The Middle East

Iran Plans Construction of Ten New Nuclear Plants

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On November 29 the Iranian government began making arrangements for the construction of ten new uranium enrichment plants. The government ordered the country’s nuclear agency to begin work on five sites with five more to be located within the next two months. The announcement comes two days after the country was rebuked by the United Nations for covering up a uranium enrichment plant.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, voted twenty five to three with seven abstentions to condemn Iran’s nuclear program. The resolution called for the Islamic Republic to cease their enrichment of uranium and resolve any remaining questions about its nuclear activities. Additionally, the resolution reads that Iran must open its facilities to further inspection and to provide assurances that it is not operating any secret nuclear research sites.

Iran’s decision to build ten new plants sparked controversy throughout the Western world. The White House released a statement saying that this action was “yet another serious violation of Iran’s clear obligations.” Great Britain’s government reacted similarly, announcing that news of Iran’s actions was “a matter of serious concern” and was possibly a “deliberate breach of five UN security council resolutions.” Iran, however, claims that their actions are peaceful and allowed under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

According to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, if Iran builds ten additional nuclear plants the country would have enough uranium to produce twenty thousand megawatts of electricity within six years. However, Iran’s capability of accomplishing such a goal has come into question. According to Gary Sick, a professor of Middle East studies at Columbia University, given the pace of production and installation of working centrifuges in Iran, the process would both be extremely costly and take approximately twenty to thirty years to complete.

While Sick doubts that Iran has the capabilities to build ten new plants, Ahmadinejad insists that this goal can be accomplished if the new facilities incorporate new, more efficient centrifuges that Iran has not yet employed. The Iranian President insists that “new high-capacity centrifuges have been designed by the Islamic Republic of Iran that can carry out the task in fewer numbers.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – UN Rebuke ‘Forced’ New Iran Plans – 30 November 2009

Los Angeles Times – Iran Plans 10 More Large Nuclear Plants – 30 November 2009

BBC – Iran ‘Planning 10 New Uranium Enrichment Sites’ – 29 November 2009

Guardian – Iran Defies United Nations With Plans For 10 New Nuclear Plants – 29 November 2009

Gaza Fishermen Shelled by Israeli Navy

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

AL SHUDANIYYA, Gaza – The Israeli navy reportedly shelled several Palestinian fishing boats near the Gaza coast, according a report by the International Middle East Media Center on November 29. No injuries were reported.

 

An Israeli army spokesperson said that the boats had “violated security boundaries off the coast of the Gaza Strip… out of the permitted fishing zone.”

 

This incident was the latest in a series between the Israeli navy and Palestinian fishermen. Earlier in November, one Palestinian fisherman was moderately injured after being shot in the stomach by Israeli naval officers while fishing off of the Gaza city of Rafah.

 

The 1993 Oslo Peace Accords set a Palestinian fishing range of nearly twenty nautical miles off the coast of Gaza. Since 1993, however, the Israeli navy has reduced the allowable fishing zone to three nautical miles. After the shooting near Rafah in November, Israel told CNN that it has made the zone smaller as a security precaution, in an effort to cut down on weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip, as well as to prevent attacks by Hamas from sea. Since the fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas last winter, the Israeli navy has imposed a formal blockade on the region.  The Gaza Strip lies along the Mediterranean Sea, and is approximately twice the size of the United States capital, Washington D.C.

 

The restricted zone poses serious problems for the nearly 3,500 Palestinian fishermen forced to stay within an area of seventy-five square miles. The Israeli blockade has made it difficult for Gaza fishermen to repair their nets and equipment. Additionally, it is often difficult for fisherman to tell whether they are in the shifting boundaries.

 

The fishing zone is severely overfished, and the small daily catches contribute to the persistent economic depression in the Gaza Strip.

 

“Once we risked going a little further as there were no fish,” said one fishing captain. “We tried to cross the border a little but the Israeli navy came and started shooting at us… we had to leave the area.”

 

For more information, please see:

 

Press TV – Israeli Navy Shells Palestinian Fishing Boats – 30 November 2009

 

International Middle East Media Center – Israeli Navy Shells Palestinian Fishing Boats – 29 November 2009

 

CNN – Fishermen Trawl Under Israeli Navy Scrutiny – 10 November 2009

 

Ma’an News Agency – Ministry: Gaza Fisherman Shot by Israeli Navy – 4 November 2009

Persecution of Kurds in Syria a Widespread Problem

By Brandon Kaufman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria– According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Kurds, who make up approximately ten percent of the Syrian population and who live primarily in the country’s northern and eastern regions, have been the subject of unlawful and unjustified discrimination in recent years.

In their report, HRW said that Syrian security forces have steadfastly attempted to ban and disperse gatherings calling for Kurdish minority rights or celebrating Kurdish culture., Additionally, the report details the detention of leading Kurdish political activists and their ill treatment while in custody.  The report documents that the repression of Kurds in Syria has grown exponentially following large scale Kurdish demonstrations throughout 2004.  The published material is based on interviews with over thirty Kurdish activists who have been recently released from prison.  In response to requests for interviews, members of the Syrian government turned down requests for information or meetings.

The report asserts that Syrian authorities have repressed over a dozen Kurdish political and cultural gatherings since 2005, all being conducted in a peaceful manner.  In addition to the repression of political meetings, security forces are said to have ended celebrations for the Kurdish New Year.

