UN Calls on Israel to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

Show Me Your Nukes: UN Urges Israel to Come Clean About Its Nuclear Program A resolution introduced by Egypt and backed by 161 countries called on Israel to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) ... Only five countries voted against the document: the US, Canada, Palau, Micronesia and Israel itself. 18 member-states abstained, according to AP reports. The resolution was unanimously backed by all Arab states. [ ... ] The UN resolution comes at a rather difficult time for Israel. Just recently the French Parliament recognized the independence of Palestine in a symbolic move, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved the Knesset with new elections set to be held on March 17. But since the document, overwhelmingly approved by UN members, is not a binding act, Jerusalem is not obliged to follow it, and the question of Israel’s nuclear weapons program will remain open, at least to the rest of the world. http://us.sputniknews.com/world/20141204/1013291211.html COMMENT How bizarre is the UN? What is the point of these resolutions? Canada's really in the thick of things.  Palau is in the Western Pacific Ocean, is geographically part of Micronesia and: Politically, Palau is a presidential republic in free association with the United States, which provides defense, funding, and access to social services. Micronesia is: Micronesia is divided politically among 6 sovereign countries — one of which being the Federated States of Micronesia, which is usually also called simply "Micronesia" for short ... Micronesia is party to Compact of Free Association and has "entered into as associated states with the United States".

SURVEILLANCE, CYBER-SECURITY & OTHER

SURVEILLANCE, CYBER-SECURITY & OTHER NSA New Chief Risk Officer Position NSA/CSS Dir Adm Michael S. Rogers announced creation of new Chief Risk Officer pos'n @ Agency/ http://tinyurl.com/plruj5r  / NSA insurance? #USA >> Why would a spy agency be involved in insurance? Cyber-Security #Hacker / eBay custom Javascript & Flash content expose users / cross-site scripting (XSS) / http://goo.gl/9FUTzs  / criticism eBay #cybersecurity Windows XP anywhere on network / unpatched & unsupported XP = "Swiss Cheese of operating systems" 4 hackers /bitcoinmag Taiwan  Population: 2.619 million (Dec 2010) >> Taiwan aka: The Republic of China .. Ma Ying-jeou is President .. lawyer, US exposure .. aka "Teflon pot" / controversies #Taiwan govt investigates Xiaomi /China's smartphone co / on potential #cybersecurity concerns http://tinyurl.com/jwmly6l  / dec'n in 3mths #China & #Taiwan historical foes /defeated Nationalists fled 2 island / civil war loss 2Communists 1949 / Renegade province #Surveillance - Xiaomi smartphone accused of sending copies user text-msgs 2 servers mainland China / co. DENIES - http://tinyurl.com/jwmly6l >> #China Shi Tao journalist leaked censorship order govt had sent Chinese media: IMPRISONED 2005 b/c YAHOO handover E-MAILS >Apple has begun 2 store user data on servers @ mainland #CHINA / first time tech giant has stored user data on Chinese soil ! WikiLeaks #WikiLeaks founder calls Google “a privatized NSA” >>> http://tinyurl.com/pgz7nwy  - DailyDigestNews  #UN's Ban suppresses information >> not a word about corporations or #Assange or #Wikileaks raised by #Ecuador!! >> http://www.innercitypress.com/unga1ecuador092414.html … Believe: Techie corporate fatcat in bed w/ US govt or whistleblower-publisher political prisoner? VIDEO  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EejoN7Z-OZE …  >#Assange has the 'luxury' of UK police guards in #Ecuador embassy corridors & elevators. PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE - HR violation >"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place" - Eric Schmidt >"Since Google stopped colluding with the Chinese govt ... " >> http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1601886/google-reminds-web-censorship … Ray McGovern / USA ‘Surveillance state’ "Ex-CIA analyst joins Chico State profs in discussion of Fourth Amendment, government power over Americans" Ex-CIA Ray McGovern /4th Amendment / #USA / http://tinyurl.com/prut7me  /#Surveillance has NOT stopped a single terrorist attack NSA's Alexander Black Market #Surveillance - Dark Net - 34 countries ops. - drugs busts - Europol - http://tinyurl.com/mvh5abq  - 1,000 ppl / ppl traffic, 600kg cocaine + or FBI - Fake Cellphone Towers Surveillance #Surveillance - FBI uses IMSI catchers, ie fake cellphone towers, to pipe private cellphone data thru government monitors / ocregister International Mobile Subscriber Identity = telephony device - 'man in the middle' attack >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMSI-catcher … >> countries w/out encrypted phone data traffic (or weak encryption) render IMSI device unnecessary! FBI forced state & local law enforcement 2 sign non-disclosure 2 acquire IMSI tech themselves / police militarization!! [ocregister] #USA >> #USA federal agents want to disseminate spying technology while keeping it a secret >> http://tinyurl.com/lr3hehn FBI on Apple & Google Encryption FBI Director James Comey concerned Apple & Google selling ph's w/ encryption they can’t break >> http://www.zdziarski.com/blog/?p=3894  - #surveillance > above link = The Politics Behind iPhone Encryption and the FBI - Jonathan Zdziarski #Hacker 'Poison Ivy' / China-based / trying to infect visitors to human rights & environmental NGO sites http://bit.ly/1qzJ9xz  Roman Seleznev - Russian Alleged Hacker US Fed judge in hacker case - Roman Seleznev /blocks #Philadelphia law firm Fox Rothschild LLP from acting - http://tinyurl.com/n5s62wq  #Russia - conflict of interest issue / firm represented some of Roman Seleznev's alleged victims [politico] Satellite Navigation #Russia /US refused Russia’s GLONASS satellite navigation system on its territory. Russia then banned use GPS on Russian territory for military purposes >> Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya sistema = "Global Navigation Satellite System" [wiki] COMMENT Buch of random information in the IT, cyber-security, surveillance, hacking and similar category, that I found interesting at the time.

