Friends of Peace

We are doing work for world peace but there are news about a new war which should be stopped either by dialog or diplomatic ways. The news is as following:

“TEL AVIV – Intelligence officials from Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the U.S. held a meeting last week to discuss specific responses to Iranian retaliatory attacks during a potential war with Tehran, WND has learned.

A senior Egyptian intelligence official told WND the main talks, which took place in Amman, revolved around the possibility of Iranian-directed Palestinian and Islamic attacks against Israel, Egypt and Jordan during a possible future war with Iran.

The official said scenarios discussed revolved only around Iranian retaliatory attacks and did not take into account how any future war with Iran would be initiated or the timing of such a war.

The official said the concern was that Iran would use proxies such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip to attack both Egypt and Israel, while Hezbollah in Lebanon would launch missiles at Israeli population centers, including Tel Aviv.

Also, there is fear militants inside Jordan allied with the Muslim Brotherhood could attack Jordanian interests.

Hamas in Gaza is said to have rockets capable of reaching just outside Tel Aviv, while Hezbollah possesses Iranian-supplied missiles and rockets that can reach most Israeli population centers.

Egypt granted Israel permission several months ago to conduct naval exercises off Egyptian coastal waters. The military drills clearly were aimed at Iran.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, are influenced by Sunni Islam. The Arab countries are threatened by the growing influence of Iran, dominated by Shiite Islam.

In September, Saudi Arabia denied it offered the Israel Air Force permission to fly over its territory to attack Iranian nuclear facilities.

The Arab country was responding to a report in London’s Sunday Express claiming the Saudis had agreed to turn a blind eye and not interfere should Israel and the U.S. attack Iranian nuclear facilities through Saudi air space. The Saudi government called the Express report baseless.

The official said Saudi Arabia is passing intelligence information to Israel related to Iran. He affirmed a report from the Arab media, strongly denied by the Israeli government, that Saudi Arabia has granted Israel overflight permission during any attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The official previously told WND that Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, has been involved in an intense, behind-the-scenes lobbying effort urging the U.S. and other Western countries to do everything necessary to ensure Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons. Such weapons would threaten Saudi Arabia’s position of influence in the Middle East.

The Egyptian official said his country believes it is not likely Obama will grant Israel permission to attack Iran.

He previously spoke about the efforts of other Arab countries to oppose an Iranian nuclear umbrella but did not comment on Egypt’s own position on the matter.”

Source: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=119754  By Aaron Klein written for  WorldNetDaily (reproduced with thanks)

Little noticed but highly significant development took place on December 16 when a British court issued warrants of arrest for Israel leader of Kadima party Tpizi Livni, who was Israel’s foreign minister during the December 2008 brutal offensive against Gaza. In 22 days of savagery, Israel pulverised Gaza, ruined its economy and killed 1,417 Palestinian as against 13 Israelis killed.

Israel’s devastating military operation has been condemned by the international community as crimes against humanity and war crimes. Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued separate reports documenting Israeli brutality. The UNHCR decided to probe the massive destruction and killing of civilians, including women and children. A delegation led by Goldstone, a former judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa, submitted his report on September 17 to the UNHCR in Geneva corroborating the findings of the AI and the HRW. The matter was also taken up by the UN Security Council but due to the US threat of veto it did not pass any resolution.

Gaza is a tiny strip of land between Egypt and Israel with 1.5 million inhabitants. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 but has retrained complete control of the territory by sea, air and land. It has imposed a blockade on Gaza. Essential food supply, fuel, electricity and water have been denied, impoverishing the Palestinians’ pitiable existence.

Last week a British court issued the warrant of arrest against Tpizi Livni who was due to visit London to address the Jewish National Fund Conference, but postponed her visit after being tipped off about the proposed action. The warrant was issued at the request of lawyers representing Gaza victims.

