- 12 sept 2012
Report: Israeli filmmaker says 'Islam is a cancer'
Damage at the US Consulate in Benghazi is seen during a protest by an armed group said to have been protesting a film being produced in the United States September 11, 2012
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- An Israeli filmmaker whose depiction of the Prophet Muhammad led to deadly protests in Libya and Egypt called Islam 'a cancer' on Wednesday, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
Sam Bacile went into hiding on Tuesday after demonstrators denouncing the film attacked the US consulate in Libya, leaving the US ambassador and three embassy staff members dead.
"Islam is a cancer, period," Haaretz quoted the self-identified Israeli-Jew as saying, adding that he intended his film to be a provocative statement condemning the religion.
Responding to reports that an American was killed as a result of the outrage provoked by his portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad, Bacile responded that the security system at the US embassy is no good and America "should do something to change it."
The film portrayed Muhammad as a fool, a philanderer and a religious fake and many Muslims consider any depiction of the Prophet offensive.
Around 2,000 protesters gathered in Cairo to denounce the film and gunmen in Libya attacked and burned the US consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi.
Ma'an's editor-in-chief Nasser Lahham said the film, entitled 'Innocence of Muslims', has "no artistic or cultural value and is a deliberate assault on the Islamic culture and religion."
Cairo, Libya missions attacked, US official reported dead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmodVun16Q4&bpctr=1385719006
By Tamim Elyan and Omar al-Mosmari
CAIRO/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) -- Protesters in Egypt and Libya attacked US diplomatic missions on Tuesday in a spasm of violence that led to the death of a State Department officer at the consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi after fierce clashes at the compound.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a statement late on Tuesday, confirmed the death of the US diplomat, who was not identified, and condemned the attack on the Benghazi consulate, after a day of mayhem in two countries that raised fresh questions about Washington's relations with the Arab world.
The violence in Benghazi followed protests in neighboring Egypt where protesters scaled the walls of the Cairo embassy and tore down the American flag and burned it during protests over what demonstrators said was a US film that insulted the Prophet Mohammed.
On Tuesday, Egypt's prestigious Al-Azhar mosque and seat of Sunni learning condemned a symbolic "trial" of the Prophet organized by a US group including Terry Jones, a Christian pastor who triggered riots in Afghanistan in 2010 by threatening to burn the Koran.
But it was not immediately clear whether it was the event sponsored by Jones, or another, possibly related, anti-Islam production, that prompted the melee at the US Embassy in Egypt, and possibly the violence in Libya.
Whatever the cause, the events appeared to underscore how much the ground in the Middle East has shifted for Washington, which for decades had close ties with Arab dictators who could be counted on to muzzle dissent.
US President Barack Obama's administration in recent weeks had appeared to overcome some of its initial caution following the election of an Islamist Egyptian president, Muhammad Mursi, offering his government desperately needed debt relief and backing for international loans.
In Libya, gunmen in Benghazi attacked the US diplomatic compound on Tuesday evening, clashing with Libyan security forces, officials said.
Abdel-Monem Al-Hurr, spokesman for Libya's Supreme Security Committee, said, "There is a connection between this attack and the protests that have been happening in Cairo."
But a US official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had no reason to believe the two incidents were linked.
Jones, the Christian pastor in Florida, said that on Tuesday's anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, he had released a video promoting a film that portrayed the Prophet in a "satirical" manner. Many Muslims consider any depiction of the Prophet offensive.
US media, including The Wall Street Journal, reported that the film at issue, entitled "Innocence of Muslims," was produced by an Israeli-American real estate developer, but had been promoted by Jones.
In Cairo, among about 2,000 protesters gathered in the Egyptian capital was Ismail Mahmoud, who, like others, did not name the film that angered him, but called on Mursi, Egypt's first civilian president, to take action.
"This movie must be banned immediately and an apology should be made," said the 19-year-old Mahmoud, a member of the "ultras" soccer supporters who played a big role in the uprising that brought down Hosni Mubarak last year.
Once the US flag was hauled down in Cairo, some protesters tore it up and displayed bits to television cameras. Others burned the remnants outside the fortress-like embassy building in central Cairo. But some protesters objected to the flag burning.
Benghazi clashes
Ambassador Christopher Stevens
In Benghazi, Reuters reporters on the scene could see looters raiding the empty US consulate's compound, walking off with desks, chairs and washing machines.
Unknown gunmen were shooting at the buildings, while others threw handmade bombs into the compound, setting off small explosions. Small fires were burning around the compound.
Passersby entered the unsecured compound to take pictures with their mobile phones and watch the looting.
No security forces could be seen around the consulate and a previous blockade of the road leading to it had been dismantled.
"The Libyan security forces came under heavy fire and we were not prepared for the intensity of the attack," Hurr said.
Libya's interim government has struggled to impose its authority on a myriad of armed groups that have refused to lay down their weapons and often take the law into their own hands.
A number of security violations have rocked Benghazi, Libya's second biggest city and the cradle of last year's revolt that toppled Moammar Gadhafi.
The breaching of the US Embassy walls in Cairo comes at a delicate time in US-Egyptian relations, and as the United States appeared to be trying an intensified engagement with Mursi's government.
Last week, US officials said they were close to a deal with Egypt's government for $1 billion in debt relief. Washington had also signaled its backing for a badly needed $4.8 billion loan that Egypt is seeking from the International Monetary Fund.
"I would urge you not to draw too many conclusions because we've also had some very positive developments in our relationship with Egypt," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
"One of the things about the new Egypt is that protest is possible," she said. "Obviously we all want to see peaceful protest, which is not what happened outside the US mission, so we're trying to restore calm now."
