Formerly "Hudson Institute, New York"
In this mailing:
- Khaled Abu Toameh: Hamas Responsible For Attacks on Israel
- Michael Curtis: Where is the Art?
- Aidan Clay: Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt
- AK Group: Annan Exits Syria Without Deal, But Leaves Behind 'Concrete Proposals'
Hamas Responsible For Attacks on Israel
by Khaled Abu Toameh
March 13, 2012 at 5:00 am
http://www.stonegateinstitute.org/2936/hamas-attacks-israel
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In the past, Hamas has proven that when it wants to, it can prevent attacks on Israel. It would be a mistake to allow these governments to have it both ways -- on one hand claiming they are legitimate and sovereign governments, while on the other hand avoiding responsibility for terror attacks.
Although Hamas has not been directly involved in the current round of violence, the Islamist movement should be held fully responsible for rocket and mortar attacks against Israel from the Gaza Strip.
In the past, Hamas has proven that when it wants to, it can prevent attacks on Israel from the areas under its control in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas security forces have even arrested members of various armed groups who launched attacks on Israel in violation of the truce with Israel.
These groups, including Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees, sometimes went so far as accusing Hamas of blocking "armed resistance" against Israel.
Hamas did no do so out of love for Israel. Nor did it stop the rocket and mortar attacks because it has changed its ideology and does not believe in terror or in allowing Israel to exist.
Hamas has by and large abided by the truce with Israel for two reasons.
First, Hamas is afraid of another massive Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip similar to Operation Cast Lead in 2008.
Since that operation, Hamas has been behaving itself because its leaders have absorbed the message that was sent to them by Israel, namely that Israelis "can wake up one morning and go crazy."
Second, Hamas would not be able to survive another major Israeli military operation. Its leaders know that this time the price would be much heavier and could lead to the toppling of the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip. This, in addition to the physical elimination of the top Hamas leadership.
Hamas considers its control of the Gaza Strip as a strategic asset.
Over the past five years, Hamas has turned the Gaza Strip into an independent Islamist emirate with many features of a sovereign state.
In many ways, Hamas has several things that the Palestinian Authority is lacking.
Hamas, for instance, maintains control over the Palestinian side of the borders with Israel and Egypt and its officials and members are able to travel from one place to another inside the Gaza Strip without having to pass through Israeli army checkpoints.
Moreover, Hamas leaders are free to travel to any part of the world through the Rafah border terminal it has with Egypt without the need for Israeli permission.
Hamas leaders often boast that their movement has succeeded over the past few years in "restoring law and order" to the Gaza Strip by cracking down on various militias and powerful clans.
It is only natural, therefore, that the sovereign government in the Gaza Strip, in this case Hamas, be held fully responsible for all that happens in the areas under its control.
It would be a mistake to allow Hamas to avoid responsibility under the pretext that "others" are firing at Israel, and not Hamas.
The same applies to Hizbullah in Lebanon, where the Lebanese government should be held fully responsible for any attack carried out by the Shiite militia from there.
If the Hamas or Lebanese governments cannot stop terror attacks from their territories, then there is no reason why they should be absolved of responsibility. It would be a mistake to allow these governments to have it both ways -- on one hand claiming they are legitimate and sovereign governments, while on the other hand avoiding responsibility for terror attacks.
Related Topics: Khaled Abu Toameh
Where is the Art?
Claims against Germany for the Mistreatment of Jews
by Michael Curtis
March 13, 2012 at 4:45 am
http://www.stonegateinstitute.org/2938/germany-jews-stolen-art
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It is regrettable that the Claims Conference has for over a year and a half refused to answer questions about this looted art. An equally important problem arose over the use of funds held by the CC.
As the process of filing claims can be difficult to undertake, the Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO) of New York State Banking Department, created in June 1997, has been helpful in providing assistance to individuals seeking to recover assets lost because of Nazi persecution. The HCPO has helped claimants to collect as much detailed and accurate information as possible.
In contrast, the major disquieting issue concerning justice for Holocaust survivors or their heirs remains unresolved, as does the question of the moral compass of a major organization founded to deal with the consequences of the Nazi regime and material claims against Germany for the mistreatment of Jews. The controversy concerns the activities and non-activities of the Claims Conference (Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany), CC, founded in October 1951, largely at the urging of Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, with 23 Jewish organizations as members, to negotiate with the Germany Government for compensation for Jewish victims of Nazi persecution
By an agreement signed in 1952 and entered into force in 1953 the West German Government agreed to pay Israel for the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust and to pay compensation for Jewish property stolen by the Nazis. Chancellor Konrad Adenauer on September 27, 1951 had declared that "unspeakable crimes" had been committed, and therefore restitution, moral and material, was necessary for the person and properties of the Jews who had been seriously harmed. The West Germans therefore paid billions in reparations through different programs to those who had suffered physical injury or loss of property and income. Today, the German government is still paying compensation pensions to those Jewish victims eligible to receive them.
