Abbas makes shock decision not stand in Palestinian poll By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem Friday, 6 November 2009 The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, last night chided the US and announced that he did not want to stand for another term in elections officially scheduled for January. The surprise move reflects deep disappointment in the moderate West Bank-based Palestinian leadership at the lack of US progress in persuading Israel's premier, Benjamin Netanyahu, to end the building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Although Mr Netanyahu says he is ready for negotiations with Mr Abbas, the Palestinian leadership has insisted that a freeze is needed as a sign of good faith if such negotiations are to have any real credibility. Mr Ab
It's been a while I haven't checked les nouveautes dyel Lammalless, our Moroccan virtual congressman in Rabat representing Moroccan immigrants of America. I get a crack out of watching Lammalless everytime! His imagination, facial expressions, movements and satire never deceives. May God bless him.
Sir Donald Logan: Civil servant who assisted the Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd during the Suez crisis Tuesday, 3 November 2009
He believed that loyalty to ministers was paramount: Logan in 1972 Donald Logan's place in post-war political history is assured, as he was the only British representative present at the two secret meetings at Sèvres, near Paris, at the height of the 1956 Suez Crisis.
On 22 October of that year, as assistant private secretary to the Foreign Secretary, Selwyn Lloyd, Logan accompanied him in an RAF plane to Paris. Lloyd's mission was to consult French and Israeli leaders about the plan, proposed by the French government to the British Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden, for the Israelis to invade the canal zone, and then – with the casus b
Clinton backtracks on Israeli settlements after Arab anger By David Usborne Tuesday, 3 November 2009 Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, was forced into an awkward diplomatic pirouette yesterday, insisting to Arab foreign ministers that Washington had not capitulated to Israel's continuing hunger for new Jewish settlements even if statements she had made 24 hours earlier seemed to imply exactly that. Arab anger had flared after Mrs Clinton departed from the script of President Barack Obama at the weekend, suggesting that the Palestinians should agree to resume peace talks without preconditions, including that Israel first stop all settlement construction in the West Bank. She appeared to endorse the offer by the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to institute m
Clinton backs Israel on settlements stance Agreement would allow settlers to finish 3,000 houses plus public buildings By Ben Lynfield in Jerusalem Monday, 2 November 2009
Palestinian leaders angrily accused Hillary Clinton of undercutting Middle East peace prospects yesterday after she endorsed Israel's plans to continue expanding West Bank settlements. The US Secretary of State for the first time voiced support for Israel's argument that since a freeze on settlement construction had not been a precondition for previous peace talks, it should not be one during the negotiations the US is now trying to convene. Instead of a freeze, Mrs Clinton urged the Palestinians to accept what she termed an "unprecedented" Israeli offer of "restraint" in settlement constr
Kate Allen: Swimming the Israeli settlements Posted by Eagle Eye In the 1968 film “The Swimmer”, starring Burt Lancaster, the hero hits on the idea of getting home by swimming the length of various pools owned by his rich friends in a leafy north-eastern US state.
Captivated by the sight of a string of luminous blue pools stretching into the distance, he embarks on this crazy scheme in what becomes a symbolic plunge into his own fractured psyche. It turns out that Ned, Lancaster’s character, has forgotten what has happened in his own life. The swimming pool plan slowly reveals itself as a disastrous attempt to recover his home and loved ones.
The Swimmer comes to mind in relation to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Why? Because here you hav
Shelter for Palestinian families blocked at border By Donald Macintyre Saturday, 17 October 2009 Israel has refused for eight months to allow into Gaza 488 prefabricated buildings donated by Turkey to house families whose homes were destroyed in last winter's three-week military offensive. Despite applying for permits in February, the Turkish Red Crescent has been unable to ship in the homes, which it says are intended to accommodate Palestinian civilians who are among the estimated 20,000 still homeless as a result of the war. While a majority of those are living in overcrowded temporary accommodation or with relatives, the Red Crescent said that others were living in tents, the wreckage of their destroyed buildings or a cemetery. There is no evidence that the ba
Israel accused of denying Palestinians access to water Up to 200,000 families have no running water, damning Amnesty report says By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem Tuesday, 27 October 2009 Amnesty International's report criticised Israel's refusals to grant permits for wells in Gaza and the West Bank Israel is accused today of denying the West Bank and Gaza access to adequate water through a "total" and "discriminatory" control that enables its own people to consume four times as much as the Palestinians. An Amnesty International report paints a picture of many Palestinian families struggling – and often failing – to secure enough water for drinking, cleaning, and agriculture while Israelis, including residents of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, have all
I LOVE these free-spirited and amazing young Moroccans. More of them and Morocco will shine again. Very impressed with the film production part of it, the warmth of their voice, and their English is Great!