Washington has a large mission in Egypt, partly because of a huge aid program that followed Egypt's signing of a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. The United States gives $1.3 billion to Egypt's military each year and offers the nation other aid.
Following the protest, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said it was committed to giving all embassies the protection they needed.
...Read more 13 sep 2012, 12:05 , Respect -
Maria 13 sept 2012
Upon Israel’s Request, Germany To Void Submarines Deal With Egypt
Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, personally vowed to Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to void a submarines deal its country signed with Egypt, and said that her government will not approve this deal with the Egyptian Army, the German “Der Spiegel” reported.
Der Spiegel said that the German government granted a green light to this deal last February, and then Israel was informed on details of the deal as Merkel personally spokes to Netanyahu while German Defense Minister, Thomas de Maziere, kept in touch with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak, to update him on latest information.
Der Spiegel said that, at first, Israel did not express any reservations about the deal, but senior German political leaders were surprised to hear serious statements made by Israeli officials, who expressed their objection to the deal, after the Egyptian navy announced it.
The deal will likely now be presented to the special German Ministerial Council as the legal body in charge of weapons deal, in order to reconsider it, while several German officials said that the deal will be voided due to Israeli objections.
Furthermore, Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that the government of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has demanded Berlin not to sign any weapons deal with Arab countries without prior consultation and coordination with Tel Aviv.
The Israeli Government said that such coordination with Tel Aviv, prior to any weapons deal with the Arab states, is essential to ensuring Israel’s military supremacy in the Middle East.
It is worth mentioning that Germany recently signed several agreements for the sale of tanks and submarines to Egypt, Algeria, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Haaretz reported that Israel wants to reach new understandings with Germany regarding the sale of weapons to Arab states in order to ensure that the Israeli Army remains the most powerful army in the region.
The deals Israel signed with Saudi Arabia and Qatar include the sale of Leopard Tanks, submarines to Egypt and other military equipment to Algeria.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli Defense Ministry Diplomatic and Security Bureau Head, Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Amos Gilad, recently visited Berlin and asked Germany to coordinate with Tel Aviv all of its weapons sales with all Arab states.
Israel said that Germany’s weapons sales to the Arab world have increased last year, and that several deals regarding the sales of tanks and submarines were singed.
Both Israel and the United States want to ensure that armies in Arab countries do not obtain weapons and technology that could pose a risk to the supremacy of the Israeli military, as they want Israel to remain, at all times, the most powerful military state in the region.
Also, a senior Israeli official told the Bild German Newspaper, Wednesday, that Israel is seriously concerned about the sale of the submarines to Egypt, and added that “Egypt today is not the same as Egypt during the rule of former President, Hosni Mubarak”.
The official was referring to the fact that that after the Egyptian revolution managed to overturn the rule of Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood garnered an overwhelming victory in the legislative elections, and due to the fact that the newly elected Egyptian President, Mohammad Morsi, is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Yet, several Israeli security and political leaders recently stated that the security coordination between Tel Aviv and Cairo is now at its best since the signing of the Camp David peace accords between the two countries in 1978 and 1979.
Slain US envoy 'understood Palestinian situation'
A demonstrator holds a placard during a rally to condemn the killers of the US envoy to Libya and the attack on a consulate, in Benghazi on Sept. 12, 2012
By George Hale
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinian negotiators on Thursday remembered US ambassador Christopher Stevens as fair-minded and described his death in Libya as a major loss for American foreign policy.
Stevens, who was killed with three colleagues late Tuesday in an attack on US institutions in Benghazi, served a decade earlier as a political officer at the US consulate in Jerusalem.
"It's just tragic," said Hanan Ashrawi, a PLO leader and veteran negotiator with Israel. "It's very sad. I thought he was a person who was not just intelligent but also caring."
As a mediator, the Arabic-speaking envoy "understood the Palestinian situation well. He was very understanding and he listened; he didn't repeat talking points," Ashrawi said in an interview. "He could have made a big difference in peoples' lives and, really, to America's standing and credibility. His loss is a loss not only to US foreign policy but also to its standing with other states."
Stevens and three other Americans died after gunmen attacked the US consulate and a safe house refuge in the eastern city of Benghazi on Tuesday night. The attackers were part of a mob blaming America for a film they said insulted the prophet Mohammad.
Demonstrators later attacked the US embassies in Yemen and Egypt in protests against the film, and American warships were moved closer to Libya.
Senior PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat blasted Stevens' murder as an "ugly act of terror."
"He was a really close friend of the family, and I am really shocked," Erekat told Ma'an. "He was murdered in a very ugly act of terror, and it's so despicable."
Erekat said he had personally communicated to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton the Palestinian people's condolences.
"Such a good man, such a great loss. His heart was in the peace process, and I'm sure his heart was also in the building of Libya," Erekat said.
"Of course no one tolerates the discrediting of our prophet Mohammad, but what did Stevens have to do with it? That's really unacceptable," he said of the alleged motive.
Earlier Clinton said Washington had nothing to do with the video, which she called "disgusting and reprehensible".
In Ramallah, President Mahmoud Abbas offered his condolences to the White House upon learning of the killing, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency reported.
"On behalf of myself, personally, and all Palestinian people, we offer sincere condolences to the US president after the US ambassador in Libya was killed in a criminal attack," Abbas said.
Israeli officials also condemned the string of attacks against US diplomatic missions and said they were "evil terrorist attacks" against the West, a Foreign Ministry statement said.
In Tripoli late Thursday, Libyan deputy interior minister Wanis Sharif said authorities had made four arrests in the investigation so far.
"Four men are in custody and we are interrogating them because they are suspected of helping instigate the events at the US consulate," Sharif said.
