I. SKYNEWS - Now...The Reverse Flotilla to occupied Cyprus
Flotilla. Not a word in much use until a few weeks ago then rarely far from our lips. Now we have reverse flotilla. And even aid fauxtilla. Some Israelis are so fed up with what they see as the hypocrisy of the international community and Turkey in particular that they are planning a flotilla of their own. Haim Har-Zahav and his father plan to sail as many as twenty yachts to the Turkish controlled north of Cyprus this weekend. In the opposite direction to the ill-fated six vessel aid armada sent from Turkey last week. Hence reverse flotilla. ‘We want to show up Turkish hypocrisy.’ He told me. ‘We have a saying here if you have butter on your head don’t walk in the sun. They have plenty of butter and there is plenty of sun’. The Israeli flotilla’s organisers say they are largely left-wing and opposed to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, but they say they are infuriated by Turkey’s double standards. ‘Turkey is not Iceland, or Ireland or Switzerland. They hardly come to this with clean hands’ ‘They occupy a large part of Cyprus,’ Haim told me. ‘They ethnically cleansed 1.2 million Greeks from that part of the island. They also regularly kill Kurds in the east of Turkey.’. The reverse flotilla’s organisers say they will avoid any violence and not provoke the might of the Turkish navy. ‘I have seen Midnight Express,’ Haim told me, ‘I have no desire to spend a moment in a Turkish prison’. As soon as the flotilla is challenged he says they will turn around and sail for Larnaca in the Greek part of Cyprus, where they have been told to expect a hero’s welcome. ‘Besides’ he says ‘we don’t want to miss the World Cup’.
Concerning the recent flotilla incident, there is no question Israel made serious mistakes in planning, intelligence and execution and the onboard deaths were horrible and tragic. But Erdogan’s harsh criticism struck many people, even friends of Turkey, as way over the top, ignoring basic facts. So I ask Prime Minister Erdogan, who I still believe has a good heart and wants to do the right thing, to assume that he faced the following purely hypothetical facts as leader of his country: Suppose for years Greek Cypriots were shooting rockets intentionally aimed at Turkish Cypriot civilians, causing many deaths and injuries, and as a result, Turkey instituted a blockade, insisting on searching all ships for armaments; Suppose that you learned there was a flotilla of ships leaving Greek ports destined for Greek Cyprus, called the “Free Turkish Cyprus” flotilla and sponsored by a Greek organization with leaders hostile to Turkey and with associations with an anti-Turkish terrorist organization; Suppose that after you ordered that these ships be inspected for armaments and the leaders of the ships refused, your soldiers boarding the ships were accosted by people with pipes, iron bars and long knives, putting the Turkish soldiers in mortal danger; and your soldiers, seeing their brothers and sisters in such danger, reacted instinctively by shooting live ammunition, tragically killing nine people, some of whom were members of the same organization linked to an anti-Turkish terrorist organization. Mr. Prime Minister: If all of the above were true — and in fact, each of the above “hypotheticals” precisely tracks the circumstances Israel faced — what would you and Turkey have done? Now, you and your Turkish colleagues may argue that the big difference is that Israel is “occupying” the West Bank. Oh, really? An awful lot of Greeks and much of the rest of the world believe, rightly or wrongly, that Turkey is occupying one-half of Cyprus after a military invasion years ago. I know you and your fellow Turks feel that Turkey intervened to protect Turk Cypriots. A lot of Turkish Muslims somehow believe that there is religious sacrilege by Israel in “occupying” holy sites in East Jerusalem and on the West Bank. Oh, really? Tens of millions of Orthodox Christians throughout Russia, Greece, Romania and Eastern Europe would remind you that in 1453, the Turks not only occupied the holiest site in all of Orthodox Christendom — the Holy Agia Sophia Church, which is to Orthodox Christians what St. Peter’s and the Vatican are to Roman Catholics — but also continue to this day to desecrate that site, which Turkey retains as a museum, with the priceless religious frescoes obscenely painted over and icons smashed, and refuse to allow the restoration of Agia Sophia to the Orthodox Church. Compare what the Turks did to Agia Sophia to Israel’s protection of the sanctity and guaranteed absolute access by Muslims to the holy sites on the ancient Temple Mount of the al-Aqsa Mosque facing Mecca and the Dome of the Rock ever since Israel regained control over Jerusalem in 1967. These are facts, Mr. Prime Minister. Do you deny them?
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered reassurance on Thursday that his country is not turning away from the West in the wake of its vote against UN sanctions on Iran, calling such charges "dirty propaganda". "Those who say that Turkey has broken away from the West are the intermediaries of an ill-intentioned propaganda," he said. "We are open to all parts of the world. We are not open to one and closed to another." Many in Turkey and the West are concerned that NATO's sole mainly Muslim member is sliding away, pointing at a severe crisis with Israel over its bloody raid on aid ships last week and Turkey's "no" vote on fresh UN Security Council sanctions against Iran regarding its nuclear programme Wednesday. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday the European Union's refusal to offer Turkey a swift accession process has partly caused Ankara's foreign policy shift and the deterioration in its relations with Israel. Negotiations over the accession of Turkey have stalled, with France and Germany blocking its path. This has provoked regular anger from Ankara, which accuses the Europeans of going back on their word following the start of entry negotiations in 2005. Doubts among Western countries about Turkey's shifting foreign policy began in 2009 when Erdogan strongly criticised Israel for its deadly military campaign in Gaza. After recalling its ambassador from Tel Aviv, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said relations with Israel would "never be the same". Erdogan has stepped up the rhetoric against Israel as tens of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets of Istanbul each day to vent against Israel and praise Gaza's Hamas rulers.