In Summary

Miscellaneous First-ever #UN summit on indigenous ppl held now @ NY - calls 4 more reporting / monitoring rights / http://goo.gl/zGrqHL ------------------------------------------ #Lithuania trawler Jūros Vilkas in the Barents Sea /arrest of crew & ship's redirection 2 Murmansk/ admin violations  -  Russia  -   http://goo.gl/4sMQz5 ------------------------------------------ Stefan Löfven working on budget / hoping Red-Green coalition 2 push thru http://goo.gl/eIHVKW  - crucial meeting FRI Parl speaker #Sweden ------------------------------------------ #Scotland - http://goo.gl/4Q11iG  - voting age / Mr Salmond's successor noms / changing the role of Scottish politicians at Westminster call for 16 and 17-year-olds to be given the vote at future elections. ------------------------------------------ #Spain $340mil sale of vacant landmark 25-story Edificio España - opens door to further Chinese investment - http://goo.gl/Kb85LZ  >>"Telefónica, the Spanish telecommunications giant, halved its stake in China Unicom in 2012 to cut its debt." NYT >> BBVA - Spanish lender - now earns more from banking ops in #Mexico than in its home market. [NYT] > BBVA Oct 2013 cut its stake in Citic Bank, part conglomerate controlled by China govt, 2 help meet intl capital requirements #Spain - Chinese citizens received 282 of 1,880 “golden visas” granted. Visas give residency to any foreigner buying ppty @ $205,500 / NYT ------------------------------------------ #France - PM Manuel Valls pledged @ Berlin to push economic reform package - http://goo.gl/RzW1Fq  / zero growth & record unemployment Germany's media has been highly critical of France, Germany's top partner in Europe / "Frankreich" / "Krankreich" / 'sick' {AFP} Frenchie Pilots' union rejects Air France offer to end strike >> Giving #Hollande a migraine, along with IMF & Bling Bling's come-back RT >> "75% of France's electricity comes from nuclear energy. In the future, it will be 50% nuclear, 50% renewable" [CFR] ------------------------------------------ COMMENT Various bits of information that ought to be self-explanatory. Economy in France and in Spain bad.  Guessing Spain is worse off.

