Mes: septiembre 2019

(AP) JERUSALEM – Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s acquittal of the most serious charges in a high-profile corruption case on Tuesday set off a fierce debate about how the peace process might have proceeded differently had the former leader not been driven from office three years ago. Olmert has claimed he was on the brink of a historic agreement with the Palestinians when he was forced to resign in early 2009. His departure cleared the way for hard-liner Benjamin Netanyahu’s election, and peace efforts have been at a standstill ever since. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Olmert on Tuesday afternoon to congratulate him on the acquittal, said Nimr Hamad, an Abbas adviser. “There is no doubt that a great opportunity was wasted with the absence of Olmert. There had been huge progress on all core issues … and the Palestinian and Israeli positions were getting very close on all issues. Unfortunately, that’s all gone now,” Hamad said. Olmert, who headed the centrist Kadima Party, stepped down after he was charged with a series of crimes that included accepting cash-stuffed envelopes from an American supporter and double billing Jewish organizations to cover overseas travel. The alleged crimes took place while Olmert was mayor of Jerusalem and a Cabinet minister, before he became prime minister. On Tuesday, a Jerusalem court dismissed most of the allegations, convicting him only on a lesser...

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(AP) WASHINGTON – An active duty Army colonel testified Tuesday that the three-star general who headed the training mission in Afghanistan made him retract a request for an investigation into corruption and horrible conditions at a U.S.-funded Afghan military hospital. Col. Mark Fassl, who was inspector general for the training command, said he was shocked when Lt. Gen. William Caldwell cited the then-upcoming 2010 congressional elections and asked, “How could we … make this request with elections coming? He calls me Bill.” Photos show alleged neglect at U.S.-funded Afghan hospital Fassl said he believed this was a reference to President Barack Obama. Two retired colonels who worked with the training command also told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that Caldwell did not want an inspector general’s investigation of the Dawood National Military Hospital. One said in his statement that the hospital had “Auschwitz-like conditions.” Caldwell is now head of U.S. Army North Command and senior commander of Fort Sam Houston in Texas. North Command spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks said, “I am sure that Lt. Gen. Caldwell would welcome the opportunity to respond to any inquiry, and I’m confident that once the facts are presented and examined, all allegations will be proven false.” Congressional officials said Caldwell could be called to testify in a future hearing. Fassl said that Caldwell “was visibly upset we had made the (Department...