Biblical countries, in the news.

[Shammu]

Iranian Parliament Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad 'Adel: No Place in Israel Will Be Safe. The Blood of Khomeini in Nasrallah's Veins

Following are excerpts from a speech given by Iranian Parliament Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad 'Adel, which aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN)

Gholam-Ali Haddad 'Adel: England and then America wished to have control over the Islamic world, to prevent Muslim unity, and to have control of the oil resources in the Middle East. Therefore, following World War II, they established an artificial, false, and fictitious state called Israel in this region.

They established a political party, and supported the Zionists, claiming this was support for the Jews of the world. They mobilized the racist Zionists, who are not accepted even by many Jews. They came to Palestine, and under the pretext of wrongs supposedly done to them in World War II, they carried out terrorism, conspiracies, massacres, and bloodshed in this region.

The indigenous Muslim people of Palestine and the Arabs of the region have been here for over 1,400 years, since the advent of Islam, and have their civilization and culture. They drove them out of the region with massacres. They turned them into refugees and tent dwellers. They turned them into homeless, dispersed in various countries. The Western governments supported them, exerted influence in the U.N., and created this fictitious state.

They lied, exaggerated, and fabricated events, in order to present their unjustified deeds as justified. This shows the depth of the animosity and rancor that America, England, and the supporters of Israel harbor towards the Muslims and the Islamic world.

[...]

America talks about democracy and the rule of the people, and claims that the vote of the people should be respected, but by means of the plundering Zionist regime, it wants to take revenge upon the Palestinian people for voting Hamas in the elections.

[...]

Today, the peoples have awakened. The Muslims have awakened and are facing you. As you have seen, they are facing you in Lebanon, and so far you have not dared to set foot on Lebanese soil.

[...]

Today, nobody in the Islamic countries is rolling out the red carpet for you. Today, the land of Palestine is painted red with your contemptible blood.

Crowd: Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Khamenei is the leader.

Gholam-Ali Haddad 'Adel: Today, the confrontation is not only within the borders of Lebanon. It is taking place deep within your land. Today, your flourishing cities in the north of Israel… of occupied Palestine are within the range of fire of the fighters and lion cubs of Hizbullah. Today, Haifa and Tiberias are within Hizbullah's range of fire. No place in Israel will be safe.

Crowd: Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Khamenei is the leader.

Death to those who oppose the rule of the jurisprudent.

Death to America.

Death to England...

Gholam-Ali Haddad 'Adel: Today is the day you will flee occupied Palestine. You must return to your homes.

Crowd: Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Khamenei is the leader.

Gholam-Ali Haddad 'Adel: Our slogan and the slogan of the Islamic world is: Everyone should return to his own home.

Crowd: Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Gholam-Ali Haddad 'Adel: The Palestinian refugees should return to the land of their forefathers, and you, who came to Palestine from other countries, should return to your homes too.

Today is the day of the liberation of Palestine, and the day of resistance. As said by Hassan Nasrallah, this courageous, vigilant, and informed religious scholar, the war has just begun.

[...]

We say to America, England, and the supporters of Israel in the West: You will not benefit from supporting Israel. You are earning the hostility of 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide, under the pretext of supporting a handful of Zionists, whom you brought and stuck, like a dagger, in the hearts of the Muslims in the Middle East.

Crowd: No more humiliation.

No more humiliation.

No more humiliation.

Gholam-Ali Haddad 'Adel: The Americans should know that as long as this festering growth remains in the body of the Islamic world, with their support, the Muslims will never, under any circumstances, cease to hate America and to oppose America.

Crowd: Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Gholam-Ali Haddad 'Adel: The Muslims throughout the world say: Stop your support for Israel, or else don't expect any kind of peace or reconciliation with the Islamic world.

Crowd: Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

[...]

Gholam-Ali Haddad 'Adel: To Hassan Nasrallah we say: Well done. This religious scholar roars like a lion, and the blood of Imam Khomeini rages in his veins.

