Netanyahu losing control

The prime minister has sustained numerous blows in recent days and weeks. None of them is supposed to surprise him or his associates, as he is the main party responsible for them. As a result, at this time the almost official countdown to the demise of the second Netanyahu government is underway.

Within fewer than 20 months, Netanyahu managed to do the impossible – that is, to repeat all his past mistakes.

He ruined Israel’s foreign relations with many countries, headed by the United States, zigzagged himself to death with a series of puzzling decisions and counter-decisions, messed up the diplomatic process vis-à-vis the Palestinians because he capitulated to the Right, made secular and centrist voters sick and tired of his government because of the liquidation sale to the haredim, and turned his office into a hornets’ nest that is almost impossible to work at.

Yet the prime minister did not manage to do one thing – to keep his wife from getting involved in matters out of her jurisdiction.

Netanyahu also managed to be perceived as the major culprit, along with Interior Minister Eli Yishai, behind the horrifying neglect of Israel’s firefighting and rescue services. And we haven’t even mentioned the controversial laws passed by his government, and his hesitation and inability to take decisions which manifested itself through the establishment of infinite needless committees that keep on putting off important decisions.

Barak out of excuses

On the diplomatic front, the prime minister just got another reminder that time does not stand still. The American Administration’s announcement that the talks failed conveyed a sense of losing its patience with the bargaining vis-à-vis Netanyahu in recent weeks. Officials in Washington decided to put an end to the virtual reality that helped Netanyahu maintain his coalition; a reality that painted a distorted picture as though the diplomatic process was still alive and well.

The American decision to declare that contacts with Israel over the freeze issue failed has dramatic political implications. The Labor Party, which as it is had been reaching boiling point in recent months, may find itself out of the government within a short period of time should we not see rapid progress on the diplomatic front. Ehud Barak no longer has any excuses left to keep his crumbling party in the coalition.

Now, the pressure shall grow and senior Labor officials are talking about the beginning of the end and full recognition that “everything is stuck.” And when this is the case, Labor has no reason to stay in Netanyahu’s government, and the prime minister may end up with the coalition he most feared: A narrow rightist coalition.

The second Netanyahu government can be likened to a car that is about to run out of fuel. It’s going on vapors at this time; the remnants of shady political deals and the personal fears of politicians who are clinging to their government seats like a drowning man hanging on to straw. Yet any rookie parliamentary aide knows that one cannot drive for long on vapors. The car is indeed moving, yet it’s only make-belief; it won’t be making it far.

Source: Ynet

Lost Civilization

Veiled beneath the Persian Gulf, a once-fertile landmass may have supported some of the earliest humans outside Africa some 75,000 to 100,000 years ago, a new review of research suggests.

At its peak, the floodplain now below the Gulf would have been about the size of Great Britain, and then shrank as water began to flood the area. Then, about 8,000 years ago, the land would have been swallowed up by the Indian Ocean, the review scientist said.

The study, which is detailed in the December issue of the journal Current Anthropology, has broad implications for aspects of human history. For instance, scientists have debated over when early modern humans exited Africa, with dates as early as 125,000 years ago and as recent as 60,000 years ago (the more recent date is the currently accepted paradigm), according to study researcher Jeffrey Rose, an archaeologist at the University of Birmingham in the U.K.

"I think Jeff's theory is bold and imaginative, and hopefully will shake things up," Robert Carter of Oxford Brookes University in the U.K. told LiveScience. "It would completely rewrite our understanding of the out-of-Africa migration. It is far from proven, but Jeff and others will be developing research programs to test the theory."

Viktor Cerny of the Archaeogenetics Laboratory, the Institute of Archaeology, in Prague, called Rose's finding an "excellent theory," in an e-mail to LiveScience, though he also points out the need for more research to confirm it.

The findings have sparked discussion among researchers, including Carter and Cerny, who were allowed to provide comments within the research paper, about who exactly the humans were who occupied the Gulf basin.

"Given the presence of Neanderthal communities in the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates River, as well as in the eastern Mediterranean region, this may very well have been the contact zone between moderns and Neanderthals," Rose told LiveScience. In fact, recent evidence from the sequencing of the Neanderthal genome suggests interbreeding, meaning we are part caveman.

The Gulf Oasis would have been a shallow inland basin exposed from about 75,000 years ago until 8,000 years ago, forming the southern tip of the Fertile Crescent, according to historical sea-level records.

And it would have been an ideal refuge from the harsh deserts surrounding it, with fresh water supplied by the Tigris, Euphrates, Karun and Wadi Baton Rivers, as well as by upwelling springs, Rose said. And during the last ice age when conditions were at their driest, this basin would've been at its largest.

In fact, in recent years, archaeologists have turned up evidence of a wave of human settlements along the shores of the Gulf dating to about 7,500 years ago.

Saudi Arabia funding terror

Even US allies in the Arab world continue to fund terror organizations, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed in a cable posted Monday by WikiLeaks. The document, written last December, said that citizens in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE are the main funders of various organizations including al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hamas, Lashkar e-Taiba and others.

Saudi Arabia, a principal US ally on both military and diplomatic levels, is presented in the cables as a particularly troubling problem. A cable from February this year said Saudi funding of terrorists remains a serious problem, and that Saudi Arabia does little to prevent such activity, relying mainly on tips from the CIA.

In a memo, Clinton notes that terror groups raise millions of dollars each year from Saudi sources, often during the hajj pilgrimage and the month of Ramadan. It is an ongoing challenge to persuade the authorities to make prevention of such activity a top priority, Clinton wrote. She added that Saudi contributors were the main source of funding for terror groups around the world.

In the leaked cables, Clinton and other senior sources note the "strategic gap" between the US and the UAE, which is exploited by terror groups. Qatar, which defeated the US in its bid to host the 2022 World Cup, is described as the "worst" in the region in its struggle against terror, while Kuwait is noted as a key point in the transfer of funds.

