Russia Only Needs To Create Doubt Over MH17

From a cavernous situation room inside the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Lieutenant-General set out Russia's version of events.

The briefing was carried live on Russian state TV and handed out on DVDs by Russia's ambassador to Malaysia.

They claim to have detected a Ukrainian military aircraft within 3-5km of the Malaysian Airliner on Thursday.

Russian ambassador to Malaysia, Lyudmila Vorobyeva

"The SU-25 fighter jet can gain an altitude of 10km, according to its specification," Lt Gen Kartopolov explained (which happens to be the exact altitude at which MH17 was flying).

"It's equipped with air-to-air R-60 missile that can hit a target at a distance up to 12km, up to 5km for sure.

"We would like to get an explanation as to why the military jet was flying along a civil aviation corridor at almost the same time and at the same level as a passenger plane."

They also claim to have detected an unusual increase in Ukrainian radar activity leading up to the incident, and that the airliner came down "within the operating zone" of Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile defences.

He showed satellite images of a Ukrainian base close to Donetsk, pointing out that its surface-to-air missile units were missing on the day of the crash.

He then appeared to claim that one of the units had moved into rebel-controlled territory on the morning of the crash.

Finally, Russia categorically denied supplying the rebels with Buk surface-to-air missile systems, or indeed any other weaponry.

Now, firstly, it's worth saying there is a propaganda war in both directions here, which has been going on for several months, and that both sides are pursuing interests beyond the immediate tragedy of MH17.

A Russian Buk missile launcher

But the questions Russia presents "that Kiev must answer" raise a few questions themselves.

The SU-25 "fighter jet" Russia claims to have identified close to the airliner is a ground attack aircraft - according to its manufacturer its maximum service height, without weapons, is 7,000m - 3km short of MH17.

As Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer pointed out, it's also too slow: "They should have at least claimed it was an SU-27," he said.

And if the rebels don't have the Buk missile system, or indeed any other Russian-supplied weaponry - how did they target the dozen Ukrainian military aircraft they have previously boasted of shooting down?

This included an Antonov-26 transport aircraft, flying at an altitude of 6,500m last week.

Part of the wreckage at the crash site in Ukraine

It is possible of course that the rebels have acquired weapons from Ukrainian military bases, although the government in Kiev insists it can account for all of its missile systems.

And what exactly is the case Russia is setting out? Is it suggesting the Ukrainian SU-25 (despite its technical limitations) shot down the passenger jet in mid-air?

And why? The plane would seem to have been travelling in the wrong direction for Ukrainian forces to have perceived it as a hostile aircraft coming from Russia, and the rebels don't have an air force.

So are they seriously suggesting the Ukrainians deliberately moved their missiles on to rebel-held territory and shot the airliner down as part of some sort of nefarious plan to frame the rebels and turn world opinion against them?

But then Russia doesn't need to prove its case - all it needs is to create one, to insist that there are different versions of events, that there is credible claim and counter-claim.

In much the same manner as a criminal defence barrister, Russia doesn't have to demonstrate that its alleged client is innocent - just to establish enough doubt in the minds of the jury - in this case the international community - that they can't be completely sure.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pregnant Woman And Child Among Airstrike Dead

A child and three women, one of them pregnant, have been killed in airstrikes on Gaza say medics, as the Israeli military confirmed one of its soldiers was missing presumed dead.

The latest deaths came as diplomatic efforts were stepped up aimed at securing a ceasefire in the bloody conflict.

The four civilians died in two separate Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza strip.  

Israel is continuing its offensive to stop Hamas militants firing rockets

The missing Israeli soldier was one of seven personnel who had been inside an armoured vehicle hit by an anti-tank missile on Sunday.

The military has only been able to identify six of the dead, but a spokesman denied any possibility the unaccounted for soldier was still alive.

It follows claims by Hamas it had captured a soldier, which was denied at the time by Israel's ambassador to the UN.

Palestinians take cover from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City

Militants displayed a photo ID and army serial number raising fears they had seized his remains, which could be used to exchange for prisoners.

It came as the number killed in the 15-day conflict passed 560 people, including nearly 100 children.

Palestinian's killed since the assault began on July 8 has reached  539, while the number of Israeli dead rose to 29 people.

The continued violence comes as diplomatic efforts intensify in Cairo, where US Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting Egyptian leaders including the country's president Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Cairo to try and secure a ceasefire

As Mr Kerry arrived in Cairo, the US confirmed it would provide $47m (£27m) in humanitarian aid for Gaza.

"We will work to see if there is some way to not only arrive at a ceasefire of some kind, but to get to a discussion about the underlying issues," Mr Kerry said at the start of a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday.

