Budget accomodation in Sinai

 Sawa Bedouin Hoosha Camp Nuweiba.

Link

The Hoosha huts are beautifully built made from Bamboo and palm leaves.
Each has its own porch with a hammock or tables and chairs, especially so you can relax and unwind during the day in the shade, or in the evening
 The accommodation huts are located on the beach, about two to three meters from the sea, making it the perfect place to fall asleep to the sound of the waves in the background.

The Hoosha’s roof is made of palm leaves that lets the moonlight enter, and create a magical dreamy atmosphere.
Each Hoosha has a double or single mattress (at your request), clean sheets and pillows, and a mosquito net.

If you stay in a Hoosha, it’s best if you bring your own sleeping bag and towel (but don't worry we have a spare, just in case...)

The floor is made from concrete (not sand) and covered with colorful Sinai carpets.
Light is available during the night in the Hoosha

During high season checkout time is 12:00

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"Harby's Place" Hoosha Hut Nuweiba

Beach Hut Accommodation

At Harby's accommodation is a traditional Bedouin 'hoosha' - a straw beach hut / cabin,

All of our beach huts are clean and comfortable, equiped with Bedouin carpets, mattresses, a small sitting area and a balcony covered with carpets to watch the sea and the sunrise. Each hut has its own hammock and we supply sheets and blankets (in winter). The shower stalls and lavatories are nicely designed, airy and kept clean around the clock.
Link
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 Rocksea Camp Nuweiba.

RockSea is a resort for lovers of simplicity, who can none less appreciate the availability of electricity, tidy shared bathrooms and a diverse and delicious menu.
Owned and operated by a German family, it is the most quiet and least crowded camp in South Sinai with just 20 straw huts and wooden bungalows spread over a vast 400 m stretch of rocky cliffs and coral beach.
RockSea is open for all guests, with its various offers; it creates a lovely memory of your incredible stay in a peaceful atmosphere.
Link

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Barracuda Camp Nuweiba

Situated directly on the beach, the small bungalows are built from wood and palm leaves which are positioned around the camp. From the beach there are two reefs which are excellent for snorkeling, where you can see a variety of colourful fish and coral. If you feel a little nervous, no problems someone will snorkel with you. The scenic view of the mountains behind and looking across the red sea is a beautiful site to take in. The bungalows are quaint and cosy and are situated directly on the beach. There are separate common toilet and shower facilities, consisting of 4 showers and 6 toilets and kept to a good clean standard. The cafeteria is open all day for refreshments, and meals. The beach is very spacious and has many different places for you to relax, (bedouin style with cushions and carpets), or just relax on one of the sun lounges. The restaurant/cafeteria is open all day for snacks and refreshments. There many great places to visit and ecperience, The most famous 1 day trips: Camel Riding School Nuweiba, Bedouin Dinner, Camel Riding for the whole family, Coloured Canyon, White Canyon, Ein Khudra Oasis, Mount Sinai & St.Katharina, Gebbel Berga, Gebbel Makhroum ,Ras Wadi Ghazala, 'Mushrooms' Ras Mumlah, Ras Abu Galum, Blue Desert, Ein Umm Ahmed Oasis.

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Habiba Village Camp.


Situated on the beautiful beach of Habiba Bay the village overlooks the glistening Gulf of Aqaba - the Saudi Arabian high mountains only a stone's throw away and not far from the town centre. Habiba offers different types of accommodation: wooden cabins and comfortable rooms with private bathroom. Habiba is an ideal place; close to nature in simple but comfortable and clean accommodation. Nicely furnished rooms are equipped with fan, en-suite bathroom and constant hot water. In thatched bungalows with double beds you can lie and gaze at the night sky. Excellent food is served in the 2 restaurants, the Beach Restaurant in casual atmosphere and for dining in style Mataamak Restaurant. Tours and excursions can be organized on spot. At Mataamak Restaurant you can enjoy a special dining event in romantic atmosphere. In the shine of candle light you can watch how your choice of food is prepared in front of you.

Bedouin threaten to attack gas pipeline to Israel

June 28, 2010

Egyptian police beefed up security around a Sinai peninsula pipeline that supplies Israel with natural gas after a group of wanted Bedouin threatened to sabotage it, security officials said on Monday.

The Bedouin group, which consists of at least a dozen armed fugitives, has clashed with police since its leader Salim Lafi escaped from a prison truck in an ambush that killed a policeman in February.

Security officials said police had received warnings the group threatened to attack the pipeline, which since 2008 has supplied Israel with 1.7 billion cubic metres (60 billion cubic feet) of gas a year despite angry opposition to the supply deal within Egypt.

An Israeli infrastructure ministry spokeswoman said Egypt provides about a third of Israel's natural gas.

Police relations with Sinai Bedouin are usually tense, with Bedouin complaining of routine harassment and discrimination.

Security officials said police were also increasing their presence around El-Arish airport and the Al-Ouja crossing with Israel.

A Bedouin activist in central Sinai, where Lafi is believed to be hiding, said police were exploiting the threat to crack down on the Bedouin.

"There were threats about the pipeline. But the Bedouin have not reached this point of escalation," said Mussa el-Daleh.

"We are Bedouin. The police don't distinguish between outlaws and others," he said, adding that the threats were in response to a security crackdown after Lafi's escape.

Lafi was jailed after Bedouin tribesman briefly held dozens of policemen in response to the killing of three Bedouin in a protest in November 2008.