After the reunification of Germany, the new German government passed legislation to restore expropriated property, or its value, to the original Jewish owners or their heirs. In August 1990 the CC negotiated with the German government for Jewish owners and their heirs to file claims for unresolved property in the former East Germany, and to recover unclaimed formerly Jewish properties in that area. About 600 million euros of the funds received by the CC found its way to the families of the victims or their heirs via the Goodwill Fund. The German government believed that the CC was acing on behalf of the heirs of the victims. Decisions on how to allocate these monies were made by the CC at its discretion in various ways.
The critical problem arose as a result of the agreement by the German government to transfer unclaimed properties to the CC. The CC had to make a claim within the time limits imposed by the relevant German law and substantiate the claim that the property had in fact been owned by a Jewish owner. These unclaimed assets, the accepted figure of which is about $4.5 billion, were sold by the CC which gave the money to Holocaust survivors or for Holocaust education, documentation, and research. However, the German government had set deadlines for potential heirs to claim properties; deadlines were December 31, 1992 for real estate, and June 20, 1993 for moveable assets. After 1992, properties where no heir was found went to the CC.
The German government did not object to the CC transferring property to heirs who had missed the filing deadlines. In 1994, responding to pressure, the CC set up the Goodwill Fund to help heirs who missed the deadlines to make claims. It set its own deadline of December 31, 1997, then extended it to December 31, 1998. The Fund therefore operated for five years, and then again for a period of 6 months, from October 2003 to March 2004 when it was closed. A major criticism resulted from the short term of the Fund, and another over the distribution of the money held by the CC.
The various concerns about the CC, led the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which since 1760 is the body promoting and defending the religious and civil liberties of British Jewry, and which consists of deputies elected by synagogue congregations and communal organizations, to inquire into the persistent complaints about the activities of the CC. As a result it commissioned a report on the issue of the properties and businesses formerly owned by Jews in East Germany. The report, delivered on December 2, 2010, was written by a highly respected barrister, Jeffrey Gruder, QC.
The report was critical on a number of counts. There were no allegations of corruption or malfeasance on the part of the directors of CC, but there was concern about competence, lack of transparency and accountability, and misplaced priorities in the distribution of resources and money. It concluded that the CC had not done enough to help heirs of victims recover their property. A major shortcoming was that the CC had possessed information that might have been helpful to owners and heirs in making a claim but did not publicize the information, at least until October 2003 and then the information remained accessible only for six months. The list, which the CC provided, of Jewish property in East Germany without heirs was incomplete: it lacked information on names, addresses, and amount of compensation. It also did not publish details of properties without heirs which it recovered or claimed before the deadlines.
The CC appeared to lack commitment to the restitution of expropriated property, and had not done enough to help potential heirs locate their assets. It felt it had no obligation to owners or heirs. The Gruder Report found that the CC rejected any obligation to assist owners and heirs in making a claim within the relevant time limit, and that it disclaimed any duty to provide information to help claimants to take advantage of the Goodwill Fund. The Report further argued that the Fund should be reopened for new claims, and that the CC had a moral duty to publish the information it had, and to assist and identify any heirs who were rightful claimants.
It does not appear reasonable to accept the CC's explanation for its failure to disclose information: protection of intellectual property and trade secrets. Another troubling issue, one familiar in the intellectual cultural scene, is lack of information about missing looted art. It is regrettable that the CC has for over a year and a half refused to answer questions about this looted art.
An equally important moral and ethical problem arose over the use of funds held by the CC. On one hand, some of the funds have been used for Holocaust education and Jewish cultural activity which all agree is beneficial. On the other hand allegations have been made that insufficient resources go to help Holocaust survivors who are living in poverty and lacking in indignity. The moral compass of the CC depends on its answer to this problem.
Michael Curtis is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University, and author of Should Israel Exist? A Sovereign Nation under Attack by the International Community.
Related Topics: Michael Curtis
Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt
Is the Presidency Next?
by Aidan Clay
March 13, 2012 at 4:30 am
http://www.stonegateinstitute.org/2937/muslim-brotherhood-egypt-presidency
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The Muslim Brotherhood's official slogan has long been, "Islam is the Solution." We shall soon see whether the rule of Mubarak will be replaced by the tyranny of Sharia law.
