- A new legal challenge filed
with the German Constitutional Court on Monday (13 August) calls on
judges to further delay their ruling on the eurozone's permanent bailout
fund, pending a verdict by the EU's top court.The Karlsruhe-based court had already said it would rule on 12
September on six legal challenges lodged against both the permanent,
yet-to-be-set-up European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and the treaty on
fiscal discipline signed by 25 EU countries.But a group of plaintiffs led by German professor Markus Kerber, who
already had challenged the Greek, Portuguese and Irish bailouts for
allegedly being in breach of EU law, on Monday asked the court to
further delay its verdict because a similar complaint has been filed
with the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice."As long as the European Court of Justice [ECJ] hasn't taken a final
decision on the incompatibility of these treaties, neither the Federal
Constitutional Court nor the Federal President must take a decision,"
Kerber's group, Europolis, said in
.The court on Monday confirmed it had received the complaint, but
refrained from commenting on whether it would accept it or not, Die Welt
reports.The prospect of a further delay on the €500-billion-strong ESM fund
is already spooking investors, with the German Dax index falling on the
news on Monday evening.But legal experts are sceptical whether Karlsruhe will postpone its 12 September ruling."It is not likely that the Constitutional Court changes its schedule
just because of a similar case in the European Court of Justice, because
the ECJ is not a 'higher instance' (for the German court)," Joachim
Wieland, a constitutional expert, told Handelsblatt Online."Both decisions are from a legal point of view on parallel tracks and are independent from one another," he addedThe case in Luxembourg was filed by Thomas Pringle, an Irish MP, who
challenged the ESM in Irish courts for being in breach of EU law.The Irish Supreme Court, for its part, asked the ECJ for legal advice.If accepted, the Luxembourg court would take at least "a few months"
to rule on the matter, an ECJ spokesman told Financial Times.The paper also noted that it would be for the first time if the
German judges took the ECJ ruling into account, as they have never
before asked this court for an opinion on EU-related matters.
BRUSSELS - German foreign minister
Guido Westerwelle on Sunday (12 August) became the latest in a line of
politicians calling for a referendum on handing over more powers to
Brussels as part of a new EU constitution."I hope that we have a real European constitution and that there will
also be a referendum on it," he told the Sunday edition of Germany's
biggest-circulation newspaper, Bild.The idea to hold a referendum on what Chancellor Angela Merkel sees
as the only way out of the crisis - the formation of a true "political
union" - has gained momentum in Germany."We need a political union. That means we have to give up further
competencies to Europe, step by step, in an ongoing process," she told
ARD public television earlier this month.Politicians both in the ruling coalition and in the opposition in
recent weeks have said this is the only way to legitimise new transfers
of power to EU institutions, which would go beyond what the current
German constitution allows.German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble, from Merkel's own
Christian-Democratic Union was the first to float the idea in June. He
was followed by Bavarian Conservatives and now members of the liberal
Free Democratic Party, Merkel's junior coalition member.For his part, Horst Seehofer, the leader of the Bavarian sister party
to Merkel's CDU, on Sunday also said in an interview with Welt am
Sonntag that there are "three [legal] areas where one must ask the
German people about it [power transfers]."Meanwhile, the leader of the centre-left SPD party, Sigmar Gabriel,
last week said the only way out of the crisis is to pool debt and
sovereignty.He also endorsed a recent essay written by German philosopher Jurgen
Habermas along with an economist and another SPD member, which called
for a referendum and for giving the European Parliament more powers so
that there is no "taxation without representation."Leading German magazine Spiegel Online
has outlined forward three scenarios for a possible referendum.It said one option is a voluntary poll on changing the German
charter. A second scenario is a referendum forced by German ratification
of a new EU treaty on power transfers, while a final option is a
pan-European referendum on EU treaty changes.The German Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe is due to rule on 12
September on the legal compatibility with German law of the European
pact on budget discipline - the "fiscal compact" - and the eurozone's
permanent bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism.
In line with previous rulings, it is likely to ask for a bigger say
for the German Parliament and point to the limits of the current German
constitution as part of the eurozone architecture-in-the-making.