He gave no more details.
President Barack Obama has vowed to bring to justice those responsible for the Benghazi attack, which US officials said may have been planned in advance.
Actress says was duped, as anti-Islam film details emerge
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmodVun16Q4&bpctr=1385719006
By Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- The origins of a crudely made anti-Muslim movie that sparked violent protests in Egypt and Libya began to slowly emerge on Wednesday, with an actress in the California production saying she was duped and was unaware it was about the Prophet Mohammad.
Cindy Lee Garcia of Bakersfield, California, who appears briefly in clips of the film posted online, said she answered a casting call last year to appear in a movie titled "Desert Warrior."
"It looks so unreal to me, it's like nothing that we even filmed was there. There was all this weird stuff there," Garcia told Reuters in a phone interview.
Clips of the movie, posted on YouTube under several titles including "Innocence of Muslims," portrayed the Muslim prophet engaged in crude and offensive behavior. Many Muslims consider any depiction of the prophet as blasphemous.
Clips had been posted online for weeks before apparently triggering violent demonstrations on Tuesday at the US embassy in Cairo and consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed.
The Americans died after gunmen attacked the US consulate and a safe house refuge in Benghazi in an attack US government officials said on Wednesday may have been planned in advance. The attackers were part of a crowd blaming America for a film they said insulted the Prophet Mohammad.
Garcia said the film was shot in the summer of 2011 inside a church near Los Angeles, with actors standing in front of a "green screen," used to depict background images. About 50 actors were involved, she said.
An expired casting notice at Backstage.com listed a film named "Desert Warrior" that it described as a low-budget "historical Arabian Desert adventure film." None of the characters were identified in the casting call as Mohammad.
"They told me it was based on what it was like 2,000 years ago at the time of the Lord," Garcia said. "Like the time Christ was here."
Filmmaker
Several US news organizations on Tuesday night had reported that the film was produced by a man who identified himself as an Israeli-American property developer, Sam Bacile. He had told the media organizations that the film cost $5 million, some of which was paid by around 100 Jewish donors.
Reuters could not independently confirm his responsibility for the film, or even that Bacile was his real name, nor could he be located for comment.
The Backstage.com casting call listed a man of a similar name, Sam Bassiel, as the producer, while the director was named as Alan Roberts. Roberts could not be immediately located by Reuters.
Steven Klein, a southern California man in the insurance business who described himself as a consultant and a spokesman for the project -- but not the filmaker -- said he believed the name was a pseudonym.
"I've met him twice, I don't know what country he's from. I do know he's not an Israeli Jew and I can only guess he threw that out to protect his family, which I do know is back in the Middle East," Klein told Reuters in an interview in front of his home in Hemet, California, as he sipped a beer.
Klein, who described himself as a former US Marine, said he advised the filmmaker to go into hiding.
Hate-group tracker the Southern Poverty Law Center has described Klein as a Christian with ties to right-wing extremists, which he denies. He said he did not see the film being made, and it could not be independently confirmed that Klein was involved with the project.
Voice over
The largely obscure English-language film's low production values were evident in its stilted dialogue and wooden acting. Klein said there was an attempt to screen the full movie at a theater in southern California under a slightly different title, but after 30 minutes into the film no tickets had been sold.
Garcia, who appeared in online clips from the film, said her character was forced to give away her child to a character named "Master George" in one scene. The casting call describes a character named George as a "strong leader" and a "tyrant."
But in a 13-minute trailer posted at YouTube.com, Garcia's character appears to be dubbed over in that scene, with a voice-over for her character referring to Mohammad instead of George.
YouTube, the video website owned by Google Inc, has restricted access to the film clips in Egypt and Libya, according to Google.
Garcia said she remembered the film's producer as a man named Sam Bassil, whom she described as an older man with graying hair and an accent. She said he paid her with a check. She said she called him on Wednesday after the protests.
"I asked him why did he do that and put me in a bad position to where all these people get killed for a movie I was in?" Garcia said, adding that the man she knew as Bassil told her it was not her fault.
Meanwhile, Morris Sadek, a US-based Egyptian Coptic Christian activist who said he promoted the film, told Reuters he was sorry US diplomats had been killed and that his objective had been to highlight discrimination against Copts in Egypt.
Coptic Christians, who form Egypt's biggest minority group and constitute most of Egypt's Christian population, have had a difficult relationship with the country's overwhelmingly Muslim majority.
Conflicts over conversions, cross-faith romances and church-building have flared in Egyptian towns where turf wars or family rivalries often loom as large as sectarian loyalties.
Since former President Hosni Mubarak's removal, Christians have become increasingly worried after a surge in attacks on churches, which they blame on hardline Islamists, though experts say local disputes are often also behind them.
Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church has condemned some Copts living abroad who it said had financed "the production of a film insulting Prophet Mohammad."
Representatives from the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of North America did not immediately respond to phone calls requesting comment.
Klein blamed the violence in North Africa on Muslim extremists.
"Do I have blood on my hands? No," said Klein, who the SPLC said has worked with a militia at the California-based Church at Kaweah and conducts drills with a San Francisco-based group named Christian Guardians.
"Those people are screwballs," Klein said of the Southern Poverty Law Center. He added he is not "what these people say."
14 sep 2012, 12:25 , Respect -
Maria 14 sept 2012
California bank fraud convict linked to anti-Muslim video
An Muslim protester holds a placard during a demonstration against a film produced in the US, which the protesters say insults Prophet Muhammad, outside the US embassy in Tel Aviv Sept. 13, 2012
By Dan Whitcomb
CERRITOS, Calif., (Reuters) -- Evidence mounted on Thursday that a Los Angeles-area man who served time in prison for bank fraud may have been involved in an anti-Muslim video that stoked violent protests in the Islamic world against the United States.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos, has been linked by news organizations to production of the low-budget film clip, which has been circulated under several titles, including "Innocence of Muslims."
