Racist attacks on black Africans - they're not just for Libyans.

Demonstrators have attacked African migrants in Tel Aviv in a protest against refugees and asylum-seekers that indicates an increasingly volatile mood in Israel over what it terms as "infiltrators".

Miri Regev, a member of the Israeli parliament, told the crowd "the Sudanese are a cancer in our body". The vast majority of asylum-seekers in Israel are from Sudan and Eritrea.

Around 1,000 demonstrators took part in the demonstration on Wednesday night, waving signs saying: "Infiltrators, get out of our homes" and "Our streets are no longer safe for our children." A car containing Africans was attacked and shops serving the refugee community were looted. Seventeen people were arrested.

A reporter for the Israeli daily Maariv described it as an "unbridled rampage" and explosion of "pent-up rage".

Seems to me everyone in the North has it in for sub-Saharans. But I do wonder whether the Israeli bigots have a heirarchy of racism which ranks Arabs and black Africans on a scale of hateability. The bigots would doubtless complain that their hate is also about "infiltrators" taking jobs and causing crime. As Ta-Nehisi Coates notes today though, "Complicating racism with other factors doesn't make it any better. It just makes it racism. Again." That's as true in Israel as it is anywhere else.

Damascus | May 24

AFP - Syrian forces tried to storm the rebel bastion of Rastan Wednesday under cover of gunfire and shelling, reports said, as Damascus admitted sanctions were biting and the head of the main opposition bloc resigned.

The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) meanwhile denied it was behind the abduction of Lebanese Shiite pilgrims, an incident stoking tensions in neighbouring Lebanon which is divided between pro- and anti-Damascus camps.

There was no word on any Rastan casualties, but the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 15 people were killed nationwide, including seven troops shot dead at Qalamun in Damascus province as they tried to defect.

As the violence continued to rage, Russia, one of Syria's few allies, offered to host direct talks between the Damascus regime and rebel representatives, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said.

Soldiers were trying to overrun Rastan for the second time in 10 days, with shells crashing into the town at the rate of "one a minute" at one stage, according to the Britain-based Observatory.

Riyadh | May 23

Reuters - Saudi Arabia, concerned that chaos in Yemen is creating an al Qaeda base on its doorstep, pledged $3.25 billion in aid to its neighbour at a donor group meeting two days after more than 90 Yemeni soldiers were killed in a suicide attack.

Riyadh, which already provides oil and military aid to its impoverished neighbour, convened Western and Arab Gulf nations to see how they can help Yemen push ahead with reforms and tackle its poverty and lawlessness.

May 21

ABC - Starting Wednesday, Egypt is holding its first free presidential election since it came under dictatorship 60 years ago. The winner will succeed Hosni Mubarak, one of four rulers toppled in the uprisings that began 18 months ago across the Middle East and became known as the Arab Spring. But replacing dictatorships with democracy is proving much harder. Here's where things stand:

Alan Cowell & Rick Gladstone | London | May 21

NYT - Yemen was rocked by its worst terrorist bombing in years Monday when a suicide attacker disguised as a Yemeni soldier blew himself up in the midst of a military parade rehearsal near the presidential palace in Sanaa, the capital. The Yemen Defense Ministry said more than 90 people were killed and hundreds wounded.

News reports described scenes of horrific carnage on the parade grounds. Suspicions of responsibility immediately fell on an Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, the Middle East’s most impoverished country, which has endured months of protests and insurgency since the first stirrings of the Arab Spring revolts last year.

‘‘This is a real massacre,’’ a soldier identified as Ahmed Sobhi was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. ‘‘There are piles of torn body parts, limbs and heads. This is unbelievable.’’

Beirut | May 19

AP - The Gulf states of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have called on their citizens not to go to Lebanon and for those who are there to leave.

Saturday's call by the two countries' foreign ministries came days after clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian groups in the northern city of Tripoli left eight people and dozens wounded.

Both countries said in statements posted on their state-run news agencies that the reason behind the decision was tension and instability in Lebanon.

May 18

BBC - Thousands of mainly Shia Bahrainis have protested outside the capital against a plan to create a union of Gulf Arab countries.

In Manama, the demonstration stretched for some three miles (5km), blocking a motorway.

The Saudi king's proposal to unite the six members of the Gulf Co-Operation Council was discussed this week.

The six members are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.

There were also protests against the move in Dubai and Iran, where Bahrain's ambassador was rebuked.

The planned union between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia - the first part of a broader union of the Gulf's six Arab monarchies - has triggered discord between Shia-dominated Iran and the Sunni rulers of Shia-majority Bahrain.

'Not for sale'

Iran has called the proposal "the American plan to annex Bahrain to Saudi Arabia".

