It was not a mass movement but about 30 or 40 women across the country took the wheel At just after 10 o’clock on Friday morning Maha al-Qahtani swapped places with her husband, Mohammed, and took the wheel of the family car. For the next 50 minutes, she drove through the Saudi capital, along the six-lane King Fahd Road, through Cairo Square, down the upmarket Olaya Street with its shopping malls, Starbucks, Apple store and boutiques. “No one tried to stop us. No one even looked,” the 39-year-old civil servant said. “We drove past police cars but had no trouble.” In fact, the biggest problem for Qahtani was her husband sitting next to her. “He kept telling me to slow down or speed up. He was very fussy,” she said. This is Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world that bans women from driving motor vehicles. Qahtani was part of a small but striking movement of women determined to do something about it. The exact number of Saudi women who protested was unclear. It was certainly not a mass movement. By mid-afternoon a handful had driven in Riyadh, a few in the southern port city of Jeddah, a couple in Dammam in the east, perhaps 30 or 40 overall in a country with a population of 27 million including migrant labourers. But it was a breakthrough. In the closed and authoritarian kingdom, such open and premeditated dissent is extremely rare. Under the spotlight of international attention, Saudi Arabia’s rulers had clearly decided to allow the protest to go ahead. “It is not the issue of women’s driving itself which poses a problem, it is the challenge to authority,” said a political analyst, Khaled al-Dhakil. “But … change is eroding that authority.” This was the closest Saudi Arabia has yet got to the revolutionary upheavals of the Arab spring. A “day of rage” declared in March was, outside areas dominated by the Shia minority, a non-event. A lack of tradition of public protest and heavy security presence rapidly ended any efforts at mobilisation. Last month seven women were arrested for driving. Manal al-Sharif, a 32-year-old who had posted a video on the internet of herself at the wheel, was held for 10 days , made to sign a pledge not to drive again and banned from talking to the media. On Friday, a different mood prevailed. Police appeared to be under orders not to intervene. In Jeddah, one woman said she had been detained by soldiers and escorted home. Others reported being ignored. But when Qahtani, who holds American and international driving licenses, tried driving again in the afternoon, she was stopped after 30 minutes by police, given a ticket for driving without a Saudi licence, and sent home. The question now is whether this signals forthcoming concessions from the authorities. King Abdullah, a relative moderate reigning since 2005, is known to be sympathetic but constrained by a conservative religious establishment. The support of the clergy has been crucial to the house of Al Saud and successive kings have been careful not to antagonise them. Earlier this year, clerics issued a fatwa against challenging the royal family’s authority. Many clerics claim the driving ban prevents vice by stopping women interacting with male strangers – despite the enforced proximity with a hired driver. Wajeha al-Huwaider, the activist who filmed Sharif’s drive, said the “big campaign” might make the government rethink. “Driving is a basic simple right. Denying it is hurting the image of the country. Even if the ban is nothing to do with religion, it is also hurting the image of Islam,” she said. Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have been key for the women drivers, providing support networks and, crucially, publicity outside the kingdom. The legal situation is unclear. Supporters say it is justified by both religious fatwas and the rulers’ own statements. Critics say there is nothing in Islam to back the ban and that there has never been a royal decree. Women in Saudi Arabia are also banned from voting or from leaving home without a male guardian. Previous campaigns to overturn the ban have failed. One, in 1991, resulted in nearly 50 women who drove losing their jobs and being banned from foreign travel. The critical question now is broader public opinion. Those driving on Friday come from a small – if growing – element of Saudi society. Saad, a 24-year-old engineer who recently returned from government-sponsored studies in the US, said that Saudis should “get over” the issue. “There are much more important issues here than women driving. We need to be more broad-minded,” he said. But many others disagree. Abdullah al-Otaiba, who trades camels on the outskirts of Riyadh, said that women driving was a “bad idea”. “You have your ways of doing things in the west and that’s fine for you. We are conservative people. We are not democratic. We have another religion and women should not go alone,” he said. There is room for compromise – the most likely outcome, experts says. Some younger clerics would accept women being allowed to drive in case of emergency. The women, most of whom learned to drive overseas, say their campaign will continue until a royal decree is issued