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Thursday, November 29, 2012

PPalestine wins historic upgrade at the United Nations

138 vote in favor, 9 against, 41 abstentions in US General Assembly; US, Israel oppose Palestinian statehood bid; Abbas at the UN: The Palestinians are in desperate need of peace, but window of opportunity is closing.



Sixty-five years to the day after the UN voted for the partition of mandatory Palestine – a move the Jews accepted and the Arabs rejected – the same body overwhelmingly voted on Thursday to grant the Palestinian delegation the upgraded status of non-member observer state.

The vote was 138 in favor, nine against and 41 abstaining.

“The moment has arrived for the world to say clearly: Enough of aggression, settlements and occupation,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said to the packed UN General Assembly.

“We did not come here seeking to delegitimize a state established years ago, and that is Israel; rather we came to affirm the legitimacy of the state that must now achieve its independence, and that is Palestine,” he said.

“We did not come here to add further complications to the peace process, which Israel’s policies have thrown into the intensive care unit; rather we came to launch a final serious attempt to achieve peace,” Abbas continued.

“Our endeavor is not aimed at terminating what remains of the negotiations process, which has lost its objectivity and credibility, but rather aimed at trying to breathe new life into the negotiations and at setting a solid foundation for it based on the terms of reference of the relevant international resolutions in order for the negotiations to succeed.”

Abbas said that the Palestinians will accept no less than “the independence of the state of Palestine, with east Jerusalem as its capital, on all the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967, to live in peace and security alongside the State of Israel, and a solution for the refugee issue on the basis of Resolution 194.”

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu condemned Abbas’s strong critique of Israel as “hostile and poisonous,” and full of “false propaganda.”

“These are not the words of a man who wants peace,” he said in a statement.

The PA president said nothing about immediately resuming talks with Israel without preconditions, though he did pledge to “act responsibly and positively in our next steps, and... to work to strengthen cooperation with the countries and peoples of the world for the sake of a just peace.”

The countries opposing the move were the US, Israel, Canada, the Czech Republic, Palau, Micronesia, Nauru, Panama and the Marshall Islands.

Abbas, who called the resolution a “birth certificate of the reality of the state of Palestine,” used the recent fighting in Gaza to frame his request for the statehood upgrade and painted both Israel and its birth in demonic colors.

“Palestine comes today to the United Nations General Assembly at a time when it is still tending to its wounds and still burying its beloved martyrs of children, women and men who have fallen victim to the latest Israeli aggression, still searching for remnants of life amid the ruins of homes destroyed by Israeli bombs on the Gaza Strip, wiping out entire families, their men, women and children murdered along with their dreams, their hopes, their future and their longing to live an ordinary life and to live in freedom and peace,” he said.

“The Israeli aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip has confirmed once again the urgent and pressing need to end the Israeli occupation and for our people to gain their freedom and independence,” Abbas continued, pointedly avoiding the mention of the rocket and missile bombardment of Israeli cities from Gaza.

“This aggression also confirms the Israeli government’s adherence to the policy of occupation, brute force and war, which in turn obliges the international community to shoulder its responsibilities toward the Palestinian people and toward peace.”

The Palestinian people, Abbas said, “miraculously recovered from the ashes of the nakba [the Arabic term meaning “catastrophe” that refers to Israel’s victory in the War of Independence] of 1948, which was intended to extinguish their being and to expel them in order to uproot and erase their presence, which was rooted in the depths of their land and depths of history.”

In Abbas’s telling of history, “hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were torn from their homes and displaced within and outside of their homeland, thrown from their beautiful, embracing, prosperous country to refugee camps in one of the most dreadful campaigns of ethnic cleansing and dispossession in modern history.”

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor dismissed the move as empty symbolic posturing that will change nothing tangible on the ground, but push the chances of securing a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians into the distant future.

Prosor said that he has never heard Abbas say the phrase “two states for two peoples” because the Palestinians have never accepted that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people.

“They have never been willing to accept what this very body recognized 65 years ago – Israel is the Jewish state.”

