Epstein Secrets

providing supplies to civilians trapped in three areas: the old city of Horns, in central Syria; the town of Darayya, about six miles southwest of Damascus; and the town of Moadamiyeh, about eight miles southwest of the capital. A relief working group has been coordinated by Valerie Amos, the United Na

ld go to the rival Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority. As a result, pumping stations ceased operation in November, and many streets in southern Gaza City are now inundated with human excrement. Residents must sandbag their homes so they won't be flooded by raw sewage. The stench is intolerable. With

e moderate because they bore the brunt of economic boycotts and military clashes with Israel. Exiled Hamas bosses living in the relative comfort of Damascus, however, could afford to take a tougher stance. But the "Arab Spring" has turned the equation on its head, with longtime hard-liners who had resid

" she said in an e-mailed statement. Los Angeles Times Hamas factions' reversal of roles rooted in 'Arab Spring' Edmund Sanders June 17, 2012 -- Gaza City -- Just a couple of years ago, the prevailing wisdom about Hamas was that its Gaza Strip-based leaders were forced to be more moderate because they

replaces the old idea of dynasty. The regime of the Al-Assads does not believe in freedom of information. An American journalist friend of mine, in Damascus during the regime of the father, Hafez, witnessed a failed attempt to assassinate that president, and he accordingly filed a report to his wire ser

ve been disappointed by Hamas's lurch into police state paranoia following 2007. "They have informants everywhere," complains one social worker in Gaza City. "[They are] even paying kids a few shekels to report on people in their neighborhood." Inspired by popular uprisings in the region, parallel stree

guaranteed access to U.S. markets. The Iraq War was designed to "shock and awe" that nation's ruler and to convince other opponents of the U.S., in Damascus and Tehran, especially, that they could be next. Meanwhile, it was hoped that once a pro-Western, democratic Iraq stabilized, it would give the U.

ed of repair. EFTA_R1_00441195 EFTA01964447 Article 5. NYT Pressure Rises on Hamas as Patrons' Support Fades Jodi Rudoren August 23, 2013 -- Gaza City — The tumult roiling the Arab world had already severed the lifeline between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and two of its most important pat

ore than a year, Mr. Assad's government has been committing crimes a=ainst humanity in Syria. As it fights for survival on the streets of Alepp= and Damascus, the risk of unrestrained reprisals against Mr. Assad's Al=wite sect and Syria's other religious minorities is growing every day. Following the ris

Arab World Jodi Rudoren<http://topics.nytimes.comitopireference/timestopics/people/r/j=di_rudoren/index.html> and Fares Akram November 15, 2012 -- Gaza City — Instead of the wedding drums that typic=lly provide the evening soundtrack in this forlorn coastal strip, the blac=, still air was pierced by guns

ghting alongside Assad forces inside Syria. Meanwhile, wiping Israel off the map can wait. Conflict with Sunnis gives Hizbollah and its patrons in Damascus and Tehran a regional role; war with Israel is costly and unrewarding, a lesson that Hafez Al Assad learnt some 40 years ago. As such, as Syria's

u chief of the Kuwaiti newspaper Alrai. Associated Press Qatar's emir to head to Hamas-ruled Gaza Ibrahim Barzak EFTA00711389 Oct. 21, 2012 -- Gaza City, Gaza Strip (AP) — The ruler of Qatar is expected in the Gaza Strip this week, in what would be a major stamp of legitimacy for the territory's Isl