allowing them to drive “without any conditions”. “It’s our right. We have to have it. We will continue until we can decide ourselves,” said Maha al-Qahtani. “I’m really excited,” said Eman Nafjan, 32, who drove round her Riyadh neighbourhood for 15 minutes . “We need to do it again.” Saudi Arabia Women Middle East Islam Religion Gender Arab and Middle East unrest Jason Burke guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …It was not a mass movement but about 30 or 40 women across the country took the wheel At just after 10 o’clock on Friday morning Maha al-Qahtani swapped places with her husband, Mohammed, and took the wheel of the family car. For the next 50 minutes, she drove through the Saudi capital, along the six-lane King Fahd Road, through Cairo Square, down the upmarket Olaya Street with its shopping malls, Starbucks, Apple store and boutiques. “No one tried to stop us. No one even looked,” the 39-year-old civil servant said. “We drove past police cars but had no trouble.” In fact, the biggest problem for Qahtani was her husband sitting next to her. “He kept telling me to slow down or speed up. He was very fussy,” she said. This is Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world that bans women from driving motor vehicles. Qahtani was part of a small but striking movement of women determined to do something about it. The exact number of Saudi women who protested was unclear. It was certainly not a mass movement. By mid-afternoon a handful had driven in Riyadh, a few in the southern port city of Jeddah, a couple in Dammam in the east, perhaps 30 or 40 overall in a country with a population of 27 million including migrant labourers. But it was a breakthrough. In the closed and authoritarian kingdom, such open and premeditated dissent is extremely rare. Under the spotlight of international attention, Saudi Arabia’s rulers had clearly decided to allow the protest to go ahead. “It is not the issue of women’s driving itself which poses a problem, it is the challenge to authority,” said a political analyst, Khaled al-Dhakil. “But … change is eroding that authority.” This was the closest Saudi Arabia has yet got to the revolutionary upheavals of the Arab spring. A “day of rage” declared in March was, outside areas dominated by the Shia minority, a non-event. A lack of tradition of public protest and heavy security presence rapidly ended any efforts at mobilisation. Last month seven women were arrested for driving. Manal al-Sharif, a 32-year-old who had posted a video on the internet of herself at the wheel, was held for 10 days , made to sign a pledge not to drive again and banned from talking to the media. On Friday, a different mood prevailed. Police appeared to be under orders not to intervene. In Jeddah, one woman said she had been detained by soldiers and escorted home. Others reported being ignored. But when Qahtani, who holds American and international driving licenses, tried driving again in the afternoon, she was stopped after 30 minutes by police, given a ticket for driving without a Saudi licence, and sent home. The question now is whether this signals forthcoming concessions from the authorities. King Abdullah, a relative moderate reigning since 2005, is known to be sympathetic but constrained by a conservative religious establishment. The support of the clergy has been crucial to the house of Al Saud and successive kings have been careful not to antagonise them. Earlier this year, clerics issued a fatwa against challenging the royal family’s authority. Many clerics claim the driving ban prevents vice by stopping women interacting with male strangers – despite the enforced proximity with a hired driver. Wajeha al-Huwaider, the activist who filmed Sharif’s drive, said the “big campaign” might make the government rethink. “Driving is a basic simple right. Denying it is hurting the image of the country. Even if the ban is nothing to do with religion, it is also hurting the image of Islam,” she said. Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have been key for the women drivers, providing support networks and, crucially, publicity outside the kingdom. The legal situation is unclear. Supporters say it is justified by both religious fatwas and the rulers’ own statements. Critics say there is nothing in Islam to back the ban and that there has never been a royal decree. Women in Saudi Arabia are also banned from voting or from leaving home without a male guardian. Previous campaigns to overturn the ban have failed. One, in 1991, resulted in nearly 50 women who drove losing their jobs and being banned from foreign travel. The critical question now is broader public opinion. Those driving on Friday come from a small – if growing – element of Saudi society. Saad, a 24-year-old engineer who recently returned from government-sponsored studies in the US, said that Saudis should “get over” the issue. “There are much more important issues here than women driving. We need to be more broad-minded,” he said. But many others disagree. Abdullah al-Otaiba, who trades camels on the outskirts of Riyadh, said that women driving was a “bad idea”. “You have your ways of