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Monday, February 25, 2013

Amid mounting pressures, some see potential for new Palestinian uprising

Thousands turned out for the funeral today of a Palestinian who died in an Israeli jail. Some see a new intifadah as the only way to fight back as tensions rise, but many say that could hurt the Palestinian cause.

By Christa Case Bryant,?Staff writer / February 25, 2013

Palestinians attend the funeral of Arafat Jaradat in the West Bank village of Sair outside Hebron Monday. People filled every rooftop, balcony, and open patch of grass surrounding the village square as Jaradat?s coffin was carried through the crowd, sparking fierce whistling and a few gunshots.

Darren Whiteside/Reuters

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Sair and Ramallah, West Bank

Less than a month before President Obama is to visit Jerusalem and Ramallah, raising hopes he will help bring Israelis and Palestinians back to the peace table, some see the West Bank heading in a very different direction.

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Many Palestinians say the accumulating pressures of Israeli occupation, an economic crisis, expanding Israeli settlements, and now the death of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail over the weekend could turn pockets of unrest into a widespread uprising.

?The issue of the prisoners is only one point that created this eruption,? said Sheikh Issa Jaradat, the former mayor of Sair, at the funeral for deceased prisoner Arafat Jaradat. People filled every rooftop, balcony, and open patch of grass surrounding the village square as Jaradat?s coffin was carried through the crowd, sparking fierce whistling and a few gunshots.

?The fact that so many people are here shows that this is not just about the suffering of Sair. The whole West Bank is suffering,? says the sheikh. ?This could easily be the beginning of an intifada.?

Palestinians have blamed Jaradat?s death on Israeli torture, citing evidence from the autopsy, although Israel denies this and the final medical analysis has yet to be released.

But even before his death on Feb. 23, momentum had grown around the prisoner issue, with four prisoners on a hunger strike. On Saturday, clashes erupted between Palestinian villagers and settlers in the village of Qusra, near Nablus, and Palestinians clashed with Israeli soldiers in Hebron the following day, sparking a flurry of Israeli media reports about a brewing intifada. Some 4,500 prisoners launched a 24-hour hunger strike yesterday in solidarity with Jaradat.

A new intifada will hurt us: poll

Some Palestinians see a third uprising as the only way to fight back against an Israeli military occupation and grab the attention of the international community, which many feel has largely forgotten Palestinians since they committed to finding a peaceful solution.

Some 32 percent of Palestinians support an intifada, according to a poll by Arab World for Research & Development published Feb. 21, before Jaradat?s death. A strong majority of 65 percent oppose a new intifada, however, with 41 percent of respondents saying it will hurt the Palestinian cause.?

Indeed, such an uprising could work against Palestinian interests in several ways. It could bolster Israel?s argument that it has no partner for peace, enabling it to continue expanding settlements in the West Bank unfettered by negotiations. It could also provide Israeli justification for maintaining or increasing checkpoints, arrests, and administrative detention in the name of security.

That has led some to surmise that Israel may be intentionally stirring up unrest rather than trying to contain it ??although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday transferred $100 million in tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority in what some saw as an attempt to ease the situation.

?I don?t believe Israeli is worried. I believe they would like another confrontation,? says Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club and a prominent Fatah member, who is skeptical of the potential for a full-blown intifada before Fatah and Hamas reconcile. ?But if we have reconciliation and we begin planning our steps together, then maybe Netanyahu will be worried about any Palestinian reaction or a new intifada.?

A house divided cannot protest?

The prisoner issue, which resonates with all Palestinians, could provide the common cause needed to bring Fatah and Hamas back together. Mr. Fares says that?both Fatah and Hamas are united in wanting to save the life of the four prisoners on a hunger strike ??one of whom, Samer Issawi, is said to be in critical condition after an on-off strike that began more than 200 days ago. He is one of a number of Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for captured soldier Gilad Shalit, only to be rearrested in what Palestinians say is a violation of the deal.

Umm Abdullah, a Hamas supporter in Ramallah whose husband, Jamil Tawil, was jailed last month for the 14^th ?time, says she and other Hamas supporters would like to join demonstrations over the prisoner issue but are afraid that Palestinian Authority (PA) intelligence sources will report them to the Israelis. She describes the PA as ?spies to the enemy? ? Israel. Both she and her daughter have also spent time in jail and don't want to give the Israelis any reason to rearrest them.

