'Sister protests': Lebanon, Iraq look to each other

Yahoo – AFP, Hashem Osseiran in Beirut and Maya Gebeily in Baghdad, 11 November 2019

A Baghdad street vendor sells flags of Iraq and Lebanon, both gripped by
anti-government protests

A Lebanese flag flutters in the protest-hit Iraqi capital. More than 900 kilometres (500 miles) away, a revolutionary Iraqi chant rings out from a bustling protest square in Beirut.

"Don't trust the rumours, they're a group of thieves," sings a group of Lebanese musicians in Iraqi dialect, referring to political leaders they deem incompetent and corrupt.

"The identity is Lebanese," they continue, reworking the chant by Iraqi preacher Ali Yusef al-Karbalai, made popular during the street movement there.

Such recent shows of solidarity have become a common feature of protest squares in the two countries, where corruption, unemployment and appalling public services have fuelled unprecedented street movements demanding the ouster of an entire political class.

They serve to "shed light on similarities between the two movements and boost morale", said Farah Qadour, a Lebanese oud musician.

"The two streets are observing and learning from each other," said the 26-year-old who is part of the group that adopted al-Karbalai's chant.

In Lebanon's southern city of Nabatiyeh, hundreds brandishing Lebanese flags chanted: "From Iraq to Beirut, one revolution that never dies."

And in the northern city of Tripoli, dubbed the "bride" of Lebanon's protest movement, a man standing on a podium waved a wooden pole bearing the flags of the two countries.

"From Lebanon to Iraq, our pain is one, our right is one, and victory is near," read a sign raised during another protest, outside Beirut's state-run electricity company.

'We're with you'

In Tahrir Square, the beating heart of Baghdad's month-old protest movement, demonstrators are selling Lebanese flags alongside Iraqi ones.

They have hung some on the abandoned Turkish restaurant, turned by Iraqi demonstrators into a protest control tower.

Banners reading "from Beirut to Baghdad, one revolution against the corrupt" could be seen throughout.

Lebanon and Iraq are ranked amongst the most corrupt countries in the region by anti-graft watchdog Transparency International, with Iraq listed as the 12th most corrupt in the world.

Public debt levels in both countries are relatively high, with the rate in Lebanon exceeding 150 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

"What's happening on the streets in Iraq and Lebanon, they're sister protests," said Samah, a 28-year-old Lebanese demonstrator.

Iraqi protesters stand under a banner reading "From Karbala to Beirut, one 

goal, one trench"

"They're the result of an accumulation" of years of problems.

One video that went viral on social media networks showed a masked Iraqi protester dressed in military fatigues demanding the resignation of Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, one of the main targets of protesters in the small Mediterranean country.

In a video released online, a group of young Iraqi men had filmed themselves singing, "Lebanon, we're with you!"

The two movements also seem to be adopting similar protest strategies.

In both countries, rows of parked vehicles have blocked traffic along main thoroughfares in recent weeks.

University-aged demonstrators wearing medical masks or eye goggles have occupied bridges and flyovers, refusing to believe pledges of reform from both governments.

'The goal is one'

The big difference is that in Iraq, the demonstrations have turned deadly, with more than 300 people, mostly protesters but also including security forces, killed since the movement started October 1.

Lebanon's street movement, which started on October 17, has been largely incident-free despite scuffles with security forces and counter-demonstrators rallying in support of established parties.

The two movements, however, are united in their anger about the kind of political system that prioritises power-sharing between sects over good governance.

The consecutive governments born out of this system have been prone to deadlock and have failed to meet popular demands for better living conditions.

"We are united by a sense of patriotic duty in confronting this sectarian political system," said Obeida, a 29-year-old protester from Tripoli.

He said he had high hopes for Iraqi protesters because the sectarian power-sharing system there is relatively new, having emerged after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

"In Lebanon, it's more entrenched," he said of the arrangement that ended the country's 1975-1990 civil war.

On a Beirut waterfront, dotted with luxury restaurants and cafes, a 70-year-old Iraqi man who has been living in Lebanon for five years looked on as demonstrators laid out picnic blankets on the grass.

With a Lebanese flag wrapped around his neck, Fawzi said the protests looked different but reminded him of those back home.

"The goal is one," he said.

Religious feast highlights interfaith unity in Senegal

Yahoo – AFP, Anne-Sophie FAIVRE LE CADRE, August 13, 2019

In Senegal, Muslim families join Christians as they prepare for the feast of the
Eid al-Adha (AFP Photo/Seyllou)

Dakar (AFP) - When Senegal's Muslim families gather for the biggest Islamic religious feast of the year, they often encourage the Christian minority to join them in a tradition of tolerance rare in West Africa.

Many Roman Catholics in Dakar were invited Monday to join Muslim friends for Tabaski, the local name for the Eid al-Adha or the Festival of the Sacrifice, which commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to slaughter his own son if God commanded it.

For Senegalese student Grasse Diop, his preparations to welcome Christian friends were placidly watched by Dembel, a family sheep destined for imminent slaughter like the ram God told Ibrahim to sacrifice as reward for obedience.

