Bharat Rakshak

JE Menon wrote:FYI - during the latest protests, supporters of Mousavi & Co.. have been shouting the slogan "Death to Russia"... There seemed to be a lot of people doing it. Source: NDTV.

By Matouq Al-Shareef
JEDDAH – A Saudi businessman and his Pakistani employee who were arrested in Kerala, India for visa violations have been released and have returned to the Kingdom as a result of the intervention of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in India. Safr Bin Iqab Aal Zaid, the Saudi businessman, and his employee went to India to recruit workers on a business visa that apparently allowed them into Mumbai only.
“We arrived in Mumbai and met the Indian coordinator who told us the workers we came to see were in Kerala,” Aal Zaid said. “We went there on a flight to meet and interview the workers, and we were arrested at the hotel three hours after we arrived,” he explained. He said they were then taken to court which referred them to detention.
The two men were detained for 11 days before they were released on bail and told not to leave Calicut city where they stayed for a month. Aal Zaid said he was able to leave India after the Saudi embassy presented a written pledge to bring him back if it was proven that he committed a violation.

Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet authorized Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif to sign an extradition treaty with India. The agreement will allow the extradition of suspects and convicts in Saudi Arabia and India to the other country.

shyamd wrote:Saudi businessman detained in India, arrives home

Pretty efficient eh. Not sure about the visa only for Mumbai? Does such exist?

On 30 March this year, Sulim Yamadayev was shot dead in the car park of his Dubai apartment. A week later the Dubai police issued an international arrest warrant for a man named Adam Delemkhanov.

It just happens that Mr Delemkhanov is Ramzan Kadyrov's right-hand man. In April when I went to the Grand Mosque in Grozny for Friday prayers, there he was kneeling down right beside Chechnya's president.

In an unpublicised case, a young Saudi Arabian princess has been granted asylum by the British Government after she pleaded that she would face death penalty if she returned home with her illegitimate child.

The young woman, married to an elderly member of the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia, won her claim for refugee status after telling a judge that her adulterous affair with her non-Muslim English boyfriend made her liable to death by stoning if she returned to her country, The Independent reported.
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In fact, such cases are not generally acknowledged by the British Government for fear that highlighting persecution of women in the strict Muslim nation where people are executed by stoning and beheading, would strain relations with House of Saud, according to British diplomats. The Home Office has declined to discuss the case. Even Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia has not commented on the issue.

shravan wrote:Israel says Indian peacekeepers helping Hezbollah: Report

Guess there's a Israel News and Discussion Post..why here?

A high-ranking Russian navy source reported July 21 that the Soviet-era naval maintenance base near Tartus in Syria is to be expanded and modernized to become "fully operational." DEBKAfile's military sources report that Russian is building the facility up as its main sea base for operations in four seas: The Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The upgrade of Russian port facilities at Tartus, its only foothold in the Mediterranean, will automatically enhance Moscow's strategic interests in Syria and Bashar Assad's regime.

The Russian source said that the 50 naval personnel and three berthing floats currently deployed at Tartus with accommodation for up a dozen warships will be beefed up with a new berthing float delivered by two tugboats from the Black Sea Fleet. DEBKAfile's sources disclose that those warships will include large vessels such as the nuclear-armed guided missile cruiser Peter the Great and the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which called in at Tartus in January.

In September 2008, DEBKAfile first disclosed that the Russian Navy commander Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky and his Syrian counterpart Gen. Taleb al-Barri, had signed contracts for converting Tartus into one of Russia's most highly-developed naval infrastructures outside its territory. Its warships based there will capable of reaching the Red Sea through the Suez Canal and the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar in a matter of days. For original disclosures click HERE and HERE.

Israel is deeply concerned, according to our military sources, by the sophisticated air-defense S-300PMU-2 and Iskander-E missile systems the Russians propose to hand Syria on the pretext of installing a shield to defend the facility against air or missile attack. Moscow claims they will remain under the control of Russian crews but, according to information reaching Israel, they will be quietly and gradually handedover to the Syrian army; the Russian teams are in fact instructors.