IV. LATIMES - Obama pledges $400 million for Palestinians
President Obama pledged an infusion of $400 million in aid for housing, school construction and business development in the Palestinian territories Wednesday, saying after a one-on-one meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that the situation in Gaza is "inherently unstable... We agree that Israelis have the right to prevent arms from entering into Gaza that can be used to launch attacks into Israeli territory," Obama told reporters after his meeting with Abbas in the White House. "But we also think that it is important for us to explore new mechanisms so that we can have goods and services, and economic development, and the ability of people to start their own businesses, and to grow the economy and provide opportunity within Gaza." Israeli officials announced Wednesday that they would relax some border restrictions on Gaza, allowing in some snack foods and spices that had previously been off limits for delivery. Palestinian leaders dismissed the change as inconsequential because it does not allow more urgently needed items, such as fabric, fishing equipment, spare parts and electronics. The Obama administration's promise of aid includes money to increase access to clean drinking water, create jobs and build schools and affordable housing. State Department officials called the projects "a down payment" on the U.S. commitment to improving life in Gaza. Last year, U.S. officials pledged a total of $900 million for Gaza and the West Bank, but acknowledged the difficulty of distributing the funds, especially because Hamas controls Gaza and is considered a terrorist organization. The aid announced Wednesday may be distributed through organizations performing relief work, State Department officials said. Abbas said he saw Wednesday's aid pledge as a positive sign for Gaza and the West Bank.
Today marks 11 years since NATO halted its bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). The end of the attacks came after the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1244. Representatives of the Yugoslav Army (VJ) and NATO signed an agreement in Kumanovo the day before, which specified withdrawal of VJ forces from Kosovo and allowed international troops entry into the province. After several failed diplomatic attempts the war ended with a mediating mission of former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. Air raids against Serbia began on March 24, 1999 and lasted for 11 weeks. According to various assessments between 1,200 and 2,500 people were killed in the attacks. NATO performed its attacks from aircraft carriers in the Adriatic Sea, four airbases in Italy, while strategic bomber aircrafts which were taking off from bases in Western Europe and the U.S. participated in some operations. The NATO operation, which was referred to as aggression by the Yugoslav government and numerous legal experts, followed after Rambouillet negotiations failed on resolving the crisis in Kosovo. Beside the loss of human lives, infrastructure, commercial facilities, schools, health care institutions, media companies, cultural heritage sites were all heavily damaged in the bombing campaign which lasted 78 days.
VI. RIANOVOSTI - Russia insists on non-use of force deal in S. Caucasus
Russia stands for a binding non-use of force deal between Georgia and its former republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and is willing to act as a guarantor, a Russian diplomat said on Thursday. "The discussion of these issues must take two important aspects into account," Russia's envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Anvar Azimov said at a meeting of the group's Permanent Council. "First, the agreement should be concluded exclusively within the Tbilisi-Tskhinvali-Sukhumi triangle. Second, Russia could be a guarantor of this deal, but not a party to the agreement," he said. Azimov criticized demands by the Georgian leadership on the issue. "Tbilisi's demands that the agreement should be reached between Georgia and Russia are wrong, both from a political and a historical standpoint," the envoy said. Russia, which recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states after an armed conflict with Georgia in August 2008, has signed numerous military cooperation deals with the republics, including agreements to establish permanent Russian military bases in Gudauta (Abkhazia) and Tskhinval (South Ossetia). Georgia severed diplomatic relations with Russia after the conflict and declared Abkhazia and South Ossetia "occupied territories." Tbilisi insists that Russian forces should withdraw from the republics as the ceasefire deal rules out Russian military presence in Georgia. The United States and its Western allies have repeatedly criticized Russia for its military cooperation with South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the grounds that it contravenes the ceasefire deal. A new round of talks on the issue was held on June 8 in Geneva. The talks involve Georgia, Russia, the United States, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Washington opposes a binding non-use of force deal between Georgia and its former republics saying that the French-mediated ceasefire agreement signed by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on August 12, 2008, "already establishes the sides' commitment to the non-use of force." Moscow insists, though, that the existing agreement is not enough to guarantee security in the region.
VII. ORTHODOXYTODAY - Set in Stone, Kintsvisi Monastery
I first heard about the Kintsvisi monastery in the summer of 2008, while working as a photographer covering the Russian invasion of Northern Georgia. My Georgian friends, who took part in the war, told me about a remote monastery that had been active since the 11th century, except during the Communist era. Intrigued, I tried to make time to visit, but was busy covering the short, intense conflict. Still, I wanted to see firsthand this pure form of Orthodox monasticism that has survived almost untouched for 16 centuries, thanks to the monks’ resilient sense of tradition. In December 2009 I had an opportunity to visit. With some good contacts, I hoped to obtain permission to photograph the monks’ lives. After a few days, I received permission to visit and was driven to a remote portion of the Kartli region, not far from the frontline with South Ossetia. The monastery, situated high in the mountains, clings to the side of a steep embankment. From a ravine, a single road winds up the mountains and leads to a large, three-story building. A young monk greeted me, showed me around and explained how the monks were able to raise funds to build these buildings in such a precarious physical position, which are designed to accommodate visitors and worshipers. Soon after, I was introduced to the abbot of the monastery, an austere-looking, 40-year-old man. It took him a while to grant my request to take photographs, since the monks’ lives are lived largely in secrecy and with respect for their contemplative Orthodox tradition, which dates to the fourth century. Finally, I was allowed to begin photographing. To view photos, click here.