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[03 Aug 2014] Israeli forces fire gas grenades to disperse Palestinians inside Al-Aqsa Mosque - English

[15 Aug 2014] Israeli forces fire stun grenades at demonstrators in West Bank - English

[05 July 2012] West biased towards Syria conflict - English Switzerland has decided to suspend arms shipments to the United Arab Emirates following a report that Swiss-made hand grenades are being used by armed gangs in Syria. The measure was taken on Wednesday after the Sonntagszeitung newspaper published a photograph taken of one such device in possession of anti-Damascus forces in the town of Marea, north of Aleppo, at the end of June. Preliminary inquiries into the photo showed the grenade in question was made by the Bern-based arms manufacturer RUAG, and was part of a shipment made by the company to the UAE in 2003. In an interview with Press TV, Charles Shoebridge, a security analyst in London, shares his opinions regarding the issue.

Turkish police have used water cannons and smoke grenades against Kurdish protesters angry at Ankara\'s plans to erect a wall near the border with Syria. The clashes took place in the south-eastern Kurdish town of Jizre. Kurdish protesters say the wall divides them from family members on the Syrian side of the border. Turkey began the construction of the wall last month in Nusaybin, a border district north of the Syrian town of Qamishli. Ankara says it\'s concerned with the spillover of violence from northern Syria. However, the Turkish government is a staunch supporter of insurgents in Syria providing them with arms, training and shelter.

Switzerland has decided to suspend arms shipments to the United Arab Emirates following a report that Swiss-made hand grenades are being used by armed gangs in Syria. The measure was taken on Wednesday after the Sonntagszeitung newspaper published a photograph taken of one such device in possession of anti-Damascus forces in the town of Marea, north of Aleppo, at the end of June, AFP reported. Preliminary inquiries into the photo showed the grenade in question was made by the Bern-based arms manufacturer RUAG, and was part of a shipment made by the company to the UAE in 2003. The Federal Department of Economic Affairs (FDEA) says 225,162 hand grenades were exported to the UAE, who signed an agreement not to re-export the munitions. "As far as the FDEA is aware, the hand grenade ... originates from a RUAG shipment to the United Arab Emirates in 2003. At present there is no evidence that Swiss hand grenades have found their way to Syria; inquiries are ongoing, however," the government statement said. The FDEA statement also said arms shipments from Switzerland to Syria stopped in April 1998, and raised doubt whether the photograph was taken in Syria after all. Antje Baertschi, a spokeswoman for the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said as a “provisional" measure, Switzerland immediately moved to "freeze all arms export permits to the UAE." Press TV has conducted an interview with Dr. Webster Griffin Tarpley, author & historian, to hear his opinion on this issue. The following is a transcription of the interview. Press TV: The Swiss claim that they are surprised about this entire issue because they have a “neutral stance” when it comes to issues like Syria. Are they as innocent as they claim considering they have been providing weapons in the first place to repressive states such as the UAE? Tarpley: I think everybody in the world with an effective intelligence service and that would emphatically include Switzerland through their banking system; they are as well informed really as anybody in the world, they know very well that the [Persian] Gulf states, these reactionary feudal absolute monarchies like the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait but above all Saudi Arabia, all of them have been massively shipping weapons to the death squads that are working for NATO in Syria and this has been known now for months. There is really no news except that Switzerland, to cover themselves, to cover themselves maybe on liability suits, have decided to cut off the air shipments to these feudal monarchies in the [Persian] Gulf. But other than that, we have known, even the New York Times always the last to know, has confirmed that there were CIA officers who are directing traffic in southern Turkey sending these weapons to the groups that they want to receive them. I think that we could see a larger context; tomorrow there would be another one of these Orwellian ‘Friends of Syria’ conferences in Turkey, I believe, tomorrow, or is it Paris? Anyway, the Russians and the Chinese have said that they will not go. I think Hilary Clinton, however, will be there. I believe it is in Paris. So that entire exercise will continue. One of the things that NATO is doing is simply lying. Whenever they have a diplomatic meeting with Russia, in particular, then they come out and lie about it and the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov was asked today, are you going to call Assad and offer him asylum in Russia? And Lavrov said that is a bad joke; why don’t you ask the same question to the German Foreign Minister [Guido] Westerwelle we were standing with? Why don’t you see if Assad is going to go to Germany? It is all really absurd. The big development of today though that I would urgently point to is NATO is now rolling up its heavy artillery and that means WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. Sophisticated knowledgeable observers all over the world have long known since the very beginning in 2010 that WikiLeaks is a NATO-CIA conduit for various kinds of fake or real documents that are released with political aims in mind and Assange in that sense is a tool of NATO. We are now told that there are 2.4 million cables; 400 thousand in Arabic, 70 thousand in Russia that are all embarrassing to Syria, embarrassing to the Syrian government but also embarrassing to companies that are still selling various things to Syria. The example given is Finmeccanica, an Italian firm that has been selling radios to Assad. Also notable is that Assange and WikiLeaks have got a consortium of international press organs; they have got the Associate Press of the United States, the biggest indeed.