Russia justifies this, according to DEBKAfile's Moscow sources, by the deployment of the highly sophisticated American FBX-T missile-interception radar systems at the Israeli Negev base of Nevatim.

Furthermore, Moscow will have its rejoinder for the disputed US deployment of missile interceptors in Eastern Europe. As we reported last September, the Russian Black Sea fleet and new Mediterranean-based warships will coordinate their operations under a single command. They are designed as counter-deployments to the post-Georgian-war US and NATO naval presence in the Black Sea as well as its fleets in other parts of the Mediterranean including Israel's shores.

Bloomberg
Published: July 22, 2009, 11:06

Washington: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US is prepared to take "crippling action" against Iran should it fail to curb its nuclear program, and is working with Middle East allies to boost their defences.

"If the US extends a defence umbrella over the region, if we do even more to support the military capacity of those in the Gulf, it's unlikely that Iran will be any stronger or safer," Clinton said at a televised town hall meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.

"We also have made it clear that we will take action as I've said time and time again, crippling action," Clinton said, without elaborating. She reiterated that the US favours dialogue with Iran through multi-national talks, while adding that "we're not going to keep the window open indefinitely."

A United Arab Emirates official this April said a threat by the US to retaliate against an Iranian attack in the Middle East with nuclear weapons would be a powerful deterrent.

Stiffening the American line against Iran, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned Wednesday that the United States would consider extending a “defense umbrella” over the Middle East if the country continued to defy international demands that it halt work that could lead to nuclear weapons.

Asked about Mrs. Clinton’s comments, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, the British ambassador to the United States, said, “I don’t think it should be read as an acceptance of an Iranian nuclear weapon” but rather as a statement intended to “reassure our partners in the gulf.”

MUSCAT - The sultan of Oman had postponed a visit to Iran due to the political unrest gripping the Islamic republic following the disputed presidential election there, an official said on Tuesday.

Sultan Qaboos had been scheduled to make a three-day visit on June 28, his first official trip since the fall of the Shah in 1979.

The official said the trip was delayed indefinitely.

TEHRAN – Iran and Oman will soon sign a security agreement, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Saturday.

“This agreement will be a symbol of our strategic cooperation in preserving stability and security in the region,” he told reporters at a joint press conference with his Omani counterpart Yusuf Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah in Tehran.

Such a deal between Tehran and Muscat is of great importance because at least 20% of the world's oil supply passes through the narrow Strait of Hormuz that runs between Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

The strait’s narrowest point is just 29 nautical miles wide.

Mottaki stated that the two countries see eye to eye on many regional and international issues and will continue their negotiations on a variety of spheres, a view shared by his Omani counterpart. .......

DEBKAfile's military sources report a serious setback in Israel's defenses against Iranian ballistic missiles. Thursday, July 23, the newly upgraded Arrow II missile defense system, poised for its first long-range test at the US Pacific range off the central California coast, could not be launched because of "interceptor problems."

e Israeli defense establishment said the problems preventing the launch came from "malfunctions in the communications system."

The Pentagon statement puts it differently: In a test involving three US missile interceptors [Patriot, Thaad and Aegis], Arrow tracked a target missile dropped from a C-17 [Boeing Globemaster III] aircraft. The Israeli system also exchanged data on the target in real time with elements of the US missile defense system.

"Not all test conditions to launch the Arrow Interceptor were met and it was not launched," the Pentagon said. Other objectives were achieved and the results are being analyzed.

Military sources told DEBKAfile that Israel without the Arrow system - unless proven otherwise - is partly exposed to attack from Iran's Shehab 3 and Sejil-2 ballistic missiles, especially the latter which are more accurate and powered by solid fuel for instantaneous launching from deep inside Iran.