?We are being scrutinized, we are being watched in every sense,? she says, sitting by a portrait of her nephew, who carried out a suicide bombing in Jerusalem in 2001. ?Therefore, reconciliation can?t take place without confidence-building measures.?

?This is a strong message to Obama?

At the funeral today for Jaradat in Sair, just outside of Hebron, supporters of the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Brigades chanted, ?Let the olive branch fall and let the weapon always lead to victory?. Let Tel Aviv be set on fire.?

Even as a rival cluster of Hamas supporters tried to out-chant the group, others insisted Palestinians were united in their fight against Israel.

?Besides Fatah, besides Hamas, we the people of Palestine are all united in challenging the occupation,? said Rami Hijjah, a business student and student council member at Polytechnic University in Hebron who says he hopes ?we all will follow [Jaradat] as martyrs.?

?Palestine will not be liberated until we all sacrifice and feed its soil with our blood,? he said, surrounded by fellow student council members. ?We have to continue this escalation of our protest?. My generation will not stay quiet.?

Few protesters interviewed expressed any hope that Obama would be willing or able to improve the situation when he visits next month. One referred to Israel as America?s ?spoiled child.? But at least some felt they were conveying an important message to him and other world leaders.

?The whole world has given us a deaf ear instead of an open ear and an open eye,? says Sheikh Jaradat. ?I feel this is a strong message to Obama and all the world: Look, we do not accept this miserable situation ? and the injustices committed against our people.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/J3XZ4sOgpd0/Amid-mounting-pressures-some-see-potential-for-new-Palestinian-uprising

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

Juliana Stock: Tips When Facing Fear and Stress

For years I've lived by the personal mantra, particularly in times of fear and stress -- crippling or otherwise -- feelings aren't facts. For me, it's a simple, clarifying yet true phrase that has seen me through a number of sticky, stressful, even painful moments. Fear can be one of the most crippling of all the emotions. It can paralyze and hinder progress or, when channeled, it can transform into courage.

Fear and stress also have bad raps. Sometimes it's a necessary evil to get to what we really want or need. In my adult life, I've made some difficult decisions that created stressful situations as byproducts. For example, I chose to end a marriage and become a single mother, I chose to eventually get remarried and introduce a stepfather to my two beautiful children, and I chose to make a career change to pursue something I was more passionate about. All of these things came with their share of sadness, stress, fear and tears, but what was on the the other side was joy, laughter, anticipation and excitement.

Between the "before" and "after" in all those situations, I did not lose my fear -- at least not initially. What I've come to understand is that courage isn't the absence of fear at all. It's taking an action or risk, making a move or decision in spite of it, and here are some of the tools that I found were handy:

1. Know this too shall pass: No situation or feeling is forever, not even fear, you just have to have the patience and persistence to wait it out.

2. Perspective is everything: Even before your circumstances change, your perspective might and that is a beautiful thing.

3. Just take the next right action: When it feels like there are a million things to accomplish and it's insurmountable, it's easy to become paralyzed, and that's often when an "all or nothing" mindset can sneak in and take over (example: well, doing that one thing won't fix the whole problem, so why do anything at all?). The fact is, a journey of 100 miles began with the first step, so when I feel overwhelmed and I start focusing on doing the best thing I can do that's right in front of me, I can stay on task, and pretty soon the little tasks start to add up.

4. Identify quantifiable evidence: Feelings may not be facts, but sometimes in moments of high stress or true despair they can be worse. What I try to do -- in moments that are less fraught -- is collect pieces of quantifiable evidence that combat the fear so I can have them in my back pocket. For example, if I fear I will be alone, I have letters and notes from my husband and children that say how much they love me; if the fear is about not being talented in a chosen field, perhaps keep a scrapbook of professional accomplishments.

5. Resist the urge to isolate: When I'm feeling bad, I always want to hibernate. It makes sense... facing the world is the last thing I want to do when I feel like the word "LOSER" is written across my face. The truth is, isolation feeds desperation and only digs the hole deeper. Support systems are really important when getting through moments of stress as is continuing to feel like a citizen of the world.

For more by Juliana Stock, click here.

For more on stress, click here.

