destroying they one they received form the previous rulers.
 An Ethiopian rebel group said the country’s government is blocking the release of two German hostages the fighters are holding. Communications Minister Bereket Simon denied the allegation.
The two Germans and two Ethiopians were abducted during a Jan. 17 attack on a group of tourists on the edge of Erta Ale volcano in the northeastern region of Afar that killed two Germans, two Hungarians and an Austrian.
“Bianca Irmer and Jurgen Quick are in our custody and safe and we are more than ready to set them free,” the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, or Arduf, said in an e- mailed statement today. “Ethiopian authorities in the Afar region are out to render these efforts null and void in order to get a plausible pretext to unleash a war on neighboring Eritrea.”
Arduf is backed by Eritrea and the rebel group is responsible for the hostages’ fate, Bereket said in a phone interview today from Addis Ababa, the capital.
“These are the terrorists who attacked the tourists and now they are pretending they have an iota of humanity,” he said. “It is a far-fetched and pretentious accusation.”
Ethiopia’s government has accused Eritrea of being behind the kidnappings and killings of the tourists. The hostages were taken after a gun battle between the Ethiopian army and Arduf in which 16 Ethiopian soldiers died, the group said.
“We have no contact with the Eritrean government but we know for sure they have to take responsibility to ensure their release otherwise they will face the consequences,” Bereket said.
Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a border war from 1998 to 2000 that killed 70,000 people, according to the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. The border dispute that caused the war has not been resolved and troops from both sides are still a heavy presence on parts of the divide.

Ethiopian Rebels Say Ethiopia Blocks Release of Hostages

BusinessWeek - ‎Jan 27, 2012‎
By William Davison Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- An Ethiopian rebel group said the country's government is blocking the release of two German hostages the fighters are holding. Communications Minister Bereket Simon denied the allegation.

Ethiopia RebPublish Postels Say Government Blocks Release of Kidnapped German Tourists

Bloomberg - ‎Jan 27, 2012‎
An Ethiopian rebel group said the country's government is blocking the release of two German hostages the fighters are holding. Communications Minister Bereket Simon denied the allegation. The two Germans and two Ethiopians were abducted during a Jan.

Ethiopia deny claims by rebel group that their troops shot foreign tourists

Washington Post - ‎Jan 24, 2012‎
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — A high-ranking Ethiopian government official says a rebel group's claim that Ethiopian troops killed five European tourists during a gun battle is “pure fiction”. Ethiopia's foreign affairs spokesman Dina Mufti said Monday that ...

Eritrea's track record as destabilizing role in the Horn,

Ethiopian News Journal - ‎7 hours ago‎
The Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO), stands hand in hand with our brothers and sisters in afar regional state, with people of Ethiopia, as well as with International community by denouncing unprovoked Terrorist action by Eritrean ...

Ethiopia: High Time to Exercise Long Overdue Rights of Self Defense

Ethiopian News Journal - ‎7 hours ago‎
It was in last weeks international news coverage that a group of European tourists from several countries (Germany. Belgium, Austria, Hungary and Italy) and few Ethiopian nationals were attacked by a certain terrorist group believed to be trained and ...

Tourism is Dangerous in Ethiopia Thanks to Meles Zenawi By Amanuel Biedemariam

Abugidainfo - ‎9 hours ago‎
Late Monday on January 16, 2012, Ethiopia reported two Germans, two Hungarians and an Austrian were killed in a deadly attack in Ethiopia's North-Eastern Afar region. During the attacks, a Hungarian and Italian were wounded while two Germans had been ...

Ethiopian tourist abductions and attacks blamed on Eritrea

eTurboNews - ‎21 hours ago‎
By Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome, eTN Uganda | Jan 27, 2012 (eTN) - Eritrea's dictatorial and radical regime has been fingered by Eritrean opposition groups, Ethiopian, and other international sources for alleged complicity in the recent spate of attacks on ...

27/01/2012Ethiopian rebels want 'speedy release' of German hostages

Expatica Germany - ‎Jan 27, 2012‎
Ethiopian rebels said Friday they support the "speedy release" of two German tourists seized in a gunfight last week that left five Europeans dead, but accused Ethiopia of "sabotaging" talks. "The two German nationals... are in our custody and safe," ...

Insecurity rules on the steps of the empire

Africa Intelligence - ‎Jan 27, 2012‎

Wounded Tourists From Afar Attack Arrive in Ethiopian Capital

Ezega - ‎Jan 25, 2012‎
January 25, 2012 - Tourists who faced harrowing ordeal at the hands of rebels in Afar region of Ethiopia arrived in Addis Ababa, according to the Reporter. The tourists were visiting a volcanic region in Ethiopia's northern Afar region, ...

South Sudan 'to complete shutdown' of oil production BBC News -


Salva Mayardit Kiir, President of South Sudan attends talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa January 27, 2012 South Sudanese President Salva Kiir held talks with his Sudanese counterpart in Ethiopia on Friday

South Sudan says it will complete the shutdown of its oil production on Saturday, after attempts to resolve a dispute with Sudan failed.

The presidents of both countries held talks in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, but were not able to sign a deal.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July, and uses its northern neighbour's infrastructure to export its oil.

The two countries disagree about how much this should cost.

Oil transit fees are a big part of Sudan's budget. The country lost most of its oil producing areas when the south became independent.