The 13-minute English-language video, which was filmed in California, portrays Islam's Prophet Muhammad engaged in crude and offensive behavior. Many of the Islamic faith regard any depiction of the prophet as blasphemous.
The US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed on Tuesday in an attack on the US consulate and a safe house in Benghazi that US officials have said may have been planned. The attackers were part of a crowd blaming America for a film they said insulted the Prophet Muhammad.
Demonstrations against the film have also flared in Egypt, Yemen and other Muslim countries, with US embassies again the targets of popular anger among Muslims questioning why the United States has failed to take action against the makers of the film.
Adding to the incendiary nature of the film was the fact that it had been promoted by a US-based Egyptian Coptic Christian activist who said his intention was to highlight discrimination against Egypt's Coptic Christian minority. Copts have expressed fear the film could lead to retaliation.
The Coptic Bishop for Los Angeles, who said he feared the impact of the film on the Coptic community if Copts are linked to it, told Reuters that Nakoula called him on Thursday denying any link to the film.
"He told me that he was not involved in this movie in any way, and I asked him, 'Why did they put your name'" on it? Bishop Serapion told Reuters. The bishop said Nakoula replied that he was essentially the victim of mistaken identity by the media.
Another Coptic clergyman in California, Father Mauritius of St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Bellflower, described Nakoula as a former parishioner who had been an infrequent worshiper before he quit attending three years ago. He said he had no reason to believe Nakoula harbored any extremist views.
The Los Angeles Coptic diocese issued a statement condemning and disavowing any Coptic association with the film.
"The producers of this movie should be responsible for their actions," the diocese said. "The name of our blessed parishioners should not be associated with the efforts of individuals who have ulterior motives."
Compelling connections
Attempts by Reuters to contact Nakoula directly were unsuccessful. But it appeared that at least one scene in the video may have been filmed at Nakoula's home.
A distinctive interior front door shown in one scene was nearly indistinguishable from the exterior door at Nakoula's house. Both have frosted-glass, half-moon-shaped cutouts with stenciled rose designs in the wood double-door entrance.
The house was besieged on Thursday by throngs of reporters and camera crews, who saw residents inside paper over at least one half-moon window for privacy. Police maintained a light presence near the home after they were called to the scene on Wednesday night over concerns about Nakoula's safety. The officers declined to elaborate.
The Coptic activist from Virginia, Morris Sadek, who said he played a role in promoting the video, gave Reuters a telephone number for a man he described as the filmmaker. That number later traced back to the Nakoula residence.
That number turned up in a public-records search as a pay-as-you-go cell phone registered to a user who shares a residence with Nakoula. The number initially went unanswered and later seemed to have been disconnected.
Sadek had attributed the video to a man he named as Sam Bacile, which was also the name used by an individual who posted a copy of the video in July on YouTube. But at least two other people linked to the film have said that name was likely a pseudonym.
Known to federal law enforcement
Federal authorities investigating the slayings in Libya declined to comment on whether Nakoula was linked to the movie. He has been known to federal law enforcement for other reasons long before the anti-Muslim video emerged.
He pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 2010 and was sentenced to 21 months in prison, to be followed by five years on supervised probation, court documents showed. He was released from prison in June 2011, shortly before production began on the video, prison records show.
Nakoula was accused of fraudulently opening bank and credit card accounts using Social Security numbers that did not match the names given on applications, according to a criminal complaint.
Under the written terms of release from prison, Nakoula was forbidden from using the Internet or assuming any aliases without approval of his probation officer. He also was ordered to make restitution for more than $790,000 from the scam.
Nakoula also pleaded guilty in 1997 to possession with intent to manufacture methamphetamine and was sentenced to a year in jail, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office.
Non-profit with religious ties
Meanwhile, details of the film's production remained murky.
A group called Media for Christ, which maintains an Arabic-language Christian website, obtained a permit to shoot the film on Aug. 8, 2011, at a studio in the Santa Clarita Valley, north of Los Angeles, said Paul Audley, president of FilmL.A., the agency that processes regional on-location film permits.
The area is home to a Middle East-style village stage set commonly used for Hollywood productions, Audley added.
The actual permit for the shoot was withheld from the public on Thursday. Los Angeles County assistant CEO Ryan Alsop said in a statement that the permit was removed due to "public safety concerns" raised by the US State Department and the FBI.
Media for Christ is a nonprofit organization based in Duarte, California, which describes itself as an evangelical Christian group, according to federal tax documents. A 2011 tax filing listed revenue of just over $1 million but did not disclose its main donors.
Officials from the group could not immediately be reached, and the front door to the organization's office in Duarte was locked.
...Read more 16 sep 2012, 08:56 , Respect -
Maria 15 sept 2012
Gazans appeal to Egypt to find alternative before closing tunnels
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hundreds of Palestinian citizens on Saturday morning participated in a march called for by Hamas Movement on the Palestinian-Egyptian borders to protest the Egyptian decision to close all tunnels in Rafah area.
Hamas spokesman Mansour Barbak gave a speech during the protest demanding Egypt to find an alternative and effective solution before deciding to close all tunnels.
"Do not let Gaza people suffer from the blockade and do not leave us vulnerable to the Zionist arrogance and pressures," Barbak appealed to the Egyptian leadership.
"What we need from Egypt, which represents a lifeline for the Palestinians, is to lift the blockade," he added.
He stressed that the tunnels are used to provide vital needs for Gaza people and if they are closed, Egypt has to provide an alternative.
