Archive | June, 2011

Venezuela postpones summit due to Chavez’s health

In this photo released by Granma newspaper, Cuba's Fidel Castro, left, and Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez speak in an unknown location in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday June 28, 2011. Chavez underwent surgery in Cuba two weeks ago and has been unusually quiet since then. Allies of Chavez have insisted the leader is firmly in control of the country and improving from his operation for a pelvic abscess. Chavez arrived to Havana on June 8 and had surgery on June 10. (AP Photo/Granma)

 

CARACAS, Venezuela, June 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / AP) — Venezuela’s government postponed next week’s summit of Latin American leaders on Wednesday, citing President Hugo Chavez’s health as he recovers from surgery in Cuba, The Associated Press reported.

The decision to put off the July 5-6 meeting until later this year was announced shortly after new videos aired on state television showing Chavez chatting with Fidel Castro in Cuba, appearing lucid and talkative. Chavez’s televised appearance broke a long post-surgery silence that has prompted speculation about his health.

“The president is in the middle of a recuperation process and extremely strict medical treatment,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

As a result, it said, Venezuela consulted with other governments and decided to postpone the gathering of Latin American and Caribbean leaders on Margarita Island.

Chavez had been expected to host the summit on the 200th anniversary of Venezuela’s declaration of independence from Spain. He promoted it as an event to move ahead with the development of a 32-nation regional bloc, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, that excludes the United States and Canada.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said it will work with other countries to schedule a new date for the summit in Venezuela later in the year. It remained unclear how soon Chavez might be able to return home.

Footage of Tuesday’s encounter in Cuba showed Chavez and Castro in a garden chatting amiably about old times and discussing a Cuban newspaper article about school uniforms. It then cut to them seated indoors having an animated conversation.

“Today’s newspaper, today’s front page,” Chavez said, reading the headlines in the Venezuelan state newspaper El Correo del Orinoco.

They talked about socialism and laughed as Chavez recalled a visit by Castro to Venezuela years ago when they ventured down a jungle path through vines.

Chavez has been largely out of sight since the government announced June 10 that he had undergone pelvic surgery. He spoke once in a telephone call to state television two days after the operation, and appeared in photographs alongside both Fidel and Raul Castro that were published June 18.

A series of photos and short video clips were shown on Cuban and Venezuelan television Tuesday night, but the footage shown Wednesday was longer and included audio of their conversation.

Vice President Elias Jaua said the latest images show the 56-year-old Chavez is clearly getting better.

“The president is in the process of recuperating, and he has a right to recuperate,” Jaua told state television. “He has the right to take the time necessary to recuperate.”

He said Chavez was on top of his duties and worked on military issues and other matters Wednesday. He did not provide other details about Chavez’s health, nor say when he was expected to return home.

Venezuelan and Cuban state television both aired the footage, which lasted about 20 minutes. It began with Chavez arriving and greeting Castro with a salute and the slogan “Fatherland or death, we will be victorious!”

The two stood outdoors with palm trees in the background, surrounded by attendants. Castro wore a blue track suit jacket and a red cap of Cuba’s national baseball team, and Chavez had on a warm-up jacket in the colors of the Venezuelan flag.

They both read aloud from the front pages of official newspapers Granma and Juventud Rebelde, and discussed current events and moments in Latin American history such as the 1973 coup in Chile.

Chavez recalled a conversation with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega about that country’s history.

He also reminisced about his days as an army paratrooper, saying: “The first time I jumped out of a plane was also the first time I flew in one.”

After a cut, the two were seen walking and then indoors chatting with Chavez’s daughters and a granddaughter, who also read from Granma.

Chavez has said the surgery removed a pelvic abscess, yet a lack of details about his condition has fed speculation in Venezuela that the president might be seriously ill.

Some of Chavez’s political opponents were not convinced Chavez looked healthy in the latest videos, and said he appeared thinner than usual.

Jaua has led government events in Chavez’s absence, and the leftist president’s elder brother, Adan, rallied supporters at a Sunday prayer meeting for Chavez’s health.

Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, a Chavez ally, said before the announcement of the summit cancellation that he expected the Venezuelan leader to be home in time for the country’s independence anniversary July 5.

Speaking on a television program in Uruguay on Tuesday night, Mujica joked that “Fidel Castro kidnapped Chavez to ensure his recovery.”

“Chavez is very temperamental,” Mujica said. “They operated on him and he needs about 20-something days of recovery. Fidel practically kidnapped him, didn’t let him go, because he didn’t trust that in Venezuela (Chavez) would pay attention to the treatments.”

Mujica didn’t say whether he had spoken with Venezuelan or Cuban officials about Chavez’s condition.  (*)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu : Iron Dome system crucial to peace with Palestinians

File Picture : Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) walks with air force chief Major-General Ido Nehushtan (5th R) and Defence Minister Ehud Barak (5th L) during a visit to an Iron Dome unit in the coastal city of Ashkelon, north of the Gaza Strip April 10, 2011. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

 

JERUSALEM, June 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / JPost) —- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is starting to prepare for US help in purchasing additional Iron Dome anti-missile batteries, bringing the issue up on Wednesday during a meeting with three key Democratic congressmen, The Jerusalem Post reported.Netanyahu, who met with Reps. Gary Ackerman and Nita Lowey of New York, and Henry Waxman of California, said the Iron Dome will play an important role in peace, since it will make an agreement with the Palestinians possible.

 
The three representatives participated this week in the World Jewish Congress’s International Consultation of Jewish Parliamentarians taking place in Jerusalem.Netanyahu, according to a government official, spoke of two critical security aspects of any agreement with the Palestinians. The first being a long-term Israeli military presence on the Jordan River to combat the smuggling of arms and terrorists into the West Bank from Jordan. The second being the deployment of Iron Dome batteries along the border of a future Palestinian state to prevent missile attacks from the West Bank on Israeli cities.

The prime minister told the delegation that Israel would pay for the batteries, but would also need American assistance.

Netanyahu said the Iron Dome benefits America as well because it is a system that can be used to protect American bases abroad.

Israel currently has two Iron Dome systems in operation, and a third to be delivered by the end of the year.

US President Barack Obama’s approval earlier this year of $205 million in the 2011 budget for the system will allow Israel to buy four more.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak has said that by the middle of the decade Israel hoped to have 13 to 15 of these batteries, which provide protection against rockets and artillery shells with a 70-kilometer range.The Iron Dome is one part of a three-tiered anti-missile umbrella that includes the Arrow, which is already operable and defends against long-range ballistic missiles, and the David’s Sling, still in development, which will protect against medium-range cruise missiles.

Netanyahu told the congressman the Iron Dome was important to create a security envelope within the context of a peace agreement.

On another issue, Netanyahu told Ackerman – who is going to Egypt from Israel – that US economic support for Egypt was important for stabilizing the democratic process there.

He also said it was important for the congressional delegation to articulate its expectation that the Egyptian government maintain the peace agreement with Israel. (*)

Photostream : Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao meets German Leaders

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the Chancellery on June 28, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. The Chinese leader is visiting a variety of European countries and in Germany is participating in the first-ever German-Chinese government consultations. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao depart after speaking to the media at the Chancellery on June 28, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. The Chinese leader is visiting a variety of European countries and in Germany is participating in the first-ever German-Chinese government consultaitons. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao attends a news conference after a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 28, 2011. The Chinese Prime Minister stays for a two day official visit in Germany. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

German President Christian Wulff welcomes Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at Bellevue Palace on June 28, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. The Chinese leader is visiting a variety of European countries and in Germany is participating in the first-ever German-Chinese government consultations. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao smiles as he arrives to meet with German President Christian Wulff at Bellevue Palace on June 28, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. The Chinese leader is visiting a variety of European countries and in Germany is participating in the first-ever German-Chinese government consultations. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Photostream : Chinese President Hu Jintao meets Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) and Sudan's leader Omar al-Bashir (L) walk to the podium during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on June 29, 2011 in Beijing, China. As reported by VOA on Wednesday, China’s president is defending his country’s warm reception for Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, saying Beijing’s friendship with Sudan will not change. His comments followed a meeting with his Sudanese counterpart, who is wanted for alleged war crimes. A military guard stood in attendance as Chinese President Hu Jintao welcomed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to the Great Hall of the People Wednesday. Hu said he believes the trip will consolidate Chinese-Sudanese friendship and promote what he called "substantial" cooperation in various fields. Bashir said he appreciates China’s hospitality and said he hopes the Asian nation will achieve greater development in the future. During the meeting, the two leaders participated in a signing ceremony for a technological cooperation agreement and a bridge project in eastern Sudan. On Tuesday, the China National Petroleum Corporation signed an agreement with the Sudanese government to boost cooperation but gave no details. (Photo by Liu Jin-Pool/Getty Images)

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) shakes hands with Sudan's leader Omar al-Bashir (L) during the signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on June 29, 2011 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Liu Jin-Pool/Getty Images)

Chinese President Hu Jintao (center, R) and Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir (center, L) attend a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing June 29, 2011. REUTERS/Liu Jin/Pool

Report: Fatah and Hamas to delay formation of Palestinian Unity Government

Hamas Leader Khaled Meshaal, left, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

 

BETHLEHEM, June 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / Ma’an News Agency) — Fatah and Hamas have reportedly agreed to delay the formation of a unity government until after the UN September statehood bid due to an impasse in reconciliation talks over the position of prime minister, Ma’an News Agency reported on Wednesday.
 
President Mahmoud Abbas suggested to Hamas through Turkish intermediaries that the first stage of reconciliation be delayed and the status quo be maintained until after September, the Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday.

Abbas is reported to have visited Turkey a few days ago to make the offer, coinciding with a visit by Hamas’ chief in exile Khalid Mashaal, who was meeting with Turkish officials to discuss how to overcome disagreements over the post of prime minister.

Reconciliation talks will instead reportedly move into phase two; the reactivation of the PLO.

Meanwhile, the current caretaker government headed by Salam Fayyad will be reshuffled in the near future, with nine portfolios to be given to new ministers, Ma’an has learned.

Reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah have not failed and it is thought that the leadership of both parties prefer to give an impression of unity as the UN September bid approaches, the source added.