"They come every year for the Tabaski and I go to the Christmas mass. We spend all our religious feast days together," said Grasse, whose name is derived from Grace, a Christian one.

The family courtyard in Dakar's Ouakam district was turned into both abattoir and kitchen. Women sang as they cut up the freshly killed meat while children played by bowls containing discarded entrails.

"Jacques, Marie, Joseph... All my Christian friends are wishing me a good Tabaski," Grasse said amid a flurry of calls on her mobile phone. "When I visit them, I feel at home. There's no difference."

"When a Christian dies, all the neighbours go to the church for the funeral," added her brother Pape Doudou Diop. Though a Muslim like more than 90 percent of the population, he said he regularly goes to church for communion.

Once their guests settled around a huge platter of barbecued food, Christians could not be told apart from the Muslims, though Yves-Martin Kemden wore a special long robe to honour his hosts during his tenth Tabaski.

"It's a custom," the young dog breeder said. "Here, you're always invited by a neighbour even if you don't share the same religion."

Sheep are slaughtered for family feasts often shared with neighbours (AFP Photo/Seyllou)

'Indivisible'

Hardline Islamist militants have made their mark in other parts of West Africa, trying to impose their more intolerant and often violent vision of Islam on communities in countries like Nigeria and Mali.

For those ultra-conservatives, other religions and even other branches of Islam are often seen as apostates.

Sociologist Fatou Sow Sarr believes Senegal's religious harmony dates back to the preachings of leaders of the widespread Mouride brotherhood, who taught tolerance towards Christians from the 19th century on.

"You find Christians and Muslims in the same family and they intermarry. Religion comes second to blood ties, so the communities have never been antagonists," she said.

"Today there's more risk of dissent among Muslims because of conflict between the Mouridic communities and Wahabi influence than between Muslims and Christians," Sow Sarr said, distinguishing between Senegal's predominant Sufi order and a more conservative Islamic branch.

In their courtyard sheltered by palm trees, the Ndoye family was packing boxes with mutton to take to Christian friends no longer able to get around.

"Our cousins invite us at Easter, making sure not to cook pork," smiled Karim Ndoye, a house painter in his 50s who added that one of his grandmothers was Catholic. "It's family, we're indivisible."

At the clergy house of Dakar Cathedral shaded by a riot of bougainvillea flowers, octogenarian Father Jacques Seck made ready to join Muslim friends for the Tabaski.

A self-styled "Muslim Christian", the elderly priest is known for sprinkling his sermons with verses from the Koran and urging dialogue among religious communities.

"This religious tolerance is at the root of Senegalese society," he said. "The good fortune of this country is that it's rare for a family not to have members from both communities. The diversity built the nation."

Catholic Church beatifies 19 slain clerics in Algeria's Oran

France24 –AFP,  8 Dec 2018

French Catholic monk Brother Jean-Pierre Schumacher (L) greets a man ahead
of the beatification ceremony for 19 Catholic clergy in Agleria's northwestern city
of Oran on Saturday French Catholic monk Brother Jean-Pierre Schumacher (L)
greets a man ahead of the beatification ceremony for 19 Catholic clergy in
Agleria's northwestern city of Oran on Saturday AFP

The Catholic Church beatified in the city of Oran on Saturday seven French monks and 12 other clergy killed during Algeria's civil war, the first ceremony of its kind in a Muslim nation.

May "Monsignor Pierre Claverie... and his 18 companions, faithful messengers of the Gospel, humble artisans of peace... from now on be called blessed," said papal envoy Cardinal Angelo Becciu, reading the decree of beatification, the first step on the path to Roman Catholic sainthood.

Claverie, 58, was killed with his driver on August 1, 1996 when a remote-controlled bomb exploded at his residence in Oran.

He was among 19 clergy to be beatified, after their murders in a series of grisly atrocities between 1994 and 1996.

The ceremony was held under tight security at the esplanade of the Chapel of our Lady of Santa Cruz overlooking the Mediterranean city.

Some 1,200 people attended the ceremony, including pilgrims, relatives and friends of the beatified, many of whom came from abroad.

Opening the ceremony, Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers paid tribute to "the thousands and thousands of victims of the Algerian civil war", describing them as anonymous heroes.

A minute of silence was then observed.

Algeria's 1991-2002 war between government forces and Islamists left up to 200,000 people dead.

In a message read during the ceremony by Becciu, Pope Francis spoke of his hope that "this celebration helps to heal the wounds of the past and create a new dynamic of meeting and living together".

The 19 clergy were declared martyrs by the Vatican in January 2018, since they were slain "in odium fidei", or out of hatred for the faith.

Pope Francis himself spoke of the beatification in prayers at Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican on Saturday.

"May this beatification be an incentive for all to build a world of fraternity and solidarity together", the pope said.