The Egyptian government started to destroy the tunnels used by Gazans to bring essential products into the besieged Strip in the aftermath of the terrorist attack that claimed the lives of many Egyptian soldiers.
16 sep 2012, 23:55 , Respect -
Maria 16 sept 2012
Israel not entitled to 'veto' Berlin’s decisions: German defence minister
German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere
German government has dismissed Israeli pressure to obstruct the probable sale of two attack submarines to Egypt, saying no country is entitled to ‘veto’ Berlin’s decisions.
"No country in the world has the right of veto to decisions taken by the German government," Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere told the German daily Frankfurter Rundschau on Saturday when asked to comment on Israel’s pressure on Berlin to cancel the deal.
He said the transaction to sell the two Type 209 attack submarines to Egypt could not be affected by ‘instability’ in the North African country that is experiencing the first months of its fledgling democracy with Mohamed Morsi at the helm.
The remarks come two weeks after commander in chief of the Egyptian Navy Osama al-Gindi first revealed the agreement to buy two conventional diesel-electric submarines from Germany, sparking outrage in Tel Aviv.
Israeli media quoted government officials as saying that there had been "a marked deterioration in relations between Israel and Germany" over the deal, a claim rejected by the German government that has refused to comment on the probable sale.
Germany also faced Israel’s scathing criticism last July over the sale of 200 Leopard combat tanks to Saudi Arabia.
Opposition to the recent deal comes as Germany has already provided Tel Aviv with three atomic-capable submarines which the Israeli regime, according to SPIEGEL, has equipped with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
The three Dolphin-class submarines have been subsidized by the German government, which has signed contracts to supply the Israeli regime with three more by 2017.
The left-leaning German daily Die Tageszeitung says "It's a serious matter when Germany, as the world's third-largest arms exporter, apparently pays little consideration to the consequences of its policy (of exporting submarines to Israel).”
“After all, military equipment is not supposed to be exported to crisis regions (under German government guidelines). This applies to the export of German tanks to Saudi Arabia as well as to the supply of nuclear-capable submarines to Israel, whose government is currently openly threatening to attack Iran's nuclear facilities,” the paper adds.
However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s stated position is that the security of Israel is part of Germany's raison d'état, or national interest, according to German media.
19 sep 2012, 09:02 , Respect -
Maria 17 aug 2012
Gaza govt: Inquiry cleared Palestinians in Sinai attack
An Egyptian army truck carries tanks and vehicles to Rafah city, 350 km northeast of Cairo, on Aug. 10, 2012
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The government in the Gaza Strip has conducted an investigation with Egyptian coordination into the deadly border attack last month, and found no Palestinians were involved, a Palestinian official said on Monday.
Neither residents of the Gaza Strip nor other Palestinians played a part in the killing of 16 Egyptian security officials on Aug. 5, spokesman of Gaza's interior ministry, Ehab al-Ghasein, said in a statement.
He warned against taking news reports as an accurate account of the attack on the Sinai border post. Egypt and Gaza have continuous official contacts on political, economic and security levels, and formed a Joint Security Committee after the border assault, he said.
News circulating about Palestinian involvement is designed to sow Fitna (discord) between Egyptians and Palestinians, especially after the Egyptian revolution increased Egypt's support to Palestine, al-Ghasein said.
Shortly after the attack, Egypt closed the Rafah crossing and moved to seal myriad smuggling tunnels with Gaza on suspicion they might have been used by militants who shot dead the soldiers before storming an Israeli border crossing near Gaza.
The crossing was later reopened, and tunnel traders said few routes had been blocked off. On Monday, Gaza's minister of economy, Aladdin Rafati, said the tunnels were functioning well and under the ministry's supervision.
He denied reports that proposals for a free trade zone between the Gaza Strip and Egypt had been postponed pending reconciliation with the West Bank government, saying discussions with Egypt on the subject were on track.
Hamas officials have consistently denied that Palestinian gunmen took part in the Sinai killings and has criticized Cairo for imposing "collective punishment" on the impoverished Mediterranean coastal enclave by sealing the border.
Egypt said in early September it had identified seven suspects, including one Egyptian, in the border attack.
Interior Minister Ahmed Gamal El-Din told state-owned al-Akhbar newspaper that the Egyptian suspect belonged to a dormant local jihadi cell but did not mention the nationalities of the other suspects or say if any of the seven had been detained.
On Sunday, Egyptian security forces came under fire after they detained four people in Rafah village Mahdia officials said were wanted in connection to the attack.
In Sheikh Zuwaid, troops with about 30 armored personnel carriers backed by helicopters fought with militants.
One soldier was killed and seven soldiers suffered gun wounds in the fighting around Sheikh Zuwaid, the army spokesman said, and a woman and child were wounded in crossfire.
19 sep 2012, 17:33 , Respect -
Maria 19 sept 2012
Jihadist leader killed in Sinai clan revenge
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- A military leader of a Jihad group was shot dead Tuesday in Egypt's Sinai, security officials said.
Egyptian security officials told Ma'an that Suleiman Ihmeidan was killed by Bedouins from his own clan as revenge for the killing of a sheikh earlier this year.
Ihmeidan had allegedly killed Bedouin clan leader Sheikh Khalaf al-Manbai during the holy Muslim month of Ramada, security officials said.
Initial investigations suggested a group of gunmen related to al-Manbai ambushed Ihmeidan al-Mahidiyya village on Tuesday evening and shot him with machine guns, killing him instantly.
Locals fear the incident will lead to an escalation in violence in Sinai, a Ma'an reporter said.
Egypt security raises Sinai alert
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian security services announced a state of high alert in Sinai on Wednesday evening after receiving information about possible attacks on officers in the peninsula, security officials said.