The Palestinian leadership has been pursuing a diplomatic campaign to secure recognition of a Palestinian state in September at the UN. So far 120 countries are set to recognize Palestine, with the leadership pursuing a further 24 votes to guarantee the statehood bid at the UN General Assembly in September.   (*)

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad skeptical of bid for U.N. recognition

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad

 

RAMALLAH, West Bank, June 29, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / The Daily Star) —  The Palestinians’ bid to seek U.N. recognition of a state will just be a symbolic victory and will not change the reality of Israeli occupation, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Tuesday, The Daily Star reported.

Fayyad’s skepticism, voiced in an interview with the Associated Press, set him apart from the rest of the Palestinian leadership.

Earlier this week, President Mahmoud Abbas and top Palestinian officials in his Fatah movement formally adopted the U.N. plan.

Passage of a non-binding resolution in the U.N. General Assembly would not immediately change the situation on the ground. But the Palestinians hope it will rally international pressure on Israel to withdraw from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

A senior Abbas aide, Nabil Shaath, said Tuesday the campaign would only be halted if Israel unexpectedly accepts what the Palestinians consider the minimum conditions for negotiations – an Israeli settlement freeze and recognition of the pre-1967 war armistice line as the basis for border talks.

Fayyad, a political independent who is not involved in decision-making on foreign policy, nonetheless expressed doubts about the U.N. campaign.

Asked if anything would change on the ground after U.N. recognition, he said: “My answer to you is no. Unless Israel is part of that consensus, it won’t because to me, it is about ending Israeli occupation.”

Both Israel and the U.S. strongly object to the Palestinians’ attempt to seek U.N. recognition, urging them instead to resume negotiations. Abbas and his aides believe it would be impossible to reach a deal with hard-line Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and suspect he seeks negotiations simply as a stalling tactic.

With negotiations stalled since late 2008, the Palestinians have developed alternative tactics in hopes of improving their leverage vis-a-vis Israel.

Fayyad, an economist and former International Monetary Fund official, has led the nation-building drive, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars a year in international aid, while Abbas and others have lobbied individual countries to recognize a Palestinian state.

Shaath said Tuesday that 116 countries have already granted recognition and that he expects about two dozen more to do so in the near future.

Fayyad warned against raising false expectations among Palestinians that U.N. recognition would change their lives. “It is not going to be a dramatic result and I do not believe it will be right to continue, for there to be preoccupation about something dramatic happening,” he said.

“Reality has to begin to change in a discernible way,” he said. “The reality of the occupation will not change.”

“We are not looking for something that is in the nature of a declarative victory,” he added.

Fayyad has been in office since being appointed in June 2007 by Abbas, following the takeover of Gaza by the rival Islamic militant Hamas.

In recent weeks, the two camps made progress toward reconciliation with a power-sharing deal in principle. However, attempts to form an interim unity government have stalled because of arguments over its composition.

Abbas has said he wants Fayyad to continue in the job until elections are held, but Hamas adamantly opposes that choice.

Fayyad is respected by the international community and seen as key to maintaining the flow of Western aid. Donor nations would want assurances that their money does not reach Hamas, which is considered to be a terrorist group by Israel and the West.

Fayyad said Tuesday that he does not want to be seen as an obstacle to a unity deal, but noted that he has Abbas’ backing. “This nonsense about [me] being imposed on anyone has to stop,” he said, visibly angry. “And if this continues for any length of time, that would be the moment when I step in and say, enough already, under no condition will I accept to serve.”

Fayyad also said he would not serve as finance minister under a different prime minister, bristling at the idea of being kept on because of his strong ties to the donors.

“That would not work … partly because it would most likely be seen as an attempt by our system to tell the world, here is a face that the donor community has been comfortable with, essentially looking at me more or less as the ATM,” he said.

“I am not the ATM for the Palestinian Authority. I never was,” he said.  (*)

Burma Orders Aung San Suu Kyi’s Party to Halt Political Activity

Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, center, arrives at her National League for Democracy party's headquarters to attend celebrations of her 66th birthday in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday, June 19, 2011. For the first time in nearly a decade, Suu Kyi celebrated her birthday in freedom on Sunday. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)

 

BURMA, June 29. 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / VOA) — Burma’s state media say democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and her allies have been ordered to halt all political activities, VOA reported.

The official New Light of Myanmar newspaper said Wednesday the order was issued in a letter to Aung San Suu Kyi’s political movement, the National League for Democracy. The NLD was forced to dissolve as a political party last year when it boycotted national elections because Aung San Suu Kyi — then under house arrest — was not allowed to participate.

The newspaper quoted the Home Ministry letter as saying the NLD members “must stop such acts that can harm peace and stability and the rule of law, as well as the unity among the people.”

The letter advised the group to apply for registration as a new organization if it wishes to engage in social and political affairs.

The NLD challenged its dissolution through legal channels, appealing to the Supreme Court in November that the action was not legitimate. However the appeal was rejected.

The NLD won the last election it contested 20 years ago with Aung San Suu Kyi at its head, but it was never allowed to take power. Aung San Suu Kyi spent most of the years since then under house arrest. (*)

Lima Kata Untuk Lima Nama Di Israel Soal Kapal Flotilla Dua : “Dont Shoot & Zero Accident, Please”

Foto Bagian Atas ( Kiri ke Kanan ) : Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu dan Menteri Pertahanan Ehud Barak. Foto Bagian Bawah Kiri ke Kanan : Menteri Luar Negeri Israel Avigdor Lieberman, Kepala Staf Angkatan Pertahanan Israel Letnan Jenderal Benny Gantz dan Kepala Dinas Rahasia Israel (Mossad) Tamir Pardo

 

Red Cross: No Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

UN Secretary-General urges Gaza aid through legitimate crossings

Dari Nakba Sampai Flotilla Mengukur Kemampuan Jenderal Benny Gantz Dan Militer Israel

 

Jakarta, 28 Juni 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — Di hari Selasa (28/6/2011) ini, Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu mengucapkan sebuah kalimat sederhana untuk Presiden Palestina Mahmoud Abbas yaitu Israel menunggu enam kata dari Presiden Palestina yaitu “I will accept the Jewish state”. Jika enam kata itu diucapkan, maka Netanyahu secara tegas menyatakan akan mengakui Negara Palestina.

Lewat tulisan ini, tak perlu sampai enam kata, tetapi cukup lima kata yang perlu disampaikan kepada lima orang yang secara langsung akan sangat disibukkan dengan kedatangan iring-iringan kapal pembawa bantuan kemanusiaan untuk rakyat Palestina di Jalur GAZA yaitu rombongan Flotilla Kedua ( Freedom Flotilla Two ).

Walaupun sebenarnya, misi membawa bantuan kemanusiaan ke Gaza ini sangat kontradiktif dengan temuan dan pernyataan dari RED CROSS bahwa tidak ada KRISIS KEMANUSIAAN dalam hidup keseharian rakyat Palestina di GAZA.

Hasil temuan dan pernyataan dari RED CROSS ini telah mereka umumkan kepada publik pada periode bulan APRIL 2011.

Red Cross: No Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

Kapal Mavi Marmara asal Turki memang tidak ikut dalam rombongan Flotilla Kedua — padahal tahun 2010 lalu Kapal Mavi Marmara adalah “kapal induk” yang memimpin iring-iringan” kapal pembawa bantuan kemanusiaan untuk rakyat Palestina di Jalur Gaza -.

Rombongan Kapal Flotilla Kedua yang berjumlah 10 kapal saat ini sedang mengarah ke perairan Israel.

Dan lima nama yang perlu disapa untuk bersedia menerima lima kata dan pesan sederhana ini adalah :

Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, Menteri Pertahanan Ehud Barak, Menteri Luar Negeri Avigdor Lieberman, Kepala Staf Angkatan Pertahanan (Militer) Israel Letnan Jenderal Benny Gantz dan Kepala Dinas Rahasia Mossad Tamir Pardo.

Lima kata untuk kelima nama ini dalam menyambut dan menangani rombongan FREEDOM FLOTILLA TWO adalah : “Dont Shoot & Zero Accident, Please !”

 

Freedom Flotilla Two ( 2011 )

 

Sekurang-kurangnya ada 500 orang aktivis Hak Asasi Manusia dan Jurnalis Internasional dari sejumlah negara Uni Eropa, Amerika dan Canada, saat ini bergabung dalam 10 kapal yang berlayar menuju perairan Israel untuk masuk ke wilayah terdekat di Jalur Gaza.

Tetapi besar kemungkinan, jumlah peserta yang akan tetap melanjutkan misi perjalanannya ke perairan Israel kurang dari 300 orang ( dimana diantaranya ada sekitar 35 jurnalis internasional).

Hari Senin (27/6/2011) kemarin, kapal-kapal Flotilla Kedua ini sempat tertahan ( terutama karena faktor administrasi ) di Yunani.

Tetapi akhirnya rombongan Flotilla Kedua ini tetap bisa melanjutkan perjalanan mereka menuju tujuan utama yang sesungguhnya yaitu “menantang” Israel agar mau membuka blokade terhadap Gaza.

Bantuan kemanusiaan itu sendiri sebenarnya bisa disampaikan lewat jalur atau akses yang sangat aman dan resmi.

Tetapi, misi menantang Israel ini tampaknya dianggap sangat perlu untuk memaksa Israel membuka blokade terhadap Gaza.

Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa (UN) sudah sejak beberapa minggu lalu mengumumkan kepada seluruh dunia bahwa jika ada pihak-pihak yang ingin menyampaikan bantuan kemanusiaan ke Gaza lewat program ulangan seperti tahun lalu maka sebaiknya disampaikan lewat cara-cara yang legal.

Namun, seruan Sekjen PBB Ban Ki-moon tak mujarab dan tak ampuh.

Iring-iringan kapal Flotilla Kedua ini akan tiba dalam beberapa jam ke depan sehingga dunia akan memonitor dan menyaksikan detik demi detik bagaimana Israel menangani masalah Flotilla Kedua ini.

Tetapi sebagai panggilan moral sebagai sesama warga dunia maka dengan setulus hati kita perlu menyampaikan kepada Pemerintah Israel ( dalam hal ini Perdana Menteri Benjamin Netanyahu ) agar dalam menangani masalah Flotilla Kedua ini militernya tidak bertindak represif.