By Shahid Ali Khan
RIYADH – News of the arrest of a Riyadh-based Indian muezzin on his arrival in the Indian city of Hyderabad, Saturday, has raised many eyebrows here.
Many regular worshippers at a mosque in Al-Wazarat district here where muezzin Shaukatullah Ghouri used to call the faithful to prayer five times a day, and sometimes lead obligatory prayers, were shocked by Indian news reports of Ghouri’s arrest.
Ghouri was arrested at Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) airport at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad upon his arrival from Jeddah. He is said to have left for Hyderabad for his wife’s medical treatment.
Personnel of the Organization for Counter-Terrorist Operations (OCTOPUS) reportedly arrested Ghouri, his wife and their four children soon after they landed at RGI airport.
The muezzin is accused of involvement in a terror attack in Gujarat on Sept. 24, 2002 which left 30 dead and over a 100 injured.
“Shaukatullah and his brother, Farhatullah, are both involved in the Akshardham temple attack,” DNA newspaper quoted a senior Intelligence officer as saying. “Both the brothers were initially trained by Jaish-e-Mohammad after which they worked in Ahmedabad. When their names figured in the list of suspects in the Akshardham attack case in 2002, both fled to Saudi Arabia.” Farhatullah Ghouri is still absconding, the paper said.
However, few among the worshippers at Hai Al-Wazarat Mosque in Riyadh believe the allegations against Ghouri, a Hafizul Qur’an (memorizer of Qur’an), who has been serving at the mosque for the past two decades. (the fact that he is a hafiz, makes him innocent. Please tell them to F off!! Everyone knows that doesn't mean anything. These are just KSA propaganda I feel.)
Hussain Al-Wadani, the Saudi imam of Masjid Al-Salwa, where Ghouri worked, felt that Ghouri would be absolved of the charges.
“God willing, Ghouri will come clean because he is an innocent man,” the imam told a group of Indian Muslims at the mosque, trying to ally their concerns over news of the arrest.
Ghouri is a professional muezzin and well known for his good character, voice and skills of recitation of the Qur’an and for the azan (prayer call), one of the Indians in the group told Saudi Gazette, asking not to be identified.
“It seems Ghouri is being framed,” he said. “We have been reading media reports and watching news channels on how the police have been victimizing innocent people, and strangely enough some were even killed in fake encounters.”
The Imam said he would do his best to support Ghouri in whatever paperwork he might require from Riyadh.
Others who frequent the mosque said they would sign a petition for submission to Indian Ambassador M.O.H. Farooq seeking his intervention for the safe release of Ghouri.
Rashid Abdul Qayoom, a regular worshipper at the mosque, said he has know Ghouri since he arrived in Saudi Arabia. “Ghouri is a legal resident of Saudi Arabia. He arrived in Riyadh on a “free visa” sometime in 1989, and since 1991 he has been working as a muezzin at Masjid Al-Salwa, Qayoom said.
Many students of the Qur’an memorization madrasa that Ghouri ran at his house were also shocked by news of the arrest. All of Ghouri’s children are Hafiz (who have memorized the Holy Qur’an).
Ghouri’s neighbor told Saudi Gazette that Ghouri was drawing a monthly salary package of around SR2,100 which was hardly enough for his six-member family’s monthly expenses. “The muezzin sahib very often spoke about financial hardship, particularly when it came to payment of annual housing rent,” the neighbor said. Ghouri managed by running the Qur’an memorization school which has an enrolment of around 20 students, he said.
To travel to India, Ghouri chose to fly Oman Air for its comparatively cheaper fares, the neighbor added, speaking on condition of anonymity. (So, he did fly on Oman Air.)
According to Indian news reports, Ghouri was taken to an undisclosed location where he was interrogated by officials of OCTOPUS and the local police. His wife and children were taken to a farmhouse where their baggage was searched and their passports and some educational certificates were seized. His wife and children were later released.
Ghouri was handed over to the Gujarat police on Sunday morning as a non-bailable arrest warrant is pending against him in the Akshardham case, reports said. – SG

The Arab states in the Gulf need to be ready in case the Americans lose patience with Iran and force a showdown over Tehran's nuclear programme. For the last two years of the Bush administration, the Arab Gulf leaders were very clear that they did not agree that an attack was right, despite some very fierce rhetoric coming from Washington.

