Minaret of Freedom Weblog

In light of Israel’s latest public relations stunt…

• Israel Removes West Bank Settler Outpost (Reuters / Washington Post)

… Will the agreement to freeze settlement expansion suffer the fate of previous agreements and become only empty words:

• Obama Demands That Israel Stop Settlements. How Feasible is That? (Christian Science Monitor)

Long term success for Fatah hinges on reforms and compromises with Hamas:

• Palestinians Try to Prune Branches of Core Party (NY Times)

Proof that overtures without substantive policy change have little effect:

• With Arabs, Obama Never had a Honeymoon (Christian Science Monitor)

Widening its influence while gaining international recognition:

• Hezbollah’s Growing Regional Role Piques Arabs (AP/ Washington Post)

Will Sadr shed his image as a sectarian provocateur or continue to embrace a role as a mujtahid:

• Is Iraq’s Enigmatic Sadr Headed for a Comeback? (Reuters)

With negotiations still in the preliminary stages, a reminder that “America cannot win this war, and the Taliban cannot win this war”:

• U.S. Pullout a Condition in Afghan Peace Talks (NY Times)

Under the fear of political reprisal if the detainees end up in America, the Senate withholds funds until Obama presents a plan for relocation:

• Senate Demands Plan for Detainees (Washington Post)

Hamas believes the new government by Abbas will “sabotage” reconciliation talks between the Palestinian factions:

• Hamas Condemns Palestinian Cabinet (Al Jazeera)

Will hostility and hawkish attitudes continue to prevail?

• Iran Tests Missile as Obama Tests Diplomacy (Christian Science Monitor)

Four employees of Xe, formerly known as Blackwater, are accused in a deadly shooting although they were not authorized to carry weapons:

• U.S. Says Contractors in Afghanistan Violated Gun Policy (LA Times)

A focus on curbing corruption and prioritizing budget needs is necessary for the survival of the Iraqi government:

• Lower Oil Prices Put Iraq’s Security Forces In Bind at Crucial Time (Washington Post)

Offering only about $55 per refugee, U.S. signals Pakistan should pay the price for civilian flight from the Swat Valley offensive:

• Pakistan Will Get Up to $110 Million in U.S. Aid for Displaced, Clinton Says (LA Times)

The concerns over the torture video implicating Sheikh Issa is unlikely to completely derail the US/UAE nuclear agreement:

• Grisly Video May Slow Nuclear Pact (Washington Post)

Ashcroft and Mueller are found not liable for any “incidental impact on Arab Muslims” in the investigations after 9/11:

• Court Says Detainee’s Lawsuit Can’t Proceed (Washington Post)

Saeb Erekat complains that Netanyahu “says that he wants Palestinians to govern themselves by themselves… How can I govern myself by myself under your wall, settlements, incursions, assassinations, roadblocks?” As expected, …

• Israel ‘Deaf’ to Two-State Solution (Al Jazeera)

… Perhaps a more radical solution is needed to compromise with both sides:

• Can Europe be Another Way for Israel-Palestine? (Guardian)

Khamenei’s comments are seen as an endorsement for Ahmadinejad’s foreign policy:

• Iran’s Spiritual Leader Discourages Electing a Pro-Western President (LA Times)

The extent of Zalmay Khalilzad responsibility and influence in the Afghani government remains unknown:

• Ex-U.S. Envoy May Take Key Role in Afghan Government (NY Times)

Women were expected to participate for the first time in municipal elections:

• Saudi Arabia Delays Municipal Polls (Al Jazeera)

With the need to generate 100 million new jobs within the next ten years:

• Mideast Leaders Defend Free Market at Economic Forum (Christian Science Monitor)

Relations between Iraqi Arabs and Kurds rapidly deteriorate:

• Dispute Over Land Simmering in Iraq (Washington Post)

Analysts fear some of the billions in US aid might be allocated to Pakistan’s nuclear programs:

• Pakistan Is Rapidly Adding Nuclear Arms, U.S. Says (NY Times)

Hundreds of fighters who had been persuaded to support President Ahmed, a “widely respected moderate Islamist once vilified by U.S. officials but now regarded by Washington as Somalia’s last, best hope” have gone back to the Shabab extremists:

• Rebels Threaten Somali Government (Washington Post)

“It is an intellectual way of segregating the minorities from the society and it gives them an impression that they were not part of the nation at all”

• The Threat of Pakistan’s Revisionist Texts (Guardian)

BJP members reexamine militant anti-Muslim rhetoric in wake of their poor showing  in the elections:

• India’s Hindu Party Reflects on Election Drubbing (Washington Post)

With Obama set to meet with Netanyahu tomorrrow…

• Gazans Hope U.S. Leader Pushes Israel to Relax Grip (Washington Post

… all Palestinians must be reprsented if any progress is to be achieved:

• Palestinians Resume Talks in Cairo (Al Jazeera)

A Pakistani student says, “we want all nuclear weapons to be restricted for all countries in the world,” not just Pakistan:

• Could Taliban Get Keys to Pakistan’s A-bomb? (Christian Science Monitor)

“Women gained the right to vote and run for office in 2005 but failed in two previous elections to win seats”

• Kuwaiti Women Win First Parliamentary Seats (AP / NY Times)

Reform candidates argue that Ahmadinejad’s rhetorical excess only helps Israel and isolates Iran while his populist distribution of oil revenues has failed to produce promised jobs:

• Iran President’s Denial of Holocaust Becomes Campaign Issue (LA Times)

Questions of rule of law and the right to adopt in Islam:

• Egypt: American Couples on Trial for Adoption (Washington Post)

Continuing the bullying policies of the Bush administration:

• U.S. Again Warns Britain on Detainee Memo (NY Times)

A breakdown of Obama’s changes to the military tribunals now responsible for trying 10 to 20 detainees:

• Obama to Relaunch Military Tribunals for Terror Suspects (Christian Science Monitor)

“Lieberman’s ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party said it will propose legislation next week for a ban on the commemoration and jail terms of up to three years for those who violated the law”:

• Palestinians Mark the ‘Nakba’ (AL Jazeera)

One theory suggests Baghdadi is a fictional character:

• Even in Custody, Abu Omar al Baghdadi Proves Elusive (LA Times)

Activists call for a constitutional monarchy and “fair and public trials” for the 991 suspects accused of terrorism:

• Tiny Saudi Democracy Movement Sends King Blueprint for Reform (Christian Science Montior)

Residents of Bamiyan, an area rich in cultural history, hope to overcome the challenges of encouraging tourism in Afghanistan:

• Next Hot Tourist Destination: Afghanistan? (Reuters / Washington Post)

In the belief the photos would only “further inflame anti-American opinion and… put our troops in greater danger”, Obama opts against transparency in government:

• Obama Moves to Bar Release of Detainee Abuse Photos (NY Times)

A detailed breakdown of how the Pakistani government is losing support to “private groups with alternate agendas” risking a “perilous political backlash”…

• Pakistan’s Displacement Camps: A Study in Contrasts (LA Times)

… Meanwhile, countering Taliban propaganda could prove to be the most effective tactic utilized by US forces in Afghanistan:

• US Fights Taliban on Another Front: Public Relations (Christian Science Monitor)

Will international pressure amount to substantive change when Obama meets with Netanyahu later this month?

• Israel PM Meets Jordanian King (AL Jazeera)
• Pope Criticizes Israel On Palestinian Policy (Washington Post)

Hass was the first Israeli reporter to enter Gaza in nearly two years:

• Haaretz Reporter Amira Hass Arrested Upon Leaving Gaza (Haaretz)

The Pakistani dilemma: assume partial control over drone attacks and their consequences or allow the US to continue without any control over their operations:

• Pakistan Gets a Say in Drone Attacks on Militants (LA Times)

The man whose torture induced testimony was largely responsible for the belief Sadam Hussein possessed WMDs allegedly committee suicide:

• What Happened to Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi? (Guardian)

“Curiosity” lead Saberi to copy a confidential Iranian report:

• Journalist Copied Iranian Report on U.S. and Iraq (AP / Washington Post)

With General Abbas prohibiting reporters and independent observers from the area, the refugees are the only evidence of fighting:

• Pakistan Says 1.3 Million Flee Fight With Taliban (NY Times)

…Meanwhile, the efforts of Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation, formerly known as Jamaat-ud-Dawa, are often “better organized and funded than comparable government services”:

• Banned Jihadi group is Running Aid Programme for Swat Refugees (Guardian)

Analysts believe additional US support is needed past the June 30 deadline but al-Maliki’s comments suggest he will not authorize exceptions to the agreement:

• Spike in Suicide Attacks: Is Al Qaeda in Iraq Coming Back? (Christian Science Monitor)