Crowd: Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad 'Adel

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Israeli Army Registers Decrease of Number of Rockets Launched by Hizbollah

 21 July 2006 | 12:09 | FOCUS News Agency


Tel Aviv. The Israeli army registered a decrease of the number of rockets, launched by the radical Shiite group Hizbollah against the territory of Southern Israel, Reuters reported. According to statistics of the Israeli armed forces 50 rockets were launched at the territory of Israel on Thursday compared to 140 for the day before.

Israeli Army Registers Decrease of Number of Rockets Launched by Hizbollah

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Iran's FM calls on UN to stop Israeli atrocities in Lebanon
Tehran, July 22, IRNA

Iran-UN-Letter
Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki has called on the United Nations to play a more active role in putting an end to the Zionist regime's attacks on Lebanon, the Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Mottaki regretted that the UN Security Council has so far not taken any move to stop Israel's deliberate killing of defenseless Lebanese and Palestinian peoples and massive destruction of infrastructure in these two countries.

Mottaki called on Annan to do his utmost to stop the Zionist regime's attacks which have already claimed some 350 lives in Lebanon, mostly civilians.

"The international community, particularly Muslims, expect you to fulfill your legal responsibilities under the UN Charter and to use the powers of your office to end the Zionist regime's unjust attacks," continued the letter.

Iran's FM calls on UN to stop Israeli atrocities in Lebanon

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Israel symbolizes US hostility to Muslims
Tehran, July 18, IRNA

Iran-Hezbollah-Lebanon
Majlis Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel said here Tuesday that Israel is the symbol of US hostility towards the world of Islam.


Haddad-Adel made the remark while addressing a huge crowd of people who gathered at Tehran's Palestine Square in protest to the recent aggression of the Zionist regime against Palestine and Lebanon.

Addressing the US and supporters of the Zionist regime, he said, "Either stop your support for Israel, or do not expect to reconcile with world of Islam."
The Majlis speaker addressed the Israelis and said, "Today, no one does roll red carpets before you in the territory of the Islamic countries, rather your bloodshed on the soil of Palestine makes it red."
Turning to Palestine as a test ground where the claims of US and the Western supporters of Israel are experimented, he said that the claims of US and Israel's proponents on freedom prove to be false in Palestine.

"They occupied Iraq with similar claims to lay their hands on the country's oil reserves under pretext of freedom, democracy and locating weapons of mass destruction. This is while their own presence in Iraq is the cause of insecurity.

"The Palestinian people proved their vigilance by voting for Hamas. Today, Israel intends to take avenge on them by launching attacks on the country and taking the lives of its people," said the Majlis speaker.

Israel symbolizes US hostility to Muslims

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 President discusses ME crisis with Islamic leaders
Tehran, July 22, IRNA

Iran-President-ME
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here Friday exchanged views with leaders of Islamic states on how to end the crisis in the Middle East as Zionist attacks on Lebanese civilians and infrastructure enter their 11th day and residents, particularly foreign expatriates, flee the country for safety.


The Iranian president held separate phone conversations with leaders of Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Ahmadinejad blamed international circles, particularly the United Nations and Western countries in particular, for their silence and/or support to the Zionist regime in its massacre of defenseless women and children, and urged Islamic states and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to act decisively in ending these attacks.

"Islamic governments, including regional states, should fulfill their responsibilities in a more concrete way because failure will mean these aggressions will not be limited to Lebanon," he said.

He added that the capture of two Zionist soldiers by Hezbollah was a mere pretext of Tel Aviv for launching its pre-planned program in Lebanon, which is to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure, but which has resulted in the killing of hundreds of innocent civilians and massive destruction of the country's infrastructure.

"The Zionist regime is a serious and permanent threat to international security, particularly in the Middle East region. If the Zionists succeed in materializing their goals, they will undoubtedly expand their brutal measures."
He called attention to the need to hold an extraordinary session of the OIC for members to exchange views on the current crisis, saying the ire of regional states is increasing because certain international powers have failed to act in this crisis.