Police have denied allegations that they arrested Lafi's relatives to pressure him to surrender.

Rights groups have criticised Egypt's policies towards the Bedouin, who were subjected to harsh police treatment after a series of bombings in Sinai resorts between 2004 and 2006, which killed dozens of Egyptians and foreign tourists.

Source: AFP Global Edition

Hiking tours in Sinai

Bedouin Path Hiking Tours

Bedouin Paths provides an all-inclusive hike so that you do not need to worry about additional costs. The hike includes ALL of the following:

• * All accommodation while in Katherine
• * All hiking accommodation in the Bedouin huts during the hike
• * All food and drink (except alcohol – bring your own)
• * All Tour Leader and Tour Guide costs
• * All camel driver and chef costs
• * All equipment and support items (bedding etc)
• * All transport during the hike

If you have any special request, please contact us customercare@bedouinpaths.com
To book, call Travel Crusader on +44 (0) 208 744 0474
Prices are per person and for a minimum of 2 people.

Link

Gebel Musa Mount Sinai Mountain Refuge

Mahmoud's Mt Sinai Refuge

Mount Sinai is known as Jabal Musa by the local Jabaleya

Mount Sinai Refuge with the whitewashed Chapel of the Prophet Elijah in the background

Many travellers visit the mountain every night to capture some of the mystery of its past but lose it in the long climb up and the desperate pack of tourists besieging the summit for sunrise.

We offer an alternative: climb the little frequented back routes of Mount Sinai along old pilgrimage trails as far as Elijah’s basin and watch the sun set; dine round a camp-fire and sleep under a Bedouin tent; wake up an hour before dawn, climb to the summit and join the pilgrims for sunrise; retreat to the quiet of Elijah’s basin for breakfast and fresh bread; then either return to the monastery or stay and explore the mountain where ibex graze and lizards warm themselves on the rocks.

We provide bedding, clean eco-toilets and washing facilities. It is always warm during the day, but at night, temperatures can drop precipitously. We ensure that you won’t be cold. Dinner and breakfast are provided.

We also provide authoritative tours of the Monastery.

Please go to our History notes for background to Mount Sinai and the Monastery of St Catherine.

Morning on the summit of Mount Sinai 

Service on Mt Sinai

Climbing Mt Sinai with Mt St Catherine in the background

Harduun sunning itself on Mt Sinai

  Link

Sinai Camel School

Mohammed's Camel School

Mohamed Musa, camel teacher, with Abdou, the camel, and students

Learn to ride a camel in the spectacular mountains of the St Katherine Protectorate with trained local Bedouin teachers

Lesson 1: Mounting and dismounting while building up confidence with your camel. You will be asked to lead the camel by the rein and couch it. After hobbling it by gently tying the rein around the front legs, you practise the safe way of mounting and dismounting. Mounting once again, you make the camel stand up, walk it round a simple circuit and couch it.

Lesson 2: Fitting the saddle and controlling your camel. You learn to fit the saddle onto the camel's hump, arrange the covers for your own comfort and discover the best sitting position. You will then take your camel round a circuit by changing its direction, urging it on or bringing it to a halt. You will also practice dismounting from a standing camel.

Lesson 3: Changing the pace of your camel. You will learn to change your camel’s pace and gait. As a camel walks, it keeps three feet firmly on the ground and moves its fourth, giving a gently swaying movement to the rider. As it speeds up, it starts to move both legs in tandem on one side and then the other, giving the classic camel gait. When urged on more, the camel can shift into a gallop, pushing off with its two back legs while leaping forward with its two front legs. Students can now race their camels up the wadi.

Lesson 4: Trekking with the camel: You now need practice bringing all the skills together. You will go for a trek to the garden of El Birka where you will find the remains of monastic settlements from the Byzantine period. After a short break you return to the Camel School.

Between lessons, we supply tea and lunch and plenty of camel talk.

Afterwards, you are free to take a camel trek of your choice.

Trek to Ecolodge: You leave the camel school and trek down Wadi El Firee'a and Wadi Nugra, passing Bedouin gardens and Byzantine ruins until you reach Gebel Bineet when you are obliged to dismount and descend a steep slope with your camel - or take time off to climb Gebel Bineet. From the bottom of the slope, a quick pace will bring you to the Ecolodge. You are then free to stay the night and extend the trek to the following day, visiting Nabatean ruins and old Bronze Age sites, or else return to St Catherine. 

Trek around Ain Khodra: You are transferred by car to Ain Khodra in the morning and then have an opportunity to explore the fantastic sands and rockky outcrops of Ain Khodra by camel.

Advanced courses: We have students returning to us who take advanced lessons to further master the art of camel riding and develop a spirit of independence.

Vision: Yallajabaleya! is aiming to develop camel trekking over several days where everyone is mounted, no Bedouin on the ground, moving lightly across the desert, provisions in the camel bags, no pack camels and no vehicular backup. It's the Jabaleya life! 

Mohamed Musa

Mohamed's garden and camel school as storm brews

 

Camel trek to the Ecolodge

Hobbling

Mounting

Saddling

Trekking

Link

Dr Ahmed's Herbal Garden Wadi Itlah

Dr Ahmed's Herbal Garden

Lunch in the Herbal Garden

Dr Ahmed, a well respected local Hakim, skilled in local herbal medicines, runs a school in his garden for local Bedouin children to ensure that his traditional knowledge is not lost to coming generations.