Sarah Lee Whitson, HRW Director for the Middle East and North Africa said that “aAt a time when other countries in the region, from Iraq to Turkey, are improving the treatment of their Kurdish minority, Syria remains resistant to change.  In fact, Syria has been especially hostile to any Kurdish political or cultural expression.”  She further went on to say that “the Syrian government sees threats everywhere, even in village new year celebrations.  If the government wants better relations with its Kurdish minority, it should address their legitimate grievances instead of trying to silence them.”

Under international law, Syria is obligated to uphold freedom of expression and association, as well as the right to freedom of assembly.  In addition, under international law, Syria is required to protect minorities and guarantee them the right to participate actively in public and cultural life.

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch- Group Denial: Repression of Kurdish Political and Cultural Rights in Syria– 26 November 2009

Human Rights Watch- Syria: End Persecution of Kurds– 26 November 2009

Asia Times- U.S. Designs on Syria’s Kurds– 9 April 2005

Saudi’s Clear Mountain Area of Rebel Forces

By Ahmad Shihadah

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SA’NA, Yemen – Saudi Arabia says it has captured a strategic mountain area near its border with Yemen from Yemeni Shi’ite rebels. Saudi forces have been carrying out air and artillery strikes on Yemen for several weeks, after rebels killed a border guard in a raid. “The armed forces completely control al-Dood mountain, one of the most strategic regions,” deputy defense minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan was quoted as saying as he inspected troops just within Saudi territory. He also said Saudi forces had “cleaned up every inch of Saudi territory,” adding that “ant person who infiltrates or sniping will end up surrendering or dead.”

Yemeni officials said they had also engaged in heavy clashes with the Houthi rebels on the outskirts of the northern city of Sa’da. A military official told Reuters that Yemeni officials had prevented a rebel attempt to enter the city on Saturday.

The Houthi rebels denied that the area had been taken and said that Saudi Arabia had carried out further attacks – but they said there had been no clashes on the ground, and that Saudi troops were not in control of the area.

The Houthis have been battling the Yemeni government of Ali Abdullah Saleh since 2004, “citing political, economic and religious marginalization,” reports Al-Jazeera. The Houthis also accuse Saudi Arabia of allowing the Yemeni military to launch strikes against the rebels from within its territory, a claim denied by both nations, according to BBC. The Yemeni government launched a new offensive against the rebels in August 2009, the BBC says, leading to a wave of intense fighting. Reuters reports the Yemeni military tried to rout Houthi rebels near Sa’da, Yemen, leading up to the weekend.

For more information please see:

Al-Jazeera – Saudi ‘Seizes Key Rebel Area’ – 29 November 2009

BBC – Saudi Arabia ‘Clears’ Key Area of Yemen – 29 November 2009

The Christian Science Monitor – Saudi Arabia Steps Up Fight Against Yemen Rebels – November 29 2009

Palestinians Reject Israel’s Temporary Freeze Offer

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

JERUSALEM, Israel/West Bank – An offer by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a ten-month freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank has been widely rejected by Palestinian lawmakers.

 

Prime Minister Netanyahu made the offer official after it was approved by his security cabinet on November 25. Netanyahu said that the move was a “very big step towards peace,” and said that he hoped the Palestinians and leaders from the Arab nations would take similar meaningful steps.

 

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat quickly discounted Netanyahu’s characterization of the offer, instead calling it “propaganda.” Erekat said he believed the offer was aimed more at appeasing the Americans, rather than the Palestinians. The administration of American President Barack Obama has put pressure on Netanyahu’s government to make a serious effort to restart peace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Peace talks broke off at the start of the military action between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip between December 2008 and January 2009.

 

Hannah Ashwari, a member of the Palestinian legislative council, also denounced the Israeli announcement, saying the freeze would not actually stop settlement construction in Palestinian territories. The Israeli temporary freeze would not include construction projects that have already begun, nor any construction in East Jerusalem. Palestinians hope to make East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

 

“If you accept the fact that Jerusalem is excluded it means you have tacitly accepted that Jerusalem has been annexed by Israel,” said Ashwari.

 

The proposed settlement freeze has also drawn intense criticism from right-wing Jews in Israel. During a meeting for the ruling Likud party on November 28, many rank-and-file members lambasted the decision, blaming the Obama Administration, whom they see has forcing Netanyahu to halt settlement construction. One member called the Obama Administration “the worst regime there ever was for the State of Israel,” another said the settlement freeze was a “disgrace.”

 

Under the 2003 Middle East peace plan known as the Roadmap, Israel agreed to stop all settlement construction, while the Palestinians agreed to dismantle militant groups.

 

For more information, please see:

 

Ha’aretz – Likudniks Blast “Enemy of the Jews” Obama Over Settlement Freeze – 29 November 2009

 

Ma’an News Agency – Fayyad: World Should Demand Full Settlement Freeze – 29 November 2009

 

Palestinian News Agency – Palestinians Shun Israeli Settlement Restriction – 28 November 2009

 

Al Jazeera – Palestinians Reject Israeli Offer – 26 November 2009

 

Christian Science Monitor – Israel Settlement Freeze: Benjamin Netanyahu Promises 10-Month Halt, Angering Allies – 25 November 2009