 

Menteri Pertahanan Israel Ehud Barak, duduk paling kanan berjaket hitam, didampingi Kepala Staf IDF Letnan Jenderal Benny Gantz, berdiri di sebelah kanan, serta para perwira tinggi IDF, sedang mengamati monitor pemantauan sistem pertahanan IRON DOME di perbatasan antara Israel dan Gaza

 

Israel Defense Force yang sejak bulan Februari 2011 lalu dipimpin oleh Letnan Jenderal Benny Gantz berada langsung dibawah Departemen Pertahanan yang dipimpin oleh Ehud Barak.

Menteri Luar Negeri Avigdor Lieberman memiliki “komando” kepada para Duta Besar Israel dan jajarannya di seluruh dunia.

Kemudian Tamir Pardo sebagai Kepala Mossad membawahi pada penanggung-jawab operasi intelijen Israel di seluruh dunia.

Jadi, kelima nama inilah yang berperan sangat sentral dalam menangani masalah Flotilla.

Secara khusus diharapkan kepada Militer Israel ( Israel Defense Force / IDF ) agar Pasukan Komando Angkatan Laut yang akan mereka kerahkan menangani kedatangan rombongan Freedom Flotilla Two ini bisa menahan diri dan sungguh-sungguh menjalankan tugas penting mereka dengan kekuatan militer yang seminimal mungkin.

Disini, peran Ehud Barak sangat sentral sebab posisinya adalah Menteri Pertahanan.

Selain Perdana Menteri Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak dimungkinkan untuk memberi komando langsung kepada IDF.

Yang sungguh diharapkan disini adalah IDF tidak mengeluarkan satu tembakan pun ke arah iring-iringan Kapal Flotilla Kedua agar tidak menimbulkan dampak yang sangat buruk bagi para peserta Flotilla dan juga kepada prajurit Israel sendiri.

Sebab, bukan tidak mungkin prajurit Israel akan mengeluarkan tembakan jika situasinya dianggap sudah sangat tidak kooperatif dan memburuk.

 

Bendera Palestina

 

Tetapi, baik Netanyahu atau Ehud Barak, keduanya harus lebih bijaksana dalam menangani masalah Flotilla ini.

Sehingga, itulah sebabnya diharapkan kepada militer Israel (IDF) adalah tidak menembak ke arah rombongan Kapal Flotilla Kedua.

Dengan catatan, dari arah Kapal-Kapal Flotilla inipun, jangan sampai ada tembakan awal yang dikeluarkan ( baik tembakan yang diarahkan ke udara sebagai upaya provokasi atau ke arah prajurit Israel ).

IDF pasti sudah sangat siap untuk “menyambut” kedatangan rombongan Freedom Flotilla Two ini di wilayah perairan mereka.

Perintah dari Perdana Menteri Netanyahu kepada IDF adalah memblokade kapal-kapal Flotilla ini untuk kemudian dihalau keluar dari wilayah perairan Israel.

Perdana Menteri Netanyahu tidak mengizinkan kapal-kapal ini mendekati Israel.

Tetapi Bibi ( panggilan Netanyahu ) sudah melonggarkan kebijakan para bawahannya yang sempat menyatakan akan mencekal dan mendeportasi siapapun jurnalis asing yang ikut-ikutan dalam rombongan Freedom Flotilla Two.

Ehud Barak, Benny Gantz, para perwira menengah dan perwira tinggi IDF, khususnya Angkatan Laut Israel, pasti sudah stand by semua di posisi mereka untuk menghadapi “tantangan” dari komunitas internasional lewat misi Flotilla ini.

Kapan saja, atau tepatnya jam berapapun iring-iringan kapal Flotilla Dua ini akan mendekati Israel, Angkatan Laut Israel pasti akan segera memerintahkan seluruh kapal yang datang keroyokan lewat rombongan Flotilla Kedua.

Sebab begitu jugalah yang terjadi di bulan Mei 2010 lalu.

 

Perdana Menteri Palestina Salam Fayyad, kiri, sedang berbincang dengan Presiden Palestina Mahmoud Abbas di Ramallah, Tepi Barat ( Palestina ) pada 14 Februari 2011

 

Kalau IDF baru bisa bergerak jika rombongan Freedom Flotilla Two sudah mendekati wilayah perairan Israel, tidak demikian dengan Dinas Rahasia Israel ( Mossad ) yang sejak bulan Desember lalu dipimpin oleh Tamir Pardo.

Tak mungkin Mossad tak bergerak memantau rencana kedatangan Kapal-Kapal Flotilla ini.

Tapi siapa yang bisa memantau Mossad, apa saja atau siapa saja yang mereka pantau ?

Sebab yang namanya dinas rahasia pasti akan bergerak seperti “hantu”.

Tak terlihat.

Tak berbekas.

Kalau Netanyahu, siapapun bisa dengan mudah menyebutkan siapa-siapa saja yang duduk sebagai kalangan menterinya,

Begitu juga Ehud Barak, siapapun juga bisa menyebutkan para petinggi Departemen Pertahanan atau kalangan militer Israel.

Tetapi kalau Mossad ( dan juga dinas rahasia di negara manapun di dunia ini ), tak akan ada yang bisa tahu, siapa saja anggota, jaringan atau kolega mereka yang bisa dikerahkan ).

Tetapi komunitas internasional juga perlu untuk tetap memberikan nasihat yang baik kepada Mossad agar rombongan Freedom Flotilla Two ini mendapat “jaminan keamanan” yang utuh seutuh-utuhnya.

Sebab, pekerjaan IDF dan Mossad tentu akan bersinergi dalam menangani masalah Flotilla.

Salah satu contoh yang langsung menuding Mossad sebagai pelakunya adalah soal kerusakan salah satu kapal yang menjadi bagian dari Flotilla Dua.

 

Freedom Flotilla

 

Seperti yang diberitakan Harian Republika, sejumlah orang tak dikenal disinyalir punya hubungan dengan dinas rahasia Mossad, pada hari Senin (27/6/2011) telah merusak salah satu kapal milik Flotilla 2 di salah satu pelabuhan Yunani, sebelum kapal ini bertolak ke Gaza.

Romi Abduh, anggota Eropa Campaign dalam pernyataan persnya kemarin mengatakan, sejumlah personel tak dikenal menyabot mesin penggerak salah satu kapal yang akan digunakan Flotilla 2 menuju Gaza. Namun tim teknisi sudah bergerak untuk mengadakan perbaikan pada mesin tersebut dan diperkirakan membutuhkan dua hari.

Tudingan ini memang tidak bisa dipercaya begitu saja sebab tidak ada bukti fisik ataupun bukti yuridis hukum yang menunjukkan keterlibatan Mossad dalam pengrusakan mesin kapal tersebut.

Tudingan ini memang sangat sepihak tetapi dalam situasi yang sangat darurat sifatnya, tampaknya memang harus ada yang bisa dijadikan kambing hitam untuk dituding-tuding dan dipersalahan.

Jadi, tak cuma kepada IDF, kepada dinas rahasia Israel pun, komunitas internasional perlu terus menyampaikan harapan dan himbauan yang sangat positif.

Sederhana sekali harapan dan himbauan dari komunitas internasional bahwa jangan sampai ada tindakan kekerasan dan yang paling penting jangan sampai ada korban yang jatuh dalam insiden yang sekecil atau sebesar apapun.

Jika ada kejanggalan yang disinyalir oleh Israel ada di balik kedatangan Flotilla ini maka tindakan yang diambil janganlah tindakan-tindakan represif yang mengedepankan dan memperbesar kekuatan militer dalam menyelesaikannya.

Berilah jaminan keamanan penuh kepada rombongan Flotilla.

 

Ilustrasi Gambar : Sekjen PBB Ban Ki-moon

 

Walaupun misi Flotilla ini sudah mengabaikan himbauan resmi dari Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa (UN).

Dan negara-negara yang warga negaranya ikut dalam rombongan Flotilla ini, patut dipertanyakan kepatuhan dan penghargannya kepada lembaga dunia sekelas Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa.

Ya sebab, Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa sudah melarang secara resmi pemberian bantuan kemanusiaan untuk Gaza disampaikan dengan cara yang tidak legal seperti misi Flotilla.

Tapi, apa boleh buat, Flotilla tetap bersikeras untuk berlayar dan ingin berlabuh di Israel untuk mengantarkan bantuan kemanusiaan lewat perbatasan yang ada di Israel menuju Jalur Gaza.

Israel tetap harus diingatkan tentang perlunya mereka mengendalikan dan menahan diri dalam menangani Kapal-Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua.

Kali ini, dunia akan menyaksikan bagaimana Jenderal Benny Gantz, terutama para Jenderal dan Pasukan Komando dari Angkatan Laut Israel dalam menangani “tamu penting mereka” di wilayah perairan Israel.

Semua upaya diplomasi dari Israel yang meminta Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa melarang konvoi Flotilla akan menjadi sia-sia jika Angkatan Laut Israel terjebak dalam tindakan kekerasan untuk menghalau kapal-kapal Flotilla.

Jangan ada kekerasan yang tidak perlu di wilayah perairan Israel saat Kapal-Kapal Flotilla itu menghampiri dan masuk dalam wilayah perairan Israel.

 

Foto Dokumentasi : Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, duduk di tengah, didampingi Menteri Pertahanan Ehud Barak, paling kanan, menghadiri acara perpisahan Kepala Staf Angkatan Pertahana Israel (IDF) dari Letnan Jenderal Gabi Ashkenazi, paling kiri, kepada Letnan Jenderal Benny Gantz, berdiri, pada bulan Februari 2011 lalu.

 

Hindarilah tindakan represif.

Hindarilah tindakan kekerasan.

Segala sesuatu bisa diselesaikan secara baik … !

Tekanan-tekanan itu akan menjadi lebih besar jika operasi penghalauan terhadap kapal-kapal Flotilla tidak ditangani secara persuasif. Dan Netanyahu punya peran yang sangat sentral dalam mengendalikan semua situasi ini.

Sambutlah kedatangan kapal-kapal Flotilla secara lebih manusiawi.

Jadi sekali lagi, kepada kelima nama di Israel yang dimaksud dalam tulisan ini :

Jangan tembak rombongan FREEDOM FLOTILLA TWO.

Dan tolong jangan ada satupun insiden kecelakaan dalam penanganan Flotilla ( zero accident ).

Pasti, semua ini memang menjadi harapan dari sesama warga dunia yang peduli terhadap keselamatan para penumpang Kapal-Kapal Flotilla.