doing things in the west and that’s fine for you. We are conservative people. We are not democratic. We have another religion and women should not go alone,” he said. There is room for compromise – the most likely outcome, experts says. Some younger clerics would accept women being allowed to drive in case of emergency. The women, most of whom learned to drive overseas, say their campaign will continue until a royal decree is issued allowing them to drive “without any conditions”. “It’s our right. We have to have it. We will continue until we can decide ourselves,” said Maha al-Qahtani. “I’m really excited,” said Eman Nafjan, 32, who drove round her Riyadh neighbourhood for 15 minutes . “We need to do it again.” Saudi Arabia Women Middle East Islam Religion Gender Arab and Middle East unrest Jason Burke guardian.co.uk
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Spending his savings on renting an advertising hoarding has proved a winning gamble for an unemployed Irishman “Jobless Paddy”, the unemployed Irishman who spent his life savings on an advertising hoarding pleading with bosses to save him from emigration , has been rescued by another Paddy. Irish betting giant Paddy Power has given a job to Féilim Mac An Iomaire, who has shot to fame in the past few weeks after using €2,000 (£1,770) to rent a billboard site asking for help. The Galway man displayed the ad on Dublin’s busy Merrion Road stating that he did not want to emigrate to look for work. The response was unprecedented, resulting in 20 interviews and several job offers. The 26-year-old said: “Working with Paddy and his team is something I could only have dreamt of before, but now I’m actually here, it’s real. The last month has been the most chaotic of my life, so now I’m really just looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting stuck into my new job.” Ken Robertson of the bookmaker chain said: “Feilim is a true rock star. I’m so happy he decided to come and work for Paddy Power. I have no doubt his energy, creativity and never-say-die attitude will be a massive plus to the brand.” Mac An Iomaire’s plight struck a chord in a nation that expects to lose 50,000 people to emigration this year, many of them young. His unusual personal sales pitch gained him fame around the world, with foreign news organisations reporting on his billboard site. Meanwhile, unemployment remains at more than 450,000, with thousands choosing to get out of the Republic in search of work, mainly in Britain, North American and Australia. Unemployment and employment statistics Financial crisis Unemployment Ireland European debt crisis Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk
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IMF rejection of proposals over Kabul Bank crisis, $820m bailout debts and suspension of aid leaves country in deepening crisis The Afghan government will struggle to pay its bills “within a month” after the International Monetary Fund rejected proposals for resolving the Kabul Bank scandal, western officials have warned. Although the war-torn country’s biggest bank nearly collapsed last September, the government of Hamid Karzai and the international community are still at loggerheads over plans to fund an $820m (£507m) bailout as well as how the disgraced former managers and shareholders who helped themselves to hundreds of millions of dollars should be prosecuted. As long as the IMF declares the plans to be inadequate, many countries, including Britain, are legally barred from pumping money into a government that is almost completely reliant on foreign cash to pay civil servants’ salaries. It was reported by Reuters that the IMF has now formally rejected the Afghan government’s proposals, meaning aid disbursements will remain on hold. The failure to reach a deal by a deadline of last Saturday also meant a $70m payment from the World Bank’s Afghan reconstruction trust fund was automatically withheld. Two senior western officials said the government will face a cash crisis in the coming weeks and could struggle to pay staff bills, although one predicted this would be avoided by cutting other spending priorities. Last month, Omar Zakhilwal, the country’s finance minister, told the Guardian that suspension of aid payments “has already had an effect on us, no doubt about it”. He insisted that the Afghan government had done “95% of what was asked of us” by the IMF, including effectively nationalising Kabul Bank, stripping the shareholders of their rights and putting all unrecovered loans into receivership. But although he claimed the remaining issues “were inconsequential to Kabul Bank” the IMF sees two aspects as vitally important. Firstly, an agreement that Afghan taxes, not foreign aid, will repay the $820m taken out of central bank reserves last year to prop up the bank. Second, they want serious criminal investigations against managers and shareholders, many of whom enjoy high level political support, who illegally borrowed huge sums of interest-free cash from the bank. Although the finance ministry has drawn up plans to increase its tax-raising efforts in order to pay off the bailout in annual