Clinton emphasized in a State Department internal memo that political will must be formed in those states in order to block terror funding networks, which threaten the stability in Pakistan and Afghanistan and threaten the lives of coalition soldiers.

Kuwait: US taking draconian measures

However, while the US may be frustrated by the failure of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to prevent the flow of funds, Arab states claim the US is "jumping to conclusions." According to cables from various US diplomats published in the New York Times and other papers, these states hold that the US has insufficient evidence that Islamic charitable groups and individuals fund terror.

A cable sent to Washington reports that senior figures in Kuwait oppose what they call America's "draconian measures" against important charitable organizations. US sources repeatedly expressed their concern regarding such organizations which are not under the supervision of state authorities, and are used to fund groups abroad.

However, another document details a meeting between a Kuwaiti minister and the US ambassador, during which the minister was "honest and pessimistic" about abilities to stop those funding terror in the framework of the law and political climate in Kuwait.

In another cable, the US embassy in Riyadh reports that the finance minister told the Saudi intelligence services about a visit of three senior Taliban members who were coming to the country to raise funds. The Saudis said they knew nothing of the visit. Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, who managed affairs during the absence of King Abdullah who went to the US for an operation, said it was a case of poor judgment and not support for terror.

Former Catholic theologian says much of the clergy is gay

Theologian David Berger, was correspondent professor for the Pontifical Academy of St Thomas Aquinas in the Vatican, where he said his academic work was watched and censored where it concerned homosexuality.

As a gay man himself, he told Der Spiegel in an interview that living among the Catholic homophobia was a nightmare.

“It must be acknowledged that a large number of Catholic clerics and trainee priests in Europe and the United States are homosexually-inclined,” he said.

He said when he was writing for theological magazines, he had to use phrases such as fornication-partner rather than life-partner, and that the neutral word homosexual could not be used, but gay men were described as perverse sodomites.

“The worst homophobia in the Catholic Church comes from homophile priests, who are desperately fighting their own sexuality,” he said.

“Obviously, those who follow their urges are repudiated more fiercely when one is so painfully repressing that disposition oneself.”

Now working as a teacher in Cologne, Berger outed himself as gay this April after the Bishop of Essen Franz-Josepf Overbeck described homosexuality as perverse and a sin during an appearance on a television chat show.

Berger’s book about his experiences within the Church The holy illusion – a gay theologian in the Catholic Church which is published this week.

The Local/hc

Kidnapping Plot Thwarted

Two weeks ago, the world woke up with the eminent threat of courier bombs through DHL and Fedex located in Dubai, Greece and UK from provenance of Yemen to United States, France and Germany. New tentacles of terror cells are on the rise using modern technology like Facebook, Skype, msn and others, to kidnap people who bear surnames of famous families and professional in the free-world. Their target is mainly high profile Israelis, Jews in the Diaspora and business related people.

Several months ago, a certain Xhemajedlin Mustafi also known as Xhemo, age 22 years, contacted me and presented himself as the Former Advisor and Friend of the Vice Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia. At first, I was hesitant to continue conversation but his attitude was very Pro-Western and Zionist which was intriguing for a young Macedonian of Albanian origin.

Over few weeks, he held discussion over how to improve collaboration between Muslims, Christians and Jews in Macedonia and how they can integrate the society as a united force for making the country as a vehicle of development for social upliftment.

The alleged “Advisor” had something else in his mind; he wanted to be in contact with Israeli Diplomats and wanted to meet them for holding bilateral talks to enhance cooperation between The State of Israel and the Republic of Macedonia. I told him that for such things, I can only advise which diplomatic channels to use as I do not get involved in state matters of countries. He was advised that the Macedonian Foreign Ministry to contact its embassy if any in Israel for holding an official preparation for the travel with the Israeli counterpart using all established protocols. Nevertheless, his plan was, inviting the Former Foreign Minister MK Tzipi Livni, the Head of the Opposition Party Kadima to Macedonia. I was clear to him that I cannot help him in such matters.

There were some doubts regarding the state of the continuous change in his plans and hence for coming few weeks he remained quiet. He surprisingly gave me his MSN live and Skype address and wanted to introduce his Advisor friends and also business circles which he did and I was perplexed that he was well conversant in English but his other colleagues could not speak English . At the same time he would use to call from France, Turkey and other European countries to inform that he is travelling on state matters.

He was quietly laying his traps for other professional and he contacted Ms Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks who is ardent support of Israel and Friend. She is a professional in the Health Sector. The “Advisor” was not aware that Batzi is also a correspondent for Weekly Blitz. He held direct talks with Batzi and apparently, there was disagreement between them and Xhemo again contacted me to intervene as Batzi wrongly understood him and wanted to reaffirm that he is a very pro-Israel Muslim. I just conveyed the message to Batzi and they both resumed their talks to sign a proposal for health care reform in Macedonia and in last phone call, he announced the great news that the contract was signed.

The articles below are extracts of the investigation carried out by Ms. Bat-Zion and Shoaib Choudhury of Weekly Blitz.

Israel correspondent of Weekly Blitz, Bat Zion Susskind has successfully busted a huge crime racket inside the ministry of a member state of European Union. She spent several months in investigating the matter and finally was able to get the specific evidence of crime inside the Ministry of Health in Macedonia.

According to information, Xhemajledin Mustafi, introducing himself to be the advisor to the Ministry, offered job to many people in the ministry. Dr. Bujar Osmani is the minister in charge of the ministry. In an email to Blitz correspondent [Blitz correspondent did not disclose her real identity], Xhemajledin Mustafi wrote:

"We are looking for a foreign advisor with experience in the field of public health administration because now we are going to apply for EU funds on some certain important projects and we need your expertise. If you agree to work with us I will send you the contract of work and organize you a meeting with the Minister in Skopje, Macedonia."