Israel tentu tidak ingin mendapat masalah-masalah baru di kemudian hari di hadapan komunitas internasional.

Sehingga segala kebijakan dan tindakan apapun yang bermuara pada unsur kekerasan yang ingin mereka ambil dalam menangani konvoi Flotilla Jilid Dua ini, sebaiknya dipikirkan kembali sebaik-baiknya.

 

Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu

 

Tak henti-hentinya, dunia ingin terus menyampaikan harapan kepada Israel agar jangan ada kekerasan.

Namun, keputusan tentang hal-hal teknis di lapangan, memang sepenuhnya ada di tangan Pemerintah Israel.

Sebab bisa jadi, Israel menilai Freedom Flotilla Two ini dengan sengaja telah mengancam sisi keamanan Israel sebagai sebuah negara dan menciptakan kondisi yang sengaja menyulitkan Israel dimana dunia internasional.

Padahal proses perundingan perdamaian dengan Palestina yang lagi macet sedang diupayakan untuk dihidupkan kembali.

Itu sebabnya, kepada lima nama yang sangat penting pada hari-hari sekarang ini, disampaikan lima kata yang menjadi harapan besar dunia kepada Israel “

“Dont Shoot & Zero Accident, Please !”.

Please.

Please.

Please.

 

(MS)

Washington Backs Lagarde To Head IMF

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner

 

WASHINGTON DC, June 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / VOA) — The United States is supporting French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde in her bid to be the next head of the International Monetary Fund, VOA reported.

In a note to journalists Tuesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner cited Lagarde’s “exceptional talent and broad experience.”

Geithner also commended her rival for the post, Mexican central bank chief Agustin Carstens for a “strong and credible” candidacy.

The top IMF post is vacant because former Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Khan resigned after being arrested on charges of sexual assault. He denies the allegations.  (*)

China says Sudan split on agenda as Bashir visits

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, center, walks out from his airplane as he arrives at Beijing International Airport in Beijing, China Tuesday, June 28, 2011. Al-Bashir arrived in Beijing for talks with Chinese officials on Tuesday, a day after his plane was forced to turn back over Turkmenistan because of flight itinerary problems. (AP Photo/Liu Jin, Pool)

 

CHINA, June 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / Reuters) – Senior Chinese officials will take up the secession of south Sudan during talks with Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who began a state visit to his country’s powerful patron on Tuesday after a delay to his arrival.

As reported by REUTERS , Bashir had been due to arrive on Monday for a summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao, one of the few foreign leaders willing to host the Sudanese leader, under indictment by the International Criminal Court over war crimes charges stemming from fighting in the Darfur region of Sudan.

But Bashir failed to show up on time in the Chinese capital, a delay that the Sudanese Foreign Ministry later attributed to a change in the flight plan of his airplane.

He arrived in the early hours of Tuesday and the summit was now likely to take place later in the day.

China is a major buyer of Sudanese crude oil, and will be keen to ensure the partition of Sudan into two states, Bashir’s north and a more oil-abundant south, will not descend into fighting that could disrupt supplies and damage Beijing’s stake on both sides of the new border.

“During President Bashir’s visit to China, both sides will discuss how to consolidate the traditional friendship between their two countries under new circumstances,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was quoted as saying by a news report by Xinhua news agency confirming Bashir’s arrival.

Hong added that the two sides would also discuss Sudan’s “north-south peace process and the Darfur issue.”

Beijing has been building ties with the emerging state in southern Sudan but remains a major supporter of Bashir, including acting as Khartoum’s top arms supplier.

In interviews with official Chinese media, the long-time Sudanese leader mixed reassurances about his commitment to a peaceful secession of the south from July 9, which Beijing has encouraged, with a warning that the split could still go wrong.

The are many “time bombs” in the dividing of Sudan and the possibility of war again erupting between the two sides cannot be excluded, Bashir told the People’s Daily, China’s main official newspaper, in an interview published on Monday.

Trade between China and Sudan grew to $8.6 billion in 2010, a rise of 35.1 percent on 2009 figures, powered by the rising value of Chinese imports of oil, according to Chinese customs statistics.

Sudan was China’s sixth biggest source of imported crude oil last year, when it supplied 12.6 million tonnes, compared with 44.6 million tonnes from the top supplier, Saudi Arabia.

China’s special envoy for Africa Affairs and former envoy to Sudan’s conflict-torn Darfur region, Liu Guijin, told reporters last week that China had “done a lot of work to persuade” the north to implement the peace agreement and referendum.

Khartoum seized the main town in the north-south border region of Abyei on May 21, raising fears the two sides could return to conflict. But Sudan’s military and the south’s Sudan People’s Liberation Army last week agreed to withdraw their forces in favor of Ethiopian peacekeepers.

Human rights groups have urged Beijing to arrest Bashir on the war crimes charges against him. China has shrugged off these calls, saying it has every right to host the head of a state with which it has diplomatic relations.  (*)

Photostream : Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in China for talks

The aeroplane of Sudan's leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir lands at Beijing International Airport June 28, 2011. As reported by Al jazeera, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan's president, has arrived in Beijing for talks with Hu Jintao, his Chinese counterpart. He arrived in the early hours of Tuesday after a delay that the Sudanese foreign ministry attributed to a change in his flight plan. Melissa Chan, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Beijing, said al-Bashir now does not have any event scheduled for the day. She said his meeting with Hu Jintao, a signing ceremony, and meeting with secondary leaders such as Li Keqiang and Wu Bangguo will take place on Wednesday. China is a major buyer of Sudanese crude oil, and will be keen to ensure the partition of Sudan into two states will not descend into fighting that could disrupt supplies and damage Beijing's stake on both sides of the new border. "During President Bashir's visit to China, both sides will discuss how to consolidate the traditional friendship between their two countries under new circumstances," Hong Lei, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency. Hong said that the two sides would also discuss Sudan's "north-south peace process and the Darfur issue." Beijing has been building ties with the emerging state in southern Sudan but remains a major supporter of al-Bashir, including acting as Khartoum's top arms supplier. China is also one of the few countries willing to host the Sudanese leader, under indictment by the International Criminal Court over war crimes charges stemming from fighting in the Darfur region. Photo : REUTERS/Liu Jin/Pool

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir (3rd L) shakes hands with Chinese officials as he arrives at Beijing International Airport June 28, 2011. In an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency, Bashir said that the independence of southern Sudan, scheduled for July 9, would not affect future relations between Sudan and China. "We are convinced that this will not affect the relationship," he said. "Our policy, and also China's, stands on the principle that each country is free to adopt the procedures and build relations in the manner that preserves its interests and relations. Therefore, even if China has established relations with the south Sudan state, that will definitely not affect its relations with the north. Similarly, its relations with the north will not affect its relations with the south. This is what really characterizes relations with China," said al-Bashir. Al-Bashir reiterated that China remained "the strategic partner" for his country in various fields, affirming that his visit to China would give a strong boost to the two countries' ties. "We regard China as the strategic partner for Sudan in various fields, including the political, economic, commercial and cultural fields," said al-Bashir, who was scheduled to visit China from Monday to Thursday. Photo : REUTERS/Liu Jin/Pool

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir (R) walks with a Chinese military officer as he arrives at Beijing International Airport June 28, 2011. Bashir, who faces indictment from the International Criminal Court over war crimes, arrived in Beijing early on Monday for talks that will focus on Sudan's impending split into two countries. REUTERS/Liu Jin/Pool

Fatah official: Palestinians may begin using dollars

Palestine

 

RAMALLAH, June 29, 2011  (KATAKAMI.COM / Ma’an News Agency ) — A leading Fatah figure has revealed some of the means that might be used in the event the UN declines to take a positive decision on Palestinian statehood and its membership in the Security Council, Ma’an News Agency reported.

“The Palestinian leadership will be pushed to take decisions with strategic dimension in dealing with this matter, including the use of the US dollar as the main currency in the Palestinian markets instead of the Israeli shekel,” said Muhammad Shtayyeh on Monday, speaking at the Justice Ministry in Ramallah.

Shtayyeh also said the Palestinians could expand their boycott of settlements to all Israeli products.

“We are talking about 2.8 billion NIS circulated in the Palestinian markets in the West Bank and Gaza; this means that this amount will return to the Israeli treasury to become a surplus,” he said.

US dollars are widely used in the Palestinian territories in addition to the Israeli shekel. The Jordanian dinar and Egyptian pound are frequently used in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, respectively.  (*)

Israel backs away from threat to flotilla reporters

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

 

JERUSALEM, June 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / Reuters) - Israel backtracked on Monday on a threat to bar foreign journalists from entering the country for 10 years if they board a new international aid flotilla that plans to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip., REUTERS reported on Monday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an official statement said, instructed authorities to exempt foreign reporters from “the usual policy applied to infiltrators and those who enter illegally.”

In an email to foreign news organisations on Sunday, the Government Press Office (GPO) said journalists’ participation in the flotilla would be “an intentional violation” of Israeli law that could result in a 10-year entry ban to Israel and confiscation of their equipment.

The Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem had described the GPO’s warning as a “chilling message” that raised questions about Israel’s commitment to freedom of the press. Several Israeli legislators also condemned the GPO’s move.

Israel says it will prevent the convoy from reaching Gaza, a territory run by Hamas Islamists, and proposes the ships planning to set sail from European ports this week dock in Israel or Egypt and transfer cargo overland to the enclave.

In Athens, a group of 400 pro-Palestinian activists called on the Greek government to let them depart in “The Freedom Flotilla II.” Cyprus, used as a launch pad for earlier voyages, has banned them from sailing from its ports.

A year ago, nine Turkish activists, including one with dual U.S.-Turkish nationality, were killed by Israeli soldiers who raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and were confronted by passengers wielding clubs and knives.

OVERRULING

Israeli officials said the GPO warning referred to the likelihood that reporters, along with activists, would be expelled if the ships docked in Israel and that deportation stamps in their passports would disqualify them for up to 10 years from visiting the country.

Netanyahu, the officials said, overruled what they described as a staff-level decision, and lifted the deportation threat for journalists whose credentials are recognized by Israel.

In its announcement, the Prime Minister’s Office said Israeli and foreign reporters would be invited aboard Israeli navy ships sent to intercept the flotilla, to ensure “transparency and accurate coverage.”