Go read David Axe on how Italian aviation blogger David Cenciotti joined the dots to throw some new light on America's shadow wars along Africa's Indian Ocean coastline. F-15s based in Djibouti carrying out airstrikes in Yemen, spyplanes at the same airbase, Reaper drones with bases in the Seychelles Yemen and Ethiopia. Axe himself adds the possibility of a floating headquarters for special forces ops sitting somewhere of the coast.

America is waging more wars, with a bigger involvement, than it wants to admit.

May 11

BBC - Saudi King Abdullah has sacked one of his most hardline advisers, Sheikh Abdelmohsen al-Obeikan.

Sheikh Obeikan, who was an adviser to the royal cabinet, opposed moves to relax gender segregation.

The dismissal comes shortly after Sheikh Obeikan attacked plans by "influential people to corrupt Muslim society by trying to change the natural status of women".

Saudi officials did not give a reason for Sheikh Obeikan's departure.

His recent comments were taken to be an attack on tentative steps towards relaxing some stricter interpretations of Saudi law.

King Abdullah has promised women the right to vote in future elections, has opened the country's first co-educational university and introduced measures against domestic violence.

The head of Saudi Arabia's religious police, the "mutawa", was also replaced in January, with the new head widely seen as more moderate than his predecessor.

Sheikh Obeikan achieved a degree of notoriety several years ago with a decree suggesting that unrelated Saudi men and women could mix so long as the man drank the woman's breast milk, thus creating a maternal bond between them.

Manama | May 11

Bahraini News Service - A veteran US congressman today reaffirmed the strong strategic alliance bonding the US and the Kingdom of Bahrain. "There is no doubt that both countries are strong allies", U.S.

Representative (R) for Indiana's 5th Congressional District Dan Burton said. "The US maintains the 5th Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain and backs the Kingdom firmly. Those who seek to destroy Bahrain should realize this", he added.

In a statement to Bahrain News Agency (BNA), the veteran Republican congressman described Bahrain as a friendly country and important US trade and security partner.

"Some differences may emerge between both countries from time to time but I hope that long-term partnership and cooperation will continue", he said.

He pointed out the long-dating co-existence between the Government and Bahraini people, describing the existence of the osmosis between sects and religions as a positive facet of Bahraini society.

"We acknowledge however the existence of some problems- which is normal as all people may confront problems within the same family", he said.

Wow, did the Bahraini government write Burton's swill?

** US partially resumes military supplies to Bahrain

Former Director of the CIA's Counter-Terrorism Center Robert Grenier makes the case against a stepped-up drone campaign in Yemen over at Al Jazeera:

I do not claim deep knowledge of developments in Shabwa Privince, but when I hear significant numbers of tribal militants being referred to as al-Qaeda operatives, and AQAP, a small organisation dominated by non-Yemenis, being alleged to have political control of significant parts of Yemen, I react with some scepticism, and some suspicion.

One wonders how many Yemenis may be moved in future to violent extremism in reaction to carelessly targeted missile strikes, and how many Yemeni militants with strictly local agendas will become dedicated enemies of the West in response to US military actions against them. AQAP and those whom it trains and motivates to strike against civilian targets must continue to be resisted by the joint efforts of the civilised world. But the US would be wise to calibrate its actions in Yemen in such a way as to avoid making that obscure and relatively limited and containable threat into the Arabian equivalent of Waziristan.

the militarization of US counter-terrorism policy over the past decade has meant that turning a local problem group into one fixated on the "far enemy" of America, whether it be by occupation or drone strikes, is a regular occurence.

Greg Miller & Karen DeYoung | May 10

WaPo - The United States launched airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday that killed as many as seven militants, the second American missile attack in the country since the CIA and other spy agencies disrupted an al-Qaeda airline bomb plot, U.S. officials said.

The strike came as new details surfaced about the foiling of the plot, including the disclosure that the operative who posed as a willing suicide bomber and later turned the device over to authorities was a British citizen, according to Western officials.

Washington | May 7

AFP - The United States has foiled a plot by Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen to blow up an airliner and recovered an explosive device, officials said Monday, stressing the public was never in danger.

"The device was for use by a suicide bomber on an airliner," a US counterterrorism official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The plot hatched by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was uncovered at an early stage and represented a "success story" for US authorities working closely with allies, he added.

"At no point were any airlines at risk," the official said, as news of the plot was revealed just days after the first anniversary of the killing of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by US commandos at his Pakistan hideout.

The bomb had "notable differences" from the explosive employed in a failed attempt also linked to the Al-Qaeda affiliate to blow up a US-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009 using plastic explosives hidden in a Nigerian man's underwear, the official said.

According to the FBI, the improvised explosive device was seized abroad and was currently in its possession. Agents were "conducting technical and forensics analysis on it."

"Initial exploitation indicates that the device is very similar to IEDs that have been used previously by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in attempted terrorist attacks, including against aircraft and for targeted assassinations," the FBI statement added.