According to Ms. Susskind, Mustafi, who also introduced himself as Jemo stressed that his government insisted on hiring an Israeli consultant with a "Western education" as they were interested in privatizing their health care system in the fashion of Israel and other developed countries. Mustafi also stressed that though he was a Muslim, he was a supporter of the State of Israel and the US.

Xhemajledin Mustafi would generally conduct the negotiations on Skype as he claimed to be travelling over Europe, as part of his Macedonian government business.

Subsequently, our correspondent continued to communicate with Xhemajledin Mustafi. Without knowing the identity of Weekly Blitz correspondent, Mustafi was continuing his fraudulent communications and were giving false statements related to the activities inside the Ministry of Health.

On October 24, 2010, Xhemajledin Mustafi wrote in an email:

"Today 24th of October 2010 the Government of the Republic of Macedonia in the session opened for the public has decided or saying more professionally has taken responsibility to implement the health care reform and engaging international consultants.

And according to this Governmental decision there will be a budget of 70.000.000 EUR for the implementation of the first stage of this national and top priority project!"

On November 1, 2010, Xhemajledin Mustafi sent a contract to Ms. Susskind by fax. On receiving the contract copy, which is made on the official stationary of the Ministry of Health of Macedonia, with signatures of the minister Dr. Osmani and so-called advisor to the ministry, Xhemajledin Mustafi, our Israel correspondent contacted the ministry and got it confirmed from the ministry that the document was forged one. The so-called contract came from fax number 02-322-8220, which is owned by MANERA COMMERCE, Macedonia.

It is learn from various sources that Xhemajledin Mustafi was continuing such fraudulent activities using the name of the ministry of health as well as other high officials and ministers of Macedonia. It is apprehended that, Xhemajledin Mustafi is a member of fraud racket in Macedonia, who was using ministry's stationary and minister's forged signature in befooling people.

Latest bust into the huge scam inside the ministry of health in Macedonia surely leaves alarming signal for the government of that country.

Ms. Bat Zion Susskind is continuing her investigation on unearthing the mystery behind suspicious involvement of Xhemajledin Mustafi, who claimed to be the advisor to the Ministry of Health in Macedonia. Meanwhile, Weekly Blitz is also investigating the issue through numerous channels.

The background of the story in brief is Xhemajledin Mustafi, introducing himself to be the advisor to the Ministry, offered job to many people in the ministry. Dr. Bujar Osmani is the minister in charge of the ministry of Health. Xhemajledin Mustafi would generally conduct the negotiations on Skype as he claimed to be travelling over Europe, as part of his Macedonian government business. He was frequently changing his cell phone numbers and skype addresses while contacting various Israeli nationals.

Xhemajledin Mustafi also introduced himself as the family friend of Musa Xhaferi, Albanian born Deputy Prime Minister of Macedonia, who earlier was the overseas representative of the National Liberation Army. The National Liberation Army [NLA] also known as the Macedonian UÇK, was a militant organization that operated in the Republic of Macedonia in 2001 and was closely associated with the Kosovo Liberation Army [KLA].

The NLA was founded in the fall of 1999, and was led by former KLA Commander Ali Ahmeti, nephew of one of the founders of the KLA. Ahmeti is known to Slav-Macedonian nationalists as the Macedonian version of Osama Bin laden. The Macedonian government claimed the NLA were an extremist terrorist organization seeking to separate Albanian majority areas and unites those territories with Albania. Beginning on January 22, 2001 the NLA began to carry out attacks on Macedonian security forces, using light weapons. The conflict soon escalated and by the start of March 2001, the NLA had taken effective control of a large swathe of northern and western Macedonia and came within 12 miles of the capital Skopje. In March 2001, NLA members failed to take the city of Tetovo in an open attack, but controlled the hills and mountains between Tetovo and Kosovo. On May 3, 2001 a Macedonian government counter offensive failed in the Kumanovo area. By June 8, the rebels took Aracinovo, a village outside of Skopje. On August 16, the two sides signed a peace deal ending the open conflict.

Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief, it was not scant of war crimes. According to Human Rights Watch, "Ethnic Albanian rebels in Macedonia tortured, sexually abused road workers after abducting them from the Skopje-Tetovo highway. Dozens of ethnic Macedonians were kidnapped. While many were released after a short time, 12 people apparently remained missing after the NLA released 14 others in late September. In October, reports suggested that the 12 may have been killed and buried in mass graves near Neproshteno. The case was referred by the Macedonian government to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for investigation.

The KLA was regarded by the US as a terrorist group until 1998 when it was de-listed, and then the UK and the US lobbied France to do the same. The US then cultivated diplomatic relationships with the KLA leaders. In 1999 the KLA was officially disbanded and their members entered other armed groups such as various Albanian Macedonian rebels, the UCPMB in the Preševo Valley region and UNMIK instituted NGOs within Kosovo such as the Kosovo Protection Corps [in accordance with UNSC resolution 1244 which required the establishment of a civilian emergency protection body to replace the former KLA] and Kosovo Police Force. Some of the Kosovo Liberation Army leadership opted to enter politics, and by taking advantage of the 1999 confusion they still lead the Albanian faction of the partially recognized Kosovar government.

Xhemajledin Mustafi [22] and his 'family friend' Musa Xhaferi are 'former Mujahedins'. And most importantly, though National Liberation Army of Macedonia are disbanded, in reality, the terror outfits remains at the deep cover level enjoying silent support from various important and influential people in the Macedonian government. It may be mentioned here that, National Liberation Army is no exception than Revolutionary Guards in Iran or mega-terrorist outfits like Hamas and Hezbollah. Importantly, leaders in NLA, KLA and others are fanatic Muslims with Wahhabi indoctrinations of waging Jihad [Holy War] against non-Muslims.

According to our own findings, current and former leaders of NLA were planning to allure a number of Israeli nationals with job offers and ultimately make them captive in Macedonia with the target of using them as 'pawn' in getting released reveral Al Qaeda, Hamas and other Islamist militants in Israel and United States.