Ethiopia's torn Orthodox church reunites after 27 years

Yahoo – AFP, 27, 2018

Ethiopia's torn Orthodox church reunites after 27 years

Addis Ababa (AFP) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has overseen the reunification of two feuding wings of the one of the world's oldest Christian churches, his top aide said Friday.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church split in 1991 over the naming of a new patriarch after the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) removed the Derg military junta from power.

Dissidents founded a breakaway church based in the United States under the exiled former patriarch, after leading church officials claimed that ousting him violated rules that say the role is held for life.

Talks between the two synods have been going on for years. Abiy, a reformist new premier, is credited with speeding up the peace process, which culminated on Thursday in his maiden visit to the United States.

Abiy oversaw a reunification ceremony in Washington, attended by priests in flowing black and red robes, state media reported.

"After significant mediation efforts, PM Abiy witnessed in DC the reunification of the 2 Synods of the #Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The 2 Synods are reunited into one Holy Synod after 27 years," his chief of staff Fitsum Arega wrote on Twitter.

Further details of the reunification and how it would work in practice were not immediately available.

Tracing its roots back to the fourth century, the Orthodox church is Ethiopia's largest, gathering 38 million people, according to the World Council of Churches.

The country is also home to a Muslim minority and a growing protestant population that includes the prime minister.

"Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed said it is impossible to think of Ethiopia without taking note of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which he said, is both great and sacred," the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate said.

"While noting that the reconciliation event marks a historic jump, the Prime Minister emphasised that this has been something overdue," the broadcaster said.

It added: "The unification and reconciliation committee extended its deepest gratitude to Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed for his significant efforts during the reconciliation process."

Since taking office in April, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has prioritised reconciliation between dissidents and the EPRDF, which has held power unopposed for 27 years.

He has released numerous jailed dissidents from Ethiopian jails, and sometimes met them personally upon their release.

Earlier this week, he called for "multi-party democracy," a stunning shift for the EPRDF which has been in power continuously since 1991 and holds every seat in parliament together with its allies.

He has also opened the doors to historic reconciliation with neighbouring Eritrea

The visit to the US is set to be something of a charm offensive for Abiy.

After his arrival in Washington, Reuben E. Brigety II, a former American ambassador to the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia, tweeted a photo showing the prime minister smiling and holding hands with a lone protester who greeted him outside the Ethiopian embassy.

He is also visiting diaspora communities in Los Angeles and the state of Minnesota in a visit the Ethiopian government has titled "Tear down barriers, and build bridges!"

Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians live in the US, among them numerous journalists and politicians who have fallen out with the EPRDF.

Egypt Copts hold Christmas mass under tight security

Yahoo – AFP, January 6, 2018

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks near Coptic Pope Tawadros II (L)
during a Christmas Eve mass at the Nativity of Christ Cathedral in Cairo on
January 6, 2018 (AFP Photo/KHALED DESOUKI)

Nativity of Christ Cathedral (Egypt) (AFP) - Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christians held a Christmas Eve mass on Saturday at a massive new cathedral east of Cairo amid tight security after a year of deadly jihadist attacks on the community.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi gave a short speech before the liturgy, which was led by Pope Tawadros II, wishing the Christians a merry Christmas and telling them that the country would prevail over the jihadists.

"You are our family, you are from us, we are one and no one will divide us," he said to ululations and chants from some of the congregants and visitors.

Police had set up barricades outside the cathedral in a new administrative capital Egypt is building east of Cairo.

The cathedral, Sisi said, was a "message to the world, a message of peace and a message of love".

Police had tightened security around the country's churches ahead of services following a spate of attacks that began in 2016.

More than 100 Christians have been killed in the violence, including a shooting at a church south of Cairo just last week claimed by the Islamic State group.

Since the military ousted divisive Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, security forces have sought to quell attacks led by the Egypt branch of IS which has increasingly targeted Christians.

While the jihadists have also taken aim at other civilians, including more than 300 Muslim worshippers massacred at a mosque last November, they have focused on the ancient Coptic community.

In December 2016, an IS suicide bomber killed almost 30 worshippers at a church in Cairo located in the Saint Mark's Cathedral complex, the seat of the Coptic papacy.

In the Sinai Peninsula, where IS is based, hundreds of Christians were forced to flee in January and December after a wave of assassinations.

IS suicide bombers killed more than 40 people in twin church bombings in April and shot dead almost 30 Christians a month later as they headed to a monastery.

The year ended with an IS jihadist killing nine people in an attack on a church in a south Cairo suburb.

Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 93 million people, have long complained of discrimination and intermittent sectarian attacks.

Lonely Cape Verde rethinks West African isolation

The Citizen – AFP, Maria da Luz NEVES with Selim SAHEB ETTABA in Dakar

Cape Verde is an archipelago which lies about 500km (300 miles) off the coast
of Senegal and a former Portuguese colony which is home to half a million people

It was supposed to be tiny Cape Verde’s moment to shine: a chance for the Atlantic island nation to take up the rotating presidency of the commission of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

But the archipelago has found itself once again out of step with its mainland cousins, who decided to hand the responsibility to Ivory Coast at a meeting in Nigeria last weekend.