The Muslim Brotherhood further solidified its power last week by securing the position of speaker in Egypt's upper house of parliament. The appointment consolidates the Brotherhood's control over the country's legislature leading up to presidential elections in May. Already the dominant player in Egypt's political landscape, the Brotherhood, liberals fear, may now be emboldened to field a contender for the presidency despite its previous assurances not even to back a candidate.
Until now, the Brotherhood has carefully campaigned as a pragmatic political party by concentrating on economic and political reform, and by vowing to protect the freedoms of all Egyptians, including minorities. Amr Darrag, the head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) in Giza, told The Media Line, "Christians were part of the revolution and they deserve equal status under the law and the future Egyptian democratic process… We do not differentiate between Christians and Muslims, we are all Egyptians." By directing public attention to issues such as land ownership reform and free elections, the Brotherhood has striven to portray itself as an entity with primarily political, rather than theocratic, goals.
During the chamber's inaugural session on February 28, Ahmed Fahmy, of the FJP, was elected speaker by members of the Shura Council. The appointment followed the selection of FJP Secretary General Mohamed Saad al-Katatni as the speaker of the lower house of parliament, the People's Assembly, on January 23, thereby securing the Brotherhood's control over both houses of the legislature. The Brotherhood holds 47% of the 508-seat People's Assembly and 59% of the Shura Council's 180 elected seats. An additional 90 lawmakers are expected to be appointed to the Shura Council by either the ruling generals or the next president.
The Brotherhood again announced that it would not contend in the next round of elections on May 23 -- this time for the presidency. "The Muslim Brotherhood will not support Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh or any candidate," said Muhammed al-Badi, the leader of the Brotherhood, in reference to former Brotherhood member Abul Fotouh who is now running as an independent. However, Badi was clear that the Brotherhood wants a president with an "Islamic background."
Although the Brotherhood is not officially backing Abul Fotouh, Barry Rubin, the director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, believes that the candidate will have the Brotherhood's support nonetheless: "This is misdirection. The Brotherhood's influential spiritual advisor Yusuf al-Qaradawi is supporting Abul-Fotouh. And guess what? The Brotherhood is going to support Abul-Fotouh 'unofficially.' How? Simple: through the 'independent' Justice and Development Party supporting an 'independent' presidential candidate."
"It's clear now the Brotherhood are willing to throw their weight into the ring… to support someone who is in line with Islamic values and is sympathetic to Islamic law," Shadi Hamid, a research director at the Brookings Doha Center, told Reuters. "That will have major implications for the race."
Widespread support for the Brotherhood in parliamentary elections indicates that voters will also likely support the campaign of a former member of the Brotherhood, whether or not he has the Brotherhood's official endorsement.
"[Abul Fotouh] is one of the great people that the Brotherhood youth look up to and consider as a role model," Mohammed Qassas, a Brotherhood youth leader, told The Wall Street Journal. "He's a distinguished person, he represents moderate Islamism and he's got a good chance to compete."
Meanwhile, Salafis – who follow the strict Saudi Wahhabi doctrine of Islam – will probably have their own candidate, raising the probability that Egypt will elect an Islamist president.
In parliamentary elections, the Salafist al-Nour Party gained widespread support, winning 23 percent of the seats in the People's Assembly and 25% of the elected seats in the Shura Council, making it the second largest party in the legislature. Between the Salafis, the Brotherhood, and other Islamist parties, Islamists hold more than 70% of the seats in the People's Assembly and 80% of the seats in the Shura Council.
The Salafis' success was the election's greatest surprise and raises concerns among secularists that the group's radical interpretation of Islam will be imposed over the whole of Egyptian society. Following Egypt's uprising in January 2011, Salafis called the appointment of a Christian governor in Upper Egypt "anti-Islamic;" successfully had him removed from the post; protested the killing of Osama bin Laden, and attacked liquor stores, churches, Sufi shrines and mosques, and other institutions or businesses they deemed contrary to Wahhabi doctrine.
Constitutional Assembly
On March 3, the two houses of parliament began preparations for a 100-member panel to draft a new constitution. The constitution, which will be put to a referendum before the presidential election, could drastically alter Egypt's government and determine the role of Islam in policymaking. The constitutional assembly will be selected by parliament on March 24.
Many secularists and Christians fear that an Islamist majority parliament will use its power to base the constitution on Islamic Sharia law. While liberals prefer a panel of outside experts and activists to draft the constitution, the Islamist-controlled parliament wants a dominant voice in the process.
