JIMMY CARTER ON PALESTINE

Title: Jimmy Carter unveils truth about Israel

WIKILEAKS - 2009 - Israeli soldiers testified to instances where Gazans used as human shields

IDF TO INVESTIGATE COMPLAINTS OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT BY ITS FORCES DURING OPERATION CAST LEAD Date: 2009 July 30, 15:45 (Thursday)     Canonical ID: 09TELAVIV1694_a Original Classification: CONFIDENTIAL From:    Israel Tel Aviv     To:       Israel Jerusalem | Secretary of State 26 SOLDIERS WHO WERE THERE 2. (C) The allegations of criminal conduct by various organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the International Red Cross have been persistent since the conclusion of "Cast Lead" in January 2009. Individual Palestinians also testified to IDF abuses such as looting, beatings, vandalism of property and the use of the local population as human shields. But by far the strongest reverbration in Israel was that created by the Israeli organization "Breaking the Silence", which collected testimony from 26 unnamed IDF soldiers. All of the soldiers had been involved in Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, and testified to instances where Gazans were used as human shields, incendiary phosphorous shells were fired over civilian population areas, and other examples of excessive firepower that caused unnecessary fatalities and destruction of property. ... ENTER THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL  5. (C) A long-standing joke in the Israeli military relates to the need for an attorney as an essential component of the combat soldiers assault equipment. On the even of Operation Cast Lead, the media put out the word that the plan of attack had been so carefully worked out that it would take the troops through the treacherous minefields of international law, a promise that now seems overly optimistic. The Goldstone Comission, the International Red Cross, and Human Rights Watch are all demanding accountability on Israel's part fo the 1400 Palestinians killed -- according to Palestinian claims -- and the enormous damage to civilian property int he Gaza Strip. The case of the IDF Spokesman versus "Breaking the Silence" might indicate, however, that in the Israeli context, the most effective pressure comes from home.  ... SOURCE - WIKILEAKS - HERE.

Anyone that wants to read the rest of the cable can do so at the WikiLeaks link - here.

This is freaking me out a bit.

Gaza - What has Israel achieved

Patrick Cockburn Sunday 3 August 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict: What has Israel achieved in 26 bloody days? Hamas is stronger, the Jewish state looks shifty and heartless – and the world's eyes are on Gaza ... ...  massive firepower is used to inflict heavy losses on the other side, the great majority of the casualties being civilians. But, as the war goes on, Israeli leaders find that Israel's military superiority is failing to produce comparable political gains. ... A reason for Israel launching these mini-conflicts, for there has not been an all-out war since the invasion of Lebanon, is to demonstrate its raw military power. But, each time round, it simultaneously shows the limitations of that power to get anywhere in ending Israel's long confrontation with the Palestinians. For all the devastating firepower of Israel's air force, tanks and artillery deployed against a few thousand Hamas gunmen, it is unlikely to permanently eliminate them and thus win a military victory. And, even if it did, the victory would not be conclusive since the Palestinian sense of oppression is so great that some other armed group, possibly in the shape of Isis (the self-tagged Islamic State), would soon take its place. ... FULL ARTICLE @ SOURCE SOURCE - The Independent (UK) - here.

I'm astounded how strong and determined the Hamas are.

GAZA - Death Toll 1,820 Palestinians - 9,400 Injured Palestinians

GAZA Telegraph.co.uk-9 minutes ago More than 1,800 Palestinians and more than 60 Israelis dead GAZA Israeli warplanes and tanks have been pounding numerous sites inside the Gaza Strip since July 8. The air, sea and land strikes have so far killed over 1,820 Palestinians and injured about 9,400 others. Source - Press TV - here.

GAZA Open Air Prison - Economic Abuse - WikiLeaks Cable

Cashless in Gaza CABLE Date: 2008 November 3, 12:02 (Monday) Israeli officials have confirmed to Embassy officials on multiple occasions that they intend to keep the Gazan economy functioning at the lowest level possible consistent with avoiding a humanitarian crisis. FULL @ SOURCE SOURCE - WIKILEAKS - HERE.

