Foreign Dispatch – FOX News Radio: Recent Episodes
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At least 60 people are dead after clashes in Libya. FOX’s Jessica Golloher has the details: Pro-government militiamen fighting ISIS militants in Sirte along with an explosion at an ammunitions depot has killed dozens in a single day, according to a Libyan state news agency. Garabulli Municipal Council spokesman Sharif Jadallah says the explosion at the ammunitions depot followed clashes with militants… He says it was a catastrophe and that officials are still finding human remains. In Sirte, the last bastion of ISIS in Libya, clashes broke out with militiamen aligned with the newly-U.N. brokered government. Violence has increased in Libya since Moammar Gadafi’s ouster and death in 2011. In the Mideast Bureau, Jessica Golloher, FOX News. FOX’s Jessica Golloher on Twitter: @JessicaGolloher
The President meets with the Dalai Lama in the Oval Office. FOX’s Jon Decker has more from the White House: China denounced the Oval Office meeting between the President and the Dalai Lama with a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman saying that it will hurt US-China mutual trust and cooperation. The President has previously described the Dalai Lama as a “good friend”. The Buddhist leader has pushed for more Tibetan autonomy while China accuses him of encouraging outright independence. The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. At the White House, Jon Decker, FOX News. FOX’s Jon Decker on Twitter: @JonDeckerFox
By FOX News Radio’s Simon Owen in Wales: It’s 8:30am on a crisp, sunny Friday morning in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and a small crowd has gathered downtown to watch a military flyover. 22 jets are due to pass any time now on their way to a NATO summit of world leaders, including President Obama, taking place nearby. And while we wait, people are swapping stories about the experience of having a titanic security operation turn up in your back yard. The people of Cardiff have been, in my experience, nothing but welcoming over the course of this two-day conference, despite a flurry of road closures in the middle of their city, an influx of police armed with machine guns and the installation of giant metal fences around one of their best-known landmarks, Cardiff Castle, where leaders ate last night. When they say it’s been “dreadful”, they say it with a smile. It seems it’s been tough getting around by bus (downtown Cardiff is wonderfully pedestrianized if you are on foot, but when the few remaining normal roads are hit by road closures for security reasons, routes have apparently slowed to a crawl), but for every frustration there’s an occasional interesting sight to take in (such as President Obama’s motorcade: “There must have been 30 cars,” one local said. “For one man!”). 20 miles outside of Cardiff, at the luxury Celtic Manor golf resort (the irony is presumably not lost on the President after all the grief he got for playing some rounds while on holiday recently), the Presidents and Prime Ministers of NATO’s 28 member states are wrapping up what has turned out to be a rather more dramatic summit than it was supposed to be: it had been due to focus on finalizing NATO’s pull-out from Afghanistan later this year, but after recent world events the alliance now wants to send a deterring message to Russia after the unrest in Ukraine, while on the sidelines, President Obama and his top diplomats are trying to recruit countries to a coalition mission to confront terror group Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Celtic Manor hosted the Ryder Cup four years ago, but golf purists would do well to look away today: there are tanks on the fairways and a fighter jet parked at the entrance, as defense companies try and sell their wares to any defense minister nearby who may have a few hundred million burning a hole in his or her back pocket. Inside, the heads of government and dozens of others are gathered around an enormous circular table — a piece of furniture so huge and slick it would catch the eye of any decent Hollywood villain. In Cardiff, I get chatting to a man who knows someone who knows someone who was apparently involved in the building of the table (from fine Welsh oak, of course). “I just wonder what they’ll do with it now,” he says. Eventually, the planes arrive, just before 9am, by which time a number of people at this impromptu gathering of a couple-hundred have had to drift away to work, and many of those who have stuck it out are wondering why they bothered: rather than a spectacular acrobatic display, we instead see the aircraft, too far away to be identified by laymen, cruise by slowly in a pretty dull formation on their way to see the world leaders up the road. “Is that it!?” one lady says with a laugh, and, at a slightly slower speed than normal, the people of Cardiff head on their way. LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Simon Owen reporting from Cardiff, Wales:
By: FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Tel Aviv I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent a few hours one night sleeping in the bathtub. Gaza is tiny – about 25 miles long and 10 miles wide – and the fighting is unbelievably close. Hamas is often accused of firing rockets from civilian areas, but with nearly two million people crammed into this tiny strip of land, it’s one of the most densely populated places in the world. People living there will tell you that there are civilians everywhere. I watched rockets fired from either side of my hotel and minutes later received updates from friends and colleagues in Israel that sirens were wailing in their cities and they could hear the boom of the country’s missile defense system intercepting them above. When darkness falls, the city’s soundtrack gets a little louder. There’s the whoosh of the rockets, the rumble of fighter jets roaring in and out like thunder, the large booms of explosions that shake the building and rattle the windows and the constant thud, thud, thud of naval gunfire. Then there’s the constant buzz of Israeli drones like giant mosquitoes that never leave. After I left Gaza, it took a day or so before the hum of an air conditioner no longer sounded like a surveillance aircraft. Listen below to some of Emily Wither’s reporting from Gaza, on those with passports leaving family members behind: Add to that the constant power cuts that plunge you into darkness. I imagine entire extended families huddled together in their cramped high-rise apartments paralyzed in fear by the sounds of the night. I know that they don’t have the same reassuring knowledge that the building they are in will never be hit. The radio show hosts I speak to across America often ask me, “What do the Palestinians do when there’s an air strike?” or “Why do they stay in Gaza?” That question always throws me slightly– they do nothing, I reply. Unlike other wars where civilian’s head for the border, Gazans are trapped bordered by Israel and Egypt they can’t leave. There are no air raid sirens, bomb shelters or iPhone apps warning of incoming fire. In Israel– they run around before the attacks. In Gaza– they run around afterwards. At Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, they arrive with blood dripping out of the door in taxis, civilian cars, and sometimes ambulances. They literally slam in to each other outside the front door to rush in the injured. A doctor’s hands shake as he tells me he’s mostly treating civilians caught in the crossfire. Listen below to some of Emily Wither’s reporting on the chaotic scene outside a hospital in Gaza: I’ve never covered a story before where I’ve received constant online abuse for being biased on either side. Some of my colleagues have received hate mail. We also got an email from Israel’s government press office explaining that the state is not responsible for our lives while covering the conflict. Disclaimer: This blog is just a snapshot of my experience. I didn’t grow up with the terror of suicide bombings or the danger of rockets randomly falling from the sky. Nor do I know what it’s like to live behind checkpoints and be denied the right to travel freely. All I know is the sight of a father sheltering his wife and children from an incoming attack looks the same on the manicured lawns of Tel Aviv as it does on the dusty road in Gaza. I left Gaza before the ground operation started. It was terrifying then. My gut is twisted in a knot imagining what it’s like now. The hardest thing about going to Gaza is knowing the horror you leave behind. Follow Emily on Twitter: @ewither Click HERE to read more on the crisis
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in Bethlehem In the little town of Bethlehem, even the tree trunks had been painted white, in preparation for the arrival of Pope Francis. “Improvise.” That seemed to be the word used most to describe the 266th Pope in the days leading up to his whirlwind trip to the Holy Land. No one I spoke to believed he’d stick to the script and he didn’t disappoint. Whether it was deviating from prepared speeches, or squeezing in impromptu stops to his already packed itinerary, the Pope surprised at every turn. Vatican officials told us at the start of his trip, the Pope’s visit was a religious pilgrimage. But it’s impossible to come here and avoid politics, and the Pope dove straight into the thorny issues of the Middle East. “I think he will help to raise the bar,” said Catholic Priest Eamon Kelly. “Not so much to be a broker of managing getting together, but more saying ‘lift up your hearts, and look at each other in the eye with a new attitude’.” Despite the neatly manicured flowerbeds and well-choreographed photo opportunities, the Pope’s unexpected stop at Israel’s West Bank barrier in Bethlehem is likely to be the enduring image of this trip. In an act described as deeply moving by Palestinians, the Pope touched the wall and said a prayer. Scrawled above him, graffiti read: “Pope we need some 1 to speak about justice” and “Bethlehem look like Warsaw ghetto.” Beforehand, he’d called the current stalemate in the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks “unacceptable.” Delivering a powerful boost of support for the Palestinians he further cemented his reputation as the Pope that champions the underdog referring to the “State of Palestine” and arriving directly to Bethlehem by helicopter from Jordan. In another unscripted move at the end of the open air Mass in Bethlehem’s Manger Square, the Pope invited the Palestinian and Israeli Presidents to the Vatican next month to pray for peace. “This visit of the Pope has brought new hope to the people,” Emma Alaina told me over the cheering crowd gathered for Mass. “I think it’s a much needed inspiration for people,” she continued. Alaina is a second generation Palestinian, born in America. Her parents fled during Israel’s creation in 1948. Songs of praise rung out in the square competing with the Muslim call to prayer echoing loudly in the background as Mass drew to an end. It made for an unusual mix of sounds, but seemed especially fitting, given the Pope’s message of religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue. Moments after the Pope left the square and families scrambled to get out of the midday sun both leaders accepted the Pope’s invitation. “President Peres has supported and will continue to support all avenues to bring about peace,” Peres’ office said in a statement. But no sooner after cleaners descended on the square armed with brooms and trash bags, local commentators were pointing out that the Israeli President, Shimon Peres, is weeks away from retirement and his role is mostly ceremonial. There’s little hope that this unusual initiative to pray for peace at the Vatican will make any difference in the decades-long conflict. LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Bethlehem: WATCH FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Bethlehem:
The U.S. brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have collapsed with no current plans to continue discussions at a later date. President Obama has blamed both sides for taking unhelpful steps during the nine months of talks. This is a sentiment also echoed by the U.S. special envoy Martin Indyk, citing Israeli settlement building as well as the Palestinian leadership’s pursuit of further UN recognition contributing to the breakdown in talks. One particular settlement announcement that made headlines in Israel was a development in the tense West Bank city of Hebron. FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither has a special video report from there, WATCH: (Camera work by Andrea DiCenzo)