This may be the reason why US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has spoken of the need to plan for failure in nuclear negotiations, and of the need for America to combine with the Arab Gulf states in a defence pact against a possibly nuclear Iran. In offering this plan to the Gulf Arabs, she clashes with the often repeated Arab position that they do not want violence, and will not want to start alliances against neighbouring states that are not their enemies.

shyamd wrote: The Saudi reaction to the arrest of Ghauri (Akshardham attack suspect)

Shock over arrest of Riyadh-based Indian muezzin in Hyderabad

By Shahid Ali Khan

By Shahid Ali Khan
RIYADH – There is palpable fear among Indian Muslim expatriates in Riyadh after an Indian muezzin from Riyadh, Shaukatullah Ghouri, was arrested last week at the Rajiv Ghandi International (RGI) airport in Hyderabad.
While many initially spoke up in support of the muezzin who used to make the prayer call five times a day at Masjid Al-Salwa, attesting to his piety and seemingly good character, now they are all silent for fear of being linked as suspects to the investigation into Ghouri.
Ghouri was picked up by Indian investigators for alleged involvement in a terrorist attack in 2002 in Gujarat, India. His brother, Farhatullah Ghouri, is also accused by the Indian security agencies of involvement in the attack, and is absconding.
Indian community leaders here are under pressure from the community to make an appeal to Indian Ambassador M.O.H. Farooq to safeguard the interests of Indians living in Saudi Arabia. But in all the meetings of various social organizations from different Indian states in the past week, there was indecision, sources said.
“Unlike in previous meetings when every member has something or the other to say, this time around there was a deafening silence when the topic of making a group representation to the Indian Ambassador was tabled,” said one community leader, requesting anonymity.
He said it was eventually decided that a person close to the ambassador, who like the envoy hails from Tamil Nadu state, would seek an appointment with him after which the community group would go and hand over the letter of appeal, drafted after Ghouri’s arrest. “Nobody wishes to be in the front row even when handing the letter over to the ambassador,” the community leader said. “Hopefully, we will visit Ambassador’s Office this week to present him the letter.”
Around six social organizations from various states have teamed up for the purpose. A copy of the letter will also be dispatched to a number of Indian ministries including External Affairs and Home, besides human rights organizations, the community leader said. – SG

Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the kingdom's former ambassador to the United States, is reportedly under house arrest over a conspiracy against the monarch.

Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed is the first foreign ruler who is visiting Iran since the victory of Ahmadinejad in the disputed June 12 election.

He was officially welcomed by the Iranian president at the Presidential Office on Tuesday.

The Sultan was scheduled to travel to Tehran on June 28, but put off the trip following unrest that erupted after the presidential vote.

President Ahmadinejad also asserted Tehran has no borders for expansion of ties with Muscat and welcomes any initiative to broaden relations with Oman.

Oman’s progress and security is beneficial for all including Iran and Tehran is ready to transfer experiences to Muscat, he said.

Qatar: For the record. According to unidentified political sources in Qatar, Qatari authorities foiled on Thursday, 30 July, an attempted coup against the country's Amir, Shaykh Hamad Bin-Khalifah Al Thani. The sources reported authorities arrested 30 army officers, among them five from the Amiri Guard.

The Al-Bawabah website said its sources reported that since the foiled coup, the Qatari Amir has convened with the Al Thani shaykhs (Sheikhs) to brief them on the attempted coup. He also warned against divisions within the royal family.

Some rumors relate that some of the Al Thani shaykhs have been placed under house arrest. The Amir assigned his personal secretary, Sa'd al-Rumayhi, to follow up on the affairs of the Ministries of Interior and Defense, and to coordinate between them and the Amiri Court.

Ammun News reported that Major General Hamad Bin-Ali al-Atiyah, Chief of Staff of the Qatari Army, is involved in the coup. According to this news service the senior commanders of the Qatari military establishment were suddenly dismissed by the Amir on Saturday night. The officers reportedly are under house arrest.