I've not read the entire thing.
A whole document there at WikiLeaks link if anyone's interested.

'Consistent with avoiding humanitarian crisis' is just keeping these people living at the lowest level without attracting international flack.

What kind of life is that?

It is an open-air prison and those people are intentionally kept down.

Death March - West's Plan to Suppress Domestic Dissent

Death on the march: The West’s plan to suppress domestic dissent is well under way Published time: August 01, 2014 13:37  In what must surely rate as one of the Western leaders’ most perverse weeks since the end of World War II, further economic sanctions have been imposed on Russia while the death toll in Israel’s Gaza genocide topped 1,000 innocent civilians. With all eyes on the United States, hoping to see a little political pressure to stop the slaughter of Palestinians, the White House moved only to replenish Israeli stockpiles of ammunition. Questions must be answered, particularly by the German leadership, about their failure to confront this latest genocide in the Holy Land. Also, about Chancellor Merkel continuing to bankroll Ukraine's Nazi Pravy Sektor and neo-Nazi Svoboda parties who continue to hold key security and defense portfolios in her Brussels-backed Kiev government. The two conflicts are intimately connected since the West's actions in Ukraine are widely seen to be a reaction to the Crimea-based Russian Black Sea fleet's support last summer for Syria, downing US or Israeli missiles bound for Damascus.  ... FULL @ SOURCE SOURCE - RT NEWS - HERE.

Missiles launched in Mediterranean towards Syrian coast, claims Russian defence ministry Russia has claimed that its missile early warning system has detected the launch of two missiles from the central part of the Mediterranean Sea fired towards the Sea's eastern coastline. 10:29AM BST 03 Sep 2013 The launches took place at 10:16 am Moscow time (0616 GMT) and were detected by the ballistic missile early warning system in Armavir in southern Russia, the defence ministry said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies. Shortly after 11am, Israel announced that it had carried out a joint missile test with the US in the Mediterranean, using a missile designed to shoot down incoming missiles. Russia's state-owned RIA Novosti news agency said both missiles then crashed into the sea, citing a source in Damascus. The Russian embassy in Syria said there was no sign of a missile attack or of explosions in Damascus. The Ministry of Defence in London confirmed that the missiles were not British. ... Russia had earlier criticised the United States on Tuesday for sending warships close to Syria, saying the deployments would exacerbate tension as Washington prepares for a possible military strike. "The pressure being applied by the United States causes particular concern," Russian Defence Ministry official Oleg Dogayev was quoted as saying by the state-run Itar-Tass news agency. He said "the dispatch of ships armed with cruise missiles toward Syria's shores has a negative effect on the situation in the region." Five US destroyers and an amphibious ship are in the Mediterranean, poised for possible cruise missile strikes against Syria, and American officials said the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and four other ships in its strike group moved into the Red Sea on Monday. Russia, one of the Syrian government's main arms suppliers, opposes military intervention over an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria. Moscow is also sending new warships to the Mediterranean but says it is just rotating ships in the area. FULL @ SOURCE SOURCE - THE TELEGRAPH - HERE.

Wow, who knew this stuff?

Don't know what to make of it.

Got to dash. Think later. LOL

GAZA - ED MILIBRAND ON DAVID CAMERON'S 'INEXPLICABLE SILENCE'

UK – Jewish Labour Leader, Ed Miliband Hits PM Cameron Over ‘Gaza Silence’ Labour leader Ed Miliband, who’s Jewish, on Saturday accused Prime Minister David Cameron of “inexplicable silence” regarding Israel’s incursion into the Strip. “The prime minister is wrong not to have opposed Israel’s incursion into Gaza. And his silence on the killing of hundreds of innocent Palestinian civilians caused by Israel’s military action will be inexplicable to people,” he said in a strongly worded statement. “I am a supporter of Israel and I believe in Israel’s right to self-defense. But its military actions in the past two weeks have been wrong and unjustifiable.” Miliband, who has expressed his desire to become Britain’s first Jewish prime minister, lambasted Cameron for failing to send out “clear and unequivocal message” to both sides in the conflict. ... FULL @ SOURCE http://jpupdates.com/2014/08/02/uk-jewish-labour-leader-ed-miliband-hits-pm-cameron-gaza-silence/

