US foreign policy on Pakistan is damaging Britain, says British Cohesion Minister

The UK must distance itself from American foreign policy if Pakistani youths are to be prevented from growing up hating Britain, according to the government’s social cohesion minister.

The comments by Sadiq Khan, who has just returned from a fact-finding trip to Pakistan, follow the arrests of 12 men - 10 of whom were Pakistani nationals - in the north-west of England last week on suspicion of planning a terror attack. They are likely to be given short shrift from Number 10, which has been keen to ally itself to the Obama administration. Earlier this month Gordon Brown stressed the two allies were united in their fight against terrorism in Pakistan.

But Khan, London’s first Muslim MP, said the UK must differentiate itself from the US after attending meetings at universities in Pakistan. “I listened to the anger and pain over the challenges that young people growing up in Pakistan face, including the anger and frustration over US drone attacks,” he said.

The attacks by unmanned US drones have provoked fury in Pakistan, where scores of militants have been killed in the country’s remote border regions, along with innocent civilians.

“The anger and frustration at the drone attacks was huge,” Khan said. “The view they [the students] had was that the UK was somehow responsible for this. They haven’t understood this was purely a US matter. They lumped us together with the US, which to me is a poison. It demonstrates to me we have a big problem.”

Khan, whose parents are from Pakistan, suggested the UK should look to reach out to disaffected Muslim youths by emphasising the close links between the two countries. “Much of the Pakistani population doesn’t realise the good we are doing,” Khan said: the UK is to double aid to Pakistan to £180m by 2011.

Crucial to winning hearts and minds, Khan said, was dismantling the perception that the US and the UK were one and the same over foreign policy. Acknowledging the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had mobilised Muslim opinion against the UK, Khan said: “Because of things that happened in 2003, there is an uphill battle. We need better to explain that there has been a distinct change in UK foreign policy.

“For example, this month the last troops will come home from Iraq: that’s very different from the US. The drone attacks are US, not UK; our development policy doesn’t have the strings that come with US aid.”

Is OUR humanity dead yet?

During the last American elections, I watched the people of US vote for a different party. I watched them vote for a different candidate. I watched them vote for a different man. I watched them vote for a different race. I watched them vote for a different colour. I watched them vote for a different back ground and even a different religion (at least linked to). Through the US elections, I watched the ordinary Americans wanting a change through to get away from the atrocities that Bush caused on this earth and innocent humans. People thought that this time the new leader will make this world a better living place for all of us, but they couldn’t have been more wrong. The murder of those who have nothing to do with 9/11 still continues. The murder of those who only want the US to leave their land alone still continues, as if it was the birth right of the Americans, to be on that land and to treat the common Afghans worse than a pet dog living in the US. The trigger happy Americans would not hesitate for a second before killing a few Afghans/Talibans/Muslims while on the other hand; they build special air conditioned rooms for their security dogs…..

Perhaps the Afghans should have happily welcomed the US army with a bunch of roses. This is a foreign invader who first imported “Mujahidins” into Afghanistan, trained them, armed them, and then “converted” them into “Talibans”. Obviously that was not enough, the US then carried on and entered Afghanistan supposedly in the pursuit of the same people (now renamed “Terrorists”), who were there in the first place by the American orders and support. Talibans (aka terrorists) were the same people who were paid 43 Million dollars in May 2001 by the US govt. But an important question we should ask ourselves here is, who is most disadvantaged in this whole deal, American trained Talibans (The trainee), the American army (The trainer) itself or just the common Afghans?

This so called “war on terror” should be renamed. It is a shameful war on humanity and the common citizens. It is a disgust that will stay with the word “America” like a twin brother for a very long time. Perhaps a better name would simply be “war on humanity”. Every time a military operation is carried out in Afghanistan or the Pakistani border, it leaves scores of children and other civilians dead and injured. The attacks in Afghanistan and even in Pakistan are increasing from both sides. So a question we must ask ourselves is: are the Talibans actually decreasing or increasing in numbers? After so many years of the US invasion since 7th October 2001, and millions of people dead, injured or directly affected by this war, we must ask ourselves what are the real motives behind first creating, training, befriending and sponsoring a monster, and then destroying whole countries and their citizens to supposedly catch this “monster” which in fact seems to be on the increase?