Prosor said that the Palestinians were asking for recognition of a Palestinian state without themselves being willing to recognize the Jewish state. Beyond that, Prosor said, Abbas is trying to erase Jewish history by earlier in the year trying to wipe out a Jewish connection to Jerusalem.

“You said that Jews were trying to alter the historic character of Jerusalem, Prosor said. “President Abbas, the truth is that Jerusalem had a Jewish character long before most cities in the world had any character.”

Instead of revising history, Prosor said, Abbas should start “making history by making peace with Israel. This resolution will not advance peace,” he said. Nor will it change the fact that the Palestinian Authority has not control over Gaza, 40 percent of the territory they claim to represent.

“President Abbas, you can’t even visit nearly half the territory you claim to represent. That territory is controlled by Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization that rains missiles on Israeli civilians.”

Prosor said the resolution sends a message that the international community is willing to turn a blind eye to peace agreements.

“For the people of Israel, it raises a simple question: Why continue to make painful sacrifices for peace, in exchange for pieces of paper that the other side will not honor? “There is only one route to Palestinian statehood. And that route does not run through this chamber in New York. That route runs through direct negotiations between Jerusalem and Ramallah that will lead to a secure and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” he said. “There are no shortcuts. No quick fixes. No instant solutions.”

The resolution was presented to the General Assembly by the representative of Sudan, who called this a victory for the “values of truth.”

Staunch European allies such as Germany and the Netherlands, who opposed Palestinian admission into UNESCO last year as a state, were among those who this time only abstained, while other friendly countries, such as Italy, voted for the move.

The vote took place on the annual “Observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.”

Senior diplomatic officials voiced deep disappointment over the European votes. Up until a few days ago, when France declared that it would support the move, senior officials held out hope that the EU might abstain as a bloc, something that would have deprived the Palestinian Authority of a moral victory.

One senior official said that the recent fighting in Gaza tipped the scales in Europe, with the Europeans worrying that if Abbas would not gain some kind of diplomatic victory, he would lose all stature and authority.

“Had the vote taken place before the Gaza operation, the EU would have voted differently,” one official said.

The Prime Minister’s Office has made clear in recent days that the vote would free Israel of its obligations under the Oslo Accords, since Jerusalem views the move as a blatant violation of the underlying principle of those agreements: that all outstanding issues be resolved through negotiations, not through unilateral actions.

Israel’s immediate reaction is expected to be the deduction from tax transfers it makes to the PA each month of some NIS 800 million that the PA owes to the Israel Electric Corporation.

Further steps are expected if the Palestinians use this new status and try to join other UN bodies or, as a result of their enhanced status, attempt to haul Israel or its citizens before the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court on war crime charges.

Hours before the vote, Netanyahu – realizing that Israel was facing a stinging diplomatic defeat – said that regardless of how many countries vote against Israel, “no force in the world will get me to compromise on Israel’s security.”

Netanyahu said that the decision will “not change anything on the ground. It will not further the establishment of a Palestinian state, but will make it more distant.”

Netanyahu’s comments came while touring an exhibit of recently declassified documents marking the upcoming 35th anniversary of Anwar Sadat’s visit to Jerusalem at the Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem.

“Israel’s hand is always extended in peace, but a Palestinian state will not be established without recognition of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, without an end-of-conflict declaration and without true security arrangements that will protect Israel and its citizens.”

The prime minister, who said that none of the conditions he reiterated are even mentioned in the Palestinians’ UN resolution, said that peace is only achieved through negotiations and not by unilateral declarations “which do not take into consideration Israel’s vital security and national interests.” He recommended not being impressed by the applause that he expected to be heard at the UN.

“I remember the international community’s applause that the government of Israel received when it decided to unilaterally withdraw from Gaza,” he said. “We got applause and then rocket fire. We left Gaza, and Iran entered, exactly like what happened in Lebanon.”

Netanyahu said he would not enable another Iranian base to be established, this time in Judea and Samaria, a kilometer away from Jerusalem.

“It does not matter how many will vote against us, there is no force in the world that will cause me to compromise on Israeli security and there is no force in the world able to sever the thousands-year-old connection between the people of Israel and the Land of Israel,” he said.

