Action in Libya Has Gone Too Far, Arab League and Russia Complain as Civilian Casualities Pile Up
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: As conflicting reports of civilian casualties continued to emerge from Libya, many leaders worldwide said that the intervention has gone too far[.]

The Arab League, which originally pledged support for the UN-approved no-fly zone, said that the resolution failed because it was supposed to protect civilians.

"What happened differs from the no-fly zone objectives," said Amr Moussa, the head of the Arab League. "What we want is civilians' protection, not shelling more civilians."

Moussa called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League to discuss the situation and requested a report into the coalition's intervention.

While media reports from the war-torn country are sketchy, Libyan television has reported that 64 civilians are dead and more than 150 are wounded. Whether the casualties were caused by air strikes, rebels or Khadafy forces is unclear.

Russia, which abstained from voting for the UN resolution, also criticized the attacks, saying they had gone beyond enforcing a no-fly zone. » | Nina Mandell | Daily News Staff Writer | Sunday, March 20, 2011

World Condemns Gaddafi's Call for Jihad Against Switzerland
THE TELEGRAPH: World powers have reacted with outrage to a call by Colonel Gaddafi of Libya for holy war on the "obscene, infidel" state of Switzerland.

Col Gaddafi took a long-running and personal feud with the historically neutral European country to new heights with a speech in which he attacked the ban on new minarets on mosques approved by a Swiss referendum last year.

"Those who destroy God's mosques deserve to be attacked through jihad, and if Switzerland was on our borders, we would fight it," he said. "Jihad against Switzerland, against Zionism, against foreign aggression is not terrorism."

He called for a boycott of Switzerland by the Islamic world. "Any Muslim in any part of the world who works with Switzerland is an apostate, is against Mohammad, God and the Koran," he said.

"The masses of Muslims must go to all airports in the Islamic world and prevent any Swiss plane landing, to all harbours and prevent any Swiss ships docking, inspect all shops and markets to stop any Swiss goods being sold."

Col Gaddafi's typically eccentric row with Switzerland, which began when one of his sons was arrested along with his wife because of allegations of abuse by two members of his domestic staff, has come as a blow to western powers.

They thought that they had managed to tame the Libyan leader after he voluntarily gave up a basic nuclear weapons programme in 2003 and agreed a compensation deal over the Lockerbie bombing.

Yesterday, both the European Union and the United Nations hit out at his speech. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Friday, February 26, 2010

Rabbis Condemn Anti-gay Shooting
YNET NEWS: Chief Rabbinate says appalled at 'unthinkable, vile crime' that left two dead. Gay Orthodox rabbi calls on public leaders to denounce attack

The Chief Rabbinate expressed shock and outrage at the Tel Aviv shooting at a gay youth center Saturday evening, calling it "an unthinkable, vile crime." In a statement published Sunday the Rabbinate said that, "When Moses saw a Jew beating another Jew he called him evil. This is all the more true when a Jew murders a Jew."

Meanwhile, the Hod organization for Orthodox gay men strongly condemned "the horrible massacre committed against the gay and lesbian community in Tel Aviv," conveyed its condolences to the victims' families and wished speedy recovery to those who were injured.

Rabbi Ron Yosef, a homosexual Orthodox rabbi who runs the organization, told Ynet that he has been receiving threats on his life in the last year. >>> Kobi Nahshoni | Sunday, August 02, 2009

YNET NEWS: Opinion: Pride and Prejudice

Despite liberal image, fear and hatred ever-present on Tel Aviv’s streets

Friday night on Tel Aviv’s beachfront promenade; two guys holding hands, standing at the shoreline, and kissing. Three men pass by and swear at them; one man spits. Tel Aviv, Israel’s liberalism capital, the city that openly celebrates pride parades and markets gay tourism packages worldwide; a city whose leaders inaugurate gay centers, but cannot defend us from our greatest enemy – fear and hatred.

This shooting attack, should it turn out it was indeed directed at the homo-lesbian community, is not a unique event; it’s merely an extreme one, but make no mistake about it, incidents like that take place on Tel Aviv’s streets time and again with no interruption. About two months ago, two guys were chased by a group armed with baseball bats; before that, two youngsters were stabbed outside a gay club. Meanwhile, numerous cases go unreported.

For those who arrive from the outside it sometimes appears as though the city is painted an especially bright shade of pink; here one can hold hands on Rothschild Boulevard, nonchalantly hop from one club to another, wed, adopt children, and run for city council. Yet for those who live here, the curses, hateful glares, spits, and hidden hostility are clearly felt. The double life: On the one hand one can feel open and safe, but on the other hand nothing is really safe here. Just ask the youngsters who showed up to the weekly meeting at the gay center last night; check who will return next week.

Once a year, spokespersons on behalf of the gay community are requested to explain why we insist on the pride parade; so here is the answer. There are those who fan the flames of hatred and homophobia, and the outcome may lead to gunfire. Here is your answer, this is the reason: Because they shoot at us. At times they use words, and other times they use bullets. >>> Shlomi Laufer | Sunday, August 02, 2009

YNET NEWS: Hundreds March in Tel Aviv Following Shooting

Photo: Ynet News
Spontaneous ceremony held in memory of two people killed in attack on gay youth center. 'This is an act of pure unfounded hatred, which leads to the murder of children for being gays and lesbians,' one of participants tells Ynet

Spontaneous memorial, hours after deadly attack: Hundreds of people marched silently Saturday night from the place where two people were murdered at a gay and lesbian youth center in central Tel Aviv, towards a gay center in Meir Park.