While the war carries on, and we all stand by to watch death of humanity, I ask ALL Pakistanis here to please think and if possible reply with their thoughts on my questions below that I often think about :

• Why are Pakistanis fighting someone else’s dirty war?
• Why must Pakistanis do the dirty work for others?
• Why should Pakistanis die in this war while the Americans themselves are relaxing thousands of miles away and still pointing fingers at Pakistan to “do more”?
• What have we achieved by selling our souls to these western nations?
• Is Pakistan richer than before?
• Is Pakistan safer than before?
• Why should Pakistanis have the blood of hundreds of thousands of other humans (Afghans and Pakistanis) on their hands?
• Even if for money, how can this blood money do any good to our children when it is a payment for killing other children in the first place?
• Is this the Pakistan you want to leave for your coming generations, and is this the “wealth” you really want to leave for your children?

When will enough ever be enough?

RAW Terrorists active in Pakistan

Mumbai attacks have served as a real alarm not only for India but for Pakistan too, as it has brought out true colours of the Indian govt being pushed by terrorist Hindu parties such as BJP and RSS. It has reminded Pakistanis, Pak police and the govt realise the dirty game the extremist Hindu parties are capable of. Although a local Indian group claimed full responsibility for the attacks, Indian authorities have always insisted that ISI and even the Pakistan govt itself is involved in these attacks. Indian govt actively rejected the confessions from Deccan Mujahidins, and instead blames LeT. LeT on the other hand has always maintained that Mumbai attack is not their work, and denied any involvement with Deccan Mujahidins too….

Usually the groups responsible for such attacks will be proud to announce their responsibility for the attacks. There are exceptions though, for example Samjhauta express bombing was a such cowardly act where the attackers had kept quite untuil they were found out by an honest investogator Karkare. later this very investogation caused karkare his life, after having received many death threats from the Hindu terrorists. Karkare, the ATS chief was finally murdered within a few minutes during the Mumbai Stage Drama.

Despite Indians already knowing the fact that LeT has denied any involvement, and that Deccan Mujahidin has accepted the liablity, they still insist on pinning down the blame on Pakistan govt. It is kind of like saying “Mera Kaa chitta ee eh”. But when RAW terrorists was arrested and confessed involvement in Lahore blasts back in December, India kept pretty much quite. A few days later, when an unknown group “Ansar Wa Mohajir” claimed responsibility, Indians were probably the first ones to believe their claim. See the news of RAW terrorists arrested HERE and HERE, and then the confessions of this unknown group HERE. The statements that come out of the Indian media are extremely hypocrite to say the least.

India had already violated Pakistan’s “international borders” in 1972 to break up East Pakistan, which later became Bangladesh. This was done openly, and by the orders of the Indian Govt. This itself is enough for India to be a Terrorist country, with a Terrorist government that has used its army time and time again to attempt breaking up Pakistan. Indian army involvement in Samjhauta express bombing is another such example. India is still very much active in this game while using RAW to create trouble in the tribal regions. Terrorist indian govt is still sending RAW agents to Pakistani cities. Apart from the 7 RAW agents arrested from Lahore back in December, on 30th of January 3 more Indian Terrorists were arrested, see below:

Three Indian spies arrested in Lahore:
Source: OUR STAFF REPORTER January 30, 2009

LAHORE-City police with the cooperation of intelligence agencies has foiled a deadly plan to carry out large-scale bloodshed through a series of terrorist activities and arrested three RAW agents here on Thursday.
The terrorists were assigned target by the Indian agency to destabilise the law and order situation especially in the provincial capital. Police recovered remote control bombs, explosives and sensitive documents besides huge cache of sophisticated weapons and maps/drawings of different sensitive installations from their possession.
The arrested terrorists are identified as Muhammad Fayyaz alias Feja, a resident of Mundyanwala, Burki, Muhammad Akram alias Mian Akram and Shahzad Bhatti of Mauza Ludhar, Burki.
Capital City Police Chief Pervez Rathore said this while addressing a Press conference at Police Lines Qilla Gujjar Singh here on Thursday.
DIG investigation Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, SSP Investigation Zulfiqar Hameed, DSP CIA Umer Virk and other senior police officers were also present on the occasion.
Pervez Rathore said that the arrest of the terrorists was a big success of the police which foiled nefarious designs of the anti-Pakistan elements.
He said that the arrested terrorists during investigations confessed their involvement in smuggling across the border from Pakistan to India.
Terrorists have further confessed that during their visits to India they had managed to establish their contacts with Indian Intelligence Agency RAW, he added.
He said that RAW officials used to help the terrorists in crossing the border from Gate number 139.

