Israel blocks 'flytilla' protest

8 July 2011 Last updated at 11:48 GMT Ben Gurion airport is on high alert for the arrival of the activists Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists trying to reach Israel have been blocked at airports in Europe or deported after arrival in Tel Aviv.

Israeli officials asked foreign airlines to stop black-listed travellers reaching the country.

Activists are planning to spend a week in the occupied West Bank.

Their so-called "flytilla" comes as the Greek authorities have blocked the sailing of an aid flotilla trying to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Reports say two American women originally involved in the flotilla have already been deported from Ben Gurion Airport after flying in from Athens to try to join the latest demonstration.

The group, Welcome to Palestine, invited between 600 and 1,000 foreigners to visit locations such as Bethlehem and Ramallah starting on Saturday.

The activists planned to inform Israeli immigration of their intention to visit only Palestinian areas on arrival at the airport knowing that this could see their entry blocked.

Organisers said the purpose was to highlight Israel's control of Palestinian borders.

'Undesirable persons'

A number of activists were turned back at Paris's Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport as they tried to board a flight to Tel Aviv on the Hungarian airline Malev.

An airport spokesman told AFP news agency their reservations had been cancelled at the request of Israeli authorities who had issued a "list of undesirable persons".

In a statement on Friday Welcome to Palestine called moves to prevent activists from travelling to Israel as "provocative, blackmailing and illegal".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered authorities to "act with determination, while trying to avoid unnecessary friction" with anyone taking part in a provocation, a statement from his office said.

Security remains high at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Israeli police say they are determined to stop any disturbances.

Boat blocked The Dignite is part of a 10-ship Freedom Flotilla II

Meanwhile, the Greek coast guard on Thursday intercepted the lone remaining boat from a 10-ship aid convoy that has been trying to sail to Gaza since the end of June.

The French boat - Dignite al-Karama - was detained for "administrative reasons" on a refuelling stop in Crete, organisers said.

Israeli officials have dismissed as "ridiculous" claims by the organisers that Israel has sabotaged two ships - one Irish and one Swedish - and pressured the Greek authorities to block the sailings of the French yacht, as well as US and Canadian vessels.

The Quartet of Middle East peace mediators - the UN, US, EU and Russia - has urged activists to avoid a potential confrontation with Israel, pointing to last year's deadly clashes on the Freedom Flotilla that left nine activists dead.

Israel increased sanctions on Gaza in 2006 after militants captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. It tightened them further still a year later when Hamas ousted rival Palestinian organisation Fatah from the territory.

Although the Islamist group won Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006, it refuses to recognise Israel or to renounce violence and is designated in the West as a terror organisation.

Israel eased the restrictions last year in response to international pressure following the activists' deaths.

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Thousands protest in Syrian city

8 July 2011 Last updated at 15:40 GMT Hama was the scene of a brutal crackdown by the government in 1982 Hundreds of thousands of people are attending an anti-government protest in the Syrian city of Hama, activists say.

Organisers have called on demonstrators to express their total rejection of the government's decision to hold a national dialogue conference on Sunday.

Earlier, the US and French ambassadors visited Hama to show their solidarity.

Syria's interior ministry said the US envoy had met several "saboteurs" and denounced the "direct and unacceptable interference" in its internal affairs.

Tanks were deployed on the outskirts of Hama last weekend after the central city witnessed the largest protest since anti-government demonstrations began in March.

At least 22 people in Hama have since been shot dead by security forces.

"No-one can predict what is going to happen in the next few days," one resident told BBC Arabic. "Many families have left Hama for the neighbouring villages."

'Incitement'

Despite the crackdown, people once again took to the streets of Hama after noon prayers on Friday, demanding the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad and rejecting an offer of dialogue, activists and witnesses said.

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Hama - a bastion of dissidence - occupies a significant place in the history of modern Syria. In 1982, then-President Hafez al-Assad, father of Bashar, sent in troops to quell an uprising by the Sunni opposition Muslim Brotherhood. Tens of thousands were killed and the town flattened. The operation was led by the president's brother, Rifaat.

Similarly, President Bashar al-Assad has turned to his own brother, Maher, who commands both the Republican Guard and the army's elite Fourth Division, to deal with the unrest.

