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Former US president Jimmy Carter joined several hundred protesters in the weekly anti-settlement demonstration in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on Friday. Carter was joined by Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner of Human Rights. Carter addressed the crowd, stating that he does not believe that destroying houses or evicting families from homes they have inhabited for generations are just actions that can lead to peace. He praised the Sheikh Jarrah protesters and said that he hoped their struggle would soon bear fruit. (Snip) On Thursday, Carter and a delegation of influential

Join Obama in honoring the dead Editorial Board Monday, November 09, 2009 President Barack Obama will be front and center at Fort Hood today to honor those killed and wounded in last Thursday's attack on unarmed soldiers preparing to deploy. That's where the commander in chief ought to be, and those who perpetrate division, anger and suspicion should have enough respect for the dead, the wounded and their families to let up for a bit. The din that followed the Fort Hood shooting was to be expected. Criticism of the nation's leader is nothing new, but in the information age,...

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2007 – In the shadow of the Washington Monument and under the watchful eyes of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, some 8,000 participants gathered at the National Mall here to walk in the third annual America Supports You Freedom Walk. Participants in the America Supports You National Freedom Walk arrive at the Pentagon, Sept. 9, 2007. The third annual walk started at the Lincoln Memorial. Defense Department photo by John Harrington Photography   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. America Supports You, a Defense Department program that connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families,...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2007 – After three days of screening, about 400 Iraqi citizens out of more than 600 applicants got their wish to become Iraqi police officers recently in Ramadi, Iraq. They were transported to Jordan Jan. 8 for a five-week training course. A year ago, a murderous intimidation campaign prevented local Iraqis from enlisting in Ramadi. This kept recruiting numbers for police at insignificant levels, according to Multinational Corps Iraq officials. That has changed, more than 1,000 enlisted in the police force last month, and more than 800 are expected to enlist in Anbar Province this month,...

Oxford archaeologists want to join studies on Iran's salt men TEHRAN, Sept. 27 (Mehr News Agency) -- The director of an archaeological team working at the Chehrabad Salt Mine in the Hamzehlu region near Zanjan said that a group of Oxford University archaeologists is interested in participating in the study on the salt men found at the mine. "A group of Oxford University archaeologists has prepared a plan, asking to participate in the study, and the Center for Archaeological Research is investigating the plan," Abolfazl Aali told the Persian service of CHN on Wednesday "The archaeologists will be invited to...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2006 -- A German army officer who has donated money to a group affiliated with DoD’s America Supports You organization plans to take a more personal role in confronting global terrorism. German 1st. Lt. Jens Praetzas visits the gravesite of U.S. Army Capt. John R. Teal at Arlington National Cemetery Aug. 14. This is Praetzas' first visit to the U.S. He is an active member of Operation AC, which started out as a way to send air conditioners to deployed troops and has evolved into a non-profit charity organization designed to send care packages to deployed...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2006 – Some 550 active-duty soldiers from Fort Lewis, Wash., will be conducting a different kind of firefight in the days ahead: helping control wildfires that have burned more than 83,000 acres in Washington’s Okanogan and Wenatchee national forests. Task Force Blaze, made up of many Fort Lewis units, boarded buses today after Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld gave the green light to the mission, which is expected to last about two months, according to Army Maj. Cathy Wilkinson, a 1st Corps plans and operations officer. The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, requested the deployment...

When Laurie-Ann Fuca told loved ones she was planning to become a soldier, some doubled over and laughed until their stomachs hurt. They hooted that she'd never pass the physical at her age, that she'd wilt without luxuries like manicures and martinis. No one's laughing now at the 41-year-old Tucson soccer mom, who is making history as the first Arizona woman to join the Army past her 40th birthday. The mother of four leaves for boot camp Monday, three weeks after her eldest son, a 19-year-old soldier, was sent to Iraq. Until recently, the scenario would have been impossible. But...

More than half of California's K-12 public education students enrolled in free or reduced-price meal programs last year, the first time that the majority of youngsters were approved for assistance, according to state and federal officials. California was one of a dozen states where the majority of students were certified for such programs, said Jean Daniel, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman. In Contra Costa, almost a third of all students signed up for the federally subsidized lunch and breakfast programs, the third school year in a row the county has seen an increase in the percentage of students. Nearly...

NORTH PERSIAN GULF (NNS) -- Seven Iraqi naval officers became the first Iraqis to participate in a Commander, Task Group (CTG) 158.1 Commanding Officers' Conference here, June 6. Every month, the COs of CTG 158.1, comprised of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, as well as Royal British and Australian navy leaders, assemble to discuss issues pertaining to the protection of the Iraqi oil terminals, training of Iraqi naval forces and the security of the maritime environment. “It allows the commanding officers of all the units who are conducting maritime security operations (MSO) up here to express some of their concerns...