Jerusalem Post

Ugly Q3 GDP Confirms Personal Consumption Collapsing

One glance at today's second read of Q3 GDP may leave some with the false impression that the US economy is soaring, because after sliding to 1.3% in Q2, and after a preliminary read of 2.0% in the first Q3 estimate, today's print, which missed estimates of a 2.8% print, did nonetheless rise to 2.7%.

 "A stunning success", the administration sycophants would say. Absolutely wrong. Because a quick glance at the underlying numbers shows the true picture of the economy which contracted far more than most expected, with personal consumption collapsing to 1.4% Q/Q, on hopes of a 1.9% rise, and down from 2.0%. In fact, at 0.99% personal consumption expenditures - the core driver of 70% of the US economy - were a tiny 36% of the headline number. Ironically today's second GDP revision was far worse when analyzed at the component level, than the first Q3 estimate, which while lower overall at 2.0%, at least had personal consumption nearly 50% higher at 1.42%, or well over half of the total contribution. 

So what drove "growth" in Q3? Nothing short of the most hollow and worst components of GDP: Government Spending, which soared to 0.67% of the annualized number, the first positive print in years, and of course, Inventories, which were responsible for 30% of the headline number. And sadly not even Sandy can be blamed on the collapse in consumption in Q3, for the simple reason that the Hurricane did not hit until 1 month into Q4. Perhaps it is Sandy's fault it did not hit sooner. In the meantime, all those hoping that the US consumer is finally waking up from his slumber and is spending (on credit of course) like a drunken sailor (for anything more than iPads using student loan proceeds), will have to wait until Q1 2013, as the Q4 2012 number will be even uglier than the one just released.
And a longer-term confirmation of the collapse of Personal Consumption courtesy of John Lohman:

Zero Hedge

Iran showcases new warships near strategic waters



TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s state TV is showcasing additions to its Navy including a missile-launching warship around the size of a frigate.

Navy officials watched as the domestically-produced Sina-7, equipped with anti-ship missiles, was launched Wednesday at Bandar Abbas, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Two new Iranian-built Ghadir submarines and two repaired hovercrafts were also delivered to the Navy.

The TV quoted Navy chief Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari as saying that Iran must possess the “newest technology and top-grade facilities to protect its borders.”

Ghadir class submarines can fire missiles and torpedoes at the same time, and can operate in the Persian Gulf’s shallow waters.

Iran has sought to upgrade its air defense and naval capabilities, saying any possible future attacks on it would come from the air and sea.

Times of Israel


Syrian aircraft hit



Tourmanin - In less than 24 hours, rebels used surface-to-air missiles to strike down two aircraft in northern Syria, marking a turning point in their war with forces of President Bashar Assad.

Since the end of July, the Syrian regime has used fighter jets to try to suppress a growing insurgency. The air force has frequently bombarded rebel-held areas across the country, causing high casualties.

But on Wednesday morning, rebels shot down a warplane in the northern province of Aleppo, an AFP reporter said.

The warplane crashed after it was hit by a massive explosion, a tower of thick black smoke rising into the sky, said the reporter, who was just a few kilometres away.

The previous day insurgents had downed an army helicopter for the first time.

"It's a turning point," said Riad Kahwaji, expert at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA).

Stench of kerosene

"If the Syrian air force starts losing several aircraft every day, that will be a significant turning point because the regime will lose its superiority and will no longer be able to use its main means of delivering strong fire power effectively," Kahwaji said.

The jet fell on an olive grove a kilometre away from the village of Tourmanin, north of the embattled city of Aleppo.

Wednesday's attack, claimed by a rebel Free Syrian Army group, occurred near the Sheikh Suleiman base, the last garrison in government hands between Syria's second city and the Turkish border.

Dozens of rebels rushed to the scene minutes after the plane was shot down, crying out "Allahu Akbar!" (God is Greatest).