Surrounded by wars, revolution and political change – the world’s last living Samaritans cling to tradition in the heart of the West Bank. This tiny community somehow survives century to century keeping their faith alive for generations to come through their ancient practices. FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither joined them for their Passover celebrations in the West Bank. (PLEASE NOTE: VIDEO contains some graphic images) Video Shot By: Andrea DiCenzo
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither, who interviewed three women in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, who are campaigning for the right to drive. LISTEN to the interview: Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women aren’t allowed to get behind the wheel. In the ultra-conservative Kingdom they also need permission from a male relative or husband if they want to travel, get married or go to college. When President Obama visited Saudi Arabia last week, human rights groups were calling on him to take a stand and use a female Secret Service agent as his driver. It was always going to be unlikely. The President was traveling to the Kingdom to repair strained relations and officials say he didn’t raise human rights issues during his meeting with King Abdullah. But a small group of brave women hopped in cars during his visit and despite facing arrest, they’ve vowed to keep driving. There isn’t a written law that bars women from driving, but they’re not able to get licenses and the Interior Ministry have warned any violators will be dealt with firmly. Women have been breaking the ban since the 1990’s. Back then, around 50 women were jailed for a day, lost their jobs and had their passports confiscated. But in the last six months the campaign has picked up again as women in Saudi Arabia continue to fight for the right to drive. Follow FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither on Twitter: @ewither
By: FOX News Radio’s Jessica Golloher in Sevastopol, Ukraine on the Black Sea coast of the Crimean Peninsula The people of Ukraine have gone through a lot within the last few weeks. They’ve fomented a revolution, forced out president Viktor Yanukovych, formed a new Parliament and will be voting on a new President on May 25th. Now, they’re faced with Crimea— voting whether to join the former Soviet Union. The brand-new government has hardly had time to catch its breath, not to mention to try to fix Ukraine’s 39 billion-dollar budget deficit. Shortly after Yanukovych was ousted, he popped up in southern Russia, in Rostov-on-Don. Russia offered Yanukovych refuge– maintaining that Yanukovych is still the legitimate president of Ukraine and that the new government in Kiev is illegitimate– run by fascists and those who will most likely persecute Russian speakers. The fugitive president is wanted for mass murder in the deaths of more than 75 Ukrainians. This, after the now disbanded Berkut riot police and snipers shot protesters in Independence Square after a European Union brokered cease-fire was agreed upon by Yanukovych. The same day that Yanukovych appeared in Russia, the strategic Crimean Peninsula here saw an almost overnight increase in the presence of Russian speaking troops. It was like someone had waved a magic wand. Troops effortlessly took over two military airports and Simferopol’s International Airport. One man said that the forces were mere humble, Russian-speaking Crimeans who wanted to protect themselves from what he called “the new fascist government that had been installed in Kiev”. The so-called humble, Russian-speaking troops with their arsenal of modern tanks, military helicopters and warships has raised a lot of eyebrows. Especially, since they appear to be manned by highly trained people– taking over key military installations here. Forcing the head of Ukraine’s Navy, who had only been on the job for two days, to surrender. He is now being tried for treason. Ukraine’s Coast Guard has also moved several of its ships from key ports here in Crimea, out into the Black Sea. Kiev maintains that they’re still loyal to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the same day Yanukovych appeared in Russia and just a few days before he gave his first press conference since fleeing Ukraine– regional parliament in Simferopol and several surrounding buildings were taken over by Russian speaking gunmen. They lowered the Ukrainian flag and raised Russia’s. Nota Bene: Yanukovych says he didn’t abscond, he merely left because his life was threatened and his family in danger. During the mass demonstrations that occurred before the regional parliament was seized, one man suffered a heart attack as the crowds swelled. Dozens of others were injured in fistfights. After parliament was taken over, the autonomous region of Crimea elected a Prime Minister, Sergey Aksenov. He has since declared full control of the local military, law enforcement and security services. Ukraine’s newly elected Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has repeatedly come out to say that Aksenov doesn’t have a government and that Crimea belongs to Ukraine and always will. Yatsenyuk did concede, however, that Crimea’s local powers could be increased. This, as much of the world has been trying to figure out who exactly is responsible for the thousands of well-equipped troops here? None of the troops have any sort of insignia and when I’ve asked them questions, they don’t respond. So it’s difficult to ascertain an accent. A third generation Crimean, who didn’t want to give his name, says the troops are in fact self-defense forces and not Russian. When I asked him who was financing them, he shrugged his shoulders and said– “Not Russia”. Ukraine’s interim President has called the troops a military intervention and occupation by Moscow. Several days after the announcement, Putin asked Russian parliament for permission to send troops into Ukraine. He was granted permission. A day afterwards, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, came out to say that even though Putin has the ability to use troops in Ukraine, doesn’t mean he will. Adding that Putin was aware of all of his options, including recalling Moscow’s ambassador to Washington. Again– Ukraine asked Moscow to pull back its troops. Russia’s response? Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov came out to say that the thousands of troops here lining Crimea, in addition to their accoutrements, didn’t belong to Moscow– they’re self-defense forces. So, the Kremlin couldn’t call them home. The same day Lavrov made his announcement, Crimea’s Prime Minister echoed Lavrov’s claim, saying that the some 11,000 troops here are special-defense forces from Crimea. Sergey Aksenov upped the ante by saying that the troops had taken over key Ukrainian military installations here, and what hasn’t been surrendered by Ukraine, has been blocked. So, after all this back and forth, what does the average Crimean think about the so-called self-defense troops? Most everyone I spoke with, whether they were for or against Moscow, were uneasy with them being in their backyard. It’s unsettling. For those who thought that the troops were here to protect the average Crimean and Russia’s interests in the some 60% Russian-speaking region, they still felt uneasy. People who are pro-Kiev say there’s nothing that they can do about them, because well, they’re here. And, what can be done about it? Washington has threatened sanctions against Russia. But many are wondering what affect that will actually have. The last time America slapped Russia’s wrist was with the so-called ‘Magnitsky list’, naming Russians allegedly involved in the death of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky– who died in a Russian prison while awaiting trial on charges of tax fraud. Those on the list were denied entry into the U.S. and their assets frozen. Moscow responded by hitting below the belt– and not to mention where it hurts, by banning Americans from adopting Russian children. Some 16,000 Russian children have been adopted by Americans since the collapse of the Soviet Union– and many children were in the process of being adopted when the ban went into effect. The events that have taken place here in Ukraine are unbelievable to many. How did the thousands of very well trained troops end up with matching camouflage outfits and machine guns? Did their leader go to the local Army-Navy store here and make a mass purchase? Where did all of these men come from? Especially, since ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych got rid of conscription two years ago and Ukraine has only a volunteer force. Plus, Ukraine’s military is sorely underfunded. Leaders weren’t able to infuse the armed forces with mass funds after the collapse of the Soviet Union– especially given the recent budget deficit. And Crimea is part of Ukraine, isn’t it? That’s the million-dollar question as military helicopters continue to surround my hotel here in Sevastopol and I can see warships speeding through the Black Sea. In Crimea, Jessica Golloher, FOX News Radio. Click HERE for more Ukraine Crisis coverage Click HERE for another Foreign Dispatch from Ukraine
By: FOX News Radio’s Jessica Golloher in Crimea, Ukraine Two days after Ukraine’s now disbanded riot police killed more than 50 people via sniper attacks in the worst violence since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kiev’s Independence Square looks like a war zone— and well, according to protester Slava, it is. He’s been here fighting for what he calls the “right” Ukraine since November. This after fugitive embattled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych decided to scrap a free-trade agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Moscow. After Yanukovych made the proclamation, Moscow announced a $19 billion dollar loan to its neighbor and a dramatic cut in the price of gas supplies. Thousands in Ukraine became enraged, especially in the capital of Kiev. They were in favor of the years-long process the country had been on to pave the way to join the European Union. As a result, demonstrators created a makeshift camp in central Independence square. They wanted to make their presence known, right in front of parliament. And they did. One can see sprawling tents throughout the square as smoke billows from the makeshift huts. People stream in and out, greeting each other, asking if someone has a plate– would you like some soup? Do you have sugar? The smoke is bad, today, yes? This scene is much more subdued than days earlier when the square was on fire. Demonstrators were caught on film throwing firebombs, sticks and pieces of parliament at Ukrainian riot police. They wanted a Ukraine without Yanukovych and they were dead set on doing whatever it took. The violence was so intense that Yanukovich agreed to a European-brokered cease fire. Problem is, the same day the cease fire was agreed upon, Berkut riot police started shooting at protesters, killing one after the other. More violence ensued forcing Yanukovych to flee. And, according to the people they won. Unfortunately, fomenting a revolution appears to be the easy part. What now? Ukraine is a deeply divided country. It’s not just about facing west towards Europe or east towards Moscow. Every single protester that I interviewed in Independence Square said they had no problem with the Kremlin. When I asked Dmitry what he thought about Russia, he said, “You know. We’re friends. They’re our neighbor. We have no problem with them. We just want the oligarchs out and the crooks gone. We want a good Ukraine.” Dmitry’s response could be duplicated across Ukraine, as well as a pro-European one. On Thursday, Ukraine voted in favor of a 21-member parliament. Critics say it’s not exactly the ‘A’ team. Some of those elected have faced allegations of corruption, many were part of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna’s party and others were heroes of the violence that ousted Yanukovych. The same day that the pro-western parliament was agreed upon, armed men in Russian-speaking Crimea took over regional parliament and several surrounding buildings. They lowered Ukraine’s flag and raised Russia’s. Crimea is some 60% Russian speaking. Many believe that the new government will persecute them because they lean towards Moscow. They’re afraid their schools will be closed and that they’ll be targeted. Meanwhile, armed gunmen have also taken over a military airport near the port of Sevastopol where the Kremlin has a military base and the International Simferopol Airport. The news has stoked Ukraine’s fears of a Russian occupation. Meanwhile, Yanukovych is in Russia where he has asked the Kremlin to keep him safe from persecution. He claims that his still president of Ukraine. This, as Moscow has deployed some 150,000 troops to the Black Sea for what it calls exercises to establish Russia’s military readiness. Now the real work begins. In Crimea, Jessica Golloher, FOX News Radio.