Benjamin Disraeli ... (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British Conservative politician, writer and aristocrat who twice served as Prime Minister. He played a central role in the creation of the modern Conservative Party, defining its policies and its broad outreach. Disraeli is remembered for his influential voice in world affairs, his political battles with the Liberal leader William Ewart Gladstone, and his one-nation conservatism or "Tory democracy". He made the Conservatives the party most identified with the glory and power of the British Empire. He is as of 2014 the only British Prime Minister of Jewish birth.

[wikipedia]

Good for Milibrand.

But I think he might have been pipped to the post by twice-serving Disraeli. LOL

GAZA - US House of Representatives - Approve $225 million military funding to Israel

US  - House of Representatives Military funding to Israel Approved by Vote of 395-8 In a boost to Israel, the U.S. Congress approved $225 million in emergency funding for Iron Dome, sending the measure to Obama to be signed into law. The House of Representatives approved the funding by a 395-8 vote late on Friday, several hours after the Senate passed it unanimously. 2 Aug 2014 http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/08/02/uk-mideast-gaza-idUKKBN0FV04D20140802

The Palestinians have no hope.

GAZA - UN HRC Votes - 23 July 2014 Resolution - Who's for and Who's against?

Firstpost. Saturday, August 2, 2014 India to provide $1 million for aid to Gaza victims ... India contributes $1 million towards the UNRWA fund each year. The money is being planned to be expedited in view of the unceasing violence and the mounting suffering of the people of Gaza. India voted against Israel in the July 24 UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution that sought a probe into Israel's offensive in Gaza ad also condemned Tel Aviv's "disproportionate use of force". The India vote caused some consternation in Israel, with which India shares good relations. There was some censure for India's negative vote for Israel as experts felt that maybe India should have abstained, keeping in mind the good economic relations, especially in defence purchases, New Delhi shares with Tel Aviv. ... India joined Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa to vote for a Palestinian-drafted resolution on "Ensuring Respect for International Law in The Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem". In the 46-member human rights council, 29 countries voted in support of the resolution while 17 nations abstained. Supporting calls for an immediate ceasefire, India said at the UNHRC that it is "deeply concerned at the steep escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine, particularly heavy airstrikes in Gaza and disproportionate use of force on ground, resulting in tragic loss of civilian lives, especially women and children and heavy damage to property." ... This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. EXTRACTS ONLY ... FULL @ SOURCE - http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/india-to-provide-1-million-for-aid-to-gaza-victims-1645971.html

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Blogger Research

Human Rights Council

Twenty-first special session

23 July 2014

A/HRC/RES/S-21/1

                        Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council

                              S-21/1

Ensuring respect for international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

Member Total: 47

[ 29 ] - For

[  1  ] - Against

[ 17 ] - Gutless

In favour:

Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam

Against:

United States of America

Abstaining:

Austria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Gabon, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Montenegro, Republic of Korea, Romania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]

Anyone that's interested in reading the Resolution, may do so - here.

COMMENT

Well, at least US had the guts to openly vote against.

The gutless abstainers are by and large US NATO allies, plus those involved in the US Partnership for Peace 'boy scouts' co-op (Austria, Macedonia).

To my mind, PfP is the US way to gain influence over other nations (but isn't everything?).

So what's the story of:

Botswana - US reliant - 

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is another US way of gaining influence.

Botswana gets US assistance.