With this goal in mind, deep cover Jihadist of NLA, Xhemajledin Mustafi was communicating with Israeli nationals and offered them jobs with Health Ministry in Macedonia.

But, Weekly Blitz's Israel correspondent very effectively foiled the entire plot when she started getting several documents and information in hand from Mustafi. One of the documents was the official agreement letter issued by the Macedonian Health Ministry, where the emblem used in official stationary was not current one. It is understood that the plotters intentionally used the old emblem with the ulterior motive of denying any involvement of Macedonian government, once several Israelis were made captive by Islamist terror groups in that country.

Since publication of the first report in Weekly Blitz, Xhemajledin Mustafi went into hiding. It is believed that, Mustafi is sheltered by several influential people in the Macedonian government.

The investigation is still being carried and bits and pieces of the puzzle is being unearthed and it is apparently clear that the plan of the so called Advisor Xhemo was to invite High Profile Israelis (VIPs) and People belonging to famous families to Macedonia and hence kidnap them. It can also be assumed that he is being used and brainwashed by them for carrying out their operations or he might be a jihadist himself. In a conversation with a friend from Italy, whose parents lived in Macedonia during the Gulf war, confirmed that the Terror cells are hiding in Macedonia and said not to forget what happened in Kurdistan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Macedonia was made aware of all these and apparently, this could an embarrassment for them as they have not still released any official statement regarding this issue. Had, Batzi not carried out this investigation in time, I could have been kidnapped during my travel there as I had accepted to visit Macedonia in March 2011 and had asked to be sent a detail list of programme where I would intervene.

Thankful to Ms Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks and Shoaib Choudhurry for their investigation for exposing this plot.

Iran fails to get seat on UN Women board

Iran failed to secure a seat on a key board running the new UN super agency to improve women's rights as fierce lobbying by western nations and rights groups swayed an election Wednesday. Saudi Arabia, whose candidacy was also criticized, got an automatic seat and rights groups said they will now seek to put the spotlight on the kingdom's record.

Iran was beaten to an Asian seat on the executive board by East Timor, a late entrant to the contest, in a vote at the UN General Assembly. Four UN agencies were merged this year to set up UN Women under the leadership of former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet.

Iran had originally been guaranteed a place as the Asia region had put forward 10 candidates for 10 seats. Iran and Pakistan were on the agreed list. East Timor risked the wrath of its Asian neighbors by putting itself forward as a spoiler late last week, as controversy mounted over Iran's rights record, diplomats said. It won 36 votes against 19 for Iran.

The United States, European Union, Australia and Canada carried out an intensive diplomatic campaign to thwart Iran, diplomats said."It was an expression of disapproval of Iran's rights record," Norway's UN ambassador Morten Wetland told AFP, explaining his country's decision to back East Timor.

"They lost and they lost handily," commented US ambassador Susan Rice on Iran's defeat."We have made no secret of our concern that Iran joining the board of UN Women would have been an inauspicious start to that board," she told reporters.

'Shocking system of male guardianship'

Campaigners had highlighted Iran's treatment of women, including the case of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani who was sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery. Though Iran has said this will not be carried out, reports say she could now be hanged after being found guilty of the murder of her husband.

"We are extremely relieved," said Philippe Bolopion, UN specialist for the Human Rights Watch group. "Iran has a catastrophic record on rights," he said."It is a country which has distinguished itself by actively repressing women's rights activists, they have harassed many and imprisoned some," he told AFP.

A resolution on Iran's human rights is to be voted at the UN General Assembly next week and is already the subject of intense new lobbying, diplomats said. Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi had said before the vote that having either Iran or Saudi Arabia on the board of UN Women would "a joke".Ebadi said that Saudi Arabia's record on women is worse than Iran.

In Saudi Arabia women are forbidden to drive and cannot take major decisions without the permission of a male relative. "They have one of the worst records in the world when it comes to women's rights. But by being on the board they have essentially put the spotlight on their own record," said Bolopion.

"We want to use this spotlight to push them to start making some significant progress. By working to put an end to the shocking system of male guardianship, by which women in Saudi Arabia cannot make any important decisions in their lives," he said. It secured an automatic seat from a group of donor countries for which there was no vote.

The US ambassador said that UN Women is "a vitally important institution", and questioned about the Saudi presence she added: "I am not going to deny that there were several countries that are going to join the board of UN Women that have less than stellar records on women's rights and indeed human rights."

The HRW specialist said that Saudi Arabia had "bought" a seat on the UN Women board. "They have one of the worst records in the world when it comes to women's rights. But by being on the board they have essentially put the spotlight on their own record," said Bolopion.

"We want to use this spotlight to push them to start making some significant progress. By working to put an end to the shocking system of male guardianship, by which women in Saudi Arabia cannot make any important decisions in their lives," he said.

Livni: Government suffers from political schizophrenia

"I heard (Foreign Minister Avigdor) Lieberman say that whoever thinks peace with Syria can be achieved is a political hypochondriac. If we're already talking in psychiatric terms, I think a government that says this one day and then talks of peace with Syria and the Palestinians the next day – this is a government of political schizophrenia," Opposition Chairperson Tzipi Livni said Friday.

During a meeting with residents of the Menashe Regional Council, the leader of the Kadima party said the government "is not being truthful with the public or with itself."

Addressing the bill granting yeshiva students millions in state funds, Livni blamed "the bad system of government and weak politicians" for creating a situation whereby haredi parties "have a monopoly on the issue of Judaism.

"The younger generation does not want to be connected to very problematic politics that take advantage of the ruling party's (Likud) weakness. The haredi parties must not be given a monopoly on the Jewish state," she says.

Crime inside EU ministry busted!

Israel correspondent of Weekly Blitz, Bat Zion Susskind has successfully busted a huge crime racket inside the ministry of a member state of European Union. She spent several months in investigating the matter and finally was able to get the specific evidence of crime inside the Ministry of Health in Macedonia.