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in Jerusalem, Israel Perched on a hilltop surrounded by beautiful countryside, Cheski Baum from Brooklyn, NY enjoys a tasting session at a local winery during a vacation with his wife and son. But he’s not just here to enjoy the local produce; he’s also making a political statement. “One of the reasons we came here today is because we heard on the radio that there are calls to boycott products from Judea and Samaria and we want to come and show our support for these companies,” he explained, while sipping an award-winning house red. Judea and Samaria is the official Israeli name for what is universally known as the West Bank. Psagot Winery is just north of Jerusalem and is built in a settlement erected on land Israel captured in 1967. Settlements like this one are considered illegal under international law and the Palestinians claim this land as part of a prospective future state. In recent months the call to boycott any products or businesses with links to Israeli settlements is getting louder and it has rattled lawmakers here. The government is quietly discussing ways to counter it, including the possibility of hiring a PR company to boost Israel’s image abroad. But among the sweet smells of wood and wine from stacks of oak vats, owner Yaakov Berg dismisses the warnings as just another example of “racism”. “If I close my winery, will peace come? No. Peace means that we live together and we are. The only way there will be peace is if we do business together,” he explained. Berg states that 70% of his wine is sold on the foreign market and while he confidently predicts that any boycotts will actually lead to increased sales, he admits overseas buyers are becoming more reluctant to do business with him. “Israel needs to be worried as a whole. But we will find a way to fight this,” he added. The U.S. and EU are warning Israel that if the latest round of peace talks with the Palestinians collapses, the state could face isolation. “There’s an increasing de-legitimization campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it. There is talk of boycotts and other kinds of things” remarked Secretary of State John Kerry in a recent speech at the annual Munich security conference. Those comments sparked furious reactions from Israeli lawmakers and an outright dismissal from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The State Department promptly released a statement explaining that Kerry was opposed to a boycott and sought only to explain the situation in his speech. But many businessmen here are worried that a boycott won’t only harm business with links to settlements like the winery, but Israel as a whole. A third of Israel’s trade is with the EU and the country’s finance minister, Yair Lapid, predicts any boycott would to lead to thousands of job losses. The Palestinian-led boycott campaign, launched in 2005, was considered nothing more than a nuisance. However, the boycott campaign in recent months has gathered momentum. Denmark’s largest bank blacklisted a top Israeli bank for their links to settlements and the American Studies Association recently voted overwhelmingly to boycott Israeli universities. At a coffee shop in Ramallah, one of the co-founders of the campaign for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel, known as BDS, excitedly explained that they’ve never had so much interest in their cause. “Boycott is a time proven non-violent tool of resisting oppression,” said Omar Barghouti. “Many oppressed communities around the world have used it and now the Palestinians are using it.” Over the last few weeks the boycott debate has dominated the headlines here. The country’s most popular news program on Channel 2 ran a prime-time feature on the issue, while a leading newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, ran the front page headline, “100 leaders of the economy warn of boycott on Israel,” in bold lettering. Barghouti says if the Israelis fail to reach an agreement with the Palestinians, the boycott movement is going to grow rapidly. He compared it to the international boycotts South Africa faced under apartheid. “At the rate it’s going this year, we think that we will reach our South Africa moment,” he predicted. LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Jerusalem:
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither at a refugee camp on the Syrian-Jordanian border A pack of boys, a little more than 10 years old, crouch down to collect rocks from the dusty desert ground. “I reckon those are headed for us,” remarks my translator, quickening his pace back to the car. He was right. Nearly half of the Syrian refugees at Za’atari camp are children. A sprawling mass of tents and caravans in the middle of the Jordanian desert. It’s a place where conflict is robbing many of their childhood. Over 100,000 Syrians live here making it the country’s fourth largest city and the world’s second largest refugee camp. “Imagine, this new generation cannot read or write and they are growing up filled with hate, dreaming of becoming fighters,” explains Mohamed. Mohamed is the leader of what is known as section 1 or downtown. It’s the oldest, most condensed part of the camp and the area aid workers here consider the most dangerous. “A kid as young as 12 asked his father the other day– ‘why isn’t the U.S. helping us?’” He angrily spits out the words explaining that many hate America for not trying to stop the conflict. “Children five years-old are being slaughtered like sheep and your heart won’t move?” As the call to prayer rings out in the distance, we drink sweet tea in Mohamed’s home with his wife and three kids. He’s been here since the camp sprung up more than a year and a half ago and his tent has been replaced with a prefabricated hut. Like many at Za’atari, he has an eye on events in Geneva where the opposition are holding the first face-to-face talks with the regime. But hopes for a peace deal aren’t high here with many Syrians telling me President Assad can only be removed by force. The growth of this settlement is staggering. I was here just over a year ago when there was little more than tents and dust. Since then, the population has more than doubled and most Syrians now live in caravans. There are also three hospitals and two supermarkets have just opened. A few steps from Mohamed’s home is a bustling market street nicknamed by some aid workers the “Champs-Elysee”. Entrepreneurial residents have opened some 3,000 makeshift shops selling everything from nuts to wedding dresses. There are also cafés, butchers and cell phone stores. But this new city in the desert– just over seven miles from the Syrian border, is dusty, dirty and difficult to live in. “If there was a no-fly zone put in place we’d go home straight away, it’d be safe for us to go home,” Jawad said. He’s been at the camp for seven months with 13 members of his family. They wash, cook and sleep together in an area not much bigger than a small studio. “There is no life here,” he adds– telling me he doesn’t send his kids to school in the camp because there is a lot of fighting. There are number of schools at Za’atari, but attendance is low. The camp manager from the U.N. refugee agency, Kilian Kleinschmidt, says he worries Syrian children are becoming a lost generation. “When you look into the eyes of kids you don’t see kids, you see little adults,” he said. Kleinschmidt says there is a lot of violence among the kids and they’re responsible for most of the security incidents at Za’atari. “You’re seeing little kids helping the big boys do bad things,” he added. Among the estimated 2.5 million Syrians that fled the country since the conflict began, one million of them are children. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees recently warned that children face a “catastrophic” life in exile as many miss out on an education and are forced into work early. “We must remember that displacement is tragic,” Kleinschmidt said. “This crisis is the most dramatic crisis we have seen since probably the Second World War with the tsunami of people in the region and within Syria.” WATCH FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from the refugee camp: LISTEN to some of Emily’s reporting from a refugee camp on the Syrian-Jordanian border:
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in the southern Lebanese village of Maaroub A row of black flags flutter in the breeze outside what appears to be an abandoned home in the southern Lebanese village of Maaroub; “It’s a flag of grief, they are in mourning,” I’m told. With its gaping windows and unfinished staircase, this concrete slab looks more like a building site than someone’s home. Signs of life are found on the first floor where a pile of colorful shoes clutters a doorway. Behind a creaking door, two rooms are home to 12 people. They share one kitchen and a toilet and have little in the way of furnishings. Khaled Hassan says his family escaped from Idlib in northwestern Syria, an area that has seen intense fighting in recent years. “We are happy with the house, but it is too small for us,” he said. Sitting around on worn carpets drinking Arabic coffee, the family explains that life is tough for them; the children cannot go to school and the parents are unable to work. But this family considers themselves among the lucky ones. Thousands of refugees across the region have braved the worst winter for decades in little more than makeshift tents. Nearly two and a half million Syrians have fled their country; around a million have crossed into Lebanon. Unlike other neighboring countries such as Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, there are no official camps here. In a recent editorial in a British newspaper, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati says his country cannot cope anymore with the refugee crisis. He explained that as one of the smallest countries in the region, the numbers are the equivalent of 100 million refugees arriving in the U.S. looking for shelter. The Norwegian Refugee Council is trying to help with the accommodation crisis by refurbishing unfinished or abandoned buildings to a basic living standard for families like the Hassan’s. “One of the common factors here is that many buildings are started, but families may be waiting for extra money to take them to the next stage, so these are buildings that have probably never been lived in,” explained Niamh Murnaghan, NRC country director. In return for converting the properties into a livable space, the families are able to live rent-free in the accommodation for one year. Murnaghan says the NRC has fixed up about 10,000 properties housing 50-60,000 people, but it’s a drop in the ocean and can only be part of the solution. “One of the major factors in Lebanon is how much of an urban crisis this is. So many of the refugees are living in towns and are very invisible to the general public,” she added. As the conflict enters its fourth year, Murnaghan says shelter will be a major concern for 2014. “A lot of people are in the private rental market and there’s very little understanding about how people are organizing themselves to pay rent. We are hearing that people’s resources are being exhausted,” she explained. Lebanon is slowly being dragged into the Syrian conflict. There have been three bombings in the capital Beirut this year alone, coupled with outbreaks of fighting as sectarian tensions force Lebanese to pick a side in a war that’s spilling over their borders. In some villages in southern Lebanon, posters of young men have started popping up alongside the faded images of martyrs that died in the 80’s and 90’s fighting Israel. These men belong to a new generation of Hezbollah fighters that lost their lives battling alongside the Syrian government. Back at Hassan’s house, a new generation of Syrian children play on old cushions and a broken crate lying on the floor of the balcony. For the rest of them, Hassan says they pass the time by counting the days until they can return home. “We are just waiting, that’s all we do. We wait,” Hassan said. WATCH for more from FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in Lebanon: LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Lebanon:
By FOX News Radio’s Simon Owen in Berlin, Germany: Berliners have been waiting a while for a visit from President Obama. He made a famous appearance here as a presidential candidate five years ago. But until now, he hadn’t returned to the German capital since taking office. So there was no shortage of interest when late Tuesday night, Air Force One landed; bringing with it the first family, along with a small army of aides, Secret Service agents and the White House Press Corps. A visit from the President means a security operation like pretty much no other for the host nation. As we disembarked our press plane, with AF1 parked next door, dozens of German police cars with their distinctive Polizei signage, were dotted around the airport and its exit. Nothing was being left to chance. German SWAT tanks lined up outside the President’s hotel, and every guest, including reporters like me and also others unconnected to the White House, were told they’d have to line up to be screened in a large military-green tent outside the hotel’s front door. But, this was a brief inconvenience. The President’s visit was slightly whirlwind-like; a 24-hour visit. Come Wednesday morning the President was out, meeting with Germany’s President before holding talks with the woman who really pulls the strings: Chancellor Angela Merkel. This was an interesting one because unlike at the G8 Summit, which President Obama had been attending in Northern Ireland, it was pretty clear that on this occasion the NSA surveillance scandal was going to come up. While Angela Merkel repeatedly referred to President Obama as “Dear Barack” when they appeared together later, she had to challenge him on the programs. It’s awoken some sensitive and painful memories for many Germans: memories of eavesdropping by East Germany’s secret police. In the end, the President issued another defense of the practice, saying the U.S. was not monitoring the e-mails of ordinary citizens or damaging civil liberties. Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany and experienced the Stasi first hand, talked of “long and intensive” talks on the spying issue, and suggested some of her questions went unanswered. Any tensions, though, were put aside when Merkel introduced the President to a crowd of 4,500 invited guests at an iconic German landmark: the giant Brandenburg Gate; an 18th century arch close to the former site of the Berlin Wall which was off limits when the Wall stood. It’s a site where other U.S. Presidents have made historic speeches. President Ronald Reagan, speaking at the Gate in 1987, challenged the Soviets to “tear down this wall”. A short distance away in 1963, with the Cold War in full effect, President John F. Kennedy made a famous pledge of support to democratic West Germany, saying, in German, “Ich bin ein Berliner” (“I am a Berliner”). It would have been hard for President Obama to match those occasions because the tensions of those days are gone. There is no wall to tear down. Berlin has been unified for more than two decades. This was not an edgy afternoon with Germans desperate to hear a U.S. voice supporting their struggles. That left the President free to make a speech in more of a festival-like atmosphere. Bands performed in the build-up and crowds lined up for water and poured on sunscreen as temperatures soared north of 90 degrees. President Obama received a large cheer when midway through his speech, he succumbed to the heat himself and removed his jacket. The address hit on a number of popular topics in Germany, including climate change, but most notably denuclearization, with the President proposing the U.S. and Russia cut their nuclear weapons stockpiles by up to a third. Germany, with its recent war-scarred history, has opted against building its own weapons of mass destruction. It’s impossible to deny the differences between at President Obama’s 2013 Berlin speech, in front of a relatively small, invited crowd and his electric 2008 appearance at the Victory Column as a presidential candidate, when 200,000 people turned out. However, President Obama is still popular in Germany; 82% of people questioned in a recent opinion poll had a favorable opinion. But, some in the Brandenburg crowd wanted more than a speech. As one attendee told me: “These words have to turn into actions. America needs to be a leader in the world. Europe is waiting for it”. Listen below to some of Simon Owen’s reporting from Berlin: Follow Simon Owen on Twitter: @Simon504
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in Istanbul, Turkey: The only people occupying Gezi Park now are the police. In large groups they shelter from the midday sun under the shade of the trees, dozing, smoking and cracking jokes. Next to the park, in Taksim Square, groups of workers furiously paint, scrub and repair the damage caused by more than two weeks of deadly battles between protesters and police. In a hurried attempt to wash away evidence of the unrest, the changes taking place are only cosmetic. The protests, initially about saving this city-park and square from redevelopment, are now the largest anti-government demonstrations the country has seen in decades. The government’s brutal police crackdown on demonstrations has opened a wound of long-suppressed resentment towards the establishment. The 50% of the electorate that didn’t vote for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan want their voices heard. The government’s response with brute police force and numerous arrests has increased the protesters’ anger. However, here in Istanbul the city still continues to buzz with life. On the main shopping street leading to the square, tourists and locals causally window shop unfazed by the reflections in the glass of riot police squads passing behind them. Street peddlers still hawk their wares but they’re also pushing protest essentials, everything from whistles to tear gas masks. The demonstrations are well into their third week across Turkey. The police may have cleared the focus of the protests but they haven’t cleared the streets. On Monday, a number of trade unions rallied in towns and cities after calling for nation-wide strikes. The group I spoke to was smaller than previous demonstrations and some people were visibly tired, but many of the protesters vowed they would continue; “This is a fight for our freedom, we are not under a single flag or ideology, we are from all different sections of society and we are just trying to get the government to listen to us. I’m not expecting a revolution, just democratic reform,” one man told me. Many of the protesters felt nervous giving me their names; many of their friends have been arrested since the unrest began. “Everyone here is afraid of tear gas, we are all afraid of the police yet we are still here, we have all the equipment needed now to push back the police,” another woman said. She pointed out we were currently in a bottleneck and the lack of swift exits if things got nasty was making her uncomfortable. Another young man complained to me about the government’s double standards, “The other day when there was AKP Party (the Prime Minister’s party) rally, buses were put on, there was free food and water…while our demonstration is shut down and the police attack us, this is not a democracy,” he said. Another woman told me this was her 18th day of protesting, “We are civil people here trying to protect our rights, I’ve never been an activist before but right now Turkey is not a democracy.” Ask anyone where this is going and they’ll tell you they don’t know. Hundreds have been arrested, four people have died and over 7,000 have been injured. The Prime Minister is likely to survive this but his reputation as a role model for the Muslim world probably won’t. Human rights groups, the U.S. and other Western governments are condemning Erdogan’s response to the demonstrations. The international community is nervously eyeing the unfolding chaos aware that with the conflict in Syria playing out on Turkey’s border, they cannot afford further instability in the region. Erdogan’s efforts to portray the protesters as extremists and thugs are further isolating a huge proportion of the electorate, many of them young and the ones who will shape the future of the country. Like the fresh paint drying on Taksim Square, it won’t take long before the cracks begin to show again. LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Istanbul, Turkey:
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither A group of young Palestinians are hoping they’ve got the Presidential talent to be their state’s next leader. Worlds away from the dusty streets of Ramallah, smartly dressed Palestinians walk the gleaming hallways of the city’s only five-star hotel. Down in the basement 23-year-old Husni Alazzeh straightens his suit jacket as producers buzz around him with various wires making sure he’s television ready. I’m told the lawyer, from a refugee camp in Bethlehem, is one of the front-runners. Alazzeh says it’s all about showing the world the Palestinians can build their own country. “I think this show is very important for Palestinian youth, it highlights new abilities in our society; it’s not easy to be a leader, especially here,” he said. Alazzeh says if he were to become President he has a number of ideas to solve some of the problems facing society. “We should depend more on our products and boycott Israeli products, we could support youth projects more and provide more job opportunities,” he explains. Think of it as ‘American Idol’ meets ‘The Apprentice’. But the panel isn’t made up of celebrities; instead a combination of educators, business leaders and well-known politicians occupy the judge’s seats. In addition to answering tough questions in front of the panel, contestants will also take part in a number of activities such as, running a large company for the day or taking on the role of a Foreign Ambassador. “We are combining the concept of reality format with politics to re-energize the Palestinians and the population to vote in the democratic process again,” explains Suheir Rasul Co-Director of the Search for Common Ground Jerusalem office, one of the organizations behind the show. Rasul says she couldn’t believe the number of applicants, with 1,200 applying to take part within the first two weeks. “We didn’t anticipate such a hunger and outcry for this kind of show so I think what the Palestinian youth want is to be engaged and they want a place to have their voices heard and be involved in politics,” she said. It’s down to the final 25 now and five of the front-runners are from Gaza. They can’t actually come to Ramallah to record because of Israeli restrictions on their travel, so instead they take part via video link. For contestant Bahaa Khateeb it’s all about building up the Palestinian community and economy. The 26-year-old is calling for a peaceful revolution and compares his strategy to soccer. “It’s like, the Indian football club can’t play with Spain because they are not the same power,” he says. “So how should we face Israel when we don’t have the power to face them? So I think building the Palestinian state is the most important,” he continued. He agrees to talk to me after discovering I am from an American news company. He explains that a few of them refused to talk to Israeli journalists that came to watch a recording last week for fear their interviews would be twisted. Rasul believes the show will inspire other Palestinians to get involved in politics. “I think this is just the beginning of what we’re going to see for Palestinians in the region, next year’s show will be even bigger.” The public will vote for their young President via text message at the end of June. Show producers say the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is a fan and while the winner won’t actually steal his job he may hear what they have to say. LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Ramallah:
By FOX News Radio’s White House Correspondent Mike Majchrowitz, who traveled with the President during his Middle East trip. President Obama’s Middle East trip last week demonstrated that while he is trying to pivot America’s focus to the Pacific, events in this tumultuous part of the world will not be ignored. It has been a vexing problem for nine Presidents who came before him, and despite a high profile attempt to bridge a reconciliation with the Islamic world and between the Israelis and Palestinians early in his first administration, both efforts eventually bogged down. Aware of the difficulties, the White House tamped down expectations ahead of the trip. As the President himself noted, “We set expectations low precisely because there’s been a lot of talk over decades but it hasn’t produced the results that everybody wants to see.” The President said he was coming to the Middle East to do his “homework”, to see where the peace process stands and where there are opportunities to get it back on track. He echoed the frustrations of people in the region and back home in the United States, “I think all of us in the international community share this frustration — why can’t we get this problem solved?” The President insists the current impasse is not permanent but could become that way, “the window of opportunity still exists but it’s getting more and more difficult. The mistrust is building instead of ebbing.” The President called on the Israeli government to stop its settlement construction in the West Bank, but also acknowledged that given current Israeli politics, that’s not likely to happen soon. He called on the Palestinians to drop their demand that settlements halt as a pre-condition to resuming negotiations, “if the only way to even begin the conversations is that we get everything right at the outset, or at least each party is constantly negotiating about what’s required to get into talks in the first place, then we’re never going to get to the broader issue.” But Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas showed little sign he would let up on the settlement issues, “it is not only our perception that settlements are illegal, but it is a global perspective. Everybody considers settlements not only a hurdle, but even more than a hurdle, towards the two-state solution.” Average Palestinians showed their frustrations by protesting during the President’s visit to the West Bank. Perhaps the most consequential part of the trip was the chance it gave the President to counteract the impression from his first term that relations with Israel were strained at best. He toured important historical and cultural sites and was feted at a State Dinner by the Israelis. There Israeli President Shimon Peres presented President Obama with their Medal of Distinction, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Peres, whom President Obama awarded the U.S. Medal of Freedom last year, showed no hints of any strained relations, “We watch with admiration the way you lead the United States of America, the way you have stayed true time and again to your bonds of friendship with us.” Solidarity was the overriding theme of the Jerusalem visit from the President’s tour of an Iron Dome anti-missile battery built with American funding, to the President’s visit to Mount Herzl, where Israel honors Zionism’s founder as well as the nation’s great leaders and war dead. The President returned home with one solid accomplishment, a break in the nearly three year-old feud between the Israeli and Turkish governments. The deep freeze in what had been relatively warm relations started when the Israelis stopped a Turkish blockade running ship in 2010. Nine Turks were killed. The President urged Israeli officials to take the first step, “During my visit, it appeared that the timing was good for that conversation to take place.” To maximize effect, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made the call to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan from a trailer at the airport as President Obama was preparing to leave Israel. Netanyahu apologized for ‘operational errors’ during the incident and the two leaders agreed to look into normalizing relations. That was a relief for the Obama administration which had long-fretted over having two key allies at odds. But the President warned there’s a lot of work left before all the differences are patched up, “it’s just beginning…there are obviously going to still be some significant disagreements between Turkey and Israel.” The President and Israeli leaders took pains to emphasize diplomatically the U.S. and Israel are on the same page, particularly on the Iranian nuclear threat. But in the course of the trip it appeared some differences were emerging, particularly whether a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities was warranted. President Obama continues to insist the military option remains “on the table” but, “we’re going to continue to apply the pressure that we have in a nonmilitary way to try to resolve the problem. We will continue to try to pursue diplomatic solutions to the situation.” Israeli leaders indicated they were willing to wait a little longer on diplomacy and sanctions, but they were clearly more inclined to see the military option as a practical solution. In a joint news conference with President Obama, President Peres noted the concerns over chemical weapons use in Syria, “fortunately, the Syrian nuclear capacity was destroyed.” It was destroyed by a suspected Israeli military strike, Peres making it clear that action spared the world an even greater threat. And standing next to President Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reserved the right of the Israelis to act, “Mr. President, I want to thank you once again for always making clear that Israel must be able to defend itself, by itself, against any threat.” And to be clear, Netanyahu emphasized Israel was free to act with or without the United States, “Israel can never cede the right to defend ourselves to others, even to the greatest of our friends.” Then there is the on-going civil war in Syria. The issue taking a particular urgency when the President visited Amman Jordan which has absorbed hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. That has been a major strain on a country that didn’t have a terribly robust economy to begin with. King Abdullah II warning that the problem for his kingdom was only likely to grow, “The latest figures are just going to cost us roughly $550 million a year. But if those figures double, as we think they will, by the end of the year, then, obviously, we’re talking a billion-plus.” President Obama pledged another $200 million dollars to help with the refugee crisis and lamented the slaughter in Syria, “It’s tragic. It’s heartbreaking. And the sight of children and women being slaughtered that we’ve seen so much I think has to compel all of us to say, what more can we do?” The governments of England and France, and some members of Congress say there is much more the U.S. and international community can do including giving arms to the rebels and possible military action including a no-fly zone. President Obama expressed frustration over such suggestions, “the United States often finds itself in a situation where if it goes in militarily, then it’s criticized for going in militarily; and if doesn’t go in militarily, then people say, why aren’t you doing something militarily?” The President expressing concern such weaponry might fall into the hands of people not friendly to the United States and not committed to democracy, “What I am confident about is that ultimately what the people of Syria are looking for is not replacing oppression with a new form of oppression.” But the day after the President returned from the Middle East, the leader of the Syrian opposition Moaz al-Khatib announced his resignation. His reason was the lack of military support from the West, “everything that has happened to the Syrian people, from the destruction of their infrastructure, the arrest of tens of thousands of Syrians, the displacement of hundreds of thousands people, and other tragedies, were not enough to take an international decision to allow the Syrian people to defend themselves.” Arizona Republican Senator John McCain laying much of the responsibility for this ‘setback’ on the President, “The Obama Administration spent a lot of diplomatic capital to facilitate the formation of the Syrian Opposition Coalition under Sheikh Moaz’s leadership. But over the past several months of the Coalition’s existence, the United States has done precious little to support their efforts.” While the President will try and maintain his focus on reviving the U.S. economy and his pivot to the Pacific region, it is likely problems in the Middle East will continue to intrude. It is also likely he will continue to face pressure to become more involved in stopping Iran’s nuclear program and halting the bloodshed in Syria. If he continues on his current course, this is the danger the words he spoke at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial, could come back to haunt him. “We see how evil can, for a moment in time, triumph when good people do nothing.” LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Mike Majchrowitz reporting from the Middle East while traveling with the President:
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in Ramallah ahead of President Obama’s visit Driving into Ramallah, posters of President Obama line the streets. But nearly all of them are defaced with the President’s face scratched out. In the chaotic streets of the city center, a small protest brings traffic to a standstill, while curious bystanders line the pavement cafes and building balconies taking pictures to post on the internet. They chant a message to the President, “Go home!” While holding placards that read ‘No Hope’ and ‘We Don’t Need Your Listening Tour’. President Obama has made it clear that he’s not arriving with a grand peace plan for the Palestinians and Israelis, but is instead here to listen. His trip comes at a time of heightened tension and increased violence, with talk that a third intifada could come soon. But for many Palestinians, Obama’s slogan ‘Yes We Can’ has come to mean, ‘No You Can’t’. Frustrated and fed up, many are skeptical of the President’s commitment to promote peace. “I don’t think that Obama will bring anything new,” one protester shouts at me over the roar of the crowd. “He will only continue to support Israeli policy to continue building settlements in the West Bank,” he continued. Another remarks that Obama isn’t coming here for Palestinians, “he only wants to show support for Israel and mend relations with Benjamin Netanyahu.” Yasmin, one of the protest organizers, asks me on my way out, “how dare Obama come here?” Listen to some of Emily Wither’s reporting from Ramallah: Watch a video of Emily Wither reporting from Ramallah: Follow Emily Wither on Twitter: @ewither
By FOX News Radio’s Simon Owen in Rome It was dark, cold and wet, and many of the people in St. Peter’s Square had been there for hours. But the crowd wasn’t to be put off. The time window for news from the papal conclave, underway yards from the square, was open, so the wait went on for smoke signals: possibly the world’s most old-fashioned method of announcing a high-profile election result. The previous evening’s “smoke watch” had ended, as expected, with black smoke, indicating a Pope hadn’t been chosen after the first ballot, and the same thing had happened on the morning of day two. This third blast was to be different. Against the black sky, there it was: smoke. But was it white, telling the world a Pope had been selected, or was it black again? For a few seconds, the crowd was split. Nuns and pilgrims and locals and tourists couldn’t decide. There were shouts either way. But quickly, perhaps as the chapel’s chimney cleaned itself, it became clear that this smoke was very much white after all. Out it poured, up went the cheers, and people ran to St. Peter’s Square to catch a glimpse of the smoke, then soak up the tension as the wait ensued before the new pontiff’s identity was revealed. In the end, it took around an hour and 15 minutes for the man known up until that moment as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, to step out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, and for his new name to be announced: Pope Francis. The Pope stood there as the crowd cheered. He waved. There was almost a smile. He seemed a little stunned: perhaps to be expected (the room where he’d just been preparing for his debut is known as the Room of Tears, apparently because of the emotion new Popes feel as the reality of their new job sinks in). But quickly he appeared comfortable: a manner which was to repeatedly catch the eye over his first few days as Pope. He was already breaking with tradition, asking the crowd to bless him before he blessed them, and we later learned that as Cardinals paid their respects following his election, Pope Francis decided against standing on a platform, as new Popes normally do. And after leaving the crowd, which then slowly and happily milled away (it had, by the way, finally stopped raining), New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan later revealed that the Pope had then refused his papal limousine, instead travelling back to the guesthouse where the Cardinals had been staying on a bus, with the rest of the group. The humility we’re told Archbishop Bergoglio was known for in his native Argentina was now on show here as well. Vatican officials confirmed the next day that the Pope had returned to his church-run Rome hotel the following morning, and despite now being the Head of the Church, and therefore essentially in charge of the hotel, he insisted on paying his bill: he wanted to set a good example to priests and bishops, the Vatican said. And by the end of the week the Vatican’s spokesmen were almost falling over themselves telling stories of Francis’ nontraditional ways. He gave the homily at his first Mass in Italian, without notes, instead of reading a sermon in Latin. There were also reports he simply left the Vatican briefly on his first night as Pope, although it’s not clear where he went. With the Roman Catholic Church facing a series of crises, from sex abuse scandals to infighting at the Vatican, Pope Francis is taking on a monumental task. On a smaller scale, it looks like his minders will be kept on their toes as well. LISTEN to some of FOX News Radio’s Simon Owen’s reports from Rome:
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in Southern Israel On a rocky desert hilltop close to Israel’s fenced off border with Egypt, a combat intelligence unit runs through a drill where they come to face-to-face with would-be infiltrators from the lawless Sinai Peninsula. With the wind whipping up their loosely braided hair they lunge forward with their rifles leading the charge. Like many teams operating in this tense border region, they’re all female. “The fact we are girls…it’s nothing, we can do everything that the boys do and we have more motivation.” This 19-year-old will be graduating next week after seven months of training with the Israeli Defense Forces. A woman serving on the front line is a big policy change for the U.S. But if you ask these soldiers what they think of it, they’ll shrug their shoulders and explain in Israel it’s nothing new. The U.S. lags behind the Jewish state by more than a decade; the IDF opened up combat positions to women in 2000. Military service after school is also compulsory here. In the States, while many 18-year-old girls are picking colleges, their Israeli counterparts are picking military posts. While most positions are available to men and women, when it comes to patrolling the country’s border, I’m told these girls have a special touch. “We men aren’t that good at focusing on a few tasks at once,” admitted Captain Boaz Shahar. “It’s proven itself time and time again that these women are amazing at what they do.” Crouched under a cramped camouflage tent with a team of six girls, it’s clear that being patient and focused is essential. The team tells me they spend at least 48 hours in these tents, barely moving, with their eyes fixed on the border. In the blazing desert heat they peer through powerful binoculars reporting back to base any suspicious activity. They can’t even leave for the bathroom, which might explain why the men aren’t welcome in this intimate crawlspace. “The army isn’t letting us play soldier, we are necessary. We are looking for any kind of terrorist activity or illegal actions,” I’m told. Egypt’s lawless Sinai desert is a haven for Islamist militants and a place to smuggle weapons to Gaza. Cameras and radars dotted along the border beam images and information back to base. Here an all-female observation unit sits watching surveillance screens for hours at a time. “These watchers are saving lives more than any other girl,” said Operations Officer Ortal Omer. She leads the Combat Intelligence Unit and tells me that women are well suited for the role because they have the patience to sit still for long periods. “If I would move a rock in her field she would know it immediately, if you would remove a flower she would see it because these girls know the border more than anyone,” Omer added. Outside the tightly sealed room, a group of girls take a break on a nearby picnic bench. They gossip about boys while fiddling with their cell phones in brightly colored cases. Among them is 19-year-old Noam, she says if there were men in the observation room they’d only be a distraction. LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Southern Israel: WATCH FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Southern Israel: Follow FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither on Twitter: @ewither
By FOX News Radio’s Simon Owen in Belfast, Northern Ireland Belfast was looking its best when I arrived in the Northern Irish capital this week: it was a crisp winter’s day, the sun was shining, and, downtown, a jazz band was playing noisily on the street as people bustled around. All seemed well. But it wasn’t. The previous night, Belfast had been hit by a sixth consecutive evening of rioting, with protesters attacking police with everything from Molotov cocktails to golf balls. They were rioting over a flag. This violent flare-up began in early December after lawmakers voted to reduce the amount of time the British flag is flown from the top of Belfast City Hall. Whereas previously it flew every day, it’ll now only be hoisted on 18 designated dates each year. That’s left some pro-British unionists furious. I arrived in Belfast on the first of those dates: the birthday of the Duchess of Cambridge (also known as Kate Middleton). As I reported from outside City Hall, with the flag behind me, a few people called out as they passed: “It’s a disgrace”, shouted one taxi driver. “It’s good to see our flag back”, said another man. There is support here for the right of those offended by the flag decision to protest. But the rioting is condemned by almost everyone. For many, it’s an unwelcome reminder of Northern Ireland’s long and bloody bad times. “We lived through the Troubles”, local Lesley told me, “and I wouldn’t like to see it go back there”.
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in Jerusalem: Snow ball fights and snowboards accompanied by squeals of delight are not usual sights in the holy city of Jerusalem for life-long residents and tourists alike. We woke up this morning tucked underneath a blanket of thick snow. The logistical nightmare that awaited us outside was quickly overridden by the beautiful city twinkling in the morning sunlight. “The kids liked seeing the palm trees covered in snow,” Jerusalemite Lauren told me. She moved here from Michigan in 1995 and says while they’re used to this in the states, it’s much more fun here because it’s so unusual. “In Michigan people would laugh at this snow, but it’s better here that people stay off the streets because they don’t know how to drive in the snow and they are an absolute hazard,” she added. We weren’t going anywhere anyway; Jerusalem was snowed in, the entrance to the city blocked off after the heaviest snow fall in a decade. Admittedly while it’s fun for some… it’s a headache for the authorities who just aren’t used to this type of extreme winter weather and don’t have the infrastructure to cope with it. While we’re used to sandstorms in the Middle East, we’re not used to snowstorms. Roads are closed across the country, schools shut and residents have been told to stay at home. But don’t tell that to the kids who are busy building snowy companions on street corners. “It’s exhilarating to see snow falling in Jerusalem,” an Australian couple told me. They certainly didn’t feel like their holiday was a washout. The winter weather is a total misery for others. The worst storms in a decade have brought much of the region to a standstill. It’s been snowing in Jordan and Syria, while freezing temperatures, high winds and flooding have hit Lebanon, Egypt and the West Bank. The storm has killed over 10 people in the Middle East since the weekend. For Syria’s thousands of refugees that are already living in unbearable conditions in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon it’s especially tough. Many live in tents that don’t have any heating and are being blown away or flooded. Still for kids here in Jerusalem the snow is being seen as a blessing. LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Jerusalem:
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in Bethlehem This Christmas, I ate humus and falafel and drank sweet tea in Bethlehem’s Manager Square. The sense of unity and celebration here felt worlds away from the misery and violence that has gripped the region for much of this year. For Palestinian Christians, this was a special year for them and many told me they’d be celebrating. “This year we were given hope because finally the world realized that we’re a state,” said Nora Carmi from Kairos Palestine, a group of Palestinian Christians representing a variety of churches. Last month, following a vote that upgraded the Palestinian Authority’s status to observer state, the UN recognized Bethlehem as being in Palestine for the first time. The UN’s cultural body, UNESCO, also awarded the Church of the Nativity World Heritage status under Palestine in June. It was quite a party in Manger Square. It began with a colorful parade of local scout groups, who marched past the Church of the Nativity to the drone of bagpipes and beating of drums. As the sun set, the Muslim call to prayer echoed through the square while a brass band played Jingle Bells. Under a 55-foot Christmas tree and the twinkle of lights, performers from around the world sang Christmas songs and told stories from the Bible. Those lucky enough to get a ticket to the grand finale here in Bethlehem packed into the Nativity complex to attend midnight mass at St. Catherine’s Church led by the Latin Patriarch, the most senior Catholic figure in the Holy Land. He said earlier that this year’s festivities celebrated both “the birth of Christ our Lord and the birth of the state of Palestine.” On Christmas Day, pilgrims from around the world patiently waited to enter the Church of the Nativity to catch a glimpse of the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born. Pilgrims mixed with locals who’d set up makeshift stalls selling everything from hot corn to candy floss. A group of tourists from Europe posed for photos with an African group who’d arrived at the church in traditional dress. Occasionally, those waiting would break into song in their local language. I found myself swept up in a circle of Indians who’d formed a circle clapping and singing. Curious Palestinians wandered over to film them on their cell phones. I bumped in to a couple from Seattle who’d just attended mass in Arabic. “This kind of message is universal,” they told me, “especially here.” But a huge sign above Manger Square reminded us of the tough year here in the region. It read “this holiday season bring light to Gaza and Syria,” urging visitors to donate money. A number of stores around the church sell a traditional olive wood carving that depicts a Nativity scene separated by a huge wall, a reminder of the Israeli checkpoints you need to enter to get here. For Palestinian Christians, Christmas lost a bit of its sparkle this year. “We don’t know how many homes Santa will visit this year,” Palestinian tour guide George Rishmawi told me. He asked me, “Imagine not being paid before Christmas?” That was the reality facing thousands of Palestinians after Israel decided to withhold tax revenue it collects on the government’s behalf. It affected everything from salaries to Christmas decorations. Israel withheld the money after the Palestinians went ahead with their status upgrade at the UN. The government also announced it was building new settlements between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The holy city is already surrounded by 22 Israeli settlements. Locals fear the new projects will cut them off from their neighbors in East Jerusalem and their intended capital for a future Palestine. Still, for Bethlehem’s new mayor, Vera Baboun, she said this Christmas her message was one of hope. “It’s a Christmas of peace, hope and love,” she said. “Whatever we witness on development of land, hope is there for a better situation.” Happy New Year. LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Bethlehem: Here are more photos of Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem from FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither: Created with flickr slideshow.