The pals relationship with US also entitles them to 'preferential trade benefits' 

source:  http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1830.htm

Burkina Fasco - appears to depend on US aid -

"Burkina Faso is classified as a least developed, low income, and food deficit country.  The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 2013 Human Development Index ranks Burkina Faso 183 out of 187 countries, and over 44 percent of the population lives below the poverty line."

source:  http://www.usaid.gov/burkina-faso/food-assistance

Republic of Korea (ie SOUTH KOREA) - Strong US ally and trade partner

2009 G-20 London Summit, U.S. President Barack Obama called South Korea "one of America's closest allies and greatest friends."  In addition, South Korea has been designated as a Major non-NATO ally. [wikipedia]

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How to control the world in 4 easy steps:

1.  Protection/Security agreements.

2.  Mid-way hand-holding, peace-loving programs to gain influence.

3.  Trade agreements.

4.  Aid provision / Food provision.

But that's not all folks ... there's more.  LOL


So getting back to the UN HRC resolution (which I've just about totally forgotten), there's some deploring and some condemning documented - and there's resolutions. UN HRC:

"Decides to urgently dispatch an independent, international commission of inquiry, to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council, to investigate all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, in the context of the military operations conducted since 13 June 2014 ..."

So it's hardly a big stick, is it?

It's not like they were voting on immediate military action in the region.

It was just a call for human rights observance!

GAZA - DEATH TOLL 1,600

GAZA DEATH TOLL - 1,600 Source: Twitter

IRON DOME - $255 MIL US FUNDING TO ISRAEL - DEMOCRATS & REPUBLICANS STAND WITH ISRAEL

'Iron Dome' - is designed to destroy incoming rockets and artillery shells.

Components are:

• tracking radar
• management and weapon control system
• missile firing unit

'Iron Dome' - can determine expected landing whereabouts of projectiles and intercepts those that pose threats.

....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .......

US Senate just approved emergency 'Iron Dome' funding of $225 million to Israel

....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .......

During my travels, I stumbled on this article:


http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2014/08/01/senate-passes-225-million-to-fund-israels-iron-dome/


Local leaders attend national Jewish unity event in support of Israel

Posted: Friday, August 1, 2014 10:45 am

By David Baugher, Special to the Jewish Light

As combat continues in Gaza and diplomatic efforts run around the clock to end the fighting, five St. Louisans were among hundreds in Washington D.C. who were able to hear from leadership in both parties about America’s relationship with Israel.

...

The gathering, which took place at the National Press Club under the auspices of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, included representatives from Jewish agencies in 50 communities. ...

While there, the visitors heard Monday from top-ranking congressional leaders including Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer. National Security Advisor Susan Rice also spoke as did Israel’s ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer.

The trip comes as the military conflict in Gaza, which began earlier this month, is intensifying. The U.S. has generally backed the Jewish State’s efforts against Hamas but has also been trying to negotiate a ceasefire. Israeli media has crackled of late with reports of deep dissatisfaction toward American Secretary of State John Kerry whose recent outline for a truce was seen by some as not addressing Israeli security concerns. The ongoing negative commentary drew an uncharacteristically icy rebuke Monday from a State Department spokeswoman who said the criticism was “not the way partners and allies treat each other.”

...

“Both of them said that what you hear in the press is not true,” Markus said. “Kerry has been making an extraordinary effort and reports have been misleading. The reality is that Kerry’s work on behalf of the U.S. has been very helpful every step of the way for Israel.”

...

“Susan Rice said again and again that we have always been a partner with Israel,” she said. “We stand with Israel during times of war and during times of peace. We understand what’s at risk here.”

Rice also talked of Iron Dome, the Israeli defense system which has seen success in warding off rocket attacks from Gaza and Rep. Eliot Engel of New York told the group he would push for greater American aid to expand the system.

“Engel said he was introducing a bill in the House tonight to support the Iron Dome and provide more funding for Israel,” she said.

...

“It was Republicans and Democrats. They said that we may disagree on a lot of things but what Congress and this administration stands together on is Israel,” she said. “There was just no doubt that the relationship was strong and enduring.”

...

Croughan said other topics of conversation included the need to destroy Hamas’ tunnel system, the demilitarization of Hamas in Gaza and the disturbing rise of anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe in the wake of the conflict.

....

Extracts only ... full @ source:

http://www.stljewishlight.com/news/local/article_9c08a778-1991-11e4-9d5e-001a4bcf887a.html

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COMMENT

I think the cards might be stacked against the Palestinians.