Israel says its blockade is aimed at stopping weaponry from reaching Hamas, which is shunned by the West because of its refusal to recognize the Jewish state, renounce violence and accept existing peace deals.

Palestinians say the edict is illegal and is helping to strangle Gaza’s underdeveloped economy.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged governments on Monday not to assist the flotilla and said he had ordered the army to stop the vessels. The United States has supported the naval blockade and warned activists last week the voyage would be irresponsible and dangerous.

“If there is any friction or violence it will be the organizers and participants of the flotilla who bare the responsibility,” Barak said in public remarks.

The activists — who include European MPs, a former CIA analyst and a 75-year Holocaust survivor, professors and authors — rejected the warnings and said they would not give up.

“If they physically stop us — we know and they know — we will come again and again until this siege is lifted completely and permanently,” said Dror Feiler, one of the activists. (*)

 

Perancis Bersiap Damaikan Israel-Palestina Saat Netanyahu Diuji Soal Gilad Shalit & Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua

Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, disertai foto Gilad Shalit (pada bingkai kecil).

Letter from French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Gilad Shalit

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks on Gilad Shalit

UN Secretary-General urges Gaza aid through legitimate crossings

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General on Israeli Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit

Jakarta, 27 Juni 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — Dalam pembahasan di rapat kabinet mingguannya pada hari Minggu ( 27/6/2011) kemarin, Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu tak sedikitpun menyinggung mengenai masalah rencana kedatangan iring-iringan kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua yang kabarnya membawa bantuan kemanusiaan yang sudah bergerak menuju perairan Israel.

Hari Senin, Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua ini dikabarkan sudah bersiap meninggapkan perairan Yunani untuk segera menuju ke arah Israel guna menyampaikan “bantuan kemanusiaan” untuk rakyat Palestina di Jalur GAZA.

Netanyahu memang menyampaikan beberapa poin kepada media massa mengenai rapat kabinet mingguannya.

Antara lain mengenai masalah penawanan Kopral Gilad Shalit yang memasuki tahun kelima penawanan oleh kelompok militan HAMAS.

Selengkapnya, pernyataan Netanyahu mengenai Gilad Shalit adalah :

“Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of Gilad Shalit’s abduction.  He is being held by a brutal enemy, Hamas, which refuses to uphold either the minimal demands of the international treaties or humanitarian conditions.  It has refused to allow him even one visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross.  It is holding him in harsh conditions and we know how his family is suffering.  I think that the entire nation and all fair and just people in the world are incensed at what Hamas is doing.

We have applied heavy international pressure, which has found expression in remarks by the leaders of countries such as the US and in Europe, and in yesterday’s statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, all of whom are demanding Gilad’s immediate release and a visit by the ICRC beforehand.  We have also decided to change the conditions of [Hamas] prisoners; that party is over.

We are involved in many actions, and I do not think that this is the place to go into details, all of which are in order to bring Gilad Shalit back home, safe and sound.  The State of Israel is ready to go far, more than any other country, in order to secure Gilad’s release but it is my responsibility, and the responsibility of those who are sitting here, to see to the security and lives of the Israeli people.

We received a proposal from the German mediator.  This proposal was harsh; it was not simple for the State of Israel.  However, we agreed to accept it in the belief that it was balanced between our desire to secure Gilad’s release and to prevent possible harm to the lives and security of the Israeli people.  As of now, we have yet to receive Hamas’s official answer to the German mediator’s proposal.”

 

Kedua orangtua dari prajurit Gilad Shalit, yaitu Aviva, sang ibu di sebelah kiri, dan sang ayah yaitu Noan Shalit, tengah, membaca surat dari Presiden Perancis Nicolas Sarkozy yang disampaikan oleh Duta Besar Perancis untuk Israel Christophe Bigot, yang disampaikan dalam ranggka peringatan 5 tahun penawanan Gilad Shalit. Gilad Shalit adalah prajurit Israel yang memiliki dua kewarganegaraan yaitu PERANCIS dan ISRAEL

 

Lima Tahun Penawanan Gilad Shalit, Hamas-Fatah Rebutan Kursi Perdana Menteri Palestina

 

Netanyahu memang tidak mau mengungkapkan isi detail dari rapat kabinet mingguannya kepada media lokal di Israel.

Tetapi berdasarkan pemberitaan HAARETZ yang mendapat keterangan dari sumber mereka bahwa dalam rapat kabinet mingguan itu, Netanyahu memberikan peringatan kepada kalangan pemerintahannya bahwa tidak akan ada satu kapalpun dari iring-iringan Kapal Flotilla Dua yang akan diizinkan menembus blokade yang akan dibuat oleh Angkatan Laut Israel.

Bahkan dalam rapat kabinet mingguan itu dibahas secara internal bahwa Flotilla Jilid Dua akan diikuti oleh 10 kapal dari berbagai negara, diantaranya adalah aktivis Hak Asasi Manusi dan Jurnalis dari Amerika Serikat, Canada dan beberapa negara Uni Eropa.

Netanyahu memerintahkan militernya bahwa iring-iringan kapal Flotilla Dua itu harus diblokade dan dihalau keluar dari perairan Israel.

Sejak sebulan terakhir militer Israel atau Israel Defense Force (IDF) memang sudah bersiap-siap menyambut kedatangan iring-iringan kapal ini.

Kuatnya tekanan kepada Netanyahu dalam beberapa hari terakhir ini menyangkut masalah Gilad Shalit, tak lain tak bukan karena tanggal 25 Juni kemarin adalah peringatan 5 tahun penangkapan dan penawanan prajurit yang malang ini.

Dan sudah barang tentu, tekanan paling kuat datang dari pihak Keluarga Besar Gilad Shalit.

Ayah, ibu, bahkan kakeknya, melampiaskan kemarahan, kekecewaan dan kepedihan hati mereka dengan cara mengecam Netanyahu sekeras mungkin lewat pernyataan mereka.

Kemarahan, kekecewaan dan kepedihan hati Keluarga Besar Gilad Shalit ini sesungguhnya sangat manusia.

Benar-benar dapat dipahami oleh siapapun dimuka bumi ini !

Lima tahun adalah masa yang sangat panjang untuk menantikan kepulangan seorang anak / cucu dari masa “kehilangannya” dan raib di tangan musuh.

Jadi jangan heran kalau dari semua penjuru angin, Netanyahu diserang dan ditekan dari pihak manapun di negaranya yang ingin agar Pemerintah Israel bergerak lebih dinamis dalam menegosiasikan pembebasan Gilad Shalit.

Seiring dengan itu, Pemerintah Israel, terutama Angkatan Pertahanan Israel (IDF) saat inipun dihadapkan pada sebuah potensi masalah baru yaitu rencana kedatangan Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua.

Walaupun Kapal Mavi Marmara yang tahun 2010 lalu menjadi “kapal induk” yang memimpin iring-iringan Flotilla Jilid Satu tak ikut pada misi kedua di tahun 2011 ini, rencana kedatangan Flotilla Jilid Dua tetap sangat diminati oleh banyak pihak.

Netanyahu dihadapkan, dan bahkan diuji saat ini, terhadap dua masalah besar yaitu rencana kedatangan Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua, dan merespon tekanan yang sangat kuat dari dalam negerinya untuk segera berbuat lebih maju dalam perjuangan membebaslan prajurit Gilad Shalit.

 

Menteri Luar Negeri Perancis ALAIN JUPPE menemui ayah dari Gilad Shalit yaitu NOAM SHALIT untuk menyampaikan keprihatiann dari Pemerintah Perancis atas penawanan yang masih tetap dilakukan Hamas sampai memasuki tahun kelima. Juppe bertemu Noam Shalit tanggal 2 Juni 2011 di Yerusalem, Israel. Gilad Shalit yang sudah 5 tahun ditawan HAMAS adalah pemegang dua kewarganegaraan yaitu ISRAEL dan PERANCIS.

 

Dua masalah besar yang menerpa Netanyahu ini terjadi hanya beberapa hari menjelang pertemuan yang dimotori Pemerintah Perancis untuk menggelar semacam konferensi untuk melanjutkan perundingan perdamaian antara Israel dan Palestina.

Menurut rencana, Konferensi Paris ini akan digelar pada awal bulan Juli mendatang.

Yang menarik dalam konteks ini, Perancis terkait secara langsung dan tidak langsung dalam tali temali permasalahan ini.

Soal Gilad Shalit misalnya, prajurit ini memang terdaftar sebagai prajurit Israel.

Tetapi Gilad Shalit merupakan warga negara Israel dan Perancis karena ia memang mempunyai 2 kewarga-negaraan.

Lalu sebagai bagian dari kekuatan Kelompok Kwartet Timur Tengah, Perancis berinisiatif untuk menjadi tuan rumah kelanjutan proses perdamaian antara Israel dan Palestina.

Kelompok Kwartet Timur Tengah adalah Amerika Serikat, Rusia, Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa (PBB) dan negara-negara yang tergabung dalam UNI EROPA.

Itulah sebabnya Pemerintah Perancis mengundang Pemerintah Palestina dan Pemerintah Israel untuk duduk bersama di meja perundingan yang difasilitasi Pemerintah Perancis pada awal bulan Juli mendatang.

( Dan yang menarik disini, salah satu kapal yang ingin bergabung dengan iring-iringan Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua adalah kapal yang berasal dari PERANCIS ).

Presiden Perancis Nicolas Sarkozy bertemu dengan Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu di Paris, 5 Mei 2011

Tak cuma itu kaitan langsung dan tidak langsung antara Perancis dengan permasalahan yang menghangat saat ini di Israel.

Jika Konferensi Paris yang akan diselenggarakan pada awal bulan Juli mendatang jadi dilaksanakan, maka akan ada satu lagi nuansa sejarah yang akan mempererat “hubungan bathiniah” antara Perancis dan Israel.

Sebab, tanggal 3 dan 4 Juli mendatang adalah peringatan 35 tahun Operasi Entebbe yaitu Operasi Penyelematan Sandera pada maskapai penerbangan AIR FRANCE yang dilakukan kelompok militan Palestina.

Letnan Kolonel Yoni Netanyahu (kakak / saudara tertua dari Perdana Menteri Benjamin Netanyahu) merupakan komandan PASUKAN KHUSUS ISRAEL yang mendapatkan tugas untuk mengatasi aksi TERORISME pembajakan pesawatAIR FRANCE Flight 138 dengan rute dari TEL AVIV, ISRAEL, menuju PARIS, PERANCIS.