According to information, Xhemajledin Mustafi, introducing himself to be the advisor to the Ministry, offered job to many people in the ministry. Dr. Osmani is the minister in charge of the ministry. In an email to Blitz correspondent [Blitz correspondent did not disclose her real identity], Xhemajledin Mustafi wrote:

"We are looking for a foreign advisor with experience in the field of public health administration because now we are going to apply for EU funds on some certain important projects and we need your expertise. If you agree to work with us I will send you the contract of work and organize you a meeting with the Minister in Skopje, Macedonia."

According to Ms. Susskind, Mustafi, who also introduced himself as Jemo stressed that his government insisted on hiring an Israeli consultant with a "Western education" as they were interested in privatizing their health care system in the fashion of Israel and other developed countries. Mustafi also stressed that though he was a Muslim, he was a supporter of the State of Israel and the US.

Xhemajledin Mustafi would generally conduct the negotiations on Skype as he claimed to be travelling over Europe, as part of his Macedonian government business.

Subsequently, our correspondent continued to communicate with Xhemajledin Mustafi. Without knowing the identity of Weekly Blitz correspondent, Mustafi was continuing his fraudulent communications and were giving false statements related to the activities inside the Ministry of Health.

On October 24, 2010, Xhemajledin Mustafi wrote in an email:

"Today 24th of October 2010 the Government of the Republic of Macedonia in the session opened for the public has decided or saying more professionally has taken responsibility to implement the health care reform and engaging international consultants.

And according to this Governmental decision there will be a budget of 70.000.000 EUR for the implementation of the first stage of this national and top priority project!"

On November 1, 2010, Xhemajledin Mustafi sent a contract to Ms. Susskind by fax. On receiving the contract copy, which is made on the official stationary of the Ministry of Health of Macedonia, with signatures of the minister Dr. Osmani and so-called advisor to the ministry, Xhemajledin Mustafi, our Israel correspondent contacted the ministry and got it confirmed from the ministry that the document was forged one. The so-called contract came from fax number 02-322-8220, which is owned by MANERA COMMERCE, Macedonia.

It is learn from various sources that Xhemajledin Mustafi was continuing such fraudulent activities using the name of the ministry of health as well as other high officials and ministers of Macedonia. It is apprehended that, Xhemajledin Mustafi is a member of fraud racket in Macedonia, who was using ministry's stationary and minister's forged signature in befooling people.

Latest bust into the huge scam inside the ministry of health in Macedonia surely leaves alarming signal for the government of that country.

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury

November 6, 2010

Multiculturalism failed miserably in Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced Saturday that the multicultural model for integration in Germany has "miserably failed." For the first time, Merkel expressed a clear position in an ongoing debate over the integration of immigrants – especially Muslims – into German society, stressing that the current situation must be changed.

According to Merkel, immigrants should be required to integrate in society, by committing to learn the German language – and not only be allowed to do so voluntarily, as has been the policy up until now.

Despite her criticism, however, Merkel stressed that Islam was an "integral" part of modern Germany.

The chancellor's comment were said during a speech in front of the Christian-Democratic Union party youth congress (CDU-CSU), and came in the midst of a stormy debate ranging across the country's political spectrum, with CSU Chairman Horst Seehofer calling to stop Muslim immigration to Germany on the one hand, and President Christian Wolff declaring that Islam is part of Germany, just like Judaism and Christianity, on the other.

Merkel's remarks reinforced Seehofer's declaration on Friday, saying "multiculturalism is dead," and indicate a swerve to the right in the ruling party's policies – at least on matters pertaining to immigration.

Seehofer, who stirred a storm last week after declaring in a magazine interview that immigration from Turkey and the Arab countries – which he defined "foreign cultures" – must be stopped, added on Friday that Germany draws its values only from "Judeo-Christian tradition and humanistic values."

Although Seehofer's comments were strongly condemned by German officials including his own party members, Chancellor Merkel abstained from issuing a response.

Media war

In the past few weeks media outlets have been extensively covering various stories relating to immigrants in Germany, including a report about German students who were regularly harassed by children of immigrants, who call them names such as "pig eaters."

A popular German tabloid reported that a real estate company in one of the Gulf states conditioned signing rental contracts for apartments in the center of Berlin with adherence to "Islamic values," such as prohibition on drinking alcohol and gambling.

A comprehensive survey published this week indicated that more than a third of Germans supported sending immigrants back to their original homelands – even though some have been living in Germany for over 40 years.

According to the poll, 55% of Germans believed that Muslims are "unpleasant people," compared with 44% who held the same sentiments seven years ago.

Fifty eight percent claimed that the practice of Islam should be restricted in Germany, while one-in-ten Germans said they yearned for a "fuehrer" – a term affiliated with the Third Reich, meaning a "strong leader."

Commentators raised the possibility that public sentiments and declining coalitional approval rates prompted the Right to associate with the populist camp in an effort to garner support.

The prevalent feeling in the country is that the dam has been breached, and that it is suddenly permissible to speak against immigrants in Germany, said an integration expert from the Free University of Berlin in an interview with the New York Times.

The trial of Galileo

Italian scientist convicted of heresy and confined by the Pope to house arrest in 1633 for teaching that the Earth orbits the sun. On September 20, 1633, the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei is tried by the Church for teaching that the Earth orbits the sun. As a result, on the Pope’s order, he was confined to house arrest for the remainder of his life until his death in 1642, at the age of 77.

One century earlier, Nicolaus Copernicus had published On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, the first book to outline a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology. This revolutionary theory placed the sun at center of the universe, rather than the Earth.

Geocentricism, the theory placing the Earth at the center of the Universe, had been vastly accepted since the 2^nd century AD, when firmly established by Claudius Ptolemy.

What is known as the “Galileo affair” began in 1610 when he came out against the Ptolemaic scientific view in his book Starry Messenger. Using the new telescope he had developed, he made observations supporting Copernican astronomy.