RUSSELL BRAND - ISRAEL-PALESTINE DEBATE

Israel-Palestine: Is This A Debate?  Russell Brand The Trews (E111) Source - Youtube -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_m98GAdqKM

US MEDIA - ISRAELI BIAS

American media's new pro-Israel bias: the same party line at the wrong time Evolving conversations on the ground demand probing questions on-air. So why does TV news look like a Netanyahu ad? Chris McGreal theguardian.com, Friday 1 August 2014 03.45 AEST Here are a few questions you won’t hear asked of the parade of Israeli officials crossing US television screens during the current crisis in Gaza: What would you do if a foreign country was occupying your land? What does it mean that Israeli cabinet ministers deny Palestine’s right to exist? What should we make of a prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who as opposition leader in the 1990s was found addressing rallies under a banner reading “Death to Arabs”? These are contentious questions, to be sure, and with complicated answers. But they are relevant to understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today. They also parallel the issues routinely raised by American journalists with Palestinian officials, pressing to consider how the US would react if it were under rocket fire from Mexico, to explain why Hamas won’t recognise Israel and to repudiate Palestinian anti-Semitism. But it’s a feature of much mainstream journalism in the US, not just an issue of coverage during the last three weeks of the Gaza crisis, that while one set of questions gets asked all the time, the other is heard hardly at all. ... Take Netanyahu’s appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. The host, Bob Schieffer, permitted the Israeli leader to make a lengthy case for the his military’s ground attack, guiding him along with one sympathetic question after another. Finally, after describing Netanyahu’s position as “very understandable”, Schieffer asked about dead Palestinian civilians – but only to wonder if they presented a public relations problem in “the battle for world opinion”. ... [bias] At one extreme is Fox News, where last week Sean Hannity shouted down a Palestinian guest, Yousef Munayyer, because he would not condemn Hamas as a terrorist organisation, then proceeded to terminate the interview. Munayyer, director of the Jerusalem Fund in Washington, has appeared repeatedly on CNN where he is treated more respectfully. But he told me he is frequently brought on to answer accusations from the Israeli side, rather than explain the Palestinian perspective in the way that Israeli officials and commentators are allowed to lay out their case.  ... There is evidence of a shift in public opinion, mostly generational: a Pew poll this month showed falling support for Israel among younger Americans. Over 65s backed the Jewish state by 60% to just 9% support for the Palestinians. Among young adults, aged 18-29, just 44% were behind Israel with backing for the Palestinians rising to 22%.  As opinion shifts, it will be harder to go on presenting just one side of the story. Rest of article @ source http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/31/american-media-israel-bias-netanyahu

Article started off strong and held my interest.

The media sounds laughable in the US.

Fox News is appalling.  The guy that did the shouting gets flack online. 

Pew Poll put me right off the article.

Pew means bull to me.

John Prescott - Accused of Trivialising Holocaust

Telegraph Article

Accused of Trivialising Holocaust
 

Lord Prescott, the former Deputy Prime Minister, has been rebuked by the most senior body representing British Jews after likening Gaza to a concentration camp.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the comparison, made in the Labour peer’s Sunday newspaper column, was “deeply offensive” and “trivialised the Holocaust.”

It warned that “playing the Nazi card” in relation to Israel “scratches deep wounds by invoking painful collective memory of the Holocaust.”

The Board called on Lord Bassam, the Labour chief whip in the Lords, to initiate misconduct proceedings against Lord Prescott.

It comes as a three-day ceasefire begins in Gaza following an intensive bombardment by Israeli armed forces.

...

Extract only

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/11005105/Lord-Prescott-accused-of-trivialising-Holocaust-over-Gaza-remarks.htm

........................................................

John Prescott.  Working class.  Former trade unionist.  Deputy Prime Minister under Tony Blair.  Labour politician.  

Board of Deputies of British Jews

Main representative body of British Jews (aka Anglo-Jews), established 1760 by Sephardi congregation (Spain & Portugal origins) to deal with urgent political matters and interests of Jews in Britain and in colonies.

Main reference point for government, media and others.  

Board affiliated with:  "World Jewish Congress (WJC), the world-wide umbrella organisation of Jewish communities".

