Women's News

BBC News has an article called "Inside the radio station helping Egyptian divorcees." Apparently there are more divorces now in Egypt, since the law was changed to allow a woman to ask for a divorce without the husband agreeing. There's still a stigma attached to divorced women, but radio shows, magazines, and clubs are helping these women make the decision and learn to live with it.

Apparently there is a group called the "International Women’s Commission for a Just and Sustainable Israeli-Palestinian Peace." They are calling for an end to the Gaza blockade, and a 2-state solution.

Flotilla still approaching

The MV Rachel Corrie is still on its wait to Gaza. It should arrive Saturday morning.

Three more activists were returned to Turkey. Apparently they were more seriously injured, so it took longer for them to be able to return. And two others are still in Israel in serious condition, unable to return at this time.

US Representative Barney Franks (Jewish) initially had some harsh words about the attack on the aid ships, but then backed down. The first article also says that "A Maine filmmaker hired to document the blockade-running flotilla, Scott Hamann, 29, of South Portland, also was being detained."

On Wednesday, Glenn Greenwald was on MSNBC, trying to explain that the flotilla was not controlled by Hamas, and disputing the "Netanyahu aides." Worth a look.

Israel attacks aid ships? Update IV

One of the ships in the flotilla was the MV Rachel Corrie (named after the American college student killed by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003) was apparently not attacked, because it had engine trouble and had fallen behind. Said engine trouble may have been caused by Israel. If I have read everything correctly, the MV Rachel Corrie is currently still on its way to Gaza, and the leader of Ireland has already warned Israel against hurting any of its passengers. The ship belongs to the Irish branch of the Free Gaza Movement, and one of the passengers is Nobel peace laureate Máiread Maguire.


edit: I am adding the tag "flotilla" to the previous posts.

What the hell is going on?

Alright, things may be getting scary. A friend sent me a link saying that Turkey will be sending another aid flotilla to Gaza, but this time the Turkish Navy will escort it! Following the links brought me to this article, out of India, which appears to be where the story originated. And Ian Walsh has some succinct comments on what might happen if Israel and Turkey went to war.

Turkey and Israel have military and economic ties. Some of the military ties are still there, but Turkey has called off some joint military drills and stopped energy projects.

United Nations: "UN Human Rights Council [yesterday] voted to dispatch an independent, international probe into violations of international law resulting from Israel’s actions."

My favorite post of the day is from Juan Cole. Here it is in it's entirety:

Hey, Tea Party. A foreign navy boarded an unarmed ship flying the flag of a NATO member in international waters and shot dead an American citizen with four bullets to the head and one in the chest on Memorial Day. It did this while the head of the belligerent state was on his way to a state visit to Washington, DC, to be awarded a further $200 million in aid on top of the $3 billion of American taxpayer money the US gives away to him every year.

If you are not upset by this, your tea is weak, man. Weak."

Non-Violent Protests

This article is from April, but it's about non-violent protests in the Palestinian areas. There appears to be a growing number of people there who are trying out non-violent protests. This is still in the beginning stages, but it is a start. It's harder to claim justification for shooting protesters, when they aren't throwing rocks at you.

Israel attacks aid ships? Update III

This is not going to go away, like other incidents have in the past. Turkey is not letting the situation die down. They are very upset - it's still front page news there. Turkey is demanding that the blockade be lifted, and that an impartial group look into the attack. The UN also wants the blockade lifted, and even the Obama administration may be changing its mind.

Eight of the nine killed were Turkish, and prayers were held for them today. The group that organized the flotilla says that 3 activists are still missing.

It's still front page news in Israel too, and some of the Haaretz columnists are really hammering Israel.

If you're looking for alternative voices in Israel, be sure to check out this blog in Haaretz: A Special Place in Hell.

Israel attacks aid ships? Update II

Slate has some very interesting articles on the incident:

Is Israel's blockade of Gaza against the law? - maybe. The law is not completely clear. But seizing a ship in International Waters is illegal.