Children rummaged among the smouldering debris, as the stench of kerosene and burning plastic rose. Some teenagers picked up pieces of the plane's broken wings, others played with ammunition.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a watchdog that relies on a network of activists and medics on the ground, confirmed that the jet had been brought down with a missile.

1 pilot captured
While some witnesses gave a similar version, others said rebels used an anti-aircraft gun to strike the jet.

It appeared more likely that the rebels used a missile as the plane had been flying at a high altitude.

Rebels in Tourmanin said insurgent members of the Ahrar Daret Ezza group, whose name means the Free People of Daret Ezza, a nearby village, were responsible for the strike.

"The plane had the time to drop its bombs, just before it crashed," one witness said.

The crash caused an explosion that was easily heard several kilometres away.

The two pilots in the plane ejected before the crash, with one of them captured immediately after making a parachute landing, witnesses said. The fate of the second pilot is unknown.

Missiles seized
The jet was the second government aircraft to have been shot down by rebels using missiles in less than 24 hours.

In the same area on Tuesday, insurgents downed the army helicopter with a ground-to-air missile, in what the Observatory said had the potential to change the balance of military power in the 20-month old conflict.

The gunship had been on a strafing run near Sheikh Suleiman.

Little more than a week ago, the rebels seized tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery, 120mm mortars and rocket launchers when they took the regime forces' sprawling Base 46, about 12km west of Aleppo.

Rebel commander General Ahmed Faj said on Friday that the rebels also seized surface-to-air missiles from the base.

Red line
"If the rebels have a significant arsenal of surface-to-air missiles, like the well-known Stingers that decimated Russian helicopters and jets in Afghanistan, Assad's army will lose part of its control of the sky," Syria expert Fabrice Balanche said.

"Rebel-held areas will become safe, and insurgents will be able to go on the offensive without fearing the aerial threat."

"It's a red line the rebels and their supporters have crossed," Balanche added.

Syria's revolt is supported by Turkey, several Gulf states and the West, while Russia, China and Iran offer assistance to Assad's regime.

"Now the Russians will certainly give the Syrians more sophisticated equipment," said Balanche.


- AFP

Santiaguito volcano blows its top in Guatemala



The Santiaguito volcano, in western Guatemala, erupted today with “very strong,” with the release of smoke and ash at high altitudes, so the agency has recommended Meteorology restrict air traffic in the area. So far there is no need for an evacuation of the villages closest to the volcano, which is located about 227 kilometers from Guatemala City. 

The director of the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (Insivumeh), Eddy Sanchez, reported that the activity of the volcano at 2,550 meters, and located in the department of Quetzaltenango, started at about 5.30 local time (11.30 GMT ). Sanchez added that the sand and volcanic ash is dispersed within at least a 4 kilometers radius of the volcano. “There is a crater collapse, pyroclastic flows, and notice has already been given to Civil Aviation to restrict air operations in that region,” said the director of the local radio Insivumeh. He also reported they warned the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conrad) to take the necessary precautions. 

Sanchez said the eruption of Santiaguito will last for several hours and urged people to stock up surrounding drinking water because the sand and volcanic ash can contaminate streams that may be harmful to health. The sand and ash has fallen in populations of the departments of Quetzaltenango and Retalhuleu, where they can be affected coffee plantations, according to Sanchez. The volunteer fire departments of these two departments have declared orange alert or prevention, while experts Conrad Insivumeh and keep a constant eye on the evolution of the eruption.


The extinction Protocol

State Senator Proposes Dissolving City Of Detroit



It would no doubt be controversial, but the idea of dissolving the fiscally struggling city of Detroit and absorbing it into Wayne County is being tossed around in Lansing.

WWJ Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick reports some state Republicans are talking about giving the city the option to vote itself into bankruptcy. And mid-Michigan Senator Rick Jones said all options should be considered — including dissolving the city.

“If we have to, that is one idea we have to look at. We really have to look at everything that is on the table,” Jones said. “Again, if this goes to federal bankruptcy, every employee down there will suffer, the city will suffer and the vultures will come in and take the jewels of Detroit and they will be gone.”