instalments, horrified MPs have already rejected one budget request for $73m and is also likely to reject a supplemental budget due to be presented by Zakhilwal soon. “The IMF tells me, this is our demand, give me condition by this date the parliament must approve this line in the budget,” explained Zakhilwal. “I am a minister, can I chose the parliament timeline? On these issues the international community totally disregards the legal processes of Afghanistan.” Many MPs argue that the money should be found by simply selling off the assets illegally bought by shareholders and managers, including a gas distribution company, an airline and luxury villas in Dubai. Although a $10m forensic audit by Kroll may help identify many deliberately hidden assets, most western experts doubt more than half of the outstanding $910m will be recovered. So far just $61m has been retrieved. Zakhilwal also argued that prosecutions could only be handled by the attorney general and warned that the complicated inquiry cannot be rushed. “The attorney general can arrest people, but after 15 days with not case they have to be acquitted – that would be even more embarrassing for us,” Zakhilwal said. Although the finance minister insisted the attorney general was “absolutely committed” to a thorough investigation, the international community is sceptical, not least after Afghanistan’s top law officer threw out a case last year against one of Karzai’s key aides who had been wire-tapped soliciting a bribe. One alternative plan is for a special court of handpicked judges deemed to be reasonably honest and well-versed in finance to hear the case. Credible prosecutions are vital, not just to appease public anger, but also because many of Kabul Bank’s assets are in Dubai. Under United Arab Emirates law it is impossible to seize properties until criminal investigations have begun. Not only does Afghanistan face a cash crunch, the showdown with the IMF also threatens to derail plans, pushed hard by Hamid Karzai, for a far greater proportion of international aid to be spent through official channels, rather than on projects outside the control of the government. A key element of the “transition” strategy by which the foreign intervention in Afghanistan will be greatly reduced by the end of 2014, the international community last year agreed that 50% of spending will go through the government by 2012. But it is now feared that if the Afghan government continues to be considered unworthy of international investment by the IMF the country will have to return to patchwork of bilateral funding agreements. Afghanistan Hamid Karzai Debt relief IMF Jon Boone guardian.co.uk
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enlarge The next time some finger-waver at the Washington Post op-ed page calls for austerity, someone should point him to, you know, reality. Because reality right now is telling us that austerity is not only painful but wholly counterproductive. Here’s an excellent report from the Wall Street Journal on the wide social unrest that austerity has caused in Greece: Greece shook global markets, intensifying fears of a default, as tens of thousands of demonstrators protested a new round of budget-cutting plans and its prime minister offered to step down to try to preserve them. Protests across the capital sometimes turned violent as Prime Minister George Papandreou sought an agreement with opposition parties on austerity measures demanded as the price of a new bailout by euro-zone nations and the International Monetary Fund. The report also notes that austerity has actually exacerbated the sovereign debt crisis and hasn’t made bond holders any more willing to buy Greek bonds at lower interest rates: Yields on Greek government bonds leapt to new highs, with two-year paper yielding 29%. Bond yields on other troubled euro-zone economies like Portugal and Ireland also moved higher, and stock markets in the U.S. and Europe sank as fears of contagion picked up. The euro plunged 1.9% against the dollar. Needless to say, it’s not only the wacky anarchist college kids who are pissed off about all this. Mama and Papa Greece are none too pleased either: John Petru, 41 years old, said he had come to block parliamentarians from arriving to debate the budget cuts. “We do not trust them,” he said of the politicians. The recession has eaten badly into his cleaning-service business. “Business is down, and prices are up, and we are not sure about anything,” he said. Greeks have already suffered multiple rounds of budget cuts since last year, but they have failed to build confidence in the economy. The budget deficit has turned out to be wider than projected then, with the government failing to cut spending or raise revenues as much as promised. But the biggest gap in its finances has opened up because private investors have refused to buy new Greek government bonds at interest rates the government can afford. Many protesters said they had gone along with previous budget cuts and wage reductions on the belief that those sacrifices would be enough to right Greece’s fortunes. “They have asked us to reduce our wages, to live another