Inside Story, Al Jazeera English : March 02, 2008
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has suspended peace talks with Israel, demanding that it ends its offensive on Gaza.
Israel's five-day offensive on the Gaza Strip has so far killed more than 100 Palestinians, many of them civilians.
Israel claims it is acting in self-defence in response to cross-border rocket attacks by Hamas.
But Israel has been strongly criticized by the European Union and United Nations, who have condemned its use of "excessive" and "disproportionate" force.
Inside Story, with presenter Sami Zeidan, examines the possible outcomes.
Part 1
Part 2
Showing posts with label abdel bari atwan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label abdel bari atwan. Show all posts
Monday, 3 March 2008
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
Palestinian donor talks in Paris
Part 1
Part 2
Al Jazeera English - December 17, 2007
Ninety international donors have begun a one-day meeting in Paris to pledge funds to help lift the Palestinian economy and underpin the Middle East peace talks.
But is mobilising financial and political support for the Palestinian Authority enough to stop the worsening economic crisis in the West Bank and Gaza Strip?
The economic well-being of the Palestinians is widely seen as an essential pre-condition for the building of a viable and successful Palestinian state.
We explore the Paris conference and its chances of success, especially as the situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate.
The development plan presented by Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, has won the support of the World Bank, but it relies on the gradual shift to development projects under a scenario that has Israel easing restrictions and enabling the private sector to recover. Can the Paris conference kickstart this process?
Part 2
Al Jazeera English - December 17, 2007
Ninety international donors have begun a one-day meeting in Paris to pledge funds to help lift the Palestinian economy and underpin the Middle East peace talks.
But is mobilising financial and political support for the Palestinian Authority enough to stop the worsening economic crisis in the West Bank and Gaza Strip?
The economic well-being of the Palestinians is widely seen as an essential pre-condition for the building of a viable and successful Palestinian state.
We explore the Paris conference and its chances of success, especially as the situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate.
The development plan presented by Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, has won the support of the World Bank, but it relies on the gradual shift to development projects under a scenario that has Israel easing restrictions and enabling the private sector to recover. Can the Paris conference kickstart this process?
Sunday, 30 September 2007
Abdel Bari Atwan at the Brisbane Writers Festival
Al-Qa'ida expert arrives at right time
Rosemary Sorensen, The Australian, September 17, 2007
ABDEL Bari-Atwan has fallen in love with the Australian people, following his highly publicised delayed arrival at the Brisbane Writers Festival on Saturday.
The Palestinian-born, London-based newspaper editor and author of The Secret Life of al-Qa'ida praised the Australian media for their support, and said he had been overwhelmed by the attention he had received when Immigration delayed his visa.
"I am very moved by the reception, and it makes me more in love with this country," Atwan said yesterday.
"I don't want to be a hero, I don't pick a fight. I think letting someone like me, who has a very critical attitude towards the war (in Iraq), works to the Government's advantage to let me speak my mind."
Speaking publicly on Saturday and Sunday, Atwan told jokes about how scared he had been meeting Osama bin Laden in 1996, and warned the audience that the failure to capture or kill the leader of al-Qa'ida had meant the organisation was spreading "like a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise".
"There used to be just one address, like the first cave on the left, but now there are six or seven addresses.
"It's very clear that al-Qa'ida is a Hydra-headed monster."
He said both he and Mohamed Haneef, the Indian doctor working on the Gold Coast whose work visa was cancelled during an investigation into terror-link claims, were victims of Islamophobia. "His case and mine are known because they are publicised but imagine how many cases are not publicised," Atwan said.
His "visa saga" had now become "something to laugh about", and he praised the members of the ABC television satire team, the Chaser, for inviting him to take part in the festival.
We need groups like the Chaser," Atwan said. "We need to laugh at our politicians, and to highlight these kinds of mistakes."
During a panel session on Saturday, chaired by ABC radio's Rachel Kohn, Atwan had defused a situation that had threatened to become unpleasant, when audience members began shouting at Kohn's defence of the Iraq war.
"I was surprised that she entered into the argument when she was supposed to be a neutral moderator," Atwan said.
Instead, she was defending the undefendable."
Festival director Michael Campbell said Atwan's al-Qa'ida book was the best-selling title at the festival. "We had anticipated that there would be questions posed to him by audiences but I hadn't expected it from the Government," Mr Campbell said.
=========================================
AUDIO: Abdel Bari Atwan and the history of al-Qa'ida
Paul Barclay, ABC Radio National, 18 September 2007
Palestinian-born journalist and author Abdel Bari Atwan has finally made it to Australia following a delay with the issuing of his visa. He will be on the program discussing his book The Secret History of al-Qa'ida.
VIDEO: "A Case for War" Iran Debate PBS
Richard Perle and Abdel Bari Atwan discuss the consequences and realities of the U.S. presence in Iraq from the upcoming PBS special, A Case for War.
Rosemary Sorensen, The Australian, September 17, 2007
ABDEL Bari-Atwan has fallen in love with the Australian people, following his highly publicised delayed arrival at the Brisbane Writers Festival on Saturday.
The Palestinian-born, London-based newspaper editor and author of The Secret Life of al-Qa'ida praised the Australian media for their support, and said he had been overwhelmed by the attention he had received when Immigration delayed his visa.
"I am very moved by the reception, and it makes me more in love with this country," Atwan said yesterday.
"I don't want to be a hero, I don't pick a fight. I think letting someone like me, who has a very critical attitude towards the war (in Iraq), works to the Government's advantage to let me speak my mind."
Speaking publicly on Saturday and Sunday, Atwan told jokes about how scared he had been meeting Osama bin Laden in 1996, and warned the audience that the failure to capture or kill the leader of al-Qa'ida had meant the organisation was spreading "like a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise".
"There used to be just one address, like the first cave on the left, but now there are six or seven addresses.
"It's very clear that al-Qa'ida is a Hydra-headed monster."
He said both he and Mohamed Haneef, the Indian doctor working on the Gold Coast whose work visa was cancelled during an investigation into terror-link claims, were victims of Islamophobia. "His case and mine are known because they are publicised but imagine how many cases are not publicised," Atwan said.
His "visa saga" had now become "something to laugh about", and he praised the members of the ABC television satire team, the Chaser, for inviting him to take part in the festival.
We need groups like the Chaser," Atwan said. "We need to laugh at our politicians, and to highlight these kinds of mistakes."
During a panel session on Saturday, chaired by ABC radio's Rachel Kohn, Atwan had defused a situation that had threatened to become unpleasant, when audience members began shouting at Kohn's defence of the Iraq war.
"I was surprised that she entered into the argument when she was supposed to be a neutral moderator," Atwan said.
Instead, she was defending the undefendable."
Festival director Michael Campbell said Atwan's al-Qa'ida book was the best-selling title at the festival. "We had anticipated that there would be questions posed to him by audiences but I hadn't expected it from the Government," Mr Campbell said.
=========================================
AUDIO: Abdel Bari Atwan and the history of al-Qa'ida
Paul Barclay, ABC Radio National, 18 September 2007
Palestinian-born journalist and author Abdel Bari Atwan has finally made it to Australia following a delay with the issuing of his visa. He will be on the program discussing his book The Secret History of al-Qa'ida.
VIDEO: "A Case for War" Iran Debate PBS
Richard Perle and Abdel Bari Atwan discuss the consequences and realities of the U.S. presence in Iraq from the upcoming PBS special, A Case for War.
Sunday, 16 September 2007
Atwan allowed to enter Australia
The Age - September 14, 2007
Controversial author Dr Abdel Bari Atwan will fly into Australia on Saturday after immigration authorities approved his visa.
Authorities notified Brisbane Writers Festival organisers on Thursday evening that Dr Atwan's visa had been granted, in the wake of concerns raised about a deliberate delay.
Festival director Michael Campbell said he was in the process of cancelling the Palestinian author's appearances this weekend when he received the news.
"We thought, given the stage it was at, there was no hope, and we started to organise other plans," he told AAP.
Mr Campbell said the festival attracted numerous international writers, but most had to wait only a matter of days before being granted a visa.
He believed the delays in approving Dr Atwan's entry into Australia were politically motivated and that controversy surrounding the visa application this week may have forced the immigration department's hand.
"It's very hard to know the reason why the delays occurred because without any hard evidence, we can only assume," he said.
Dr Atwan is the editor-in-chief of London based newspaper Al-Quds Al Arabi and has been vocal in his opposition to the Iraq war.
He is also the last Western author to interview terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden and is the author of The Secret History of al-Qaeda.
A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said the writer's visa had gone through standard processing.
"It is false to suggest it's anything to do with the media campaign or conspiracy theories," she said.
"We had to seek some additional information.
"Dr Atwan's application was treated like everybody else's."
Dr Atwan could not be contacted but is expected to arrive in Australia on Friday morning.
He will address a crowd at the Queensland State Library from 3.20pm (AEST) on Saturday, followed by an hour-long session on his book from 11.20am on Sunday.
Mr Campbell said organisers were also negotiating to bring together the author and two other high-profile guests, Julian Morrow and Dominic Knight from ABC TV's The Chaser team, in a Sunday night session.
Critics, including Greens Senator Kerry Nettle, have accused the government of delaying processing Dr Atwan's visa to prevent him from attending the festival, which is now in its last days.
Mr Andrews' spokeswoman said claims Dr Atwan had to wait six weeks for his visa were untrue.
She said the wait was less than four weeks.
"That is not an unusual amount of time," she said.
© 2007 AAP
Controversial author Dr Abdel Bari Atwan will fly into Australia on Saturday after immigration authorities approved his visa.
Authorities notified Brisbane Writers Festival organisers on Thursday evening that Dr Atwan's visa had been granted, in the wake of concerns raised about a deliberate delay.
Festival director Michael Campbell said he was in the process of cancelling the Palestinian author's appearances this weekend when he received the news.
"We thought, given the stage it was at, there was no hope, and we started to organise other plans," he told AAP.
Mr Campbell said the festival attracted numerous international writers, but most had to wait only a matter of days before being granted a visa.
He believed the delays in approving Dr Atwan's entry into Australia were politically motivated and that controversy surrounding the visa application this week may have forced the immigration department's hand.
"It's very hard to know the reason why the delays occurred because without any hard evidence, we can only assume," he said.
Dr Atwan is the editor-in-chief of London based newspaper Al-Quds Al Arabi and has been vocal in his opposition to the Iraq war.
He is also the last Western author to interview terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden and is the author of The Secret History of al-Qaeda.
A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said the writer's visa had gone through standard processing.
"It is false to suggest it's anything to do with the media campaign or conspiracy theories," she said.
"We had to seek some additional information.
"Dr Atwan's application was treated like everybody else's."
Dr Atwan could not be contacted but is expected to arrive in Australia on Friday morning.
He will address a crowd at the Queensland State Library from 3.20pm (AEST) on Saturday, followed by an hour-long session on his book from 11.20am on Sunday.
Mr Campbell said organisers were also negotiating to bring together the author and two other high-profile guests, Julian Morrow and Dominic Knight from ABC TV's The Chaser team, in a Sunday night session.
Critics, including Greens Senator Kerry Nettle, have accused the government of delaying processing Dr Atwan's visa to prevent him from attending the festival, which is now in its last days.
Mr Andrews' spokeswoman said claims Dr Atwan had to wait six weeks for his visa were untrue.
She said the wait was less than four weeks.
"That is not an unusual amount of time," she said.
© 2007 AAP
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