Calls for end to Bahrain monarchy

Three Shia opposition groups join forces to demand an end to the kingdom and establishment of a 'democratic republic'.

Three Shia opposition groups in Bahrain have announced their intent on toppling the Sunni monarchy and setting up a republic.

The declaration on Tuesday is likely to raise already inflamed tensions in the country, ahead of a planned march on the royal court.

Labelled the "Coalition for a Bahraini Republic," the group said in a statement that they "declare a tripartite coalition between the Wafa, Haq and Bahrain Freedom Movement that has chosen to fight for a complete downfall of the regime, and the establishment of a democratic republic in Bahrain".

"The coalition believes that the main demand of the popular revolution is the downfall of the current oppressive regime and the establishment of a democratic republic that expresses the desires of the people."

Anti-government protests in the Shia-majority, Sunni-ruled country entered the 23rd day on Tuesday, amid a wave of pro-democracy unrest that has gripped the region for weeks and toppled regimes in Egypt and Tunisia.

Other Bahraini opposition groups, including the main Shia Wefaq group, have stopped short of demanding outright regime change, instead calling for major reforms including an elected parliament "with full legislative powers".

"We are different in the demands, but it doesn't mean we can't cooperate," Haq leader Hassan Mashaima told AFP news agency.

"I believe that ... there is not much difference between a constitutional monarchy like in Holland or in Britain, there is not much difference between that and a republic."

''Real' constitutional monarchy

Wefaq and other opposition groups have called for a "real" constitutional monarchy to be established in Bahrain.

But Mashaima said that he does not trust that a constitutional monarchy along those lines would be implemented even if it was promised.

"This is why we chose changing the regime to a republic."

Meanwhile Wefaq said that it and six other opposition groups had held talks on Monday with the pro-government National Unity Assembly and agreed on the importance of working against sectarian tension.

National Unity Assembly leader Sheikh Abdul Latif al-Mahmud told reporters after the meeting that there was agreement with the opposition on the need for "strategic solutions to problems faced by Bahrain".

He said constitutional reform was a priority.

Demonstrators continue to keep vigil in hundreds of tents in the capital Manama's Pearl Roundabout, which has become the focal point of the protests.

source: aljazeera

Israel to ease Gaza blockade

Israel will ease much of its land blockade on the Gaza Strip, hoping to stop growing international criticism following the assault on a flotilla of aid ships in which nine activists were killed.

A statement from prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office said that Israeli leaders decided today to expand the number of products Israel will allow into Gaza, including construction materials.

"It was agreed to liberalise the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza [and] expand the inflow of materials for civilian projects that are under international supervision," an official statement said, without specifying any product list.

The new arrangements, which were decided upon in a series of meetings between the Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair and Netanyahu, over the past 10 days, are expected to cover three areas:

• A list of prohibited goods not allowed into Gaza, replacing the current system of a list of approved goods

• Agreement to allow construction materials for UN-sponsored projects

• Israel to consider allowing EU monitors to be stationed at crossings between Israel and Gaza

Blair described the move as a "very important step".

"It will allow us to keep weapons and weapon materials out of Gaza, but on the other hand to help the Palestinian population there," he told the Israeli daily Haaretz. "The policy in Gaza should be to isolate the extremists but to help the people."

The Israeli cabinet minister Isaac Herzog told Israel's army radio: "We must understand that the blockade implemented until this time is outdated and no longer applicable in the current international and diplomatic climate."

The plan falls short of demands by the international community on Israel to lift the blockade and allow the legitimate Gaza economy to recover.

Currently Israel operates a frequently changing list of items permitted into Gaza, with a ban on all other goods. By reversing this approach to a banned list the hope is that many more items will be permitted and there will be greater transparency and accountability.

Gisha, an Israeli human rights organisation, suggested the move was merely cosmetic.

"The time has come for Israel to ask serious questions about how three years of closure have promoted the goals it declared for itself and what has been the effect on 1.5 million people whose right to travel and to engage in productive work has been denied. We don't need cosmetic changes. We need a policy that recognises the rights of Palestinian residents of Gaza not just to consume but also to produce and to travel."

Chris Gunness, UN spokesman, said the blockade should be lifted entirely. "We need to judge the Israeli authorities by deeds not words because there have been many words in the past," he said.

"What we've been getting into Gaza is a drop in the bucket and, given the scale of the humanitarian task, we need to see the blockade ultimately lifted not eased."

The UN has been trying to import construction materials for the past 18 months to repair schools damaged in the Gaza war of 2008-9 and to construct new buildings to accommodate Gaza's exploding population. Israel has refused on the grounds that the materials could fall into the hands of Hamas and be used to make weapons or build underground bunkers.

The UN has consistently offered to guarantee the security of such material.

The Israeli military said yesterday that it had reached an agreement with the UN on the transfer of humanitarian aid – medical supplies, food and clothing – that was on board the flotilla to Gaza. It made no mention of construction materials that formed the bulk of the flotilla's consignment.

The inquiry set up by Israel to examine the events surrounding the flotilla assault is to hold its first meeting today.

Source: guardian.co.uk

Red Cross: Gaza blockade illegal

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has described Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip as a violation of the Geneva Conventions and called on the Israeli government to lift it.

In a statement released on Monday, the organisation called the blockade "collective punishment", a crime under international law. It described Gaza as a territory plagued by frequent power cuts, a ruined economy, and a collapsed health care system.

