From PressTV
Tel Aviv torturing Palestinians to get false confessions: PA official
Israeli interrogators have been using “oppressive and brutal” torture methods to terrify Palestinian prisoners and put them under pressure to make false confessions to attacks against Israel, a Palestinian official says.
Issa Qarage, the head of the Palestinian Authority’s committee for prisoners, made the remarks during a Sunday visit to the house of Noor Muhammad Hilmi Hamamrah, a former prisoner, in the northern West Bank village of Qusin.
During the visit, Hamamrah, 15, also said that he had been arrested by Israeli troops on April 15 while at home, and was taken to a detention center for interrogation.
During his questioning, Hamamrah said, Israeli interrogators forced him to open his mouth while they used a utility knife to forcibly pry out his braces, causing bleeding.
Later, one of the interrogator told Hamamrah that he would pull out all of the boy’s teeth if he did not admit throwing stones at Israeli vehicles.
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Israel thanks United States for blocking resolution at nuclear conference
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the United States for blocking a resolution that would have opened discussions on making the Middle East a nuclear-free zone.
Netanyahu called U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry over the weekend to thank the American administration for blocking an Egyptian-led effort to convene a regional conference on making the Middle East a nuclear-free zone. The effort was initiated during the recent review conference for signatories of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations in New York.
“The United States kept its commitment to Israel by preventing a Middle East resolution that would single out Israel and ignore its security interests and the threats posed to it by an increasingly turbulent Middle East,” according to a statement released Sunday night by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The resolution was put forward by Spain on behalf of Egypt. The United Kingdom and Canada also voted to reject the resolution and were also thanked by Netanyahu.
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Lawsuit against Sheldon Adelson to be heard in U.S.
(JTA) — A lawsuit against billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, which could lead to the revocation of his gambling license, will be heard in the United States.
A Las Vegas judge ruled on Friday that the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Steven Jacobs, the former CEO of Sands China, will be heard in the United States and and not in Chinese-administered Macau. Las Vegas Sands, the Nevada-based company of which Adelson is chairman and CEO, had sought to have the case tried in Macau, where Sands China operates several highly profitable casinos.
Jacobs’ lawsuit — first filed in 2010 and which names both the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and Adelson — claims he was fired for attempting to cut the casinos off from connections with organized crime and to block bribery payments to Chinese officials. Adelson has denied those claims and said Jacobs was fired for incompetence.
Adelson, a major contributor to Republican candidates and the owner of the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, testified in Clark County District Court that he did not have day-to-day control of the company’s operations in China. But the judge found that Adelson made all decisions for Sands China and that the case could be heard in Nevada, according to the Associated Press.
From PressTV
75% of Palestinians in East al-Quds live below poverty: Report
An independent human rights group in Israel has released figures showing that three out of four Palestinians residing in the Israeli-occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem) live below poverty levels.
Publishing what it referred to as up-to-date facts and figures on the life of Palestinians in al-Quds, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said on Sunday that as high as 84 percent of Palestinian children in the city live in poverty, blaming the policies of the Tel Aviv regime for the dismal conditions.
According to the ACRI, the number of Palestinians living in poverty in East al-Quds has climbed from around 64 percent in 2006 to over 75 percent in the current year. It further blamed the lack of investment in education, industry and local business for the deteriorating living standards of the Palestinian population in the city.
Citing official figures, the group said 75.3% of East al-Quds residents live below the poverty line.
It also noted that 7,514 Palestinian children, representing 53 percent of kids under the auspices of municipal welfare services, are defined as children at risk.
From Russia Today
‘No one can bury heads in sand:’ Hezbollah leader calls for help fighting ISIS in Syria
Edited time: May 25, 2015 11:38
Calling it a global existential threat, Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has urged supporters to join the fight against the Islamic State, confirming that his Shiite militant group has been fighting the Sunni extremists all across Syria.
READ MORE: ‘No will’ to fight ISIS? US Defense Sec blasts Iraqi troops
“Today we are facing a kind of danger that is unprecedented in history, which targets humanity itself,” Nasrallah said Sunday during a televised broadcast referring to Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL).
“This is not just a threat to the resistance in Lebanon or to the regime in Syria or the government in Iraq or a group in Yemen,” the Shiite movement’s head continued. “This is a danger to everyone. No one should bury their heads in the sand.”
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From The Times of Israel
US: Iraqi troops ‘failed to fight’ Islamic State in Ramadi
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says Iraqi military lacked will to fend off jihadists, despite superior numbers
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Islamic State group’s takeover of the provincial capital of Ramadi is stark evidence that Iraqi forces lack the “will to fight,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a TV interview that aired Sunday. The harsh assessment raised new questions about the Obama administration’s strategy to defeat the extremist group that has seized a strategically important swath of the Middle East.