FAMINE
REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Drought relief but no bonanza for U.S. crops
By Sam Nelson | Reuters – 23 hours ago AUG 14,12
CHICAGO
(Reuters) - Light showers and cooler temperatures forecast for the next
week will bring welcome relief to drought-stressed corn and soybean
crops in the U.S. Midwest but serious damage has already been done to
crops, an agricultural meteorologist said on Monday."It's an improvement and will probably slow
deterioration but I don't see any huge improvement either," said John
Dee, meteorologist for Global Weather Monitoring.Dee said from 0.20 inch to 0.60 inch of rain with
isolated heavier amounts fell over the weekend in Minnesota, Iowa,
Wisconsin and Illinois. Similar rainfall is expected on Monday in
Michigan, Indiana and Ohio and from late Wednesday into Friday about 85
percent of the Midwest can expect from 0.30 inch to 0.80 inch of rain."Temperatures will be more comfortable with highs in
the 80s (degrees Fahrenheit) in the north and the low 90s F in the
south," Dee said.Dee and other crop experts said the U.S. corn crop was
already harmed beyond by the summer's heat but some of the late planted
soy may be helped. "It will allow some of the filling or pod setting
soybeans to develop but the damage has been done to the corn crop," he
said.Commodity Weather Group (CWG) on Monday said nearly
one-third of the Midwest soybean crop remained under stress from lack of
moisture and the soybean area stressed by drought may expand slightly
over the next 10 days.Parts of central Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, western
Iowa, southern Wisconsin, southwestern Minnesota and southern South
Dakota will be most prone to stress, CWG said.Also, nearly half of the Delta in the lower Mississippi
crop region remains unfavorably dry for late growth in dryland areas,
but rains are expected to expand from late this week into late August
and will ease moisture deficits, according to CWG.As the worst drought in over a half century took its
toll, investors went on a buying spree, boosting corn prices by more
than 50 percent from late May to record highs above $8 per bushel. The
U.S. government on Friday released fresh crop data showing deep cuts for
this year's corn and oilseed output as the drought spread through
America's breadbasket.Now, an early autumn cool down is coming following the
summer of relentless heat that brought almost daily 100 F-plus readings
to much of the crop belt and harming everything from corn to cattle.The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday
released a shocking report showing just how bad the corn and soybean
crops have been hurt during the historic drought that some were
beginning to compare with the dust bowl days of the 1930's.USDA said this year's corn crop would fall below 11.0
billion bushels for the first time in six years and the number of
bushels yielded per acre was a 17-year low. Soybean production was
forecast at a five year low and soy yield per acre nearly a 10-year low.The sharp cuts in crop output even filtered into the
precious metals markets, boosting gold as worries about higher food
prices enhanced its allure as an inflation hedge.
Analysts and crop experts said further cuts may be seen in future reports.(Reporting By Sam Nelson; Editing by Alden Bentley)
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Progress made on Calif. wildfire threatening town
Associated Press – 21 hours ago AUG 14,12
CLEARLAKE
OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Crews made progress overnight against a Northern
California wildfire that has grown to more than 4 1/2 square miles and
forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes.
The blaze in Lake
County was 25 percent contained early Monday and threatens 480 homes in
Spring Valley. The fire destroyed three buildings after erupting Sunday
but it's unclear whether those were homes.
A second Lake County wildfire has burned more than three square miles and forced evacuations.
Meanwhile,
two fires sparked by lightning from Sunday thunderstorms are burning
out of control in Southern California wilderness areas but no homes are
nearby.A 220-acre blaze is near Vallecito in San Diego County and
a 300-acre fire is burning in Joshua Tree National Park east of Palm
Springs.More thunderstorms are possible Monday afternoon.
MUSLIM NATIONS
JEREMIAH 30:10-11
10 Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob,(ISRAEL) saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob (ISRAEL) shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.