Cape Verde is different. A pillar of democracy, stability and human rights, it is cited near the top of the yearly Ibrahim Index, which measures and monitors governance performance in African countries, this time coming fourth out of 54 nations.

Its nine inhabited islands have weathered different cultural currents for hundreds of years which is shown in its unique musical traditions and racial diversity: 71 percent of its people identify as mixed race, according to official figures.

In the generally culturally conservative West African region, Cape Verde has a vibrant LGBT community. The Afrobarometer polling company found in 2016 it ranked “most tolerant” of all African nations in terms of attitudes to homosexuality.

But its impact is barely felt a hop and a skip across the Atlantic, where its population of 500,000 is dwarfed by giants such as Nigeria (population some 190 million).

“In a world dominated by quantity, Cape Verde feels that it barely registers,” Cape Verdean diplomat Corsino Tolentino told AFP of the former Portuguese colony.

Mutual ignorance

Chronically poor transport links between Cape Verde and the rest of
Africa have not helped to foster ties, says former president Pedro Pires

Whispers of unmet financial contributions began surfacing after the decision to exclude Cape Verde from heading up the Commission but President Jorge Carlos Fonseca took to public broadcaster TCV to denounce “political subterfuge” which he said broke ECOWAS rules.

Created in 1975, ECOWAS is seeking greater long-term economic integration for its 330 million citizens, notably with the longstanding aim of a single currency.

But chronically poor transport links with the rest of Africa have not helped to foster greater understanding, said former president Pedro Pires, who won the Ibrahim Prize for African leadership in 2011.

“Regarding our relationship with ECOWAS, one has to look at everything that makes it complicated,” he said in an interview with AFP. “How do you develop economic links if you don’t have any sea transport?”

In fact, Cape Verde has vastly better flight connections to former colonial master Portugal and fellow former colony Brazil than with West Africa.

Pay more attention

President Fonseca said this weakness was compounded by mutual ignorance, with Cape Verde often unfamiliar with decision-making processes in the bloc.

“Cape Verdians don’t really know how the structure and projects of ECOWAS work. It’s not an accident that there aren’t many of us working in these bodies. And the other countries don’t know what Cape Verde is really like,” he explained.

Cape Verde’s nine inhabited islands have weathered different cultural
currents for hundreds of years, as shown its unique musical traditions

Of the more than 50 protocols and conventions, Cape Verde has signed less than half — the lowest total of all member states.

Former prime minister Jose Maria Neves has defended the country’s ECOWAS record, saying its officials have been appointed to senior posts, even if he admits more is left to be done.

“I don’t think ECOWAS ignores Cape Verde, but the organisation needs to pay more attention to the peculiarities of the archipelago,” he told AFP.

Nelson Magbagbeola, Secretary-General of the ECOWAS parliament, said naming an ambassador to the body and putting into practice the rules of free movement of people and goods would go a long way towards better integration.

The country’s labour market is already saturated, however, making free movement of migrants from the rest of West Africa a difficult proposition, according to the government.

Morocco's Christian converts emerge from the shadows

Yahoo – AFP, Hamza Mekouar, April 30, 2017

Mustapha, the son of an expert on Islamic law in Morocco, says he converted
to Christianity in 1994 to 'fill a spiritual void' (AFP Photo/FADEL SENNA)

Agadir (Morocco) (AFP) - Moroccans who secretly converted to Christianity are demanding the right to practise their faith openly in a country where Islam is the state religion and "apostasy" is condemned.

At an apartment in a working-class part of the southern town of Agadir, Mustapha listened to hymns emanating from a hi-fi under a silver crucifix hung on the wall.

The 46-year-old civil servant, son of an expert on Islamic law from nearby Taroudant, was once an active member of the banned but tolerated Islamist Charity and Justice movement.

He said he converted in 1994 to "fill a spiritual void".

"I was tired of the contradictions in Islam," said Mustapha.

"I became interested in Christianity through a long correspondence with a religious centre in Spain in the late 1980s."

He went on to qualify as a Protestant pastor and received a certificate from the United States after taking a correspondence course.

Mustapha kept his faith secret for two decades, but a year and a half ago he published a video online in which he spoke openly about his conversion. The reaction was immediate.

"Family and close friends turned their backs on me, I was shunned at work. My children were bullied at school," he said.

Converts to Christianity form a tiny minority of Moroccans. While no official statistics exist, the American State Department estimates their numbers at between 2,000 and 6,000.

In Morocco proselytising is punishable by law and anyone found guilty of

 'attempting to undermine the faith of a Muslim or convert him to another 

religion' can be jailed for up to three years (AFP Photo/FADEL SENNA)

'Persecution'

Over the Easter weekend, Mustapha and a dozen fellow converts met for an "afternoon of prayers" in the living room of Rachid, who like Mustapha did not wish to give his full name.

Rachid, who hails from a family of Sufis -- a mystical trend of Islam -- embraced Christianity in 2004 and eventually became a Protestant pastor.

