News and Analysis (6/9/10)

“[L]iving conditions in Gaza are so bad that by some readings of international law, the legality of the flotilla attack is a moot point….” A legal expert says, “The real need is a focus on the legality of the conditions of people in Gaza” …

• Never Mind the ‘Freedom Flotilla.’ Is Israel’s Gaza Blockade Legal? (Christian Science Monitor)

… Meanwhile, critics point out that the list of newly approved items does not include cement, steel or other items desperately needed in the war devastated strip:

• Israel Allows Some Once-Banned Products into Gaza (AP / Washington Post)

With a new round of sanctions likely to pass in just a few hours…

• Iran to Face New UN Sanctions Vote (Al Jazeera)

… Ahmadinejad speaks frankly declaring UN sanction will officially any negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program:

• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: UN Sanctions Will Mean No More Iran Nuclear Talks (Guardian)

“The prospect of a robust military push in Kandahar Province, … widely expected to begin this month, has evolved into a strategy that puts civilian reconstruction efforts first and relegates military action to a supportive role”:

• Afghanistan Strategy Shifts to Focus on Civilian Effort (NY Times)

By a different name in a difference country, would Obama’s request to continue using the Bagram prison be another Guantanamo?

• U.S. Hopes to Share Prison with Afghanistan (LA Times)

More than 5,000 arrests have been made and the Iranian government is implicated in cases of torture, beatings, rape and solitary confinement …

• Amnesty International Issues Warning Over Iran Human rights Abuse (Guardian)

… in the meantime, in “dueling images,” a man (or men?) claiming to be Shaham Amiri makes and then retracts accusations of abduction and torture against the US government:

• Videos Deepen Mystery over Iranian Scientist Who Apparently Defected to U.S. (Washington Post)

Imran

Minaret of Freedom Institute Program Assistant