A visit to his garden will provide an insight into the ancient garden tradition of the Jabaleya tribe and an opportunity to explore the other gardens of Wadi Itlah.

To get so much out of the sand and rock of the mountains, the Jabaleya learnt from the monks of Mt Sinai how to graft good fruit bearing trees onto hardy desert stock. The edible fig is grafted onto the wild fig which has drought resistant roots. Pear is grafted onto the resilient Sinai hawthorn. New varieties of apricot are grafted onto the ancient apricot trees of the mountains.

The Jabaleya avoid chemical fertilizers, preferring to collect dung from the goat shed which they leave in the sun for several months until all the bacteria and insects have been killed off by the intense sunlight. It then becomes suitable for digging into the soil around the trees.

Pests are controlled by simple expedients such as fitting bags around the pomegranates to prevent infestation by the caterpillars of the oddly named Pomegranate Playboy butterfly. All the produce is therefore organic.

While vegetables and animal fodder are grown between the trees, the wild herbs are left to sprout amongst the rocks and boulders. The Bedouin know their plants and use Hineida (Chilidenus montanus) to treat kidney ailments, Qaysoum (Achillea fragrantissima) for a headache, Sakaran (Hyoscyamus muticus) to treat asthma and Samwa (Cleome droserifolia) for diabetes.

Apricots ripen in May when a mature tree can produce as much as 70 kilograms. There is therefore a glut when you can feast off the fresh fruits or guzzle the freshly squeezed juice. The excess then needs to be dried in the hot sun and stored in bags to be used later in the year. Pears appear in July. Figs ripen in August. Dates are harvested in September. Olives are knocked off the trees in December. The fruiting seasons give a rhythm to the life of the Bedouin.

In the nearby garden of Mohamed Musa, irrigation techniques are employed that go back to Byzantine times. Water drawn from a well is stored in a stone tank at the top of the garden. A sluice gate at the foot of the tank can be opened to release water which gushes out along stone channels to depressions dug in around the trees. By plugging one channel and opening up another, Mohamed can redirect the water where he wants.

As well as the gardens, Wadi Itlah also shelters the cave and shrine of John Climacus, the most important literary figure of early desert monasticism whose Ladder of Divine Ascent is the most widely read spiritual text in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Go to History notes to find an article on John Climacus.

Please go to our Botany notes for more information on some of the fascinating plants of the area.

Link 

Makhad Nawamis Project needs donations

Makhad Charity The Nawamis Project

Description

The Muzeina Bedouin villagers of Nawamis are unable to maintain their traditional way of life in the desert as there is little work and no local school for their children. They have asked the Makhad Trust for help with the setting up of a small school, and in drawing up a plan which will ensure its survival.
The school will form the hub of the village, and will provide an education for 40-80 children from the surrounding area. It will become the first indigenous Bedouin school based on the traditional social structure of the tented community. Teaching will include core subjects but will draw on expertise from the community in order to make the tuition more relevant to the children. The many deaf children belonging to the Muzeina who currently have no school will also be educated here.
Beside the school we are constructing the largest ever woven Bedouin tent, which will become the familiar social centre of the community. It will provide a unique venue for local functions such as camel festivals, and will also be used by tourists, both as individuals and in groups. Revenue from the tent will support the school and revive the Muzeina economy.
The project will require additional buildings to house staff living quarters, toilets, a kitchen, a dining room, washing rooms, extra teaching space and a well powered by solar pump.

Purpose

To help to set up an indigenous Bedouin school with a self supporting structure
To form a hub for the community based on a traditional social structure
To revitalise the Muzeina community

Beneficiaries

Children from nearby villages and neighbouring wadis will be able to attend their own school
The local villagers both men and women will benefit from an increased economy
Visitors to the area will be able to meet the villagers and learn more about the culture in an attractive and welcoming environment.

Project Work

Practical project work will involve the construction of the tent, support buildings and additional school buildings. The Trust will also establish a camel centre to increase community revenue and will set up the organisational structure required for the management of the project by the community.

Partners

Faraj Sabah Hodair, elder of the Mouseina tribe.
The Nawamis community.

Current Status
Weaving of the tent is in progress and is expected to be opened in December 2009.  The current phase of the support buildings construction work is nearly completed.  The next phase will include the completion of the well and the construction of the camel station.  Inauguration of the whole complex will be by a Camel Festival in 2010.

Donate here to help in Sinai by credit/debit card or Paypal.

http://www.justgiving.com/Charity/Donate.aspx?cid=185792

Makhad Community Drinking Wells Project donate here

Makhad Community Drinking Wells Project

Description

In the St Katherines area of South Sinai and the village of St Katherines itself many of the small communities have a problem with clean drinking water.  The water that comes in by truck contains mineral salts which make the children ill and can only be used for washing.   This means that the Bedouin women have to walk long distances to wells that have good water and where the owners allow them to take what they need.  Sometimes the wells have sides that are unsafe or are so far away that the water has to be collected expensively by vehicle.
The owners of the wells ask for no charge and sometimes as many as 100 women will arrive each day to take one man’s water.  In the summer there is not enough water for everyone and some of these well owners have asked the Makhad Trust for help in deepening and repairing their wells.  They would also like to make it easier and safer for the women to get their water.