The marchers held gay community flags and signs reading "All together – without hatred and fear" and "Love – don't kill".

Revital, one of the participants, told Ynet, "The feeling is terrifying. We live in a bubble, believing that everything is fine. This is an act of pure unfounded hatred, which leads to the murder of children for being gays and lesbians. It's very sad knowing that it's still so." >>> Izzy Ein Dor | Sunday, August 02, 2009

Miliband Condemns Iran's 'Imtimidation' [sic] Tactics
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Foreign Secretary David Miliband condemned Iran's "intimidation" tactics today amid reports that eight British embassy staff have been arrested.

Mr Miliband insisted the action against the UK's "hard-working" local employees in Tehran was "quite unacceptable".

"This is harassment and intimidation of a kind which is completely unacceptable," he said.

Mr Miliband indicated that "strong action" would follow if the detentions did not stop.

The comments, at a meeting of foreign ministers in Corfu, came as the diplomatic spat between the UK and Iran intensified in the wake of contested elections.

Tehran has accused the UK and the US of seeking to interfere in its internal affairs after they criticised the heavy-handed reaction to protests by opposition supporters. >>> PA | Sunday, June 28, 2009

Zehntausende von Exil-Iranern protestieren
NZZ Online: Zehntausende von Anhängern der iranischen Opposition haben am Samstag in Europa und den USA gegen das offizielle Wahlergebnis im Iran protestiert. Die grösste Demonstration fand in Villepinte bei Paris statt, wo sich Exil-Iraner aus mehreren europäischen Ländern versammelten.

Laut den Organisatoren nahmen 90'000 Personen an der Kundgebung teil. Maryam Radjavi vom Nationalen Iranischen Widerstandsrat forderte einen demokratischen Wandel im Iran und «freie Wahlen unter der Aufsicht der Uno». >>> sda/afp/dpa | Samstag, 20. Juni 2009

CNN: Rallies in France, Germany, U.S. Support Iranian Demonstrators

WASHINGTON -- Demonstrators gathered in major cities in France, the United States and Germany on Saturday to condemn Iran's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tehran.

The rallies ranged from tens of thousands of Iranian exiles and supporters who crammed a Paris, France-area convention center to the hundreds of demonstrators who braved a downpour in Washington to march to the White House.

In Hamburg, Germany, protesters marched against the announced result of last week's Iranian election, which had President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared the overwhelming victor in voting that opposition groups called rigged.

A threatening statement Friday by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran raised fears of bloodshed, and security forces in Tehran confronted demonstrators Saturday with clubs, tear gas and water cannons. >>> CNN | Saturday, June 20, 2009

CNN: 90,000 Thousand Protest in Paris


CNN: Hundreds Protest in New York


leJDD.fr: Iran: Le monde réagit

Plutôt discrète après la proclamation des résultats en Iran, la communauté internationale s'est émue dimanche des violences policières dans la République islamique. Selon CNN, 19 personnes ont été tuées lors des manifestations de samedi. Plusieurs voix se sont élevées pour appeler à la fin de la répression. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dénonce ces "ingérences". Et semble déterminé à mater l'opposition.

Londres, Rome, Berlin, Washington... Téhéran a essuyé les critiques de plusieurs capitales occidentales dimanche. En cause: la répression des manifestations de l'opposition samedi. CNN fait état de 19 victimes, la télévision publique iranienne parle elle de 10 morts et 100 blessés. Ces informations restent difficiles à vérifier, les journalistes occidentaux étant cantonnés dans leurs hôtels. Mais plusieurs vidéos, postées sur YouTube par des internautes iraniens, témoignent de la violence des affrontements.

Dimanche, la chancelière allemande, Angela Merkel, a demandé aux autorités iraniennes d'autoriser les manifestations pacifiques - interdites vendredi par le Guide suprême, l'ayatollah Ali Khamenei - et de procéder à un recomptage des bulletins de vote. L'Italie a quant à elle exhorté Téhéran à prendre des mesures urgentes pour mettre fin sans violences aux événements qui secouent le pays. Rome estime que la sortie de crise se trouve dans la tenue d'une rencontre publique et pacifique "entre le gouvernement et d'autres" pans "de la société iranienne". Après avoir observé une certaine retenue pendant la semaine, estimant que ce n'était pas à Washington de commenter le choix des électeurs iraniens, Barack Obama s'est montré plus ferme samedi. Il a appelé les autorités "à mettre fin aux violences et aux actions injustes" contre le peuple iranien. "Le gouvernement iranien doit comprendre que le monde regarde ce qu'il se passe. Nous portons le deuil de chaque vie innocente qui a été perdue", a-t-il ajouté dans un communiqué. >>> Par M.E, leJDD.fr | Dimanche 21 Juin 2009