The Middle East

‘Homs Offensive’ Claims More Lives in Syria, As International Community Continually Debates Resolution

By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

HOMS, Syria–One day after a UN Security Council resolution aimed at ending the bloodshed in Syria was vetoed by China and Russia, the Syrian army has increased its attacks on opposition fighters in Homs. The Syrian Revolution General Commission, an opposition group, stated that 15 individuals were killed in Homs on Monday 06 February 2012 and at least three others were killed in Aleppo. Al-Jazeera received video from opposition activists that depicted apparent devastation caused by a military offensive in the Bab Amr neighborhood of Homs.

A wounded woman in Bab Amr with a bandage on her head.(Photo Courtesy of The Guardian)

Activists and witnesses said the army had been shelling the neighborhood “indiscriminately” since the morning of Sunday 05 February 2012. Abu Abdo Alhomsy, an activist of a revolutionary council in Homs, shared these words with Al-Jazeera on Monday 06 February 2012 concerning the attacks.

“It is horrible right here. Rockets are falling. There are massive explosions that shook buildings. We don’t know really what to do. It’s a massive attack-a new massacre is happening here. Nobody can go out, we don’t know how many homes have been hit or how many people died.”

Danny Abdul Dayem, a resident of Homs, shared these words with Al-Jazeera concerning the shelling in Bab Amr. Video images have surfaced showing people who have been shot and hit by shrapnel, including children sustaining fatal injuries.

“It has been terrible. There is non-stop bombing with rockets, mortar bombs, and tank shells. There were more than 50 people injured in Bab Amr today. I saw with my own eyes kids with no legs, and a kid who lost his whole bottom jaw. It is terrible.”

Dayem also indicated that only one field hospital with four doctors was still operating in the city and that it was virtually impossible to get additional medication for anything short of a gunshot wound.

The Syrian state television has denied that there had been any such bombardment in the country. It stated that residents were setting fire to piles of rubbish on the roofs of their homes in an attempt to trick the world into believing that there was an attack. The phrase “terrorist gangs” was used to describe whom was responsible for the blown up buildings in Homs. The government has come out and said that it is fighting foreign-backed armed groups

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a London-based rights organization, army deserters in the northeast region of the country destroyed a military control post early on Monday 06 February 2012, killing three officers and capturing 19 soldiers. The fighting occurred in the village of Al Bara in the Edleb region and that none of the army deserters involved in the skirmish lost their lives.

The death toll in Syria rose to at least 88 people over the weekend, deemed one of the bloodiest since the demonstrations and protests against al-Assad’s regime began nearly 11 months ago. The chaos and turmoil in the country has claimed at least 6,000 lives total in Syria, according to various opposition groups.

The international community continues to react to the situation in Syria instead of taking a proactive approach. According to French authorities, The European Union (EU) is set to strengthen sanctions imposed on Syria in a bid to boost pressure on the government. Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, shared these words with BFMTV television on Sunday 05 February 2012.

“Europe will again harden sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime. We will try to increase this international pressure and there will come a time when the regime will have to realize that it is completely isolated and cannot continue.”

The United States closed its embassy in Syria and pulled out its remaining staff on Monday 06 February 2012, citing serious security concerns as al-Assad’s regime increased its crackdown, causing more bloodshed. The State Department released a statement containing the following on the decision to close the Syrian embassy.

“The United States has suspended operations of our embassy in Damascus as of 06 February. Ambassador Robert Ford and all American personnel have now departed the country. The recent surge in violence, including bombings in Damascus on 23 December and 06 January, has raised serious concerns that our embassy is not sufficiently protested from armed attack.”

With all of the attacks and death occurring the around the nation, it can only be extremely disheartening to Syrian civilians to see nations such as China and Russia veto a UN Security Council resolution and the US close its embassy. Regardless of what the “big-time” actors are doing, people are still suffering and dying on the ground. These are the same people that are continually at the mercy of al-Assad’s regime. It would seem that the only way for these people’s voices to be heard and acted on is the permanent absence of al-Assad’s regime. Much like Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Moammar Gaddafi of Libya, the permanent absence of a multi-decade dictator is the only way for the demonstrations and protests to actually mean something for change.

