Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Quote; Thomas Jefferson
Saturday, February 16, 2013
'Prisoner X' took part in Mossad operation of killing Hamas operative in Dubai?
Another layer has been added to Israel’s ‘Prisoner X’ spy story, as new details shed light on Ben Zygier’s dealings with Mossad. An Israeli lawyer says the man – who took his own life in a jail cell – did not seem like he was at risk of suicide.
Zygier’s associations with Mossad are still cloudy, as media agencies report different accounts of his previous work with the organization. According to Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida, Zygier reportedly took part in the 2010 killing of Hamas operative Mahmoud al-Mahbouh in Dubai and offered the government information about the operation in return for the United Arab Emirates’ protection.
Australia’s Fairfax Media reports that Australian security officials suspected Zygier may have been about to disclose Israeli intelligence operations – including the use of fraudulent Australian passports – to the Australian government or the media.
The Israeli government has not confirmed or denied Zygier’s association with Mossad. However, Zygier himself reportedly confided in at least two friends that he had been recruited by Mossad. “He told me he’d just been recruited,” a friend close to Zygier told Haaretz. “I was in shock. It’s the sort of thing people usually joke about but I had no reason to doubt him at all.” Zygier’s suicide has shed light on Mossad’s recruitment of foreign-born Jews who could spy under cover on their native passports.
Mossad has come under criticism many times for using the passports and identities of citizens of foreign countries. And despite repeated promises to stop the practices, it seems the organization is refusing to change its ways. Just one year ago, The Times of London published two accounts of young men who had emigrated to Israel from Britain and France.
During their IDF service, both men were approached by a woman who identified herself as a Mossad official who asked the gentlemen to “lend” their passports for about 18 months while they were still in the army. Once the men reclaimed their passports, they contained stamps from countries including Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, Haaretz reports.
Suspicions from Australia
Zygier was one of at least three Australian-Israeli citizens under investigation by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization over suspicions of espionage for Israel, according to Australian media.Canberra complained to Tel Aviv in 2010 after Dubai said forged Australian passports were used by the Mossad team. Mahbouh’s killers also had British, Irish, French, and German passports, according to authorities in the United Arab Emirates. In at least seven cases, it turned out that the passports belonged to Jews who had emigrated to Israel from Britain and Germany.
These people were unaware that their identities were being used by Mossad officials in Dubai, Haaretz reported. The identities of at least three Australians had also been used. More questions than answers While media agencies report that Prisoner X was, in fact, 34-year-old Ben Zygier, the Israeli government has failed to mention Zygier by name – stating only that a man with dual citizenship was held under a false name for “security reasons.” Attorney Avigdor Feldman, who met with Zygier a day before he committed suicide, said this very fact raised a red flag. “I saw this as something inappropriate but I did not take legal measures, based on the assumption that he was in the good hands of the lawyers who were representing him,” he told Channel 10 Television.
Fedman said Zygier was charged with “grave crimes” and that there were ongoing negotiations for a plea bargain.
He did not elaborate as to which “crimes” Zygier had allegedly committed, but said “his status was ‘detained until the completion of proceedings,'” Haaretz reported.
“His interrogators told him he could expect lengthy jail-time and be ostracized from his family and the Jewish community,” Feldman said. “There was no heart string they did not pull, and I suppose that ultimately brought about the tragic end.”
But despite Zygier’s situation, Feldman did not believe Zygier was at risk of taking his own life. “To my mind, he sounded rational and focused and he spoke to the point. He did not display any special feeling of self-pity”, he said.
READ MORE ON; RT.com
'Prisoner X' plot thickens: Israel implicates Australia in scandal
Australia had detailed intelligence of a national thought to be a Mossad spy who committed suicide in an Israeli prison. The circumstances of his death have given rise to a myriad of theories, some suggesting his interrogation drove him to suicide.
An Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity to newspaper The Australian said it was clear the Australian government was “in the know long before ['Prisoner X'] died” in June 2010. The government source stressed that the Australian authorities were well aware that 34-year-old Ben Zygier was not “some backpacker who got lost trekking when his coffin was returned to Australia.” Zygier, an Australian-Israeli national, was being held in a high-security Tel Aviv prison for “grave charges” until he committed suicide in 2010. The Australian broke the story last week, identifying Zygier, who had previously been known as 'Prisoner X.' The report sparked outrage in Israel over government censorship of the case.
The news of Zygier’s suicide gave rise to speculation, namely over how the Australian-Israeli managed to commit suicide in a maximum-security prison where he was reportedly under constant surveillance. Zygier’s lawyer, Avigdor Feldman, told Israel’s Channel 10 that his client had been under intense emotional pressure in interrogations that could have ultimately contributed to suicide.
"His interrogators told him he could expect lengthy jail time and be ostracized from his family and the Jewish community. There was no heartstring they did not pull, and I suppose that ultimately brought about the tragic end," he said. Feldman added that in his conversations with Zygier prior to his suicide, his client was stable and did not seem like someone about to take their own life. A justice ministry official told Israeli press that the mysterious circumstances of Zygier’s death demanded further investigation to “examine issues of negligence.”
"If [the judge] had not found anything suspicious, she would not have transferred the case," the official said, adding that charges would be filed if any evidence of negligence was unearthed in the case. Israeli officials have claimed that Zygier had been treated fairly while he was in custody, and denied allegations of negligence.
Compensation
Zygier’s wife and family have so far refrained from commenting on the case publicly. His Israeli wife reportedly fled her home in order to escape the media hype surrounding the affair. However, reports have emerged that an agreement between Zygier’s family and Israeli authorities – promising sizable compensation – was reached six weeks ago. An anonymous source told Israeli publication Haaretz that the government had offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to the family in compensation. The case of Prisoner X has taken Israeli society by storm, giving rise to sharp criticism of government censorship."A prisoner, who is being hidden, kills himself and no one knows about it. How is that compatible with the rule of law?" Zehava Galon, head of opposition liberal party Meretz, said while addressing Israel's national assembly.
Israeli authorities had managed to keep the case under wraps for two years. Reports have surfaced that Prime Minister Netanyahu contacted the country’s top editors and asked them to refrain from publishing any stories on the case: Even when the case was covered in international press, Israeli outlets were still not reporting on it.
SOURCE; RT.com
Friday, February 15, 2013
Israel confirms Prisoner X's suicide in secret custody amid censorship claims
Israeli media and officials are outraged over a government order forcing censorship of coverage of claims that an Australian-Israeli Mossad agent was secretly detained for months until he committed suicide in 2010. Israel confirmed the allegations.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) shed new light on the top-secret case about a man previously known only as ‘Prisoner X.’ It was reported that the man was 34-year old Australian-born Ben Zygier from Melbourne, who was recruited by Israel’s secret service Mossad.
After ABC’s broke the news, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office summoned the Editors Committee, consisting of all of the editors and owners of major Israeli media outlets, for an emergency meeting with security officials to ask them not to report on the story – effective implementing a nationwide publishing ban.
The ban was justified over fears that publishing further details on the case would be “very embarrassing to a certain government agency,” Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. After the meeting, the mention of ABC’s report disappeared from all Israeli news media. Israel's Justice Ministry confirmed that 'Prisoner X,' which it still has not named, killed himself in custody in 2010.
The ministry maintained that 'Prisoner X' was held in compliance with a court order, and that his family had been notified. Strict censorship is unusual for Israel, a Reuters report explained – typically, when the media is censored for security reasons, Israeli outlets are still allowed to cite news from foreign sources. The details of the meeting were kept secret, prompting Israeli lawmakers to demand the release of information on it.
The editors’ decision not to publish anything about ‘Prisoner X’ has led many in Israel to speak out against the media’s cooperation with the government’s ban.