A father of two, Rachid said he became interested in Christianity when he was a teenager after listening to a programme broadcast by a Paris-based radio station.

He researched Christianity at a cyber-cafe, contacted a specialised website and they sent him a copy of the Bible.

"I read the entire thing, studied the word of God, took courses," he said. "At the age of 24, I was baptised in a Casablanca apartment."

In April, Mustapha, Rachid and other Moroccan converts submitted a request to the official National Council of Human Rights (CNDH) calling for "an end to persecution" against them.

"We demand the right to give our children Christian names, to pray in churches, to be buried in Christian cemeteries and to marry according to our religion," Mustapha said.

Islam is the state faith of Morocco but the country's 2011 constitution, drafted after it was rocked by Arab Spring-inspired demonstrations, guarantees freedom of religion.

Foreign Christians and the country's tiny Jewish community -- of about 2,500 people -- practise their faiths openly.

Moroccan authorities boast of promoting religious tolerance and a "moderate" form of Islam, and the country's penal code does not explicitly prohibit apostasy -- the act of rejecting Islam or any of its main tenets.

Rachid says he is 'Moroccan before being Christian' (AFP Photo/FADEL SENNA)

'Ultra-sensitive'

But in Morocco proselytising is punishable by law and anyone found guilty of "attempting to undermine the faith of a Muslim or convert him to another religion" can be jailed for up to three years.

"The subject is ultra-sensitive because it relates to the history of colonisation and to the idea that Christianity constitutes a danger to the unity of Morocco," a sociologist of religion told AFP.

But Rachid said the lines are shifting.

"The arrests have almost stopped, which is a big step," he said. "Harassment has become scarce."

Rachid, who says "I am Moroccan before being Christian," practises his faith openly and lives a normal life in a working-class district of Agadir alongside his Muslim neighbours.

Most Moroccans who have converted to Christianity live in Agadir and the central city of Marrakesh, and the majority have said they are Protestants.

With the exception of local Jews, Moroccans are automatically considered Muslims and King Mohamed VI holds the official title of Commander of the Faithful.

Mustapha said the 2011 constitution and actions by the king "in favour of tolerance and coexistence" have helped bolster human rights in Morocco.

But "the penal code, political parties and society have not followed suit", he said.

Palestinian flag flies at UN for first time

Yahoo – AFP, Cecile Feuillatre, 30 Sep 2015

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas kisses the Palestinian flag as Secretary 

General Ban Ki-moon looks during the flag raising ceremony on September 30, 

2015 at the UN in New York (AFP Photo/Timothy A. Clary)

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The Palestinians raised their flag at the United Nations on Wednesday for the first time as president Mahmud Abbas called on the world body to grant them full membership.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Abbas presided over the packed ceremony in the rose garden after the Palestinian leader launched a searing attack at the General Assembly on Israel's continued occupation.

"In this historical moment, I say to my people everywhere: raise the flag of Palestinians very high because it is the symbol of our identity," the 80-year-old Abbas told the crowd. "It is a proud day."

Media and UN Honour Guard members 

gather during the Palestinian flag raising

 ceremony on September 30, 2015 at the

 UN in New York (AFP Photo/Timothy

A. Clary)

Israel and the United States have dismissed the move as a symbolic gesture that would not serve the cause of peace. But Ban said symbols were "important" and could lead to action.

"Now is the time to restore confidence by both Israelis and Palestinians for a peaceful settlement and, at last, the realization of two states for two peoples," he said.

The red, black, white and green Palestinian flag was then hoisted under dark clouds that threatened rain. The crowd broke out into cheers when it started to flutter in the gentle breeze.

Dozens of people gathered in the West Bank town of Ramallah to watch the flag-raising by TV link. When the small crowd saw Abbas on the screen, they stood cheering and then fell silent to hear him.

The General Assembly voted September 10 to allow the flags of Palestine and the Vatican -- both have observer status -- to be raised at the world body alongside those of member states.

The resolution was backed by 119 countries, with 45 abstentions and eight votes against, including Australia, Israel and the United States.

Call for recognition

Abbas used his speech Wednesday at the General Assembly to appeal for "those countries that have not yet recognized the state of Palestine yet, to do so."

"Palestine, which is an observer state in the United Nations, deserves full recognition and full membership," he said.

Clashes in recent weeks between Israeli police and Palestinians at the sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem have raised tensions and prompted Abbas to warn of the risk of a third intifada, or uprising.

Palestinians wave their national flags as they watch a live-screening of president

 Mahmud Abbas' speech followed by the raising of the Palestinian flag at the

 United Nations headquarters in New York, on September 30, 2015 in the city of

 Ramallah (AFP Photo/Abbas Momani)

"I call on the Israeli government to cease its use of brutal force... particularly its actions at the Al-Aqsa mosque," Abbas told the Assembly.

"Such actions will convert the conflict from a political one to a religious one, thus creating a explosive situation in Jerusalem and the remaining Palestinian occupied territory."

A recent poll found that Palestinians are increasingly exasperated with his leadership and Israel's right-wing government.