"We should not come under pressure and waste the right of the majority by falling in the trap of giving the minority the right to write the constitution," warned Salafist al-Nour party representative, Mustafa Khalifa, who advocates that Islamist parliamentarians should have the greatest voice in writing the constitution.
Salafis have further stated that Islam should be the sole source of legislation and that Christians and women should not be allowed to run for president. Other recent indicators, including charges filed against minorities and secularists for "defaming Islam", have evidenced this commitment of the Salafis.
Blasphemy Trials
On January 9, Christian telecom mogul Naguib Sawiris, who founded the Free Egyptians political party, was charged with "blasphemy and insulting Islam" when he reposted a cartoon of a bearded Mickey Mouse and a veiled Minnie Mouse on Twitter. Among the group of Islamist lawyers who filed the lawsuit against Sawiris was Mamdouh Ismail, a former member of Islamic Jihad who has been known to represent accused terrorists and was himself arrested for complicity with al-Qaeda in 2007.
The Brotherhood quickly backed Ismail's lawsuit while Salafis led a nationwide campaign to boycott products and services offered by Sawiris' companies. Many secularists believed Islamists rallied the nationwide outcry to discredit Sawiris and his secular Free Egyptians Party.
Although an Egyptian court dismissed on March 3 the second of two cases filed against Sawiris, other cases remain pending; these include charges filed in early February against Adel Imam, Egypt's leading comic actor. Imam appealed a sentence by an Egyptian court of three months in jail for "defaming Islam" for a role he played in a 2007 film. The cases represent only a few of many charges that were filed by Islamist lawyers in recent months to punish individuals for offending Islam and demonstrate that Islamists are using newly gained political powers to stifle freedom of expression.
"In both cases, [Sawiris and Imam] didn't do anything against 'Islam' but merely made fun of Islamists," commented Barry Rubin. "The battle, of course, is being waged by Islamists who want their interpretation of the religion to be declared as the only acceptable version. Westerners don't understand that when that happens anything more moderate or flexibly traditional hence becomes illegal and punishable. The Islamist counter-Bill of Rights proclaims that the country's people have no freedom of speech or freedom of religion, no right to free assembly or of the press."
Secularists' Response
The blasphemy trials and other acts of discrimination against minorities have led secularists and Coptic Christians to denounce the Brotherhood's success in the parliamentary elections which, many claim, did not adequately represent the voice of the Egyptian people. In the latest significant gathering of protestors in Cairo's Tahrir Square in early February, to mark the one year anniversary of President Hosni Mubarak's ouster from power, demonstrators condemned both the military's rule and the Brotherhood's significant political gains.
"Protestors were shouting, 'No military council and no Brotherhood. This is our revolution, the youth's revolution,'" Coptic activist Wagih Yacoub told International Christian Concern. "The Brotherhood is more concerned with their movement than the benefit of the country."
"I dream that one day all the Egyptian people will demonstrate against the Brotherhood," said activist Mary Ibrahim Daniel, whose brother Mina Daniel was killed during protests on October 9. "I was surprised to see so many people, including Muslims, protesting against them outside the House of Parliament… The Brotherhood is hijacking the ideals and motives behind the revolution."
It is unlikely, however, that secular activists can muster enough strength to gain widespread support when two-thirds of Egyptian Muslims voted for Islamist parties in parliamentary elections. Whether liberals like it or not, the leading candidates for the presidency are Islamists. Moreover, to run for president requires the endorsement of 30 parliamentarians. Only four parties have that many – the Brotherhood, the Salafis, the Wafd, and the liberal Egyptian Bloc (Free Egyptians Party). Undoubtedly, there will be few, if any, changes in the slate of presidential candidates before the registration to run for president begins on March 10.
The question now is: Behind which candidate, if any, will the Brotherhood will put its weight? The Brotherhood could "unofficially" endorse Abul Fotouh or choose to back another frontrunner without a party, such as the nationalist Amr Moussa, a former foreign minister and head of the Arab League. It appears that the Brotherhood's support will dictate the election's outcome.
The Brotherhood's consolidation of power over Egypt's two houses of parliament and its potential influence in the presidential elections has become a frightening reality for the country's liberals and minorities. While the Brotherhood shares many of the Salafis' fundamental beliefs, it does not wish to alarm moderates or Western allies and so has directed its public activities toward economic and political reform. Yet, many Egyptians worried about personal freedoms remain unconvinced. The Muslim Brotherhood's official slogan has long been "Islam is the Solution" and few liberals are persuaded that the group's sudden rise to political stardom will alter its fundamental Islamic agenda.