Purpose

The purpose of the project is to repair and deepen some of the wells so that there is sufficient drinking water for those who live nearby.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries will be the villagers in the St Katherines general area.

Project Work

The Makhad Trust project work will be to assist each well owner to deepen his well and, where possible, to repair the sides and create easier and safer access for the women via a water storage tank and taps.

Status

The work on two drinking wells is currently underway, with ten more on the waiting list for sponsorship and help.  The next on the list for sponsorship is the Abu Gifa Community well.

Donate here to build wells in Sinai by credit/debit card or Paypal.

http://www.justgiving.com/Charity/Donate.aspx?cid=185792

Makhad Bedouin Projects

Bedouin garden restoration 

See below how you can donate to these projects.

(Project 15: Mountain area of St Katherine's, South Sinai)

Description


Many of the centuries-old mountain gardens have become derelict as the Bedouin moved into the towns. There is a general desire from the people to restore their gardens, but they cannot do so without assistance in repairing the wells, which are no longer deep enough or have become damaged and so there is not enough water.

Rainfall, which is scarce and vital for the survival of the gardens, has decreased over the last seven years as a result of climate change. Preserving it carefully is crucial. With the aid of groups from the UK small dams are constructed in side wadis. These hold back the rainwater and benefit dozens of gardens lying below the dams. This is urgent and vital work.
Many garden owners have come forward requesting assistance. These gardens will be assessed to see if they are suitable for sponsorship and entry into the scheme.
Six dams have been constructed already and a trial of six environmentally friendly pumps is under way.
Gardens which have received sponsorship and have as a result been given help include

Sala Mousa Sala,

Amria Faraj Mousa,

Ishmail Ibrahim Salem,

Oda Mohamed Oda,

Hussein Mousa Sala

Salem Faraj Farhan

The links are to descriptions of these gardens.

The assistance this project offers has been received with great enthusiasm by both garden owners and sponsors from the UK. Thanks to these sponsors, the garden owners who have previously been unable to save their trees can now water them again and can tend their gardens with renewed vigour. Sponsors are able to visit the garden and meet the owner and receive regular reports which give them up-to-date information about both the family and their garden.

Purpose

To encourage the Jebelia Bedouin to increase garden production.

To encourage sustainable development around the gardens.

To increase throughput for Mahmoud Mansur’s herb and fruit drying centre.

To encourage eco-tourism.

Beneficiaries
The extended family of each garden owner and Bedouin employed in the herb and fruit drying centres.

Project Work
The project is usually in three phases. Firstly, assistance is given to selected garden owners in repairing their wells. Secondly, using working groups, help is given to garden owners in repairing or building a small dam, which allows flood water to penetrate to the water table. Thirdly, green energy may be introduced in the form of an environmentally friendly pump.
Partners
Garden owners, Mahmoud Mansur (a local entrepreneur) and Sheikhsinai Bedouin Company.

Status
The scheme is expected to be completed in 2011.

 Donate here by credit/debit card or Paypal

http://www.justgiving.com/Charity/Donate.aspx?cid=185792

The Makhad Trust

The Makhad Trust began with planting a seed.

Danny Shmulevitch, the founder, was walking along an ancient pilgrim route that runs through the Sinai Desert. He saw, sitting by the side of the path, a small girl wearing traditional Bedouin dress, who was hoping to sell cans of cola to passing tourists. She was, clearly, not happy.

Politely refusing the offered can, he asked instead for a glass of tea, invoking the ancient tradition of hospitality to strangers. She took him to the family house, in a garden in the nearby desert oasis of Ein-Khudra (Green Spring), which was one of the stopping places of the Israelites in their journey through the Sinai wilderness.

Gardens have been cultivated there by Bedouin families for over two thousand years, but four out of the five gardens had become derelict.
In return for the hospitality, Danny made the little girl's father a promise. He planted an acacia seedling in their garden and asked them to look after it carefully. When he came back, he said, if it was still growing he would bring help for Ein-Khudra.

The family believed in this promise: the acacia tree (as it now is) was watered and nurtured and when Danny returned in May 1988 he brought a group of students and staff from Ruskin Mill College, an educational centre for young people in Gloucestershire, England, to help restore Ein Khudra.

They built a shelter, a water cistern and a compost toilet and planted a small tree nursery. These were the needs identified by the Bedouin family as the first steps towards regenerating the oasis gardens. Working together, the Bedouin, students and staff created the first ‘makhad’—a meeting place in which to share hospitality.
Link

Sheikh Musa Sinai Trips

http://sheikmousa.com

Mountain Tours Office, Sheikh Mousa
St. Catherine, El Milgah
South Sinai EGYPT

Email: sheikmousa@yahoo.com
Mobile: 010 641 3575 and 010 688 0820
Phone: (002) 69 3470 457
Fax: (002) 69 3470 042