Although Iraqi soldiers “vastly outnumbered” their opposition in the capital of Anbar province, they quickly withdrew last Sunday without putting up much resistance from the city in Iraq’s Sunni heartland, Carter said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The Iraqis left behind large numbers of US-supplied vehicles, including several tanks, now presumed to be in Islamic State hands.
“What apparently happened is the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight,” Carter said. “They were not outnumbered; in fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. That says to me, and I think to most of us, that we have an issue with the will of the Iraqis to fight ISIL and defend themselves.”
The White House declined to comment on Sunday.
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From The Times of Israel
Iraq vets frustrated by presidential debate on war
Republican party’s avoidance of taking responsibility for war irks some war vets, but others find gotcha questions about invasion insulting
AP — Veterans of the Iraq War have been watching in frustration as Republican presidential contenders distance themselves from the decision their party enthusiastically supported to invade that country.
Some veterans say they long ago concluded their sacrifice was in vain, and are annoyed that a party that lobbied so hard for the war is now running from it. Others say they still believe their mission was vital, regardless of what the politicians say. And some find the gotcha question being posed to the politicians — Knowing what we know now, would you have invaded? — an insult in itself.
“Do-overs don’t happen in real life,” said Gregory Diacogiannis, 30, who served as an army sniper in Baghdad trying to spot militants laying roadside bombs and chased high-value targets in the city of Baqouba. “I have trouble with the question itself just because it lends itself to disregarding the sacrifices that have been made.”
Diacogiannis left the army in 2008, but says even now he feels such a strong attachment to Iraq that he’s thought about going back to fight as the country has plunged into chaos since US troops left.
The war became a campaign issue when likely presidential contender Jeb Bush was asked about the invasion ordered by his brother, former President George W. Bush. After days of questioning, Jeb Bush said that in light of what’s now known — that Saddam Hussein did not have WMD stockpiles — he would not have invaded.
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From PressTV
Israel to seize 202 acres of Palestinian land as dumping ground
Israel has decided to seize some 202 acres of privately owned Palestinian land in the West Bank to make a new dumping grounds for its illegal settlements.
The lands belong to around 140 Palestinian families from Rammoun and Deir Dibwan near Ramallah, the International Middle East Media Center reported on Sunday.
The targeted area contains farmlands with fertile soil and wells, used by residents to plant crops and graze livestock.
The dumping ground “would serve the settlements” and Palestinians would not have access to it, Israeli authorities said.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
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From Ynet News
Economist: New Israeli government harms foreign relations
Report in London-based publication details series of political challenges before Netanyahu, says PM leaning further right.
The influential magazine The Economist, claimed in an article published Sunday that the guidelines of the new Israeli government further undermine the already fragile relations between Jerusalem and the world.
The article analyzes the sensitive situation of Israel’s foreign relations, detailing a list of difficulties with which Netanyahu is dealing with these days, starting with the French initiative to recognize a Palestinian state, then the possible European Union boycott of products made in the settlements, and concluding with the demand to suspend Israeli football from international play.
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From The Times of Israel
Top Muslim body urges protection of Syria’s Palmyra
Syrian Army prepares counterattack to retake ancient site after hundreds of Assad loyalists killed by jihadist group
Leading Sunni Muslim body Al-Azhar said Sunday the world must unite in a “battle of all humanity” to prevent the Islamic State group from destroying Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra.
The appeal came a day after Syria’s antiquities director said that IS fighters had entered the museum in Palmyra and raised their black flag over the ancient citadel that overlooks the archaeological site.
“Protecting archeological sites from destruction and plundering is the battle of all of humanity,” the Cairo-based Al-Azhar, a prestigious seat of Islamic learning, said in a statement.
“We have to unite our efforts in order to protect one of the most important archaeological cities in the Middle East from being destroyed by Daesh,” it said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
Al-Azhar said the international community must take urgent steps to prevent IS “from destroying the cultural and archaeological landmarks of the city” as it did in Iraq and other parts of Syria.
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Olmert sentenced to prison in Talansky case
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was sentenced to eight months in prison for accepting cash-filled envelopes from an American-Jewish businessman.
The sentence, announced Monday in the Jerusalem District Court, includes an additional eight months probation and a $26,000 fine and could be added to the six-year sentence Olmert is already facing for his role in the real estate scam known as the Holyland Affair.
The prison date in the Holyland Affair was suspended pending an appeal. The new jail term must begin in 45 days. Olmert’s attorneys announced their intention to appeal.