April 26, 2010 Around 50 Palestinians and internationals had managed to stop the work of the bulldozers for several hours in the village of Al Walaja, on 25.04.2010. The Israeli soldiers tried to remove people from the area, but demonstrators managed to stay until they were violently dragged one by one. The Israeli soldiers also used stun grenades and tear gas canisters directly at people, as well as pepper spray. One Palestinian got arrested and several were injured. Once completed the Wall will totally surround the village.

Israel seizes vessel, protesters say Naval ships move in on a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, reportedly killing twenty people, protest organizers and Arab media report. The last we heard, Israeli soldiers landed on the top deck of the Turkish boat and opened fire," said Adam Shapiro, husband of one of the flotilla leaders. He said he spoke with his wife by telephone around 8:30 p.m. and she described watching the Israeli seizure from her boat. "After that, we lost communication with all of the ships," Shapiro said. "She said her boat was being chased by Israeli ships and they were trying to outrun it." According to one unconfirmed report, the other protest vessels had been intercepted and were being led to Israel. Some of the injured reportedly have been evacuated to a hospital in Haifa. Flotilla organizers, Arab leaders and Turkish diplomats have already condemned the reported attack. Flotilla organizers say they were carrying first-aid supplies and medical professionals in the event of casualties, but according to Shapiro, "we thought that the possibility that Israeli soldiers would shoot" was a remote one. Flotilla organizers said they carried no weapons. The six-vessel flotilla, packed with hundreds of international activists, food and other humanitarian supplies, left Cyprus on Sunday night and was attempting to break Israel's long-standing blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israel had vowed to intercept the boats, by force if necessary, and tow them to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where passengers would be arrested or deported. Israel says the blockade of Gaza, which is controlled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, is needed to combat terrorism. A live video feed from the Turkish boat showed images of Israeli soldiers boarding the vessel and firing some sort of weapons, though it was unclear whether the weapons were live rounds or less-lethal devices, such as stun grenades. The feed was abruptly cut.

Naval ships move in on a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, reportedly killing three people, protest organizers and Arab media report. The last we heard, Israeli soldiers landed on the top deck of the Turkish boat and opened fire," said Adam Shapiro, husband of one of the flotilla leaders. He said he spoke with his wife by telephone around 8:30 p.m. and she described watching the Israeli seizure from her boat. "After that, we lost communication with all of the ships," Shapiro said. "She said her boat was being chased by Israeli ships and they were trying to outrun it." According to one unconfirmed report, the other protest vessels had been intercepted and were being led to Israel. Some of the injured reportedly have been evacuated to a hospital in Haifa. Flotilla organizers, Arab leaders and Turkish diplomats have already condemned the reported attack. Flotilla organizers say they were carrying first-aid supplies and medical professionals in the event of casualties, but according to Shapiro, "we thought that the possibility that Israeli soldiers would shoot" was a remote one. Flotilla organizers said they carried no weapons. The six-vessel flotilla, packed with hundreds of international activists, food and other humanitarian supplies, left Cyprus on Sunday night and was attempting to break Israel's long-standing blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israel had vowed to intercept the boats, by force if necessary, and tow them to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where passengers would be arrested or deported. Israel says the blockade of Gaza, which is controlled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, is needed to combat terrorism. A live video feed from the Turkish boat showed images of Israeli soldiers boarding the vessel and firing some sort of weapons, though it was unclear whether the weapons were live rounds or less-lethal devices, such as stun grenades. The feed was abruptly cut.

