TEL AVIV, Israel – On March 12, Israel announced a boycott of Al Jazeera, an Qatar-based Arab broadcasting agency.  Israel accused Al Jazeera of bias and favoring militant organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.  Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Majali Wahbe announced that the government would deny visas to Al Jazeera employees and that the agency could no longer interview Israeli officials.  Also, Al Jazeera correspondents are banned from entering government offices in Jerusalem.

The decision to impose the boycott was influenced by Al Jazeera’s coverage of the recent Israeli operation in Gaza, which resulted in over 120 Palestinian and 5 Israeli deaths.  Israel accused the Arab station of bias because it rarely showed Israeli casualties or Palestinian rocket fire.  In general, the Israeli government complains that the station emphasizes Palestinian suffering while disregarding the rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilians.

Fatah has also criticized Al Jazeera’s coverage.  President Abbas complains that the agency supports Fatah’s rivals, Hamas.  Fatah lawmakers have criticized Al Jazeera of granting Hamas spokesmen a great amount of air time, while only minimal amounts to moderates.

Walid Al Omary, Al-Jazeera’s bureau chief in Jerusalem, denied that the station was biased and accused Israel of trying to “intimidate Al-Jazeera to influence our coverage.”

For more information, please see:
Arab News – When Media Becomes the News – 15 March 2008

Yedioth News – Time to End the Show – 14 March 2008

Gulf Times – Tel Aviv Orders Boycott of Jazeera News Channel – 13 March 2008

Associated Press – Israel to Impose Sanctions on Al-Jazeera – 12 March 2008

BBC – Israel Accuses Al-Jazeera of Bias – 12 March 2008

By Ben Turner
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MOSUL, Iraq – The body of a Catholic archbishop, Paulos Faraj Rahbo, was found north of Mosul.  He was abducted by gunmen while he was leaving mass on February 29.  During the kidnapping, the gunmen killed three of the archbishop’s companions.

The archbishop’s body was not tortured or shot and showed no signs of violence.  The archbishop, 65, suffered from health problems, including high blood pressure and diabetes.  An official from the morgue in Mosul said that the Archbishop probably died of natural causes.

The archbishop was shot in the leg during the kidnapping and forced into the trunk of a car.  While in the trunk, he called the church from his cell phone and told them not to pay any ransom for his release.  Church officials said that Rahbo believed that the ransom  “money would not be paid for good works and would be used for killing and more evil actions.”

Pope Benedict XVI called the archbishop’s death “an act of inhumane violence that offends the dignity of human beings and gravely damages the cause of fraternal coexistence among the blessed people of Iraq.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said those behind the kidnapping would not escape justice, calling it a “horrible crime” by “a criminal, terrorist gang.”

The archbishop’s kidnapping follows a pattern of attacks against Christian churches in Iraq.  A priest and three companions were killed in a church last June.  In January 2005, Archbishop George Yasilious of Mosul was kidnapped and later released.  In October 2006, an Orthodox priest, Polis Iskander, was beheaded after he was kidnapped and attempts to ransom him failed.

In a telegram of condolence sent to the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, Pope Benedict said he hoped that the “tragic event” would at least help build a peaceful future for the country.

For more information, please see:
New York Times – Kidnapped Iraqi Archbishop is Dead – 14 March 2008

Associated Press – Archbishop’s Body Found in Iraq – 13 March 2008

BBC – Kidnapped Iraqi Archbishop Dead – 13 March 2008

Guardian – Archbishop Kidnapped in Iraq Found Dead – 13 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – Body of Chaldean Catholic Archbishop is Found Near Northern City in Iraq – 13 March 2008

Reuters – Iraqi Archbishop Found Dead, Al Qaeda Blamed – 13 March 2008

By Ben Turner
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The Netherlands’ highest court, the Council of State, rejected an asylum plea by a gay Iranian teenager trying to escape potential prosecution in his home country.  Mehdi Kazemi, 19, says he will be arrested and executed if he is returned to Iran because he is gay.

Kazemi traveled to Britain in 2005 to study English.  While there, his former boyfriend in Iran was executed for sodomy.  Legal papers claim that Iranian authorities questioned Kazemi’s boyfriend about sexual relations he had with other men and, under interrogation, named Kazemi as his partner.

After learning about his boyfriend’s death, Kazemi applied for asylum in the UK.  In a letter to the UK Home Secretary, Kazemi said, “I did not come to the UK to claim asylum.  I came here to study and return to my country. But . . . my situation has changed.  The Iranian authorities have found out that I am a homosexual and they are looking for me.  I cannot stop my attraction towards men . . . I was born with the feeling and cannot change this fact . . . If I return to Iran I will be arrested and executed.”

After the British government denied Kazemi’s appeal, he fled to the Netherlands.  Dutch immigration authorities are more lenient with gay Iranians and afford them special status in asylum claims because of Iran’s hard line against homosexuality.

The European Union’s Dublin Regulation of 2003 holds members of the EU to an agreement that an application for asylum submitted in any EU country will be handled by that country alone.  The regulation seeks to ensure than an asylum seeker is not redirected from country to country simply because no one will take responsibility.

The Dutch Council of State abided by the Dublin Regulation and declined to hear the asylum request.  Kazemi’s last option is to ask his lawyer to request an “interim measure” that would allow Kazemi to stay in Europe until future notice.

