1. Taliban cut off fingers of 11 Afghan voters
Taliban militants have cut off the ink-stained fingers of 11 Afghan men as a punishment for disobeying their diktat in the crucial presidential run-off poll that saw a higher than expected turnout of 52%.
“AFG The insurgents who were defeated today cut off inked fingers of 11 voters in #Herat. The injured ppl transported to the hospital,” Afghanistan’s deputy interior minister Ayoub Salangi tweeted.
2. Hamas video: Fight against Israeli forces in West Bank
The Palestinian Authority’s efforts to assist Israel in locating the kidnapped Israeli teens were met with a Gazan counter-response in the form of a video posted on social networks that called to fight against Israeli forces in the West Bank.
The video also positioned settlements as the focal point of the conflict and attempted to leverage the abduction into an all-inclusive battle. In addition, a song was released by Palestinians on Saturday mocking the kidnapping of the teens.
(autostart video removed)
Residents of Gaza celebrate kidnapping of Israeli teens
More videos and details at link above.
3. HRW chief says kidnapped teens belonged to “illegal settlement”
In contrast to the UN secretary-general and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the head of Human Rights Watch is refusing to unequivocally condemn Thursday’s kidnapping of Israeli teenagers, emphasizing instead that they attended school in an “illegal settlement,” and demanding that his critics first condemn an unrelated event from a month ago, the alleged IDF killing of masked rock-throwers.
4. RUSSIA – CRIMEA- Arson attempt at Mosque in Simferopol
5. U.S. evacuates embassy as bombs, fighting rock Iraq
(Autostart video at link above. Contains some Obama admin policy statements as well)
6. ‘Islamists’ attack Kenyan coastal town
(Interestingly, the single quotes are the BBC’s and not mine. Makes one wonder…)
Suspected Islamist militants have attacked hotels and a police station in the Kenyan coastal town of Mpeketoni, military officials say.
Witnesses reported seeing buildings on fire and hearing gunfire in the town, which is near Lamu island.
It is not yet clear if there are any casualties.
Kenya has suffered a number of militant attacks since 2011 when its forces entered neighbouring Somalia to combat al-Shabab fighters.
Kenya’s Standard newspaper said on its website the attackers had stolen weapons and vehicles from the police station, which was on fire.
7. SRI LANKA – BBC – Sri Lanka imposes curfew after Buddhist-Muslim clashes
I have added a subtitled video of the imam who spoke at the Vatican and went off script. It is well worth the watch. Personally I think there is lot more threatening and offensive material in his prayer and personal additions than just the 3 koran verses at the center of the controversy. I hope to deal with that later with a special interview with an expert. However for those who have not seen it, please click over and see my revised article and video of the imam ASAP.
Eeyore
#1 — “So Achmed – did Mohammed lose his whole finger?”
Achmed – “No my friend, the one next to it.”
2. Why?
2/ Why peace is impossible, reasons #8270 and #8271
The reason peace is impossible is because you cannot find any public voices of disgust in the Arab world at images like these.
While there is no shortage of Westerners, and Israelis, who will empathize with people who declare themselves to be the enemy, the number of Arabs who empathize with innocent people on the other side is essentially zero. There is an utter lack of ability to see things from the perspective of the other side.
Even worse, there is no desire to do so.
Without empathy, there can be no understanding or compromise. Peace is literally impossible.
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2014/06/why-peace-is-impossible-reasons-8270.html#.U58xxxaPVFU