ISRAEL - Miscellaneous

ISRAEL Denmark / EU Trade Agreement #Denmark foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard says time to reconsider Denmark's & EU's Trade Agreements with Israel http://goo.gl/2nMuP8 >> ie Cairo Gaza peace talks - If peace talks don't result in serious concessions from the Israelis “Lidegaard wants to see Israel commit to ending its eight-year blockade of Gaza and stop its “illegal settlements”. The foreign minister is also calling on Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza to lay down their weapons. “ “Opposition parties the Conservatives and the Danish People's Party immediately spoke out against the threat of sanctions, while the trade minister, Mogens Jensen, told Jyllands-Posten that sanctions should only be considered with a broad international backing. “  [ http://www.thelocal.dk/20140922/fm-calls-for-tougher-approach-to-israel ] Mossad #Israel >>> Mossad has it's own YouTube channel ... & is on a recruitment drive >> http://goo.gl/iswOSA   VIDEO >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=UUDRnbEnhND3zNvduaI4ruew&v=qX9ZoKO1H8E … Cybersecurity #Israel / creating new #cybersecurity authority/alleged #Iran attacks / increase in co-op b/w govt agencies, bus. & in civilian sector /RIA Obituary | Mossad  #Israel Mossad spy Mike Harari 87 died in Tel Aviv - http://goo.gl/uz1slD-  Operation Wrath of God - 'Black September' group - 1972 Munich Olympics >> reported to have had close relations with #Panama dictator Manuel Noriega / arms trade Noriega | Panama Manuel Noriega - military dictator of #Panama from 1983 to 1989 / invasion by USA / He's been to COUP SCHOOL! School of the Americas [wiki]  >#Panama > Noriega worked with CIA from the late 1950s until the 1980s/  Medellín Cartel /  Pablo Escobar / 'narcokleptocracy' >> George H. W. Bush, former CIA director / Vice President 1981-89 (President 1989-93 /close friend of Noriega [wikipedia] Reagan bypass Congress / NSC / Iran-Contra Affair of 1986–1987, facilitated contra funding thru proceeds of arms sales to #Iran! >officer Lt. Col. Oliver North in charge "The Enterprise"/+ govt  agencies, esp. from CIA in Central Am./no govt accountability http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contras Hey, there's a #UN watch: "UN Watch, an Israel-linked group that monitors the multinational body for compliance to the UN charter." [Times of Israel] http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1313899/k.948D/Issues_in_Focus.htm COMMENT The stuff about Noriega, CIA, bypassing Congress, sale of arms to Iran and secretly financing Contra just blew me away. I've vaguely heard of Black September but didn't know what it was about.  Thought it was related to a foiled airport bombing in Italy. It's cool that there's someone watching the UN.

UNITED NATIONS - Women's Empowerment Script

UNITED NATIONS #UN Campaign “HeForShe” - no, not X-dressing - Emma Watson spokesmouth for "achieve equality between the sexes" .. [src Independent] >> Anyone else sick of this preachy, establishment-endorsed 'gender equality' crap? >> Last week Watson travelled to Uruguay to deliver petition urging 4 more women to be employed in politics >>US wants it? >>> "Uruguay ... regarded as one of the most liberal nations in the world" ... [wikipedia] >> Has a TIFA with US. TIFA - desiring, recognising, seeking, taking ... more desiring, acknowledging ... http://www.ustr.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/agreements/tifa/asset_upload_file566_15163.pdf … >> #Uruguay / see protocols too RT >> "Men - Emma Watson has some important words for you" [Independent] ... The corporate agenda propaganda never stops streaming ---------------------------------------- #UN's Ki-moon meets & commends #Finland PM Sauli Niinistö/help re disposal #Syria chem/weapons /Ukraine crisis /UN wants Ebola help increase Now Ki'moon is hitting up Chile re 'women's empowerment' ... among other things ... LOL ... It's a UN script! UN & co are hypocrites ... UN has a beheadings regime on the UN Council & they're 'worried' Uruguay women's numbers in politics? ---------------------------------------- COMMENT The UN interference in other nations' internal culture, choices, customs etc is suspect. It's not their business how many women are in politics anywhere.  Why are they seeking to exert influence beyond US borders? The UN may as well be the US.  It serves US purposes, in my view.  Too tired right now to expand on this. I've messed up my body clock with my internet addiction and I'm not feeling too good. Been busy blog 'housekeeping' and posting to the blog.  I've not seen what's going on, and it's irritating me because I'm  hanging to get check things out online. PS - Yes, it's an 'international' organisation.  But who does it really serve?

YEMEN - UNREST

YEMEN #Yemen Sa'naa /fierce gunfire / rebel advance on the capital / TV station down / 40 ppl killed Thu./ UN envoy w/ rebels / flights suspended    #Yemen Sa'naa /fierce gunfire / rebel advance on the capital / TV station down / 40 ppl killed Thu./ UN envoy w/ rebels / flights suspended UN envoy would be Jamal Benomar >> flown in for talks w/ rebel leader Abdulmalik Al Houthi pic.twitter.com/x9SUXJY8we >Moroccan-born / political prisoner 8-yrs Morocco (1976–83) / uni lecturer politics / POST Carter admin H/Rights director Carter Ctr ----------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE also earlier news: Massive unrest - 'tens of thousands' protest in Sanaa #Yemen - re cutting of fuel subsidies & political - http://goo.gl/LZoeDc #Iran diplomat Nour Ahmad Nikbakht who was abducted in Sana'a in July is in good health conditions [Fars News] - Sana'a = #Yemen capital