"If this wrath reaches a critical point, deep-rooted ties of regional states with Europeans will be seriously challenged." Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, talking to the Iranian president by phone, said Iran has a pivotal role in maintaining peace and stability in the region, and called on regional states to adopt a common strategy to provide urgent help to the oppressed Lebanese people.

He urged the OIC to hold diplomatic consultations to try to work out ways of ending the Zionist regime's aggression, saying peace in Lebanon can be restored by bringing parties to declare a ceasefire and providing urgent humanitarian aid.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf also expressed his concern over the worsening situations in Lebanon and Palestine, killing of women and children and destruction of infrastructure, and voiced his country's readiness to dispatch humanitarian aid to the Lebanese people.

He said Islamabad backs Iran's proposal for an extraordinary session to be held by the OIC in order to decide on appropriate measures to restore tranquility in the region and stop the savage attacks of the Zionist regime.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who holds the rotating presidency of the OIC, presented a report on measures recommended by his country and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to be taken to end the ongoing crisis even as he expressed deep concerns over the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, occupied lands and continuing atrocities of the Zionist regime in Lebanon.

In a letter to leaders of the Group of Eight industrial countries, Badawi said he has called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and Palestine and the dispatch of peacekeeping forces to the region as well as an effective role for the United Nations.

He expressed his regret over the apparent weakness of the UN Security Council in immediately responding to the crisis, and said the call of Islamic states for holding of an extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly would be the most logical step toward restoring peace in Lebanon.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, for his part, also expressed his deep concerns over the situation in Lebanon and the continuing attacks of the Zionist regime, saying Islamic states should adopt a collective decision to try to end the regime's attacks.

He said that Islamic states can be a greater international force in helping the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples by pushing for the holding of an extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly.

Saudi King Abdullah said his country was among the first to condemn the atrocities and aggressions of the Zionist regime.

He added that Saudi Arabia had called on senior officials of big powers to adopt measures to end the atrocities of the Zionist regime.

He stressed the important role of his country and Iran in defending peace, security and stability in the region, and called on senior officials of the two countries to exchange views on effective ways of confronting the crimes of the Zionist regime.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani also condemned the crimes of the Zionist regime and voiced his country's readiness to help the Lebanese people and attend an extraordinary session of the OIC proposed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

President discusses ME crisis with Islamic leaders

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 US veto emboldening aggressors to continue crimes" Iran's envoy
United Nations, July 22, IRNA

Iran-UN-Statement
Iran's Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad-Javad Zarif said here Friday evening that the latest US veto in the UN Security Council has further emboldened the aggressors to continue and widen their crimes with apparent impunity.

Addressing members of the Security Council on the conflict in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, he said nine long days of missiles and artillery strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructures across Lebanon have passed while this council looks on, prevented from even calling for a ceasefire.

More than 300 innocent civilians have been murdered, over a thousand maimed and hundreds of thousands turned homeless in a proclaimed response to the capture of two soldiers, he added.

"The international community is witnessing with horror and indignation the daily exacerbation of two cases of blatant and pre-meditated aggression and multiple war crimes perpetrated by the Israeli regime against the people of Palestine and Lebanon under absurd and all too familiar pretexts, while this council, entrusted with the responsibility of preserving international peace and security and suppressing acts of aggression, is forced into inaction and appeasement by the patrons of the aggressor," Zarif said.

Referring to destruction of the infrastructures by the Zionist regime, he stressed that with the increasing lack of food and medicine, attacks on humanitarian convoys and disrupted water and electricity supplies, a serious humanitarian crisis is in the making.

"The aggression on Lebanon followed a similar one on the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian people were and continue to be subject to the same collective punishment by the same perpetrators. In Gaza too, the civilian infrastructures are devastated and civilian population terrorized."
While the war machine of the aggressor may be able to lay waste to buildings and infrastructure, kill and maim civilians and take their elected representatives hostage, it is impossible to intimidate the peoples of Palestine and Lebanon into submission, quash their desire to live free from occupation and terror and crash the hope of refugees to one day return home, the Iranian envoy emphasized.