Follow Juliana Stock on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jmkstock

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/juliana-stock/fear-tips_b_2719373.html

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Four Somali immigrants convicted of supporting militants

(Reuters) - Four Somali immigrants, including a popular imam at a San Diego-area mosque, were convicted by a U.S. federal jury on Friday of conspiring to provide material support to an al Qaeda-linked Islamist militia in the Horn of Africa nation.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California said that the men - the imam, two cab drivers and an employee at a money transmitting business - had conspired to raise and send money to Somali al Shabaab rebels.

Al Shabaab militants want to impose a strict version of Islamic law in war-ravaged Somalia, but have lost significant territory in the southern and central parts of the country in the face of an offensive by African Union troops.

According to the evidence presented at trial, the men conspired to transfer funds from San Diego to Somalia through the Shidaal Express, a now-defunct money transmitting business in San Diego.

The U.S. Attorney's office said the jury had listened to intercepted phone conversations between one of the men, San Diego cab driver Basaaly Saeed Moalin, and an al Shabaab leader who was later killed in a U.S. airstrike.

Aden Hashi Ayro implored the cab driver in those calls to send money to al Shabaab, telling him it was "time to finance the Jihad."

"You are running late with the stuff. Send some and something will happen," Ayro told Moalin. He also repeatedly asked him to reach out to Mohamed Mohamed Mohamud - an imam at the City Heights mosque - to obtain funds for the group.

U.S. warplanes killed Ayro, the Afghan-trained then-leader of al Shabaab who was said to be al Qaeda's top man in the country, in 2008. Under Ayro, al Shabaab had adopted Iraq-style tactics, including assassinations, roadside bombs and suicide bombings.

Prosecutors also presented a recorded telephone conversation in which Moalin gave the rebels permission to use his house in the capital Mogadishu. Prosecutors argued he was offering the home as a place to hide weapons.

U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said the prosecution was the result of a lengthy investigation by the San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force.

"This case proves that our efforts to detect and disrupt terrorist financing - and prevent the violence that goes along with it - has paid off," Duffy said in a statement.

"The jury clearly did not accept defense claims that months of intercepted conversations about bullets, bombings and Jihad were actually conversations about their charitable efforts for orphans and schools," she added.

Convicted alongside Mohamud and Moalin were 37-year-old Anaheim cab driver Ahmed Nasiri Taalil Mohamud and 56-year-old Issa Doreh, who worked at a money transmitting business.

The four men are due to be sentenced on May 16 on various conspiracy and money laundering charges, which each carry maximum penalties of 15 to 20 years in jail and combined fines of up to $1 million.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/four-somali-immigrants-us-convicted-supporting-militants-083214144.html

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Pistorius' brother facing charge in traffic death

Carl Pistorius, brother of Olympian athlete, Oscar Pistorius, arrives at home, Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, where his brother has been staying in Pretoria, South Africa, since being granted bail Friday for the Valentine's Day shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Reports emerged Sunday that Carl Pistorius is facing charges of culpable homicide for the death of a woman biker who was knocked down in 2010. (AP Photo)

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2013 file photo, Carl Pistorius, right, and Henke Pistorius, the brother and father of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, charged with the shooting death of his girlfriend attend Oscar's bail hearing at the magistrate court in Pretoria, South Africa. A report by a local television station on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, revealed that Carl Pistorius is facing a charge of culpable homicide for the death of a woman knocked down on her motorbike in 2010. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)

Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius' father Henke Pistorius, right, with his son Carl watch as Oscar Pistorius walks in during his bail hearing at the magistrate court in Pretoria, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Olympian Oscar Pistorius, foreground, stands following his bail hearing, as his brother Carl, left, and father Henke, second from left, look on in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. Pistorius fired into the door of a small bathroom where his girlfriend was cowering after a shouting match on Valentine's Day, hitting her three times, a South African prosecutor said Tuesday as he charged the sports icon with premeditated murder. The magistrate ruled that Pistorius faces the harshest bail requirements available in South African law. (AP Photo)

Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius's brother Carl Pistorius looks on after his bail application appearance at the magistrate court in Pretoria, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. Pistorius was formally charged at Pretoria Magistrate?s Court with one count of murder after his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, a model and budding reality TV show participant, was shot multiple times and killed at Pistorius' upmarket home in the predawn hours of Thursday. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? The murder case involving Olympic star Oscar Pistorius took another unexpected turn Sunday with the news that his older brother, Carl, is himself facing charges for the death of a woman in a traffic accident.