ISRAEL - ESTABLISHMENT & INFLUENCE ON WORLD GOVERNMENTS

* ISRAEL * ESTABLISHMENT & INFLUENCE ON WORLD GOVERNMENTS The Israel Allies Caucus is a caucus in the: United States House of Representatives  made up of members who strongly support Israel. [Formed 2006] The countries listed by the website as members of the international body (IIACF) are: Brazil European Union Finland Germany Hungary Israel Italy Japan Malawi Paraguay The Philippines South Africa South Korea Switzerland Uruguay The IIACF's Declaration of Purpose resolves eight points, including that: "Jerusalem is, and should be, the undivided capital of Israel and the Jewish People, and in recognition of this all the nations of the world should locate their embassies in Jerusalem"; and that  "the Iranian regime with its developing arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and its stated goal of destroying Israel constitutes a clear and present danger to the existence of the State of Israel that must be opposed." SOURCE - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Allies_Caucus >>> #Israel #USA #EU #LatinAmerica --------------------------------------------------- Thought this deserved a post of its own. The degree of influence that Israel has around the world isn't proportionate to what Israel is:  a small country (populated (largely) by Jewish immigration to Palestinian territory, justified on the basis of an ancestral connection from 2,000 years ago or something like that), that was established by (a) occupation and (b) UN resolution in 1947. As a newbie political spectator, that's what I see. It would be like a group of people, with historic ties, setting up camp in France or Germany or England (for example), and seeking to declare a region within France, Germany or England their country -- on the basis of ancient history. It's doubtful that those countries would be on-board with such a development, yet they support what has happened in the Middle East. It's impossible to call it any other way when they are the facts - Wikipedia.

Saudi Arabia - UN Human Rights Council Member - Beheaded 19 since August 4th

Saudi Arabia Sustains UN Human Rights Council Membership Despite Beheading 19 People in 17 Days Human Rights Watch: 'Another dark stain on the kingdom's human rights record.' Maria Khan By Maria Khan August 22, 2014 22:57 BST Saudi Arabia, a member of the UN Human Rights Council, has beheaded 19 people since August 4, reported the Human Rights Watch (HRW). Out of the 19 people who were beheaded, eight where convicted of non-violent offences, seven for drug smuggling, while one was charged with sorcery. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/saudi-arabia-sustains-un-human-rights-council-membership-despite-beheading-19-people-17-days-1462308

Unbelievably, SA is also a member of the UN Human Rights Council.