3 Day St Catherine trip with guide Anja

Program
Arrive on Thursday evening – dinner in the bedouin guesthouse.
1. Day
Breakfast – walk through the beautiful Wadi Itlah – stop for tea at the local herbal doctor – lunch at a bedouin family – the women of the family will show us their work and demonstrate how to create bags and bracelets – back to the Bedouin Guesthouse – dinner.
2. Day
Breakfast – visit the Monastery of St. Katharine – walk to the Mount Sinai Ecolodge – meet the bedouin women in a nearby settlement, be inspired by their work and by nature to create your own piece of art.
Your luggage will be transported to the ecolodge.
3. Day
Breakfast – Climb Mount Sinai early in the morning – have lunch on top of the mountain – back to the village of St. Katharine.
Cost
Accomodation for 3 nights in simple camp/ecolodge (based on double room),  guide, water, all food and handicraft workshop starting at 1000 LE per person (small groups, 2-3 persons: 1200 LE per person).
Minimum: 2 – Maximum: 6 participants
Transport from and to Cairo can be arranged for extra cost.
What to expect
You should be fairly fit to do this trip. Please bring walking boots for the rocky terrain in Sinai. We will walk for about 3 hours every day, except when climbing Mount Sinai which will take around 2,5 hours up and 1-2 hours down.
When we are invited in a bedouin house usually family and guests share the food from a big plate.
Dates:
24. – 27. June 2010
Ask about other dates.
Booking
Please book as soon as possible, at the latest four days before the start of the trip.
For bookings and more information:
call +20 (0)196082136 (German or English)
Please send SMS if I am out of signal.
or send an email to handicraft@sheikhsina.com
This trip is offered through Sheikh Sina – (www.sheikhsina.com)
The terms of business of Sheikh Sina apply.

Bedouin sugar bag

Bedouin trips in Sinai every Monday with female guide Anja

 Female groups *only*

Every Monday (starting 17^th May)
Start in St. Katharine at 10 am – 10 am to 1 pm walk through a Wadi – stop for tea – lunch at a bedouin family – 2 pm to 4.30 pm creative handicraft workshop – transfer back to St. Katharine.
Guide, tea, lunch and workshop
260 LE per person (for a minimum of 2 participants)
210 LE per person (from 3 participants to a maximum of 6 participants)
What to expect
You should be fairly fit to do this trip. Please bring walking boots for the rocky terrain in Sinai. We will walk for about 3 hours.
When we are invited in a bedouin house usually family and guests share the food from a big plate.
Booking
Please book at the latest three days before the trip.
For bookings and more information:
call +20 (0)196082136 (German or English)
Please send SMS if I am out of signal.
or send an email to handicraft@sheikhsina.com
This trip is offered through Sheikh Sina – (www.sheikhsina.com)
The terms of business of Sheikh Sina apply.

              Anja your guide

Obama backs out of deal

I just don't understand this.

Below is President Obama's letter to President Lula De Silva asking him to continue his negotiations with President Ahmedinejad over the nuclear issue.

The Turkish and Brazilian Presidents achieved what Washington couldn't and what Obama asked for in the letter.

So WHY!!!! did the US insist on disregarding what they had asked them to do in the first place if they had no intention of dropping the sanctions rhetoric?

It just seems that the USA have a plan to occupy Iran in the not too distant future along with all the other wars they are currently in, planning, and causing!

WASHINGTON
April 20, 2010

His Excellency
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President of the Federative Republic of Brazil
Brasilia 

Dear Mr. President:

I want to thank you for our meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan during the Nuclear Security Summit. We spent some time focused on Iran, the issue of the provision of nuclear fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor(TRR), and the intent of Brazil and Turkey to work toward finding an acceptable solution. I promised to respond in detail to your ideas. I have carefully considered our discussion, and I would like to offer a detailed explanation of my perspective and suggest a way ahead.

I agree with you that the TRR is an opportunity to pave the way for a broader dialogue in dealing with the more fundamental concerns of the international community regarding Iran’s overall nuclear program. From the beginning, I have viewed Iran’s request as a clear and tangible opportunity to begin to build mutual trust and confidence, and thereby create time and space for a constructive diplomatic process That is why the United States so strongly supported the proposal put forth by former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General EI Baradei.

The IAEA’s proposal was crafted to be fair and balanced, and for both sides to gain trust and confidence. For us, Iran’s agreement to transfer 1,200 kg of Iran’s low enriched uranium (LEU) out of the country would build confidence and reduce regional tensions by substantially reducing Iran’s LEU stockpile. I want to underscore that this element is of fundamental importance for the United States. 

For Iran, it would receive the nuclear fuel requested to ensure continued operation of the TRR to produce needed medical isotopes and, by using its own material, Iran would begin to demonstrate peaceful nuclear intent. 

 Notwithstanding Iran’s continuing defiance of five United Nations Security Council resolutions mandating that it cease its enrichment of uranium, we were prepared to support and facilitate action on a proposal that would provide Iran nuclear fuel using uranium enriched by Iran — a demonstration of our willingness to be creative in pursuing a way to build mutual confidence.  

During the course of the consultations, we also recognized Iran’s desire for assurances. As a result, my team focused on ensuring that the lAEA’s proposal contained several built-in measures, including a U.S. national declaration of support, to send a clear signal from my government of our willingness to become a direct signatory and potentially even play a more direct role in the fuel production process, a central role for Russia, and the IAEA’s assumption of full custody of the nuclear material throughout the fuel production process. In effect, the IAEA’s proposal offered Iran significant and substantial assurances and commitments from the IAEA, the United States, and Russia. Dr. EI Baradei stated publicly last year that the United States would be assuming the vast majority of the risk in the IAEA’s proposal. 