“If anybody signs his deportation papers and says, look, he’s got to be deported to Iran, that means they have signed his death sentence,” said Kazemi’s uncle Saeed, who asked to withhold his last name over safety concerns.

For more information, please see:
Associated Press – Dutch Court Nixes Gay Asylum Seeker Bid – 11 March 2008

BBC – Gay Iranian Man Loses Asylum Plea – 11 March 2008

CNN – Gay Iranian Teen Loses Asylum Appeal – 11 March 2008

Radio Netherlands Worldwide – Dutch Court Rejects Appeal by Gay Iranian Man – 11 March 2008

The Times (London) – Gay Teenager is Facing Gallows as his Asylum Bid is Rejected – 11 March 2008

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – Since Israel pulled out its ground forces on March 3, there has been a significant decrease of violence in Gaza.  The Israeli Defense Force has not conducted an air strike in Gaza since late March 7.  Also, Hamas claims that they have launched no rockets during the same period.  Palestinian and Egyptian officials credit this decrease in violence to ongoing talks between two militant groups in Gaza, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, and Israel.

Various leaders of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad have been meeting in Cairo with Egyptian mediators.  Also, There are reports that US and Israeli officials have been talking with Egyptian mediators.  The New York Times reported Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli defense official, met with Egyptian officials in Cairo on March 9.

Palestinian officials, from both Hamas and Fatah, indicated that the talks will result in a ceasefire.  Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, said “with the developments in Egypt, I think there is an agreement in principle on that and a deal might be reached in the coming few days.”

Ismail Haniyeh, the former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, stated that Hamas “will help the Egyptian leadership to reach a reciprocal and simultaneous truce that will at the same time lead to the lifting of the blockade imposed on the Palestinian people.”

Despite comments from Palestinians and Egyptian officials, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert insisted “there is no deal, there are no negotiations, either direct or indirect.”  Olmert credits the relative peace to a lull in rocket attacks aimed at Israel; “if the Qassams stop landing … Israel will have no reason to fight the terror organizations there… We will have no reason to retaliate.”

It is reported that the Hamas and Islamic Jihad have three main demands.  First, the groups want the siege on Gaza lifted, which means an end to the blockade and military operations in Gaza.  Second, they want the Rafah border crossing into Egypt re-opened.  Third, they want guarantees that Israel will not target their leaders.

The main Israeli demands are that barrage of rockets attacks against Israel ends and that militants do not use the ceasefire as an opportunity to smuggle weapons into Gaza.

In related news, on March 9, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert approved construction for 750 housing units in East Jerusalem.  Contrary to the views of the international community, Israel draws a distinction between settlements in the East Jerusalem and the West Bank.  Since Israel holds that Jerusalem is the unified capital of Israel, it does not view settlements in East Jerusalem as violating international law.

However, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon called on Israel to halt any plans for construction and stated that “any settlement expansion is contrary to Israel’s obligations under the Road Map and to international law.”  Also, while US officials did not directly speak out against the decision, a US State Department spokesman said that the decision was “not helpful to the process” of achieving peace.

Al Jazeera suggests that the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, a key coalition partner, pressured Olmert to make the decision by threatening to quit the government unless the construction was approved.  On March 6, eight Israelis were killed when a Palestinian gunman infiltrated the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in West Jerusalem.  The school is a strong supporter of settlement expansion.  During the funerals following the attack, many religious leaders spoke out against Olmert and the ongoing peace talks with Abbas.  Olmert’s decision may be in reaction to the March 6 attack and the domestic political tensions it created.

For more information, please see:
New York Times – Talks, but no Truce, Accompany Lull in Gaza Violence – 11 March 2008

AFP – Israel, Hamas Hold Fire in Gaza – 10 March 2008

Al Jazeera – Hamas and Israel in Truce Mediation – 10 March 2008

Associated Press – US: Israeli Housing Move Unhelpful – 10 March 2008

CNN – UN Blasts Israel for West Bank Housing Expansion Plan – 10 March 2008

Reuters – Uneasy Lull Between Israeli Army and Gaza Militants – 10 March 2008

UN News Centre – As Israel Approves New Settlement Housing, UN’s Ban Ki-moon Calls for Halt – 10 March 2008

Al Jazeera – Olmert Backs Settlement Expansion – 9 March 2008

BAGDHAD, Iraq – On March 6, US-based Women for Women international released a report, which said that since the US-led invasion, the state of Iraqi women has become a “national crisis.”  The report interviewed 1500 Iraqi women. Two-thirds of the women interviewed said violence against them had increased since the U.S. led invasion.

The same organization released a similar report in 2004.  At that time, despite the fact that most women interviewed felt their families were not receiving their basic needs, over ninety percent were optimistic about the future.  The 2007 report found that only twenty-seven percent continued to be optimistic about the future of Iraq.

Women for Women’s CEO, Zainab Salbi, said “It has been five years since the American invasion of Iraq and while the mistakes made there continue to accumulate still no-one has stopped to listen to what this critical mass of the population, women, have to say about solving the problems.”

For more information, please see:
Reuters – IRAQ: Minister Leads Call to End Violence Against Women – 10 March 2008

Tehran Times – ‘National Crisis’ for Iraqi Women – 9 March 2008

CNN – ‘National Crisis’ for Iraqi Women – 6 March 2008