The above arrests were almost a month after the first successful arrests of the RAW agents involved in Lahore blasts. it has been almost a month again, and we have another success by Punjab Police that arrested 3 more RAW agents yesterday (Saturday the 7th Feb 2009):

Pakistan Cops Arrested 3 Indian Militants in Lahore

Sunday, February 8, 2009 at 12:00 pm

Three spies of Indian intelligence agency RAW have been arrested from Baidyan, an area located in the outskirts of Lahore.According to sources, Pakistan’s intelligence agencies after arresting these agents shifted them to an unknown place.Fake ID cards were recovered from the Indian spies in which the names of these agents appear as Muhammad Akmal, Sardar Ayhmed and Muhammad Umer.
Three ID cards, as many spy cameras, passports, photos of important religious figures besides maps of the major Pakistani cities have also recovered from their possession.
The arrested suspects have been transferred to undisclosed place for interrogation, sources said. The accused have confessed that they were collecting information about security and movement of a religious leader, the sources said.

I wonder why the Indians don’t realise that their Hindu extremist parties are killing their own people via dramas like Mumbai attacks. I wonder why the Indian govt doesn’t hand over the India Terrorists that Pakistan has demanded in its list handed over to India. I wonder why India time and time again hands over the same list of names to be handed over (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS). I wonder why the list contains names such as Wadhawa Singh, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, Lakhbir Singh Rode, Ranjit Singh Neeta and Gajinder Singh, what do they have to do with the Mumbai attacks. I wonder why Pakistan should hand over any one unless the terrorists required by Pakistan in its list are handed over too.

All these questions come into my mind, but sadly I dont see the Indian govt or the Indians providing any satisfactory answers, while they carry on expecting Pakistan to do “more”.

Is it too much to expect from India to have a good, open and transparent relationship with any of its neighbours or her own minorities even?

‘Internal hand involved in Mumbai attacks’ Tells Modi

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Singh Modi criticises ruling Congress for not taking action against any local group

NAGPUR: Indian Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Singh Modi hinted on Sunday that the Mumbai terror attacks could not have been carried out without internal help – comments that are in sharp contrast with claims by other Indian officials who hold Pakistan solely responsible for the attacks.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, “If we single out that one incident (Mumbai attacks) and ask any person in this country … with basic information and knowledge, they will say that such a big terror attack on India cannot take place without any internal help from the nation itself.” ……Criticism: He criticised the Congress-led coalition government for not taking action against any local groups involved in the Mumbai attacks.

Modi’s new theory contradicts India’s official position, and came just hours ahead of Pakistan’s reply to an Indian dossier of information given to Islamabad.

Addressing a BJP convention here, the Gujarat chief minister also slammed the policies of the ruling Congress party.

According to Hindustan times, Modi also made a scathing attack on the Gandhi-Nehru family, alleging that a conspiracy had been hatched to promote the family, posing a danger to the future of the country.

“A conspiracy to promote one family’s past is posing a danger for the future of the country,” Modi said without directly naming the Gandhi-Nehru family, but the indication was obvious. online/daily times monitor.

Incredible India: Are You Proud to be an Indian ?

There is no arguing that the Indian economy is growing and the country is doing far better economically than let’s say 20 years ago. Indian movies are watched all over Pakistan too, but most of the times, the stories presented by Bollywood are very much of a dream. Most of the people who watch Indian movies and have never been to India would naturally get a picture of India which Indians themselves dream of. The world must not become blind to the reality though. The same goes for all those who think “I am proud to be an Indian”. While India claims to be the “biggest” democracy (this is based on the high population alone), we must not forget that it is the respect of human rights and democratic values, and not mere population and territory that is the gauge of declaring a country democratic. It is definitely big, and uncomfortably populated (very mildly put) but is it a democracy at all? There are many interesting facts about “The Incredible India” today that are incredibly alarming to say the least. But as there are always two sides to the coin, I hope that Indians while being patriotic, can also appreciate the facts presented here as an opportunity of improvement.

India, allegedly a VERY rich nation, has the world’s largest child population, and one would understandably expect the government to prioritise and reflect this in their general policy making. But the numbers (presented below) show that while being ruled by corrupt, bribing, short sighted, wrongly focused politicians, this sham of a democracy is in fact responsible for some of the most horrific human catastrophes known in the history. I just wish that India was feeding its young, innocent and needy citizens before sending a metal object to the moon, or increasing its defence budget even further. After all, what is the point of spending money on “defence” of a nation that is being murdered via malnutrition by the its very own government? who to defend the country for if the young are not even fed, let alone taken proper care of. After all, they wont be there to reap the benefits of this army protection, and those who survive this hunger will simply be physically and mentally unfit for the army in future.