"Nothing will be resolved by any ceasefire, temporary or long, without really getting to those issues at some point, and that's what we need to do."

A senior State Department official said Mr Kerry's diplomatic efforts are aimed at achieving "a cessation of hostilities as soon as possible".

The bombardment of Gaza has led to an exodus of more than 100,000 civilians

Mr Ban is scheduled to fly to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also to meet Palestinian officials in the West Bank.

But Israel has signalled it is not willing to reach a truce before it knocks out militant infrastructure in Gaza, including networks of tunnels along the Gaza frontier.

"This is not the time to talk of a ceasefire," Israel's communications minister Gilad Erdan said.

"We must complete the mission, and the mission cannot end until the threat of the tunnels is removed."

Israel's aerial bombardment has so far resulted in an exodus of more than 100,000 Palestinian civilians, according to the United Nations.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

MH17 Crash Victims' Bodies Arrive At Station

Russia Only Needs To Create Doubt Over MH17

Updated: 11:48am UK, Tuesday 22 July 2014

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

From a cavernous situation room inside the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Lieutenant-General set out Russia's version of events.

The briefing was carried live on Russian state TV and handed out on DVDs by Russia's ambassador to Malaysia.

They claim to have detected a Ukrainian military aircraft within 3-5km of the Malaysian Airliner on Thursday.

"The SU-25 fighter jet can gain an altitude of 10km, according to its specification," Lt Gen Kartopolov explained (which happens to be the exact altitude at which MH17 was flying).

"It's equipped with air-to-air R-60 missile that can hit a target at a distance up to 12km, up to 5km for sure.

"We would like to get an explanation as to why the military jet was flying along a civil aviation corridor at almost the same time and at the same level as a passenger plane."

They also claim to have detected an unusual increase in Ukrainian radar activity leading up to the incident, and that the airliner came down "within the operating zone" of Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile defences.

He showed satellite images of a Ukrainian base close to Donetsk, pointing out that its surface-to-air missile units were missing on the day of the crash.

He then appeared to claim that one of the units had moved into rebel-controlled territory on the morning of the crash.

Finally, Russia categorically denied supplying the rebels with Buk surface-to-air missile systems, or indeed any other weaponry.

Now, firstly, it's worth saying there is a propaganda war in both directions here, which has been going on for several months, and that both sides are pursuing interests beyond the immediate tragedy of MH17.

But the questions Russia presents "that Kiev must answer" raise a few questions themselves.

The SU-25 "fighter jet" Russia claims to have identified close to the airliner is a ground attack aircraft - according to its manufacturer its maximum service height, without weapons, is 7,000m - 3km short of MH17.

As Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer pointed out, it's also too slow: "They should have at least claimed it was an SU-27," he said.

And if the rebels don't have the Buk missile system, or indeed any other Russian-supplied weaponry - how did they target the dozen Ukrainian military aircraft they have previously boasted of shooting down?

This included an Antonov-26 transport aircraft, flying at an altitude of 6,500m last week.

It is possible of course that the rebels have acquired weapons from Ukrainian military bases, although the government in Kiev insists it can account for all of its missile systems.

And what exactly is the case Russia is setting out? Is it suggesting the Ukrainian SU-25 (despite its technical limitations) shot down the passenger jet in mid-air?

And why? The plane would seem to have been travelling in the wrong direction for Ukrainian forces to have perceived it as a hostile aircraft coming from Russia, and the rebels don't have an air force.

So are they seriously suggesting the Ukrainians deliberately moved their missiles on to rebel-held territory and shot the airliner down as part of some sort of nefarious plan to frame the rebels and turn world opinion against them?

But then Russia doesn't need to prove its case - all it needs is to create one, to insist that there are different versions of events, that there is credible claim and counter-claim.

In much the same manner as a criminal defence barrister, Russia doesn't have to demonstrate that its alleged client is innocent - just to establish enough doubt in the minds of the jury - in this case the international community - that they can't be completely sure.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

MH17: 'Bloody Guerrillas' Hold Train Of Bodies

Trains containing bodies from the MH17 crash site are being blocked by "terrorists", the Ukrainian government has said.

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said: "We sent two trains, four carts, which right now are in Torez City.

"These bloody guerrillas do not allow the train to leave the area."

The trains are reportedly surrounded by 50 insurgents - but Dutch forensic teams say they have been promised the wagons will be released later on Monday so they can "do their work".

There are conflicting reports about whether the refrigeration systems on the trains are working.

Investigators cover their mouths and noses while inspecting the wagons

Rescuers have found 272 of the 298 victims - as well as 66 fragments of bodies - in the area where the Malaysia Airlines flight came down in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.

