This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Jordan’s one year old Zaatari refugee camp: 150,000 Syrian refugees
- Israel agrees to prisoner release, as new Mideast peace talk talks begin
- U.S. drone strike kills 6 in Pakistan, despite opposition
Jordan’s one year old Zaatari refugee camp: 150,000 Syrian refugees
Zaatari refugee camp – aerial view (AP)
All the worst case scenarios about Syrian refugees coming to Jordanhave been passed — over and over. The Zaatari refugee camp is nowone year old, and was originally intended to hold 60,000 refuge for ashort time. But of the estimated 650,000 Syrians who have crossedinto Jordan, sometimes 3,000 per day, 350,000 have filtered throughZaatari and 150,000 live there permanently. Concern is growing thatthe “temporary” refugee camp will be there permanently, and thatpollution damage to the main aquifer lying beneath the camp may reachthe “saturation zone” within as little as one year. Ammon Newsand Time
Israel agrees to prisoner release, as new Mideast peace talk talks begin
No, that isn’t a typo. Mideast peace talks aren’t about to begin.Instead, talks about the terms for peace talks are to begin on Mondayin Washington between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. ThePalestinians have agreed to attend the peace talk talks after Israel’scabinet voted on Sunday to release 104 prisoners that are being heldin Israeli jails as terrorists. The decision is extremelycontroversial in Israel, and drew hundreds of protesters outside ofprime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, with protesters holdingsigns with images of victims killed by the prisoners being released.The prisoners to be released committed their acts prior to the 1994Oslo peace talks, and they will be released in four groups over thenext nine months, to make sure that the Palestinians won’t walk out ofthe peace talk talks. Jerusalem Post and U.S. State Dept.
U.S. drone strike kills 6 in Pakistan, despite opposition
Women protest against U.S. drone strikes in Peshawar, Pakistan, in April, 2011 (AP)
A large U.S. drone attack on Sunday killed at least six militants inPakistan’s tribal area. Four drones hovered above a village beforeone fired two missiles at a compound just before sunset, as themilitants were just about to break their Ramadan fast. U.S. dronestrikes have become increasingly rare, because of overwhelming levelsof opposition from the Pakistan public, especially following the U.S.action that captured Osama bin Laden, considered Pakistan’s greatest national humiliationsince 1971. There were 122 drone strikes in 2010, but only 17 so farthis year. The CIA has become far more cautious in its attacks,limiting them to high-value targets, and avoiding attacks on largegroups of suspected militants based purely on their behavior. It’sthought that Pakistani officials are publicly opposing the dronestrikes, but privately supporting them, at least in limited numbers.The new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said he’s opposed to any dronestrikes, but so far has not articulated a clear demand to end them.AFP and AP
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