"There are genuine fears because the heads of the Brotherhood now and the Salafis who got into parliament, none of them - neither their organizations nor their ideas - reflect that they are people who live in this day and age and understand how a nation can progress," Gamal al-Banna, the more moderate brother of the Brotherhood's founder Hassan al-Banna, told Reuters.
"Any nation founded on religion must fail… [Egypt's revolution] was a popular uprising that succeeded in destroying a system, but not in building a new one," al-Banna concluded. We shall soon see whether the rule of Mubarak will be replaced by the tyranny of Sharia law.
Related Topics: Aidan Clay
Annan Exits Syria Without Deal, But Leaves Behind 'Concrete Proposals'
And more from the Turkish Press
by AK Group
March 13, 2012 at 3:00 am
http://www.stonegateinstitute.org/2935/annan-exits-syria-without-deal
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The United Nations-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's visit to Syria ended without a deal, but he still expressed optimism after meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a second day Sunday, ahead of his visit to Ankara scheduled for Monday.
"It's going to be tough. It's going to be difficult but we must have hope," the former UN chief told reporters in Damascus following his meeting with al-Assad, Reuters reported. "I am optimistic for several reasons. The situation is so bad and so dangerous that none of us can afford to fail."
Annan said he had left "concrete proposals" with al-Assad for a way out of a conflict that has so far cost thousands of lives.
"You have to start by stopping the killing and the misery and the abuses that are going on today, and then give time [for a] political settlement," he said.
Annan To Meet Erdogan
After his talks in Damascus, Annan is expected to visit Qatar over an agreement between the Arab League and Russia on setting up a mechanism for "objective monitoring" in Syria. He will arrive in Turkey on Monday to have discussions with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu before leaving the country, diplomatic sources told the Hürriyet Daily News Sunday. Annan will convey his observations and discuss grounds to facilitate humanitarian assistance to Syria, sources said.
Annan expressed his will to visit Syrian refugee camps in Hatay, but has not officially confirmed this yet due to his tight schedule, sources said. He is also likely to meet with Syrian opposition representatives in Turkey, a Syrian dissident told the Daily News.
Khaled Khoja, Turkey representative of the opposition Syrian National Council, told the Daily News that they were firm on asking for an Arab League road map and asked for help from the international community for that. Khoja said the Council would deliver the following conditions to Annan: There should be removal of soldiers from the streets in Syria, the international media and NGOs should be allowed in the country, al-Assad should hand over office to his deputy, and free elections should take place.
Al-Assad told Annan on Saturday that "terrorists" spreading chaos and instability were blocking any political solution, according to the state news agency SANA. But it added that al-Assad had also told Annan he would help in "any honest effort to find a solution."
Syria Agrees on Relief with Amos
The United Nations-Arab League envoy's visit comes after UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos left Damascus following a hard-won agreement with the Syrian administration mission to secure relief access to protest centers, such as Syria's third-largest city Homs.
"Amos was seeking to further cooperation with neighboring countries to Syria on humanitarian access, and we expressed Turkey's readiness to contribute," a Turkish diplomat said. Speaking in Ankara on Friday, Amos said a "joint preliminary humanitarian assessment mission" had been agreed in order to provide assistance to people in urgent need of it.
Meanwhile, Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali said if there is to be a foreign intervention to Syria to stop the violence, it should be led by Turkey and conducted by neighboring countries, in an interview with the Anatolia News Agency. He said such theories were discussed during the Friends of Syria meeting that took place in Tunis recently. At the next meeting, which will be held in Istanbul, practical measures should be discussed, Jebali said.
Israeli Gas Deal Tied to Resolution of Mavi Marmara Dispute
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız has said Turkey can facilitate the transportation of natural gas Greek Cyprus and Israel are currently working to extract in the eastern Mediterranean to northwestern markets only if, and when, Israel agrees to Turkey's demands regarding the killing of eight of its citizens together with a United States citizen of Turkish origin onboard an aid ship two years ago.
"All the feasibility studies conducted are now pointing to Turkey [as the most suitable transportation route]. If we did not have the Mavi Marmara issue with Israel, there could have been many joint projects between us -- and the transportation of natural gas [from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe] would be at the top of the list of those projects," Yıldız said Sunday, speaking to reporters in the southern province of Antalya. "And that would have been only right to do. Yet that natural gas pipeline is not worthy of nine lives we lost."
Faced with resistance when trying to intercept it, Israeli naval commandos killed eight Turks as well as 19-year old Furkan Doğan, a U.S. citizen of Turkish ethnicity, onboard the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara aid ship in international waters on May 31, 2010. The Turkish government and people have been infuriated with the operation and its deadly result, but Israel refused to apologize for it, perceiving it as an insult to its national pride. It also did not agree to pay compensation to the families of the victims. Turkey has accordingly imposed sanctions on Israel, expelling the Israeli ambassador and suspending military agreements with the Middle Eastern country.
"There is only one way to transport this natural gas. The seabed of the Mediterranean is not ideal for a pipeline. Turkey, on the other hand, has a pipeline infrastructure. Why should it not be used for that purpose? Should we receive an offer, we can speak of such a partnership only when the political foundation is strengthened for it. Energy cannot carry the burden of politics," Yıldız said.
Teaming up with the Greek Cypriots and Israelis, the American Noble Energy company is leading natural gas exploration efforts in the eastern Mediterranean. It estimates that there are more than 25 trillion cubic meters in Israeli waters and up to 230 billion cubic meters in Cypriot waters to the west. Ankara, however, adamantly opposes any Greek Cypriot oil and gas search that denies Turkish Cypriots, who have a separate government in the north of the island that is recognized only by Turkey, what it contends is a rightful claim to any revenue made from the sale of the gas. It also dismisses a Greek Cypriot-Israeli deal demarcating their maritime borders as null and void. In response, it recently signed an agreement with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, or KKTC, to explore for oil and natural gas in the region.
Cyprus was split into an internationally recognized Greek-speaking south and a Turkish-speaking north in 1974, after Turkey militarily intervened to protect the lives of Turks on the island following a coup attempt by supporters of union with Greece.
http://haber.gazetevatan.com/Haber/436172/1/Gundem
Education Bill Passes as Brawl Rocks Panel
Amid an unprecedented melee that saw lawmakers punch and kick each other, hurl swear words and harass journalists, the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, on Sunday rushed the controversial education bill through Parliament's Education Commission.
Commission Chairman Nabi Avcı took his opportunity in the midst of the chaos and hastily read out the remaining 20 articles of the draft, which were quickly approved by AKP votes without any discussion.
The whole procedure was completed in about 30 minutes, compared to the six-day sessions in which the first six articles were approved.
"Down with the AKP dictatorship," infuriated lawmakers of the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, chanted in the corridors of Parliament, as AKP deputies congratulated and applauded each other.
The scene for the brawl was set earlier, when about 100 AKP lawmakers packed the meeting room an hour ahead of the session, leaving several seats only for the Commission's opposition members. The pre-determined strategy, which followed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's adamant defense of the bill, aimed to block CHP tactics of protracting the debate through crowded attendance and lengthy speeches.
When some 50 CHP lawmakers arrived for the meeting, they found themselves stuck at the door. Their objections led to harsh exchanges that soon degenerated into fistfights and kicks. Two CHP lawmakers collapsed to the floor as plastic bottles flew in the air. One cameraman was taken to hospital with a head injury.
The Commission chairman, however, did not stop the vote and had the whole draft approved amid the pandemonium. Avcı defended his conduct later and put the blame on the opposition.
"The CHP said it would force the withdrawal of the bill. The Commission did not bow down to their threats," he said. CHP lawmakers took the floor about 130 times during the debate, which took almost 92 hours in total, he said.
Avcı displayed a bulky metal tape dispenser, which, he said, was hurled at him by the CHP's Akif Hamzaçebi. As the brawl raged, the AKP deputies also approved four changes to the draft, including one that would allow secondary school students to choose elective courses according to their talent and interests.
CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was meeting with pedagogues and journalists about the bill in Istanbul, condemned the session as "a black stain in the history of democracy" and declared the bill's approval "illegitimate."
The CHP's Muharrem İnce said: "Parliamentary democracy is finished. Bandits have descended on Parliament in broad daylight. See you at the second round at the General Assembly."
The CHP immediately convened an extraordinary meeting in Parliament, which was still under way when the Hürriyet Daily News went to print.
Mehmet Şandır of the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, said the approval of the draft was "null and void," and called Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek to action. Çiçek, however, simply said that his efforts over the past two days for a compromise had failed to bear fruit and voiced his regret over the incident.
Critics say the bill was designed to re-open the secondary school stage of imam-hatip religious schools. The draft is also under fire for its early introduction of vocational classes, and a provision that would open the door to students to opt out of school in favor of home study after eight years. Such arrangements would encourage child labor and undermine the schooling of girls, critics say.
http://haber.gazetevatan.com/bunu-da-gorduk/436158/9/Siyaset
Opposition Protests Against Radar Base
A group of main opposition party lawmakers, accompanied by locals, have staged a protest in eastern Turkey against a planned NATO early warning radar system.
Ten deputies from the Republican People's Party, or CHP, wearing jackets reading "No to the Missile Shield," climbed the mountain where the radar system is stationed in Kürecik in the eastern province of Malatya on Saturday, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.
The lawmakers went past four barricades by soldiers before being stopped at the entrance to the radar base. The group became the first civilians to approach the base, thereby allowing reporters to take photographs of the base for the first time. The deputies were flanked by locals opposing the installation of the NATO radar system.
"The radar base is against peace," Emine Ülker Tarhan, deputy parliamentary group leader for the CHP, told reporters in front of the radar base. "We are against war. To us, a shield is a symbol of war."
Radar in Turkey, Missiles in Romania, Poland
A deal with Turkey last year to station the sophisticated radar system on its territory was hailed by U.S. officials. Washington says the missile defense shield is designed to counter an Iranian missile threat.
Besides the radar in Turkey, the defense shield also contains interceptor missiles stationed in Romania and Poland, four ballistic missile defense-capable ships in Rota, Spain, and an operational headquarters in Germany.
The X-band radar in Turkey is part of a system designed to intercept short- and medium-range missiles at extremely high altitudes. Kürecik is about 700 kilometers west of the Iranian border.
'New Charter Should Have No Barriers to Mother Tongue Education'
The 26th meeting of the Abant Platform, which discussed problematic areas of the constitutional drafting process, suggested in its final declaration regarding education being given in languages other than Turkish -- one of the most contentious issues that needs to be addressed in the new constitution -- that as long as the official language of the country is taught and learned, everyone should be given the opportunity to receive an education in their mother tongue.
"Education in one's mother tongue is a fundamental human right. The constitution should not impose any restrictions on receiving an education in one's mother tongue and it should make education in different languages possible. Furthermore, as long as the official language of the country is taught and learned, everyone has the right to use their mother tongue in education," said the final declaration of the Abant meeting regarding the controversial issue of education in languages other than Turkish.
The Platform's latest meeting took place in the northwestern province of Bolu between March 9 and 11 and included the participation of a wide spectrum of intellectuals, lawyers, political leaders and journalists.
During the meeting, participants examined the constitutional process through the following subjects -- citizenship and identity, mother tongue education, local governments and the balance between a unitary state and autonomy, freedom of religion, religious education and the position of the president in the constitution.
Following three days of deliberation, participants at the meeting released a final statement on Sunday which included suggestions for the settlement of one of the most disputed issues in the new constitution.
For years, Turkey has aspired to change its current 1982 Constitution, which was written following the 1980 military coup and criticized by many for lacking a pro-democratic and pro-freedom approach.All parties in Parliament pledged ahead of last year's general elections to contribute to the preparation of a new and democratic constitution for Turkey. A Constitution Commission was established by Parliament following the elections to work on the drafting of the new constitution.
Regarding the preamble of the constitution, the Platform said it should rely on principles of human rights, supremacy of law, democracy and respect to human dignity and not include any other articles like the non-amendable articles of the current constitution.
On citizenship and identities, the Platform overwhelmingly adopted two suggestions: "There is no need to define citizenship in the constitution. Furthermore, everyone who is born in neighborhoods dominated by the Turkish Republic are citizens of Turkey. In neighborhoods where the Turkish Republic does not dominate, the citizenship of one whose mother or father is a Turkish citizen is arranged according to law."
Participants of the Platform also discussed three proposals on the administrative structure of Turkey and adopted them: "The administrative structure of Turkey is based on decentralization. All administrative tutelage on local administrations should be removed. As long as the official language is obligatory, use of other languages in communication with the public is free. Second, the determination and organizations of public services are made locally. Third, administration from the center is an exception while decentralization is the main principle in administration."
The position of the president was among the issues discussed at the three-day meeting in Abant. According to the suggestions in the Platform's final declaration, the new constitution should retain Turkey's parliamentary system and the authority of the president should be narrowed down to make the position of the president like the one in democratic parliamentary systems where he/she has a symbolic position.
Although the president is elected for a five-year renewable term by a popular vote according to the current constitution, the Platform suggested that the president should be elected for a non-renewable seven-year term either by a popular vote or a qualified majority in Parliament.
On the contentious issue of freedom of faith and the position of the Directorate of Religious Affairs (DİB), the Platform made three suggestions: "Nobody can be subjected to discrimination in education, work life or the public domain due to their religious beliefs or statements. The DİB should be given the position of a foundation with full independence, other faith groups should establish similar foundations with state support or the DİB should be funded with the optional faith tax. Similar institutions should be established for other faith groups."