The Bahraini regime forces backed by troops from Saudi Arabia have once again attacked protesters in the tiny Persian Gulf littoral state. Security forces on Friday fired teargas and sound grenades at the demonstrating crowds in several towns and villages around the Bahraini capital, Manama. Clashes then erupted between government forces and the pro-democracy protesters demanding the ouster of the Al Khalifa regime. Several people were injured during the demonstrations. The protesters also voiced their anger at the US government for its support of the Manama regime. Anti-American sentiments are high in Bahrain after Washington announced earlier this month that it would resume arms sales to Bahrain. However, Bahraini opposition groups and activists condemned the decision, saying it could encourage further human rights violations in the Persian Gulf country. Press TV has conducted an interview with Kamel Wazni, political analyst, to hear his opinion on this issue. The following is a rough transcription of the interview. Press TV: First of all we are hearing slogans on the streets in Bahrain against the United States now besides those slogans that were against the regime. People it seems are now very strongly and clearly saying that they want the United States to cut its support for the Manama regime, however we are seeing that support continue. Do you think that these slogans are going to be heard by Washington? Wazni: Obviously they will resonate in the White House and on the streets of America because this is the voice of the people and for very long time the Americans felt they are not mentioned on the streets and the Americans know sometimes this hostility that is taking place by the Bahrainis because they continue support of the Americans for the Bahraini regime and the approval of the Americans to sell weapons and arms to the Bahraini regime despite the crackdown that is taking place by the Bahraini regime against the civilian demonstrators of the country. I think there is voice on the streets saying anyone who sided with the criminals who are committing crimes against humanity should be condemned and today because the Bahraini authority, the Bahraini monarchy is committing crime and America being accomplice to this crime, then you see the people are voicing their sentiment and making their voice to be heard across the world. They are not intimidated, they are not afraid. They wanted democratic system and a country, that is the basic principle of human dignity to live free in his own or her own country where will be no discrimination, no crackdown, no torture. This is the basic principle of any human wanted to live in peace and prosperity and the Americans by siding with the Bahraini regime preventing the aspiration of the Bahraini people to make this happen so the Americans should not be shocked by what they are hearing. That is what they actually worked on by helping the Bahraini authority and if Obama is listening and Mrs. Clinton should listen to the human rights when they actually condemn the torture that is taking place by the Bahraini government. The systematic torture that is taking [place] day after day should be heard by the American administration. There are a lot of committees being established by the UN bodies, by even the King and they all indicated there is a huge torture and killing taking place on the streets of Bahrain. So is anybody listening? Press TV: What you referred there to the United Nations also other human rights groups we know for instance that the UN Human Rights Council recently in Geneva started to discuss the situation in Bahrain. We know groups like Amnesty International and other human rights organizations in and outside of Bahrain have been saying they have documents and proved that these violations are taking place but does that mean that they are going to give any support to the Bahraini revolutionaries and do you think without that support on the ground the Bahraini revolution can get anywhere? Wazni: Well obviously the public opinion on the international appeal is important but eventually the legwork has to be done by the people of Bahrain because the people of Bahrain made a pledge and they are determined to carry their own cause despite all the obstacles and all the atrocity that is committed by the Bahraini regime against the civilian in Bahrain. But having the public support of the international community from the UN, from other bodies is actually attested to the reality that is taking place. There is a crime taking place in Bahrain by the monarchy, by the royal family supported by the Americans and somebody has to listen but I do not think the Bahraini people are counting on the West or the Americans because they think the Americans are participant in what is taking place in Bahrain and despite all of that they have the will and the determination to carry their cause to the end. They know the sacrifice and they are willing to take that sacrifice and we hear the leadership of the Bahraini talking, when we hear Sheikh Ghasem say this is the will of the people and they will carry their duty to bring honorable justice to Bahrain despite all the killing and torture [that] is committed by the Bahraini with the help of the Saudis. The people will prevail in the end, will be costly process but you have to trust the people and the people will carry their duties.

[26 May 2012] US accomplice to Bahraini regime's crimes - English The Bahraini regime forces backed by troops from Saudi Arabia have once again attacked protesters in the tiny Persian Gulf littoral state. Security forces on Friday fired teargas and sound grenades at the demonstrating crowds in several towns and villages around the Bahraini capital, Manama. Clashes then erupted between government forces and the pro-democracy protesters demanding the ouster of the Al Khalifa regime. Several people were injured during the demonstrations. The protesters also voiced their anger at the US government for its support of the Manama regime. Anti-American sentiments are high in Bahrain after Washington announced earlier this month that it would resume arms sales to Bahrain. However, Bahraini opposition groups and activists condemned the decision, saying it could encourage further human rights violations in the Persian Gulf country.