The sources used in the above report show that they have borrowed from each other, circular reporting. The information is reported for its impact on US policy, if it is accurate. No international news services have reported this development, the purpose of a coup or increased security in Qatar, during this Watch.

Saudi Arabia: For the record. Press TV reported today that Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former ambassador to the United States, is under house arrest for mounting a conspiracy against the King Abdallah.

Saad al-Faqih, head of the opposition group Islamic Reform Movement, told Arab-language TV al-Alam that Prince Bandar has disappeared. The media has published no word of the ex-diplomat's whereabouts for nearly three months ago.

The British newspaper, The Independent, first reported the latest episode of a power struggle within the ruling family. According to one interpretation Bandar recruited 200 agents from the Saudi security service to remove the King in order to arrange the succession before the death of his father -- Crown Prince Sultan Bin-Abd-al-Aziz. Saudi opposition sources claim Bandar’s plot was aborted because of a leak.

Prince Sultan suffers from cancer, but in the past month has been reported to be recovering after treatment in Morocco. Sultan is half-brother to the King who visited him last week.

Plotting is a cottage industry in the Saudi royal family, encouraged by every King’s practice of taking multiple wives and having litters of children and grandchildren. A successor is thereby assured but succession is a Darwinian struggle of survival of the fittest, beneath a veneer of somewhat civilized behavior.

{Note the words he uses. They show a contempt for other societies and judgemental lens to the events. Multiple wives in a tribal soceity are to ensure representation of the tribes in the royal family. }


This plot does not appear to be particularly serious for either the target or the perpetrator. There are no unusual restrictions reported in Saudi Arabia, anywhere. Analysts should note that the King flew to Morocco to visit the Crow Prince on the 28th and the plot was rolled during his absence. Coups are attempted most often when the leader is out of the country.

As for this coup, if it is genuine, it meets most of the criteria for a genuine coup but has two shortcomings.

1. Group- Bandar and his 200 security men

2. Gripe- Bandar thinks he deserves to succeed his father as crown prince which will not occur if his father dies because of the many sons of King Abdul Aziz, some of whom are only in their 60’s.

3. Guns- the security men

4. Successor – Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz

5. Timing -- Location of the King in Morocco

6. Vehicles – unknown

7. Security -- lousy

8. Opposition – more than 150 princes and 7,000-10,000 members of the royal family plus the Saudi National Guard

The enormity of the opposition and lack of security indicate this was not a serious challenge to the King.

Note: The number of indicators of a praetorian coup has grown to eight, from six.

Saudi Arabian authorities said the offices had been shut by order of the country's deputy prime minister.

The 32-year-old Saudi man's interview shocked conservative Saudi society, prompting calls for him to be punished.

Mazen Abdul Jawad talked about his sexual conquests and how he picks up women in the kingdom.

A spokesman at the information ministry confirmed the decision to close the offices of the LBC TV station in the kingdom's commercial capital.

"It was because of the interview with Mazen Abdul Jawad," Abdul Rahman al-Hazzaa said, according to AFP news agency.

Discreet society

Saudi media say officials are considering whether to charge Mr Abdul Jawad over the interview, which appeared on a programme called Red Lines and challenged Saudi taboos.

Negotiations for an FTA between the GCC and India are at an advanced stage. After two rounds of talks, a third round of talks at the ministerial level is likely to begin next month. The issue of signing of FTA will also be discussed during the Prime Minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia, scheduled for later this year.

Extradition treaty

India and Saudi Arabia will also discuss signing of an extradition treaty during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Saudi Arabia. A large number of Indian immigrants, who entered the country illegally, are lodged in prisons there and serving time. They can be sent back to India once the treaty has been signed, said the Ambassador, Faisal Hassan Trad.

10 Aug 2009, 0102 hrs IST, Shailesh Menon, ET Bureau

MUMBAI: Muscat Securities Market Regulator, along with Oman police, conducted a raid on Sharekhan premises and arrested two officials allegedly for
selling investment products without proper licence. While confirming the raid and subsequent arrest, Sharekhan officials maintain that they have not been chargesheeted by Oman police as yet.