 

For more information, please see: 

Ahram – US Closes Syria Embassy, Pulls Out All Staff – 06 February 2012

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/33861/World/Region/US-closes-Syria-embassy,-pulls-out-all-staff.aspx

Al-Jazeera – Syrian Army ‘Steps Up Homs Offensive’ – 06 February 2012

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/20122614732355122.html

BBC – Syria Crisis: Army Steps Up Homs Shelling – 06 February 2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16902819

CNN – US Closes Embassy As Fighting Rages In Syria – 06 February 2012

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/06/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html?hpt=imi_c1

The Guardian – Syrian Forces ‘Kill At Least 50’ In Homs Bombardment – 06 February 2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/06/syrian-forces-homs-bombardment

Reuters – Syria Bombards Homs; West Scrambles For New Strategy – 06 February 2012

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/06/us-syria-idUSTRE80S08620120206

Rival Palestinian Leaders Agree To Team Up, But Their Populations Continue to Suffer

By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

GAZA CITY, Gaza–The leaders of rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas signed a deal on Monday 06 February 2012 in Qatar to form a unity government. The government would be independent of West Bank and Gaza, currently led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Protesters engage UN chief Ban Ki-moon's convoy in Gaza. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement shortly after the agreement was signed, stating that Israel would not come to the table so long as Hamas was on the Palestinian side.

“Hamas is a terrorist organization which strives to destroy Israel and relies on support from Iran. I have said many times in the past that the Palestinian Authority must choose between an alliance with Hamas and peace with Israel. Hamas and peace don’t go together.”

As the never-ending peace talks between Israel and Palestine continue to prove fruitless, the agreement signed is hoping to pave the way for Palestinian presidential and parliamentary election as a possibility later this year. Also, there is focus and hope on substantively rebuilding Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, following a 2008-2009 Israeli offensive against Hamas.

This deal comes just one weekend after dozens of Palestinians staged hostile protests as the convoy of visiting UN chief Ban Ki-Moon entered Gaza from Israel. Many of the protesters were relatives of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and came to express their anger at Mr. Ban’s refusal to meet with them to discuss the prisoners’ situation. According to the BBC, the protesters were expressing their disgust on behalf of approximately 4,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Some protesters threw shoes at the convoy while others held signs, one which displayed the text, “enough bias for Israel.” Mr. Ban’s visit to the region was supposed to ignite stalled peace negotiations between the two sides. An entire month of “exploratory talks” ended last week without any major or expected breakthroughs.

When Mr. Ban’s armoured convoy entered Gaza, approximately 50 protesters gathered on the Gaza side of the Erez crossing as the convoy came through. According to the AP news agency, the protesters formed a human chain in an attempt to hold up the UN chief’s progress but Hamas security forces removed them from the area. After passing through the protest, Mr. Ban traveled to Khan Younis, where he reportedly was scheduled to visit a school and a Japanese-funded housing project.

As both Israeli and Palestinian authorities continue to make statements, the focus on the region really needs to be placed on the people on the ground. The Israeli populations appear to be functioning properly, while the Palestinian population appear dysfunctional and desolate. According to a Human Rights Watch report released over the weekend, Israeli policies on Palestinian residency have arbitrarily denied thousands of Palestinians the ability to live in, and travel to and from, the West Bank and Gaza. The 90-page reported dubbed “Forget about Him, He’s Not Here” goes into great detail about the arbitrary exclusion by the Israeli military of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians since 1967 and further documents the impact that said exclusion continues to have on individuals and families.

The Israeli military has a list that deems certain Palestinians as lawful and legitimate residents of the West Bank and Gaza has had a plethora of adverse effects on the Palestinian population. According to “Forget about Him, He’s Not Here,” it has separated families, caused individual to lose jobs as well as educational opportunities, barred people from entering the Palestinian territories, and trapped others inside them.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, shared these sentiments concerning the report and what it details.

“Israel has never put forth any concrete security rationale for blanket policies that have made life a nightmare for Palestinians whom it considers unlawful residents in their homes. The current policies leave families divided and people trapped on the wrong side of the border in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel should revise these policies and process requests for families to reunite, so that Palestinians can live with their families where they want.”

Israel requires Palestinians to be included in the population registry in order to be considered lawful residents and possess Israeli-approved identification cards and passports. In the West Bank, Palestinians need the ID cards for almost everything, including traveling internally, attending schools, finding employment, admittance to hospitals, and to visit relatives. Israeli security forces controlling checkpoints requires these cards before allowing passage and those controlling the West Bank borders also required Palestinians who are entering or leaving the territory to present an ID card or passport.

Until the conditions and issues surrounding Palestinian populations is substantively pushed to the front of any peace talks, it is very difficult to see how any change will occur. Many words can be written on agreements and signed but until those words mean no more requirements on Palestinians to carry ID and be arbitrarily separated from their relatives, the situation will continue to worsen.

