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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Hamas Rocket Lands in Israel; Amnesty accuses it of Torture, Murder

A medium-range rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed inside of Israeli territory on Tuesday afternoon causing no injuries or damage. Although officials left open the possibility that the rocket was fired by a rogue group, the Israeli air force struck at targets in the Gaza Strip identified with the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations in keeping with the policy of holding Hamas, as the ruling force in Gaza, responsible for all acts of terror emanating from that enclave. The Grad rocket, which fell at Gan Yavne in southern Israel, was the first fired into Israel since the conclusion of last summer’s 50-day war between Israel and Hamas. On Wednesday, Amnesty International released a report charging that Hamas used last summer’s war as cover for flexing its muscle over rival Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip. According to AI, at least 23 Palestinians were murdered in “extrajudicial” execution-style killings while dozens of others were said to have been arrested and tortured. Including Israel in its criticism, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa director Philip Luther said, “It is absolutely appalling that, while Israeli forces were inflicting massive death and destruction upon the people in Gaza, Hamas forces took the opportunity to ruthlessly settle scores, carrying out a series of unlawful killings and other grave abuses.”

Saudi-led Coalition Bombs Yemen’s Largest Red Sea Port; 16 Million Lack Clean Water

Heavy air strikes were launched Wednesday by the Saudi-led coalition over the port of Hodaida, Yemen’s largest port on the Red Sea. Reports indicate at least two warships were partly destroyed and the port facility was damaged. Hodaida is under the control of the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthis, along with a large portion of the rest of the country. Meanwhile, in the ground war, forces loyal to exiled President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi took control of the city of Daleh, an important strategic position on the road to the southern port city of Aden and arguably the first significant victory since the Saudi-led coalition began providing air support. Daleh is home to an armored brigade loyal to former president Saleh, a supporter of the Houthis. The government-aligned troops were reportedly rewarded with booty in the form of large quantities of military equipment and arms including tanks and rocket launchers. A new report by the humanitarian group Oxfam warns that at least 16 million people in Yemen lack access to clean water.

International Soccer Federation seems Unable to Avoid Vote on Expelling Israel

Despite the federation president’s opinion that expelling a member nation is not the appropriate course of action, there appears to be little hope that the Palestinian demand that Israel be expelled from FIFA, the International Football (read: Soccer) Federation, will not be pushed to a vote at the group’s conference in Geneva on Friday. If that happens, it is entirely possible that the Palestinians will prevail. At issue is the Palestinian complaint that its teams are unable to travel freely to practice and attend games because of Israeli intervention; that Israel is racist; and that teams representing Israeli communities located on land it acquired in the 1967 war are inherently illegal and should be forced from league. FIFA President Sepp Blatter visited Israeli and Palestinian leaders last week but returned with no semblance of a deal that would head-off a vote at Friday’s league conference. On Tuesday, an official of FIFA told media that it was unlikely there would be a solution – at least until the last moment. If three-quarters of the 209 member nations support the Palestinian resolution, Israel will be expelled. While the Israeli-Palestinian issue was playing out, FIFA entered a new drama when Swiss authorities arrested six high-ranking FIFA officials including board members and held them pending extradition to the United States on allegations that they received bribes and kickbacks totaling millions of dollars. Federal charges include racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud spanning two decades.

Libyan Prime Minister says He was Assassination Target

Abdullah Al-Thani, who is recognized by the international community as Libya’s legitimate prime minister, said he survived an assassination attempt on Tuesday. He told reporters that shortly after leaving a session of the virtually defunct parliament, he was followed by gunmen in several cars who opened fire at his entourage. Since the ouster and death of strongman Mu’amar Al-Qaddafi, a power struggle has ensued with no resolution in sight. There are two parliaments and two putative governments vying for authority – each tied to a rival force. The incident took place in the city of Tobruk where the parliament meets. Al-Thani had left the session early as an increasingly vocal group of protesters supporting his rivals was building outside.