Hama, with a population 800,000, has seen some of the biggest protests and worst violence in Syria's 2011 uprising.

Rami Abdul Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told the AFP news agency as many as 450,000 people were taking part.

A witness told the Associated Press that many protesters were carrying olive branches and chanting: "We only kneel to God".

"There was no violence. As long as we have no security forces, we have no violence," another said.

One person told BBC Arabic that thousands of people from nearby villages had been prevented by security forces from entering Hama and joining the march.

The US and French ambassadors to Syria, Robert Ford and Eric Chevallier, travelled to the city on Thursday as acts of solidarity, but left before Friday's protests began, according to officials in Washington and Paris.

But the Syrian interior ministry said Mr Ford's visit, for which he did not seek the permission of the authorities in Damascus, was an act of incitement.

"The ministry wondered at the US ambassador's arrival in Hama contrary to the diplomatic norms and despite the roadblocks set up by the saboteurs to prevent citizens from reaching their jobs," state media quoted it as saying.

The ministry said Mr Ford had met "a number of the saboteurs and incited them to more violence and protest and to refuse dialogue".

It added that the ambassador, "under the cover of visiting some hospitals", had met other people in an attempt to encourage further violence and instability, to sabotage national dialogue, and to deepen discord and sedition among the Syrian people "who strongly reject and condemn such foreign instigation".

On Thursday, a US state department spokeswoman said Mr Ford had "spent the day expressing our deep support for the right of the Syrian people to assembly peacefully and to express themselves". He also visited a hospital where some people were taken for treatment this week during the security crackdown.

A French foreign ministry spokesman said: "France recalls its concern for the inhabitants of Hama and its condemnation of the violence in Syria perpetrated by authorities against protesters."

Hama was the scene of a brutal crackdown in 1982 ordered by Hafez al-Assad, the president's late father, which left at least 10,000 dead.

At least 60 people were shot dead in Hama during protests on 3 June.

'Disgrace'

There were also mass demonstrations in other towns and cities across the country on Friday.

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Dialogue with this regime is out of the question as we cannot talk to murderers”

End Quote Mohammed al-Abdullah Local Co-ordination Committees Activists said three protesters were killed in Maarat al-Numan, a town not far from the restive north-western town of Jisr al-Shughour.

At least one person was also killed in the central Damascus district of Midan, and another died in the nearby suburb of al-Dumair, they added. A policeman was reportedly killed in the city of Homs.

Overnight, three people were killed at a demonstration in Harasta, another of the capital's suburbs, activists said.

The death toll could not be independently confirmed as international journalists have been denied access to Syria.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Local Co-ordination Committees, which represents many of the protesters, insisted that they would send no-one to the government's national dialogue conference on Sunday.

"Dialogue with this regime is out of the question as we cannot talk to murderers," Mohammed al-Abdullah told al-Jazeera. "This is being declared by the rebels in the street."

"The city of Hama is being massacred and besieged, the Syrian people are being tortured, and therefore talk of any dialogue with the regime is a disgrace to the blood of the martyrs."

He added: "We do not believe that there are any members of the regime who believe in dialogue."

State media have said amendments to the constitution will be on the agenda at the meeting, including Article 8, which grants the Baath Party unique status as the "leader of state and society".

Participants will also reportedly examine proposed new laws on political parties, elections, local administration and the press.

Human rights activists say more than 1,400 civilians and 350 security forces personnel have been killed across the country since March.

The government has blamed "armed criminal gangs" for the unrest.

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Bahrain king orders protest probe

29 June 2011 Last updated at 17:26 GMT King Hamad spoke at an extraordinary cabinet session The king of Bahrain has announced an independent investigation into weeks of protest that rocked the Gulf island nation earlier this year.

The move by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa comes ahead of a national dialogue, due to start on Saturday.

At least 31 people died when Bahrain's Sunni rulers put down pro-democracy protests led by the Shia majority.

Opposition groups have not said if they will participate in the talks while their leaders remain behind bars.

In a televised address on Wednesday, the king blamed the unrest on "extremists [who] hijack the nation and take it into chaos and extremism."

'New chapter'

He announced the formation of an independent fact-finding commission to look into the events of February and March, when security forces violently suppressed weeks of peaceful protests calling for democracy and freedom.

