organization:foreign ministry

Ben oui,

Russia Bans 18 Americans After Similar US Move - NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/04/13/world/europe/ap-eu-russia-us-sanctions.html?smid=tw-nytimesglobal

The list released by the Foreign Ministry includes John Yoo, a former U.S. Justice Department official who wrote legal memos authorizing harsh interrogation techniques; David Addington, the chief of staff for former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney; and two former commanders of the Guantanamo Bay detention center: retired Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller and Adm. Jeffrey Harbeson.

IDF complains over Bar Refaeli’s involvement in Israeli hasbara campaign -

Haaretz

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-complains-over-bar-refaeli-s-involvement-in-israeli-hasbara-campaign.pr

The Israeli Defense Forces criticized a public relations campaign launched by the Foreign Ministry to boost Israel’s image around the world because it starred Israeli model Bar Refaeli, Channel 2 news reported Sunday.

The report stated that the IDF spokesman sent an official letter to the Foreign Ministry arguing that by using Refaeli, who didn’t complete her military service, the Foreign Ministry was sending a “message of forgiveness and turns a blind eye towards people that chose to enlist.”

“In recent years, the IDF has been trying a verity of methods to improve the value of military service and to fight draft evasion, in order to preserve the moral dimension whereby the IDF is the people’s army,” Channel two quoted the letter.

Finnish female ministers cover up for Saudi Arabia missions | Yle Uutiset | yle.fi
http://yle.fi/uutiset/finnish_female_ministers_cover_up_for_saudi_arabia_missions/6530839

The Finnish government has acquired loose black robes, or abayas, for ministers and female officials to wear during visits to Saudi Arabia. The garb was purportedly purchased to foster good relationships and show respect for Saudi culture.

’Joint Israel-West Bank’ reality is an apartheid state | The Times of Israel
http://www.timesofisrael.com/joint-israel-west-bank-reality-is-an-apartheid-state

Commentaires de Alon Liel, ancien officiel israélien (former Foreign Ministry director-general and ex-ambassador to South Africa), sur la prochaine visite de Obama en Israël.

“If you, President Obama, intend to come here for a courtesy visit — don’t come. Don’t come! We don’t need you here for a courtesy visit,” Liel said. “You cannot come to an area that exhibits signs of apartheid and ignore them. That would simply be an unethical visit. You yourself know full well that Israel is standing at the apartheid cliff. If you don’t deal with this topic during your visit, the responsibility will at the end of the process also lie with you.”

Une critique de la chaine Al-Jazeera et de son évolution, alors qu’elle va désormais être diffusée aux Etats-Unis

Al Jazeera Criticized for Lack of Independence after Arab Spring - SPIEGEL ONLINE

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/al-jazeera-criticized-for-lack-of-independence-after-arab-spring-a-883343.ht

A prominent correspondent who, until one year ago, used to report in Beirut for the network, says: “Al-Jazeera takes a clear position in every country from which it reports — not based on journalistic priorities, but rather on the interests of the Foreign Ministry of Qatar,” he says. “In order to maintain my integrity as a reporter, I had to quit.”

Critics say that the emir now essentially trusts only his own people: The network’s director general is now a relative of the emir, as is the head of the advisory board. They are seemingly required to follow political guidelines laid down by the palace — instead of serving the interests of viewers. Thanks to its oil wealth, Qatar is blessed with the world’s second highest per capita income, and it’s a key geo-political player with a clear agenda.

Les dossiers bahreiniens et syriens lies pour la première fois explicitement. Reste a voir la reaction des autorites bahreiniennes, farouchement opposées à toute médiation étrangère (même golfienne) depuis le début de la crise.

Russia promised to mediate between Bahrain’s ruling Sunni Muslim royal family and the majority Shiite opposition in talks aimed at ending two years of unrest in the Gulf country neighboring Saudi Arabia.

“Russia will continue to hold contacts with the kingdom’s leaders as well as representatives of opposition groups, in firm support of efforts to resolve internal problems through a national consensus in the interests of all Bahrainis,” the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said in an e-mailed statement today.

“We are certain that it’s possible, with enough political will, to ease the tensions and resolve the causes of the conflict in Bahrain as well as in other countries in the region,” the Russian foreign ministry said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-12/russia-to-mediate-in-bahrain-talks-aimed-at-ending-unrest.html

Ah, voilà pourquoi j’ai trouvé sur la page d’accueil du site en hébreu du ministère des Affaires étrangères israélien un appel à candidatures pour une formation d’"officier diplomate" ??????
Report : Israel abandoning diplomacy - Israel News, Ynetnews
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4344416,00.html

Sur l’effort israélien de propagande à destination de l’Europe, je viens de retrouver l’article d’origine (28 novembre 2010) : Lieberman urges Europe embassies to use ’allies’ in PR efforts
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/lieberman-urges-europe-embassies-to-use-allies-in-pr-efforts-1.327261

The Foreign Ministry team will produce three types of materials: political messages, in which Israel’s positions on the peace process, the settlements, etc. will be encapsulated; “branding” messages which will position Israel in specific areas of activity, such as technology, economy, tourism, etc.; and messages about problematic developments in the Middle East which are not directly related to Israel, such as human rights in Iran or Syria, Hezbollah’s take over in Lebanon, etc.