In reaction, many scientific and theological scholars attacked the theory because it seemingly contradicted Ptolemy's model of the universe, as well as several passages of Holy Scripture.

Galilei responded to that criticism in his letter to Kepler in August 1610 saying “My dear Kepler, I wish that we might laugh at the remarkable stupidity of the common herd. What do you have to say about the principal philosophers of this academy who are filled with the stubbornness of an asp and do not want to look at either the planets, the moon or the telescope, even though I have freely and deliberately offered them the opportunity a thousand times? Truly, just as the asp stops its ears, so do these philosophers shut their eyes to the light of truth.”

While Church officials were willing to let heliocentrism be taught as a hypothesis and discussed in scientific circles, the faith of the ordinary people was to be safeguarded. However, Galilei argued that his telescopic observations favored the Copernican heliocentric theory as a physical truth.

As the Inquisition started taking serious notice of Galilei’s work in 1615, he sent a letter to Grand Duchess Christina, which was an essay on the relation between the revelations of the Bible and the new discoveries then being made in science. His general stance was that the relevant passages of the Bible, which he was accused of contradicting, should not be interpreted literally, especially when taken from poetic or allegorical texts.

By 1616, the attacks on Copernicus’ ideas had reached a peak, to which Galilei responded by going to Rome in order to persuade the Catholic Church authorities not to ban heliocentrism. Ultimately, the Inquisition delivered him with an order not to "hold or defend" the idea that the Earth moves and the Sun stands still at the centre. The decree did not prevent Galileo from discussing the controversial subject.

Pope Urban VIII, elected in 1623, was a friend and supporter of Galilei who opposed his condemnation in 1616. And thus, with the Pope’s formal authorization along with that of the Inquisition, Galilei published Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems in 1632. Previously, the Pope had personally asked Galilei to give arguments for and against heliocentrism in the book, and to be careful not to advocate the controversial theory. He also requested that his own views on the matter be included in Galileo's book. Only the latter of those requests was fulfilled by Galilei.

Whether unknowingly or deliberately, Simplicio, the defender of the Geocentric view in the book, was often caught in his own errors and sometimes came across as a fool. Indeed, although Galileo states in the preface of his book that the character is named after a famous Aristotelian philosopher, the name "Simplicio" in Italian also has the connotation of "simpleton.” This portrayal of Simplicio made it appear as an advocacy book: an attack on Aristotelian geocentrism and defence of the Copernican theory.

Unfortunately for his relationship with the Pope, Galileo put the words of Urban VIII into the mouth of Simplicio. Most historians agree Galilei did not act out of malice and felt blindsided by the reaction to his book.

However, the Pope did not take the suspected public ridicule lightly, nor the Copernican advocacy. Galileo had alienated one of his biggest and most powerful supporters, the Pope, and was called to Rome to defend his writings.

With the loss of many of his defenders in Rome because of Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Galilei was ordered to stand trial on suspicion of heresy in 1633.

As a result, Galilei was found “vehemently suspect of heresy” and was required to "abjure, curse and detest" those opinions. He was sentenced to formal imprisonment at the pleasure of the Inquisition. On the following day, this was commuted to house arrest, which he remained under for the rest of his life.

Aside from his theoretical works, Galilei made several contributions to “technology” such as an improved telescope, a thermometer, a military compass and many many others. So great was his legacy that he was called by Einstein the “father of modern science.”

HRC grants legitimacy to “murderous” Gadaffi regime

A UN Watch-led coalition of 27 NGO’s has appealed for Libya to be expelled from the UN Human Rights Council. Libya and other rights abusers are influencing the “dictator-dominated” council’s resolutions, UN Watch director Hillel Neuer says. “But given the high quantity as well as quality of Libya’s oil, we fear most countries will choose silence.”

Libya took its seat in the 47-member UN Human Rights Council (HRC) this week for the first time since its May election. A three-week council session began on Monday, triggering the rights coalition’s appeal.

In a petition signed by 27 NGO’s on Thursday, they called on the UN’s 192 members to expel Libya from the council unless Kadhafi significantly improves its human rights situation. Several victims of Libyan human rights abuses were present during the coalition’s press conference on Friday.

Given its “notorious record as one of the world’s worst violators of human rights,” the NGO’s argue Libya’s membership contradicts the UN’s promise to elect member states based on their commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights.

Libyan oil

Under the resolution that created the HRC, the General Assembly may suspend any council member that commits “gross and systematic” human rights violations. A two-thirds vote is required.

But UN Watch director Hillel Neuer told Radio Netherlands it is highly unlikely that Libya will be suspended. “Given the high quantity as well as quality of Libya’s oil, we fear that most countries will choose silence,” he told Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

He added that meanwhile, Libya’s influence continues. “As a voting member, Libya has the power to support or oppose any resolution, and as a result to influence its drafting. What may be even more damaging is that Libya’s presence in the world’s highest human rights body grants legitimacy to a murderous dictatorship - a crushing blow to Libya’s dissidents and ordinary citizens.”

World’s worst abusers

Neuer said the UN HRC, which he referred to as “the dictator-dominated council”, actively undermines and twists basic principles of human rights. He added that it has failed to take any action against “the world’s worst abusers” including Iran, China, Zimbabwe, Syria and Venezuela.

“And, far worse than that: there is a faction of 30 out of 47 seats, including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Cuba, that actively promote measures to weaken the protection of freedom of speech and to erode the council’s few remaining mechanisms for independent scrutiny of country conduct,” Neuer said.

He added that after its creation in 2006, the new council gradually eliminated the country investigators for human rights in Belarus, Cuba, Liberia and DR Congo.

Freedom House report

In a damning report published this week, democracy watchdog Freedom House noted that countries which violated human rights have a far-reaching negative influence on the UN HRC.