“The penalty imposed on Olmert only adds to the great suffering he has already incurred,” his defense team said in a statement following the sentencing. “This is a harsh sentence, and we intend to appeal against it.”
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From Russia Today
‘It’s time Mrs. Merkel’: German opposition calls on gay marriage referendum after Irish success
Germany’s opposition parties want to follow in Ireland’s footsteps when it comes to legalizing same-sex marriage, urging Chancellor Angela Merkel that it’s time to take action on the LGBT issue.
The Green Party nudged Merkel on Sunday, with party’s leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt saying: “It’s time Mrs. Merkel,” Die Welt newspaper reported. “The Merkel faction cannot just sit out the debate on marriage for all…I am confident that the Irish vote will accelerate equality in Germany.”
With all the votes counted on Saturday, Ireland has become the first nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriages by referendum. In a historical vote Ireland has approved same-sex marriages with 62.1 percent saying ‘Yes’ and 37.9 percent ‘No’. The total turnout was 60.5 percent.
READ MORE: Ireland becomes first country to approve gay marriage in referendum
“This is a great signal from Ireland,” said Göring-Eckardt. “Equal love deserves equal respect.”
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From The Times of Israel
Israeli arms sales to Africa mark steep rise in past year
Weapons industry exports up 40% in 2014 compared to 2013, but sales worldwide drop by nearly $1 billion
Israeli exports of weapons to African countries rose by 40 percent in 2014 compared with the previous year, according to Defense Ministry data published last week.
But overall foreign arms exports to foreign countries were down compared to 2013 by nearly $1 billion in 2014, the data published in Haaretz showed.
Israeli security industries signed deals worth $318 million in Africa, compared with $223 million in 2013, which was the previous all-time high.
Arms deals with African countries have risen steadily on an annual basis since 2009 ($77 million), with only a slight dip in 2012 ($107 million) compared with 2011 ($127 million).
From The Times of Israel
Full text of Obama’s speech for Jewish American Heritage Month
‘Palestinians have a right to be a free people in their land as well,’ president says at Adas Israel Synagogue
Remarks by President Barack Obama on May 22, to Adas Israel Synagogue in Washington DC marking Jewish American Heritage Month.
THE PRESIDENT: A slightly early Shabbat Shalom. I want to thank Rabbi Steinlauf for the very kind introduction. And to all the members of the congregation, thank you so much for such an extraordinary and warm welcome.
I want to thank a couple of outstanding members of Congress who are here. Senator Michael Bennet — where did Michael Bennet go? There he is. And Representative Sandy Levin, who is here. I want to thank our special envoy to combat anti-Semitism, Ira Forman, for his important work. There he is. But as I said, most of all I want to thank the entire congregation of Adas Israel for having me here today.
Earlier this week, I was actually interviewed by one of your members, Jeff Goldberg. And Jeff reminded me that he once called me “the first Jewish President.” Now, since some people still seem to be wondering about my faith — I should make clear this was an honorary title. But I was flattered.
And as an honorary member of the tribe, not to mention somebody who’s hosted seven White House Seders and been advised by — and been advised by two Jewish chiefs of staff, I can also proudly say that I’m getting a little bit of the hang of the lingo. But I will not use any of the Yiddish-isms that Rahm Emanuel taught me because — I want to be invited back. Let’s just say he had some creative new synonyms for “Shalom.”
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From The Times of Israel
Liberal Jews praise, conservatives pan Obama speech
J Street applauds president’s statement that disagreement over policy doesn’t denote lack of support for Israel
US President Barack Obama’s speech at a DC synagogue on Friday calling for a Palestinian state for Israel’s sake drew mixed responses from American Jewish groups.
The liberal pro-Israel organization J Street applauded Obama’s remarks, delivered at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington DC to mark Jewish American Heritage Month, saying they were “a clear and forceful reminder that establishing a Palestinian state is necessary to safeguard Israel’s democracy and integral to Jewish values.”
The group said that “the President should know that the vast majority of American Jews supports him and hopes that he succeeds” in his efforts to bring about a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and in reaching a nuclear deal with Iran.
“President Obama’s speech was notable because it laid out the fundamental principle that supporting Israel does not require blind support for every policy adopted by its government,” the group said in a statement. “J Street has been forcefully making that same case since its establishment seven years ago. We believe it is a view shared by the overwhelming majority of American Jews who love and support Israel but are dismayed by the stated positions of so many in the new Netanyahu government.”
Some of Obama’s remarks drew a mixed response from the audience, with some in the packed sanctuary applauding loudly when he reserved the right to criticize Israel when necessary and others staying silent.
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