The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Egypt constitution finalised as Oppn cries foul

Cairo, November 30
An Islamist-led assembly raced through approval of a new constitution for Egypt today to end a crisis over President Mohamed Mursi's newly expanded powers, but opponents responded with another rally in Cairo against the Islamist leader.

"The people want to bring down the regime," they chanted in Tahrir Square, where hundreds had gathered, echoing the chants that rang out in the same place less than two years ago and brought down Hosni Mubarak.

Mursi said the decree halting court challenges to his decisions, which sparked eight days of protests and violence by Egyptians calling him a new dictator, was "for an exceptional stage", aimed at speeding up the democratic transition.

"It will end as soon as the people vote on a constitution," he told state television while the constituent assembly was still voting on the draft, which the Islamists say reflects Egypt's new freedoms. "There is no place for dictatorship."

The opposition cried foul. Liberals, leftists, Christians, more moderate Muslims and others had withdrawn from the assembly, saying their voices were not being heard.

They have called for big rallies across the country on Friday after tens of thousands protested against Mursi's decree on Tuesday. Demonstrations tend to gather pace later in the day.

Protesters said they would push for a 'no' vote in a referendum, which could happen as early as mid-December. If approved, it would immediately cancel the president's decree.

"We fundamentally reject the referendum and constituent assembly because the assembly does not represent all sections of society," said Sayed el-Erian, 43, a protester in Cairo's Tahrir Square. He is a member of the liberal Dostour (Constitution) Party, set up by prominent opposition figure Mohamed El Baradei.

"Leave, leave," some chanted, another anti-Mubarak slogan. The plebiscite on the constitution is a gamble based on the Islamists' belief they can mobilise voters again after winning all the elections since Mubarak was overthrown in February 2011.

But it will need the cooperation of judges to oversee the vote, though many were angered by Mursi's decree that they said undermined the judiciary. Some judges have gone on strike. The assembly concluded the vote after a 19-hour session, approving all 234 articles, including presidential powers, the status of Islam, the military's role and the extent to which human rights will be respected in the post-Hosni Mubarak era.

The final draft contains historic changes to Egypt's system of government. It limits to eight years the amount of time a president can serve, for example. Mubarak was in power for three decades. It also introduces a degree of oversight over the military establishment - though not enough for critics.

Mursi is expected to ratify the document by Saturday, allowing a referendum to be held as soon as mid-December.

"We have finished working on Egypt's constitution," said Hossam el-Gheriyani, head of the assembly, in a live broadcast of the session. "We will call the president today (Friday) at a reasonable hour to inform him that the assembly has finished its task and the project of the constitution is completed," he said.

The vote was often interrupted by bickering between the mostly Islamist members and Gheriyani over the articles. Several articles were amended on the spot before they were voted on. — Reuters

Israel’s Sderot peaceful for now, but will ceasefire last?
Ashish Kumar Sen in Sderot (Israel)

A two-foot wide crater in a concrete wall, a smashed flower pot and jagged streaks on a metal gate as though someone tried to vandalise it with a sharp knife are all the evidence that remains of the rocket that struck a home in Sderot last week.

Located at a stone’s throw from the Gaza Strip, Sderot has borne the brunt of Palestinian rocket attacks over the past 11 years. Last week, as fighting between Hamas militants and Israel’s armed forces escalated to the brink of an all-out war, Sderot was in the eye of the storm.

At the town’s police station, Capt Kobi Harush shows off a collection of exploded rockets fired by the enemy. Among them are Russian-made Grad and Katyusha.

The good news is that today Sderot is peaceful as a consequence of a ceasefire brokered last week by Egypt between Hamas and Israel. The bad news is that no one here expects the ceasefire to last.

“Officially, we are in a ceasefire, but I don’t believe it,” said Capt Harush, who is in charge of security in Sderot.

As many as 87 rockets were fired on Sderot in the fighting this month, said Capt Harush. Israel’s “Iron Dome” missile defence system knocked out all but five.

On Wednesday, the Iron Dome missile battery was moved out of Sderot, leaving the town’s residents vulnerable to incoming rockets. This town of 24,000 people has paid a price for its proximity to Gaza. As many as 13 persons have been killed and 350 wounded by the more than 28,000 rockets fired in the past 11 years. But the biggest casualty here is invisible: sufferers of post-traumatic stress, many of them children. “Over 8,000 persons are in trauma, of that 3,500 are children,” said Capt Harush.