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither There’s nothing like the wail of an air raid siren to get you out of bed in the morning. As I’m laying on the cold floor of my bathroom in Tel Aviv I can’t believe this in happening here. The city hasn’t been in the firing line since the Gulf War. Israel’s largest city is often called “the bubble” because it feels like another planet, a place where one of your biggest concerns is whether you’ll get a good spot on the beach. That bubble just burst. My friend and I had wondered if it was such a good idea to spend the weekend in Tel Aviv. As we were driving in on the motorway, all of the cars started pulling over to the hard shoulder. We couldn’t understand the Hebrew on the radio, so we did the same. Another siren. After a brief debate about whether we should turn back, we proceed. The lady on the front desk of our hotel was brimming with enthusiasm when we arrived, “Welcome to our hotel, bomb shelters are located on the following floors, oh and you’ve been given an upgrade, we had a few cancellations…” The evening could have been like any other. People spilled on to the pavement outside the cafés and bars, but I couldn’t relax. I was constantly glued to my phone and secretly wished I was watching the 24-hour news channels back at the hotel. It had become an addiction. I once had an argument with an Israeli that I found it unbelievable the houses here didn’t have fire alarms. She responded that they all had bomb shelters instead. Things were starting to make sense. The day before there had been an air raid siren in Jerusalem just as dusk was falling over the city. At first we thought it was Shabbat sirens but they had been and gone. Rocket fire heading for Jerusalem? It was hard to believe that was even possible. Rockets from Gaza had never made it this far. Shortly afterwards an Israeli work colleague of mine just dropped everything he was doing and announced he was leaving that minute. “What, why!?” I called after him as he legged it out the door. “I’ve been called up…reserve duty.” Not hard to believe when you live in a country where everyone under 45 is a reservist, but it was still unsettling. He’d just been telling me the night before that he’d gotten engaged. Down in the south of Israel, near the Gaza border, I drive fast with the windows down so I can hear the air raid sirens. Everyone I meet has a story to tell about life under the constant threat of rocket fire. Often our conversations are cut short by a siren; we dive in to the nearest stairwell or flatten ourselves against the wall of a building, only for the conversation to be picked up again like nothing had happened. The daily rhythm of life is rarely disrupted. It reminds me of my time spent growing up in Northern Ireland in the early 90’s. We’d carry on playing minutes after a bomb scare and armored vehicles rolling down the street passed us by like buses. But just like in Northern Ireland then, ceasefires don’t hold forever until there is a lasting agreement. With no long lasting solution to the conflict here, I fear I could be writing this blog in another four years time. LISTEN to some of FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither’s reporting during the Israel-Gaza exchange: Follow FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither on Twitter: @ewither
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither at a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan A few hours at Zaatari camp and you’re desperate to leave. It’s dusty, hot and there’s little privacy. Children run between the rows of tents in a haze of sand and harsh sun. Their mothers hang clothes on the strings of their new homes only for them to be covered in dust again moments later. Conditions are tough in this desert camp, the sand cakes people’s clothes, there’s nowhere to escape the sun and there’s not a lot to do. People’s stories are similar, “In Homs they were shelling, bombing and attacking; they kill everyone.” Haliel arrived a week ago with his five kids. Within minutes of talking to someone, the circle around you begins to get wider and louder with everyone shouting at once. Partly because people are angry, partly I imagine because people are bored. “The whole world is watching the Syrian people get killed and not doing anything,” someone shouted. Around 35,000 refugees call this camp home and with a couple hundred arriving on a near daily basis, the Jordanian authorities are struggling with already limited resources. Many people complain about the poor facilities and the cleanliness of the water. Many wish to go home but they know they won’t and can’t. But in this time of civil war, the school tents sound like a place to be a kid again. Laughter, clapping and smiling faces greet me on entering the fenced off area guarded by Jordanian military. With around half of the refugees under the age of 18, UNICEF and Jordan’s Ministry of Education have opened 14 school tents. Make-shift stores have also sprung up within the winding tents selling everything from onions to second-hand shoes. In another large tent, groups of men swarm over something on the floor. At first I think it’s a game. Then I realize it’s a power point jammed with plugs as people desperately try to charge their cell phones. People complain there are only a handful of sockets for thousands of people. At this desert camp the seasons are changing. The refugees have battled the heat, but soon it’ll be winter and they’ll have to battle the freezing lows. The tents won’t cut it. Ali Bibi from UNHCR tells me they need help to build more permanent structures, “Winter is a huge challenge, whether to accommodate these refugees in prefabs or providing them with appropriate clothes” he says. He adds that without international support, it’s going to be difficult, “Jordan has provided everything it can… they can’t do it alone.” Bibi tells me he’s not worried about what will happen in a couple of months, he’s worried right now. LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan: WATCH FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Jordan:
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in Jerusalem It’s Friday night and I’m going to a party in Jerusalem, but Friday night in Jerusalem is not Friday night in London. It’s Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, and the roads are pretty deserted. People are walking the streets with tin-foiled casserole dishes for Friday dinner and lively celebrations are hard to find. But I find myself in Kiryat HaYovel, a typical neighborhood in southwestern Jerusalem to watch some live music on an empty lot between apartments. But this is no ordinary party. This one is all about deliberately, rather than accidentally, annoying the neighbors. “We decided we needed to fight the ultra-Orthodox, who want to conquer this neighborhood, in every way that we can and we thought that the best way to win is through doing all kinds of community gatherings,” explained Danny Unger, one of the party organizers, on my arrival. When you think about conflict in Jerusalem, you often imagine the struggle between the Israelis and Palestinians, but tensions are also rising between secular and ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as Haredi, particularly in this neighborhood… “I wish that we could live together, but we know for a fact in every other neighborhood the ultra-Orthodox decide they want to live, they bring their whole communities and the secular had to leave,” Unger says. Unger, an art history teacher by day takes on a different role come evening. He belongs to a group of residents who are working to keep the Haredi Jews from ‘taking over their neighborhood’. They say the community council rejected their request to stage their Shabbat events in a nearby hall so they pitched up in this field instead. I also meet more extreme residents of the neighborhood, like Noam Pinchasi, he tells me this is a “war”. His urban guerrilla gang sows mischief on the streets by sticking up raunchy posters on synagogue doors. The ultra-Orthodox are the fastest growing population in Israel and are expanding into secular areas like Kiryat HaYovel. Sociologists say that with their numbers and political clout growing, they are altering the country’s national identity. “What we see now is that the fertility for the ultra-Orthodox is so high that already numbers of children listed in elementary schools are reaching 50% in Jerusalem,” explained Sociologist Menachem Friedman. “In a few years people are telling me that they will be the majority in Jerusalem and that raises a lot of problems about what will happen to the so-called “secular,” he continued. Friedman says that the ultra-Orthodox community is very cut off from the rest society and that only adds to the tension. This year there’s been a fierce public debate about the continued exemption of the ultra -Orthodox from Israel’s compulsory military draft. “They continue not to study secular studies and not to work,” he said. As the numbers grow, Friedman’s concern is that the government will eventually be unable to support the Haredi way of life. He believes that if the ultra-Orthodox want to study the Torah all day they must do it on their own account. A negative attitude towards the ultra-Orthodox appears to be taking root in the younger generation as well. A recent questionnaire by a popular Israeli teen magazine revealed that nearly 50% of respondents had a negative attitude towards the Haredim. Only one in seven harbored similar views towards Arabs. At a coffee house, I meet with Jacob from the Ultra Orthodox community and immediately make the faux- pas of reaching out to shake his hand. He grins and politely explains he cannot take it. Jacob lives in Jerusalem and although he served in the military, he acknowledges that many of his friends didn’t. He believes his community serves the country by learning and studying the Torah. He’s heard about the “war” in Kirayt HaYovel and knows families who have had to leave the neighborhood. But Jacob believes a solution is possible, “I grew up in a non-religious neighborhood and we learned to respect each other,” he said. “I think with real understanding we can definitely live side by side next to each other.” Back at the party, as the band’s Greek music echoes through the otherwise quiet, leafy streets, architect Deana Azriel, says her fight is to keep the public spaces open. “I don’t want to be in a public space and be told how to dress. It’s none of their business,” she said. “I don’t want to be told how to behave, or whether I can drive a car or watch a movie on Shabbat. The same, I will never tell someone not to go to the synagogue, but it has to work both ways.” Azriel believes these Sabbath parties will inspire others to reclaim their neighborhoods. She feels the rationalization is simple; in a democratic society people should be given the choice to spend their weekend how they wish. LISTEN to FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reporting from Jerusalem:
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in London at the Olympics: Pearl Jam cuts through the clicking of keyboards and the murmur of various languages and a handful of us journalists in the Olympic media press center turn round in our chairs and grin at each other. We’re all snapped out of our daydream when the man answers his phone, the musical ring tone interlude is over and it’s back to the media marathon. But where do I even begin? The amount of sports is overwhelming. I can see multiple screens from my desk, all simultaneously showing world-class athletes competing in everything from fencing to rhythmic gymnastics. Still, that’s part of the charm here at the Olympics; a country can strike gold across multiple events as quickly as it takes me to make a cup of tea and scurry back to my desk. I’ve noticed people don’t like sitting next to me. They slowly edge away after taking a nearby seat and I realize after a couple of days of wondering if I smell, that many journalists here are print. My constant chatter on the radio can be a little distracting for them, speaking sentences out loud in a crowded office is enough to drive anyone crazy. There are no assigned desks, just masses of white rows where you can sit down and plug in, but now the fight for a seat is pretty much over. Journalists have fallen into habits and marked out their turf. I’ve found refuge with the other loud reporters in an unofficial radio corner, but when we’re all talking at the same time I’ve found that we enter our own Olympic competition of who can shout the loudest. Just like a mini-Olympic village, countries have flocked to their own corners. Language aside, you can usually tell who has conquered which area by the cheers and sharp intakes of breath erupting from different directions when a medal is won or lost. Everyone seems to join in with a cheer when host nation Great Britain strikes gold… yes, even the French. We could be our own village here, I’m wondering if they’ll let me stay on once the games are over. The media center boasts a hairdresser, gym, a bar and even a nightly band to watch if you’re sick of watching something that involves a scoring system. There is a faith room celebrating everything from Shabbat to the end of Ramadan. With over 22,000 members of the media there are a lot of tastes to cater for, we by far outnumber the athletes. For most journalists here, this isn’t their first Olympic games. The old timers trade stories and pins in the corner while the newbies, like me, flap about a little over-excitably. I by no means am a sports journalist, unlike most of the other reporters here, so the helpful taps on the shoulder offering up advice from the correct terminology to how to pronounce an athlete’s name has been most appreciated. Aside from the British weather, which for the most part has behaved itself, the main grumble in the press center is that we ironically don’t get to watch enough sport. But I luckily was able to sneak away from the clutches of Fox News Radio to watch the 100 meters men’s final in the main stadium. Those few seconds of silence that fell over the 80,000 fans packed in the stalls and among viewers in front of television screens around the world were magical. And then for 10 seconds no matter our differences we were all united in anticipation, tension, excitement and then joy. A golden moment that can only be found at the Olympics. LISTEN to some of Emily Wither’s reporting from the 2012 London Olympics:
by FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in the West Bank In the ancient village of Battir, farmers tend beans, squash and their famous eggplant, while the smell of fresh mint among the olive groves is overpowering. They use irrigation systems that date back to the Roman Times; the spring water trickles down the stepped hills from the various springs and is distributed between the farmers. While terraces are a common farming method for Palestinians, Michel Nasser, who’s opening an eco-museum here to protect the area, tells me Battir’s are special. “It’s an ancient area that hasn’t been touched for 2,000 years,” he explains. But the villagers here say their ancient way of life is under threat and they’re lobbying UNESCO to recognize their agricultural practices and grant the village World Heritage status. It’s in an attempt to stop Israel from laying down its West Bank separation barrier, prompting critics to say this is more about politics than protection. Israel began building the barrier in 2002 and, after a 5-year- break, officials have announced they’ll resume building in the next couple of weeks. The Mayor of Battir, Akram Bader – who’s also taken his case to the Israeli courts – says the route of the wall would see the villagers losing over 30% of their land. “Destroying the terraces and cutting the irrigation system is criminal. Nobody in Battir can accept this,” he said. There isn’t an Arabic translation for “stuck in limbo” but the Mayor’s description of the mood in the village certainty fits that phrase. The court case is still pending, but the tricky thing is part of the land on the other side of the railroad tracks that connects Jerusalem to Tel Aviv is technically on the Israeli side, while the rest of the village belongs to the Palestinians. An agreement was reached for the Palestinians to continue cultivating the land while the Israeli’s are in control of the train line. The Israelis say their barrier is for security and has been largely credited for the halt in suicide bombings in recent years. But the Mayor doesn’t buy it, pointing out to me his village prides itself on being peaceful. “We always respect the agreements, we always try to protect our lands and now, without any incident, they are going to build the wall. So we don’t feel it’s about security, but simply a way to take more land,” he said. The residents have been told that an access gate will be opened to farmers three times a day. But the distrust between the two sides runs deep and the Mayor won’t take their word for it. Down in the one of the disputed fields, a train rumbles past as one of the farmers offers me some freshly picked mint when I complain of my summer cold. “We work on this land, we live off this land and the wall will hurt us,” he told me, explaining they needed access throughout the day. Staring up from the valley at the limestone-faced houses, there’s no denying this is an area of natural and cultural beauty but asking UNESCO for protection is seen by some as a controversial move. Just last week, I was in nearby Bethlehem as the Palestinians learned that the Church of the Nativity and a Christian pilgrimage route was to receive World Heritage Status registered in Palestine. This was a highly provocative move condemned by Israel and the US, who want the Palestinians to abandon their statehood bid at the UN and return to peace talks. UNESCO is the only UN body to recognize Palestine as a state, a move that prompted the US to pull their funding. For Nasser it’s not about the politics, he says he’s backing the UNESCO bid for everyone. “It’s an historical area that can be used and enjoyed by the people,” he said. “It’s been inhabited by the Canaanites, the Romans and even by the Jewish people who were here at one time.” WATCH as FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither reports from Battir HERE: LISTEN to one of FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither’s reports from Battir HERE:
By FOX News Radio Senior National Correspondent Rich Johnson at the G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico When you cover the President of the United States, you tend to get ‘in the weeds’ – so focused on the events, the intrigue and the ceremony you don’t see anything else. But when you cover the President in a place like Los Cabos, Mexico, things change. Such was the case for my three days covering the G20 Summit, starting with the ride from the airport. Security was very, very tight for the gathering of leaders from all over the world. Checkpoints where positioned all along the road to the resort area. But once I arrived at the resort… …things got a lot more hospitable. There are some two dozen resorts in Los Cabos, most of them American-friendly, family-friendly all inclusive facilities. One daily price gets you a room, every meal, every drink (including alcohol) and access to the beach, the pools, the exercise rooms and more. This is great if you’re on vacation. This is not so great if you’re trying to pay attention to every subtle nuance uttered by the President, his people and the other world leaders. Adding to the distraction for some of my colleagues: rooms literally in the pools. The ground floor rooms at the Barcello Resort open to a patio, which leads to a ‘water patio’: lounge chairs sitting in six inches of water, which then drops off into four feet of pool along the wing. However, my job is not to wade in the pool, but to monitor developments at the Summit… …which I do next to Fox Business News Correspondent Rich Edson. We’re sitting in a conference room with our network radio and TV colleagues awaiting words from our President. But there is some time for socializing… …Like the off-the-record dinner with White House press folks at a very good (and very expensive, I found out after the fact) restaurant in nearby Cabo San Lucas. I would tell you what we talked about… …but it was OFF THE RECORD! Back at the filing center, we ate very well… including this interesting take on sushi: That’s a hunk of pineapple surrounded by nori and rice, with a thin slice of strawberry on top. Very, very tasty! By now you’ve notice that I’ve shared everything about the Summit, except the Summit. That was the big challenge for me in my first overseas White House assignment since leaving the beat two years ago. The last time I was in Mexico was with President Bush, but it was just a one-night stay with a busy day complicated by actual news. This G20 Summit contained very little news, just a lot of positive-sounding statements about taking ‘bolder steps’ to right the world’s ailing economies. Our most exciting news-related event was noting the body language of Presidents Obama and Putin in their joint statement event. That’s Fox News Channel producer Sarah Courtney preserving Putin’s scowl for her own permanent record. Despite the lack of news, there was no lack of reporting, which can be exhausting! NBC’s Chuck Todd grabbed a nap, but he had a good excuse. Chuck brought his family along for a post-Summit vacation. His two young children certainly brought their own high energy to the room. But the Todd family may be on to something. Unlike many of the very nice places we get to visit, Los Cabos might be worth my own money some day. And there are plenty of places to stay in the area, but not all of them are family-friendly… unless you’re trying to make a family. ‘Desire’ is the resort right next to ours, advertising ‘Couples Only – Clothing Optional’. I was unable to personally verify those claims, thanks to the opaque fences and high walls around the facility. Thanks to its location, Los Cabos has not been touched by the violence that has plagued so many other parts of Mexico. Tourism is THE business, and security is a big part of maintaining that business. There are non-stop flights to Los Cabos from Los Angeles, Houston, and even Newark, New Jersey. Of course, you’ll need a passport, but Mexico offers visa-free tourism entry. Outside the resorts, there are all the Western amenities you could ask for, including Wal-Mart, huge grocery stores and even a decent cappuccino. If you’re looking for a place to really unplug for a few days, then this is it. But if you’re trying to do your job, this is NOT it. I and many of my colleagues tried for three days to resist the temptation to unplug when our job required just the opposite. LISTEN to some of Rich Johnson’s reporting from the G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico:
By FOX News Radio’s Emily Wither in Bethlehem: You’d think that in Bethlehem, where the New Testament says Jesus was born, his language, Aramaic, would live on today… not so. “It’s been forgotten here in the Holy Land,” principal of Mar Aphrem School Amal Behnam, explained to Fox News Radio. Here in the Palestinian village Beit Jala a few kilometers from Bethlehem’s Manger Square, Behnam is determined to save the centuries’ old language from all but disappearing in the Holy Land. In an ambitious effort to make sure Aramaic isn’t confined to the history books, the school is trying to revive the language among the tiny Christian community that lives here. “The whole idea of starting the school was to revive the Aramaic language and the heritage because this is something that is really very important to keep up,” Behnam said. The principle says that while the youngsters can recite the Christian prayers, they want the next generation to understand it outside of the church. “It’s part of our heritage, so why forget it? It’s being spoken in parts of Syria and Europe, Sweden for example; it’s only in the Holy Land that it’s been forgotten.” The Syrian Orthodox Church runs the school and the kids are learning the Syriac dialect of Aramaic. It’s believed to resemble the Galilean language Jesus would have spoken. They begin teaching Aramaic in Grade 2, when the kids are eight-years-old. For the first year they learn it orally before beginning to crack the alphabet. Behnam says, until now, no other school has been teaching it in the West Bank. Priest Budros Nimeh heads up the lessons at the school. He says some of the older generation still speaks Aramaic, but it’s vanished among the young. “We see that we have to use it again because it’s a treasure that we can’t lose,” he explained. Understanding the Bible is one thing, but I had to ask Priest Nimeh if he really thought people would start speaking it widely again outside the church. “Some of the people are speaking this language, but not the traditional written one,” he said. “But we are teaching the main language in which students in the future can make use of it by reading the old books. Maybe some of them might become writers and they’ll start explaining the old books that nobody uses anymore,” he added. The enthusiasm of the kids is infectious as they bound in to the classroom, all scraping chairs and flapping exercise books. The kids say it’s important because they can understand what they’re reading in the Bible. A young girl called Merna explains to me, “We don’t take it seriously, we take it like a game, and because of that it comes easily and we like it.” But these are some pretty impressive kids. Not only are they learning Aramaic, but they’re also taught in Arabic, English and Hebrew. And before I leave the school feeling completely linguistically inadequate, Merna tells me that next school year she plans to start learning French. After class Nimeh explains to me his people fled Turkey a century ago and there were no schools in the area to teach the younger generation of the Aramaic-speaking refugees. He says he’s afraid the language will one day die out because his people are spread all over the world. He prays the Lord’s language will live on in the Holy Land just as Jesus would have spoken it. “We are preparing for the new generation, it’s just the beginning.” LISTEN to some of Emily Wither’s reports from Bethlehem: