Excerpts: Abbas shows his true face in Brussels. Egypt Jet hijacker spins a
wild yarn. Pound,Asia Markets Collapse as Britain quits EU. Life sentences
to murderers of Eitam and Naama Henkin. IMF warns US re 'economic
potential'. Israel PM,Kerry Rome meet re Palestinians. King: Jordan
continues anti-terror fight June 23, 2016
+++SOURCE:Naharnet (Lebanon)24 June’16:”Israel says Abbas Reviving Old
‘Blood Libel’ Against Jews”,by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Abbas shows his true face in Brussels
FULL TEXT:Israel accused the Palestinian president of libeling the Jewish
people after he charged [23 June]Thursday that rabbis had called for
Palestinian wells to be poisoned.
"Abu Mazen showed his true face in Brussels," Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's office said in a statement, using a familiar Arabic name for
President Mahmoud Abbas.
During a speech to the European Parliament, Abbas said, in apparently
unscripted Arabic remarks, that recently "a number of rabbis in Israel made
a clear declaration and asked their government to poison water to kill the
Palestinians."
He cited the accusation, without giving any source, as part of an attack
against what he said was Israeli incitement against the Palestinians.
Abbas was in Brussels for talks with top EU officials trying to kick-start
stalled Israel-Palestinian peace talks.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin was there at the same time but an attempt by
European Parliament head Martin Schulz to broker a meeting between them
failed, diplomatic sources said.
"The person who refuses to meet the (Israeli) state president... and
disseminates a blood libel in front of the European Parliament, lies and
claims that his hand is outstretched in peace," Netanyahu's office said.
The accusation that Jews were poisoning the wells of Christians gained
traction in 14th century Europe as plague swept across the continent.
Another allegation from the Middle Ages, that Jews murdered Christian
children to use their blood for ritual purposes, is the source of the term
"blood libel."
The Jerusalem Post newspaper reported Tuesday[21 June] that the
well-poisoning story had resurfaced in a statement by the Palestinian
foreign ministry naming a "rabbi Mlad" as authorizing contamination of
Palestinian water.
The Post and other Israeli media said they had failed to locate any such
person or edict.
+++SOURCE:Naharnet (Lebanon 24 June’16:”Egypt Jet Hijacker Says was Shot
Fighting Israeli Troops in Lebanon”, By Associated Press
SUBJECT:Egypt Jet Hijacker spins a wild yarn
QUOTE:”An Egyptian hijacker who is fighting his extradition from Cyprus
claimed Thursday[23 June] that he had been wounded in an attack on the
Israeli army in Lebanon.”
FULL TEXT:In a surprising twist to lengthy extradition proceedings, Seif
al-Din Mohamed Mostafa, 58, told a Cypriot court that he hijacked the
domestic EgyptAir flight in March intending to seek asylum in Italy in order
to "point the finger" at the Egyptian military regime.
He also accused Egypt's military-backed government of torturing and killing
an Italian doctoral student, claiming he saw Giulio Regeni being
interrogated in a Cairo prison.
Mostafa said he committed the March 29 hijacking to "expose (Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's) fascist regime to the world." The six-hour
ordeal ended peacefully on the tarmac of Cyprus' Larnaca airport where the
plane was diverted after all 72 passengers and crew were released and
Mostafa was arrested.
"I never wanted to take hostages or frighten anyone," Mostafa said. "It was
a desperate move for freedom in Egypt that initiated my actions."
He also blasted Cypriot authorities for calling him "unstable" as well as
for suggesting that he committed the hijacking simply to seek out his
Cypriot ex-wife whom he said he "had no reason to or plan to see."
Cyprus police said Mostafa told them after his arrest that he acted because
the Egyptian government hadn't allowed him to see his ex-wife and three
children on Cyprus in 24 years.
Mostafa said this "purposeful misinformation" indicated that the governments
of Cyprus and Egypt where in cahoots to "hide my true motives, to discredit
me and to cloud the matter."
"I desperately wanted to attract the free western people's attention... so
everyone here in the West can see and understand what is going in in Egypt
where death or oppression are the fate of anyone who demands freedom,
justice, democracy," he said.
Mostafa said he "knows very well" his extradition would result in torture or
death. "In any case, when I land in Egypt, I shall be a 'dead man walking',"
he said.
Mostafa repeatedly denounced the Egyptian government for mounting a coup
against the "freely and democratically elected" Islamist President Mohammed
Morsi but denied being a supporter of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.
Although calling himself a "pacifist" and a "liberal," Mustafa outlined at
length his alleged membership and actions with the Marxist-Leninist
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine as well as with factions
opposed to Egypt's peace accord with Israel and the man who signed the
agreement, assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
He said he worked for the Palestine Liberation Organization in Lebanon,
Syria, Tunisia and Greece while using many aliases and forged passports from
numerous nations.
Mostafa said he was shot in the foot during attacks against Israeli
positions in Lebanon after Israel's 1982 invasion of the country.
He also said he had received training on a large-caliber anti-aircraft
machinegun in the former Soviet Union and received the rank of lieutenant.
Mostafa claimed to have been arrested, detained and tortured in Egypt on
numerous occasions during the rule of ousted President Hosni Mubarak. He
said he was compelled to use forged identification papers and passports even
within Egypt because authorities considered him "a suspicious person and a
threat to national security."
SourceAssociated Press
+++SOURCE: NaharPound, Asia Markets Collapse as Britain Quits EU,by Agence
France Presse
SUBJECT Asia Markets collapse as Britain quits EU
The pound collapsed and world stock markets descended into pandemonium
Friday[24 June] after Britain voted to leave the European Union, fueling a
wave of global uncertainty.
Sterling hit a 31-year low, crashing 10 percent to $1.3229 at one point, and
the euro also plummeted against the US currency as the Brexit result caught
markets by surprise.
European stock markets went into free fall at the opening, mirroring a rout
in Asian markets, which were still open as the referendum results trickled
in.
The London FTSE-100 index was down by around 5 percent in morning deals,
having come off early lows after British Prime Minister David Cameron
announced his resignation.
Banking stocks led the way down, with Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and
Lloyds all losing close to a quarter of their market value at the opening.
"The British people have voted against the economic warnings of the
overwhelming majority of expert economic opinion. Not surprisingly, this
morning the referendum result has sent shock waves through global financial
markets," said Daniel Vernazza, economist at UniCredit Research.
The eurozone's main markets, Frankfurt and Paris, both fell more than 10
percent at one point, as financial stocks took the biggest hit.
In the weeks leading up to Thursday's historic vote, there had been
widespread warnings that a "Brexit" would cause a rout across global markets
that would wipe trillions off valuations.
- Markets wrong-footed -But investors were still clearly wrong-footed by the
vote outcome. European stock markets and the pound had gained steadily in
the run-up to the referendum on the basis of polls and bookmakers'
predictions.
"It's scary, and I've never seen anything like it," James Butterfill, head
of research and investments at ETF Securities, said in London. "A lot of
people were caught out, and many investors will lose a lot of money," he
told Bloomberg News.
Fears are also growing that other EU members will push for referendums,
posing the biggest threat to the future of the grouping since its inception
almost 60 years ago.
That worry pushed stock markets in the eurozone's weaker southern economies
even lower than those at the core, with Milan stocks falling 10 percent in
early business, Madrid 12 percent and Athens by 15 percent.
"Leave's victory has delivered one of the biggest market shocks of all
time," said Joe Rundle, head of trading at ETX Capital.
The dollar slumped briefly to 99.02 yen, the first time it has gone below
100 yen since November 2013, before edging back up above 102 yen. The
Japanese unit is considered a safe bet in times of uncertainty and turmoil.
The Bank of Japan said Friday[24 June] it was ready to work with other
central banks to pump cash into financial markets to combat wild swings,
while the Bank of England said it would take "all necessary steps" to avert
a full-blown crisis, including pumping more than 250 billion pounds ($370
billion, 326 billion euros) into the financial system if needed.
- Seeking safety -The Swiss central bank intervened in the foreign exchanges
to stem the rise of the Swiss franc which surged on safe-haven buying.
Investors also sought the relative safety of government bonds. The price on
the German benchmark 10-year sovereign bond rose sharply, pushing its yield
into negative territory for only the second time in its history.
UK government bonds also rose, taking their 10-year yield to a historic low.
Gold, a traditional refuge asset, struck a two-year high.
But elsewhere, billions of dollars were wiped off investment portfolios.
India's rupee, the Canadian dollar and the Singapore dollar all suffered
heavy losses, while the South African rand lost six percent on the day as
emerging markets were hurt by sudden risk-aversion.
The prospect of a severe hit to the global economy also hammered oil prices,
with both main contracts slumping more than six percent.
- Key figures around 0840 GMT -London - FTSE-100: DOWN 5.3 percent at
6,002.49
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 7.3 percent at 9,513.45
Paris - CAC-40: DOWN 8.9 percent at 4,067.26
EuroStoxx: DOWN 9.1 percent at 2,762.20
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3790 from $1.4974 late Thursday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1139 from $1.1422
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 102.96 yen from 106.53 yen
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 7.92 percent at 14,952.02 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 1.3 percent at 2,854.29 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 2.9 percent at 20,259.13 (close)
New York - DOW: UP 1.3 percent at 18,011.07 (close)
+++SOURCE:Al Arabiya News 23 June’16:”4 Palestinians sentenced to life for
murdering Israelis”by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Life sentences for murderers of Eitam and Naama Henkin
FULL TEXT: Four Palestinians were on Wednesday[22 June] handed life
sentences for the killing of an Israeli couple driving in the West Bank with
their children last year, the army said.
“The military court in Samaria handed two life sentences and another 30
years to each of the four members of the Hamas cell that carried out the
attack in which Eitam and Naama Henkin were murdered in front of their
children,”
+++SOURCE:Naharnet (Lebanon) 23 June ’16:”IMF Warns US over High
Poverty,Inequality”,by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: IMF warns US re ‘economic potential’
FULL TEXT:The International Monetary Fund warned the United States
Wednesday[22 June] over poverty and rising inequality in the country, saying
both could hold back its economic potential.
The IMF cut its outlook for US economic growth this year to 2.2 percent,
compared to 2.4 percent forecast at the beginning of the year. It cited the
impact of slower global growth overall, the contraction in the energy
industry due to low oil prices, and a slowdown in domestic consumer
spending.
The Washington-based global crisis lender said the U.S. economy is in "good
shape" generally, growing more strongly than other leading advanced
economies, with unemployment at a nearly nine year low and inflation in
check.
The world's largest economy "has repeatedly demonstrated its resilience in
the face of financial market volatility, a strengthening dollar, and subdued
global demand," the report said.
Yet it identified stark trends that it said will slowly choke off avenues to
future growth if not addressed soon, particularly a very high level of
poverty for a rich country and increasing inequality.
The IMF said the ageing of the U.S. population, with a surge of baby-boomers
moving into retirement, is combining with a troubling stall in productivity
gains and lack of investment in workers and physical capital to present a
new challenge to the economy.
On top of that, it said the growth of inequality and persistence of high
poverty would exacerbate those trends.
It noted that 46.7 million Americans -- one out of seven people -- are
living in poverty, including 20 percent of all children. Working Americans'
share of all income in the country has fallen by five percent in 15 years,
and the middle class is the smallest it has been in three decades.
The polarization in income distribution, the Fund said, has effectively cut
consumer demand by 3.5 percent since 1999 -- the equivalent of losing one
year's consumer spending out of 15.
That trend will only further crimp the economy, said IMF Managing Director
Christine Lagarde.
"Not only does poverty create significant social strains, it also eats into
labor force participation, and undermines the ability to invest in education
and improve health outcomes," she said in a statement.
"Our assessment is that, if left unchecked, these four forces --
participation, productivity, polarization, and poverty -- will corrode the
underpinnings of growth (both potential and actual) and hold back gains in
U.S. living standards."
The IMF said that in order to reverse these trends, the United States must
invest more in education and infrastructure, and must expand support for the
poorest through taxation reforms, a higher minimum wage, and better social
programs like childcare that will help the poor get and retain jobs.
The IMF also said that ratification of the Trans Pacific Partnership trade
pact, which was signed last year between major Pacific Rim countries, would
strengthen U.S. growth prospects in the future.
+++SOURCE: Naharnet(Lebanon)23 June ’16:”Israel PM to Meet Kerry in Rome on
Palestinians”, by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Israel PM,Kerry Rome meet re Palestinians
FULLTEXT:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. Secretary
of State John Kerry in coming days in Rome to discuss stalled peace efforts
with the Palestinians, an Israeli official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu and Kerry
would be meet on Sunday[26-27 June] and again on Monday on "issues relating
to security and peace."
The meeting comes ahead of the publication of a report by the Middle East
Quartet -- the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and
Russia -- on how to restart peace efforts.
Media have said the report is expected to be critical of Israeli policies in
the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu recently spoke over the phone with EU foreign policy chief
Federica Mogherini.
An on Tuesday he called Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussed "key
aspects of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process," according to a Russian
statement.
The Israeli premier will also be meeting U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
in Jerusalem on Monday[27 June]. The U.N. chief will be in Israel and the
Palestinian territories as part of a Middle East tour.
On Monday, EU foreign ministers backed a French initiative to organize an
international conference on the Middle East, aimed at restarting
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks deadlocked since 2014.
The European Union has been pressing hard to get the peace process back on
track based on a two-state, Israel and Palestinian, solution.
Netanyahu is opposed to the French initiative and has described it as an
"international diktat" that should not come in the place of direct talks
with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Palestinians support the international community's involvement, saying
that years of talks with Israel have not yielded their desired results.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said the premier would also be meeting
with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi during his visit to Rome.
+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 23 June ’16:”Jordan continuing with anti-terror
fight — King, by JT
SUBJECT: K ing:Jordan continues anti-terror fight
QUOTE:”His Majesty King Abdullah meets with US Special Presidential Envoy
for the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh Brett McGurk at Al Husseiniya
Palace on Wednesday 22June”
AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday[22 June] stressed that Jordan
is continuing its efforts to combat terrorist groups, especially Daesh.
During a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace with US Special Presidential Envoy
for the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh Brett McGurk, His Majesty stressed
the importance of intensifying coordination and cooperation among member
countries in the coalition, a Royal Court statement said.
For his part, McGurk condemned Tuesday's[21 June] terror attack that
targeted a military post dedicated to serving Syrian refugees at a makeshift
encampment in the border area, and claimed the lives of six Jordanian troops
and injured 14 others.
He also voiced his condolences to His Majesty and all Jordanians.
The meeting was attended by HRH Prince Feisal, Royal Court Chief Fayez
Tarawneh, King’s Military Adviser and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff
Gen. Mashal Al Zaben, National Security Adviser and General Intelligence
Department Director Gen. Faisal Shobaki and National Policies Council
Rapporteur Abdullah Wreikat.
Also on Wednesday[22 June], Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
Nasser Judeh discussed ways to combat terrorism with McGurk, the Jordan News
Agency, Petra, reported.
They stressed the significance of the Jordan-US partnership in the war on
terrorism and highlighted the importance of continued coordination among key
international players to defeat terrorists
===============
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA
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