As we discussed, Iran appears to be pursuing a strategy that is designed to create the impression of flexibility without agreeing to actions that can begin to build mutual trust and confidence. We have observed Iran convey hints of flexibility to you and others, but formally reiterate an unacceptable position through official channels to the IAEA. Iran has continued to reject the IAEA’s proposal and insist that Iran retain its low-enriched uranium on its territory until delivery of nuclear fuel. This is the position that Iran formally conveyed to the IAEA in January 2010 and again in February. 

We understand from you, Turkey and others that Iran continues to propose that Iran would retain its LEU on its territory until there is a simultaneous exchange of its LEU for nuclear fuel. As General Jones noted during our meeting, it will require one year for any amount of nuclear fuel to be produced. Thus, the confidence-building strength of the IAEA’s proposal would be completely eliminated for the United States and several risks would emerge. 

First, Iran would be able to continue to stockpile LEU throughout this time, which would enable them to acquire an LEU stockpile equivalent to the amount needed for two or three nuclear weapons n a year’ s time. Second, there would be no guarantee that Iran would ultimately agree to the final exchange. Third, IAEA "custody" of lran’s LEU inside of Iran would provide us no measurable improvement over the current situation, and the IAEA cannot prevent Iran from re-assuming control of its uranium at any time. 

There is a potentially important compromise that has already been offered. Last November, the IAEA conveyed to Iran our offer to allow Iran to ship its 1,200 kg of LEU to a third country — specifically Turkey — at the outset of the process·to be held "in escrow" as a guarantee during the fuel production process that Iran would get back its uranium if we failed to deliver the fuel. Iran has never pursued the "escrow" compromise and has provided no credible explanation for its rejection. I believe that this raises real questions about Iran’s nuclear intentions, if Iran is unwilling to accept an offer to demonstrate that its LEU is for peaceful, civilian purposes. I would urge Brazil to impress upon Iran the opportunity presented by this offer to "escrow" its uranium in Turkey while the nuclear fuel is being produced. 

Throughout this process, instead of building confidence Iran has undermined confidence in the way it has approached this opportunity. That is why I question whether Iran is prepared to engage Brazil in good faith, and why I cautioned you during our meeting. To begin a constructive diplomatic process, Iran has to convey to the IAEA a constructive commitment to engagement through official channels — something it has failed to do. Meanwhile, we will pursue sanctions on the timeline that I have outlined. I have also made clear that I will leave the door open to engagement with Iran. As you know, Iran has thus far failed to accept my offer of comprehensive and unconditional dialogue.

I look forward to the next opportunity to see you and discuss these issues as we consider the challenge of Iran’s nuclear program to the security of the international community, including in the U.N. Security Council.

Sincerely,
Barack Obama

So Mr Obama???

What was the problem?

Emir of Qatar to take Israel to International Court of Justice

Emir of Qatar to pay all legal costs in full to any individual, charity, or organisation, of any country wishing to bring criminal charges against the Israeli Government.

The Emir has announced he will also cover the full cost of legal fees incurred whilst taking the Israeli Government before the International Courts of Justice.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has cancelled his trip to Paris this week due to aid activist groups  threatening to issue arrest warrants using Universal Jurisdiction over War Crimes, International Piracy, Hostage Taking, Grand Theft, Murder, Assault and various other crimes committed during the Freedom Flotilla Massacre.

Qatar has put itself solidly behind fellow Arab states that have decided to take Israel to the International Court of Justice for killing nine activists in a raid on Gaza-bound aid ships on Monday, and said it would meet all the expenses to be incurred on the legal proceedings.

Qatar has also said it would fund a worldwide media campaign to expose Israel, its blockade of the Gaza Strip and the aggression it has been perpetrating in the territory.

The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, told local Arabic dailies that Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, has assured the League of the country’s moral and financial support on the above issues.

It was at Qatar’s behest that foreign ministers of Arab League member countries met in Cairo on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the Israeli raid and its Gaza blockade.

“We heartily appreciate Qatar’s commitment to meeting the expenses of taking Israel to court for the crime (the flotilla attack) and launching a global media campaign to expose the Israeli blockade of and aggression in Gaza,” Moussa was quoted as saying.

Qatar is known for its heroic and humanitarian role in supporting the cause of the people of Gaza, the Arab League Secretary-General said. “This Cairo meeting was also convened by Doha.”

The Arab foreign ministers’ meeting focussed on ways to respond to the flotilla raid by Tel Aviv and its continued blockade of Gaza, its aggression in the Strip, and on how to remove the blockade, said Moussa.

The dailies said the Qatari Premier assured the League of financial help in filing a lawsuit against Israel and launching a global media campaign. The aim of the campaign would be to expose Israeli blockade and aggression.

The foreign ministers of Arab countries have decided in the Cairo meeting to eventually break the Israeli blockade of Gaza through various means.

Gaza Blockade illegal

The ICRC said goods smuggled through tunnels are often overpriced and of poor quality [AFP] The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has described Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip as a violation of the Geneva Conventions and called on the Israeli government to lift it. In a statement released on Monday, the organisation called the blockade "collective punishment", a crime under international law. It described Gaza as a territory plagued by frequent power cuts, a ruined economy, and a collapsed health care system.