Local consultant Tom Watkins has proposed this in the past, but the idea has never played well among Detroiters.

In a live interview on WWJ Newsradio 950 Wednesday morning, Gov. Rick Snyder said he wouldn’t count anything out.

“Detroit needs to solve their problems, but they need support and we’ve been very supportive partners, I believe, in terms of offering different ideas and thoughts. And I just encourage them to work harder about working better together,” Snyder said.

CBS

JAPAN'S MOUNT SAKURAJIMA VOLCANO ERUPTS SPEWING ASH

Netanyahu: UN can't force Israel to compromise on security


In final hours ahead of UNGA's expected approval of PA's bid for non-member status, PM says unilateral move will only distance Palestinians from statehood, adds: World can't sever tie between Jewish people, land of Israel.

With Israel facing a stinging diplomatic defeat Thursday at the UN, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that regardless of how many vote against Israel, "no force in the world will get me to compromise on Israel's security."

He also said no force in the world can sever the thousands-year-old tie between the Jewish people and the land of Israel.

Relating to the expected overwhelming support of the world to upgrade the Palestinian status at the UN to that of a non-member state, Netanyahu said that the decision will "Not change anything on the ground. It will not further the establishment of a Palestinian state, but will make it more distant."

Netanyahu's comments came while touring an exhibit of recently declassified documents marking the upcoming 35th anniversary of Anwar Sadat's visit to Jerusalem at the Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem.

"Israel's hand is always extended in peace, but a Palestinian state will not be established without recognition of the state of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, without an end-of-conflict declaration, and without true security arrangements that will protect Israel and its citizens."

Netanyahu, who said that none of the conditions he reiterated are even mentioned in the Palestinian's UN resolution, said that peace is only achieved through negotiations, and not by unilateral declarations "which do not take into consideration Israel security needs."

Netanyahu recommended not being impressed by the applause that will likely be heard later at the UN.

"I remember the international community's applause that the government of Israel received when it decided to unilaterally withdraw from Gaza," he said. "We got applause and then rocket fire. We left Gaza, and Iran entered, exactly like what happened in Lebanon."
Netanyahu said he would not enable another Iranian base to be established, this time in Judea and Samaria, a kilometer away from Jerusalem.

"It does not matter how many will vote against us, there is no force in the world that will cause me to compromise on Israeli security and there is no force in the world able to sever the thousands year connection between the people of Israel and the Land of Israel," he said.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that he was unafraid of Israeli reactions to his unilateral statehood bid at the United Nations, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported.

"If the Israeli authorities want to threaten my life, they can," Abbas told reporters. "The whole world realizes that the Palestinian Authority, with all its political and security services, and administrative bodies, has been ready to upgrade its status for six years."

Jerusalem Post

Egypt crisis: Assembly rushes to finish constitution


The assembly writing a new Egyptian constitution has convened to start voting on the final draft.

The news came as the constitutional court indicated it would rule on Sunday whether to dissolve the assembly.

The assembly is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists who back President Mohammed Morsi. It is being boycotted by other members.

Egypt's judiciary is in a stand-off with President Morsi after he granted himself sweeping new powers.

Mr Morsi's decree last week has sparked huge protests across the country.

Officials at the constituent assembly said on Wednesday they were finishing the draft constitution, even though Mr Morsi recently extended its deadline until February.

"May God bless us on this day," assembly speaker Hossam el-Gheriyani said at the start of Thursday's session.

The assembly will vote on each of 234 articles in the draft constitution. It will then be sent to Mr Morsi for approval. After that he must put it to a popular referendum.

The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Cairo, says issuing a constitution in these circumstances would be a deeply inflammatory move.

Opposition figure and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa told Reuters news agency: "This is nonsensical and one of the steps that shouldn't be taken, given the background of anger and resentment to the current constitutional assembly."'Sacred mission'

Egypt's state-run news agency Mena said on Thursday it had obtained details of the draft constitution.

Mena said it includes a clause on press freedom and says that only courts can suspend or close newspapers.

The assembly also aims to set up a national security council led by the president and consisting of key officials such as the prime minister, defence minister and intelligence chief, Mena said.