In fact, experience indicates that such onslaughts strengthen, not weaken, the resolve of the people to resist aggression, occupation, intimidation and terror, he commented.

"The brutal collective punishment that the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples are now enduring is the Israeli brand of aggression, which the peoples in the region have experienced time and again in the past several decades. The new round is more alarming as it occurs at a sensitive time when various Lebanese communities and parties are engaged in a national endeavor to reach a comprehensive understanding through an all-inclusive national dialogue, an effort that the aggressors aim to defeat, too," he added.

This Israeli onslaught is part of their designs for Lebanon, exemplified in their repeated violations of Lebanese borders and airspace, holding on to the Shebaa farms and keeping Lebanese detainees, which have continued in the years since their retreat from that country, he said, adding that the blanket air strikes, artillery and missile attacks against targets across Lebanon immediately after the border incident on July 12 are indicative of a pre-existing plan.

"Wide-range operations, aiming at, among other things, imposing sea, air and land blockades on a whole country in a sensitive region could not have been carried out without prior planning as well as prior coordination with the supporting power and the receipt of the necessary green light," the Iranian envoy said.

"The joint rejection of all calls for a ceasefire is a further proof," he added.

US veto emboldening aggressors to continue crimes" Iran's envoy

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 Iran calls on human rights advocates to condemn Israeli attacks
Madrid, July 22, IRNA

Iran-Cuba-Israel
Iran on Saturday called on all peace-loving governments and advocates of human rights to condemn the savage attacks of the Zionist regime on Lebanon.

Iran's embassy in Havana in a statement expressed regret over performance of international circles with respect to "brutal acts" of the Zionist regime.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns atrocities of the Zionist regime in Lebanon and massacre of its defenseless and oppressed people and regards meaningful silence of international circles and organizations and those who claim to defend human rights and dignity over such atrocities as a matter of shame for human society and strongly condemns it," the statement said.

"It is not clear how the Zionist regime's attack on civilians and their brutal massacre under the US support and complete inattention of the European Union are regarded as a defense for the regime, itself.

"This is while the attacks destroy homes of the oppressed Lebanese people and the country's infrastructures are targeted by Israeli bombs," it added.

The embassy expressed regret over performance of the United Nations and institutions which are mainly responsible for preserving international order and security, saying they discredited
international circles through their silence.

It accused these international institutions for turning a blind eye to the Zionist regime's clear violation of rights and
international conventions and their indifference towards brutal atrocities of the regime.

"This is among surprising contradictions of our time that no sound is heard from so-called human rights advocates under circumstances that over 10,000 Palestinian and Lebanese fighters are kept in prisons of the occupying regime of Qods and the regime explicitly abducted ministers of the popular Hamas government and the Palestinian MPs.

"This is while Lebanese Hizbullah and Hamas, supported by people of their country, are labled as terrorist after they captured two Israeli soldiers."
The Zionist regime has caused such a tragedy to put a cover on its failures and justify its oppressive policies, the statement further stated.

Iran calls on human rights advocates to condemn Israeli attacks

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 FM urges Islamic states to assess Middle East condition
Tehran, July 22, IRNA

Iran-Mottaki-Islam
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in a meeting with the outgoing Tunisian Ambassador to Iran Moldi al-Sakeri here Saturday said that the current Middle East conditions needs to be further assessed by the Islamic states.

At the meeting, Mottaki said that today, the Islamic states should pay special attention to Lebanon and encourage the United Nations Security Council to fulfill its duties.

"In a letter to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, I have reminded him of his responsibilities towards the crisis in Lebanon," he added.

Turning to the commonalties of both nations and the joint commission meeting, he said, "The volume of economic cooperation between Iran and Tunisia do not meet the expectations of either side and the existing potentials are much higher than the current level of exchanges."
He hoped that through the efforts of the embassies of Iran and Tunisia grounds will be prepared for further strengthening of bilateral relations.