Egyptian intelligence warned that "unprecedented attacks" were planned by jihadist groups against security headquarters in north Sinai over the next 48 hours, a security officer told Ma'an.
The intelligence service learned of plans to attack targets in north Sinai after interrogating jihadi activists detained during a crackdown on Sheikh Zuweid and searching computers seized in raids on the city.
Egyptian security forces dispatched eight armored tanks to north Sinai from Suez on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a military leader of a Jihad group was shot dead in Sinai, security officials said, raising fears of an escalation of violence in the peninsula.
Security officers told Ma'an that Suleiman Ihmeidan was killed by Bedouins from his own clan as revenge for the killing of a sheikh earlier this year.
Ihmeidan had allegedly killed Bedouin clan leader Sheikh Khalaf al-Manbai during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, security officials said.
Initial investigations suggested a group of gunmen related to al-Manbai ambushed Ihmeidan al-Mahidiyya village on Tuesday evening and shot him with machine guns, killing him instantly.
22 sep 2012, 12:29 , Respect -
Maria 21 sept 2012
Israeli soldier, 3 gunmen killed on Egypt border
A wounded Israeli soldier is wheeled into Soroka hospital in the southern city of Beersheba Sept. 21, 2012
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli troops killed three militants along the Israel-Egypt border on Friday, and an Israeli soldier also died in the exchange of fire, the army said.
A group of militants entered Israel through a gap in fence construction halfway down the border and opened fire on Israeli soldiers, an army spokesman said. A nearby patrol returned fire, killing three people, he said.
Security sources said earlier that at least two soldiers were wounded.
The identities and nationalities of the militants have not been confirmed, the military spokesman said. An explosive belt was found on one of the casualties, an army statement said.
An Egyptian security source said one of the gunmen died when a bomb he was carrying detonated and the other two were killed in a gunbattle with Israeli forces, adding that the nationalities of the gunmen were not immediately clear.
Egyptian security forces took control of the area and deployed soldiers, a Ma'an correspondent said. They asked Israeli forces there to refrain from firing toward Egyptian territory.
Meanwhile an Egyptian army delegation met with Israeli forces near the border to check the bodies of those who were killed, and asked Israel to hand them over.
"The Egyptian authorities received an urgent notice from the Israeli side" before the militants were killed, the reporter explained.
He added that security forces in the northern Sinai say they received information about an impending attack.
On Aug. 5 militants attacked and killed 16 Egyptian border guards at a post on Sinai's border with Israel.
In June, Israeli troops shot dead two militants who fired on a border crew, and in July killed another man trying to infiltrate the Sinai border.
The open desert border between Israel and Egypt was relatively quiet for three decades after the two countries signed a peace treaty in 1979. But Israel says that since the fall of Mubarak, Cairo has lost its grip on the Sinai.
Israel has been building a fence along the 260 km-long frontier with Egypt's Sinai desert and it is due to be completed by the end of 2012.
An Explosion at Egypt-Israel Borders, Executers Killed
On Friday 21st September, Israeli Channel 7 reported that two Palestinian carried out an explosion at Egypt-Israel borders.
The channel also reported that fire exchange launched between Israeli army soldiers and the Palestinians who put improvised explosive devices in an Israeli patrol.
The Israeli army said that the two Palestinians were killed.
22 sep 2012, 12:29 , Respect -
Maria 22 sept 2012
Tel Aviv regime rejects changes to 1979 Egypt-Israel treaty
The Tel Aviv regime says it will not accept any changes to the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, as the ties between the two sides continue to sour.
“There is not the slightest possibility that Israel will accept the modification of the peace treaty with Egypt,” Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Sunday.
The 1979 peace treaty was signed following the Camp David Accords, agreed upon by then Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and then Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, at Camp David in Washington DC.
“We will not accept any modification of the Camp David Accords,” Lieberman further said.
Lieberman’s comments come amid speculations that Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi will seek alterations to the agreements.
Tensions have been simmering between Cairo and the Tel Aviv regime over the security of the Sinai Peninsula and the heavy deployment of Egyptian forces to the region.
Egypt boosted its military presence in the Sinai after militants killed 16 Egyptian border guards on August 5.
However, the Camp David treaty limits the number of Egyptian troops that can be present in the territory.
Lieberman also stated that Egypt should fulfill its obligations in the peninsula.
Tel Aviv has warned Cairo to pull out the military reinforcements from the region.
Egypt Wants To Modify Peace Agreement With Israel
Israeli media sources reported that the new Egyptian government, headed by elected Islamist leader, Mohammad Morsi, intends to hold deliberations on modifying the Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement, especially regarding security attainments in Sinai, the Palestine News Network (PNN) reported.
Egypt is mainly concerned about Article 4 of the Camp David peace agreement that focuses on security arrangement along the border, and limits the deployment of Egyptian armed forces in the area.
A senior Egyptian official close to President Morsi stated that Egypt is facing a fierce battle with armed elements in Sinai, and has the right to defend itself using all available means, and that the country needed to intensify its military deployment in the Sinai area.
The source added that the coming period will witness several meetings and deliberations between different Egyptian political factions in order to discuss modifying the peace agreement.
It is worth mentioning that several Israeli military and political leaders expressed concerns regarding the deployment of heavy military equipment in Sinai as part of the war against extremist armed groups, but also said that they understand Egypt’s security needs.
A number of Israeli security and political officials said that these military operations would eventually lead to stability in the area, and would serve the security interest of both Cairo and Tel Aviv.
Egyptian Army Increases Deployment on Border
The Egyptian armed forces increased their deployment along the border with Israel and the Palestinian territories, following a deadly attack carried out Friday by gunmen against Israeli soldiers; three gunmen and one Israeli soldier were killed.