That's No Way To Enforce a Blockade - this article asks a lot of relevant questions, like, how did a group of Israeli commandos get their asses kicked by civilians; and why did they stop the ships in International Waters. Definitely worth a read.

For a slightly different take on the situation, check out What's to investigate? We know what happened to the Gaza flotilla.

On a lighter note: Yazidi pics

Check out these photos of a Yazidi temple in Iraq. Beautiful!

Israel attacks aid ships? Update I

Well, Turkey is really pissed off. The attacked ship was Turkish, and there were many Turks on board. Here's some more information:

BBC News has a rundown on the Gaza blockade.

BBC News also has info on why Israel maintains the blockade.

This Yahoo! article has the Israeli footage of the attack.

The Turks want an international investigation, and they have demanded the release of their people, and Israel has said it is deporting everyone involved.

This whole thing is a giant mess, but at least it is highlighting the problem. Israel has blockaded Gaza for about three years now, as the humanitarian problems there have worsened. It's not clear if the blockade is even legal, aside from the fact that the attack took place outside of the blockade limit [Note: does that mean international waters?]. Perhaps this whole situation will come to a head and the US will look at what is actually happening, instead of just listening to what Israel says is happening.

Jesus vs. Muhammad

Remember all those cartoons about Muhammad? And most Westerners were screaming "freedom of speech" and thought they should be showed? Well, Comedy Central is now working on a program about Jesus. This has caused a number of religious leaders to form the Coalition Against Religious Bigotry (CARB). They're accusing Comedy Central of a double standard, since Comedy Central censored South Park's Muhammad episodes. [Note: I have to agree that is a double standard.] I'm just wondering how the rest of the Western World will view this situation. Will the Jesus show air? Or will people be outraged because it's a Christian parody and not a Muslim one?

Top Stories May 31, 2010

Al-Ahram (Egypt): Notes on the Nile - an article about the nations on the Nile, and utilizing its waters. [Note: this is a weekly magazine, not a daily.]

Jerusalem Post: Barak: Flotilla organizers to blame for 15 dead activists - There were 6 ships, but one of them was run by the IHH. Israel says the IHH attacked them and they were defending themselves.

Russian News Agency: Russia slams Israel over deadly raid on aid ship - Russia decries the attack and calls for an end to the blockade.

The BBC Middle East page has links to the current situation, as well as background info on the blockade of Gaza.

Israel attacks aid ships?

I rarely comment on the situation in Palestine-Israel, because anyone who says anything bad about Israel is generally called an anti-Semite, and even academics have been known to have trouble finding jobs because of what they have said. So here goes:

The Gaza Strip has been sealed off for several years now, effectively making it into a large prison. Israel says it has been doing this to stop Hamas, although it does not seem to be working. Israel claims that Gaza is fine and does not need any humanitarian help. Today, several aid ships set sail to the port at Gaza to deliver various supplies, ranging from water purifiers to cement. Israel said it would stop them. According to several sources (Turkish Daily News, Haaretz, BBC, World Bulletin (Turkish)) Israel attacked the ships and there may be dozens injured and another dozen dead. Reports are still sketchy. This set off an angry protest in Istanbul, at the Israeli consulate.

I'm looking forward to what the mainstream US media will say about this situation, assuming they cover it all, since Monday is Memorial Day. More later.

Yemen Roundup

Alright, let's do a Yemen roundup, since they've really made the news this week.

An American-Yemeni cleric who is probably part of al-Qa'eda has called for Muslims to kill Americans around the world. He also has links to the Fort Hood shooter, and the underwear bomber.

The deputy governor of Maarib province was trying to get an al-Qa'eda member to surrender. Unfortunately, he was accidentally killed by the Yemeni army, who was trying to bomb the militant. The local tribes were really upset about the deputy governor, so they blew up an oil pipeline.

