A date has been set (click here) for a long-delayed Geneva peace conference aimed at bringing together Syria's government and opposition.
Arab League chief Nabil el-Araby said on Sunday that international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi informed him that the talks will convene on November 23.
El-Araby made the comment to reporters after meeting Brahimi, the joint UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, at the bloc's Cairo headquarters, on the first leg of a regional tour he is conducting ahead of the conference....
...The group consists of Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States....
Russia is not going to apologize for stocking sophisticated arms on a Syrian military base. Russia believes to stabilize Syria the military has to be armed enough to prevent collapse of the Assad government. Long about now, Russia is not too happy with Israel. Assad has acted within every letter of the Chemical Weapons Treaty in agreement with the United Nations. Syria cannot be a sitting duck in the region.
The USA does not control Israel and is the reason why Israel belongs in Geneva along with everyone else. If the USA controlled Israel the settlements would have stopped.
No official comment from Israel, as reports suggest attack was meant to destroy Russian-made missiles. (click here)
Last Modified: 31 Oct 2013 22:59
Israel has launched air strikes against a Syrian airbase in the
northern province of Latakia, according to media reports and officials.
A US official confirmed that "there was an Israeli strike" on Thursday but gave no detail on the location or the target, according to the AFP news agency.
Citing unnamed "exclusive sources", Saudi Arabian news network Al-Arabiya said on its website that "Israel was behind a series of explosions that rocked a Syrian airbase in the northern Latakia province".
"The bombing targeted a shipment of surface-to-air missiles [SAM] that was headed for Hezbollah in Lebanon," the report said....
I hope Israel can prove those missiles were headed for Hezbollah outside Syria because there is going to be a point in time when such a strike will not be tolerated by Russia. The goal of the nations meeting to resolve the violence and strife in Syria are interested in a stable nation, not one in chronic war and suffering.
By JODI RUDOREN
Published: October 30, 2013
A US official confirmed that "there was an Israeli strike" on Thursday but gave no detail on the location or the target, according to the AFP news agency.
Citing unnamed "exclusive sources", Saudi Arabian news network Al-Arabiya said on its website that "Israel was behind a series of explosions that rocked a Syrian airbase in the northern Latakia province".
"The bombing targeted a shipment of surface-to-air missiles [SAM] that was headed for Hezbollah in Lebanon," the report said....
I hope Israel can prove those missiles were headed for Hezbollah outside Syria because there is going to be a point in time when such a strike will not be tolerated by Russia. The goal of the nations meeting to resolve the violence and strife in Syria are interested in a stable nation, not one in chronic war and suffering.
By JODI RUDOREN
Published: October 30, 2013
JERUSALEM — The Israeli government (click here) announced Wednesday that it had given
final approval for 1,500 new apartments in a particularly contentious
Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem and moved forward on plans for a controversial park
and tourism center here, prompting Palestinian accusations that it is
not taking the Washington-brokered peace talks seriously.
The construction approvals were an expected attempt to appease Israeli politicians and citizens outraged over the release of 26 Palestinian prisoners
who were convicted of murdering Israelis. The men were released
overnight under the agreement that began the talks this summer.
In recent days, some right-wing lawmakers and relatives of the
prisoners’ victims denounced the idea that freeing criminals was an
acceptable alternative to freezing settlement construction, as the
Palestinian leadership originally demanded to enter the talks...
I take it the ambitions by Israel in regard to the settlements was not part of the peace talks with Palestine.
By
ISABEL KERSHNER
Published: October 31, 2013
JERUSALEM — The Palestinian negotiators (click here) engaged in peace talks with Israel
offered their resignations on Thursday in protest over the continuing
construction of Israeli settlements and what Palestinians say is a lack
of strong American action on this issue, according to an official
involved in the process.
But he and other officials said that the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas,
was not likely to accept the resignations and that the talks would go
on uninterrupted. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Asked about the resignation of the negotiators, Saeb Erekat and Muhammad
Shtayyeh, a senior American official said, “We have been informed by
the Palestinian side that they remain committed to the negotiations for
the nine months agreed upon and that they fully intend to participate in
the next round of negotiations.”...
Why is it I always get the feeling Israel's motto is: "See if you can stop us." There is such a thing as RELIABLE and TRUSTWORTHY and right now Israel is not looking like either.
11/01/2013 00:04
Five Israeli soldiers (click here) were lightly-to-moderately wounded and a Palestinian was reportedly killed late on Thursday night when Hamas operatives and IDF forces exchanged fire at the Gaza border....
Why am I not surprised? Perhaps Israel can contemplate their next agenda item and postpone aggressions while Secretary Kerry makes his way to a visit with them.
Why is it I always get the feeling Israel's motto is: "See if you can stop us." There is such a thing as RELIABLE and TRUSTWORTHY and right now Israel is not looking like either.
11/01/2013 00:04
Five Israeli soldiers (click here) were lightly-to-moderately wounded and a Palestinian was reportedly killed late on Thursday night when Hamas operatives and IDF forces exchanged fire at the Gaza border....
Why am I not surprised? Perhaps Israel can contemplate their next agenda item and postpone aggressions while Secretary Kerry makes his way to a visit with them.
LAST UPDATED: 10/31/2013 23:11
US Secretary of State John Kerry (click here) will visit next week for talks on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, even as senior Palestinian officials call for breaking off the talks due to Israel’s announcement of plans to build in Jerusalem and the settlement blocs.PLO officials on Thursday called to halt the peace talks with Israel in response to continued settlement construction and Israeli “raids and assassinations” in the West Bank. The officials called for an “overall national strategic revolution” that would see Palestinians asking international agencies and the UN Security Council to take measures against Israel....
US Secretary of State John Kerry (click here) will visit next week for talks on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, even as senior Palestinian officials call for breaking off the talks due to Israel’s announcement of plans to build in Jerusalem and the settlement blocs.PLO officials on Thursday called to halt the peace talks with Israel in response to continued settlement construction and Israeli “raids and assassinations” in the West Bank. The officials called for an “overall national strategic revolution” that would see Palestinians asking international agencies and the UN Security Council to take measures against Israel....