No clear response followed: "I cannot answer these questions because the matter does not fall under the authority of the Justice Minister,"Haaretz quoted Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman as saying. "But there is no doubt that if true, the matter must be looked into."
"The phenomenon of journalists volunteering to censor information at the authorities' request is patently undemocratic. I had hoped that it had been abandoned dozens of years ago," Zahava Gal-On, a Member of the Knesset – Israel’s legislative branch – and the Zionist social-democratic party Meretz told Haaretz.
Israeli lawmakers are calling for the prime minister and public security minister to appear before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees to clarify the matter. "It is unthinkable that information passed on to the Editors Committee in order to conceal it from the public will be kept from Knesset [Israeli legislative branch] members," Gal-On said. Nitzan Horowitz, a member of the Zionist social-democratic political party Meretz, told the Knesset – Israel’s legislative branch – that he contacted the Attorney-General when reports of the secret prisoner first emerged.
Horowitz said he argued that the detainment was illegal, but was assured of its propriety and legality. "Does this not indicate a basic failure in the law enforcement system? Sweeping everything into a deep and even draconian secrecy, has no place in democratic regimes," the Jerusalem Post quoted Horowitz as saying. Several Israeli media outlets have also spoken out against the censorship.
Editor-in-chief of Haaretz Newspaper Aluf Benn wrote an editorial criticizing the ban, and arguing that it has no real power to suppress information in the age of the Internet and social services. “Israel's censorship laws shine a spotlight instead of hushing up the blunder.
Government censorship in modern times – be it in Israel, Syria or Iran,” Benn wrote. Censorship “becomes a pathetic attempt to turn back the clock to a time before WikiLeaks, Facebook and Twitter, and before bloggers who don't give two hoots about the censor,” he said. Benn argued that despite the fact that security officials continue to live in the past century “when information is kept in regimes' safes,” behind “highly fortified walls,” there is now “an entire world without restrictions and without constraints, in which people are free to exchange information, opinions and even photographs.”
After fierce public outcry, domestic media outlets were granted permission to quote foreign reports about Zygier, but not to publish any original material, Israel Radio reported. It is the second time Israel has tried to ban reporting related to ‘Prisoner X.’ The first ban was implemented in March 2010, after Israeli website Ynet first reported on a mysterious prisoner being held in compete secrecy in one of Israel’s prisons.
The article was quickly taken off the site because of a publishing ban, which prohibited all Israeli media outlets from writing about the man who had been referred to as “Prisoner X,”"Mr X" and "Cell 15 in Ayalon prison."
SOURCE; RT.com
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) shed new light on the top-secret case about a man previously known only as ‘Prisoner X.’ It was reported that the man was 34-year old Australian-born Ben Zygier from Melbourne, who was recruited by Israel’s secret service Mossad.
After ABC’s broke the news, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office summoned the Editors Committee, consisting of all of the editors and owners of major Israeli media outlets, for an emergency meeting with security officials to ask them not to report on the story – effective implementing a nationwide publishing ban.
The ban was justified over fears that publishing further details on the case would be “very embarrassing to a certain government agency,” Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. After the meeting, the mention of ABC’s report disappeared from all Israeli news media. Israel's Justice Ministry confirmed that 'Prisoner X,' which it still has not named, killed himself in custody in 2010.
The ministry maintained that 'Prisoner X' was held in compliance with a court order, and that his family had been notified. Strict censorship is unusual for Israel, a Reuters report explained – typically, when the media is censored for security reasons, Israeli outlets are still allowed to cite news from foreign sources. The details of the meeting were kept secret, prompting Israeli lawmakers to demand the release of information on it.
The editors’ decision not to publish anything about ‘Prisoner X’ has led many in Israel to speak out against the media’s cooperation with the government’s ban.
No clear response followed: "I cannot answer these questions because the matter does not fall under the authority of the Justice Minister,"Haaretz quoted Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman as saying. "But there is no doubt that if true, the matter must be looked into."