[27 May 2012] Western media tight-lipped over Bahrain - English Anti-regime demonstrators in the Bahraini village of Dair have blocked roads and set tires on fire in an act of protest against the ruling Al Khalifa regime. Meanwhile, Bahraini regime forces attacked the houses of leading protesters in Salihiya and arrested dozens of people. The regime forces also fired at anti-regime protesters at Bilad al-Qadim village. On Saturday, several protesters were also injured when security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades in the village of Sitra.Bahrain is in the midst of an ongoing revolution that started in mid-February 2011. Since then, scores of people have been killed and thousands sent to prison. Press TV has conducted an interview with Ibrahim Moussawi, political analyst, to hear his opinion on this issue.

[29 July 2012] Israeli troops raid Nablus in West Bank - English

[2] Mystery of Egypt Sinai border attacks with George Galloway - 10 Aug 2012 - English n Sunday, unknown gunmen opened fire on the Egyptian border security guards at a checkpoint near the Karm Abu Salem border crossing, killing at least 16 security personnel and injuring several others. Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi called an emergency meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces following the incident on Sunday, the Egyptian state media reported. "President Morsi says that this cowardly attack will not go without a response... and that those who committed this crime will pay dearly," said a statement issued late on Sunday by the Egyptian president's office. After killing the border guards at a checkpoint near the Karm Abu Salem border crossing, the militants, who were wearing traditional Bedouin clothing, seized two armored vehicles and quickly drove off the scene. Witnesses said the militants also fired rocket-propelled grenades at the Egyptian army checkpoint. Meanwhile, an official of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas declared that, "The border between Egypt and Gaza is protected. We closed the tunnels to prevent anyone from escaping (into Gaza) and we have put our forces on alert." In Israel, a spokesman for the armed forces said that one of the vehicles exploded while trying to cross the Rafah border. The other vehicle was reportedly hit by an Israeli airstrike. Egypt has been trying to secure its borders following last year's revolution, which resulted in the ouster of Hosni Mubarak.

[1] Mystery of Egypt Sinai border attacks with George Galloway - 10 Aug 2012 - English On Sunday, unknown gunmen opened fire on the Egyptian border security guards at a checkpoint near the Karm Abu Salem border crossing, killing at least 16 security personnel and injuring several others. Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi called an emergency meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces following the incident on Sunday, the Egyptian state media reported. "President Morsi says that this cowardly attack will not go without a response... and that those who committed this crime will pay dearly," said a statement issued late on Sunday by the Egyptian president's office. After killing the border guards at a checkpoint near the Karm Abu Salem border crossing, the militants, who were wearing traditional Bedouin clothing, seized two armored vehicles and quickly drove off the scene. Witnesses said the militants also fired rocket-propelled grenades at the Egyptian army checkpoint. Meanwhile, an official of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas declared that, "The border between Egypt and Gaza is protected. We closed the tunnels to prevent anyone from escaping (into Gaza) and we have put our forces on alert." In Israel, a spokesman for the armed forces said that one of the vehicles exploded while trying to cross the Rafah border. The other vehicle was reportedly hit by an Israeli airstrike. Egypt has been trying to secure its borders following last year's revolution, which resulted in the ouster of Hosni Mubarak.

[09 Sept 2012] Bahrainis no longer coexist with Khalifa Saeed al Shahabi - English

Asuicide bomber driving a vehicle packed with explosives rammed into a bus carrying Shia Muslim pilgrims in south-west Pakistan on Sunday, killing 19+ people, a government official and witnesses said. Earlier on Sunday, 21 tribal policemen believed to have been kidnapped by the Taliban were found shot dead in Pakistan\\\\\\\'s troubled north-west tribal region, government officials said. Pakistan has experienced a spike in killings over the past year by radical Sunni Muslims targeting Shias who they consider heretics. The violence has been especially pronounced in Baluchistan province, where the latest attack occurred. In addition to the 19 people killed in the bombing in Baluchistan\\\\\\\'s Mastung district, 25 others were wounded, many of them critically, said Tufail Ahmed, a local political official. The blast completely destroyed the bus that was hit and damaged a second bus carrying Shias that was close by. A witness who was travelling in the second bus told Pakistan\\\\\\\'s Geo TV the first bus contained over 40 pilgrims heading to neighbouring Iran, a popular religious tourism destination for Shias. A second witness said the bomber rushed by in a truck, swerved in front of the first bus and braked suddenly. The bus slammed into the truck and then a big explosion occurred. Shias make up around 15% of Pakistan\\\\\\\'s 190 million people. They are scattered around the country but the province of Baluchistan has the largest community, mainly made up of ethnic Hazaras, easily identified by their facial features which resemble those of Central Asians. The 21 tribal policemen who were shot dead were found by officials early on Sunday, in the Jabai area of Frontier Region Peshawar after being notified by one policeman who escaped, said Naveed Akbar Khan, a top political official in the area. Another policeman was found seriously wounded, said Khan. The 23 policemen went missing before dawn on Thursday, when militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons attacked two posts in FRP. Two policemen were also killed in the attacks. Militants lined the policemen up on a cricket pitch late on Saturday night and gunned them down, said another local official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media. Also on Sunday, two Pakistani soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in the North Waziristan tribal area, the main sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaida militants in the country, security officials said.