Since its establishment in 2006, the number of members deemed “free” by Freedom House has dropped from 25 to 20. The number of “not free” members, on the other hand, has risen from 9 to 13. The remaining country members are rated “partly free”. Freedom House said that as a result, the HRC is unable to tackle the most serious human rights violations and even covers some of them up.

The original UN human rights body, the Human Rights Commission, was disbanded following years of criticism. Ironically, the final straw for many was the appointment of Libya to the chairmanship of the body.

The council is made up of 47 member nations, each elected for three years. The seats are apportioned by region, and every year a third of the body's seats are up for renewal.

In May 2010, Libya and 13 other nations ran unopposed for 14 of the council's seats. Regional groups for the first time put forward the same number of candidates as the number of seats available to them, meaning they were elected without competition.

Cracks in the Iranian Monolith

The Iranian regime loves to boast of its military strength, international clout and hold on domestic power. Much of this is accepted by outside experts, but in fact the regime is in trouble. Iran's leaders have lost legitimacy in the eyes of the people, are unable to manage the country's many problems, face a growing opposition, and are openly fighting with one another.

A few weeks ago, according to official and private reports, the Iranian air force shot down three drones near the southwestern city of Bushehr, where a Russian-supplied nuclear reactor has just started up. When the Revolutionary Guards inspected the debris, they expected to find proof of high-altitude spying. Instead, the Guards had to report to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that the air force had blasted Iran's own unmanned aircraft out of the sky.

Apparently, according to official Iranian press accounts, the Iranian military had created a special unit to deploy the drones—some for surveillance and others, as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad bragged on Sunday, to carry bombs—but hadn't informed the air force.

These incidents have taken place against a general backdrop of internal conflict within the regime. In late July, Mohammad Ali Jaffari, commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the regime's Praetorian Guard, admitted publicly that many top officers were supporters of the opposition Green Movement. Shortly thereafter, according to official government announcements, some 250 officers suddenly resigned. In the past weeks, several journalists from the Guards' FARS news agency have defected, some to France and others to the United States.

Meanwhile, Iran has suffered a series of attacks against its petroleum industry. As Iranian media reported (detailed in the London Telegraph), a pipeline to Turkey was blown up last month, most likely by Kurdish oppositionists. Soon afterwards there was an explosion in a natural gas pipeline near Tabriz.

That was followed by a spectacular blast at the Pardis petrochemical plant in Assalouye, which—being a major facility for converting natural gas to fuel for vehicles—is central to Iranian efforts to cope with the new United Nations, U.S. and European Union sanctions against refined petroleum products.

The same plant was similarly sabotaged six months ago. No one has taken responsibility for that attack, but it suggests an activist opposition with considerable "inside" assistance.

That opposition is fed by enduring social and economic crises. Unemployment last month reached 15% and is as high as 45% in some regions. In Tehran, health officials warned pregnant women and mothers of young children not to drink the water. Electrical failures are widespread. Taxi drivers have been striking around the country this summer, some because of the long lines at gas stations and others because of a shortage of compressed natural gas. The sanctions seem to be having an effect.

As these pressures have mounted, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—against whom Iranians chant "Death to the Dictator!" at public gatherings and nightly from their rooftops—has sought to reaffirm his authority. Late last month he issued a fatwa declaring that his opinions had a status equal to those of the prophet Mohammed. The fatwa caused such consternation that it was removed from his website, then quietly returned a few days later.

Shortly thereafter, the country celebrated the funeral of Iran's most cherished performer, the singer Mohammed Nouri. Nouri was no dissident and was often praised by clerics as a "pious" man. But Mr. Khamenei chose the moment to issue a broad fatwa against music. "It's better that our dear youth spend their valuable time in learning science and essential and useful skills and fill their time with sport and healthy recreations instead of music," he declared.

Only "Western music" had previously been banned by Mr. Khamenei, and Iranian youth reacted with predictable hostility. In the days that followed, a Canadian-made remix of the 1979 Pink Floyd song "Another Brick in the Wall" went viral on the Internet with the new chorus, "Hey Ayatollah, leave those kids alone."

President Ahmadinejad has also tried to buttress his popular support, first by claiming that "stupid Zionists" were trying to kill him, and then by putting out a story—which few in Iran took seriously—of an assassination attempt on his motorcade. As usual, the "report" went through various iterations: first it was a grenade, then a firecracker, then nothing at all.

Even the government's campaign of repression seems increasingly sloppy. Recently the Judiciary Minister, in an extraordinary case of buck-passing, asked Mr. Khamenei for permission to execute 1,120 prisoners—as if the minister could imagine being prosecuted himself some day, and he wanted to be able to say it was Mr. Khamenei's fault.

These various debacles have strengthened the Green Movement, and opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi continue to launch serious verbal attacks on the regime. When the head of the powerful Guardian Council recently accused the Greens of receiving money from the Saudis and the Americans, Mr. Karroubi gave him the back of his hand: "If I am a conspirator because I object [to the rigged presidential election], then you are a partner of those who stole this nation's vote and are disloyal to the nation."

To add insult, Zahra Rahnavard, Mr. Mousavi's firebrand wife, wryly commented that the accusation would "make a cooked chicken laugh." Mr. Mousavi himself said that the Islamic Republic has become worse than the shah's regime, because "religious tyranny is the worst form of tyranny."

Challenges to the regime now come even from prisoners. When Mr. Ahmadinejad challenged Barack Obama to a debate this month, a Green Movement website reported with grim admiration that five journalists in Tehran's infamous Evin Prison had invited Mr. Ahmadinejad to come to jail and debate them.

Very little of this news reaches a mass Western audience, and one wonders to what extent Western governments understand what's going on. If they do, their failure to support the democratic revolutionaries is all the more lamentable.

Source:Michael Ledeen

2,000 year-old intact carving of Cupid found in Jerusalem

An intact carving of Cupid made of blue onyx dating from the Roman period was unearthed in the parking lot near the City of David, the Antiquities Authority announced on Monday.