HAMAS - COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS OVERVIEW

Council on Foreign Relations HAMAS Hamas is a Palestinian militant movement ... one of the territories' two major political parties. A nationalist-Islamist spinoff of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas was founded in 1987, during the first intifada [uprising], and later emerged at the forefront of armed resistance to Israel. The United States and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization. Its rival party, Fatah, which dominates the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), has renounced violence. The support Hamas garners among Palestinians largely owes to the foil it plays to Fatah, which many see as having grown corrupted by power while delivering little through its peaceful cooperation and negotiation with Israel. Hamas candidates won Palestinian elections in 2006, but their government was dismissed in 2007, resulting in the political bifurcation [splitting in two] of the West Bank and Gaza. While Fatah reasserted its authority in the West Bank, Hamas has exercised de facto rule over the Gaza Strip in the years since. Funding As a designated terrorist entity, Hamas is cut off from official assistance that the United States and European Union provide to the PLO in the West Bank. Historically, much of its funding came from Palestinian expatriates and private donors in the Gulf. In addition, some Islamic charities in the West have channeled money to Hamas-backed social service groups, prompting asset freezes by the U.S. Treasury. Egypt and Israel largely closed their borders with Gaza in 2006–2007, restricting the movement of goods and people into and out of the territory. Israel also maintains a maritime blockade. Until recently, a sophisticated network of more than a thousand tunnels circumvented the Egyptian crossing, allowing staples such as food, medicine, and cheap gas for electricity production into the territory, as well as construction materials, cash, and arms. The illicit trade provided some material relief for Gazans, while Hamas levied a tax on the traffic, a major source of its revenue. Changing regional circumstances have not only isolated Hamas politically but also put severe strains on its coffers. With the ascension of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's military-backed government in 2013–14, Cairo is hostile to Hamas, which it sees as an extension of its chief domestic rival, the Muslim Brotherhood. The Egyptian army has shut down most of the tunnels entering into its territory in the course of waging a counterinsurgency campaign on its side of the border, in the Sinai Peninsula. Hamas distanced itself from Iran, its primary benefactor, due to Tehran's support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his regime's repression of antigovernment activists beginning in 2011. Iran reportedly cut funding to Hamas in the fallout, and sought to bolster its ties to other resistance groups in the region, such as Islamic Jihad. Qatar's financial support largely dried up as well, collateral damage of the Gulf country's efforts to mend ties with its neighbors, with whom it had fallen out in part for backing the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The cumulative effect of these financial pressures helped push Hamas toward a reconciliation deal with Fatah in April 2014. Yet despite the deal, the Palestinian Authority has not provided salaries for the more than forty thousand Gazan public servants hired by Hamas, which many analysts believe was a contributing factor to the latest outbreak of violence. As Governing Party Hamas' primary base of operation is in the Gaza Strip, the coastal enclave of 1.7 million Palestinians, where it has remained the de facto authority since shortly after Israel's unilateral withdrawal in 2005. The following year, Hamas surprised Western observers by winning a majority of seats by a narrow margin and forming a government. It may have earned votes as a protest movement and for the social services it provided, but the win was likely more a rejection of the incumbent Fatah, which was widely perceived as having grown corrupt at the helm of the PLO and delivering little to Palestinians with its program of negotiation. The outcome was unacceptable to the PLO, which ousted Hamas from power in the West Bank. In Gaza, Hamas routed Fatah's militias in a week of internecine fighting, resulting in a political schism between the two Palestinian territories. As it took over the remnants of PA institutions in the strip, it established such governmental structures as a judiciary and put in place authoritarian institutions. Hamas restricts the Gazan media, the political opposition, and nongovernmental organizations, leaving few mechanisms of accountability. Meanwhile, most Gazans receive social services from UN agencies and humanitarian organizations. "Hamas remains more hard-line than the public it seeks to lead," says Nathan Brown, a scholar of political Islam. The group suffers from relatively low support among Palestinians, particularly in the West Bank. Palestinian pollsters found in early 2014 that in hypothetical legislative elections, Hamas would fall far short of the majority it won in 2006, including among its Gazan base. Fatah garners only marginally greater support. Both parties suffer from the absence of political legitimacy, says CFR's Robert Danin. Rather than a common political agenda, they entered into the reconciliation deal to facilitate new Palestinian elections and break the stagnation in Palestinian politics, he says. Palestinians have not voted for a president since 2008, nor a legislature since 2006, and the political bifurcation [splitting in two] between the West Bank and Gaza is widely unpopular. As Armed Resistance The second intifada [uprising] ended in early 2005 as Israeli security forces grew more successful at thwarting suicide attacks and moved against militant groups in the West Bank. Though Hamas gave up suicide bombing, it remained committed to armed resistance, and as it entrenched in the Gaza Strip, it took to launching rockets and mortars into Israeli territory. The crude weapons are by nature indiscriminate, but also ineffective; ten Israeli civilians were killed between January 2009 and May 2014, according to the Israeli rights group B'Tselem. It has also attempted incursions