Carl Pistorius faces a charge of unlawful, negligent killing for a 2008 road death, "in which a woman motorcyclist sadly lost her life," Kenneth Oldwage, the Pistorius family lawyer said on Sunday. The accident happened in Vanderbijlpark, south of Johannesburg. The charge of "culpable homicide" was dropped and then reinstated and will be challenged in court, the lawyer told The Associated Press.

It is the second time someone associated with the Pistorius case has been found to face a serious charge that has been dropped and then reinstated. It was revealed that the chief police investigator in the case is facing charges of seven counts of attempted murder for shooting at a vehicle with seven passengers. Following the revelations, Hilton Botha was removed from the Pistorius investigation and a new chief detective was appointed on Thursday.

To drop and then reinstate charges is "not uncommon in South African criminal law. The law specifically makes provision to allow charges to be dropped and then to be reinstated as a result of further investigations," said Jacob van Garderen, director of Lawyers for Human Rights. "It is a practical procedure, a process that is there to assist both sides."

In another twist this weekend, model Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot to death by Oscar Pistorius on Valentine's Day was on television again in a new episode of the reality show "Tropika Island of Treasure 5" even though she was buried last Tuesday.

On Monday, Oscar Pistorius must report to the police station in Brooklyn, a suburb of the nation's capital Pretoria, and sign in, a twice-weekly procedure which is part of his bail conditions.

Pistorius was released on bail Friday and stayed at the home of his uncle Arnold in Waterkloof, an affluent suburb of Pretoria, where Oscar is now staying. His brother, Carl, came to visit the house Sunday.

The problem confronting his older brother Carl is the latest complication in a case that has transfixed South Africa and much of the world.

"It's also doubly sad because it's involved with Oscar and his brother and all the family ? so they have double sort of trouble," said Johannesburg resident Jim Plester.

Lawyer Oldwage said that "Carl deeply regrets the accident" and that a blood test showed he was not drunk at the time. He said the charges had initially been dropped, only to be reinstated later.

Oscar Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder, but the athlete says he killed his girlfriend accidentally, opening fire after mistaking her for an intruder in his home.

The character of Pistorius also continued to take center stage. For many, it mirrors his public appearances as an articulate, well-spoken advocate for Paralympic athletes facing hardship. Witness statements describing Pistorius as a down-to-earth guy were presented at the hearing.

Others have described him as a reckless risk taker who has been in trouble before, such as a boating accident in 2009 which put him into a hospital intensive care unit.

But in a report on Sunday, a South African man who said Steenkamp had stayed at his home since September, described Pistorius as moody and impatient. Cecil Myers, whose daughter was close friends with Steenkamp, said in an interview in the City Press newspaper, that Pistorius will have the killing of Steenkamp on his conscience. "I hope he gets a long sentence. Gets what he deserves," said Myers.

Pistorius appeared "very nice and charming to us when they started dating," said Myers. Myers said Pistorius initially used to come into the house but later just dropped Steenkamp off and picked her up when they began to date steadily, and he described the change as a lack of respect.

Myers recalled their first date and told the newspaper: "After that he wouldn't leave her alone. He kept pestering her, phoning and phoning and phoning her."

According to Myers, Steenkamp "told me he pushed her a bit into a corner. She felt caged in."

Myers said he told Pistorius "not to force himself on her. Back off." He said that after initially agreeing with him, it appeared that Pistorius soon took no heed.

Myers declined to respond to a request for more information from Associated Press.

In the bail hearing, a character reference for Pistorius, acknowledged that "the only issue in the relationship that I was made aware of was that Reeva sometimes thought Oscar was moving a little fast."

Pistorius was born without fibula bones due to a congenital defect and his legs were amputated when he was 11 months old. He has run on carbon-fiber blades and was originally banned from competing against able-bodied peers because many argued that his blades gave him an unfair advantage. He was later cleared to compete. He is a multiple Paralympic medalist, and won a silver medal at the 2011 Daegu world championships with South Africa's 4x400 relay team. But he failed to win a medal at the London Olympics, where he ran in the 400 meter race and the 4x400 relay race.

___

AP Sports Writers Gerald Imray contributed from Centurion and John Leicester from Johannesburg. AP Writers Christopher Torchia and Andrew Meldrum contributed from Johannesburg.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-24-OLY-Pistorius-Shooting/id-65a11f6f660746aeb261c4bc5aa940d7

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Saturday, February 23, 2013

POLITICS: Averting the sequester is 'not rocket science,' LaHood tells former GOP colleagues