i just wanted to share my concern about the disrespect that Moroccan women suffer from in Morocco. it's everywhere and from what i saw it starts from the house where the man is the king and the woman is the servant, in the streets is much worst , girls get insulted and hit by stones for no reason . if a group of guys call a girl names who ever heard it will turn and look at the girl as an agreement for what the guys just said! i once when i was still a teenager was hit by a motorcycle because the guy was following me and my friend for some time and i didn't want to stop and talk to him so he took off and turn around , hit me and kept going and of course like all the other guys they always get away with it. my sister last week was hit by a drunk guy , he use
So it's been a while since I wrote anything here on Raioo, and today an interesting thought came to mind that I thought worth sharing/discussing here. We often hear that the business world runs on English, and that wherever you may go internationally, oftentimes you will find companies operating in English despite being located in a non-Anglophone country.
So it's often occurred to the question: is it because English happened to take over and dominate more quickly or that the very nature of the language itself more easily facilitates quick easy sharing and discussion of business ideas?
Sometimes I stop at the second point and am really convinced that from a linguistic perspective, that must be the reason. Well, at least where French and English are concerned. The nature of Fre
No chance of peace for years, says Israel's Foreign Minister By Amy Teibel in Jerusalem Friday, 9 October 2009
There is no chance of an early solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and people must "learn to live with it", the Israeli Foreign Minister warned yesterday. "Anyone who says that within the next few years an agreement can be reached ending the conflict... simply doesn't understand the situation and spreads delusions, ultimately leading to disappointments and an all-out confrontation here," Avigdor Lieberman said in a radio interview. He added: "I am going to say very clearly: there are conflicts that have not been completely solved and people have learnt to live with it, like Cyprus." Mr Lieberman, the head of the far-right Yisrael Beitenu party
Avec ma gueule de métèque De juif errant, de pâtre grec Et mes cheveux aux quatre vents Avec mes yeux tout délavés Qui me donnent un air de rêver Moi qui ne rêve plus souvent Avec mes mains de maraudeur De musicien et de rôdeur Qui ont pillé tant de jardins Avec ma bouche qui a bu Qui a embrassé et mordu Sans jamais assouvir sa faim
Not sure why I thought of this guy, but I love this song. I first heard it when I was about 10 in Paris. It was my first family trip overseas, great memories. This is Georges Moustaki, a very passionate artiste from the golden sixties. Ah..! this song makes me want to live on the Mediterranean the rest of my life.
Israeli officials warn against support for UN report By Ben Lynfield in Jerusalem Sunday, 11 October 2009 A jittery Israeli government reacted furiously yesterday after a top British diplomat voiced support for aspects of a UN report that could lead to prosecution of Israeli army officers for alleged war crimes. The UK ambassador to the UN, John Sawers, told Israel Army radio that the report on last winter’s Gaza war contains “some very serious details which need to be investigated by both the Palestinian authorities and the Israeli authorities.” He added that “serious information” in the document gives rise to the suspicion that violations of the laws of war were committed. The remarks, three days before the report is expected to be raised in the security
Sami Abdel-Shafi: Palestinians let down by their compromising leaders When the pursuit of justice is delayed, Israel escapes accountability Friday, 9 October 2009
A diplomatic, political and legal disaster has left people in Gaza shocked and disillusioned, and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), and its President look like they are trying to cover the sun in continuing to deny their responsibility for it. In a move that stunned Palestinians, the representative of Palestine to the United Nations (UN) mission requested the postponement of a vote last week at the Human Rights Council to endorse the report of the fact-finding mission into the war on Gaza earlier this year. That was the mission – headed by Judge Goldstone – that highlighted Israeli breaches to interna