standard of life,” said Angeliki Kachrimani, a 42-year-old worker for Greece’s postal service. She accepted a 15% wage cut; her husband, a history teacher, is unemployed. And look, this is all pretty simple to understand: Greece is in this mess right now both because its government lied for years about its budget deficits (with an assist from everyone’s favorite investment bank Goldman Sachs ) and because its monetary policy options are limited by the European Central Bank. In other words, investors know Greece can’t print its own money and thus will never be able to pay them back. The problem is exacerbated by the austerity measures that result in cuts to government jobs, cuts to wages and a drop in overall demand. These things aren’t exactly making investors feel good about Greece’s future economic prospects either. “Why should I give a damn about this?” you ask. Well, it’s pretty obvious that America’s own austerity backers, led by Paul Ryan, have similar plans for us as well. And it would behoove us to point to the examples of Greece and Ireland and the U.K. and shout at the top of our lungs, “AUSTERITY DOESN’T WORK, YOU TOOLS!!!!!” Because frankly, I’m not looking forward to widespread social unrest. God forbid the streets of America come to resemble third-world hellhole streets like those of Vancouver .
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In a seven-part series, Guardian and Observer critics chart the history of modern music, tackling a different genre each day and picking 50 key moments. Use this interactive guide to travel through time and see their selections Garry Blight
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After driest spring for a century, Wales, the south-west and Midlands escape drought status, although restrictions remain in some areas The wettest week since winter has washed away the drought in some parts of the country, but restrictions remain in force, with Anglia still suffering. More rain fell in England and Wales in the last week than at any time since the start of February, alleviating the drought that has affected areas across the middle of the country. Most of the rainfall came in south Wales and the south-west of England, two of the areas worst hit by the dry spell. But central and eastern England have still had less than half their average rainfall for the time of year, and Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, parts of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire and western Norfolk remain in official drought status. Trevor Bishop, head of water resources at the Environment Agency, said: “While the rainfall this week will not reverse the effects of the dry spring, it has provided welcome water for crops, gardens and rivers across areas affected by or at risk of drought.” Last week, the Environment Agency was ready to advocate raising Wales, the south-west and the Midlands to drought status. However, heavy rains came just ahead of the expected announcement last Friday, and have continued, which means these regions are now unlikely to be in imminent danger of drought. Experts warned the next few weeks would be crucial, however. Farmers have already been hit by the drought conditions, with the National Farmers’ Union suggesting that the average English wheat yield in 2011 could be down by 14% on 2010 to around 6.5 tonnes per hectare, which would rank among the lowest since the late 1980s. Ian Backhouse, combinable crops chairman at the NFU, said: “I believe this year’s forecast yield decrease was largely due to poor growing conditions since winter. Farmers are clearly concerned about the impact on the ground of this abnormally dry spring [and even] with the recent rainfall we fear the damage has already been done.” He said the barley crop would also be hit, particularly in terms of quality. A poor wheat harvest is likely to raise food prices, and poor barley could increase the price of beer, brewers have warned. Meat prices may also rise as livestock farmers struggle with feedstock. Farmers and some other businesses are still banned from taking water from rivers or underground sources in many areas of the country, though higher river flows have meant some have had restrictions lifted. Rivers whose flow is below average for the time of year include the Dove and Derwent in central England, Tone and Frome in the south west and the Coln in the Thames Valley. Across much of the country, the soils are “exceptionally dry” after England’s driest spring in a century, according to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. This means it will take much longer than usual for the land to recover, even if strong rainfall continues. Scotland, meanwhile, had its wettest spring on record. Bishop warned that the situation could yet turn worse. “Without further sustained rainfall, river flows will drop again, which could harm wildlife and increase the impact of pollution incidents. Our teams remain on alert to respond to the environmental impacts of the drought,” he said. Drought Water Weather Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk
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Five-year jail sentence and unlimited fines for football fans singing bigoted songs to be law by next season Alex Salmond has been accused by church and legal figures of rushing through legislation to combat religious bigotry, including new offences such as using social media to spread sectarian hatred. The Scottish government has unveiled a bill that introduces a five-year maximum jail sentence and unlimited fines for football fans who sing bigoted songs on the terraces, or for anyone who uses the internet to incite religious hatred or sends threats such as live bullets by post. Salmond, the first minister, is determined to circumvent Holyrood’s lengthy scrutiny of legislation to turn the offensive behaviour at football and threatening communications (Scotland) bill into law for the beginning of the football season in late July. However, the Law Society of Scotland and the Church of Scotland, the largest protestant church in Scotland, warned that the powers were being unnecessarily rushed and risked being so badly framed they could be open to legal challenge. Their anxieties were shared by Labour and the Liberal Democrats, and the SNP convenor of Holyrood’s justice committee, Christine Grahame. They urged Salmond’s majority government to consider adding a “sunset clause” or review mechanism.to ensure Holyrood could re-examine the legislation after its introduction. Roseanna Cunningham, the community safety minister, said the push was needed because of the violence, bigotry and disorder both on and off the field that marred several Scottish Premier League matches last season, particularly those involving Celtic. The controversy escalated after parcel bombs were sent to Celtic’s manager, Neil Lennon, Paul McBride QC, his lawyer, an Irish republican group and Trish Godman, a prominent Labour MSP in March and April. Two men from north Ayrshire face prosecution for sending the devices. Both Lennon and Scotland’s Catholic leader, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, have been sent live bullets, allegedly by loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. Cunningham said the events demanded immediate action. “There is no pot of fairy dust – I cannot sprinkle Scotland and have it change overnight, much as I would wish that to be the case,” she said. “But what we do have, as a society, to do is to address it, stop tolerating it – I think that has been one of the problems in Scotland. It shames us and it shames us in the eyes of the world and we have begun to see that and understand that and and it is time we really began to tackle it.” The powers would give police and prosecutors greater flexibility to combat sectarianism, she said. Current definitions of breach of the peace were now so narrow they could exclude bigotry chants at football matches. The Right Rev David Arnott, the moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland, the ruling body, warned Cunningham earlier this week that the church was “nervous” about the very limited amount of parliamentary and legal scrutiny. Arnott said sectarianism was a wider social and cultural problem that needed much more wide-ranging and sophisticated action. “The speed at which [the bill] is being rushed through means it appears to lack scrutiny and clarity. The government is rightly asking for support from across civic Scotland, but is not giving civic Scotland much time to make sure they are happy with the content,” he said. Cameron Ritchie, president of the Law Society of Scotland, said the urgency breached an agreement supported by all parties in 2004 that new legislation had to be properly scrutinised. “If this legislation is passed it should be subject to early post-legislative review to ensure that it is working effectively,” he said. Bill McVicar, convener of the society’s criminal law committee said: “Without this consultation there is the risk that the legislation … does not meet its objective or is inconsistent with existing law, making it unworkable. It could also result in legislation that is open to successful challenge.” James Kelly, Labour’s justice spokesman, said: “If we rush this legislation through at breakneck speed without proper scrutiny, there is a real danger that we will get something wrong.” The bill increases the maximum jail term for sectarian offences likely to undermine public order at or around football matches from six months to five years, and introduces broader definitions of sectarian breaches of the peace. Those powers will include pubs and clubs, alongside new offences of using the internet and the postal system to spread religious hatred or issue explicit or implied death threats using any communications system, including sending bullets through the post. The government added that the bill contained protections for legitimate artistic performance and would not stop peaceful preaching or “proselytising”, or restrict freedom of speech or criminalise jokes and satire about religious belief. Catholics in particular are targeted in Scotland by minority hardline protestant groups. Scotland Religion Alex Salmond Neil Lennon Celtic Scottish politics Scottish Premier League Severin Carrell guardian.co.uk