Operasi khusus yang dikenal dengan nama OPERASI ENTEBBE ini, dilakukan untuk menyelamatkan para penumpang yang menjadi sandera dari teroris Palestina.

Misi menyelamatan yang dilakukan oleh Pasukan Khusus Sayeret Matkal ( salah satu unit terbaik yang dimiliki oleh Israel Defense Force atau IDF ).

Dan dalam operasi ini, Yoni Netanyahu bertindak sebagai komandan lapangan.

Bandara Entebbe di Uganda merupakan LOKASI dari operasi penyelamatan sandera oleh Pasukan Khusus Israel Sayeret Matkal.

Peristiwa ini berlangsung pada ( malam hari ) tanggal 3 Juli sampai pagi hari tanggal  4 Juli 1976.

Operasi telah dirancang secara rahasia dan dilakukan menentang negara Uganda, dimana pemimpinnya, Idi Amin mendukung pembajakan tersebut.

Operasi Entebbe berhasil membebaskan 100 orang tawanan yang ada didalam pesawat AIR FRANCE.

Pada tanggal 27 Juni 1976 Pesawat naas AIR FRANCE dengan nomor penerbangan 139 lepas landas dari Tel Aviv ke Paris.

Pesawat itu berhenti di Yunani seperti yang direncanakan, di mana 56 penumpang naik, di antaranya adalah para teroris Palestina.

Para teroris bersenjata menguasai pesawat sepanjang penerbangan yang berisi sebanyak 246 penumpang.

Teroris memerintahkan pilot untuk mendarat pertama di Libya, lalu kemudian mendarat di Bandar Udara Entebbe, Uganda. Lalu untuk melakukan operasi penyelamatan, pada tanggal 3 Juli 1976, empat pesawat Hercules yang berisi 200 tentara IDF lepas landas dari Sharm El Sheikh, Israel menuju Uganda.

 

Foto Atas : Operasi Entebbe. Operasi Penyelamatan Sandera pesawat AIR FRANCE di Bandar Udara Entebbe, Uganda, tanggal 4 Juli 1976. Tanggal 4 Juli 2011 mendatang adalah peirngatan 35 tahun Operasi Entebbe yang menyelamatkan maskapai penerbangan PERANCIS yang dibajak oleh kelompok militan Palestina. Foto Bawah : Gilad Shalit. Tanggal 25 Juni 2011 adalah peringatan 5 tahun penawanan Gilad Shalit oleh Kelompok Militan Hamas. Gilad Shalit adalah warga negara Israel dan Perancis.

 

Jadi, dalam suasana peringatan 5 tahun penawanan Gilad Shalit (25 Juni 2011) dan peringatan 35 tahun Operasi Entebbe ( 4 Juli 2011), mau tak mau Perancis terkait secara langsung dan tak langsung dalam upaya membantu proses perundingan perdamaian antara Israel dan Palestina.

Tetapi, yang perlu terus didorong dari Pemerintah Perancis ( khususnya Presiden Nicolas Sarkozy ) untuk membebaskan Gilad Shalit adalah kebijakan yang lebih nyata.

Korespondensi antara Presiden Perancis secara rutin kepada Keluarga Besar Gilad Shalit memang akan sangat menghibur dikala keluarga yang malang ini terus menerus dirundung duka menantikan keajaiban pembebasan anak kesayangan mereka.

Tapi surat-menyurat seperti itu tak akan bisa menolong pembebasan itu secara nyata.

Seharusnya Perancis bisa lebih berperan dalam membebaskan Gilad Shalit mengingat begitu rumit dan buruknya hubungan antara Israel dan Sayap Militer Hamas.

Termasuk misalnya, mendekati Pemerintah Israel untuk menawarkan, bagaimana jika masalah pertukaran tahanan ini diprioritaskan kepada seluruh tahanan perempuan dan anak-anak Palestina yang ada di Israel.

Berapapun jumlahnya, barangkali ide ini bisa dikomunikasikan dengan Pihak Israel.

Sebab, Hamas harus punya skala prioritas dalam masalah pertukaran tahanan.

Apakah harus ikut ditukar misalnya, anggota-anggota HAMAS yang ditangkap karena terindikasi melakukan serangan-serangan militer secara langsung ke wilayah Israel ?

Hamas harus lebih rasional dalam mengajukan persyaratan pertukaran tahanan.

Jangan terlalu berlebihan dan memanfaatkan situasi ini untuk kepentingan sepihak.

Sebab, masalah pertukaran tahanan ini harus sama-sama seimbang dan berkeadilan bagi kedua belah pihak.

Mau negara manapun yang menjadi mediator akan menemui kegagalan demi kegagalan, jika masalah pertukaran tahanan ini menjadi sangat tak seimbang poin-poin persyaratannya.

Hamas, dan Palestina secara keseluruhan, juga bisa memasukkan dalam persyaratan mereka kepada Israel, agar pihak keluarga dari para tahanan Palestina diizinkan untuk membesuk secara rutin.

Kemudian, para tahanan diberi perlakukan yang baik dan diizinkan untuk melakukan ibadah mereka (sholat) secara layak dan sangat baik saat berada dalam tahanan Israel.

( Walaupun akan sangat kontradiktif situasinya sebab dalam masa penawanan 5 tahun terhadap Gilad Shalit, 1 detikpun pihak keluarga dan kalangan internasional tidak diizinkan oleh HAMAS untuk bisa membesuk Gilad Shalit ).

Kemudian, sampaikan kepada Pihak Israel, agar seluruh tahanan Palestina yang ada di penjara-penjara Israel, diizinkan dan diberi jaminan untuk bisa melaksanakan ibadah puasa sepanjang bulan Ramadhan yang  tinggal sebulan lagi.

Dan bahkan kalau bisa, diizinkan untuk bisa bertemu dengan sanak saudaranya jika hendak membesuk dalam suasana Idul Fitri tahun ini.

Hamas juga harus membuktikan bahwa mereka sungguh peduli pada rakyat Palestina yang sedang berada di dalam tahanan Israel. Pikirkan penderitaan rakyat Palestina yang saat ini berada dalam tahanan Israel sehingga jangan ada lagi waktu yang terbuang secara sia-sia.
Kalau Israel berada dalam tekanan untuk membebaskan 1 orang prajuritnya, nah Hamas dan Pemerintah Palestina ?

Ada ribuan rakyatnya yang menunggu pertolongan dan pembebasan.

Kasihan kalau penderitaan mereka jadi bertambah panjang dan bertambah parah.

Jadi, tolonglah, agar Israel dan Hamas khususnya, sama-sama berpikir dan bertindak bijaksana dalam masalah pertukaran tahanan ini.

Jangan adu keras.

Sebab, yang merasakan dampak buruk dari tertundanya masalah pertukaran tahanan ini adalah rakyat mereka sendiri.

 

Kanselir Jerman Angela Merkel bertemu Presiden Perancis Nicolas Sarkozy di Berlin, 17 Juni 2011. Dalam pertemuan ini, salah satu poin penting yang disampaikan kedua pemimpin Negara Eropa ini adalah desakan kepada HAMAS untuk membebaskan Gilad Shalit yang sudah 5 tahun ditawan

 

Jadi sekali lagi, Perancis sesungguhnya bisa lebih berperan dalam menjadi mediator perundingan perdamaian antara Israel dan Palestina.

Dibanding Jerman yang selama ini menjadi mediator perundingan pembebasan Gilad Shalit, sesungguhnya yang harus lebih giat maju di garis terdepan proses negosiasi itu adalah Pemerintah Perancis.

Termasuk didalamnya, membujuk Israel agar mau merespon jumlah angka pertukaran tahanan yang diminta Hamas sebagai syarat pertukaran antara Gilad Shalit dan tahanan-tahanan Palestina yang ada di berbagai penjara Israel.

Hamas terus menekan dan mendesak Pemerintah Israel membebaskan seluruh tahanan Palestina yang ada di Israel. Dan sekaligus mengecam intimidasi yang dilakukan Israel terhadap sekitar 6000 sampai 7000 orang tahanan Palestina di Israel.

( Hamas lupa bahwa menawan seorang warga negara asing selama 5 tahun berturut-turut, tanpa pernah mengizinkan pihak keluarga dan komunitas internasional menemui Gilad Shalit, adalah juga tindakan INTIMIDASI yang sangat amat buruk ).

Jika Hamas meminta 6000 sampai 7000 orang tahanan Palestina ditukar dengan 1 orang prajurit Israel, dari segi angka saja sudah sangat tidak sebanding.

Satu banding Tujuh Ribu !

Lalu, mau ditaruh dimana wajah dari Benjamin Netanyahu di hadapan seluruh rakyatnya, jika ternyata ia bisa didikte dan ditekan dengan mudah oleh sayap militer Hamas yang selama ini kerap kali mengancam sisi keamanan Israel sebagai sebuah negara ?

Jika seandainya Netanyahu mengabulkan permintaan Hamas untuk membebaskan seluruh tahanan Hamas di penjara Israel, maka barangkali detik pertama setelah kebijakan ini diambil Netanyahu akan dijatuhkan dari kursi kepemimpinannya dan dianggap tidak layak untuk menjadi pemimpin.

Sebagai pemimpin, ia harus menjaga kredibilitas dan legitimasi di hadapan rakyatnya sendiri.

Sebagai pemimpin, ia akan digugat sebab bisa didikte oleh sebuah kelompok atau grup yang sampai saat ini masih dinyatakan secara resmi oleh Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa dan komunitas internasional sebagai grup teroris.

Ini fakta !

 

Presiden Perancis Nicolas Sarkozy menerima kunjungan Presiden Palestina Mahmoud Abbas di Paris, 21 April 2011

 

Netanyahu akan mendapat masalah yang sangat berat pada posisi jabatannya saat ini dan karier politiknya, jika ia bisa didikte dan dikendalikan Hamas lewat cara seperti ini.

Tidak mungkin Netanyahu tidak mau melakukan pertukaran tahanan untuk menyelamatkan Gilad Shalit.

Dalam dua tahun masa jabatan kedua Netanyahu sebagai Perdana Menteri sejak tahun 2009 lalu, berulang kali pihak Keluarga Besar Gilad Shalit dan simpatisannya memilih mengadakan aksi unjuk rasa secara rutin di depan rumah Perdana Menteri Netanyahu sebagai desakan agar Gilad Shalit segera dibebaskan oleh Hamas.

