Thursday, October 22, 2015

Middle East report Oct. 22, 2015 WR15-338

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UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and CulturalOrganization) passed a resolution Wednesday listing the Cave of thePatriarchs in Hebron, above,  and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem as Muslim sites. The resolution - which passed with 26 in favor, six voted against, and 25 abstentions - condemned Israel for archaeological excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem and particularly near the Temple Mount. An initial draft of the resolution had also called for the Kotel (Western Wall) to be listed as an Islamic site, or more specifically as an "extension of the Al Aqsa Mosque", but that detail was hastily withdrawn after widespread condemnation, including from UNESCO's own Director-General. The revised draft also toned-down some of the more blatant anti-Israel language in the original, including referring to Jerusalem as the "occupied capital of Palestine." Nevertheless, the resolution accepted Wednesday does co-opt two other ancient Jewish holy sites: the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb, below, which contain the remains of the Jewish patriarchs and matriarchs and are regular sites of pilgrimage for Jewish worshipers. 
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Both sites, however, have seen Muslims lay claim to them as well, which including the building of mosques directly on top of the Jewish shrines. The resolution was backed by six Arab UNESCO members - Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia and theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE) who spearheaded the initiative on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. The only countries who voted against were the United States, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Estonia. The resolution "deeply deplores the recent repression in East Jerusalem, and the failure of Israel, the Occupying Power, to cease the persistent excavations and works in East Jerusalem particularly in and around the Old City." It also calls for the "prompt reconstruction of schools, universities, cultural heritage sites, cultural institutions, media centers and places of worship that have been destroyed or damaged by the consecutive Israeli wars on Gaza." Israel has in fact allowed construction materials into the Gaza Strip, but construction work has been moving at a snail's pace due to corruption and inefficiencies, as well as some donor states failing to deliver on their pledges of funding to the Hamas government.
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American and Kurdish commandos carried out a predawn raid on an ISIS prison in Hawija, west of Kirkuk, in northern Iraq on Thursday, freeing dozens of Kurdish hostages and taking several ISIS fighters captive. 
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After the area was hit with airstrikes, the troops swooped in on helicopters. One part of the force attacked the prison while the other part secured the roads leading to the facility in order to block any ISIS reinforcements. Defense sources in Washington declined to provide details on the operation but did not deny that it took place.
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Hamas leaders in the Gaza strip called on all Palestinians on the West Bank and Jerusalem to observe a “Day of Rage” Friday. The IDF and Israel’s security service announced they would continue to operate in expanded mode to preserve the peace and security against the forthcoming outbreak of terror.
The United States, Britain, France and Germany submitted a letter to the UN Security Council on Wednesday requesting action against Iran for its recent missile test in violation of the nuclear agreement it signed with Western powers. Iran recently tested a ground-to-ground ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The Security Council oversees the sanctions placed on Iran.

Iranian officials said they will not back the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad forever but believes that Assad must play a role in the process for formation of a future government. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Wednesday during a trip to London that only the Syrian people can choose their leaders and that Iran will honor their choice. 

Below is the video of Alex Jones program on the war in Syria. This is a war our evil government started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4aDv2xXYoM

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