Ministry ’chronicles’ Dome of the Rock’s history - Israel News, Ynetnews
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4339052,00.html

The Foreign Ministry created an elaborate video titled The Truth about Jerusalem, in which Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon presents Israel’s capital as a diverse and pluralistic city. The result, however, seemed potentially problematic to the ministry – as it featured a segment in which an animated Dome of the Rock was essentially disintegrating – and the video was reedited.

YNet se prête à une des très habituelles petites saloperies de la communication israélienne : Israël impose un système illégitime et corrompu aux Palestiniens (de toute façon, Israël enlève, emprisonne ou zigouille tous les dirigeants palestiniens qui ne seraient pas illégitimes ou corrompus) et lorsque le besoin s’en fait sentir, justement les Israéliens dénoncent le système palestinien comme… illégitime et corrompu.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4305124,00.html

According to the paper, Abbas earns $1 million a month. US President Barack Obama’s annual salary, in comparison, stands at $400,000. The paper also quoted data published by the Inlight Press website according to which Abbas holds several Jordanian accounts of more than $500 million, mostly Palestinian tax payer money.
 
“The accounts are not under any national or international scrutiny,” the paper said. “Recently, Abbas urged Moscow to supply him with a new advanced presidential jet worth $55 million despite the fact that he has a new Global Express speed jet bought for $53 million at his disposal. In addition he also uses a 504 Challenger jet.”

Israël demande aux États-Unis d’« intervenir » dans la rédaction de la nouvelle constitution tunisienne pour en faire supprimer l’article qui prévoit d’interdire la normalisation. #wag_the_dog

Signalé par Angry Arab, derrière le paywall de Haaretz :
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israeli-foreign-ministry-u-s-ignored-arab-radicalization.premium-1.465210

L’article est reproduit par exemple sur ce site grave :
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.fr/2012/09/israeli-foreign-ministry-us-buried-its.html

A similar pattern emerged as to Israeli efforts to prevent a clause being added to the new Tunisian constitution outlawing normalization or contacts with Israel. The Foreign Ministry asked the United States to intervene, but was not satisfied by the response. “They told us, ‘Don’t worry, it’s going to be all right, the clause will be left out,’ but the clause is still in there,” the official said.

Bassil asks Cabinet to retain original maritime EEZ
http://dailystar.com.lb/Business/Lebanon/2012/Sep-01/186319-bassil-asks-cabinet-to-retain-original-maritime-eez.ashx#axzz25
Curieux cet article où l’on apprend que le ministère des Affaires étrangères libanais (un proche de Berry, si je ne me trompe) plaiderait pour une définition de la frontière maritime qui représenterait une concession à Israël, alors que Bassil pousse pour une position dure (au moins en attendant un éventuel arbitrage). Qu’en penses le Hezbollah ?....

Par ailleurs, la liste des membres pressentis pour le futur conseil de supervision de l’exploitation des hydrocarbures laisse présager le pire. Bahij Abou Hamza est un proche de Walid Jounblatt et son nom revient très fréquemment quand on parle de la mafia des importateurs de carburants au Liban.

Candidates circulating in the media include: Baheej Abu Hamza, current head of the Oil Importers Association and owner of Cogico; Nasser Hoteit, a senior engineer at Total oil company; Wissam Shbat, an adviser at the Energy Ministry; and Wissam Zahabi, an energy adviser at the presidency of the Council of Ministers

#Liban
#oil
#natural_gas
#pétrole
#gaz_naturel
#frontière_maritime
#ZEEE

Why Anonymous hacks UK government sites?: Voice of Russia
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_22/Why-Anonymous-hacks-UK-government-sites

The famous hacking collective @Anonymous has admitted that it has successfully hacked several British government websites, including that of the Foreign Ministry and the Justice Ministry. According to the group’s blog on Twitter, the attack was carried out in retaliation for Britain’s handling of @WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

http://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2012/07/23/la-syrie-n-utilisera-ses-armes-chimiques-qu-en-cas-d-agression-des-occidenta

Pour la première fois, le régime syrien a reconnu publiquement posséder des armes chimiques, tout en assurant qu’il ne les utiliserait qu’en cas d’"agression étrangère". Le porte-parole du ministère des affaires étrangères, Jihad Makdessi, a déclaré, lundi 23 juillet : « Aucune arme chimique ou non conventionnelle ne sera utilisée contre nos propres citoyens (...), ces armes ne seront utilisées qu’en cas d’agression étrangère ».