into Israeli territory, most famously kidnapping Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006. Five years later, Israel released 1,027 Palestinian prisoners to secure Shalit's release. Yet as Hamas consolidated its authority in Gaza, Israel came to rely on it to contain more radical resistance groups, such as Islamic Jihad. Since Operation Cast Lead, Israel's twenty-two day invasion in the winter of 2008–2009, long periods of détente [relaxation]  between Hamas and Israel have been the norm, a state of mutual deterrence the Israeli government has described as "quiet for quiet." But that state of deterrence is a fragile one, punctuated by intermittent volleys of rockets fired by Gazan militants into Israel and retaliatory Israeli air strikes to degrade their arsenals, a cycle Israelis have come to know as "mowing the lawn." Periods of quiet allowed Hamas and other militant groups to expand and modernize their arsenals of rockets. Egypt brokered a ceasefire that ended a round of fighting in March 2012. Israel effectively delegated to Hamas responsibility for enforcing it by withholding rocket fire and restraining more radical groups in Gaza. In 2013, sixty-three rockets were launched at Israel from Gaza, compared to 2,327 the year prior, according to the Shin Bet, Israel's security agency. In the West Bank, meanwhile, Hamas has been driven underground. Its social and military infrastructure has been dismantled, and many of its members arrested by PA and Israeli security forces. Many Palestinians saw Fatah's security cooperation as a cynical maneuver to crush its rivals. Negotiations between Israel and the PA have generally assumed Hamas would act as a spoiler. Not only would a final-status agreement likely violate its founding principles, but it would also marginalize the movement while vindicating its chief rival, Fatah. A Way Forward? The United States and European Union provisionally recognized the Palestinian reconciliation government [what is that?], which the U.S. State Department characterized as "technocratic," and said did "not include ministers affiliated with Hamas." A government including ministers from Hamas would have triggered a foreign aid cut-off, as Hamas has not recognized the three principles insisted on by the Quartet (the United States, EU, UN, and Russia): renunciation of violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of prior international agreements. Hamas entered into the arrangement politically and economically weak. But in the weeks since, public support for Abbas and the PA has withered due to the collapse of nine months of intensive negotiations aiming to achieve a final-status agreement—the long-sought two-state solution—and the PA's security cooperation during the events that precipitated the current round of violence. In June 2014, Netanyahu accused Hamas of kidnapping and murdering three Israeli teens in the West Bank. Israeli security forces rearrested some of the Palestinian ex-convicts released in the Shalit deal, accusing them of recidivism. Indications that a rogue cell carried out the abductions highlighted that the movement's leadership is unable to control all those affiliated with it, analysts said. Israel responded militarily to the volley of rockets from Gaza that followed. Netanyahu has said he seeks to degrade Hamas' military capacities and restory calm, while politicians on his right flank have called for a broader ground operation that might decisively defeat Hamas, but could result in Israel once again occupying Gaza. Meanwhile, negotiations that would vindicate Abbas' approach over that of Hamas are not in the offing. The most plausible off-ramp, some analysts say, is a deal in which Hamas would disarm in exchange for economic relief for Gaza. But Israeli security concerns have been heightened by revelations of a tunnel infrastructure under the Gaza-Israel border. Israel, then, is even less likely to permit transfers of the construction materials that are necessary to rebuild Gaza. It is unclear whether the reconciliation government can survive this round of violence, particularly if Hamas emerges from it politically empowered. If it survives, some argue, elections can integrate Gaza into Palestinian politics and provide the underpinnings of a more robust cease-fire. A terrorist designation precludes the United States and European Union from speaking directly with Hamas, but Washington has turned to Turkey and Qatar as interlocutors. Additional Resources The Economist's Nicolas Pelham discusses the economics of Gaza's illicit tunnel trade and the emergence of a Hamas-led bureaucracy regulating it. Isolating Gaza has counterproductively entrenched Hamas, writes CFR's Robert Danin, who calls for Gaza's integration in the Palestinian economy and political institutions to facilitate Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. [...] Leadership Hamas has a host of leadership bodies that perform various political, military, and social functions. According to the U.S. State Department, general policy is set by an overarching consultative body, often referred to as its politburo, which operates in exile.  Local committees manage grassroots issues in Gaza and the West Bank. Crisis Guide: The Israeli-Palestinian Khaled Meshaal has served as political chief since 1996. The former teacher has been based in Doha [Qatar] since Hamas fell out with Meshaal's previous host, Syria, as Palestinian refugees joined predominantly Sunni protestors in calling for reforms beginning in 2011, prompting a violent government backlash, and eventually, civil war. He is Hamas' most frequent interlocutor with the PA and regional governments. Gaza's de facto prime minister is Ismail Haniyeh, who served as PA prime minister during the brief period between the 2006 legislative elections and his dismissal by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas the following year. Marwan Issa and Mohammed Deif command Hamas' military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Israeli forces assassinated the militia's founder, Salah Shehadeh, in a 2002 airstrike. Fifteen civilians were killed in the attack, focusing Israeli and international scrutiny on such tactics. Yassin, Hamas' founder, was assassinated in 2004. Salah al-Arouri is believed to direct Hamas' armed activities in the West Bank from overseas. http://www.cfr.org/israel/hamas/p8968