The Egyptian army started an operation aimed at ensuring that gunmen are not close to the border with Israel, especially in the areas of Sheikh Zweid and Rafah, along the border.
Egyptian sources reported that the army wants to secure the border and “eliminate all hostile elements in the area”, and added that “aerial units of the area are now participating in the efforts to secure the border.
The Egyptian army has been engaged in large operations against extremist gunmen in Sinai, especially after 15 Egyptian soldiers were killed, earlier in August, and several others were wounded, when armed extremists attacked an Egyptian military base in Sinai.
The Israeli army also killed seven gunmen, allegedly Palestinian, who reportedly hijacked a military vehicle from the Egyptian military base and attempted to drive through the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Israeli crossing.
Soon after the attack against the Egyptian military base, the Egyptian army killed at least twenty persons, members of extremist groups, after Egyptian Apache helicopters bombarded areas in Al-Arish and in Sinai where armed extremist are believed to be based. This marked the time that the Egyptian Air Force bombards Sinai since the 1973 war with Israel.
Security sources: Top Jihadi in Egypt custody
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian security sources said Friday that a senior member of a Jihadi militant group in the Sinai has been detained.
The 31-year-old activist, known as Abu al-Miqdad, is from the Egyptian city of Bani Suef, and has been held by security forces in Cairo since Sept. 1, a Ma'an correspondent said.
Security forces are investigating his involvement in the Aug. 5 attack on a security post on the border with Israel, which left 16 Egyptian security officers dead.
After several attempts to bring him into custody, he was arrested at a charitable organization in Cairo district Nasr City on Sept. 1, security sources said.
Abu al-Miqdad was jailed in Egypt's al-Fayyoum prison between 2007 and 2010, before he was released under a government amnesty program, they added.
Israeli troops killed three militants along the Israel-Egypt border on Friday, and an Israeli soldier also died in the exchange of fire, the army said.
A group of militants entered Israel through a gap in fence construction halfway down the border and opened fire on Israeli soldiers, an army spokesman said. A nearby patrol returned fire, killing three people, he said.
Security sources said earlier that at least two soldiers were wounded.
Late Friday Israel handed to Egypt the bodies of the three suspected attackers.
An Egyptian security source told Ma’an that Israeli and Egyptian military commanders met to exchange information and make security arrangements for future. After that the bodies were delivered to Egypt.
The source highlighted that one of the person's remains was dismembered as a result of an explosive belt around the operative's body. The other two bodies were identifiable.
According to the source, the meeting between Egyptian and Israeli commanders was positive and both sides were cooperative and reflected a high level of security cooperation.
Israel hands over bodies of 3 killed on Egypt border
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Israel has handed to Egypt the bodies of three suspected Jihadists who crossed Israel's borders and clashed with Israeli soldiers killing one and seriously injuring another early Friday.
An Egyptian security source told Ma’an that Israeli and Egyptian military commanders met to exchange information and make security arrangements for future. After that the bodies were delivered to Egypt.
The source highlighted that one of the person's remains was dismembered as a result of an explosive belt around the operative's body. The other two bodies were identifiable.
According to the source, the meeting between Egyptian and Israeli commanders was positive and both sides were cooperative and reflected a high level of security cooperation.
Israeli troops killed three militants along the Israel-Egypt border on Friday, and an Israeli soldier also died in the exchange of fire, the army said.
A group of militants entered Israel through a gap in fence construction halfway down the border and opened fire on Israeli soldiers, an army spokesman said. A nearby patrol returned fire, killing three people, he said.
Security sources said earlier that at least two soldiers were wounded.
23 sep 2012, 12:42 , Respect -
Maria 23 sept 2012
Lieberman: Israel won't accept alterations to peace treaty with Egypt
After Egypt has repeatedly called for changes in troop limits in Sinai, the foreign minister says there is 'no chance' Israel will agree to any change in the 1979 peace deal.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Sunday that Israel will not agree to reevaluate its peace deal with Egypt amid growing insecurity along the states' shared border.
Speaking to Israel Radio, Lieberman said "there is no chance Israel will agree to any kind of change" in the historic 1979 peace agreement with Egypt.
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood movement have repeatedly called for changes in troop limits in the increasingly lawless Sinai peninsula. Many Egyptians contend the limits infringe upon national sovereignty.
In a bid to halt the rising attacks by militants, Israel and Egypt have agreed to temporarily waive limits. However, several violent incidents occurred in recent months.
On Friday, an Israeli soldier was killed and another was wounded in a shootout with gunmen who approached the Israel-Egypt border from the Sinai peninsula. Three terrorists were killed as a result of the clashes on the border.
Egypt jihadi group says behind deadly Israeli border attack
ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) -- An Islamist militant group based in Egypt's Sinai has claimed responsibility for a cross-border attack that killed an Israeli soldier in the restive peninsula where jihadi groups have gained a foothold.
Three gunmen were also killed in Friday's attack, which the group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdes said was in response to an anti-Islam film that has sparked worldwide protests and violence. A second Israeli soldier was wounded in the attack.
There have been at least four such cross-border raids in just over a year in the area where security lapsed after the uprising that overthrew Hosni Mubarak last year.
Egypt's army and police launched a security sweep after a raid that killed 16 Egyptian border guards in August.
In a statement on an Internet site often used by jihadi groups, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdes said it had named the operation as an "attack to discipline those insulting the beloved Prophet", a reference to the film that mocked Prophet Muhammad.
The group accused Jews of involvement in the film, but did not explain how. Though the film was made in the United States, Israel is often viewed by militants as a proxy agent for US policy in the region because it is a close ally of Washington.
CNN reported that Jewish groups denied some reported allegations that there was any Jewish backing for the film.
The US government has condemned the film and said it had no role in it, but said it could not act against the production because of its commitment to freedom of expression.
Many Muslims view any portrayal of the Prophet as blasphemous.
Ansar Bayt al-Maqdes, which means "supporters of the holy place", a reference to Jerusalem, pledged to carry out another operation, at an unspecified time, in revenge for what it said was the killing of a member in Sinai with the help of Israel.
Egyptian authorities had said the death of Ibrahim Oweidah in September was due to a landmine accident, but locals blamed Bedouins for accompanying Israeli Mossad agents into Sinai to kill him, according to Egyptian intelligence reports.
The group has previously claimed an attack on a pipeline delivering gas to Israel and rocket attacks targeting Israel.
24 sep 2012, 18:11 , Respect -
Maria 24 sept 2012
Egypt identifies 2 gunmen killed in Israeli border attack
CAIRO (Ma'an) -- Two gunmen who were killed Friday in Egypt's Sinai while trying to launch an attack on Israel's border have been identified, Egyptian media reported Monday.
Three gunmen and an Israeli soldier were killed on Friday in the cross-border attack. Islamist militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdes has claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said was in response to an anti-Islam film that has sparked worldwide protests.
Egypt's Youm7 newspaper said two of the gunmen had been identified as Ahmad Wajih Abu Ahmad and Baha Zaqo, both Egyptian citizens from Shibin el Kom in the Nile Delta.
Ansar Al-Quds: We killed eight Israeli soldiers in Sinai
CAIRO,(PIC)-- A group calling itself Ansar al-Quds has claimed responsibility for a cross-border attack that killed an Israeli soldier and injured another in Sinai, confirming that 8 Israeli soldiers were killed during the operation.
"The operation has successfully managed to bomb an Israeli security patrol", Ansar al-Quds said in a statement, titled "Operation Reprimand” in retaliation against those who dared to insult the Prophet (PBUH), confirming that eight Israelis were killed during the operation.
The statement said that the attackers were armed with their personal Kalashnikovs, RPGs and hand grenades, and wearing their explosive belts.
The statement added that the attackers have infiltrated into the occupied territory at the international mark No. 46, near the village of Gaifah South of Ouja crossing, at dawn on Thursday, and remained there until Friday afternoon where they implemented the operation.
The plan was to cross to the occupied territories and to ambush to the Israeli patrol, containing two cars, the statement explained, adding that the attackers aimed to bomb the first car with the RPGs and then attack the second with the Kalashnikovs.
14 oct 2012, 10:59 , Respect -
Maria 14 oct 2012
Egypt officer wounded by traffickers on Israel border
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- An Egyptian policeman was wounded in armed clashes with human traffickers near the Israeli border in the Sinai early on Sunday.
Omar Faraj, 23, was shot in the left arm when cars approached his border station south of al-Ouja crossing, a Ma'an correspondent said.
Masked gunmen in the vehicles, which were carrying African refugees, opened fire on police.
Egyptian troops arrived to to reinforce the border post and returned fire at the traffickers, who were able to escape.
Faraj was transferred to Rafah hospital for treatment, the correspondent said.
15 oct 2012, 10:41 , Respect -
Maria 15 oct 2012
Haneyya reviews Israeli military escalation with Egyptian intelligence chief
GAZA, (PIC)-- Gaza premier Ismail Haneyya reached chief of the Egyptian intelligence Rafat Shehada over the telephone on Monday and conversed with him on the latest Israeli military escalation against Gaza Strip.
Haneyya denounced the Israeli military attacks and called for bridling Israel.
For his part, Shehada said that Egypt was assuming its role in this regard.
Egypt’s Security Forces Receive Threats of Possible Attacks Against Israel
On Monday 15th October, security services in Sinai said that Egypt has intensified its forces in the peninsula, fearing that groups from Sinai would attempt to execute attacks against Israel in revenge to the killing of Hesham al-S'idni, one of the leaders of a Salafi group in an IAF strike on Gaza Saturday 11th October.
Security sources reported that Egypt is on high alert and prepared to face any reprisals.
Barhoum: Hamas has nothing to do with latest Tahrir incidents
GAZA, (PIC)-- Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, has denounced an Egyptian press report claiming that Hamas was involved in the latest Tahrir square incidents in Cairo.
He said in a press release on Monday that the Egyptian Shuruq newspaper’s report on Sunday quoting Nadi Atef, the chairman of the justice and development organization for human rights, was completely untrue.
He said that the report was the latest in a series of attempts to smear Hamas’s reputation and to drive a wedge between the Palestinians and Egypt.
What Nadi said harmed Egypt before harming Hamas, Barhoum said, adding that his movement was keen on maintaining a strong Egyptian-Palestinian relationship.
The spokesman called for an end to such “malicious campaigns” that smear the Egyptian revolution and tamper with its gains.
20 oct 2012, 10:29 , Respect -
Maria 19 oct 2012
Morsi’s Office Recognises Morsi’s Letter to Peres
The Times of Israel published on its website that Yassir Ali, spokesman for Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi confirmed that the president has sent a letter to Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres, calling him a good friend.
Yassir Ali also confirmed that the letter was "100 percent correct." Yet, Muslim Brotherhood leader Jamal Muhammad Heshmat told Ahram that the letter was "fabricated".
According to the same newspaper, Peres's office reported that it had received a friendly letter from Morsi in which the Egyptian leader expressed hopes for regional stability.
Morsi was extremely criticized for his friendly letter that he sent to Peres in a time when he avoided mentioning Israel in his public speeches.