“We have not been told why they have detained two of our officials. We operate in Oman — as per their laws — with proper licences; the authorities there are not telling us what more regulatory approvals we require to operate there,” said a Sharekhan spokesperson.

According to brokerage officials, the Muscat office only executes broking orders on behalf of clients (non-resident Indians only). The firm has not received licence to sell or distribute investment products in that country.

“From what we hear, the Muscat unit of Sharekhan was under police surveillance for over two weeks. The police could be acting on some investor complaint or directions from the ministry,” said the high-ranking official of an Indian brokerage firm, which has operations in the Gulf.

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According to sources that have experience doing business in West Asian countries, law enforcement agencies and the judiciary are particularly harsh against Asian individuals or business groups violating financial laws in Gulf countries. The governments of leading Emirates like Dubai, Qatar and Oman have begun crackdown on financial services companies that are functioning without proper licences. The risk aversion among regulators is so high that ESCA banned financial services firms and banks from selling structured investment products to its citizens.

“Much of it is because if investors have any complaint, they approach local police or courts with reparation charges. If government officials (in Dubai) are to be believed, complaints involving financial frauds and product misselling have become rampant in the Gulf,” said a broker. Reliance Money, Kotak Mahindra, Geojit Financial Services, Religare Securities, JRG Securities and Karvy, amongst several others, have operations in the Gulf.

Much more than ensuring presence, brokerages are keen on taking aboard Indians, also persons of Indian origin (PIOs), wanting to invest in domestic markets. Such a link-up with the diaspora not only helps broking firms diversify their revenue streams and strengthen distribution network, but also beefs them up with a large chunk of long-term investible funds.

Obama has decided his special envoys to Afghanistan/Pakistan and the Middle East have not delivered desired results. He has therefore redistributed areas of responsibility in foreign policy, paring the State Department down to the Levant and North Africa.

Major dailies in the Gulf such as the Gulf News and Khaleej Times brought out special supplements highlighting India's achievements since it gained freedom in 1947.

MUSCAT — His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said greeted Indian President Pratibha Patil on the country’s Independence Day. His Majesty expressed his sincere greetings and wishes of good health and happiness to the president and her country’s friendly people further progress and prosperity.

India-Oman ties today stand on a strong pedestal with potential for being transformed into a multifaceted strategic relationship, a dream and a vision shared by the leadership of both countries. "But, I can say that Omani investment in India is increasing, especially in the field of refineries, software, pharmaceuticals and constructions", he added. Visits by several high-level commercial delegations have taken place lately, which have added a significant momentum to the bilateral relations. India has been holding talks with GCC as a bloc for early conclusion of an FTA between India and GCC countries.

In fact, there is a shared desire to elevate the status of agreement to FTA ++, which will also include investment and services. With an initial capital worth $ 100 million, India-Oman Joint Investment Fund has been set up between India and Oman. That will surely, give an impetus in bilateral trade. Indian Minister of Trade and Commerce Anand Sharma will visit Muscat soon and some more agreements in this area will be finalised during his visit. There are some visits by CII and other business delegations to the Sultanate. Meeting of Joint Working Group is scheduled for November. Elaborate agreements are expected in the area of education and agriculture.

In the near future, the two countries will be focussing on culture, education, agriculture, tourism, healthcare, distance medicine and distance education, information technology and communication. The ambassador said Oman is the second home to around 5, 60,000 Indians who have earned love and admiration from their Omani brethren and the Government for their diligence, sincerity, law abiding nature and hard working. This relationship is based on mutual respect and understanding for each other. It is also a result of continuous efforts made by both the countries.

For example, India and Oman have signed many important agreements such as the treaty of friendship, commerce and navigation, air services agreement, cultural agreement (it is under consideration for renewal), agreement of trade, economic and technical co-operation, MoU on co-operation in agriculture, agreement on avoidance of double taxation, agreement of promotion and protection of bilateral trade, extradition treaty, MoU on defence co-operation, and MoU on co-operation in the field of higher education.