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Foreign minister says past deals such as the Oslo accord will be threatened by efforts towards UN recognition of Palestinian state Israel will renounce past agreements made with the Palestinians if they press ahead with unilateral plans to seek recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN, foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman has said. “A move like that will be a violation of all the agreements that were signed until today,” Lieberman told the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, in Jerusalem. “Israel will no longer be committed to the agreements signed with the Palestinians in the past 18 years.” The principal agreement referred to is the Oslo accords, signed in September 1993, under which the Palestinian Authority (PA) was created with responsibility for administering parts of the West Bank and Gaza. Lieberman’s comments further raise the stakes in the run up to the UN general assembly in September, at which a majority of the 192 countries are expected to back a Palestinian state. Israel and the US are fiercely opposed to such a move and pressure is being applied to the Palestinians to abandon their approach. Ashton is visiting Jerusalem and the West Bank in an attempt to break the impasse in negotiations between the two sides. Talks collapsed last September after Israel refused to extend a temporary and partial freeze on settlement construction. In May Barack Obama publicly backed the creation of a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with agreed land swaps, as an outcome of talks. The US president’s move angered the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who wants to retain the large settlement blocks in the West Bank. Obama’s speech was intended to hold out the prospect of a negotiated alternative to the Palestinians’ unilateral plan. The Israelis say they are ready to resume negotiations on the basis of the Palestinians recognising Israel as a Jewish state. The Palestinians reject this on the grounds it pre-empts talks on the right of return of Palestinian refugees. Lieberman, a hawkish member of the Israeli coalition government, said on Friday: “In light of [PA President Mahmoud] Abbas’s current stance, the chances for negotiations are zero … Israel is prepared to renew negotiations. The ball is in the Palestinians’ court.” Israel has launched a global campaign through its embassies against the Palestinian move to garner support for its state ahead of the UN meeting. It is particularly worried about the position of European countries. David Cameron indicated to Netanyahu in London last month that Britain might back a Palestinian state if there was no substantial progress in negotiations. Germany and Italy have said they will oppose the Palestinians’ move. France’s position is thought to be similar to the UK’s although it is trying to broker a peace conference as an alternative. The US is expected to vote against the Palestinian move, and to use its veto in the UN security council over a Palestinian application for membership of the UN. It is applying pressure on Abbas and his officials to rethink their strategy. However, Palestinian negotiator Muhammad Shtayeh told journalists on Thursday that the Palestinian Authority would press ahead with seeking recognition and membership of the UN regardless of whether talk resume. “We are by all means going to the United Nations, whether there are negotiations or no negotiations,” he said. “We think that is not either/or. We think that going to the United Nations and negotiations can go hand in hand and they are complementary to each other.” Both the Palestinians and the Israelis were focusing on the stance of European countries, he said. “For us and the Israelis the battle is over Europe because the issue is not how many states, the issue is also quality states, with all respect to everybody,” he said. A spokesman for Ashton said: “It is more urgent than ever to engage in meaningful negotiations and move the peace process forward … What is needed is a clear reference framework to allow both sides to return to the negotiating table.” Ashton had called for a new meeting of the Middle East quartet, comprising the EU, US, Russia and the UN, to discuss the issues, he added. If the Palestinian Authority was dismantled Israel would be obliged under international law to assume full responsibility for the administration of all the territory it has occupied since 1967. Meanwhile the Turkish humanitarian organisation IHH has announced it is pulling out of the flotilla of ships taking aid to Gaza later this month after the Turkish authorities refused to give permission for the Mavi Marmara to sail. Nine Turkish activists were killed on board the Mavi Marmara a year ago when Israeli commandos stormed on board in an attempt to prevent it breaching Israel’s sea embargo around Gaza. Other organisations participating in this year’s flotilla have said they will go ahead without the IHH. A senior Israeli military official has said the navy will stop the flotilla, using force if necessary. Israel Palestinian territories United Nations Middle East Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk
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Executive director held by Greenland police for defying court injunction forbidding group from coming near the rig The head of Greenpeace International was on Friday being held by police in a Greenland cell after boarding a giant oil rig in defiance of a court injunction . Kumi Naidoo, a South African national, faces prison and the pressure group he leads stands to be fined $50,000 by a Dutch court. In dramatic scenes 120km off the west coast of Greenland, Naidoo and another activist boarded the 52,000 tonne Leiv Eiriksson semi-submersible rig, chartered by Scottish oil company Cairn Energy, around 6.45am on Friday. They climbed 80 feet up one of the rig’s legs despite the crew using water cannons to repel them. Morten Neilsen, Greenland’s deputy chief of police, said the two activists were arrested after several hours on a walkway and would be charged with trespass and were likely to be expelled from Greenland by the immigration service. Speaking to the Guardian from the rig before his arrest , Naidoo said he was calling on Cairn to halt drilling for oil and would request a copy of the rig’s spill response plan. The document, which has not been made public, has been at the centre of a month-long campaign of direct action by the environment group in Arctic and Turkish waters. Naidoo said: “For me this is one of the defining environmental battles of our age, it’s a fight for sanity against the madness of a mindset that sees the melting of the Arctic sea ice as a good thing. As the ice retreats the oil companies want to send the rigs in and drill for the fossil fuels that got us into this mess in the first place. We have to stop them. It goes right to the heart of the kind of world we want and the one which we want to pass onto our children.” Greenpeace said it had been served another writ by Cairn on Friday, requesting the Dutch courts to increase the possible fine for breaching the injunction to €500,000 a day. But a spokesman for Cairn said: “We are simply taking appropriate steps in the Dutch courts to enforce the terms of the court order obtained [earlier] against Greenpeace.” The injunction served by a Dutch court forbade the organisation from going within 500m of the rig. It was issued after 20 activists were arrested in the last month for trying to stop the rig from operating. “The Greenland Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum (BMP) has established some of the most stringent operating regulations anywhere globally, which mirror those applied in the Norwegian North Sea,” the company added in a statement. The bureau says on its website : “The ‘BMP emergency management programme, hydrocarbon activities, Greenland’ is a confidential document in order to protect personnel, telephone numbers, emergency storage buildings etc.” Naidoo, 45, was a youth leader in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, where he was arrested several times and charged with violating provisions against mass mobilisation, civil disobedience and for violating the state of emergency. He lived underground before being forced to flee South Africa and live in exile in the UK. When as appointed executive director of Greenpeace International in 2009, he said: “History teaches us that real change only comes when good men and women are prepared to put their lives and personal safety on the line to advance the cause of justice, equity and peace.” The Norwegian foreign minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, recently entered the debate about exploration for oil in the Arctic, telling the Guardian: “There is no reason why the world can tell Greenland there is oil and gas everywhere in the world that can be explored but that Greenland cannot.” He added: “This is a matter for Denmark and Greenland and I take it they have solid standards for [drilling] operations.” Asked about the direct actions taken by Greenpeace against Cairn Energy’s activities off Greenland, he said he did not “want to venture into a criminal case”. Norway, the second biggest gas exporter and seventh biggest oil exporter in the world, has allowed the drilling of 80 wells in the Arctic, in the Barents sea. Støre said the proposed drilling of Greenland was at the same latitude as the main Norwegian oil and gas fields, in operation for decades, and was far further south than the Barents Sea. In a recent round of awards of oil and gas exploration blocks off Norway, half were awarded against the advice of Norway’s Institute of Marine Research, which was concerned about the impact on cold water coral reefs and fish spawning areas. Ole Anders Lindseth, director general of Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, said other bodies had supported the awards. “Is it the majority that says yes that you listen to, or the minority that says no?” he asked. Kumi Naidoo Greenpeace Activism Oil Energy Fossil fuels Oil spills Oil Greenland Polar regions Arctic Cairn Energy John Vidal Damian Carrington Adam Vaughan guardian.co.uk
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