A majority favor a return to armed uprising in the absence of peace talks and two-thirds want Abbas to resign.

In the runup to the speech, there have been reports that Abbas would use the opportunity to drop a "bombshell."

Suggestions of what that could mean have included a complete withdrawal from the Oslo accords of the 1990s or the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority that those agreements created.

While such an announcement could potentially have a major impact, many analysts questioned whether Abbas would truly press ahead with it.

Cannot be bound by agreements

Instead, he told the UN that Israel's refusal to commit to past agreements and release Palestinian prisoners, and continued Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, were sapping Palestinian hopes of ever achieving an independent state.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas addresses the United Nations General 

Assembly in New York on September 30, 2015 (AFP Photo/Jewel Samad)

"They leave us no choice but to insist that we will not remain the only ones committed to the implementation of these agreements, while Israel continuously violates them," he said.

"We cannot continue to be bound by these signed agreements with Israel and Israel must assume fully all its responsibilities as an occupying power."

Abbas said Palestinian patience "has come to an end" and described the current situation as "unsustainable."

Later on Wednesday, the UN chief will also chair talks with the Diplomatic Quartet seeking a political settlement to the conflict.

The peace process has been in the doldrums since the latest US diplomatic effort failed in April last year.

In a shift, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League have been invited to the meeting, along with the foreign ministers of Russia, the United States and EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the United Nations on Thursday and call on Palestinians to stop "incitement to violence."

Related Articles:

Obama draws pledges of 40,000 troops for UN peacekeeping

Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, July 19, 2015)

Matthew Ward - July 19, 2015

Matthew Ward

With loving greetings from all souls at this station, this is Matthew. Many of your analysts think that the Greek people’s resounding “No” on the recent referendum put their country on the road to irreversible economic ruin. The country will manage. “No” put the Illuminati on the road to irreversible economic ruin.

Going back a long, long ways, bartering worked splendidly in communities, but the expanding borders of commerce required a different means of exchange; and with the introduction of coinage, money became the axis on which your world turned. The forerunners of the Illuminati and later that group itself controlled the turning by devising taxation, banking and lending systems; and, as centuries passed, “numbered” bank accounts, stock markets, Federal Reserve System, International Monetary Fund, regulating agencies and credit cards with usurious interest rates. Everything they established was specifically designed to add to their fortunes, tighten their economic control over the peoples, and increase their influence within national governments.

The Illuminati began as a cohesive group of like-minded individuals whose objective was world domination. As time went by, egos grew and tempers flared, and eventually two competitive factions with that same goal emerged. Later, the Rothschilds and their adherents, who operate out of London and the Vatican, came up with a plan to solidify their control throughout Europe—the European Union, European Central Bank and euro currency. Let us borrow your expression, “How’s that working for you?” There is no bandage large enough to patch the crack the Greek vote made in the Rothschild network. The crack will spread like a spider web around the world and into it will fall the Rockefeller faction headquartered in Washington, DC, and on Wall Street.

As if that isn’t enough for both factions to deal with—and Pope Francis’ goodness and wisdom keeps upsetting their apple cart—now there’s the agreement between negotiators from several major nations and Iran’s leaders that their country will not pursue development of a nuclear weapon. It is no surprise that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, a top-ranking Illuminati, denounced the agreement or that Illuminati in the United States Congress and members whose election campaigns were funded by that group are opposing President Obama’s efforts to get congressional approval. They want to invade Iran and, along with taking over that country’s oil, reap the riches that come from producing the machinery of war.

The vibrations of intensifying light that led to those reversals for the Illuminati will keep increasing as the planet continues on its ascension course. If we could tell you when their total undoing will be, we would do so joyously; but activity in Earth’s energy field of potential indicates that their inevitable demise will come in stages, not one fell swoop. They still have some power, dwindling though it is, in their “black ops” branch of the CIA; other intelligence sources, including Mossad; high-ranking personnel in some military forces; leverage within mainstream media and some governments; and huge caches of monies to initiate or exacerbate uprisings, fund the Islam State, and pay their minions to hack computer systems, oversee the street drug trade, fill your skies with chemtrails, deny pollution’s contribution to climate change, or disseminate false information on the Internet.

While a few within the higher ranks of both Illuminati factions are talking with principals in reform movements, the hardliners are talking about joining forces; some have abandoned their fast-sinking ship, died of natural causes or by their own hand, or been arrested. You would recognize some names, most you would not, and it is unlikely that any of the Illuminati will be identified as such in mainstream news reports.

Upheavals will keep popping up as the ages-old light vs dark battle for Earth’s civilization at last is nearing its end. You have waited a long time to see the light triumph as predestined, and you can welcome the bumpy ride through the last phases. However, most of the populace don’t know about that long conflict or that everything transpiring and what is ahead is about planetary and personal ascension out of millennia of dark bondage.