Israeli Naval Forces Will Join NATO Exercise for First Time 19:40 May 30, '06 / 3 Sivan 5766 by Scott Shiloh For the first time since its founding in 1949, NATO will fully integrate Israeli Naval forces into a miltary exercise that will take place next month in the Black Sea. Ahead of the exercise, eight ships belonging to the NATO Southern Command docked Monday morning at Haifa port. The ships form part of a rapid deployment force and will remain in Haifa until June 4. The ships arrived as part of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue, a program set up with...

Banks join US curbs on Iran By Alec Russell in Washington (Filed: 23/05/2006) The Bush administration has persuaded four of Europe's largest banks to start breaking off contacts with Iran as Washington pushes for anti-Iranian sanctions by "the back door", it emerged yesterday. Citing anti-terrorist laws the United States Treasury and the State Department are strengthening their efforts for banks in the Middle East, America and Europe to cut their links with Iran. President Ahmadinejad's regime is being hit with ‘smart sanctions’ Banks with branches and headquarters on US soil have in the past faced huge fines for dealing with...

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md., May 19, 2006 – America Supports You welcomed a new corporate team member today during the Joint Service Open House here for Armed Forces Day weekend. The Connect and Join booth, part of the Joint Service Open House held at Andrews Air Force Base, offered some projects suggested on its Web site. Lindsey Stinger helps her daughter, Grace, 3, with a piece of sand art. Her other daughter, Caroline, 5 (left) and two sons, Jack, 8, and Michael, 5 (far right) also enjoyed peeling paper shapes off large sticker sheets and applying colored sand...

Iraqi police officers conduct drill and ceremony during an Iraqi police graduation at the Imam Police Academy in Najaf, Iraq, May 18, 2006. U.S. Army photo Grads Join Iraqi Police Ranks, Support Blood Drive U.S. soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, were on hand to witness the graduation ceremony. By U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Alexander Callahan 2nd Brigade Combat Team 4th Infantry Divison FORWARD OPERATING BASE DUKE, Iraq, May 19, 2006 — The Imam Ali Police Academy in Najaf hosted a graduation ceremony May 18, inducting more than 280 new...

FERRIS, Iraq (May 9, 2006) -- Dozens of Iraqi men waited outside an Iraqi Police station here at the break of dawn to enlist and serve their country, May 8. Marines from I Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, provided logistical and security support during an Iraqi Army recruiting drive. It was overseen by Iraqi policemen. It was part of a recruiting drive to bring Iraqis from the outskirts of Fallujah to the Iraqi Army. A similar drive held nearly two months ago inside Fallujah brought in more than 800 men. Lance Cpl. Michael Betancourt, an...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a bipartisan delegation of legislative leaders flew around the state yesterday to promote the $37.3 billion public works bond package approved last week for the November ballot. “When I ran for governor, people always said it would be impossible to bring Democrats and Republicans together,” the Republican governor told an airport news conference in San Diego. “But we've proven again that we can come together.” Schwarzenegger highlighted school construction money that would go to San Diego if the education component of the package is approved in the November election. “For San Diego, this means that for...

FALLUJAH, Iraq (May 5, 2006) -- More than 300 Fallujan men stepped forward to be Iraqi police recruits during a three-day recruiting drive here, despite a homicide bomber attack and the threat of additional violence. The goal of the recruiting drive was to sign-up 300 Iraqi police recruits, however, the drive ended yesterday with 348 men accepted out of 402 screened applicants. “Our first mission was to ensure we got 300 successful applicants from the drive,” said Staff Sgt. Lamont L. Hall, the 33-year-old operations chief for the Police Transition Team assigned to the Fallujah Police District. “The second mission...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2006 – The Defense Department will participate in a re-review of a slated acquisition of shipping terminal operations at six major U.S. ports by a United Arab Emirates-owned firm, a senior Pentagon official said here today. It's too early to say, DoD spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters, which department representatives would work with the re-review that's to be conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. DoD elements were part of the first review also. Dubai Ports World, owned by the United Arab Emirates government, bought British-owned ports operator Peninsular and Oriental Steam...

In addition to their graduation certificates, students leave with a starter kit of supplies or tools needed to work in their respective fields. QALAT, Afghanistan, Feb. 24, 2006 — More than 30 students graduated from a basic computer class at a new vocational school Jan. 18 at the Qalat Provincial Reconstruction Team base in Zabul Province. "The Qalat [Provincial Reconstruction Team] believes this vocational school is moving the Afghan work force forward. There is a … willingness from the youth of Zabul Province (to take) a substantial interest in the future of themselves as well as Afghanistan." U.S. Army Lt....