Jadi agak mustahil jika Netanyahu tidak peduli pada nasib Gilad Shalit.

Netanyahu pasti sangat amat peduli pada nasib Gilad Shalit tapi barangkali yang menjadi permasalahan disini adalah tuntunan Hamas yang tidak sebanding dengan esensi utama misi pertukaran tahanan itu.

Satu orang tahanan harus ditukar dengan ribuan tahanan.

Lalu bagaimana jika diantara tahanan-tahanan yang harus dilepaskan dari penjara Israel itu memang terindikasi melakukan perbuatan melawan hukum yaitu mengancam  keselamatan dan memang terlibat dalam aksi-aksi militer ?

Berdasarkan informasi yang ditulis dalam WIKIPEDIA, diuraikan disana bahwa Gilad Shalit ditangkap bukan karena ia menyerang atau memerangi Palestina !

Tidak samasekali !

WIKIPEDIA menyebutkan bahwa Gilad Shalit ditangkap saat ia melintasi pos penjagaan di wilayah teritorial Israel.

Lalu saat itu, sejumlah anggota sayap militer Hamas yang bersenjata berhasil menyusup masuk dan menyerang kendaraan tempur milik militer Israel.

Disinilah letak ketidak-adilan yang dilakukan Hamas terhadap Gilad Shalit.

Gilad tidak dalam posisi menyerang, menyakiti atau memerangi Hamas saat ia ditangkap di suatu hari Minggu tanggal 25 Juni 2006.

Anggota sayap militer Hamas menyusup masuk ke wilayah Israel, lalu menyerang dan meledakkan kendaraan tempur milik militer Israel, kemudian menangkap prajurit yang sedang berada di kendaraan tempur itu.

Gilad ditangkap di wilayah Kerem Shalom di perbatasan Israel – Gaza.

Wikipedia menyebutkan Gilad Shalit ditangkap di suatu hari Minggu pagi tanggal 25 Juni 2006.

Penangkapan dilakukan oleh sejumlah anggota militan Hamas yang menyusup lewat terowongan bawah tanah untuk bisa menembus masuk ke pos penjagaan Israel di bagian selatan Jalur Gaza.

Terjadilah pertempuran yang menyebabkan dua anggota Hamas dan dua prajurit Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tewas, kemudian 3 prajurit Israel terluka.

Sementara Gilad dikabarkan patah pada tangan kiri dan terluka di bagian bahu, setelah kendaraan tempur (tank) yang membawa prajurit Israel dihajar oleh granat roket milik Hamas.

Penangkapan yang terjadi pada diri Gilad Shalit terjadi terjadi disaat prajurit malang ini baru menjalani masa dinasnya di kemiliteran Israel selama (kurang dari) satu tahun.

Masih berdasarkan informasi Wikipedia, Gilad Shalit bergabung dengan IDF pada bulan Juli 2005 untuk mengikuti jejak sang kakak yaitu Yoel Shalit.

 

Perdana Menteri Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, duduk di tengah, didampingi Menteri Pertahanan Ehud Barak, menghadiri acara perpisahan Kepala Staf Angkatan Pertahanan Israel (IDF), dari Letnan Jenderal Gabi Ashkenazi, kiri, kepada Letnan Jenderal Benny Gantz, berdiri pada Februari 2011 di Yerusalem, Israel.

 

Dari Nakba Sampai Flotilla Mengukur Kemampuan Jenderal Benny Gantz Dan Militer Israel

 

Jadi kini, menjelang Konferensi Paris yang ditawarkan Pemerintah Perancis kepada Israel dan Palestina, Perdana Menteri Netanyahu masih harus disibukkan ( atau tepatnya sedang di uji ) pada dua masalah besar yang lagi hangat-hangatnya dibicarakan di Israel yaitu masalah Gilad Shalit dan rencana kedatangan Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua.

Kalau pada tahun 2010 lalu, Netanyahu sedang berada di luar negeri saat kapal Mavi Marmara datang maka di tahun 2011 ini Netanyahu harus ikut ” menyambut” kedatangan Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua.

Kalau pada tahun 2010 lalu, Kepala Staf IDF Letnan Jenderal Gabi Ashkenazi yang bertanggung-jawab dalam menjalankan operasi “penyambutan” Kapal Mavi Marmara maka saat ini tugas itu akan dilakukan Letnan Jenderal Benny Gantz.

Seberapa mampu Letnan Jenderal Benny Gantz mengatasi iring-iringan Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua yang secara hitam di atas putih sudah dinyatakan tidak legal oleh Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa.

Dan inilah ujicoba pertama bagi Sekjen PBB Ban Ki-moon yang mendapat mandat untuk meneruskan masa jabatannya periode yang kedua.

Sebuah kebijakan dan pandangan yang resmi dikeluarkan oleh Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa ternyata tidak didengar dan dianggap tak penting oleh sejumlah pihak yang tetap memutuskan untuk datang ramai-ramai menggertak Israel.

Menggertak Israel sebenarnya tindakan yang sia-sia.

Inilah negara yang paling tidak bisa digertak.

Kapal Flotilla Dua belum sampai ke perairan Israel saja, sebuah peringatan sudah disampaikan oleh Pemerintah Israel bahwa jurnalis manapun yang ikut dalam iring-iringan Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua ini akan dicekal selama 10 tahun oleh Israel.

Kadang-kadang, kepusingan kita mengamati dan menyaksikan setiap tindakan dan kebijakan Israel ini bukannya tambah sembuh tapi kita malah dibuat tambah sakit kepala.

Seenak mereka saja membuat kebijakan kalau sudah kesal, jengkel dan marah akibat sisi keamanan negara mereka masuk pada zona tak aman.

Jauh hari sebelumnya, Angkatan Laut Israel juga sudah pamer kekuatan yaitu sengaja mempublikasikan simulasi latihan pasukan khusus dari Angkatan Laut Israel tentang bagaimana cara mereka menangani alias MENGUSIR Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua.

Tak cuma simulasi, penjara pun sudah mereka siapkan jika tetap ada yang nekat memasuki wilayah Israel secara legal.

Israel ini memang paling lihai membuat pihak lain “sakit kepala” alias pusing tujuh keliling.

Kita juga masih ingat saat IDF membuat lagu plesetan dari lagu karya Michael Jackson, WE ARE THE WORLD.

Lagu ini diplesetkan oleh prajurit-prajurit Israel untuk menyindir Kapal Mavi Marmara yang datang ke Israel untuk maksud dan tujuan mengantarkan bantuan kemanusiaan ke Jalur GAZA.

Israel ini memang “gila” !

 

Foto Dokumentasi : Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, berkemeja hitam di sebelah kiri, didampingi Kepala Staf Militer Israel Letnan Jenderal Gabi Ashkenazi, sedang mengunjungi Pasukan Komando Angkatan Laut Israel yang berperan dalam operasi pengusiran Kapal Mavi Marmara di bulan Mei 2010

 

Israel juga seakan mampu untuk mengemas berbagai  tindakan dan kebijakan yang terkesan semaunya dan sangat berlebihan sebagai wujud dari gigihnya mereka menjaga sisi keamanan nasional negara mereka.

Bahkan tahun lalu, saat semua pihak mengecam Israel karena mengusir iring-iringan Kapal Mavi Marmara ( tahun 2010 ), Perdana Menteri Benjamin Netanyahu malah mendatangi Pasukan Komando dari Angkatan Laut Israel yang ditugaskan mengusir Kapal Mavi Marmara dengan mengatakan kepada para prajuritnya, “You are the best !”

Kini, ujian tentang Flotilla kembali datang menghampiri Israel.

Kepada Israel, khususnya IDF, di harapkan agar penanganan terhadap Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua ini harus persuasif dan harus menjauhkan tindakan mereka dari segala sesuatu yang bersifat tindakan-tindakan represif.

Kepada Israel, khususnya IDF, di harapkan agar operasi penghalauan terhadap iring-iringan Kapal Flotilla Dua ini tetap mengedepankan penghormatan terhadap nilai-nilai hukum internasional dan kemanusiaan.

Sebab saat ini  sebenarnya Israel sudah “menang” dengan adanya kebijakan dan himbauan dari Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa bahwa semua bentuk bantuan lewat rencana kedatangan Kapal Flotilla harus disampaikan dengan cara yang LEGAL.

Tetapi, Israel tetap harus diingatkan tentang perlunya mereka mengendalikan dan menahan diri dalam menangani Kapal-Kapal Flotilla Jilid Dua.

Kali ini, dunia akan menyaksikan bagaimana Jenderal Benny Gantz, terutama para Jenderal dan Pasukan Komando dari Angkatan Laut Israel dalam menangani “tamu penting mereka” di wilayah perairan Israel.

Semua upaya diplomasi dari Israel yang meminta Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa melarang konvoi Flotilla akan menjadi sia-sia jika Angkatan Laut Israel terjebak dalam tindakan kekerasan untuk menghalau kapal-kapal Flotilla.

Jangan ada kekerasan yang tidak perlu di wilayah perairan Israel saat Kapal-Kapal Flotilla itu menghampiri dan masuk dalam wilayah perairan Israel.

Hindarilah tindakan represif.

Hindarilah tindakan kekerasan.

Segala sesuatu bisa diselesaikan secara baik … !

Perdana Menteri Netanyahu sudah mendapat tekanan yang sangat berat akibat tindakan Hamas yang terus menerus memperpanjang penawanan terhadap Gilad Shalit.

Tekanan-tekanan itu akan menjadi lebih besar jika operasi penghalauan terhadap kapal-kapal Flotilla tidak ditangani secara persuasif. Dan Netanyahu punya peran yang sangat sentral dalam mengendalikan semua situasi ini.

Sambutlah kedatangan kapal-kapal Flotilla secara lebih manusiawi menjelang pertemuan untuk melanjutkan perundingan perdamaian yang ditawarkan Perancis dalam beberapa hari mendatang.

(MS)

New UN food chief promises “new era”

Jose Graziano da Silva of Brazil (C), the newly elected Director-General of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (AFP PHOTO / ANDREAS SOLARO)

ROME, June 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — The new head of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, Jose Graziano da Silva of Brazil, on Monday promised “a new era” at the often-criticised organisation, warning staff that he would crack down on inefficiency, Channel News Asia reported on Tuesday.