The local Sapir College offers courses in trauma care to cater to the urgent need of the local population.

From the bus stops that double up as bomb shelters to the indoor playgrounds, there is abundant evidence that the residents of Sderot live in a constant state of siege. Once the sirens go off warning residents of an incoming rocket, the townspeople have 15 seconds to get to safety.

Yossi Suissa runs the Sderot Indoor Playground. “A 12-year-old child and younger never has a real childhood in Sderot because their parents would never let them play outdoors,” said Suissa.

The indoor playground comes equipped with bomb shelters, one of which doubles up as a discotheque, the other a miniature football “field” complete with goalposts and a third decorated with colourful Disney characters. All the activities here are designed to give the children enough time to get to the shelters when the sirens go off. The height of the rock climbing wall, for example, has been restricted after calculating how much time it would take a child to get from its highest point to a shelter.

“My big dream is to have children from Sderot and Gaza play here together,” said Suissa. But it may be a while before hid dream turns into a reality.

The recent conflict has exacerbated already simmering tensions in the region.

Across the border, life in Gaza is not easy. The narrow strip along the Mediterranean Sea has one of the highest population densities in the world. Its residents compete for limited resources and fewer jobs. Some try to enter Israel in search of economic opportunities. They are promptly arrested, investigated and sent back as long as they do not have any record of terrorism.

In the conflict last week, Israel responded to the barrage of rockets fired from Gaza with a fierce air assault that killed more than 160 persons, including children. More than 850 persons were wounded. Israel put its own death toll at five.

Many countries, including India, condemned the Israeli response as a disproportionate use of force.

The declaration of the ceasefire sparked victory celebrations in Gaza.

“If you live in Gaza, you don’t have much choice other than to support Hamas,” said Capt Harush perched atop a dusty hill overlooking the Gaza Strip that the town’s residents have nicknamed “Kobi’s Mountain” after the captain.

In 2005, Israel removed all Jewish settlements from Gaza. Today, sand dunes mark the spot where the settlements once stood. In the West Bank, however, over 150 Jewish settlements continue to grow. The settlers, who are viewed by Palestinians and even some Israelis as an obstacle to peace, oppose the creation of a Palestinian state.

Palestine wins historic UN Assembly vote
Gets status of non-member observer state
India votes for resolution z US, Israel oppose bid

United Nations, November 30
Palestine overwhelmingly won a historic UN General Assembly vote which will upgrade its status to non-member observer state at the world body, a stinging diplomatic setback to the US and Israel that had strongly opposed the bid.

India was among the 138 nations in the 193-member body that voted in favour of the resolution, which accords Palestine recognition as observer state from its current entity status.

The US and Israel were among the nine countries that opposed the resolution, while 41 countries abstained. The Palestinians, led by their President Mahmoud Abbas, cheered exuberantly when the results of the voting were announced.

The delegation held up a Palestinian flag inside the General Assembly hall as members congratulated each other.

Speaking to reporters after the vote, Palestine's envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour said he hopes to soon see the Palestinian flag flying outside the UN building along with those of the other 193 nations once the opposition to their bid ended at the Security Council.

He said Palestine has always been ready to engage in negotiations to achieve lasting peace.

Addressing the General Assembly before the vote, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said his nation had come to the UN for the vote at a time when it was "still tending to its wounds" from the latest Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.

The vote came on the same day that the UN observed the annual International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinians.

Abbas said the UN now had a "moral and historic duty" to "salvage the chances for peace" and "issue a birth certificate of the reality of the State of Palestine" on an urgent basis.

The vote could enable Palestine to access bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which prosecutes people for genocide, war crimes and major human rights violations. Some nations like the UK have said Palestine could use access to the ICC to complain about Israel.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said "an important vote" has taken place in the General Assembly.

"Today's vote underscores the urgency of a resumption of meaningful negotiations. We must give new impetus to our collective efforts to ensure that an independent, sovereign, democratic, contiguous and viable State of Palestine lives side by side with a secure State of Israel," Ban said in his remarks after the votes were cast.

The US termed the resolution as "unfortunate and counterproductive" and said lasting peace between Israel and Palestine can only be achieved through direct negotiations and not by pressing a "green voting button here in this hall." — Reuters