Israel, Palestinian prisoners ink deal to end hunger strike

Egypt-brokered deal brings an end to 28-day mass hunger strike by Palestinian security prisoners; prisoners to refrain from involvement in "activities against security" from within prisons; privileges to be restored.

Israel and Palestinian security prisoners signed a deal to end a 28-day hunger strike by the inmates on Monday. The Palestinian Authority and Egypt both played a role in helping broker the deal.

According to the terms of the agreement, Palestinian prisoners committed to refrain from dealing with "activities against security" within prison confines. In exchange, they will receive benefits from the Prisons Service, including the end of separation from the general prison population, and family visits.

Leaders of the prisoners who are are outside the prisons issued instructions to the inmates to prevent such terror activities, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) said in a rare statement.

The Shin Bet did not name the leaders of the prisoners who ordered an end to the hunger strike.

However, Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials travelled to Cairo this week for talks with Egyptian government and PA representatives about ways of ending the hunger strike.

The agreement calls for security prisoners to refrain from any activity in support of terrorism, including issuing instructions, financing, coordinating between terrorists and aiding them.

Leaders of the inmates signed the agreement on behalf of all the security prisoners belonging to all groups and who are being held in all Israeli prisons.

The agreement is binding for prisoners who are rearrested in the future.

The pledge that was signed by the leaders of the prisoners states that "activities against security that are carried out from inside the prisons or renewing the hunger strike will lead to the cancellation of Israel's commitment to ease restrictions."

Syrian rebels target security officials in capital

BEIRUT—Rebels seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime launched three separate attacks on his security forces around Damascus on Tuesday, killing two ranking officers and rocking the capital with a booby-trapped car, activists and state media said. 

The attacks took place as a U.N. team observing Syria's violence-ridden truce was visiting another area near the capital, the restive suburb of Douma. Activists and amateur videos reported shelling and gunfire in that area Tuesday, just a day after 55 people were killed across Syria—most of them in a city the observers had recently visited.

Tuesday's attacks underline the increasing militarization of the 13-month-old conflict and show the effort by Assad's opponents to chip away at the security services he relies upon to quash dissent. 

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one intelligence officer was killed in the capital's Barzeh neighborhood but gave no information on how he died.

Separately, an army truck blew up as it was driving through downtown Damascus. The blast in Marjah Square near the Iranian Cultural Center left blood and shattered glass on the road. The truck's driver and two passengers in a nearby car were injured and taken to a hospital. 

Security officials at the scene said the truck driver did not appear to be implicated in the blast, suggesting the explosives had been planted on the vehicle. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. 

The Syrian government did not immediately comment on those attacks.

The state news service, however, said "terrorists" killed a retired lieutenant colonel and his brother in a Damascus suburb in a third attack.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. CONTINUE . . . . .

Indian state of Bihar ejects French tourists 'for Maoist ties'

Nine French tourists have been ejected from the eastern Indian state of Bihar for their alleged involvement in Maoist activities, police officials said.

The group was detained in the remote Nawada region known to be a Maoist stronghold in the state.

Police said they had violated visa regulations after they were found to be working with a group alleged to be a front for Maoist rebels.

The nine French nationals have not yet commented on the allegations.

A tourist visa rule specifically prohibits any socio-political activities in the country. 

"The group has been sent to the eastern city of Calcutta, from where they will go to the capital New Delhi," said SL Das, the superintendent of police in Bihar.

It is unclear if they will be deported from India, but correspondents say this is likely.

The police became suspicious of the French tourists because they were working in Nawada with Unity Forum, the group alleged to be a Maoist rebel front.

Unity Forum says it is simply working to protect the land and water rights of the poor, according to the Associated Press news agency

Maoist rebels have been described as the country's most serious internal security threat by India's prime minister.

The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of indigenous tribal people and the rural poor and have a strong presence in large parts of the eastern states of India.

Syria after two-day ‘massacre’ leaves 250 dead, U.S. warns

Syria’s main opposition group on Wednesday urged the UN Security Council and Arab League to hold emergency meetings into “the bloody massacres” as it reported 250 people killed in the past 48 hours.

Washington warned of new international measures against Syria, and said if Damascus did not fully implement an Arab League plan to contain the violence, “the international community will take additional steps to pressure the Assad regime to stop its crackdown.”
Reacting to reports of hundreds of civilians being killed this week, the SNC called for an "emergency UN Security Council session to discuss the regime’s massacres in Zawiyah mountain, Idlib, and Homs, in particular."
It also appealed for an "emergency meeting for the Arab League to condemn the bloody massacres... and cooperate with the United Nations in taking the necessary measures to protect Syrian civilians".
The SNC, a major umbrella group of factions opposed to President Bashar al-Assad, reported "250 fallen heroes during a 48-hour period."
President Bashar al-Assad’s regime accused the opposition of pushing for foreign intervention and trying to sabotage an Arab-brokered deal for observers, but ignoring calls for talks.
France denounced what it said was the "unprecedented massacre" and urged Russia to accelerate talks for a UN Security Council resolution on the crisis.

French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said: "Everything must be put in motion to end this murderous spiral into which Bashar al-Assad is dragging his people, deeper each day."

Russia has proposed a Security Council resolution that would denounce violence from both sides.
Syria blames the unrest on 'armed terrorist groups' - not peaceful protesters as maintained by Western powers and rights groups.
Its foreign minister, Walid Muallem, said he expected the observer mission to vindicate that position.