In his first press conference as FAO chief, Graziano, who was elected Sunday with 92 votes against 88 for his closest challenger, Miguel Angel Moratinos of Spain, said “the election was very difficult, almost a draw.”

The vote largely split along geographical lines, with northern hemisphere countries supporting Moratinos, while southern nations backed Graziano, the first Latin American to head the organisation.

“We want to initiate a new era in the organisation,” Graziano said, while promising to consult all nations concerned before making a decision.

“There are profound differences between countries. I know them all,” he said.

While not denying that differences exist, he said it was crucial to find “a minimum agreement between member-states so as to not paralyse the organisation.”

In a comment directed to all FAO staff regarding corruption within the organisation, Graziano said, the FAO’s “objective is to end world hunger and not hunger within your own families.”

Speaking about a previous visit to an FAO regional headquarters in Chile, he said he was baffled at the number of staff members that seemed oblivious to the organisation’s main objective.

“I did an investigation into the role of the FAO. (The staff) gave me very elaborate and very sophisticated answers, but only 10 per cent told me their mission was to combat hunger,” he said.

Senegal’s Jacques Diouf, who has held the top post at the FAO for 17 years, steps down at the end of the year, leaving an agency that critics consider to be too centralised and chronically inefficient.

When pressed by journalists, Graziano declined to offer kind words for the outgoing leader’s tenure.

“I am not going to comment on Diouf’s management,” he said.

Graziano’s election comes amid growing concern over global hunger and spiralling food prices.

Roughly 925 million people are under-nourished worldwide, and Graziano was not optimistic that prices on the international food market would soon stabilise.

“We believe that price volatility will remain for a long time. It is going to stay high. I don’t know for how long,” he said.

Graziano will assume his new duties on January 1.

Each of the FAO’s 191 member states had one vote in the election — unlike other UN agencies where the biggest contributors get more of a say.  (*)

Aung San Suu Kyi sees Myanmar parallels with Arab Spring

Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrives at Yangon airport to pick up her son Kim Aris June 19, 2011. Aris, the younger of two sons of Suu Kyi and her late husband British academic Michael Aris, arrived in Myanmar to attend his mother's birthday. June 19 is Suu Kyi's 66th birthday.

LONDON, June 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / Reuters) - Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said there were “notable similarities” between December’srevolution in Tunisia and the 1988 uprising in her own country that led to her original detention by military authorities, REUTERS reported.

Both rebellions started with small, apparently unimportant events that grew into national protests in pursuit of freedom, Suu Kyi said in a speech secretly recorded by Britain’s BBC in Myanmar earlier this month and due to be broadcast on Tuesday.

But while Tunisia’s revolution led to the overthrow of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and sparked a wave of upheavals across north Africa, Myanmar’s student-led uprising was crushed by the military, she said.

“The Tunisian army did not fire on their people, the Burmese army did,” said Suu Kyi, excluded from politics since she was first detained in 1989.

“The second (difference), and in the long-run probably the more important one, is that the Tunisian revolution enjoyed the benefits of the communications revolution.

“This not only enabled them to better organize and coordinate their movements. It kept the attention of the whole world firmly focused on them,” said the 66-year-old Nobel laureate in a speech to be transmitted on BBC’s Radio 4 channel.

“The Burmese are as excited by these events as peoples elsewhere … The similarities between Tunisia and Burma are the similarities that bind people all over the world who long for freedom,” she said.

Suu Kyi’s linking of the two events is unlikely to please authorities in the country, also known as Burma, who released her from house arrest last November.

Her release came days after a pro-military party swept elections widely dismissed as unfair.

Her National League for Democracy (NLD), won the previous election in 1990 but was never allowed to govern.

In February state media warned that Suu Kyi and her party would “meet their tragic end” if they failed to change their opposition position, days after the NLD said it supported Western sanctions onMyanmar.

Suu Kyi has spent 15 of the past 21 years in detention, most of it under house arrest in Yangon, due to her opposition to 48 years ofmilitary rule.  (*)

Photostream : British Prime Minister David Cameron meets Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao inspects a guard of honour at the Foreign Office before meeting with Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron in London June 27, 2011. REUTERS/Andy Rain/pool

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao inspects a honour guard at the Foreign Office prior to a meeting with British counterpart David Cameron in London, Monday, June 27, 2011. Britain says the U.K. and China are sealing trade deals worth 1 billion pounds (US$1.6 billion) at a summit between national leaders. (AP Photo/Andy Rain, pool)

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, left, walks with British counterpart David Cameron, right, following an honour guard at the Foreign Office in London, Monday, June 27, 2011. Britain says the U.K. and China are sealing trade deals worth 1 billion pounds (US$1.6 billion) at a summit between national leaders. (AP Photo/Andy Rain, pool)

Prime Minister David Cameron welcoming Chinese Premier Wen to Number 10 for the UK-China summit; 27 June 2011

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, left, shakes hands with China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, right, at his official residence, 10 Downing Street, in central London, prior to their meeting, Monday, June 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese Premier Wen with delegates of the UK-China summit; 27 June 2011

Photostream : Richard Gere visits Borobudur Temple in Indonesia

U.S. actor Richard Gere waves to his fans after watching a traditional dance performance at Borobudur temple in Magelang, Central Java June 26, 2011. Gere, who is on a two-day visit to Indonesia, is scheduled to watch the sunrise at the temple and spend time with monks. He will also visit Yogyakarta and meet Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, according to local media. Gere is popular in Indonesia for his roles in romantic comedy films, most notably starring in the 1990 classic “Pretty Woman” with Julia Roberts. The Prambanan temple management, however, is hoping that the visit will help raise the profile of the historic temples and draw more tourists. Tourism to Borobudur and Prambanan has declined sharply following last year’s eruption of the Merapi volcano, which killed more than 300 people. “I heard there was a movie star coming to Prambanan temple,” said Parjono, a food hawker in the area. “If that is true, I hope there will be more visitors to come to my stall.” Gere will be in Indonesia at the invitation of the Culture and Tourism ministry. The management of the Borobudur temple park had said earlier that they were making preparations for his visit there. The park’s spokesman, Pujo Suwarno, said security measures for the actor were in place in coordination with the Magelang police. Gere will arrive in Jakarta on Saturday, Pujo said, before flying to Yogyakarta, where he will be welcomed by Sultan Hamengkubuwono X at Adisucipto International Airport. The actor, also a humanitarian, is expected to participate in a Peace Walk with monks from various temples throughout Indonesia before flying to Bali on Tuesday. Photo : REUTERS/Dwi Oblo

U.S. actor Richard Gere is pictured after watching a traditional dance performance at Borobudur temple in Magelang, Central Java June 26, 2011. Gere, who is on a two-day visit to Indonesia, is scheduled to watch the sunrise at the temple and spend time with monks. He will also visit Yogyakarta and meet Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, according to local media. REUTERS/Dwi Oblo

U.S. actor Richard Gere gestures to fans as he leaves after watching a traditional dance performance at Borobudur temple in Magelang, Central Java June 26, 2011. Gere, who is on a two-day visit to Indonesia, is scheduled to watch the sunrise at the temple and spend time with monks. He will also visit Yogyakarta and meet Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, according to local media. REUTERS/Dwi Oblo

File Picture : In this late Tuesday, May 17, 2011, photo, Indonesian Buddhists walk around Borobudur temple during a celebration of Vesak day, which marks the birth, enlightenment and demise of Buddha, in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Irwin Fedriansyah)

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks on Gilad Shalit

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem June 26, 2011. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool

 

JERUSALEM, June 26, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — Following are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday, June 26, 2011 :
“Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of Gilad Shalit’s abduction.  He is being held by a brutal enemy, Hamas, which refuses to uphold either the minimal demands of the international treaties or humanitarian conditions.  It has refused to allow him even one visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross.  It is holding him in harsh conditions and we know how his family is suffering.  I think that the entire nation and all fair and just people in the world are incensed at what Hamas is doing.

We have applied heavy international pressure, which has found expression in remarks by the leaders of countries such as the US and in Europe, and in yesterday’s statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, all of whom are demanding Gilad’s immediate release and a visit by the ICRC beforehand.  We have also decided to change the conditions of [Hamas] prisoners; that party is over.

We are involved in many actions, and I do not think that this is the place to go into details, all of which are in order to bring Gilad Shalit back home, safe and sound.  The State of Israel is ready to go far, more than any other country, in order to secure Gilad’s release but it is my responsibility, and the responsibility of those who are sitting here, to see to the security and lives of the Israeli people.

We received a proposal from the German mediator.  This proposal was harsh; it was not simple for the State of Israel.  However, we agreed to accept it in the belief that it was balanced between our desire to secure Gilad’s release and to prevent possible harm to the lives and security of the Israeli people.  As of now, we have yet to receive Hamas’s official answer to the German mediator’s proposal.  (*)

 

 

Letter from French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Gilad Shalit

Aviva, left, and Noam Schalit, center, the parents of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, read a letter from French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in front of France's ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot, right, at a protest tent set up outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, Saturday, June 25, 2011. As reported by HAARETZ , France's ambassador to Israel, Christophe Bigot, met yesterday with the parents of Gilad Shalit and presented them with a letter in which French President Nicolas Sarkozy directly addressed the soldier, who has been in Hamas captivity since his abduction five years ago. "Dear Gilad," Sarkozy wrote, ""Since your kidnapping, I have taken it on myself to do everything to return you to your family. I repeated this commitment when I met with your father at the Elysee Palace on June 10, and I repeat it now: France will not abandon you to your fate and will continue to act, along with other bodies, including those in the Arab world, so that this unjustified suffering comes to an end." Shalit holds dual Israeli and French citizenship. In the letter Sarkozy also called on Hamas to release Shalit and to accept the deal proposed by German and Egyptian mediators. "It is time that those responsible for your detention make a decision and end your intolerable and outrageous imprisonment," Sarkozy wrote. Sarkozy also stated in the letter that Hamas was violating international law by holding Shalit. "I cannot accept that you are forbidden from simple communication with your relatives and from receiving messages from them in return, as if a simple exchange of messages would be a sign of weakness on the part of those who hold you," Sarkozy wrote. "I urge those who are imprisoning you to immediately permit the Red Cross to meet with you, and more than that - to return you to freedom." (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

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