11 For I am with thee,(ISRAEL-JERUSALEM) saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee:(GOD-JESUS ALWAYS PROTECTS ISRAEL-JERUSALEM)
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
JEREMIAH 4:6-8
6 Set up the standard toward Zion:(JERUSALEM) retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north,(RUSSIA/MUSLIMS) and a great destruction.(WITH NUKES)
7 The lion is come up from his thicket,(RUSSIA/MUSLIMS) and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
8 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.(AMERICA-NY AND OTHER CITIES)
EZEKIEL 5:15-17
15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the (ARAB/MUSLIM) nations that are round about thee,(ISRAEL) when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
16 When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
17 So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts,(WHEN RUSSIA/MUSLIMS GET DEFEATED THIER BODIES GET EATEN BY BIRDS,ANIMALS IN ISRAEL MIGRATION SEASON) and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee;(NUKES) and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.
EZEKIEL 28:25-26
25 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered,(WORLD NATIONS) and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.(ISRAEL)
26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them;(ARAB/MUSLIMS LEAD BY RUSSIA) and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
JEREMEIAH 49:35-37 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR NUKE SITE SOME BELIEVE)
35 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRAN/BUSHEHR NUCLEAR SITE) the chief of their might.(MOST DANGEROUS NUKE SITE IN IRAN)
36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,(IRANIANS SCATTERED OR MASS IMIGARATION) and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(WORLD IMMIGRATION)
37 For I will cause Elam (IRAN-BUSHEHR NUKE SITE) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger,(ISRAELS NUKES POSSIBLY) saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:(IRAN AND ITS NUKE SITES DESTROYED)
ISAIAH 17:1,12-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14 And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.
JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23 Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27 And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
JEREMIAH 47:1-7
1 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines,(PALESTINIAN/ARABS) before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.
2 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north,(NORTHERN TSUNAMI POSSIBLY) and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.
3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses,(ISRAELS ARMY) at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;(ISRAEL POSSIBLY NUKES GAZA)
4 Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines,(PALESTINIAN FAKE ARABS) and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.
5 Baldness is come upon Gaza;(NUKED POSSIBLY) Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?
6 O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.
7 How can it be quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? (MEDITTERANEAN SEA) there hath he appointed it.
DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south ( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 750 MILLION DEAD I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS-MUSLIMS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
Russia: New US Sanctions Against Iran 'Overt Blackmail'
Russia
criticized new US sanctions against Iran, calling them “undisguised
blackmail” and a "crude contradiction of international law."By Rachel Hirshfeld First Publish: 8/14/2012, 10:45 AM
President Obama
Reuters
Russia harshly criticized new U.S. sanctions against Iran on Monday,
calling them “overt blackmail” and a "crude contradiction of
international law," warning that relations between Washington and Moscow could significantly soar if Russian companies are affected.President Barack Obama signed into law new sanctions on Iran’s energy, shipping and
financial
industries on Friday that would harm foreign companies that mine
uranium with Iran or help the regime export oil by providing tankers,
insurance or banking
services.
"We are talking about restrictive measures not only against Iran but
also affecting foreign companies and individuals working with it,
including in the hydrocarbon extraction and transport, petrochemicals,
finance and insurance industries," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a
statement."We consider efforts to ... impose internal American legislation on
the entire world completely unacceptable," it said. "We reject methods
of overt blackmail that the United States resorts to in relation to the
companies and banks of other countries."
"Those in Washington should take into account that our bilateral
relations will suffer seriously if Russian operators ... come under the
effects of the American restrictions."Russia reiterated its stance that unilateral sanctions, as opposed to
those approved by the Security Council, are counterproductive, arguing
that the "constant
increase of
pressure on Tehran" undermines unity among the six nations leading
diplomatic efforts to rein in Iran's nuclear program and impairs the
chances of success,
Rueters repoted.Talks between Iran and the six powers in Moscow in June failed to
yield desired results over Tehran's nuclear activities including the
enrichment of uranium which Western nations fear is part of a bid for
weapons capability.
Iran confident Israel won't launch 'stupid' attack
AFP – 3 hrs ago AUG 14,12
Iran
on Tuesday said it is dismissing Israeli threats of an imminent attack
against it, explaining that even some Israeli officials realised such a
"stupid" act would provoke "very severe consequences.""In our calculations, we aren't taking these claims very seriously
because we see them as hollow and baseless," foreign ministry spokesman
Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters in a weekly briefing.
[Slideshow: Iran test fires long-range missile]
"Even if some officials in the illegitimate regime (Israel) want to
carry out such a stupid action, there are those inside (the Israeli
government) who won't allow it because they know they would suffer very
severe consequences from such an act," he said.Iran's defence minister, General Ahmad Vahidi, was quoted by the ISNA
news agency saying that Israel "definitely doesn't have what it takes
to endure Iran's might and will."
He called the Israeli threats "a sign of weakness" by "brainless leaders."The comments were a response to bellicose rhetoric from Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak in recent
days suggesting they were thinking more seriously of military action
against Iranian nuclear facilities.
"We are determined to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear (armed), and
all the options are on the table. When we say it, we mean it," Barak
told Israeli radio last Thursday.Israeli media have underlined the threat, reporting that a decision
could be made within weeks. They have also highlighted opposition to the
idea by current and former Israeli military officials.The United States has recently multiplied visits by top officials to
Israel in what appears to be an attempt to dissuade the Jewish state
from targeting the Islamic republic.
[Related: To attack or not to attack?]
"We continue to believe there is time and space for diplomacy," White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday.Israel insists that Iran is on the point of developing nuclear weapons, and says it reserves the right to act to prevent that.The Jewish state has in the past launched air strikes to destroy
nuclear facilities in Iraq and, reportedly, in Syria to protect its own
regional nuclear weapons monopoly, whose existence it refuses to
officially confirm.Iran says its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful, civilian uses.In the past couple of years it has ramped up uranium enrichment to a
level just a few steps short of military-grade fissile material, saying
those stocks are needed to create medical isotopes. It has also refused
UN nuclear inspectors access to suspect military installations.Renewed negotiations between Iran
and the five top UN Security Council powers, plus Germany, have taken
place this year. They have been downgraded after it became clear they
were in an impasse, but not ended.In the meantime, Iran is
suffering from increasingly tough US and EU economic sanctions that have
crippled its all-important oil exports.
Israel plunged into unprecedented debate about war
By AMY TEIBEL | Associated Press – 18 hrs ago AUG 14,12
JERUSALEM (AP) — To attack or not to attack? With
Israeli politicians warning repeatedly that
Iran
is secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, this question has spawned an
unprecedented amount of agonizing even in a country accustomed to war
and incessant debate.The teeth gnashing plays out everywhere from the halls of parliament to news talk shows to people's living rooms. Should
Israel undertake a risky mission to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities? Should it trust the
United States to do the job if necessary? Can it live with a nuclear Iran? Should politicians even be talking about this in public?"A
country that is debating whether to attack or not to attack usually
doesn't spill its guts," said veteran Israeli journalist Motti
Kirshenbaum. He noted that Israel's usual pattern is to dissect a
military offensive after it happens — not discuss it beforehand.The
public appears to be largely taking the furor in stride, in part
because some suspect Israel's leaders are essentially bluffing in order
to compel the world to get serious about the issue. But there is a
growing sense of foreboding: Even
Defense Minister Ehud Barak,
who is believed to favor an attack, says hundreds will die in the
counterstrike, and there is awareness of the global security and
economic mayhem that war with Iran could unleash.Never in
Israel's history has there been so much talk about an impending war,
security affairs analyst and Iran expert Yossi Melman wrote in a column
on the Walla! news website on Monday."It's one thing for the
media to blather about it, but why are leaders and senior officials
chattering themselves to death?" he asked.Although Israel's
leaders frequently lament about all the Iran "chitchat," make no
mistake: It's they who are fueling the discussion.The Iranian threat, Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, "dwarfs any challenge the Israeli home front faces."True,
no Israeli leader has explicitly threatened to attack Iran. Netanyahu
and Barak — considered here the main champions of a pre-emptive strike
on Iran's nuclear facilities — have said no decision has yet been made.