The 2,000-year-old Cupid, about a centimeter long, was probably from a piece of jewelry. The announcement was made ahead of the 11th annual City of David Archeology Conference, which will take place on Wednesday at the City of David complex and include a presentation of recent finds. The cupid discovery was made by Dr.

Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, both of the Antiquities Authority, and funded by the City of David Foundation.

“This discovery, together with other important finds that we uncovered from this unusual, large Roman structure at the City of David, contribute significantly to our understanding of the nature of Jerusalem’s Roman Period,” Ben-Ami said in a statement.

The inlaid stone features cupid holding an upsidedown torch, which was used to symbolize the cessation of life. The piece is part of a series of archeological finds in the area that deal with images of mourning.

The conference will feature a host of archeologists and professors exploring topics such as mapping the Mount of Olives cemetery, discoveries in the Givati parking lot (in addition to the carving), and excavations of the Shiloah pool. The confab is expected to attract 1,400 people, making it one of the largest archeological conferences in Israel, according to Udi Ragones, the spokesman for the City of David and Elad, the private organization that runs the park.

Elad has drawn condemnation from activists who say that the organization’s efforts to move Jews into Silwan make it a bad choice to privately administer a park located in the east Jerusalem neighborhood. The Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement, known for organizing weekly protests in the neighborhood following the eviction of two Arab families in August 2009, is organizing a demonstration outside Wednesday’s conference.

“We want to come and bring up the point that it is a political conference, that their goals are political and that anyone taking part in this conference is in actuality supporting the actions of the settlers in Silwan, which is throwing people out of their homes, taking their land and deeply harming the residents of Silwan,” said Avner Inbar, a spokesman for the Solidarity Movement.

Inbar said Silwan residents had asked for their help in organizing a protest, and he expected anywhere from 100 to 150 demonstrators.

“Silwan is a really tense place, and Elad is just showing this off to tourists as an amusement park of archeology, saying, ‘Look how great this is, we found something here, something else here,’” he said. “They have ads in all the papers in Jerusalem, saying you should come on Succot with your kids for a fun day the City of David. It’s really nice that you can come with your kids and have a fun day, but there are 30,000 residents in Silwan and it’s not fun for them at all.”

“The attendees looked at [the protesters] with contempt.

They understood that these people are just trying to stop the excavations in Jerusalem, but the people who come to this conference want just the opposite,” Elad’s Ragones said.

He dismissed the planned protest, saying they tried the same tactic last year and only five protesters showed up.

Rosh Hashanah

...In the seventh month, on the first of the month, there shall be a sabbath for you, a remembrance with shofar blasts, a holy convocation. -Leviticus 16:24

Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year" or "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. This name is somewhat deceptive, because there is little similarity between Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year, and the American midnight drinking bash and daytime football game.

There is, however, one important similarity between the Jewish New Year and the American one: Many Americans use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making "resolutions." Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year. More on this concept at Days of Awe.

The name "Rosh Hashanah" is not used in the Bible to discuss this holiday. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar). The holiday is instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25.

The shofar is a ram's horn which is blown somewhat like a trumpet. One of the most important observances of this holiday is hearing the sounding of the shofar in the synagogue. A total of 100 notes are sounded each day. There are four different types of shofar notes: tekiah, a 3 second sustained note; shevarim, three 1-second notes rising in tone, teruah, a series of short, staccato notes extending over a period of about 3 seconds; and tekiah gedolah (literally, "big tekiah"), the final blast in a set, which lasts (I think) 10 seconds minimum. Click the shofar above to hear an approximation of the sound of Tekiah Shevarim-Teruah Tekiah. The Bible gives no specific reason for this practice. One that has been suggested is that the shofar's sound is a call to repentance. The shofar is not blown if the holiday falls on Shabbat.

No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah. Much of the day is spent in synagogue, where the regular daily liturgy is somewhat expanded. In fact, there is a special prayerbook called the machzor used for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because of the extensive liturgical changes for these holidays.

Another popular observance during this holiday is eating apples dipped in honey, a symbol of our wish for a sweet new year. This was the second Jewish religious practice I was ever exposed to (the first one: lighting Chanukkah candles), and I highly recommend it. It's yummy. We also dip bread in honey (instead of the usual practice of sprinkling salt on it) at this time of year for the same reason.

Another popular practice of the holiday is Tashlikh ("casting off"). We walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty our pockets into the river, symbolically casting off our sins. Small pieces of bread are commonly put in the pocket to cast off. This practice is not discussed in the Bible, but is a long-standing custom. Tashlikh is normally observed on the afternoon of the first day, before afternoon services. When the first day occurs on Shabbat, many synagogues observe Tashlikh on Sunday afternoon, to avoid carrying (the bread) on Shabbat.

Religious services for the holiday focus on the concept of G-d's sovereignty.

The common greeting at this time is L'shanah tovah ("for a good year"). This is a shortening of "L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem" (or to women, "L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi"), which means "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." More on that concept at Days of Awe.

You may notice that the Bible speaks of Rosh Hashanah as occurring on the first day of the seventh month. The first month of the Jewish calendar is Nissan, occurring in March and April. Why, then, does the Jewish "new year" occur in Tishri, the seventh month?

Judaism has several different "new years," a concept which may seem strange at first, but think of it this way: the American "new year" starts in January, but the new "school year" starts in September, and many businesses have "fiscal years" that start at various times of the year. In Judaism, Nissan 1 is the new year for the purpose of counting the reign of kings and months on the calendar, Elul 1 (in August) is the new year for the tithing of animals, Shevat 15 (in February) is the new year for trees (determining when first fruits can be eaten, etc.), and Tishri 1 (Rosh Hashanah) is the new year for years (when we increase the year number. Sabbatical and Jubilee years begin at this time).

Jewish Year 5772: sunset September 28, 2011 - nightfall September 30, 2011

Jewish Year 5773: sunset September 16, 2012 - nightfall September 18, 2012