The episode, nevertheless, has shaken the Israeli government. Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected ‘this absurdity’ and has mounted extreme pressure on the British government to withdraw court powers under the ill-defined legal concept of ‘universal jurisdiction’ on which this warrant was based. Britain is a staunch supporter of Israel. The episode has, therefore, immensely embarrassed the UK. Foreign Secretary Miliband assured Israel that “Britain will no longer tolerate legal harassment of Israeli officials”.

This was not the first time that British courts have issued such a warrant. In September a similar warrant was issued against Israel’s Defence Minister Ehud Barak under the 1988 Criminal Jurisdiction Act which gives the court in England and Wales universal jurisdiction in war-crime cases. Being a cabinet minister of Israel Barak escaped arrest invoking his diplomatic immunity.

The concept of ‘universal jurisdiction’ is an extremely useful tool to pursue and punish perpetrators of war crimes. It, however, needs refinement and clarity. Legal experts are of the opinion that due to this legal remedy any high-profile visitor involved in a military or anti-terrorist operation would be scared to visit a country that has such a provision in its constitution which could, in times to come, blossom into an internationally accepted legal norm. Earlier, a Swedish court under the same provision had issued a warrant against Ariel Sharon, Israel’s defence minister. The concept is the evolution of humanitarian laws and conventions to fix responsibility of war crimes on the leader rather than the soldier. The International Criminal Court in The Hague, now trying the leaders of Serbia and Yugoslavia, has drawn strength from this concept.

The Kashmiri expatriate in England can perhaps invoke similar action against the Indian government for the atrocities committed by the Indian security forces and killing of 70,000 Kashmiris since 1989.

Source: www.thenews.com.pk , Wednesday, December 23, 2009 written by Tayyab Siddiqui who is a former ambassador.

Email: m.tayyab.siddiqui@gmail.com

Recently Hamas in a message urged the United Nations to distinguish between Israeli “crimes” and Palestinian “resistance” in its investigation of human rights violations in the Gaza war. They have “asked any investigation commission to be just towards the Palestinian people and … not to put on a same level the Zionist crimes” and the acts of “resistance” by Palestinians.

“What the Palestinian people did and our resistance during the war … amount to self-defence to protect the Palestinian people,” The rep. Former international prosecutor Richard Goldstone was named on Friday to lead a broadened human rights probe into violence during Israel’s 22-day Gaza offensive in December and January.

At the same time, the Israeli government hailed what it said was Obama’s commitment to Israel’s security. Leading Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat focused instead on “the statements by President Obama confirming the principle of a two-state solution.” Israel should understand “that the track leading to an end of the occupation since 1967 of the Palestinian and Arab territories and to the start of a two-state solution is the only track that can be followed,” said the rep.

A November 2007 conference in Annapolis, near Washington, relaunched peace negotiations on the basis of the roadmap, although dozens of rounds of talks between Israel and the Palestinians have produced little visible progress.

Essential of peace which the general Assembly has set for nation for promotions of peace in the world are as follows:

General Assembly Resolution 290 (IV), 1 December 1949 290 (IV), Essential of peace
The General Assembly
1. Declares that the Charter of the United Nations, the most solemn pact of peace in history, lays down basic principles necessary for an enduring peace; that disregard of these principles is primarily responsible for the continuance of international tension; and that it is urgently necessary for all Members to act in accordance with these principles in the spirit of co-operation on which the United Nations was founded;
Calls upon every nation
2. To refrain from threatening or using force contrary to the Charter;
3. To refrain from any threats or acts, direct or indirect, aimed ait impairing the freedom, independence or integrity of any State, or at fomenting civil strife and subverting the will of the people in any State;
4. To carry out in good faith its international agreements;
5. To afford all United Nations bodies full co-operation and free access in the performance of the tasks assigned to them under the Charter;
6. To promote, in recognition of the paramount importance of preserving the dignity and worth of the human person, full freedom for the peaceful expression of political opposition, full opportunity for the exercise of religious freedom and full respect for all the other fundamental rights expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
7. To promote nationally and through international co-operation, efforts to achieve and sustain higher standards of living for all peoples;
8. To remove the barriers which deny to peoples the free exchange of information and ideas essential to international understanding and peace;
Calls upon every Member
9. To participate fully in all the works of the United Nations; Calls upon the five permanent Members of the Security Council
10. To broaden progressively their co-operation and to exercise restraint in the use of the veto in order to make the Security Council a more effective instrument for maintaining peace; Calls upon every nation
11. To settle international disputes by peaceful means and to co-operate in supporting United Nations efforts to resolve outstanding problems;
12. To co-operate to attain the effective international regulation of conventional armaments; and
13. To agree to the exercise of national sovereignty jointly with other nations to the extent necessary to attain international control of atomic energy which would make effective the prohibition of atomic weapons for peaceful purposes only.
261st plenary meeting
1 December 1949