Ça monte d’un cran, on dirait, non ?

zaidbenjamin
#BREAKING: French ambassador In #Damascus is declared “persons non grata” - Jihad Makdissi, Foreign Ministry Spokesman

zaidbenjamin
#BREAKING: French second highest diplomate in #Damascus is declared “persons non grata” - Jihad Makdissi, Foreign Ministry Spokesman

zaidbenjamin
#BREAKING : Italian ambassador In #Damascus is declared « persons non grata » - Jihad Makdissi, Foreign Ministry Spokesman

zaidbenjamin
عاجل : اعتبار السفير الايطالي في سوريا شخصا غير مرغوب به - وزارة الخارجية السورية #Syria #Assad #Italy #Rome

zaidbenjamin
#BREAKING : #Bulgaria's Chargé d’affaires in #Damascus is declared « persons non grata » - Jihad Makdissi, Foreign Ministry Spokesman

zaidbenjamin
#BREAKING : #Bulgaria's Chargé d’affaires in #Damascus is declared « persons non grata » - Jihad Makdissi, Foreign Ministry Spokesman

Netanyahu orders swift deportation of 25,000 illegal African migrants - Haaretz

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-orders-swift-deportation-of-25-000-illegal-african-migrants-1.434

By Barak Ravid | Jun.04, 2012

Orders acceleration of holding facility construction for citizens of Eritrea and Sudan who cannot be deported due to conditions in their home countries.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his ministers to accelerate efforts to deport citizens of South Sudan, the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Ethiopia who are living in Israel illegally on Sunday.

On ne va pas se gêner: U.S. pressing UN Human Rights Commissioner to put off West Bank settlements probe
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/u-s-pressing-un-human-rights-commissioner-to-put-off-west-bank-settlements-

The Obama administration is trying to delay the establishment of a panel appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

U.S. Middle East envoy David Hale met in Bern last week with UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay and asked her not to advance the matter in the near future.

Israeli official: 40% of names on Shin Bet fly-in blacklist were not activists - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israeli-official-40-of-names-on-shin-bet-fly-in-blacklist-were-not-activist

Security service had no evidence that 470 of the 1,200 people whom Israel labeled as ’pro-Palestinian activists’ intended to do anything illegal, source says; French diplomat and his wife among those whose tickets to Israel were canceled.

#parano

Ah, ça y est, Haaretz (et, à sa suite, la blogosphère) vient de découvrir le rapport parlementaire français qui parle d’apartheid en Palestine. Une bonne grosse campagne de comm à la con va donc commencer.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/french-parliament-report-accuses-israel-of-water-apartheid-in-west-bank-1.4

The Israeli Embassy in Paris had no foreknowledge of the report and thus did not refute it or work to moderate it. Foreign Ministry officials called the incident “a serious diplomatic mishap.”

The report said that water has become “a weapon serving the new apartheid” and gave examples and statistics that ostensibly back this claim.

Glavany, ce vicieux :

The report, he continued, “was loaded with the language of vicious propaganda, far removed from any professional criticism with which one could argue intelligently.” Moreover, the report’s author omitted numerous facts and acted “with blatant tendentiousness.”

“After embassy staffers pointed out the exceptional seriousness of the wording ... all the working group members disassociated themselves from [the report], including the chairman, who sent an official letter to the ambassador renouncing responsibility for the report’s anti-Israel expressions,” Palmor added.

Ce qu’il y a de plus drôle (ou choquant, comme tu veux) dans cet article, c’est que le plus gros regret des israéliens, ici, c’est de ne pas avoir pu prendre connaissance du contenu du rapport parlementaire français à l’avance pour pouvoir en faire changer le contenu. Ah bon ? Parce qu’ils peuvent faire ça, d’habitude ? Et même chez Haaretz, ils trouveraient ça normal ? #wag_the_dog

Israeli intellectuals back Palestinian statehood in Tel Aviv rally - Haaretz (via @angryarab)
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-intellectuals-back-palestinian-statehood-in-tel-aviv-rally-1.386215

Speaking at the rally, Daniel Cohen Bendit urged social protest leaders to aid the Palestinian cause, saying: “I spoke with the leaders of the social protest leaders and they are wary to bind the two struggles. But there can be no solution to Israel’s social problems without ending the occupation.”

Mikati unilaterally decides Lebanon will pay into STL funds (#tsl)
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2011/Sep-13/148612-mikati-unilaterally-decides-lebanon-will-pay-into-stl-funds.ash

Prime Minister Najib Mikati has come to the decision that Lebanon will pay its share of funds to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon without referring to the Cabinet, ministerial sources told The Daily Star.

The sources said that the Prime Minister’s Office could either transfer the funds to the Foreign Ministry or the Justice Ministry, which in turn would pay the $32 million owed this month.

According to the sources, Mikati made up his mind after his return from Paris and in light of what he heard from European and U.S. officials regarding the repercussions of a failure to implement U.N. resolutions related to the STL.