For his part, at the farewell meeting, Al-Sakeri presented a report on the measures taken by him during his diplomatic mission in Tehran.

He appreciated the cooperation of Iran's Foreign Ministry during his diplomatic term and hoped that his attempts will be effective in bolstering collaboration between the two sides.

The outgoing Tunisian diplomat pointed to Iran as a country with a rich civilization as well as culture and urged that the progress witnessed here and its plans aiming to materialize the set goals should serve as a model for other countries.

FM urges Islamic states to assess Middle East condition

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 Pakistan rallies condemn Zionist attacks
Islamabad, July 22, IRNA

Pakistan-Rallies
Islamic groups staged rallies across Pakistan to condemn Zionist aggression against Palestinians and Lebanon, as well as criminal silence kept by the United Nations, international community and the Organization of Islamic Conference over the Israeli brutalities.

The six-party alliance of Islamic groups, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) as well as other religious and political parties held protest demonstrations outside mosques after Friday prayers in major cities.

Rallies were organized in major cities Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Lahore, Multan, Quetta, Chaman, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and the capital Islamabad and many other cities.

Imams in their Friday sermons also condemned the attacks and urged the people to show unity against Zionists.

Reports suggest that demonstrators burnt Israeli and American flags at different places to express anger at the Israeli bombing of Lebanon and Gaza.

Speakers noted that the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Conference were not taking a serious notice of the Israeli aggression, and warned that their continued indifferent attitude would jeopardize peace around the world.

They questioned silence of world leaders and bodies over Zionist raids on unarmed civilian population of Palestine and Lebanon as attacks have caused more than 300 civilian deaths.

The demonstrators chanted slogans against Zionists and the United States and in support of Hizbollah and the people of Lebanon and Palestine.

Like other parts of the country two rallies were staged in Islamabad by MMA and Shian-e-Hyder Karar.

Participants of the rally were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans of solidarity with Hamas and Hezbullah and condemnation of Israel. The protesters were also raising slogans in favour of continued war till the destruction of Israel and friends of Bush.

Speakers at the rally expressed solidarity with oppressed people of Palestine and Lebanon as well as occupied Kashmir and those fighting against the U.S forces Afghanistan and Iraq.

Central MMA leader Liaquat Baluch told the rally that Zionists have targeted two Muslims nations and they have complete support from President Bush and other Western nations.

He regretted that Islamic countries have not extended support to the Muslims of Lebanon and Palestine, which is matter of serious concern for the world Muslims.

He said Zionists had been targeting the unarmed Palestinians for many weeks leaving hundreds of people, including women, children and elderly, dead and injured.

Now Israeli fighter planes are targeting civilians in Lebanon and have killed more than 300 people only in nine days.

He strongly condemned President Bush's remarks that Zionist regime had the right to defend itself, and asked him to tell the entire peace-loving population of the world if the unarmed Palestinians did not have the right to defend themselves.

Speaking on the occasion, another leader Abdul Ghafoor Haidry said it was a tragedy that Muslim rulers had chosen to act as a silent spectator of the reign of terror let lose on Muslims in the Middle East by Zionist forces.

He said Muslims are peace-loving people but a conspiracy was hatched to impose a war on them only to declare them terrorists.

He said that genocide of Palestinians was being carried out under a deep-rooted conspiracy in which the US and West were actively involved.

He said Muslims were being targeted everywhere in the world but the UN, OIC and human rights organizations all had been keeping a discreet silence.

Pakistan rallies condemn Zionist attacks

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 Israel 'inflaming the world,' warns former UK minister
London, July 22, IRNA

UK Protests-Israeli Invasions
Former British cabinet minister Claire Short Saturday joined in the growing criticism of the UK government's refusal to condemn Israel's invasions of Gaza and Lebanon and call for an immediate ceasefire.

"Britain clearly now just backs President Bush whatever he does, in automatically backing Israel, in breaching international law, disproportionate attack on Lebanon, the attacks on Gaza," said Short, who resigned from her government post over the Iraq war.