There are fears some of the bodies were incinerated without a trace during the crash.

Michael Bociurkiw, a spokesman for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, said: "We're looking at the field where the engines have come down.

"This was the area which was exposed to the most intense heat. We do not see any bodies here. It appears that some have been vaporised."

A pro-Russian rebel guards a train carrying crash victims' bodies

The have also been accusations that bodies were removed by rebels.

Lyubov Kudryavets, a worker at the Torez morgue, said that on the evening the plane went down, a resident brought in the bloodied body of a child aged seven or eight. On Saturday militiamen came to take it away, she said.

"They began to question me: 'Where are the fragments of rocket? Where are the fragments from the plane?'" Ms Kudryavets said.

The blocking of the trains comes despite comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin that "we need to do everything to ensure the security and safety of the observers and the experts working at the crash site".

Meanwhile, Mr Yatsenyuk is willing to hand control of the crash investigation to Western partners.

The Netherlands, which lost 192 citizens, could take the lead.

Two German experts are making their way to the crash site, while six British investigators are in Kiev ready to join the effort.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was due to make a statement on the crash on Monday - but it was cancelled due to "potential developments on the ground" in Ukraine. The Malaysians would not elaborate. 

Elsewhere, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has ordered his forces to halt fire in a 40 kilometre (24 mile) area around the crash site.

But the military has tried to break into Donetsk - which was taken by rebels in April - in the first major outbreak of violence since the crash.

Fighting began near the city's railway station, with reports of shelling and tanks from both sides in the area. 

Health officials reported three people dead following the clashes on Monday morning.

Pro-Russian separatists on a tank near Donetsk on Sunday

Ukraine's military denied responsibility for any explosions in the country's second city.

"There is work on clearing approaches to the city, on destroying checkpoints of the terrorists. If there are explosions in the middle of the city, then it is not Ukrainian soldiers," said Andriy Lysenko.

"We have strict orders not to use air strikes and artillery in the city. If there is fighting in the city, we have information that there is a small self-organised group who are fighting with the terrorists." 

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

No Sign Of A Gaza Truce Despite Bloodshed

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, In Ashkelon, Israel

Despite the extraordinary bloodshed in the Gaza district of Shajai'ya, there is no indication it will be a game-changer.

With at least 100 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers killed over the weekend, the prospect of a truce between Israel and Hamas remains elusive.

A short humanitarian ceasefire in Shajai'ya, to allow emergency workers access, was only partially and sporadically observed, with accusations on both sides that the other had broken fire first.

If progress has been made in Qatar, now acting as the Hamas "communication channel" for meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, it has not been made public.

Gaza residents leaving their homes

The Arab League has condemned the attack on Shajai'ya as a "war crime", the Palestinian Liberation Organisation describing it as "nothing short of a deliberate massacre".

But in the most part, while bemoaning the civilian casualties and calling for an immediate ceasefire, Western leaders have remained supportive of Israel's operation.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said "our hearts go out to the Palestinian people trapped in Gaza, suffering appalling losses" before adding "but the fact is Israel has a right to protect itself against attack and Hamas has been using those areas to launch rocket attacks systematically".

In a Fox News interview, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he backed Israel's right to defend itself, and berated Hamas for "stubbornly" refusing a ceasefire.

Wounded Israeli soldiers receive treatment

But in a moment captured in the studio before the interview, Mr Kerry appeared to be privately critical of the way Israel was conducting its operation.

Talking candidly by phone to an aide, Kerry said sarcastically "it's a hell of a pinpoint operation, a hell of a pinpoint operation ... we've got to get over there ... I think we ought to go tonight, it's crazy to be sitting around".

A similar point was made by former Foreign Minister Alastair Burt MP, who told Sky News: "The more killings of civilians goes on, the more children are injured, the more horrendous it is,  the more difficult it gets for Israel to explain its position, whatever the justification may be."

But if levels of international concern are gradually growing, the Israeli government remains convinced its actions are justified.

Speaking to Sky's Dermot Murnaghan, Israel's economy minister Naftali Bennett said: "Sometimes in wars there is collateral damage, but I'm not going to ask forgiveness for defending my four children that had rockets shot at home this very morning.

Israeli artillery firing into Gaza

"What Hamas is doing is effectively self-genocide.

"They are deliberately sending their women and children to stand next to missile launchers in order for them to get killed."

Hamas refutes such suggestions, saying it is a resistance movement fighting against an oppressor that targets civilian areas to terrify the population into submission.

It is clear neither side will end this on their own.

Until pressure increases from the West on the one hand, and from regional players like Qatar, Turkey and Egypt on the other, hopes of an end to the deepening chaos and bloodshed appear remote.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hamas Fighters Killed After 'Infiltrating' Israel

The Israeli army has claimed it killed more than 10 Hamas militants who entered Israel via cross-border tunnels.

Video released by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) showed what appeared to be Hamas gunmen exchanging fire before they were hit by an air-strike.

"Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel through two tunnels from north Gaza. IDF intercepted and killed more than 10 terrorists," Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner wrote on his official Twitter feed.

A Palestinian man holds a child while fleeing the Shaja'iya district

The attack came as the UN Security Council called for an "immediate ceasefire" and Israel continued its air assault on the Gaza Strip this morning, killing 28 members of a single family near the enclave's southern border with Egypt, according to medics.

One of the tunnels came out just one kilometre (half a mile) from the southern Israeli town of Sderot, the IDF said.

Military radio claimed that the "second terrorist squad" tried to approach Niram kibbutz, close to Gaza's northeastern tip, where they engaged in gunfire with Israeli soldiers.

Several soldiers were hurt, the radio report said, without giving further details.

Officials said 35,000 civilians fled the fighting on Sunday

Hamas' armed wing the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades claimed it had carried out "an operation behind enemy lines in response to the massacre in Shejaiya [Shaja'iya]".

The death toll of Gaza Palestinians has reached 508, according to health officials, following a weekend of heavy fighting that claimed the lives of at least 100 Palestinians and 13 Israeli troops, including two Americans.

Israeli soldiers mourn during the funeral of colleague Bnaya Rubel in Holon

Meanwhile, several explosions could be heard and clouds of black smoke rose over Gaza City's Shaja'iya and Zeitoun neighbourhoods this morning.

Israel's continued aerial bombardment has resulted in an exodus of some 35,000 civilians, according to officials.

People fleeing Israeli shelling in Shaja'iya at the weekend described it as a "massacre", with many women and children among the dead.

Rubel, 20, was killed in Gaza on Saturday during Operation Protective Edge

The bodies of 16 Palestinians were found in rubble following the continued airstrikes, according to medics.

The Israeli army said it had given civilians two days warning to leave the area.

Meanwhile, Israel's UN ambassador Ron Prosor denied claims by Hamas that an Israeli soldier had been abducted.

The wife and children of an Israeli soldier mourn during his funeral

The armed wing of Hamas claimed earlier it had kidnapped the soldier, saying: "We have captured a Zionist soldier and the occupation has not admitted that."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held talks with regional leaders and called on Israel to exercise "maximum restraint and do far more to protect civilians".

Pro-Israel supporters rallied at Times Square, New York at the weekend

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the situation in Gaza as "intolerable" and the Israeli attacks a "crime against humanity".

The Israeli government has claimed Hamas was hiding behind the civilian population.

Spokesman Naftali Bennet said: "What Hamas is doing is effectively self genocide.

"They're, in a cowardly and cynical fashion, placing their women and children as shields, killing them, then coming to Sky News and other outlets and saying 'Israel is killing us'."

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bodies In The Street As Gazans Flee Shelling

At least 50 people have been killed and many more wounded after the Israeli military shelled a Gaza neighbourhood.

Thousands of Palestinians fled Shaja'iya in northeast Gaza - some by foot and others in the backs of trucks or sitting on the hoods of packed cars - as the attack began.

Sky's Sherine Tadros, reporting from Shaja'iya, said Palestinians leaving the area were describing it as a "massacre".

"This is a very heavily populated residential area," she said.

An injured Palestinian woman at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City

"We have seen hundreds upon hundreds of people leaving and they are not carrying bags packed with clothes, they are not carrying anything. They are literally running for their lives." 

Israeli tanks were reported to be firing into the neighbourhood while drones and fighter jets could be heard overhead.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said: "Two days ago, residents of Shaja'iya received recorded messages to evacuate the area in order to protect their lives."

But Sherine Tadros said there is nowhere for those fleeing the assault to run to.

"They are leaving this area but of course there is nowhere safe here," she said.

An Apache helicopter fires a missile into Gaza City

"You expect to see all these people flee across a border, but they can't cross a border. Gaza is completely locked off."

Hamas accepted a proposal - secured by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - for a three-hour humanitarian ceasefire on Sunday.

But an Israeli military spokesman said the ground offensive had resumed on Sunday after accusing Hamas of breaching the temporary truce.

Naftali Bennett, Israeli economic minister, earlier told Sky News Hamas was "cynically" using women and children as human shields.

