From PressTV
Israel forces shoot dead Palestinian fisherman off Gaza coast
Israeli forces have gunned down a Palestinian fisherman off the coast of the Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry says.
The 32-year-old Palestinian man died at hospital in Gaza City after the Israeli naval forces fired at him and two other fishermen who were in the same boat on Saturday, Ashraf al-Qudra said.
According to the spokesman, the two other fishermen were arrested by Israeli forces.
The Israeli army has not yet commented on the shooting.
From PressTV
Israeli torture of Palestine inmates sharply rises: Report
A new report has revealed a sharp increase in the torture of Palestinian inmates at the hands of the interrogators of the notorious Israeli spying service Shin Bet in the second half of 2014.
Citing defense lawyers representing Palestinian prisoners, Israeli daily Haaretz reported Friday that instances of torture by Shin Bet agents climbed from eight cases in the first half of 2014 to a whopping 51 cases in the second half of the year.
The information, which was collected from Israeli military courts and a group called the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, points to the common use of torture tactics such as sleep deprivation, beatings, shaking and tying detainees in pressure positions for extended periods, the report said.
According to the daily, in some cases torture by Shin Bet interrogators has forced suspects to give false confessions under duress and admit to crimes they never committed.
In one of the many cases, a Palestinian, who was detained on suspicion of abducting and killing three Israeli settlers in June 2014, was tortured into falsely admitting to involvement in the incident.
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From Russia Today
Germany slams NATO European commander’s comments on Ukraine as ‘dangerous propaganda’ – Spiegel
A top NATO European commander’s exaggerated comments on the Ukrainian conflict are ‘dangerous propaganda,’ and put the West at risk of losing credibility, sources in the German Chancellor’s Office told Der Spiegel.
General Philip Breedlove made harsh remarks on the situation in Ukraine on Wednesday, saying that the self-defense forces, with the assistance of Russia, have prepared “over a thousand combat vehicles” and“sophisticated air defense, battalions of artillery” in the south-east of the country.
“What is clear is that right now it is not getting better, it is getting worse every day,” NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) concluded.
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From The Times of Israel
Ex-Mossad chief says PM misled Congress on Iran breakout time
Meir Dagan warns Netanyahu’s apparent readiness to attack Iran is ‘last thing we need,’ but adds Israel still has means to thwart Iranian nuke if all else fails
A former head of the Mossad who served for two years under Benjamin Netanyahu launched a bitter assault on the prime minister Friday, saying Netanyahu knowingly misled Congress in parts of his speech on Tuesday, while also claiming that the prime minister came close to attacking Iran some four years ago despite the united opposition of the security services.
Dagan, who led the Mossad for over eight years from August 2002, also warned that Netanyahu’s policies on the Palestinians risked turning Israel into an apartheid state.
In a Channel 2 interview, Dagan said it was “bullshit” for Netanyahu to claim that Iran’s breakout time to the bomb under the terms of a possible deal would be about a year by the US assessment, and even shorter by Israel’s. “The time would be longer,” Dagan said.
Dagan also contradicted Netanyahu’s claim that Iran’s missile program could allow it to deliver a nuclear warhead to “every part of the United States.” Iran’s missiles “cannot reach the US,” he said, adding that Netanyahu knows this.
Dagan said that Netanyahu, in his speech, seemed to signal a readiness to attack Iran, and that this was “the last thing we need.”
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From Russia Today
Netanyahu’s govt more ‘frightening’ than all Israel’s enemies – fmr Mossad chief
Israel is suffering the “worst crisis since its creation” under Netanyahu’s leadership, a former Mossad director told a crowd of nearly 50,000 in Tel Aviv. The anti-government rally was orchestrated and funded from abroad, said the ruling Likud party.
Delivering his keynote speech, Meir Dagan, the former Mossad director spoke of the government’s lack of vision and inability to properly direct the country surrounded by enemies.
“I am frightened by our leadership. I am afraid because of the lack of vision and a loss of direction. I am frightened by the hesitation and the stagnation [of Israel’s government]. And I am frightened, above all else, from a crisis in leadership. It is the worst crisis that Israel has seen to this day,” Maj. Gen Dagan told a receptive crowd in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, held under the banner of “Israel wants change.”
From Russia Today
EU mulls naval blockade of Libya to controls arms, oil & refugee flows
The EU is discussing the possibility of setting up a naval blockade of crisis-plagued Libya. The move could help to control oil exports, stem the movement of weapons fueling the conflict, and prevent the flood of refugees from the country into Europe.
“We discussed different options for an EU presence, different ways in which the EU can support also through security measures. This could mean also some naval presence,” European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini said during a press conference after talks in Riga on Saturday.
The discussions, including an earlier-debated option of NATO patrols in the Mediterranean, follow pressure from southern EU countries, particularly France and Italy.
Last week, a UN panel of experts also recommended the establishment of a monitoring force that would prevent the illegal export of oil in addition to monitoring the arms embargo. The special UN envoy to Libya Bernardino Leon told the Italian Corriere della Serra that he was “certain” the “necessary” mission would be approved by the UN.
“There’s a measure that the European Union can take right away: Come out in force to guard the seas off Libya. Italy can’t do it alone. It needs help,” Leon said in an interview published on Saturday.