Many people are fearful or angry, and with each new bump, others will have the same reactions. Your calmness, yet excitement, and explaining to the extent individuals are receptive can encourage them to have an optimistic outlook. But please do not be disheartened if family and friends don’t respond positively—they will waken in their own times of readiness.

And, we ask that you keep foremost in your thoughts that every person in your world is a part of God, by whatever name the Supreme Being in this universe is called. Every person is inextricably connected at soul level with all others, and God’s love for each and every one is unconditional. Seeing “offenders” through God’s eyes doesn’t mean wanting them to forego justice by your world’s standards—already this has come to some and shall befall others. What it does mean is, you will uplift yourselves and your world by envisioning those individuals within the light rather than focusing on their punishment. The impartial, nonjudgmental and unavoidable laws of the universe will serve them justice in a spirit world according to their lifetime deeds.

This is an appropriate place to answer a reader’s questions: “What will happen to Nirvana after Earth reaches 5th density? Can there still be reunions with our loved ones?” Nirvana will accompany Earth to her destination in fifth density and continue to be her spirit realm, but with grand differences. The tiny dense orb that houses the basest individuals and is the only part of the realm separate from the rest will be transported to some third density civilization and incorporated into their spirit world, or it will be dematerialized after its inhabitants are moved to a spirit world of equal density. Nirvana’s lower layers—learning centers for people who want to outgrow their negative tendencies such as bigotry, anger, apathy, envy, miserliness, bitterness, disloyalty, dishonesty, manipulativeness, closed minds and desire to control others—also will disappear. Those traits served well when they were aspects of karmic lessons souls chose to attain balanced experiencing, but your society will have advanced consciously and spiritually and no longer need to experience negative characteristics.

Indeed, reunions of loved ones can take place in Nirvana when that realm and Earth are in fifth density, but then just as now, meetings can be in any placement in this universe where energies are compatible. Actually, these visits have been happening all along during your sleep time, but your bodies’ density can’t retain memories of those visits—when you waken and have fragments of memories of being with a loved one, you attribute them to dreams. As your consciousness expands with light absorption, you will start to clearly remember your joyful reunions.

With reference to our stating that “everything in your world is purposeful,” a reader asked, “What purpose is served by rats, roaches, fleas, mosquitoes, etc.” It started eons past in linear time, when the darkness manipulated the DNA of some weaker civilizations and programmed their bodies for aging and disease. A civilization at third density conscious and spiritual level, which Earth’s peoples and other life forms have been for many millennia, has bodies that are susceptible to the diseases that some insects and rats can cause or spread; and, given the flexibility in soul contracts, physical death by that means can satisfy contracts’ cause and longevity provisions.

Insects also serve the purpose of souls whose lifetime energy consigned them to the basest part of third density spirit realms. When they are willing to receive sufficient light to embody, they do so in a short-lived form without cellular memory patterning that could influence behavior as they start back up the ladder of evolution. You will welcome knowing that insects cannot survive in the higher vibratory levels where Earth is heading, and their place in the food chain no longer will be needed.

Rats are intelligent, emotional rodents, and those that are well-treated pets respond in kind; the hordes that run wild simply are trying to survive in a world where they are detested. As a civilization grows in consciousness, so do all other life forms in that world. With that advancement comes humankind’s respect for all animal life, and “wild” rats, like other species now considered obnoxious, will be elevated in behavior and popular acceptance. Have no concerns that your world may be overrun with rats or rabbits or any other animals that produce litters quickly! They will reproduce less often and in smaller numbers as long as they decide to embody on the planet—these species, like all others, evolve and at some point incarnate as higher-order beings.

Citing numerous ways that Earth’s animals are being treated inhumanely, a reader asked, “Can the galactics not help with ending this horrendous treatment of animals?” Your universal family is helping by beaming light in abundance to Earth, but they cannot interfere with the free will of individuals who cause suffering and merciless death to your animals. It is up to your society to stop abhorrent practices, and thanks to the dedicated efforts of many souls, this is happening. Countries are setting standards for treatment of animals and repercussions for violators; there are boycotts of food, other products and entertainment derived from animal exploitation; poachers of wild animals are being taught other livelihoods; education is expanding about the importance of preserving wildlife and their habitats on land and in the seas; the numbers of wildlife reserves and no-kill shelters of pet species continue growing and so do the numbers of homeless pets who are adopted.

Participating in or financially supporting these encouraging activities is vital, to be sure, but an invaluable contribution that everyone can make to improve animal life is to not agonize about their plight, but instead send love-light to all of Earth. The law of attraction brings back the very same energy sent forth in thoughts and feelings, thus agonizing about any situation brings back still more circumstances to evoke that feeling.

A reader in New Zealand asked why teen suicides in her country and elsewhere are becoming more frequent. Perhaps because of religious teachings, dying by one’s own hand at such a young age—at any age—is viewed as more tragic than death by disease or fatal injury. So first we say, there is no judgment or penalty and no such place as limbo or hell for people who end their lives.