"This is inflaming everybody across the world, it's dangerous, it's morally wrong, it's breaking up our system of international law, and shamefully for all of us our government is going along with it," she warned in an interview with BBC radio.

Her condemnation came ahead of thousands of people from across the UK set to join in demonstrations against Israeli blitzkrieg attacks on Lebanon.

Eleven rallies have been organized by peace groups, including Stop The War Coalition (STWC) and the Muslim Association of Britain, in all major towns in England and Scotland.

Also speaking on BBC radio, Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells defended accusation that his government was pro-Israeli, saying that calls for an immediate ceasefire would be a 'meaningless gesture'.

"We're the ones who are trying to engage with the Israelis, and engage with other players in this in a way which will bring results, not simply stand there and try somehow to win public admiration for saying 'ceasefire now'," said Howells, who is visiting Beirut.

Saturday's demonstration in London against Israel's killing of civilians and destruction of Lebanon's infrastructure, included a march past the US Embassy and a rally in Hyde Park.

A statement from the STWC warned that Israel's war in Gaza and Lebanon was 'escalating into an international crisis which could soon engulf the whole region'.

"The promise by Bush and Blair, in the lead up to the Iraq war, that their wars would bring freedom and democracy to the Middle East and peace to Palestine have yet again been shown to be lies, just as the anti-war movement has consistently said they were," it said.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), in calling for support for the demonstrations, said that the least people can do is protest the crimes against humanity being perpetrated against the Palestinians and Lebanese.

"The fact that the British government has been unmoved by the plight of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese victims is another example of its moral bankruptcy," said IHRC Chair Massoud Shadjareh.

Friends of Sabeel UK, supporting Palestinian Christians, questioned the 'collusive silence of governments who individually and collectively have singularly failed to condemn Israel's behavior'.

"It is not good enough to interpret what has been unleashed, as being within the remit of 'Israel's Right of Self-Defense'. We demand that the British government condemns Israel in the same forthright terms as it has condemned Hamas and Hizbollah," it said.

Sabeel, which is leading Christian efforts to impose a boycott on Israel, also criticized the biased media coverage, saying it believed 'we are not seeing the whole picture of the escalation of
hostilities'.

"The pattern of Israel's response indicates a further agenda.

This, we fear can only have terrible consequences for the Palestinian people, the prime concern of Sabeel," it said in a statement obtained by IRNA.

Israel 'inflaming the world,' warns former UK minister

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 Majlis speaker: Israel symbolizes US hostility to Muslims
Tehran, July 18, IRNA

Iran-Hezbollah-Lebanon
Majlis Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel said here Tuesday that Israel is the symbol of US hostility towards the world of Islam.


Haddad-Adel made the remark while addressing a huge crowd of people who gathered at Tehran's Palestine Square in protest to the recent aggression of the Zionist regime against Palestine and Lebanon.

Addressing the US and supporters of the Zionist regime, he said, "Either stop your support for Israel, or do not expect to reconcile with world of Islam."
The Majlis speaker addressed the Israelis and said, "Today, no one does roll red carpets before you in the territory of the Islamic countries, rather your bloodshed on the soil of Palestine makes it red."
Turning to Palestine as a test ground where the claims of US and the Western supporters of Israel are experimented, he said that the claims of US and Israel's proponents on freedom prove to be false in Palestine.

"They occupied Iraq with similar claims to lay their hands on the country's oil reserves under pretext of freedom, democracy and locating weapons of mass destruction. This is while their own presence in Iraq is the cause of insecurity.

"The Palestinian people proved their vigilance by voting for Hamas. Today, Israel intends to take avenge on them by launching attacks on the country and taking the lives of its people," said the Majlis speaker.

Majlis speaker: Israel symbolizes US hostility to Muslims

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 Mottaki calls for further activation of ECO
Tehran, July 22, IRNA

Iran-ECO-Mottaki
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Saturday that further activation of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) would result in expansion of regional cooperation.