But they sometimes seem at pains to make sure the message is not
missed.Netanyahu has been warning about an Iranian nuclear threat
since the 1990s, invoking comparisons with the Holocaust and sidelining
all other foreign policy issues during his latest tenure as prime
minister.In recent months, amid the intensity of economic
sanctions and boycotts against Iran, there have been hints of
self-congratulation related to the theory that only Israeli
saber-rattling could have pushed a world eager to mollify Israel and
prevent an attack in this fortunate direction.But of late the media here has filled with leaked reports attributable to "
senior officials"
projecting a sense that patience is growing thin: The sanctions don't
go far enough, and although they have fueled inflation and hammered the
standard of living in Iran, they fall short, especially because
Russia and
China notably refuse to fall into line.Hints
dropped privately by senior officials and multiple warnings by Israeli
leaders about time growing short have created the impression here that
Netanyahu and Barak have given up on the idea of pressuring Iran through
economic and diplomatic sanctions, and are out to attack by early fall
unless Iran abandons its uranium enrichment program, a key element in
making atomic weapons."The hot topic on the Israeli street is
when will the war break out and where to take cover in the event of a
missile attack," Melman wrote.Talks between Iran and world powers are effectively stalled with no firm date to restart following June's session in Moscow.At
the heart of the talks is how much the West is willing to allow Iran to
enrich uranium, which at low levels creates fuel to power reactors but
can be boosted to weapons grade material. Iran insists it will never
surrender its ability to make nuclear fuel, but says it seeks reactors
only for energy and medical applications.Israelis scoff at
Tehran's insistence that its nuclear program is peaceful, and many
believe a nuclear-armed Iran would be a threat to Israel's survival.
They cite Iran's repeated calls for Israel's downfall, support for
anti-Israel militant groups and development of sophisticated missiles
capable of striking Israel.
This may constitute an existential threat, but it also makes good copy.On
Monday, each of the country's five daily newspapers carried a
front-page story on a potential attack even though there were no major
developments the day before."The United States will be dragged into an
Israeli attack on Iran," trumpeted Maariv."
Ehud Barak's atomic mistake," blared Yediot Ahronot, alongside a column on Iran.Fueling
the debate has been extraordinary public criticism of Netanyahu and
Barak coming from an unlikely quarter: All of Israel's recently retired
security chiefs oppose an attack, and several have come out swinging
against Barak and Netanyahu personally. It's a shocking public rift
between the political and defense establishments.
"This unprecedented debate more than anything else reflects profound distrust of the leadership of
Benjamin Netanyahu
by the Israeli military and defense establishment," said Yaron Ezrahi, a
political scientist and former analyst in the Israeli military.Skeptics
note that the risks of a strike are monumental. Israel could become
entangled in harsh, long-term consequences, ranging from an ongoing war
with Iran and its proxies in
Lebanon
and Gaza, to a diplomatic rift with the U.S., which has urged Israel to
give sanctions more time while promising not to let Iran go nuclear.Also,
Israeli air strikes could deliver a debilitating but not necessarily
fatal blow to Iran's nuclear program. They would mostly serve to destroy
uranium-enriching centrifuges, which can be purchased by friendly
states such as
North Korea or possibly rebuilt by Iranian technicians.After
the security officials opposed an attack, Israel's leaders turned to
the public in an attempt to drum up support, Kirshenbaum said."They're
doing it because they want partners to the decision, because they
understand it's a very dangerous risk," he said. But he added that the
discussion may serve the public good: "You have a situation that is so
complicated and so dangerous, that in a democratic society, you might
need a debate over whether to do it because so much hangs in the
balance."A poll released Sunday suggested the public, normally
hawkish on security matters, has big qualms about a solo Israeli strike
on Iran that does not have Washington's blessing. The survey, conducted
by Israel's Dialog Institute, showed 46 percent oppose such an attack as
opposed to 32 percent who support it and 22 percent who have no
opinion. A total of 504 people took part in the survey, which had a
margin of error of 4.3 percentage points.
Ezrahi, the political scientist, applauds the public debate."Every democracy should discuss the issue of going to war with such potentially fateful results," he said.But
Nachman Shai, a lawmaker with the opposition Kadima Party and a former
military spokesman, thinks drawing in the public was a "bad idea.""It
frightens people to live in a country that is talking about war all the
time," he said. "What does it do to us as a country, a society? Even
though we're a society that is familiar with this, it's a very heavy
dose."___AP correspondent Karin Laub contributed to this report from Ramallah, West Bank.
THIS IS JUST REDICULAS.16,000 CITIZENS KILLED IN SYRIA AND NO ACTION TAKEN BY THE USELESS U.N.IF THIS HAPPENED IN ISRAEL.THE WORLD WOULD BE CALLING FOR AN ATTACK TO STOP ISRAELIS FROM DEFENDING THEMSELVES.AND ACCUSING ISRAEL OF GENOCIDE.BUT LET A COMPLETE MURDERER LIKE ASSAD JUST OFF THE INNOCENT CITIZENS WITH GENOCIDE.HOW HYPOCRITICAL IS THE U.N AND THE WORLD IS MY QUESTION?
More than 23,000 people killed in Syria: NGO
AFP – 13 hrs ago AUG 14,12
More than 23,000 people have been killed in violence in Syria since the outbreak of a revolt in March last year, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday."As of August 13, 23,002 people were killed, including 16,142 civilians, 1,018 defectors and 5,842 soldiers," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, adding that 2,409 people have been killed in the past 13 days alone.
The civilian toll includes those who have taken up arms against the regime.The conflict became even bloodier after fierce fighting erupted in Damascus and Syria's second city of Aleppo in July."The total count does not include
the shabiha (pro-government militiamen), thousands of detainees whose
fate is unknown, or those who have been killed but whose identities have
not been verified," Abdel Rahman added.It is impossible to independently verify death counts out of Syria, and the UN has stopped keeping its own toll.
President shifts Egypt's balance of power
By HAMZA HENDAWI and SARAH EL DEEB | Associated Press – 15 hrs ago AUG 14,12
CAIRO (AP) — In retaking key powers and shaking up the military brass,
President Mohammed Morsi has sharply shifted
Egypt's balance of power overnight and transformed his public image from a weak leader to a savvy politician.If
unchallenged, the moves could end six decades of de facto military rule
in Egypt. But they also raise a new concern at home and abroad — the
concentration of power in the hands of Islamists.
With
the military as the backbone of the Egyptian state for the past 60
years, the country's first civilian and freely elected president must
have closely coordinated his moves with top members of the military
establishment to ensure their execution, according to analysts who
closely monitor Egypt's military.That reality underlines how much
care a civilian president must take if he wants to assert his authority
over a military accustomed to having one of its own filling the land's
highest office.The military sent a message of reassurance Monday about Morsi's
surprise decision to retire the defense minister and chief of staff and
retake powers the generals grabbed from his office days before his June
30 inauguration.A posting on a Facebook page known to be close to the generals said the changes, announced by Morsi Sunday,
amounted to the "natural" handing over of leadership to a younger
generation. "The armed forces is a prestigious institution with a
doctrine of full discipline and commitment to legitimacy," it said.Morsi's move has redrawn the political map of post-Hosni Mubarak Egypt, with Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, a fundamentalist Islamist group, gaining considerable stature from a battle not many thought it could survive, let alone win."With
the military stripped of legislative authority, and in the absence of
parliament, the president holds imperial powers," Egypt's top reform
leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, wrote on his
Twitter account Monday.Morsi
has been locked in a power struggle with the military since he took
office. But after militants killed 16 Egyptian soldiers a week ago at a
border post with Israel
in Sinai — the worst attack on troops in living memory — he has more
aggressively sought to assert his authority over the top generals.
He
fired the nation's intelligence chief a few days after the Sinai attack
and made two highly publicized visits to Sinai in the company of top
commanders. He also chaired several meetings with the military
leadership and made a point of calling himself the supreme commander of
the armed forces in televised speeches while seeking to project an image
of himself as the army's patron and foremost supporter.The
long-term goal of the Brotherhood is to Islamize Egypt, the most
populous Arab nation. Outlawed for most of its 84 years, the group will
draw much confidence from Morsi's latest victory in his power struggle
with the military as it prepares for new parliamentary elections
expected before the end of the year.Morsi, a conservative Muslim,
has been careful not to push that agenda since his election, worried
that he could alienate secular Egyptians, women and minority Christians.