Targeting of activists, who demand freedom and change, continues by the authorities in Bahrain. Scores of people remaining in prison or detained for opposing the government, including prisoners of conscience and people sentenced after unfair trials. Human rights defenders and other activists harassed and imprisoned. And people dying from inhaling teargas fired by Saudi-backed regime forces. In a fresh sign of its unrelenting crackdown, Bahrain\\\'s regime forces attack the funeral procession of a 31-year old man, Omran al-Seyed, who died after inhaling tear gas in the village of Karzakan. Regime forces tried to disperse mourners by firing tear gas and stun grenades. Bahrainis have been protesting against the Al Khalifah regime for over two years now. Manama has responded with an iron fist. Scores have been killed and many injured or arrested during the crackdown. The U.S. and its allies have turned a blind eye to the atrocity which has been facilitated by Saudi Arabia\\\'s intervention in Bahrain. In this edition of the Debate, we\\\'ll discuss Bahrain, including new developments, such as UK\\\'s arms sale, and why the international bodies and countries who promote democracy have failed to do anything about the cries coming from this tiny Persian Gulf Kingdom.

[20 August 2013] Militants kill 24 Egypt policemen in Sinai - English

Human Rights Watch says Bahraini security forces have often used disproportionate amounts of tear gas in their crackdown on anti-regime protests. The rights group cites a document released by a Bahrain rights watch which says the Interior Ministry issued a tender back in June for supplies of one-point-six million tear gas canisters and 145000 stun grenades. The number of tear gas shells appears to be greater than the country\'s population of 1-point-2 million of which nearly 560-thousand are Bahraini nationals. This means that almost three tear gas canisters have been bought for every Bahraini civilian. South Korea and a joint South African-German company are the main suppliers of tear gas to the Persian Gulf kingdom, which has been cracking down on peaceful protests since early 2011. Bahraini protesters have been seeking the downfall of the ruling Al Khalifah monarchy.

In Bahrain, demonstrations have been held against the regime\'s violent crackdown and the killing of pro-democracy protesters. In the predominantly Shia village of Bani Jamrah in the northwest, people protested peacefully over the murder of two protesters by the regime forces. Carrying pictures of the slain protesters, they formed a human pyramid at the end of the rally and waved the Bahraini flags. The village has been the scene of a brutal crackdown, with regime forces opening fire on unarmed protesters on many occasions. Earlier on Friday, the police fired tear gas and stun grenades at anti-regime protesters on the island of Sitra, south of the capital Manama. Since 2011, demonstrations against the al Khalifa regime have been held almost every day in Bahrain. Troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were called in to assist the Bahraini regime in its crackdown on protesters.

In Bahrain, demonstrations have been held against the regime\'s violent crackdown and the killing of pro-democracy protesters. In the predominantly Shia village of Bani Jamrah in the northwest, people protested peacefully over the murder of two protesters by the regime forces. Carrying pictures of the slain protesters, they formed a human pyramid at the end of the rally and waved the Bahraini flags. The village has been the scene of a brutal crackdown, with regime forces opening fire on unarmed protesters on many occasions. Earlier on Friday, the police fired tear gas and stun grenades at anti-regime protesters on the island of Sitra, south of the capital Manama. Since 2011, demonstrations against the al Khalifa regime have been held almost every day in Bahrain. Troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were called in to assist the Bahraini regime in its crackdown on protesters.

Nearly a dozen people have been killed and many more injured in a fresh attack in Pakistan\'s port city of Karachi. Officials say an explosive-laden car hit a police bus transporting over 50 personnel. All of the victims are policemen. No group has claimed responsibility for the early morning attack. Pakistan has been hit by a wave of bombings and shootings in recent months. And Karachi has been one of the major targets with insurgent groups often trying to create ethnic violence in the city. Just days ago, several people were killed after a group of gunmen threw grenades and opened fire at a religious gathering there.