 

For more information, please see: 

NYT – Palestinian Factions Reach Unity Deal – 06 February 2012

Reuters – Palestinian Rivals Agree To Form Unity Government – 06 February 2012

Human Rights Watch – Israel: End Restrictions On Palestinian Residency – 05 February 2012

Al-Jazeera – Two Palestinians Wounded in Israeli Airstrike – 03 February 2012

CNN – Protesters Pelt U.N. Chief’s Vehicle With Shoes In Gaza – 02 February 2012

BBC – Palestinian Protesters Target UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon – 02 February 2012


Russian and Chinese Vetoes Prevent Passage of UN Resolution Condemning Syrian Violence

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria — Russia and China voted against a draft resolution that would have condemned a crackdown on anti-government protests in Syria and called on Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, to step aside.

The United Nations Security Council (Photo Courtesy of Al Jazeera).

The countries, two of the United Nations Security Council’s permanent members, have veto power over resolutions put before the Council.

A statement from the Russian ambassador to the United Nations said the resolution, “sent an unbalanced signal to the Syrian parties” by not condemning violence on the part of the armed opposition to the same degree that it did for the Syrian government.

Internationally, the vetoes received tremendous criticism.  Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs said the vetoes sent “ a very bad signal to [President Bashar al-Assad] that there is a license to kill.” Other Western and Arab leaders echoed Qatar’s reaction.

Europe will strengthen sanctions imposed on Damascus in a bid to boost pressure on the regime, France said on Sunday. The United States has vowed to block funding and arms supplies to Syria.

“We will work to seek regional and national sanctions against Syria and strenghten the ones we have. They will be implemented to the fullest to dry up the sources of funding and the arms shipments that are keeping the regime’s war machine going,”  US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday.

Despite these international efforts the opposition in Syria is now forced to attempt to stop the government crackdown by itself.

Colonel Riad al-Asaad, commander of the FSA, said that “there is no other road” except military action by his fighters to topple Assad.

Iran welcomed the vetoes from China and Russia, calling the sanctions “just.”

“The Security Council has become a tool for the West’s bullying … of other nations, and this time Russia and China stood up against it,” one of Iran’s top diplomat said.

The Syrian government also saw the vetoes as a victory, saying that the result should be an acceptance of the regime’s program for solving the evolving crisis.

The Tishreen, a state run newspaper, called the vetoes an incentive for Damascus to continue with its announced political reforms, which include drafting a new constitution, allowing the formation of new political parties, and holding parliamentary elections.

It further suggested that the international community support talks between the government and the opposition.

At the same time, it declared that the government would continue with its crackdown, saying it would “restore what the Syrians enjoyed for decades and what they are demanding today which is stability and security and confronting all forms of terrorism.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera —Qatar says UN veteos sent “bad signal” —  05 Feb. 2012

Al Jazeera — Veto power at the UN Security Council — 05 Feb. 2012

Huffington Post — Russia, China Veto Of Syria UN Resolution Sparks Outrage — 05 Feb. 2012

NPR — Syria Veto “Outrageous” Says UN Envoy Susan Rice — 05 Feb. 2012

Reuters — Clinton calls UN Syria vote a “travesty” — o5 Feb. 2012

 

 

 

 

Brutal Egyptian Riot Highlights Security Force Problem

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — At least 74 people were killed and hundreds more injured when fans stormed the field after an Egyptian football game on Wednesday.  An investigation is ongoing to investigate why riot police failed to stop the chaos.

A brutal riot left over 70 dead while riot police just watched (Photo courtesy of ESPN).

The Egyptian military has declared three days of mourning.

The riots highlight a deteriorating security situation in Egypt, still flailing a year after a revolution, which found Hosni Mubarak, president for over thirty years, ousted and replaced by a temporary military rule.

The fight began after an upset victory by the Al-Masry team over the Al-Ahly team.  The winning team stormed the field and began attacking players and supporters of Al-Ahly, even going so far as to chase the players into their locker rooms. Health officials said that victims were stabbed, trampled, and beaten.  There were members of the Egyptian police among the dead.

Estimates put the number of fans supporting the winning team at about 10 to 1.  This disproportion likely added to the chaos.

The incident once again thrusts the ultras, a group of organized soccer fans that played a role in the Egyptian revolution, back into the spotlight.  The ultras have rallied against military rule, and have been very anti-police.

The relationship between the police and the ultras has brought some criticism that the police had reason to allow the riot to continue as a means of revenge.

Witnesses report that there were hundreds of riot police present at the game, but rather than get involved they just stood and watched.  The security forces attempted to turn off the stadium lights in an effort to force people out of the stadium, but this did not help.