Former Lord Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, had a spot of bother with the BDBJ over some remark made to a journalist.  Livingstone's another Labour politician, who sounds a bit of a maverick.  

What's interesting is that there appears to be some division within the Jewish community:

"On 5 February 2007, a group of prominent British Jews, such as Nobel laureate Harold Pinter and lawyer Sir Geoffrey Bindman, launched an organisation called Independent Jewish Voices to counterbalance what they perceive as uncritical support of Israel by major Jewish institutions in the UK, criticising particularly the Board of Deputies of British Jews."

[source:  wikipedia]

........................................................

Protection of the 'deeply offended' vs freedom of thought and freedom speech?

Should be interesting to see what transpires.

GAZA - 72hr ceasefire - death toll now at 1,459

Gaza

72 hr ceasefire to commence.

Death toll now at 1,459

[Twitter]

GAZA - Rally Yemen

Pic: Rally for GAZA in Sana'a, Yemen: source: twitter

GAZA - BOLIVIA MAKES A STAND - DECLARES ISRAEL: TERRORIST STATE

Declaring Israel a 'terrorist state,' Bolivia's president ends free entry for Israeli visitors Published July 30, 2014 Associated Press LA PAZ, Bolivia – Bolivia's leftist president has declared Israel a "terrorist state" because of its offensive in the Gaza Strip, and his government will now require Israeli citizens to obtain a visa to visit the Andean nation. President Evo Morales already broke off diplomatic relations with the Jewish state in 2009, calling Israel's treatment of Palestinians "a genocide." The action announced Wednesday will especially hit young Israelis, who often travel for extended periods, with South America a popular destination. Other South American countries, including Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru, have recalled their ambassadors from Israel in protest over the fighting in Gaza. Source - Fox News - here.

As it states, President Evo Morales has strongly spoken out -- and spoken out before.

Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru have withdrawn their ambassadors from Israel.

That's a pretty strong message from Morales.


--------------------------------------
GET A LOAD OF THIS!


President Evo Morales

Widely regarded as the country's first democratically-elected president to come from the indigenous population, his administration has focused on the implementation of leftist policies, poverty reduction, and combating the influence of the United States and transnational corporations in Bolivia. A democratic socialist, he is the head of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) political party.

July 2013 flight diversion
Main article: Evo Morales grounding incident

On 2 July 2013, Bolivia's foreign minister said that the diversion of Morales's presidential plane ... when Portuguese, French, Spanish and Italian authorities denied access to their airspace due to suspicions that Edward Snowden was on board the aircraft, had put the president's life at risk. France apologized for the incident the next day.  The presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, Morales's political allies in the region, gathered to demand an explanation of the incident.

Aftermath

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asserted that "a head of state and his or her aircraft enjoy immunity and inviolability"

France apologized for the incident immediately.   The Spanish ambassador to Bolivia apologized two weeks later, citing inappropriate procedures.  The Italians have made no such apology.

On July 3, Jen Psaki, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, acknowledged that the U.S. had been "in contact with a range of countries across the world who had any chance of having Mr. Snowden land or even transit through their countries". 

On September 20, Evo Morales announced a lawsuit against the U.S. government for "crimes against humanity" for repeatedly blocking presidential flights, after an incident in which authorization for an overflight of Puerto Rico by President Maduro of Venezuela was delayed, although U.S. authorities said that they were entitled to three days' advance notice. Maduro had been en route to arrive in Beijing for bilaterial talks with the People's Republic of China.

In the aftermath of the incident, eight Latin American countries – Bolivia, Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela – voiced their concerns to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who asserted that "a Head of State and his or her aircraft enjoy immunity and inviolability".   Ban also emphasized that it is important to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.

[wikipedia]

VIVA BOLIVIA!