Here are some interesting facts about the “Incredible India” for those who say they are proud to be an Indian. This data is provided by CRY India and is based on its experience of working on a range of children’s issues across all regions of India. The statistics are grim. What is worse is that very little is known of what it means to be a part of such horrific numbers:

India has world’s largest child population (below 18).

Malnutrition is more common in India than in Sub-Saharan Africa. SEE UNICEF REPORT HERE.

More than half of India’s children between the age 6 and 14 do NOT go to school.

1 out of every 10 children is disabled in India.

1 out of every 10 children born in India, die before their fifth birthday.

1 out of every 14 children born in India, die before their FIRST birthday, that’s approx 2 million children dying before they are even one year old, every year.

1 out of every 6 girls does not live to see her 15th birthday. 3 out of 4 of India’s children below the age of 3 months are anaemic.

3 out of 5 of India’s children below the age of 2 years are not even immunized.

7 to 8 Lakh (800,000) children die every year from simple illnesses like diarrhoea.

More than one in three women in India and over 60% of children (all ages) in India are anaemic.

Almost one in every five children in India below the age of 14 suffers from diarrhoea.

3 out of 4 married women in India were married under age.

While one in every five adolescent boys is malnourished, one in every two girls in India is undernourished. See discrimination against girls in Indian families HERE

Every second child in the country is malnourished.

Every second child habitant in the country doesn’t even have a primary school available to them.

Every 4 out of 5 children habitant in the country do not have a secondary school available to them.

Every other girl in India fails to enrol in a school; those that do are likely to drop out by the age of 12. See discrimination against girls in Indian families here

Every other child aged 6 to 18 does not go to school.

Every sixth girl child’s death is due to gender discrimination.

1 out of 4 girls is sexually abused BEFORE THE AGE OF 4. See details HERE

Female mortality exceeds male mortality in 224 out of 402 districts in India.

Death rate among girls below the age of 4 years is higher than that of boys. Even if she escapes infanticide or foeticide, a girl child is less likely to receive immunisation, nutrition or medical treatment compared to a male child.

More than half of the Indian girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate.

1 in 4 victims of commercial sexual exploitation in India are below 18 years of age.

Poor and bonded families often “SELL” their children to contractors (pimps?) who promise “lucrative jobs” in the cities and the children end up being employed in brothels and other such establishments.

There are approximately 2 million child commercial sex workers between the age of 5 and 15 years and about 3.3 million between 15 and 18 years.

Every 2 out of 5 commercial sex workers in India are minors.

500,000 children are forced into this “trade” every year.

3% of India’s children are mentally/physically challenged. If they survive the abuse from elders, they enter politics and rule the rest of the 97%.

20 out of every 1000 rural children are mentally/physically challenged, compared to 16 out of every 1000 urban children. They mainly join RSS (Sangh Shaka) and then also make their way into politics.

1 out of every 10 women reported some kind of child sexual abuse during childhood, chiefly by known persons such as immediate family members.

100 million child labourers in India work in hazardous or exploitative conditions. They work for 12 - 15 hours a day and earn LESS THAN Rs.3 per day.

I feel ashamed even while writing these lines. A government that will spend more money to buy arms, a country that produces enough food to even export out of the country while her own poor can not afford to buy it. While the greedy, venal and mendacious govt officials fill their pockets, get fat and die of heart attacks, the poor children of this country are simply dying of lack of food.

Apart from the problems that exist in India due to its dishonest, corrupt, money hungry, senseless and ignorant government, the blame also goes to parents who themselves are choosing to kill their daughters even before birth, and treating them worse than their sons if born, and even selling them, pushing their children as young as 10 into prostitution and forcing them to sell their bodies for as low as 50 Rs a go.