However, he made it clear while campaigning ahead in May that Islamic
Shariah law must be implemented in Egypt.The Brotherhood
won both parliamentary and presidential elections in the first free and
fair votes in Egypt's modern history, following Mubarak's ouster in a
popular uprising last year. However, the military rulers who took power
from Mubarak dissolved the Brotherhood-dominated parliament in June
after a court ruled that a third of its members were illegally elected.Morsi
hand-picked his first prime minister last month, a devout Muslim who
denies any link to the Brotherhood. On Sunday, he named Lt. Gen.
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, also known to be a devout Muslim, as defense
minister, replacing Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.How he pulled
off Sunday's stunning coup, is the subject of intense speculation, with
all parties concerned keeping mum on the details.Analysts say the
shake-up could have been part of a "safe exit" deal negotiated by Morsi
and the generals to shield them against prosecution for alleged crimes
during the time they ruled the country. They cite the appointment of
Tantawi, the outgoing defense minister, and Gen. Sami Annan, the ousted
chief of staff, as presidential advisers as evidence to support their
theory.Three top generals retired by Morsi on Sunday — the chiefs
of the air force, air defense and the navy— were also given senior
government jobs.Morsi may also have tapped into divisions and the
generation gap within the top echelons of the military. Tantawi, for
example, is 76 and was in that job for more than 20 years. His
replacement, El-Sissi, is 58.Omar Ashour, a visiting Scholar at
the Brookings Doha Center who has interviewed Egypt's post-Mubarak
military rulers over the past year, said the shake-up was forced by the
current balance of power, which dictates coordination between a
popularly elected president and a military whose mandate for ruling
expired with Morsi's election."The issue that is significant is
to have a civilian elected president overruling the military, trying to
assert the civilian superiority over the military," he said. "But the
military establishment has a minimum demand, and that is a veto on key
policies and national security."Morsi would be ill-advised to
treat the military as a vanquished enemy after Sunday's shake-up. It
would be just as unwise, however, to underestimate the powers of the
presidency, which has traditionally lent strength to its occupants no
matter how weak or hesitant they were when they first took office.For Morsi to take on a military establishment
that has been dominant in Egypt since army officers seized power in a
1952 coup shows how far he was willing to go to assert his authority,
even with the help of some of the generals.
Still, he knew his
limitations, sailing in what is in effect uncharted waters as Egypt's
first civilian president. He knew these boundaries well enough not to
appoint a civilian defense minister and to realize that the military
will continue to play a key role in how Egypt is run.The
United States,
Egypt's main foreign backer of 30 years, said it had expected the
changes, and expressed a desire to see the military and the government
working well together."We had expected
President Morsi
at some point to coordinate changes in the military leadership, to name
a new team," U.S. Defense Department press secretary George Little said
in Washington.U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland
added: "What's important to us is that the civilian leadership and the
military keep working well together to advance the goals of the
democratic transition in Egypt."Morsi appears to have timed his
moves at a time when the military was humiliated by a major security
failure with the Sinai attack on Aug. 5, just days after Israel warned
an assault was imminent.
The incident led to rare media criticism
of the military's combat readiness — something that had not been seen in
Egypt since its disastrous 1967 defeat by Israel — and charges that its
generals were distracted by politics when they should have been paying
attention to troop protection.But the military, in the eyes of
most Egyptians, remains the nation's most powerful institution, a
defender of a nation that fought four wars with Israel between 1948 and
1973, and which is obsessed about foreign threats, real or imaginary, to
its security.
"We are entering a new phase, where the military
returns to the barracks and all authorities go to the president," said
Abdullah el-Sinawi, a prominent analyst who has for years been close to
the military.
"But the
political role of the military will stay with us for at least 20 more
years. A diminishing political role for the military is a delusion."___Associated Press correspondents Matthew Pennington and Pauline Jelinek in Washington contributed to this report.