The New York Times says the rumors are “impossible to confirm,” but one player interviewed by the Guardian says he saw police urge fans to come onto the field. He also claims to have seen people with “knives and swords” in the melee.

The violence got so bad that it began extending outside of the stadium, reaching into the neighboring province of Suez.

In response to the riot, the Egyptian government has declared that they will punish those responsible, and that justice will be sought.  The Egyptian parliament has called an emergency session.

Overall, there is a growing animosity towards the police and the military in Egypt.  Since the revolution the police and security forces have been accused of not actively engaging in law enforcement.  They have taken a stand back and watch position.

The riot will likely force the military to respond to these allegations of standing back rather than doing their duty.

The governor of Port Said has since resigned in response to the riot.  The head of the Port Said security has been suspended, and the head and board of the football association fired.

There are calls for the firing of the interior minister and a purging of the police force, as many voice disapproval of scapegoating regional officials rather than attempting to fix the real problem.

At least four people have been killed in post-riot fighting, much of which has been the result of protesting against police out of anger for their preventing to stop the earlier riot.

For more information, please see:

Bloomberg — Egypt Lawmakers Criticize Police After Deadly Soccer Riot — 3 Feb. 2012

Macleans — Egypt soccer riots continue — 3 Feb. 2012

Newsday — 4 killed in Egypt clashes over deadly soccer riot — 3 Feb. 2012

NPR — Egypt Soccer Game Turns Deadly for Fans — 2 Feb. 2012

 

 

South Sudanese Asylum Seekers Asked To Leave Israel

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel – On Wednesday, 31 January, Israel announced its plan to deport South Sudanese asylum seekers if they do not voluntarily leave the country by March 31, 2012.  If these asylum seekers leave before this deadline, they will receive a plane ticket home and a $1,300 grant.

South Sudanese asylum seekers outside their home in Tel Aviv. (Photo Courtesy of Haartez)

The Israeli Interior Ministry’s press statement said, “Now that South Sudan has become an independent state, it is time for you to return to your homeland.  While it is not a simple move, the State of Israel is committed to helping those who wish to return voluntarily in the near future.”  In July 2011, South Sudan became an independent state and a member of the United Nations.

Israel’s South Sudanese community was angry and confused about the government’s decision.  Matthew Deng, a pastor of two South Sudanese churches located outside Tel Aviv, commented, “South Sudan is dealing with many issues, how can people go back now?  We don’t even have hospitals, schools – nothing…All we have is what is in [the capital] Juba.”

The Israeli government will advertise the grant offer to the South Sudanese people via media broadcasts and leaflet distribution.

The United Nation’s High Commission on Refugees’ William Tall said in order for Israel to act consistent with its signed agreements regarding asylum seekers, the country must screen asylum applications individually to evaluate if the South Sudanese applicants are genuine refugees.

In December 2011, Israel’s Population, Immigration, and Borders Authority (“PIBA”) reported of the 51,125 African asylum seekers and economic migrants throughout Israel, 13,066 people are from South Sudan.  Since 2005, paid smugglers have assisted Africans sneak into Israel through its border with Egypt’s Siani desert.  Last month, the interior minister documented 2,295 people entered Israel through this border.

People fleeing persecution and abuse from Sudan and Eritrea find Israel attractive because the country offers them safety and employment opportunities.  Since many migrants live in the poor southern neighborhoods of Tel Aviv, the Israelis call the area “little Africa”.

The Israelis struggle with how to approach the influx of migrants.  Recognizing their country developed from the Nazi genocide of Jews, some Israelis do not want to turn people escaping prosecution away.  However, others want to maintain their country’s Jewish character without the social and economic burden associated with migrants.

Presently, Israel is developing a 150-mile fence along its border with Egypt, threatening harsh punishment on people to assisting illegal migrants, and enlarging its detention facility to combat the influx of illegal immigration.

Orit Marom of the Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel (“ASSAF”) said the people need a year or two to prepare to return to South Sudan.  Mr. Deng added the members of his community want to return to South Sudan, but they want to wait “until South Sudan is ready.”

For further information, please see:

The Jerusalem Post –South Sudanese Distressed By Looming Deportations – 2 Feb 2012

The Jerusalem Post – 2,295 Illegal African Migrants Enter Israel In January – 1 Feb 2012

Arutz Sheva – Israel Offers Assistance Basket For Departing Sudanese – 31 Jan 2012

The Boston Globe – Israel Says It Will Deport South Sudanese Migrants – 31 Jan 2012