"The phenomenon of journalists volunteering to censor information at the authorities' request is patently undemocratic. I had hoped that it had been abandoned dozens of years ago," Zahava Gal-On, a Member of the Knesset – Israel’s legislative branch – and the Zionist social-democratic party Meretz told Haaretz.
Israeli lawmakers are calling for the prime minister and public security minister to appear before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees to clarify the matter. "It is unthinkable that information passed on to the Editors Committee in order to conceal it from the public will be kept from Knesset [Israeli legislative branch] members," Gal-On said. Nitzan Horowitz, a member of the Zionist social-democratic political party Meretz, told the Knesset – Israel’s legislative branch – that he contacted the Attorney-General when reports of the secret prisoner first emerged.
Horowitz said he argued that the detainment was illegal, but was assured of its propriety and legality. "Does this not indicate a basic failure in the law enforcement system? Sweeping everything into a deep and even draconian secrecy, has no place in democratic regimes," the Jerusalem Post quoted Horowitz as saying. Several Israeli media outlets have also spoken out against the censorship.
Editor-in-chief of Haaretz Newspaper Aluf Benn wrote an editorial criticizing the ban, and arguing that it has no real power to suppress information in the age of the Internet and social services. “Israel's censorship laws shine a spotlight instead of hushing up the blunder.
Government censorship in modern times – be it in Israel, Syria or Iran,” Benn wrote. Censorship “becomes a pathetic attempt to turn back the clock to a time before WikiLeaks, Facebook and Twitter, and before bloggers who don't give two hoots about the censor,” he said. Benn argued that despite the fact that security officials continue to live in the past century “when information is kept in regimes' safes,” behind “highly fortified walls,” there is now “an entire world without restrictions and without constraints, in which people are free to exchange information, opinions and even photographs.”
After fierce public outcry, domestic media outlets were granted permission to quote foreign reports about Zygier, but not to publish any original material, Israel Radio reported. It is the second time Israel has tried to ban reporting related to ‘Prisoner X.’ The first ban was implemented in March 2010, after Israeli website Ynet first reported on a mysterious prisoner being held in compete secrecy in one of Israel’s prisons.
The article was quickly taken off the site because of a publishing ban, which prohibited all Israeli media outlets from writing about the man who had been referred to as “Prisoner X,”"Mr X" and "Cell 15 in Ayalon prison."
SOURCE; RT.com
Asteroïde DA14 2012 scheert vanavond 'rakelings' langs de aarde
Het brokstuk heet 2012 DA14 en is ongeveer 50 meter in doorsnee. Zo'n asteroïde kan bij een inslag een wereldstad verwoesten, maar dat zal vanavond niet gebeuren. Wel wordt er gedacht dat de asteroïde gelinkt is aan de meterorietenregen in het Russische Oeralgebied. Daarbij vielen vandaag verschillende gewonden.
Voor sommige weer- en communicatiesatellieten zouden er vanavond misschien wel problemen kunnen ontstaan, omdat die ongeveer op dezelfde afstand rond de aarde draaien. De satellieten vallen hoogstwaarschijnlijk uit als zij worden geraakt.
Dat de asteroïde zo dichtbij komt, geeft wetenschappers een zeldzame kans om te weten te komen uit welke materialen zo'n rotsblok bestaat. Ook kunnen ze zijn baan voor de komende eeuwen uitrekenen, om te kijken of hij ooit weer dicht bij de aarde komt. Volgens de Amerikaanse ruimtevaartorganisatie NASA zijn er naar schatting 500.000 vergelijkbare asteroïden in de omgeving van de aarde, maar minder dan 1 procent daarvan is pas ontdekt.
Er is geen kans om vanavond met het blote oog een glimp van 2012 DA14 op te vangen. Via de NASA-website is de baan van de asteroïde wel goed bij te houden.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
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