Smoke rises after air strikes in Shaja'iya, northeast Gaza

He said: "They only difference between us and Hamas in Gaza is that they are deliberately sending their women and children to stand next to missile launchers in order for them to get killed and then they cry to the world that they are being killed.

"This is cynical and cowardly. Israel has all the right to defend itself.

"They started this, they are continuing this, this can all go away the moment they disarm themselves and stop shooting us."

The Israeli military has said it has hit more than 2,500 targets in Gaza, including 1,100 rocket launchers, after nearly two weeks of fighting.

Health officials claim 50 people have been killed in the shelling

It has said around 70 militants have been killed and another 13 brought to Israel for questioning.

It claims militants have fired more than 1,760 rockets at Israeli cities since July 8.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has travelled to Qatar to try to restart ceasefire efforts.

Last week, Hamas rejected an Egyptian-brokered truce - saying it would only agree if Israel and Egypt significantly eased the border blockade of Gaza.

Since the start of the fighting, 385 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,600 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Two Israeli soldiers died in the fighting this weekend, while another three were killed when the ground offensive began on Thursday. Two Israeli civilians have also been killed in rocket attacks.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel Minister Accuses Hamas Of 'Self-Genocide'

An Israeli minister has defended the ground offensive in Gaza and accused Hamas of "self-genocide" by using women and children as human shields.

Naftali Bennett, appearing on Dermot Murnaghan's programme, insisted Israel would continue to retaliate to rocket strikes from Gaza.

The Israeli economic minister said: "The only difference between us and Hamas in Gaza is that they are deliberately sending their women and children to stand next to missile launchers in order for them to get killed, and then they cry to the world that they are being killed.

"This is cynical and cowardly. Israel has all the right to defend itself.

Israel began a ground offensive in Gaza on Thursday

"They started this, they are continuing this, this can all go away the moment they disarm themselves and stop shooting us.

"Hamas is placing missiles in homes, in living rooms, in schools, in children's rooms, this is their modus operandi.

"If Hamas was shooting missiles at your home, from within a school, what would you do?

"Would you just wait for those missiles to kill you? We fight back.

"Sometimes yes in wars there is collateral damage, but I'm not going to ask forgiveness for defending my four children that had rockets shot at home this very morning.

"What Hamas is doing is effectively self-genocide."

Since the start of fighting nearly two weeks ago, 378 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 3,000 wounded, according to Gaza Health Ministry official Ashraf al Kidra.

A total of five Israeli soldiers have also been killed since the ground offensive began on Thursday. Two Israeli citizens have also been killed in rocket attacks.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russia Faces New Sanctions Over MH17 Crash

David Cameron, the German Chancellor and French President have agreed the EU should be ready to impose new sanctions on Russia.

EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue when they meet on Tuesday for the first time since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was apparently shot down over eastern Ukraine.

More follows...

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

World Leaders Wait For MH17 Smoking Gun

Ironically what the crisis needs now is a smoking gun - quite literally.

Whilst America has stopped short of specifically blaming Russia  for the loss of nearly 300 lives on flight MH17, it has accused Moscow of fomenting the turmoil in the region. 

President Obama and other world leaders are holding fire until they have absolute proof that separatists fired missiles given to them by President Putin.

And that's why this is so complex diplomatically. 

The separatists deny firing at the Malaysia Airlines plane and Russia says Ukraine is responsible for the tragedy by ramping up its attempts to wipe out the rebels in the east of the country.

And until there is real proof this crisis will remain a murky mess.

Unless the international community takes bold steps which go beyond sanctions against President Putin, convinced his hands have blood on them, there will be no justice.

It would seem that President Putin is playing the defiant innocent, he won't even admit backing the separatists of eastern Ukraine.

Russia is accused of supplying pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine

Weeks of strident anti-Ukraine propaganda have now been replaced now by unusual silence for one so bullish and vocal.

This is the biggest crisis between East and West since the end of the Cold War.

But if the West is to truly act decisively then it needs proof of who fired the missiles and that will come from a full investigation of the crime scene – and that appears to be being hampered by the rebels. 

Representatives from the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) have been denied access to the crash sight. 

There are reports of looting and that raises question marks about whether it will be too late by the time international investigators are given full control of the scene.

The US says it will wait for the facts about what has happened, but it can't wait too long for fear of being accused of letting down the victims of and their families.   

The downing of a passenger jet – whether accidental or deliberate – is like a bad dream.  

But if Moscow's fingermarks are found on the missiles then what may follow is the stuff of nightmares. 

The question is whether Russia will step away from the rebels, settling instead for its gains in Crimea. If it does a serious diplomatic crisis can be averted.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More