Recapping my undertanding:

• Hamas has de facto government status in Gaza because it is up against US and EU non-recognition.  What's EU got to do with it?  
• Presumably because US has decided Israel falls within their 'Eucom' miltary controls, even though it is in the Middle East.
• Hamas designated a terrorist organisation because Hamas stands by armed resistance.
• Previously suicide bombings; but have stopped.
• Hamas cut off from direct communications with US and with EU, because of the US and EU terrorist designation.
• Hamas also cut off from 'official assistance' from US and EU (but it's rival Fatah in West Bank get assistance because they're playing by Israel, US and EU rules? -- or because US and EU don't deal directly with Hamas, so it is down to Fatah to distribute the money?]
• In 2011, Israel had 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.
• The Palestinians are blocked off on a sliver of land.
• Israel also maintains a sea blockade.
• Israel appears to have had some kind of accord and periods of truce with Hamas, as long as Hamas contained extreme groups?

The Gaza Palestinians are virtual prisoners and they dig tunnels:

network of more than a thousand tunnels circumvented the Egyptian crossing, allowing staples such as food, medicine, and cheap gas for electricity production into the territory, as well as construction materials, cash, and arms.

The main issue (I think) is that Hamas/Gaza will not:

1. Disarm / renounce violent resistance.
2. Recognise Israel.
3. Accept prior Agreements (see Oslo I Accords - here).  

I've not read the accords info in its entirety.

But gist is:  Fatah signed the Oslo accords - Hamas objected.
So why would Hamas now decide it wants the accord?

Then there is this interesting aside:

In a 2001 video, Netanyahu, reportedly unaware he was being recorded, said: "They asked me before the election if I'd honor [the Oslo accords]... I said I would, but [that] I'm going to interpret the accords in such a way that would allow me to put an end to this galloping forward to the '67 borders. How did we do it? Nobody said what defined military zones were. Defined military zones are security zones; as far as I'm concerned, the entire Jordan Valley is a defined military zone. Go argue."  Netanyahu then explained how he conditioned his signing of the 1997 Hebron agreement on American consent that there be no withdrawals from "specified military locations", and insisted he be allowed to specify which areas constituted a "military location"—such as the whole of the Jordan Valley. "Why is that important? Because from that moment on I stopped the Oslo Accords", Netanyahu affirmed. [wikipedia]

I'm not 100% clear on what Netanyahu's getting at, but I gather the Oslo accords agreement is worthless if you're a Palestinian wanting to reclaim land pursuant to 1967 borders?

Under the circumstances, it's not surprising there's resistance.

When there is resistance, it's ineffectual (crude weapons; 2009-2014 - ten (10) dead Israeli civilians versus something like 3,000 Palestinians dead). 

Compare also Operation Protective Edge - 3 weeks and 1,800+ Palestinians killed and many thousands wounded + the levelling of homes, infrastructure etc - while the world stood by and kept maintaining in parrot fashion 'Israel has the right to defend itself'.  

Below is a chart of Palestinian and Israeli deaths caused by violence (does not include 8 July 2014 - Operation Protective Edge figures):

Source - IFAMERICANSKNEW - here.  

[Their cited source:  B'Tselem Israel Centre for Human Rights in Occupied Territories]

What was also interesting on the site is the Israeli soldier deaths for 2005:

Causes of Deaths of Israeli Soldiers - 2005

Committed Suicide	30
Illness	14
Accidents	26
Terror Incidents	6

What recently happened to the Israeli boys is deplorable and the retaliatory attack on the Palestinian boy is equally deplorable.

But when I look at the overall statistics (which don't even take into account the 1,800+ recent civilian Palestinian deaths etc, I don't see Israel under any significant threat.

Israel itself refers to quelling Palestinian crude, ineffectual missile lobbing, in periodic resistance, as 'mowing the lawn'.  So it's not exactly a scenario that's proportionate to threat, I would think.

Oddly, Turkey and Qatar are the intermediaries.  But both have close ties to the US.

Fatah has a vested interest, yet it is in a position where it appears to have power over the elected government of Gaza (if I understand correctly).

Forty thousand public servants in Gaza haven't been paid by the Palestinian National Authority, who (pursuant to the Oslo accord) claims 'authority over all the Palestinian areas' -- but, in fact, Hamas has control of Gaza -- minus control of the money:

The PA has received financial assistance from the European Union and the United States (approximately USD 1 bln. combined in 2005). All direct aid was suspended on 7 April 2006 as a result of the Hamas victory in parliamentary elections.  Shortly thereafter, aid payments resumed, but were channeled directly to the offices of Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.  Conflict between Hamas and Fatah later in 2006 resulted in Hamas taking exclusive control over the administration of all PA institutions in the Gaza Strip. Since 9 January 2009, when Mahmoud Abbas' term as President was supposed to have ended and elections were to have been called, Hamas supporters and many in the Gaza Strip have withdrawn recognition for his Presidency and instead consider Aziz Dweik, who served as the speaker of the house in the Palestinian Legislative Council, to be the acting President until new elections can be held.  No Western financial assistance is given to the PA authorities in Gaza and Western governments do not recognize anyone but Abbas to be the President. [wikipedia]

I'm not clear on whether Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah) in the West Bank is supposed to channel some of that money to Gaza or not.  Wikipedia on Abbas is - here - see corruption/embezzlement allegations.