I wonder sometimes, what has become of the Indian society today, where is the inner human, why there are Indian children still dying just because of diarrhoea, what happened to the good old humanity every society is supposed to have, what happened to protecting our own children from the evils of this world instead of letting them die out of hunger, how a society can come to this stage when every other child is malnutritioned, at the same time when the government spends more money on trying to develop arms that often fail anyway. what use is a 7% GDP when the poor and their children are cursing the rich politicians and the government, how can any kind of god (that they may believe in) be on their side when they can not even look after their own young and innocent, how possibly can they sell God’s children on God’s earth, where is this Indian society heading to? Would I be correct to say that this nation that holds the biggest number of children in the whole world is not fit to bring up their next generation?

India has the world’s most uneven and inequitable society (mainly Hindus) that’s plagued by discrimination of the caste system and the class system etc. The richer getting filthy rich, while the poor children dying of hunger being fed worse than a rich man’s dog.

I think I would be correct to say that “Indian nation is a prostitute nation, wasting their money and energy on a fruitless arms race with its neighbours, whilst MOST of its children don’t even have enough to eat including those who are forced to sell their bodies, making India THE WORST country in the world for child malnutrition and child prostitution”.

Are you still proud to be an Indian?

I certainly am not, fortunately my human values are more important to me than the 7% GDP and a prosperity that comes at such a heavy price of so many human lives.

Another Drama Staged by The Indian Police

It seems that the Mumbai drama was not enough for some. Perhaps the Lucknow ATS (Indian Anti Terror Squad) has been feeling left out, and wanted to stage one of its own too. This too has all the hallmarks of Bollywood stories, only this one has been revealed by the Indian media itself as having many loopholes, just like the Mumbai production we all saw recently. Perhaps it was the fear that drove the Lukhnow ATS to this ridiculous "performace", fear of being murdered just like the ATS chief karkare (for being honest), or was it the lack of honest leadership that lead to this Kullywood performance after karkare's death? Here is how it happened according to the ATS :

According to the additional director general of police (ADGP) Brij Lal, while briefing newsmen in Lucknow, the ATS team started screening vehicles.....

Israeli Forces Using Illegal White Phosphorus to Burn Children of Gaza

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CNN confirms and shows evidence of phosphorus bombs in Gaza

A doctor shows phosphorus bomb injuries in Gaza. Warning: contains graphic footage of war injuries Link to this video

Video showing injuries consistent with the use of white phosphorus shells has been filmed inside hospitals treating Palestinian wounded in Gaza City.

Contact with the shell remnants causes severe burns, sometimes burning the skin to the bone, consistent with descriptions by Ahmed Almi, an Egyptian doctor at the al-Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.

Almi said the entire body of one victim was burned within an hour. It was the first time he had seen the effects of what he called a "chemical weapon".

The Israeli military has denied using white phosphorus during the assault on Gaza, but aid agencies say they have no doubt it has been used.

"It is an absolute certainty," said Marc Garlasco, a senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. He had seen Israeli artillery fire white phosphorus shells at Gaza City, Garlasco said.

The shells burst in the air, billowing white smoke before dropping the phosphorus shell.

Garlasco said each shell contains more than 100 incendiary rounds, which ignite and pump out smoke for about 10 minutes.

Severe respiratory problems can result in anyone exposed to the smoke and burning chemical particles that rain down over an area the size of a football pitch.

According to the International Solidarity Movement, many patients at the hospital near Khan Younis were suffering from serious breathing difficulties after inhaling smoke.

Human Rights Watch compares the use of white phosphorus shells over Gaza to the impact of cluster munitions, which scatter "bomblets" over a wide area. Children may kick and play with a lump of phosphorus, stirring up the embers and producing more fire and smoke.

The use of white phosphorus as a weapon – as opposed to its use as an obscurant and infrared blocking smoke screen – is banned by the UN's third convention on conventional weapons, which covers the use of incendiary devices. Though Israel is not a signatory to the convention, its military manuals reflect the convention's restrictions on using white phosphorus.

Israel initially claimed that it was not using white phosphorus. It later explained that shells being loaded for a howitzer, identified from photographs as phosphorus rounds, were empty "quiet" shells used for target marking. However, images of exploding shells and showering burning fragments are now acknowledged by independent observers as having been phosphorus.

At the centre of the controversy is the way white phosphorus air burst shells have been used in heavily built-up urban areas, with an overwhelmingly civilian population.

The M825A1 rounds, which are the kind identified as being fired by Israeli forces, are made primarily for use as a smokescreen in a way that limits their effect as an incendiary weapon, experts say.

Neil Gibson, a technical adviser to Jane's Missiles and Rockets magazine, said the shells did not produce high-velocity burning fragments like conventional white phosphorus weapons once did.