MIDDLE EAST - Who's Who

TURKEY - SUNI

• Suni cold war (Saudi Arabia + Qatar)
• Pro Gaza / Hamas
• Rivalry with Egypt and Saudi Arabia

QATAR - SUNI

• Suni cold war (Turkey and Saudi Arabia)
• Pro Gaza / Hamas
• Rivalry with Egypt and Saudi Arabia

IRAQ

• Sunni-Shiite rivalry
• ISIS

SYRIA

• Authorities vs Islamist
• 170,000 Syrians have been killed in civil war
• ISIS

SAUDI ARABIA - SUNI

- SAUDI ARABIA | QATAR | TURKEY - 'COLD WAR'

• Intra-Suni - 'Cold War'
• Saudi-Iranian rivalry
• Saudi-Iranian Jostle for regional control and a nuclear arms race
• Saudis (and Egyptians) surreptitiously backing or rooting for the Israelis, in hopes that the Israeli force will weaken Hamas.
• Rivalry with Turkey and Egypt

EGYPT

• Authoritarians and Islamists have been waging a fight for control of Egypt
• Post 'Arab Spring' - Muslim Brotherhood government fell, the military leaders cracked down
• hundreds of the Brotherhood’s leadership class sentenced to death
• closed roughly 95 percent of the tunnels that connected Egypt to Gaza (economic devastation to Gaza's Hamas)
• Egyptians (and even the Saudis) are surreptitiously backing or rooting for the Israelis, in hopes that the Israeli force will weaken Hamas.
• Rivalry with Turkey and Qatar

GAZA

• Brotherhood’s offshoot, Hamas, holds power
• Egyptian closure of tunnels = economist estimated the economic losses at $460 million a year, nearly a fifth of the Gazan G.D.P.
• Hamas needed to end that blockade, but it couldn’t strike Egypt, so it struck Israel.
• Aim: public outrage to force Egypt to lift the blockade.
• Hamas conflict with Israel deemed 'proxy war'
• Turkey and Qatar, backing Gaza/Hamas (in regional rivalry with Egypt and Saudi Arabia)

ISRAEL vs PALESTINE

• Ongoing conflict (deemed 'proxy war' - see Gaza)
• Israel allegedly used for 'advantage' by those in region taking shots at one another
• Israel, like the U.S., will be called upon to at least weaken some of the more radical players, like the Islamic State in Iraq (ISIS) and Syria and Hamas.

A clash within Arab civilization, over its future.

Source - New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/29/opinion/david-brooks-when-middle-east-conflicts-become-one.html?smid=tw-share

Extracts/summaries - from New York Times (hopefully, correctly applied!)

Would you believe I'm still not that clear when it comes to keeping in mind the cross-cross of rivalries and common interests?

INDEPENDENT - THE ENTIRE FREE WORLD IS IN PERIL

Richard Ferrer Tuesday 29 July 2014 We ignore the new anti-Semitism taking hold at our peril As Europe prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of the Second World War, the warning signs from history are hauntingly familiar The oldest hatred, this time cloaked as legitimate concern for Gaza, has once again cast its ominous shadow across Europe. From Berlin, Paris and Rome to Amsterdam, Ankara and Istanbul, protests are turning into pogroms. ... There can be no political solution because Hamas is not a political party. It is an ideology. It wants to kill Jews. Every last one. If it’s the last thing it does. If it achieved its ideological aims it would spell danger for the entire free world. The only way forward, the only chance to end this merry-go-round of misery, is for the Palestinian Authority, bolstered by the EU, UN and USA, to finally remove this malignant cancer from their midst. Then there will be genuine be hope for peace. ... http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/we-ignore-the-new-antisemitism-taking-hold-at-our-peril-9634919.html

This guy's taken a leaf out of Gatestone Institute's recent article (blog post - here) ... with a slight twist on the theme.

GAZA - Disarmament of Hamas

Kerry: Truce Deal 'Must Lead to the Disarmament of Hamas' US, EU, UN pressure builds to accept internationally-mediated truce deal, despite heavy rocket fire on Israel. By AFP and Arutz Sheva Staff First Publish: 7/28/2014, 8:19 PM US Secretary of State John Kerry Monday said that international efforts to reach agreement on a truce between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza must lead to the disarmament of Hamas. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/183443

Somehow I can't see Hamas agreeing to disarmament, and I've only just begun watching politics.