The bomb was "a non-metallic device," the counterterrorism official said, presumably to avoid detection by airport security. "This suggests AQAP is adapting its methodology, its tactics et cetera."

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad | May 1

The Guardian - Ghaith Abdul-Ahad reports from south Yemen on the jihadis offering free water and electricity alongside sharia law

Driving east out of Aden, we were just a few hundred metres past the last army checkpoint when we saw the black al-Qaida flag. It flew from the top of a concrete building that had been part-demolished by shelling.

From here into the interior, all signs of control by the government of Yemen disappeared. This is the region of newly proclaimed jihadi emirates in south Yemen that are run by affiliates of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemeni franchise of the movement founded by Osama bin Laden.

AQAP has existed in this ragged, mountainous terrain for years, but in the last 12 months the jihadis have moved down from the high ground to take control of cities in the lowlands. They are in the process of setting up an al-Qaida utopia here, where security is provided by jihadis, justice follows sharia law and even the administration of electricity and water supplies is governed by the emir.

Apr 27

Speigel Online - In one of the first interviews he has given to the Western media in years, Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa defends his government's course of action against the country's opposition. He tells SPIEGEL ONLINE that he will not tolerate Western interference and accuses protesters of seeking to turn Bahrain into a "second Iran."

SPIEGEL ONLINE: In the meantime, the protests in your country are continuing. The opposition claims the government's reforms do not go far enough and that you aren't really interested in a dialogue.

Khalifa: First of all, this is a movement of people which, in the modern world, we call a "terrorist group." This movement is supported by Iran and Hezbollah. What we are facing is exactly what the Americans are facing with terrorism.
..
SPIEGEL ONLINE: But a number of international human rights groups and Western countries claim that your security forces are continuing to abuse protesters and opponents of the government.

Khalifa: I do not think these accusations are legitimate. How do Western police deal with unlawful and violent protests? Are they just letting protesters there throw stones and Molotov cocktails? When it comes to national security, human rights aren't the most important thing. Or did the Americans and their allies think about human rights when they marched into Iraq and Afghanistan?

The Pm likes to deflect a lot.

Jim Lobe | Washington | April 26

IPS - Even as President Barack Obama touts his progress in extracting the U.S. from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his administration appears to be deepening its covert and military involvement in strife-torn Yemen.

Washington is worried about recent advances by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), particularly in the southern part of the country.

Since the failed "Christmas Day" bombing by an AQAP-trained Nigerian national of a U.S. airliner over Detroit in December 2009, the group has been regarded here as a greater threat to the U.S. homeland than its Pakistan-based parent.

Apr 28

BBC - The Saudi ambassador to Egypt had also been recalled, the Saudi state news agency said.

Egyptian protesters have demanded the release of human rights lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawi.

He was detained earlier this month on arrival in Saudi Arabia and accused of insulting King Abdullah.

Egyptian activists say the lawyer was held after lodging a complaint against Saudi Arabia for its treatment of Egyptians in its prisons.

His family say he had gone to perform a minor pilgrimage - a detail which has angered many Egyptians who feel resentment at the kingdom's treatment of Egyptians.

But Saudi authorities say Mr al-Gizawi was found by airport officials to be carrying drugs - allegedly more than 20,000 anti-anxiety pills - in his luggage.

They say they doubt Mr al-Gizawi was on a pilgrimage, as he was not wearing white pilgrims' clothes.

** ahram online

I know way too little about Bahrain to write in depth on the protests there. All I really know is that Bahrain's rulers have been violently putting down a democracy movement for over a year now, while the US looks the other way. Not co-incidentally, Bahrain is the base for the U.S. Fifth Fleet. The "Manama Statement" of combined Bahraini opposition political associations can be read here.

Today, opposition supporters have mounted a mass protest demanding an end to the crackdown on dissent and the cancellation of Sunday's Grand Prix.

Asma Alsharif | Jeddah | April 8

Reuters - Fifty men suspected of links to al Qaeda have gone on trial in Saudi Arabia on charges of killing an American and attacking foreign housing compounds in the capital and in the Eastern Province, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

The report said five of the suspects had appeared at a special court in the capital Riyadh on Saturday, facing charges including the 2003 bombing of the al-Muhaya compound, where expatriates lived, and planning attacks on the U.S. and British embassies in Saudi Arabia.

Of the defendants, 47 are Saudi, two are Syrian and one is Yemeni, SPA said late on Saturday.

Hakim Almasmari | Sanaa | Apr 7

CNN - Gunmen loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh attacked the country's main airport with mortars Saturday, forcing authorities to cancel flights, witnesses and officials said.

Two officials at Sanaa International Airport told CNN that the former commander of Yemen's air force had warned he would bring down any civil aircraft departing or arriving the airport unless his demands are met.