In a meeting with ECO Secretary General Askhat Orazbay here on Saturday, Mottaki praised the organization for having a brilliant record and a forward-looking strategy, and said that in light of a 10-year cooperation, the members have been able to draw up their future plans.

For his part, Orazbay said that once inaugurated, the ECO Bank will help promote ECO's position at the international level.

Accession of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to the ECO Bank too will ensure a better prospect for the organization, he added.

Mottaki calls for further activation of ECO

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 Lebanese rally against Israel at US consulate in Frankfurt
Berlin, July 22, IRNA

Germany-Lebanon-Demonstration
Hundreds of Lebanese Muslims on Saturday rallied peacefully in front of the US consulate in Frankfurt to protest against American support for Israel's military onslaught in Lebanon and Gaza, DPA reported.

Demonstrators held up Lebanese flags and dolls, symbolizing Lebanese and Palestinian children killed by the Israeli military.

Meanwhile more than 200 Lebanese demonstrated in the western city of Duesseldorf against Israel's military strikes in Lebanon.

Protestors called for an end to the Israeli war.

There are around 25,000 Lebanese living in Germany, most of them came to Germany in the 1970s and '80s as political refugees.

Lebanese rally against Israel at US consulate in Frankfurt

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 Iran, Iraq discuss issues of mutual concern
Baghdad, July 22, IRNA

Iran-Iraq-MKO
Iran's Ambassador to Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi conferred on Friday with Iraq's Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs Shirvan Vaeli on issues of mutual concern.

At the meeting, the Iraqi official said Mujahedin Khalq rganization (MKO) who have hatched numerous plots against the Iraqi nation must be expelled from the country.

"We are now preparing a comprehensive plan which requires approval of the government to expel the MKO from the country by the year end," he said.

"We strongly follow up the case because the MKO seeks to hatch plots against the Iraqi nation which has angered the Iraqi people," he underlined.

Officials at International Committee of the Red Cross and the United States have been informed of the need to take action to drive MKO out of Iraq, he underlined.

Iran, Iraq discuss issues of mutual concern

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Analysis: Mideast warning from U.S. intelligence
World Peace Herald

By Arnaud de Borchgrave
UPI International Editor

Washington, Jul. 21 (UPI) — Congress was near unanimous in its hosannas for Israel's military campaign to uproot Hezbollah from Lebanon's body politic. Only Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb) was nuanced in his support, questioning Israel's disproportionate response to the capture of three Israeli soldiers. The intelligence community's Middle Eastern experts -- both on active duty and in retirement -- were clearly on a different page.

The ones we queried either served in the region as CIA station chiefs or were responsible for Middle Eastern departments in one of the 16 agencies that make up the 100,000-strong intelligence community. Those still on active duty would only react to our question on condition their names be withheld.

The barometer of Hezbollah's post-conflict influence will be the most relevant measure of the success or failure of the massively disproportionate Israeli military, in which the Bush administration has also invested so much of its rapidly dwindling political capital. So will Hezbollah emerge from the current crisis weaker, or stronger, than before hostilities began?

•    Graham Fuller, formerly Vice Chairman of the National Intelligence Council at the CIA, an accomplished Arabic scholar and historian, most recently author of the book "The Future of Political Islam": "Most of the U.S. thinks this crisis was started by Hamas and Hezbollah and that therefore those parties should be made to pay the price. A more objective reading of the situation would note U.S. and Israeli determination to strangle Hamas in the nest from day one, to starve it, humiliate it and, typically and expectedly, to drive its radical wing to undertake a guerrilla operation against Israel. So the region does not view this conflict as prompted by Hamas and Hezbollah, but rather as one made inevitable and justifiable by unrelenting and merciless pressure from the U.S. and Israel. I fear in the end this will be one more bloody chapter in this now widening struggle. In the interim, unseen to our eyes, the radical jihadis are making silent recruits every night through the flickering television images of yet new regional horrors. But sadly we will be seeing those recruits as they turn to action in weeks, months or even years from now. 

Analysis: Mideast warning from U.S. intelligence