Egypt opens Rafah crossing indefinitely

Egypt to strip men married to Israelis of citizenship

By Jailan Zayan (AFP) – Jun 5, 2010

CAIRO —

A Cairo court on Saturday upheld a ruling to strip Egyptian men married to Israeli women of their citizenship in a case that has highlighted national sentiment towards Israel.
Judge Mohammed al-Husseini, sitting on the Supreme Administrative Court, said the interior ministry must ask the cabinet to take the necessary steps to strip Egyptian men married to Israeli women, and their children, of their citizenship.
The court said that each case should be considered separately, in a ruling that cannot be appealed.
The ruling reflects Egyptian sentiment towards Israel, more than 30 years after Egypt signed an unpopular peace deal with the Jewish state.
Before reading the verdict, Husseini said the case would not apply to Egyptian men married to Arab Israeli women.
"The case for (Egyptian) men married to Israeli Arab women is different to those married to Israeli women of Jewish origin because (Israeli Arabs) have lived under Israeli occupation," Husseini told the court.
"The court's decision is taking into account Egypt's national security," the judge said.
Lawyer Nabil al-Wahsh said he originally brought the case to court in order to prevent the creation of a generation "disloyal to Egypt and the Arab world."
Children of such marriages "should not be allowed to perform their military service," he said.
The number of Egyptian men married to Israeli women is thought to be around 30,000, according to Wahsh. Only 10 percent of them are married to Arab Israelis.
"This ruling is for the benefit of Egypt, a nation of leadership, history and civilisation," Wahsh said. "It is for the protection of Egypt and Egypt's youth and its national security."
"The decision comes as Israel continues its assault on those who love peace. The latest example is the aggression against the aid boat which was heading towards the blockaded Gaza Strip," he added.
On Monday, Israeli naval commandos raided a humanitarian flotilla carrying aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip, in a bungled operation that left nine pro-Palestinian activists dead and scores injured.
A lower court ruled last year that the interior minister must look into the cases of Egyptian men married to Israeli women, and their children, in order to "take the necessary steps to strip them of their nationality."
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Ten questions to the Zionists

Ten questions to the Zionists
by Rabbi Michael Dov Weissmandl ZT"L
Dean of Nitra Yeshiva

1. IS IT TRUE that in 1941 and again in 1942, the German Gestapo offered all European Jews transit to Spain, if they would relinquish all their property in Germany and Occupied France; on condition that:
   a) none of the deportees travel from Spain to Palestine; and
   b) all the deportees be transported from Spain to the USA or British colonies, and there to remain; with entry visas to be arranged by the Jews living there; and
   c) $1000.00 ransom for each family to be furnished by the Agency, payable upon the arrival of the family at the Spanish border at the rate of 1000 families daily.
    
2. IS IT TRUE that the Zionist leaders in Switzerland and Turkey received this offer with the clear understanding that the exclusion of Palestine as a destination for the deportees was based on an agreement between the Gestapo and the Mufti.
    
3. IS IT TRUE that the answer of the Zionist leaders was negative, with the following comments:
   a) ONLY Palestine would be considered as a destination for the deportees.
   b) The European Jews must accede to suffering and death greater in measure than the other nations, in order that the victorious allies agree to a "Jewish State" at the end of the war.
   c) No ransom will be paid
    
4. IS IT TRUE that this response to the Gestapo's offer was made with the full knowledge that the alternative to this offer was the gas chamber.
    
5. IS IT TRUE that in 1944, at the time of the Hungarian deportations, a similar offer was made, whereby all Hungarian Jewry could be saved.
    
6. IS IT TRUE that the same Zionist hierarchy again refused this offer (after the gas chambers had already taken a toll of millions).
    
7. IS IT TRUE that during the height of the killings in the war, 270 Members of the British Parliament proposed to evacuate 500,000 Jews from Europe, and resettle them in British colonies, as a part of diplomatic negotiations with Germany.
    
8. IS IT TRUE that this offer was rejected by the Zionist leaders with the observation "Only to Palestine!"
    
9. IS IT TRUE that the British government granted visas to 300 rabbis and their families to the Colony of Mauritius, with passage for the evacuees through Turkey. The "Jewish Agency" leaders sabotaged this plan with the observation that the plan was disloyal to Palestine, and the 300 rabbis and their families should be gassed.
    
10. IS IT TRUE that during the course of the negotiations mentioned above, Chaim Weitzman, the first "Jewish statesman" stated: "The most valuable part of the Jewish nation is already in Palestine, and those Jews living outside Palestine are not too important". Weitzman's cohort, Greenbaum, amplified this statement with the observation "One cow in Palestine is worth more than all the Jews in Europe".
    
    

There are additional similar questions to be asked of these atheist degenerates known as "Jewish statesmen", but for the time being let them respond to the ten questions.

These Zionist "statesmen" with their great foresight, sought to bring an end two two-thousand years of Divinely ordained Jewish subservience and political tractability. With their offensive militancy, they fanned the fires of anti-Semitism in Europe, and succeeded in forging a bond of Jew-hatred between Nazi-Germany and the surrounding countries.

These are the "statesmen" who organized the irresponsible boycott against Germany in 1933. This boycott hurt Germany like a fly attacking an elephant - but it brought calamity upon the Jews of Europe. 

At a time when America and England were at peace with the mad-dog Hitler, the Zionist "statesmen" forsook the only plausible method of political amenability; and with their boycott incensed the leader of Germany to a frenzy. 

And then, after the bitterest episode in Jewish history, these Zionist "statesmen" lured the broken refugees in the DP camps to remain in hunger and deprivation, and to refuse relocation to any place but Palestine; only for the purpose of building their State.