We have to observe and note, the countries who call them the champions of peace in the world; upto what level have been successful in maintaing the peace. Comment on here Pl.

Amjad

Israel’s war against Hamas is continuing even UNO has asked the Israel to stop it. But the question is why Israel is not agreeing with UNO and ignoring the International appeals to stop the war.

In my view, this is because the Israel, need to set goals to figure out its policy toward the West Bank and Gaza for future with the support of USA. No doubt both sides wishe to continue the situation that began in 1967, when the Israel took control of a population that is religiously, culturally, economically, and politically different and hostile but the role of ideological extremism, antisemitism, jihadism and warlordism have resulted a failure of 1993 agreement of Oslo.

Gaza is arguably more a part of Egypt than of “Palestine.” During most of the Islamic period, it was either controlled by Cairo or part of Egypt administratively. Economically, Gaza has most connections to Egypt. Hamas itself derives from the Muslim Brethren, an Egyptian organization. Is it time to think of Gazans as Egyptians?

The overcrowded and aid-dependent land of some 1.5 million people has been subject to Israeli blockade and repeated raids since 2006. Israel cut off much movement of goods and people in and out of the territory in June 2007 after Hamas, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, seized Gaza by ousting forces loyal to secular Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. Aid groups repeatedly appealed to Israel to lift the restrictions to avoid a humanitarian crisis in the overcrowded territory where most of the population depends on foreign aid which Israel refused and as a result, Hammas started its activities.  
Here being the members of “Friends of Peace”, appeal both parties to stop the war and mediate the issue on International forum or through the UNO. If Israelis are killed or Palestinians, the matter is same, humanity is degraded. The color of blood is same of all children which are killed may be it Israeli or Palestinian. We ask the Friends of Peace scattered all over the world to raise their voice to ask both parties to stop the killings and pray also for peace.    

Following news published on  http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20081229/twl-israel-launches-fresh-airstrikes-on-41f21e0.html  is copied as following for the attention of Friends of Peace.

“-Israel launched the offensive on Saturday, December 27,  to stop Gaza’s ruling body Hamas from carrying out rocket attacks on southern part of the country. These have escalated sharply since a six-month ceasefire agreement expired last week. Airstrikes are continuing following the bombardment of smuggling tunnels, a central prison and Gaza’s Islamic University.

Israel has insisted it will keep up the assault until militants stop launching rockets, with defence minister Ehud Barack warning ominously that “the time has come to fight” and signalling willingness to put “boots on the ground”.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said: “What Israel is doing deserves the strongest condemnation of the international community.

“At the end of the day you don’t solve such problems with military means and such large-scale attacks have led to the killing of 300 people, 1,000 wounded, the total destruction of infrastructure.

“This will add to the complexity, this will enlarge the cycle of violence and counter-violence and this will really undermine the peace process, or what is left of it.”

Britain has joined international calls for an immediate halt to the violence in the region.-”

The question is “How we can restore the peace?”  The region is under war since decades and such type of activities happen after small intervals. Deaths occur and infrastructure is destroyed either by Israelies or Hammas but at the end when there are deaths especially Children, it is great shcocked. Those children have no fault but are punished without any cause. Their right to life is snatched because of the politicians and rulers policies.

What measures we can take and consider to stop this voilenec and war, Please have the comments!