Instead, he said, they produced a "series of large slower burning wedges which fall from the sky". The wedges would then ignite spontaneously in the air and fall to the ground, burning for five or 10 minutes, he said.

Qatar, Mauritania suspend ties with Israel

Qatar and Mauritania have decided to suspend their ties with Israel following a regional summit in Doha to discuss the war on Gaza.

"Mauritania and Qatar have decided during a meeting behind closed doors to suspend their ties with Israel," a Mauritanian diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Qatar has hosted an Israeli trade bureau since 1996, while Mauritania has had diplomatic ties with the Israeli regime since 1999.

The Nouakchott government called back its ambassador to Tel Aviv after Israel refused to heed international calls to halt attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Tel Aviv launched Operation Cast Lead on December 27 to put an end to rocket attacks against southern Israeli towns. At least 1,133 Palestinians have died during the offensive, while some 5,150 others have been wounded.

Hamas, the democratically-elected ruler of the impoverished Gaza Strip, demands a cessation of an 18-month Israeli blockade on the coastal enclave -- home to some 1.5 million Palestinians -- before its fighters suspend retaliatory rocket attacks.

The UN Security Council adopted resolution 1860 which calls for an immediate end to the ongoing crisis. Both sides, however, have rejected the resolution.

The decision by Mauritania and Qatar to suspend ties with Israel comes after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called on Arab countries at the Friday meeting to severe all 'direct and indirect ties with Israel' and close their embassies.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also called for a boycott on all Israeli goods.

Turkey: Israel must be barred from UN

Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey's Prime Minister has called for Israel to be barred from the UN as long as it ignores international calls to stop war on Gaza.

"How is such a country, which does not implement resolutions of the UN Security Council, allowed to enter through the gates of the UN (headquarters)?" Recep Tayyip Erdogan inquired on Friday.

The remarks came before UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's arrival in Ankara to discuss the conflict and amid growing outrage in Turkey over Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Erdogan lashed out at the Israeli army's raids on civilians under the pretext of targeting the Palestinian fighters in the territory. He also accused the Israeli media of falsely suggesting that Hamas uses civilians as human shields in the Gaza Strip.

The UN chief, who traveled to the West Bank on Thursday, has urged an end to the 'unbearable' situation in Gaza and called on Israel for a unilateral humanitarian truce.

Last Thursday, the UN Security Council approved a resolution which demanded an "immediate" and "durable" ceasefire leading to the "full withdrawal" of Israeli forces from Gaza. It also called for "the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment."

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, however, vowed to resist outside pressure and push ahead with the military action against Gaza, while Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Israel would act 'only according to its interests'.

Weeks of ceaseless Israeli airstrikes and tank shelling have so far killed more than 1,133 Palestinians across the impoverished coastal sliver, which has been under Israel's crippling blockade since June 2007.

On Friday, Turkish President Abdullah Gul renewed calls for an immediate cease-fire and urged US President-elect Barack Obama to focus on a comprehensive, long-lasting and fair solution to the issue once he is in office.

Bolivia to take Israel to The Hague International Criminal Court over Gaza Genocide

Israel ignores international calls to end Gaza invasion.

Bolivia is seeking to take Tel Aviv to International Criminal Court over the brutal atrocities the Israeli forces have committed in Gaza.

The Andean state says it is intended to make regional allies take a unified stance against "the Israeli political and military leaders responsible for the offensive on the Gaza Strip" and make it to stand trial at the international body in the Hague, said Sacha Llorenti, whose portfolio covers civil society.

Moves to begin the legal process will begin "probably next week," Bolivia's deputy justice and human rights minister Wilfredo Chavez told journalists during the visit to Geneva, AFP reported on Friday.

Bolivia followed in the steps of its ally Venezuela and severed diplomatic ties with Israel over its massacre of the Gazans and snubbing the international calls for an 'immediate' and 'durable' truce, said the Latin American governments.

The Bolivian president Evo Morales told a group of diplomats in the administrative capital of La Paz that he will request the International Criminal Court (ICC) to file genocide charges against Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

The ICC is competent to adjudicate war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed after 2002.

Israel and its closest ally, the United States, are not among the 108 signatories of the Rome Statute creating the Hague-based court in 2000 to investigate and prosecute war crimes.

After 21 days of non-stop bombardment and aggression, the Israeli invasion of Gaza has left 1,133 Palestinians killed and more than 5,200 wounded.