The Zionist "statesmen" have incited and continue to incite an embittered Jewish youth to futile wars against world powers like England, and against masses of hundreds of millions of Arabs.

AND THESE SAME ZIONIST "STATESMEN" HEEDLESSLY PUSH THE WORLD TO THE BRINK OF ANOTHER TOTAL WAR - REVOLVING ENTIRELY AROUND THE HOLY LAND.

What may befall the Jewish inhabitants of Palestine, of the Arab crescent, Europe, or the USA; is of no concern to these Zionist leaders. The rising anti-Semitism in the Western World is the product of their "statesmanship".

Under the guise of "love of Israel", the Zionist "statesmen" seduced many Jews to replace devotion to the Torah and its Sages with devotion to the scoundrel who founded Zionism. 

It is of no little significance that Herzl originally sought conversion of the Jews as a solution to the problems of the Diaspora. When he realized that this was not acceptable to the Jewish masses, he contrived Zionism as a satisfactory alternative!

A look into history reveals that this very same type of "statesmen" opposed the call of Jeremiah the prophet to yield to the minions of Nebuchadnezzar at the destruction of the first Temple. Five centuries later, Rabbi Yochonon Ben Zakai appealed to the people to surrender to Titus the Roman to avoid bloodshed. The "statesmen" rejected this appeal, and the second Temple was destroyed by the Romans. --- And now for the past fifty years, the Zionist "statesmen" rebuff the leadership of our Sages; and continue in their policy of fomenting anti-Semitism. When will they stop?? Must every Jew in America also suffer?? - Even the Nazi monsters had more sense, and gave up their war before all Germany was destroyed. 

The Zionist "statesmen" ridicule the sacred oath which the Creator placed upon the Jews in the Diaspora. Our Torah, in Tractate Ksubos, folio 111, specifies that the Creator, blessed be He, swore the Jews not to occupy the Holy Land by force, even if it appears that they have the force to do so; and not rebel against the Nations. 

And the Creator warned that if His oath be desecrated, Jewish flesh would be "open property", like the animals in the forest!! These are words of our Torah; and these concepts have been cited in Maimonides' "Igeres Teimon", "Be'er HaGola", "Ahavas Yehonosson", and in "Toras Moshe" of the Chasam Sofer.

IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT ALL THE SAGES AND SAINTS IN EUROPE AT THE TIME OF HITLER'S RISE DECLARED THAT HE WAS A MESSENGER OF DIVINE WRATH, SENT TO CHASTEN THE JEWS BECAUSE OF THE BITTER APOSTASY OF ZIONISM AGAINST THE BELIEF IN THE EVENTUAL MESSIANIC REDEMPTION.

Yidden - merciful sons of merciful fathers - how much longer must holy Jewish blood continue to be shed??

The only solution is:

1. The Jewish people must reject, outright, a "Jewish State".
    
2. The Jewish people should accept the US compromise.
    
3. We must depose the atheist-Zionist "statesmen" from their role as Jewish leaders, and return to the faithful leadership of our sages.
    
4. We beseech the Nations to open all doors to immigration - not only the doors of Palestine.
    
5. Peaceful, non-Zionist religious personalities in Palestine, (particularly from the native population) and their counterparts in the Diaspora, should engage in responsible, face-to face negotiations on behalf of the Jewish people, with the British and the Arabs; with an aim of amicable settlement of the Palestine issue.

Every Jew is obliged to pray to the Blessed creator, for in Him lies all our strength. Let us bear in mind that our prayers be forthright. One should not entreat the Creator to provide a banquet on Yom Kippur, and one can not perform a ritual ablution with a dead bug in his hand. Similarly, we should avoid the untenable position of the robber who prays for Divine help in carrying out his crime. We should pray that Zionism and its fruits vanish from the Earth, and that we be redeemed by the Messiah with dispatch.

A prisoner is released only when he has served his time, or if he is pardoned by the President for good behavior. If he attempts escape and is apprehended, his term is lengthened, besides the beating he receives when he is caught.

Faithful Jews- for over three and one-half thousand years, in all parts of the world, through all trials, our grandfathers and grandmothers marched through seas of blood and tears in order to keep the Faith of the Torah unswervingly. If we have compassion for ourselves, for our women and children, and for the Jewish people, we will maintain our golden legacy today. We have been sentenced to exile by the King of Kings because of our sins. The eternal blessed be He, has decreed that we accept the exile with humble gratitude until the time comes, or until we merit His pardon through repentance if we seek to end the exile with force, G-d will catch us, as our sages have forewarned, and our sentence becomes longer and more difficult.

Many times in the past have segments of our people been defrauded by false messiahs - but none of the false messiahs has been as fallacious and delusory as the lie of Zionism. With our historical experience as our guide, no retribution has been or will be greater than the retribution for giving credence to Zionism. If we wish our exile-sentence commuted, we must appeal through repentance; and through total physical and spiritual observance of the Sabbath, laws of family purity, and study of Torah.

Let it be clearly understood that never in Jewish history (even in the time of Jeroboam or Achav) have such hostile atheists stood at the helm of the Jewish people as today.

How can we plead to the Almighty for mercy while we tolerate these vile, "wicked" leaders as spokesmen! Beloved brothers - let us cleanse our ranks and cleanse our midst; let us entreat the Almighty through prayer, repentance, and fulfillment of mitzvos that He alone redeem us, immediately.

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