The United States told Israel last week that Gulf states Oman and Qatar are willing to renew their relations with Israel if it agrees to a moratorium on construction in the West Bank, Haaretz has learned.

...........

An Israeli diplomat told Haaretz that Oman and Qatar's reported readiness to renew relations is currently the biggest success the Americans have had in proving to Israel that a moratorium would improve ties with Arab nations.

The Obama administration has been pushing Saudi Arabia to make a gesture toward Israel - commercial forays, academic exchanges or overflight rights - in exchange for a settlements freeze.

Middle East experts say Saudi Arabia, which is calling most of the shots on Arab diplomacy toward Israel, would be very wary about rewarding Israel for anything short of a final peace deal with the Palestinians.

Israel's embassy in Oman was shut down in 2001 after the outbreak of the second intifada. Qatar had an Israeli delegation office, which was also shut down. The diplomats were told to leave due to Israel's three-week Gaza offensive that began last December.

In July, Bahrain's crown prince wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post that criticized Arabs for not communicating to the Israeli people their commitment to a peace deal.

Earlier this month Haaretz reported that the Americans are willing to allow most projects currently under construction in the West Bank to continue if future construction is put on hold for 12 months. Israeli and U.S. sources said the parties were "close to reaching a deal."

One of the cell members was allegedly involved in the attack on US troops in Failaka Island in 2002, a media report said.

The group was closely monitored by the Kuwaiti security authorities who also received information on the cell's activities from a Gulf country, the reports said.

Sana’a: Shiite rebels and local officials say Yemeni forces, using artillery and aircraft, bombed several rebel strongholds in a province bordering Saudi Arabia in a major escalation of the conflict.

A health ministry official in Sa’ada province says 12 people have been killed.

The health ministry official and other local officials in Sa’ada spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Rebel spokesman Mohammad Abdul Salam says government forces targeted numerous areas throughout the northern province. He says there were many casualties, but did not have specific information.

The five-year-old rebellion in Sa’ada province pits Shiites against a Sunni-led government.

A top security committee that met on Tuesday said the government pledged “to carry out its responsibilities in accordance with the constitution, laws, and strike rebel elements with an iron fist until they surrender,” the state-run Saba news agency reported.

Air and ground strikes

Al Arabiya television showed aerial and ground strikes on the main rebel areas in Sa’ada province.

The fighting that started last month is the first since a truce in July last year between the government and rebels loyal to cleric Abdul Malek Al Houthi, who opposes its authority.
fighting

AP
Last updated: August 14, 2009, 23:07

Gaza City: Islamic radicals from an Al Qaida-inspired group battled Hamas security in the Gaza Strip on Friday in a shootout that killed five people.

The fighting began when Hamas forces surrounded a mosque in the southern Gaza town of Rafah where about 100 members of Jund Ansar Allah, or the Soldiers of the Companions of God, were holed up, including some armed with suicide belts, according to residents of the area.

The confrontation was triggered when the leader of the group defied Gaza's Hamas rulers by declaring in a Friday prayer sermon that the territory was an Islamic emirate.

Jund Ansar Allah and a number of other small, shadowy radical groups seek to enforce an even stricter version of Islamic law in Gaza and have criticized Hamas for not doing so. They are also upset that the Hamas regime has honoured a ceasefire with Israel for the past seven months.

Hamas has said it seeks to set an example and does not impose its views on others. It also says its violent struggle is against Israel, not the Western world.

The hard-line groups are perhaps the most serious opposition to Hamas since it seized control of Gaza and ousted its rivals in the Fatah movement in a five-day civil war in June 2007.

The leader of Jund Ansar Allah, Abdel Latif Moussa, warned Hamas forces against trying to enter the mosque compound.

"If Hamas does that, it will be their end," he said.

Shortly after, a gunbattle broke out between the militants inside the mosque and Hamas forces surrounding it.
Gaza health officials said five people were killed and 50 wounded in the exchange of fire. A least one of the casualties was a senior Hamas security officer, officials said.

Hamas security later raided the mosque.