It accuses South Sudan of not paying its fees, and has started seizing oil in lieu of those fees.

'Stealing'

Reuters reports - citing industry sources - that Sudan has already sold at least one cargo of crude oil seized from South Sudan at a discount of millions of dollars, and is offering more.

South Sudan accused Sudan of "stealing" its oil and announced last week it would halt production.

Stopping oil production takes away South Sudan's main source of income, but the BBC's Sudan correspondent, James Copnall, says the world's newest country is showing no sign of backing down in what is being called the "oil war".

The president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, and his South Sudanese counterpart, Salva Kiir, have been holding talks in Addis Ababa, brokered by the leaders of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. They have failed to reach an agreement.

South Sudan's lead negotiator at the talks, Pagan Amum, said the shutdown was nearly complete and would be finished on Saturday.

"The day after would be finishing the cleaning and the flushing of the facilities so that they are preserved," he said.

Correspondents say the row over oil has created the greatest crisis between the two countries since South Sudan became independent, and has stoked fears of a return to war.

A map showing South Sudan and Sudan's oil fields

Ethiopia Rebels Say Government Blocks Release of Kidnapped German Tourists - Bloomberg

An Ethiopian rebel group said the country’s government is blocking the release of two German hostages the fighters are holding. Communications Minister Bereket Simon denied the allegation.

The two Germans and two Ethiopians were abducted during a Jan. 17 attack on a group of tourists on the edge of Erta Ale volcano in the northeastern region of Afar that killed two Germans, two Hungarians and an Austrian.

“Bianca Irmer and Jurgen Quick are in our custody and safe and we are more than ready to set them free,” the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, or Arduf, said in an e- mailed statement today. “Ethiopian authorities in the Afar region are out to render these efforts null and void in order to get a plausible pretext to unleash a war on neighboring Eritrea.”

Arduf is backed by Eritrea and the rebel group is responsible for the hostages’ fate, Bereket said in a phone interview today from Addis Ababa, the capital.

“These are the terrorists who attacked the tourists and now they are pretending they have an iota of humanity,” he said. “It is a far-fetched and pretentious accusation.”

Ethiopia’s government has accused Eritrea of being behind the kidnappings and killings of the tourists. The hostages were taken after a gun battle between the Ethiopian army and Arduf in which 16 Ethiopian soldiers died, the group said.

“We have no contact with the Eritrean government but we know for sure they have to take responsibility to ensure their release otherwise they will face the consequences,” Bereket said.

Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a border war from 1998 to 2000 that killed 70,000 people, according to the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. The border dispute that caused the war has not been resolved and troops from both sides are still a heavy presence on parts of the divide.

To contact the reporter on this story: William Davison in Addis Ababa atwdavison3@bloomberg.net.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Ethiopian issues raise protests - Cleveland Jewish News: Marcy Oster


Last week, nearly 5,000 Israelis came out to rally against racism and discrimination against Jews of Ethiopian descent.

The rally came in the wake of reports that a group of landlords and homeowners in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Malachi agreed not to rent or sell their homes to Ethiopian Jews. Kiryat Malachi is home to many immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union, as are several other southern towns and the city of Beersheva.

In my 11 years here, this is the first time that I have heard of such a deal struck to prevent Ethiopian Israelis from living in a particular community. That is not to say that incidents of racism have not occurred, and they have - against Ethiopian Jews, Jews from the former Soviet Union, and migrant workers.

Israelis acted quickly. A rally in the town was

followed by the larger protest in Jerusalem. It has since been followed with calls in the Knesset to make such discrimination punishable with fines and prison terms.

Prior to these incidents, the Knesset agreed to include Ethiopian Israelis in a program for affirmative action in the civil service system, leading to an increase of hundreds in hires from that community. The prime minister's office allocated 860 million shekels (almost $227 million) beginning in 2008 over five years for an integration program for Ethiopian Israelis, emphasizing on mortgage assistance. The Ethiopian Sigd holiday was declared a national holiday.

It really rubbed me the wrong way when I read in The Jerusalem Post that Ethiopian Israelis are now turning to American Jews to pressure the Israeli government to do more for the Ethiopian community.

"We know that we are here because of generous donations from the Jews in the Diaspora, and we will never forget their assistance - but first we want them to know that the funds they have donated are not reaching the Ethiopian community, and we want to ask them for their help in making a real change," Gadi Yevarkan, director of the Center for Social Equality for the Ethiopian Jews, told The Jerusalem Post.

Resettling Ethiopian Jews cannot be cheap. They come with few skills, from a backward way of life, and with no proficiency in Hebrew. Integration takes time. But to accuse Israel of misusing funds earmarked for the Ethiopian community seems to be misdirected frustration and anger.

How many countries would airlift thousands of starving Africans and resettle them in their country, continuing to bring more than 1,000 each year, knowing the difficulties?

The system is not perfect, but for as many sad stories as there are out there, there are success stories, from the 20-something first-grade teacher at my children's elementary school to a member of Knesset.

US military raid in Somalia frees hostages - The Sydney Morning Herald Video -

US military raid in Somalia frees hostages (02:22)

Nine kidnappers killed, and an American and Danish hostage freed after US Navy SEALs parachute into Somalia under cover of darkness.26/01/12