India backs US aid to Pakistan, says Blake

WASHINGTON: India supports the US economic package for Pakistan, although it does have concerns about the military assistance, a senior US official said on Tuesday. “They believe we have a shared interest in helping to stabilize Pakistan,” said Robert Blake, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia.

“They’re certainly well aware that a spiral-down would not be in India’s interests,” he told a State Department blog forum.

In an earlier briefing on Monday afternoon, Mr Blake said the US had been “in the forefront of countries” urging Pakistan to not only continue its operations in Swat and South Waziristan, but also to address the problem in Punjab.

Talat Hussain arrives back home

Three Pakistanis, including TV anchor and columnist for Express Tribune Talat Hussain, who were detained by Israel following the brutal Israeli army raid on Freedom Flotilla, arrived in Islamabad on Friday.

After a warm welcome, Talat thanked the journalist community, organizations and people from cross sections of the society for this respect and the prayers for their safe arrival.

Talat Hussain, said that he and his team “had seen death from very close,” as Israeli commandoes boarded the boat and fired indiscriminately. “They started firing and two people died close to where I was,” said Hussain, who arrived in Lahore on Thursday.

Israel restricts access to Al Aqsa mosque

JERUSALEM: Israeli Police on Friday restricted access to Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque amid tension over the deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld also said that police “are on high alert across the country and particularly in Jerusalem,” adding that hundreds of officers were deployed around the Old City.

Only women and men over 40 will be allowed to attend Friday prayers at the mosque compound, he said.

US fails to condemn Israel’s attack on aid flotilla

WASHINGTON: The United States has declined to condemn Israel for its raid on a humanitarian flotilla headed for Gaza, but said the incident showed Middle East peace talks were needed “more than ever”.

The White House and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did describe the situation in Gaza as “untenable” and “unacceptable,” but Washington’s reaction on Tuesday to the raid did not match the explicit rebukes of Israel of some of its allies.

As diplomatic fallout multiplied, and threatened to derail a laborious bid to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, US President Barack Obama also called key regional power broker, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Israelis used bullets, gas, electroshock: Greek activist

ATHENS: A Greek activist told Tuesday of the moment Israeli troops stormed the ill-fated Gaza-bound aid flotilla, using rubber bullets, tear gas and electroshock weapons to subdue those aboard.

“Israeli troops jumped onto the boat around 05:30 on Monday,” Michalis Grigoropoulos said of the pre-dawn raid by Israeli forces in international waters that killed nine activists and sparked global outrage.

Grigoropoulos was aboard the Eleftheri Mesogeio, smaller than the lead boat, the Mavi Marmara, which Israeli troops had attacked earlier. “They fired rubber coated bullets, tear gas and then used electroshock weapons on some activists,” he told Skai television shortly after Israel deported him and five compatriots to Athens.

Condemnations abroad, condemnations at home

Demonstrators wave Palestinian flags and shout slogans during an anti-Israeli protest on Taksim Square in Istanbul on May 31, 2010. PHOTO:…

KARACHI: International condemnations started pouring in over Israel’s actions on Monday.

The United States said it ‘deeply regrets’ the loss of life in the incident, while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was ’shocked’ by the deadly Israeli raid.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there was a “clear need for Israel to act with restraint”.

Deaths as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship



Watch the video at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/10195838.stm

More than 10 people have been killed after Israeli commandos stormed a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army says.

Armed forces boarded the vessels overnight, clashing with some of the 600 protesters on board.

It happened about 40 miles (64 km) out to sea, in international waters.

Israel says its soldiers were shot at and attacked with bars and knives; the activists say Israeli troops came on board shooting.