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From The Times of Israel
Prominent pro-Israel senator may be charged with corruption
Dept. of Justice set to file criminal charges against NJ’s Bob Menendez, sponsor of two key Iran bills, CNN reports
A top pro-Israel Democrat in the US Senate, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), may be charged with corruption following allegations he used his office to advance the business interests of a Democratic donor in exchange for gifts.
Menendez defiantly said Friday he has always been honest in office even as a person familiar with the matter said he’s expected to face criminal charges soon.
“Let me be very clear, I have always conducted myself appropriately and in accordance with the law,” Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said at a press conference in his home state. “Every action that I and my office have taken for the last 23 years that I have been privileged to be in the United States Congress has been based on pursuing the best policies for the people of New Jersey and this entire country.”
CNN first reported Friday that the Justice Department was set to bring corruption charges against the lawmaker centering on his relationship with Dr. Salomon Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist as well as a friend and donor to the lawmaker’s campaigns.
An aide to Menendez issued a statement saying “all of the senator’s actions have been appropriate and lawful and the facts will ultimately confirm that.”
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Many Muslim pupils resist Holocaust education, Dutch lawmakers hear
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (JTA) — A number of Dutch schools refrain from teaching about the Holocaust because of resistance from Muslim pupils, teachers told lawmakers.
The centrist Christian Union party held a roundtable discussion about Holocaust education with teachers and other professionals Wednesday in parliament in The Hague, The Algemeen Dagblad daily reported.
“Holocaust survivor Bloeme Evers does not dare give guest lessons in some schools,” Arie Slob, the party’s parliamentary leader and a former history teacher, told the daily , describing the discussion. “I am horrified by this. It is unacceptable that 70 years after the Holocaust, anti-Semitism in the Netherlands is growing.”
Among the teachers in attendance was Wissam Feriani, a social studies teacher who works at a vocational high school in Amsterdam where approximately half of the students are Muslim.
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From Ynet News
Newlyweds’ Netanyahu protest goes viral
Or and Reut had to get married abroad to have a civil ceremony, and chose to share their frustration online, mocking PM’s response to housing report in the process.
“When we can’t get married like we want in Israel, we don’t for a moment forget life itself,” read the sign held by the newlyweds in an image that went viral online. “The greatest to our lives right now is Iran arming itself with a nuclear weapon.”
Or, 26, and Reut, 27, students at Ben Gurion University in Be’er Sheba, got married on Friday in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The couple would have preferred to have a civil ceremony in Israel, but the law does not allow non-religious marriages.
From The Times of Israel
Egyptians angered by porn at pyramids
Officials launch investigation into how graphic movie was filmed at Giza and the Sphinx
Egyptian officials launched an investigation into how a pornographic movie was filmed at two iconic locations in the country.
The film was reportedly shot in 1997 at the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx during what looks like an organized tour. The movie was uploaded to YouTube sometime last year, and has now drawn the attention of authorities.
The coordinator of the Popular Front to Defend Antiquities in Egypt, Osama Karar told al-Masry al-Youm that the 10-minute movie was made by Russian tourists who then translated the clip into English.
He called to immediately probe the incident and tighten control of tourists and tour companies.
“Where was security during this incident? There is supposed to be an engineering unit inside the Pyramids, responsible for watching over the site. If a violation occurs, it should be spotted immediately,” he said.
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From The Times of Israel
Syrian envoy to UN says Assad is here to stay
Bashar Jaafari claims embattled president ready to help West combat terrorism; UN approves resolution condemning use of chlorine in Syria
The Syrian ambassador to the United Nations said it was time for the US and world powers to accept that President Bashar al-Assad was here to stay and to stop strategizing to get him removed from power.
The envoy, Bashar Jaafari, told Reuters Assad was ready to help the West combat terrorism in the Middle East.
“We don’t want any vacuum in the country that would create chaos such as what happened in Libya and Iraq and … Afghanistan,” he told the news agency. “President Assad can deliver because he is a strong president. He rules over a strong institution, which is the Syrian army. He has resisted pressure for four years.”
“He is the man who can deliver any solution,” Jaafari said. “We have been open for cooperation (with the US), he added. “They don’t want it.”
The Syrian envoy blasted the US for training and arming “so-called moderate” rebels, alleging that this plan only served to benefit the Islamic State as weapons would find their way to the jihadists.
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From The Times of Israel
Widespread outrage after IS bulldozes ancient Iraq city
Extent of destruction of Nimrud, former capital of Assyrian empire, unconfirmed; UN officials call it a war crime
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Condemnation poured in Friday of the Islamic State group’s bulldozing of the ancient city of Nimrud, the jihadists’ latest attack on Iraqi cultural treasures that the UN termed a “war crime.”
After rampaging through Mosul’s museum with sledgehammers and torching its library last month, IS “bulldozed” the nearby ruins of Nimrud Thursday, the tourism and antiquities ministry said.
The devastation comes with the jihadists the target of an Iraqi government offensive.
The US military said Friday Iraqi government forces and allied tribal militia have retaken the town of Al-Baghdadi, from where jihadists had threatened to attack an airbase housing American troops.
Iraqi antiquities officials said IS militants had moved trucks last week to the Nimrud site overlooking the Tigris River, 30 kilometers (18 miles) southeast of their main hub of Mosul.
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