The Yemeni government is helping UNICEF and others in their push to keep young girls in school. In some areas, young girls quit school early to work, so that their brothers can continue to get an education. Since one of the primary ways to get children educated is to have an educated mother, this is a very big deal. If you educate a man, you generally have one person educated. But if you educate a woman, who is staying at home raising children, then she in turn begins to educate the children. And it shows girls that they are worth an education because their mother has one.

Women's Rights in the Middle East

For all of those people who think that women's rights in the Middle East are abysmal (which they are in some areas) here's a news story courtesy of the BBC: "West Bank rabbi bans women from local election." Apparently a woman wanted to run for the position of community secretary, so she wrote her local rabbi to ask permission. He then wrote a letter in their local newsletter saying that women could not run for election, because that would give a woman authority, and women cannot have authority! In marriage, men have the authority.

As you can imagine, a number of Israeli women are upset by his comments. Personally, I found this slightly amusing. I'm completely for women's rights, let me state that first. But considering how many times Israel is held up as a modern state in the backwards Middle East, it's ironic when a rabbi starts acting like one of those "backward imams." Pot, meet kettle.

Update: Yemen: American Couple Kidnapped

According to the BBC, the couple has now been released. The BBC didn't say if the tribe's demands had been met, but the Yemen Times had a big article about the president releasing a number of political prisoners and members of the press. Yemen separated into North and South Yemen, only to reunite in 1990. But they've never really solidified the union. There was a civil war in 1994, there has been a tribal uprising, and al-Qaeda has a significant presence there too. Add poverty to that, and it's a mess. It's really a shame, because it's a beautiful country and has several areas designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Women's Rights in Yemen

I came across this article while looking up information on the kidnapped Americans. Apparently, the fight for women's rights has finally reached the rural community in Yemen. Some of the men are complaining that their women are rebelling. The women are just excited that they have rights and are now demanding them. They even stopped the marriage of a 12-year-old girl, by convincing her to defy her father by not giving her consent to the marriage. Be sure to check it out.

Yemen: American Couple Kidnapped

Two American tourists were kidnapped in Yemen, in the capital city of Sanaa. This is not unusual for Yemen, unfortunately. In the last decade, there have been a number of kidnappings. The good news is that the kidnappers are tribesmen. The tribes have kidnapped people in the past, for political reasons, and these peoples are generally returned in good health. It's been when Al-Qaeda kidnaps people in Yemen that they die. So, as scary as the situation is for the families, it will probably turn out alright.

This hasn't showed up in the Yemen Times yet, but they do have an article on two Chinese men who had been kidnapped and are now free.

Top Stories May 24, 2010

Hurriyet (Turkey): Turkish mine explosion coverage 'exaggerated,' PM says - apparently there was a mine explosion last week and several miners were killed. I'm not sure how that gets "exaggerated." If you read this article, be sure to check out the first comment - it's a doozy!

The Jordan Times: King urges active participation in polls - parliamentary elections are being held later this year, and the king wants people to get out and vote. And yes, women can vote in Jordan. According to the CIA World Factbook, their House of Representatives has 110 seats and "6 seats are reserved for women, 9 seats are reserved for Christian candidates, 9 seats are reserved for Bedouin candidates, and 3 seats are reserved for Jordanians of Chechen or Circassian descent.

Haaretz (Israel): Report: Israel offered to sell nuclear weapons to apartheid South Africa - well, I certainly was not expecting this headline on the front page. This article quotes an article from The Guardian (UK) about a new book from an American researcher who found documents on nuclear talks between Israel and South Africa in the 1970s. Apparently a nuclear deal didn't quite go through, but Israel did sell tritium to SA and there may have been a joint nuclear test in late 1979.

Where did all the newspapers go?

I thought I'd get a start on a Monday Top Stories post, but it appears that quite a few of my news links are out of date. I'll try to get those updated, and have a Top Stories post for tomorrow.

Coming Soon!

I've spent the last year dealing with a serious health issue and family tragedy, but I am doing much better now. The Gator will be returning shortly, insha'allah!