Anyway, this has satisfied my curiosity to a degree regarding Hamas.

It would seem that if Hamas would give in, accept the Oslo accords, disarm and recognise Israel, they would suddenly be legitimised by the US and EU?  But, failing that, they are denied recognition, denied funding, denied diplomatic relations (I gather) and blocked from trade (I gather).

Noticed Russia was among 'the quartet' who insist on the 3 points.

Uncertain what Russia has to do with it, apart from being in the UN, I guess.

I think Russia's friendly with Syria and the Palestinians appear to be opposed to Syria, but I'm not sure why.

Could be that Hamas are Sunni Muslim.  But Syria is about 60% Sunni Muslim.  Although the President (Assad) is not - he is Shia (13% of the Syrian population).  Yes, Shia (Alawite), but described 'secular government'.  Not sure.  This is stuff is out of my league. 

Anyway, it looks like Israel is bent on four things:

1. incapacitate Hamas ability to resist (deplete weapons etc), 
2. maintain blockade,
3. get rid of tunnels (incoming weapons, money etc),
4. maintain territory claimed in wars with Palestinians (I think).

But if you pull away and look at the whole picture (how things are split off, how the cards are stacked against the Palestinians in the form of these various organisations (including the European designation for the region), how they've been kept down economically etc), I think there is so much in this that really disempowers (and is maybe designed to disempower?) the Palestinian people in a big way.

So that's Hamas, I think.

No abuse, please, because I'm on my political L-Plates.  LOL.

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Bit of additional info (got curious re EU):

ISRAEL and ECONOMIC UNION

Israel is an associated state of the European Union. The relations between the two are framed in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and the Union for the Mediterranean.

The main legal ties between Israel and the EU are set by the 1995 Association Agreement. Several other agreement cover sectoral issues.

Relations between Israel and the European Union are generally positive on the economic level, though affected by the Israeli–Palestinian conflict on the political level.

EU membership for Israel

Although Israel is not in Europe, it considers itself culturally part thereof.  Israel thus is a member in many European transnational federations and frameworks and takes part in many European sporting events. Various Israeli ministers have expressed that they would like to see Israel in the EU. ... The European Union's former High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, stated in 2009 that Israel had a very significant relationship with the EU, amounting almost to full cooperation through participation in the EU's programmes. In 2014, former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar said Israel is needed by the European Union, in an address in a room hired by the Henry Jackson Society in the British House of Commons. Aznar said his report recommends that due to its Western culture and the benefits it brings the European Union, Israel should become a full member of the EU without pre-conditions.  Moreover, like most western European countries, Israel is a member of the OECD and from an economic perspective matches the European Union extremely well, with essentially every significant economic indicator (GDP per capita, government deficit, public debt level, current account surplus, inflation level, etc.) closely matching the overall EU average. Israel is however not included among the nine countries that are part of the EU agenda for future enlargement of the European Union. [wikipedia]

Looks like Israel knows how to network. 

Don't get how countries can elect what they 'consider' themselves as, despite their geographic location.  Hey, I might consider myself a Martian, but that doesn't make me an eligible alien from Mars.  LOL

That Spanish dude founded 'Friends of Israel Initiative' - purpose:  to counter attempts to 'de-legitimatise the State of Israel.'  

Check out the Friends of Israel Initiative.  First point:

The Friends of Israel are based on the following principles:

Israel is a modern, flourishing Western country

Oh, get fucked!  It's in the Middle East.  It's not a 'Western country' by any stretch.

This is hilarious.

Slogan:   "Stand for Israel, Stand for the West"

The 'right to self defence' is in there -- and the bogeyman of Iran nuclear weapons and Islam/Jihadists and Israel the saviour of the WESTERN WORLD (of which Israel is a part) ...   LOL.

It's like something out of one of those NGO's that push an agenda, which is probably what it is.  Doh.

Well, I just checked the wiki on Israel and Israel is still located in the Middle East.

Another way of looking at the EU involvement etc, would be as a strategy to further 'legitimise' Israel, by entrenching it in various organisations, institutions etc. 

In my view, the EU is just another way for Israel to pull the strings.

This is what the Palestinians are up against and they haven't a hope.

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POSTSCRIPT

CHECK THIS OUT:

http://consortiumnews.com/2014/08/07/if-a-genocide-falls-in-the-forest/