Liberal, left-wing and Christian members have boycotted the assembly, accusing the Islamists of trying to impose their vision.

Its latest move appeared to be aimed at dodging a ruling by the constitutional court on Sunday on whether the assembly should be dissolved.

The constitutional court's deputy chairman, Maher Sami, said in a televised speech that the ruling would go ahead.

"The court is determined to rise above its pain and continue its sacred mission until the end, wherever that takes us," he said.

The court has already dissolved the lower house of Egypt's parliament, which was led by the Muslim Brotherhood.

The declaration that sparked protests gave Mr Morsi powers to take any measures to protect the revolution, and stated that no court could overturn his decisions.

It is valid until a new constitution is in place.

Critics accuse Mr Morsi of trying to seize absolute powers.

Supporters say the decrees were needed to protect the gains of the revolution against a judiciary with deep ties to overthrown President Hosni Mubarak.

On Wednesday, Mr Morsi told Time magazine that he would surrender his new powers once a new constitution was in place.

"If we had a constitution, then all of what I have said or done last week will stop," he said.

"I hope, when we have a constitution, what I have issued will stop immediately."

On Monday, Mr Morsi told senior judges that the decrees would be restricted to "sovereign matters" designed to protect institutions.

But judges said they were not satisfied and wanted the measure completely withdrawn.

On Wednesday, judges called a strike, saying appeals courts and the court of cassation would halt work until the decree was revoked.

There have been running protests since the decree was issued, often spilling over into violent clashes between protesters and riot police.

The Muslim Brotherhood and the more radical al-Nour party have called for a counter-protest in Cairo on Saturday.

If approved by the constituent assembly, the draft constitution would then be put to a national referendum.

BBC

French report linking GM maize to cancer under attack




AFP - The EU's food safety agency definitively rejected Wednesday a bombshell French report linking genetically modified corn to cancer, saying it failed to meet "acceptable scientific standards."

"Serious defects in the design and methodology of a paper by Seralini et al. mean it does not meet acceptable scientific standards," the European Food Safety Authority said in a statement.

"Consequently it is not possible to draw valid conclusions about the occurrence of tumours in the rats tested," the agency said.

EFSA, which reviews the use and authorisation of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), added that it "finds there is no need to re-examine its previous safety evaluations of NK603," the genetically modified maize developed by US agribusiness giant Monsanto.

That same conclusion had been reached in separate and independent assessments of Gilles-Eric Seralini's work carried out in six European Union nations, the agency added.

Seralini's research team at France's University of Caen issued a report in September concluding that rats fed on NK603 corn, or exposed to one of Monsanto's weedkillers used with the corn strain, and containing glyphosate, developed tumours.

The study's conclusions, illustrated by horrific images of cancer-ridden rats, caused worldwide alarm.

NK603 is resistant to the Monsanto herbicide Roundup, enabling farmers to use the weedkiller just once in the crop's life-cycle and make substantial savings.

Seralini and his team said their experiment in GM food was the first to follow rats through their lifespan, as opposed to just 90 days.

But many experts quickly questioned its methodology, results and relevance to humans.

The EU agency said its final assessment took into consideration evaluations carried out in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

"EFSA noted the emergence of a broad European consensus," it said, stating that the six countries too found Seralini's conclusions "were not supported by the data presented in the study."

It listed weaknesses of the French study as "unclear study objectives, the low number of rates used in each treatment group, a lack of detail on the feed and treatment formulation, key information missing on the statistical methods employed."

In a first response last month, EFSA dubbed Seralini's study "inadequate" and urged him to provide additional information before a second, final review was completed.

But the scientist responded that he would not give EFSA additional information until it first detailed the basis of its own assessment.

"It is absolutely scandalous that (EFSA) keeps secret the information on which they based their evaluation" of NK603 and the pesticide, he said at the time.

"In any event, we will not give them anything. We will put the information in the public domain when they do," Seralini told AFP.

His research group, Criigen, this month issued a list of almost 200 scientists from more than 30 countries who back the study.




France 24