"The closure imposed on the Gaza Strip is about to enter its fourth year, choking off any real possibility of economic development," the ICRC said.

"Gazans continue to suffer from unemployment, poverty and warfare, while the quality of Gaza's health care system has reached an all-time low."

Crippling shortages

Israeli officials insist that they provide enough "humanitarian aid" to cover Gaza's basic needs.

But the ICRC - a neutral organisation - said the meagre list of goods allowed into Gaza doesn't meet the needs of the territory's 1.5 million inhabitants.

The shortages are particularly dire in Gaza's health care system, where the ICRC said more than 100 essential medicines - including chemotherapy and hemophilia drugs - are unavailable. Many basic medical supplies, like colonoscopy bags, are also barred from Gaza and routine blackouts cause damage to medical equipment.
Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports on malnutrition amongst children in Gaza

"The state of the health-care system in Gaza has never been worse," Eileen Daly, the ICRC's health co-ordinator in Gaza, said.

"Thousands of patients could go without treatment, and the long-term outlook will be increasingly worrisome."

B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, released its own report on Monday documenting dire conditions in the Palestinian territories. The group noted that 95 per cent of Gaza's factories have closed, that 98 per cent of residents suffer from blackouts, and that 93 per cent of Gaza's water is polluted.

Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League, on Sunday called for an end to the blockade.

Hamas criticised

The ICRC also criticised Hamas, the Islamic movement which controls Gaza, for preventing the ICRC from visiting Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured in 2006. Shalit is entitled to visits from the Red Cross under international law.

"In violation of international humanitarian law, [Hamas] has also refused to allow him to get in touch with his family," the ICRC said.

But the bulk of the ICRC's criticism was directed at Israel's blockade. In addition to the health care problems, the ICRC noted that 40 per cent of Gaza's residents are not connected to a sewage system, and that restrictions on movement have driven many farmers and fishermen into poverty.

One-third of Gaza's farmland is located in a "buffer zone" controlled by the Israeli army, and boats are only allowed to fish within three nautical miles of Gaza's coast.

The ICRC demanded that both Israel and the Hamas government "allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage" of aid shipments to Gaza. Hamas has refused to accept 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid seized from the flotilla of aid ships attacked last month by the Israeli army.

The Israeli government announced on Sunday that a panel, chaired by former supreme court judge Yaakov Turkel, would investigate the flotilla attack.

Source: english.aljazeera.net

Erdogan kembali Serang Israel

Perdana Menteri Turki Recep Tayyip Erdogan mengecam serangan militer rezim Zionis Israel terhadap warga Palestina di Jalur Gaza. Sebagaimana dilaporkan Press TV hari ini (Selasa,6/4), Tayyip Erdogan pada acara peresmian stasiun televisi berbahasa Arab, El Turkiye, menyinggung kejahatan Israel di Palestina pendudukan.

Erdogan mengatakan, rakyat dan pemerintah Turki tidak dapat berdiam diri terhadap kejahatan rezim Zionis.

Sejak serangan brutal Zionis ke Jalur Gaza pada Desember 2008, Turki berkali-kali mengecam kejahatan Israel.

Puncak ketegangan antara Ankara dan Tel Aviv terjadi tahun lalu ketika Duta Besar Turki untuk Israel, Ahmet Oguz Celikkol dipanggil kembali ke Ankara setelah Wakil Menteri Luar Negeri Israel Danny Ayalon melecehkan dirinya dalam sebuah pertemuan penting mereka di Baitul Maqdis.

Sumber: indonesian.irib.ir

Menlu Suriah Desak Dunia Tekan Israel

Menteri Luar Negeri Suriah Walid Moallem mendesak upaya masyarakat internasional untuk menghentikan kebijakan arogan rezim Zionis Israel di bumi Palestina. Sebagaimana dilaporkan kantor berita Suriah, SANA, Walid Moallem kemarin (Senin,5/4) ketika bertemu Armand De Decker, ketua Senat Belgia di Damaskus, mengatakan, masyarakat internasional dan Uni Eropa harus menekan Israel dan berperan aktif dalam proses perundingan damai dan menyelesaikan krisis Timur Tengah.

Kebijakan arogansi Israel di Palestina sebagai upaya yahudinisasi kota Quds dan memasukkan tempat-tempat suci umat Islam dan Kristen ke dalam warisan budaya Yahudi serta melanjutkan blokade Jalur Gaza, tandas Moallem.

Dalam pertemuan itu, Moallem juga menegaskan bahwa Israel senantiasa merusak upaya-upaya untuk menyelesaikan krisis di Timur Tengah dan menghalangi dimulainya perundingan damai.

Sumber: indonesian.irib.ir

Konspirasi Baru AS Soal Palestina

Sebuah media cetak di Palestina mengungkapkan rencana rahasia Amerika Serikat (AS) untuk menyebar para pengungsi Palestina ke berbagai negara. Koran al-Manar melaporkan, pemerintah AS telah mengirim tim khusus ke berbagai negara Arab termasuk Arab Saudi untuk membicarakan dan membahas soal penempatan para pengungsi Palestina secara permanen di sejumlah negara.

Menurut koran ini, program tersebut memerlukan dukungan dana yang diharapkan bisa diperoleh dari negara-negara Arab dan masyarakat internasional.

Al-Manar menambahkan, sejumlah negara saat ini sedang berada dalam tekanan AS untuk menerima para pengungsi Palestina di wilayahnya.

Sumber: indonesian.irib.ir