The commission is due to report on its findings on 30 October.

Continue reading the main story King Hamad, 61, in power since 1999Population 800,000; land area 717 sq km, 100 times smaller than Irish Republic Median age 30.4 years, literacy rate 91%Youth unemployment 19.6% Gross national income per head: $25,420 (World Bank 2009)Although he did not name the commission members, King Hamad said they would be "eminent persons" who would operate "without any interference of any kind", according to translated remarks provided by the state news agency BNA.

He said he hoped that the upcoming national dialogue - due to begin this weekend - would allow Bahrain to "write a new chapter in our history... full of success and prosperity".

Opposition groups have so far demanded that the authorities free detained protesters and halt the trials of activists before dialogue begins.

Hundreds of people - including opposition leaders, human rights campaigners, doctors and nurses - have been arrested since the uprising.

At least four have died in police custody, and human rights groups have warned of abuse and torture in Bahrain's jails.

Dozens of detainees are being tried in military-style courts set up under emergency law, which was only lifted earlier this month. Eight have been sentenced to life in jail.

In February, Bahraini forces opened fired on peaceful protests and sit-ins in Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama. Then in March, King Hamad called in troops from neighbouring Gulf states to crush the movement.

Bahrain's Shia Muslims - who make up 70% of the population - have long complained of systematic discrimination when it comes to housing, employment and education.

The authorities have previously accused the protesters of having a sectarian agenda with backing from Shia power Iran.

But the protesters deny the charges, and the government has offered no evidence to back up their claims.

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Saudi women drivers stage protest

17 June 2011 Last updated at 12:58 GMT Saudi woman explains why she breaks the driving ban

Women in Saudi Arabia have been openly driving cars in defiance of an official ban on female drivers in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

The direct action has been organised on social network sites, where women have been posting images and videos of themselves behind the wheel.

The Women2Drive Facebook page said the direct action would continue until a royal decree reversed the ban.

Last month, a woman was arrested after uploading a video of herself driving.

Manal al-Sherif was accused of "besmirching the kingdom's reputation abroad and stirring up public opinion", but was released after 10 days having promised not to drive again.

Campaigners have not called for a mass protest - which would be illegal - but have asked women who have foreign driving licences to drive themselves as they go about their daily life.

"All that we need is to run our errands without depending on drivers," said one woman in the first film posted in the early hours of Friday morning.

The film showed the unnamed woman talking as she drove to a supermarket and parking.

"It is not out of love for driving or traffic or the experience. All this is about is that if I wanted to go to work, I can go. If I needed something I can go and get it.

"I think that society is ready to welcome us."

Another protester said she drove around the streets of Riyadh for 45 minutes "to make a point".

"I took it directly to the streets of the capital," said Maha al-Qahtani, a computer specialist at the Ministry of Education.

Religious fatwa

On Twitter, Mrs Qahtani described the route she had taken around the city with her husband, saying: "I decided that the car for today is mine."

Her husband said she was carrying her essential belongings with her and was "ready to go to prison without fear", AFP news agency reported.

One woman who asked not to be named told the BBC driving was often considered to be "something really minor".

The ban is one of a number of restrictions Saudi women face in daily life

"It's not one of your major rights. But we tell them that even if you give us all the basic and big rights, that you are claiming are more important than driving, we can't enjoy practising those rights because the mobility is not there.

"We can't move around without a male."

The motoring ban is not enforced by law, but is a religious fatwa imposed by conservative Muslim clerics. It is one of a number of severe restrictions on women in the country.

Supporters of the ban say it protects women and relieves them of the obligation to drive, while also preventing them from leaving home unescorted or travelling with an unrelated male.

But the men and women behind the campaign - emboldened by uprisings across the Middle East and Arab world - say they hope the ban will be lifted and that other reforms will follow.

Amnesty International has said the Saudi authorities "must stop treating women as second-class citizens", describing the ban as "an immense barrier to their freedom of movement".

The last mass protest against the ban took place in 1990, when a group of 47 women were arrested for driving and severely punished - many subsequently lost their jobs.

The women were angered that female US soldiers based in the kingdom could drive freely while they could not.

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