Their reasons differ just as the individuals themselves do; however, according to our colleagues in Nirvana, most teenagers who commit suicide are gay or lesbian or they know that their body and gender are mismatched, and they enter spirit life with tormented psyches that need customized care for healing. They were emotionally drained from struggling to conform to familial expectations, societal standards and religious orientation, or they had been cast out after declaring their true selves—either way, they saw death as the only escape from hopelessness and despair. As your society continues growing consciously and spiritually, honoring the divinity and genuineness of all soul-selves will replace discrimination and rejection.

“I have noticed a lot of fear-based information on the Internet surrounding ingesting monatomic gold. Can you please elaborate on how it actually works within our bodies?” The intention of that information—and it is a good example of DISinformation on the Internet—is to steer you away from one of the most valuable substances you can ingest. In addition to fortifying immune systems, monatomic gold contributes to health by rapidly regenerating cells; raising bodies’ frequencies; improving organs’ functioning;accelerating the transformation of carbon-based cells into crystalline; and helping to increase DNA strands. All of those physical benefits enhance brain power and that leads to expanded consciousness, spiritual clarity and overall balance. Individuals who are influenced by darkness don’t want you to have any of those advantages so they disseminate blatantly false, fear-based information about monatomic gold.

To readers who asked if signing petitions really does any good: Yes. You may or may not see prompt effects in the specific areas the petitions cover, but the energy you put forth to support endeavors you deem worthy contributes to the overall light on the planet.

“Please ask Matthew to speak about people suffering from depression. I am fearful I may not be following my soul contract and more so failing to do my part to promote positive loving thoughts to myself and others so as to assist Earth's transition.” Our understanding and compassion go out to this dear soul and to all others who are dealing with depression, an emotionally painful condition that has become almost commonplace in your world, and we hasten to say that none of you is failing self or others! You are not lacking light, but light-heartedness. Even if depression is a karmic choice for balance, it needn’t be long-lasting, and discovering and alleviating the cause is possible.

The cause may be physical. Consult a trusted healthcare practitioner about testing for hormonal imbalance, which is treatable without pharmaceutical drugs that don’t eliminate the cause and do lead to other maladies. We have mentioned the benefits of monatomic gold, and suggest as well that you eat nutritious food, drink a great deal of pure water, get sufficient sleep, listen to melodic music, and spend as much time as possible with Nature. Especially during these times when body, mind and spirits are adjusting to ever-heightening vibrations, those are wise suggestions for everyone.

In many cases, depression is circumstantial, due to one’s own or loved ones’ situation or perhaps the state of your world. When you start thinking about something sad or worrisome, change to a positive thought about that situation and visualize it dissolving into beams of light—here again the law of attraction plays a crucial role. Take one step at a time to overcome feeling depressed—this can be as simple as the satisfaction of completing a small task or as uplifting as knowing that you are contributing light to the world via compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, generosity and kindness.

Dear ones, apply those light-filled feelings to yourself, too, and ask for help! Angels, spirit guides, souls in Nirvana and other spirit worlds—all are God’s emissaries—are ever-ready and eager to help lift you out of depression’s heavy-heartedness.

Yes, planetary cleansing will continue a while longer because Earth needs to rid herself of negativity as it is produced. But we say to readers who asked about earthquakes that will devastate entire major cities, tsunamis of epic proportions, dramatic changes in land masses, and temperatures that will continue rising until they snuff out all life: Not only are those concerns needless, but they emit low vibrations that add to the negativity Earth has to deal with.

Many who requested our comments about the Trans Pacific Partnership feel this is an Illuminati-made bill that will benefit only the wealthiest. Several also questioned much the same as the reader who wrote: “If President Obama really is a light being, why is he pushing Congress to get this bill passed?” and others wrote that his efforts prove he is either Illuminati or their willing puppet or is being mind-controlled by them.

Indeed, TPP provisions have the potential to favor only the wealthy—whatever can be used beneficially also can be twisted into malevolent directions—and we shall tell you what we have been told about President Obama’s position. He is acting upon the advice of our “space” family members living among you to not make waves at this stage of behind-the-scenes talks with individuals in the Rockefeller faction. They are not defectors per se, they are pragmatists who know their aim of world control is doomed, and because their interests are better served by economic stability than global collapse, they are amenable to discussing reforms that will have far-reaching effects.

These individuals, whose cooperation can expedite the reforms, wield considerable influence in the corporate world; and their bargaining point is that by acting in good faith on TPP’s provisions, workers in the off-shore countries will reap benefits that currently are nonexistent and would not adversely affect workers in the United States. Our perspective is, as vibrations continue increasing, improvements will come in every aspect of life in your world, so with or without TPP, beneficial changes are ahead for people everywhere.

We honor you, our beloved family, for your perseverance as lightworkers. You are adding immeasurably to the light that is propelling ongoing and forthcoming changes throughout your world.

LOVE and PEACE

Suzanne Ward

Website: The Matthew Books

Email: suzy@matthewbooks.com

US agent pleads guilty to Bitcoin thefts from Silk Road online drug bazaar

Israel's former defense minister says army blocked three planned attacks on Iran

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)