Yet another controversial issue discussed at the Platform was the issue of religious courses. The Platform suggested that the constitution should either include no provisions regarding religious lessons or it should include provisions for compulsory objective and pluralistic religious culture and moral education lessons. Either religious courses should be elective or there should be alternative courses to religious culture and moral education courses which promote critical thinking and develop pluralism with a different content.
Hashemi: My Being Sunni Not Reason for Turkish Support
Iraq's fugitive Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi has said he has Turkey's support not because he is a Sunni politician, but because Turkey is protesting injustice in Iraq's worst political crisis since the United States invasion nine years ago.
Iraq's Shiite-led central government wants to try Hashemi -- one of the country's top Sunni politicians -- on charges of running death squads in a case that raised fears of an increase in sectarian tension after U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq in December.
In an interview with Turkey's television station CNN Türk, Hashemi said he knows Turks are sympathetic and understand his situation, which he described as "dire." He said that despite some of the limitations in Turkey's capacity to help, he is delighted and pleased to have Turkish support. He noted that he hopes Turks will continue to support him in his political situation.
The Iraqi central government issued an arrest warrant for Hashemi on the eve of the U.S. withdrawal, prompting a political crisis with Hashemi's Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc announcing a boycott of Parliament and the Shiite-led cabinet, and raised fears of a renewal of the sectarian violence that killed tens of thousands of people between 2006 and 2007.
The crisis has abated somewhat in recent weeks, as most members of the Iraqiya bloc have decided to lift the boycott, but Hashemi has remained holed up in the autonomous Kurdish zone in the north of the country.
He said he cannot receive a fair trial in Baghdad and has asked to be tried in Kirkuk, a city divided between Sunni Arabs and Kurds. The government says the case is purely criminal, the prosecution is independent and the government cannot intervene. A Baghdad judiciary panel rejected moving the case to Kirkuk and set a trial for May in Baghdad. Iraq's Interior Ministry said last week that it has demanded Kurdish authorities arrest him.
The crisis was followed by a wave of attacks in December, January and February on Shiite neighborhoods, including a suicide bombing on a Shiite funeral procession that killed 31 in Baghdad, an attack on Shiite pilgrims that left 53 dead in Basra and a string of attacks across Iraq that killed at least 55.
Days after the American military left, a wave of bombs targeting Shiites on Dec. 22 killed at least 69 people. That happened twice more over the following three weeks, killing 78 and 53, respectively.
Iraq's vice president said he hopes Iraq will completely restore its stability and establish cooperation among Iraq's different political factions.
"Support for Hashemi is not because Hashemi is a Sunni," the vice president said, noting that Turkish leaders understand the situation he is in and he can easily talk to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu whenever he wants.
Hashemi said it is his legitimate right to be tried in Kirkuk and he will not leave the Kurdish region for Baghdad. He indicated that he is not currently planning to travel abroad, even to Turkey, and acknowledged one of the first foreign officials he spoke with following the crisis last December was Davutoğlu, who urged him to stay in Iraq.
Hashemi said the Kurds embraced him because they do not tolerate injustice and that they fear that they could be the next target of the central government in Baghdad if they do not act to resolve the injustice.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is planning to organize a political conference soon, and Hashemi said, there are important matters that need to be resolved before the conference, aimed at reconciling Iraq's rival groups, is held.
Hashemi said it is still not clear whether or not they will send delegates to Baghdad in the case the venue of the national conference is in Baghdad. He said the authorities have jailed his guards, while others have fled government prosecution. Hashemi added that if the government will provide the necessary security for himself and his delegates, his participation in the national conference may be possible.
Speaking with regards to Turkish-Iraqi relations in the face of the latest quarrels between Erdoğan and Maliki, Hashemi said the current situation is not something he wants to see. He said Erdoğan's anger towards Maliki stems from the Turkish prime minister's awareness of Hashemi's situation. He indicated he had told Erdoğan about how Maliki had jailed Hashemi's guards and deployed tanks in front of his house.
Erdoğan and Maliki have exchanged harsh words over the past few months with regards to the political crisis that has escalated violence in Turkey's southern neighbor, which is also one of its largest partners in trade. Erdoğan accused Maliki of augmenting his power in Baghdad at the expense of isolating Sunni politicians and igniting civil strife that could plunge the war-torn country into a new cycle of violence.
Maliki harshly slammed Erdoğan for remarks he said represent interference in Iraq's domestic affairs. Maliki claims that Erdoğan is supporting Sunnis in Iraq and that Turkey's position could have "tragic consequences" for Iraq.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-273966-hashemi-my-being-sunni-not-reason-for-turkish-support.html
Related Topics: AK Group
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