The commander, Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar, is one of several relatives of the former president who were replaced in a major military shakeup. Al-Ahmar refused to give up his post.

Ali Saleh was forced to step down from power in February.

Al-Ahmar, the half-brother of the former president, was given a new position as assistant to the minister of defense in Friday's presidential decree, but has refused to leave his air force post.

The officials said he threatened to cause chaos if three opposition military officials are not removed from their military posts along with him.

The Wall Street Journal, By Jim Krane, April 3

Doha, Qatar - President Obama’s sanctions plan on Iran follows an old Mideast policy playbook. Western moves against an oil-exporting country take place with the cooperation of Saudi Arabia. U.S. strategy requires the Saudis to ramp up production and replace Iranian exports in hope of avoiding a damaging spike in prices.

It’s a familiar scenario: At one time or another, the Saudis have been called upon to replace exports from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and, most recently, Libya. The idea is to have your cake and eat it—to meet U.S. foreign policy goals without disrupting oil markets and antagonizing the American motorist.

But the old playbook may have to be torn up. This time Saudi Arabia is struggling to assume its usual role as the oil market’s swing supplier. This can be seen in current market tightness and in U.S. gasoline prices, which are edging toward $4, a dangerous prospect at election time.

JadaLiyya, By Saleh Al Amer, April 1

In July 2011, Amnesty International published a leaked copy of the draft Saudi Arabian Penal Law for Terrorism Crimes and Financing of Terrorism. This Anti-Terror Law, which grants the Ministry of Interior unprecedented levels of authority and discretion in intelligence gathering, policing, and detention, has already been reviewed by the Security Committee of the Consultative Council (Majlis al-Shura) and the Committee of Experts in the Ministers’ Council, and awaits final approval for its enactment. Given the recent appointment of the Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdulaziz as the new Crown Prince, it seems likely that the law will soon be adopted.

Widespread criticism of the law has been voiced internally, by local activists, and internationally, with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch leading the way. Unlike the US Patriot Act and the Terrorism Act 2006 of Great Britain, both of which allowed for tremendous expansions of state power, the proposed Anti-Terror Law seems designed to legitimize already-existing extra-judicial practices of the Saudi state by cloaking them in the rule of law. With broad support for legal reforms, continued protests and civil disobedience, and public debate growing over the injustices suffered by Saudi prisoners of conscience, the Anti-Terror Law seeks to forestall any movement towards enhanced legal protections.

March 23

BBC - Kazakhstan's shooting team has been left stunned after a comedy national anthem from the film Borat was played at a medal ceremony at championships in Kuwait instead of the real one.

The team asked for an apology and the medal ceremony was later rerun.

The team's coach told Kazakh media the organisers had downloaded the parody from the internet by mistake.

The song was produced by UK comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for the film, which shows Kazakhs as backward and bigoted.

Ambrosia sabrina | Mar 17

IBT - Saudi Arabia's highest religious official announced Monday that Christianity will not be tolerated in the Arabian Peninsula, proclaiming it "necessary to destroy all the churches of the region," Bikyamasar reported.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the grand mufti, based his statement on the Islamic belief which states that only Islam and no other religion should be followed in the region. The mufti's declaration was in response to Kuwait's call for a ban on construction of non-Muslim places of worship, the report said.

The mufti further added that the move should be followed by the Kuwaiti government as well, given that the country is a part of the peninsular region.

It's also been reported that Osama Al-Munawer, a Kuwaiti parliamentarian, will soon introduce legislation that would call for a ban on constructing new churches in the kingdom. Existing churches, he added, will be exempt from demolition.

The announcement has apparently prompted fury among Christians who make up around five percent of the population in the Middle East. Furthermore, the mufti's words may provoke the Muslim community to launch attacks on churches, thereby raising fears of religious violence.

You can hear a pin drop waiting for US condemnation of our Saudi bff..

Glenn Greenwald | Mar 14 | SALON

Jeremy Scahill, The Nation‘s national security correspondent, is easily one of America’s best and most intrepid journalists. He spends his time in dangerous places in order to uncover what the U.S. Government is doing around the world. He often produces vital scoops that, during the Obama presidency, are — for reasons often recounted here — largely ignored by the American establishment media and both political parties. In July of last year, he returned from Mogadishu and documented the Obama administration’s maintenance and proxy operation of secret CIA-run prisons in Somalia of the type that caused so much controversy during the Bush administration and which Obama supporters like to claim the President ended, and last month he returned from tribal regions in Yemen and detailed how U.S. civilian-killing drone strikes (along with its support for Yemeni despots) are the single most important cause fueling Al Qaeda’s growth in that country. But his newest article – describing President Obama’s personal, direct role in ensuring the ongoing imprisonment of a Yemeni journalist – may be his most important one yet; even for those inured to the abuses of the Obama administration, it’s nothing short of infuriating.

read more at link