Iran's Rouhani: Occupation of Palestine is 'wound'

An Iranian cleric holding an anti-Israeli placard chants slogan, while attending an annual pro-Palestinian rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. Ahead of his inauguration, Iran?s new president, Hasan Rouhani, on Friday called Israel an ?old wound? that should be removed, while thousands of Iranians marched in support of Muslim claims to the holy city of Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

An Iranian cleric holding an anti-Israeli placard chants slogan, while attending an annual pro-Palestinian rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. Ahead of his inauguration, Iran?s new president, Hasan Rouhani, on Friday called Israel an ?old wound? that should be removed, while thousands of Iranians marched in support of Muslim claims to the holy city of Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Iranian women attend an annual pro-Palestinian rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. Ahead of his inauguration, Iran?s new president, Hasan Rouhani, on Friday called Israel an ?old wound? that should be removed, while thousands of Iranians marched in support of Muslim claims to the holy city of Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

An Iranian man chants slogans as he holds an anti-Israeli placard with a portrait and quotation of Lebanese Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah during an annual pro-Palestinian rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. Ahead of his inauguration, Iran?s new president, Hasan Rouhani, on Friday called Israel an ?old wound? that should be removed, while thousands of Iranians marched in support of Muslim claims to the holy city of Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Iranians attend an annual pro-Palestinian rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. Ahead of his inauguration, Iran?s new president, Hasan Rouhani, on Friday called Israel an ?old wound? that should be removed, while thousands of Iranians marched in support of Muslim claims to the holy city of Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Iranians attend an annual pro-Palestinian rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. Ahead of his inauguration, Iran?s new president, Hasan Rouhani, on Friday called Israel an ?old wound? that should be removed, while thousands of Iranians marched in support of Muslim claims to the holy city of Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran's president-elect called Israel's control of Jerusalem and Palestinian lands a "wound" for the Islamic world in relatively moderate remarks Friday that contrasted with the harsh rhetoric of his predecessor and other Iranian leaders.

Speaking to reporters during an annual pro-Palestinian rally, Hasan Rouhani said: "In our region and under occupation of Palestine and dear Jerusalem, there has been a wound on the body of the Islamic world."

The comments, two days before Rouhani's inauguration, were tame compared with those frequently made by outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling for Israel's destruction. The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, once called the Jewish state a "cancer" that needed to be cut away.

A semiofficial Iranian news agency initially quoted Rouhani as calling Israel a "wound that should be removed." That prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to retort that "the real face of Rouhani has been exposed earlier than expected."

But the news agency, ISNA, later said it was a misquote, confirmed by state TV footage of Rouhani's comment reviewed by The Associated Press. Netanyahu issued no statement on the corrected version.

Nevertheless, the mishap underscored the challenges facing the incoming president, who was elected in June with pledges to seek a calmer and more balanced outreach to the West.

It is Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard who control Iranian policies, and the supreme leader has final say in all key matters.

Rouhani will effectively be the international face of Iran and has made no secret of his desire to project a new image of dialogue rather than diatribes. It remains to be seen to what extent he will be able to persuade the ruling clerics and military that interaction with Washington and its allies over Iran's nuclear program could bring dividends such as easing painful sanctions.

Israel has not ruled out a military option against Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West suspects are geared toward making a nuclear weapon. Tehran denies the charge and insists its nuclear program is meant for peaceful purposes only.

The Iranian leadership has long maintained harsh views on Israel, backing anti-Israeli factions such as Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group. But it now appears to recognize that Ahmadinejad's fiery denunciations of Israel and his questioning the extent of the Holocaust needlessly outraged the West and did not advance Iran's national interests.

Rouhani appears to be trying to maneuver in the tight space allotted in Iran's power structure. He is making clear that he stands with Iran's uncompromising positions on Israel but is also backing away from Ahmadinejad's fist-waving approach.

In his remarks Friday, Rouhani also expressed doubts about the possibility of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal as the two sides resumed negotiations in Washington this week following a five-year freeze in Mideast talks.

"Israelis show a compromising face to the world but continue their expansionism in practice," Rouhani said, according to Fars, another semiofficial news agency. "This rally is a reminder that Muslim people will not forget their historical right and they will resist oppression and invasion."

Iran does not recognize Israel and has since the 1979 Islamic Revolution observed the last Friday of the Islamic month of Ramadan as "Al-Quds Day." Tehran says the occasion is meant to express support for Palestinians and emphasize the importance of Jerusalem for Muslims.

Jerusalem's eastern sector houses sensitive Jewish, Christian and Muslim shrines and is sacred to all three religions. Jerusalem is the holiest place in Judaism and the third holiest city in Islam, after the Saudi Arabian cities of Mecca and Medina.

Anti-Israeli rallies were held in cities and towns across Iran on Friday. In the capital, Tehran, tens of thousands took to the streets, chanting "Down with America" and "Death to Israel." Some protesters also burned American and Israeli flags.

Ahmadinejad spoke to the crowds after the rally in Friday prayers at the Tehran University campus. It was his last public speech before his term ends.

"You Zionists planted a wind but you will harvest a storm," the outgoing president said. "A destructive storm is on the way and it will destroy Zionism."

___

Associated Press Writer Ian Deitch in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-08-02-ML-Iran-Israel/id-36c6844bf0894b1b82dadbecf34db6ca

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Cleveland kidnapping victim: 'I cried every night'

CLEVELAND (AP) ? One of the victims of convicted Cleveland kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro says at his sentencing hearing that she cried every night and that her years in captivity "turned into eternity."

Michelle Knight says she spent 11 years in hell and that Castro's hell is now beginning.

Her appearance is the first time she's been seen publicly since her rescue from the house where she was held captive for 10 years.

The 32-year-old Knight was the first woman abducted by Ariel Castro in 2002 after he lured her into his house with the promise of a puppy for her son.

Castro has pleaded guilty to charges that he repeatedly raped Knight and two other victims, and also forced Knight to miscarry after he impregnated her.

Knight was the only victim to testify. Relatives spoke for the other two victims.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cleveland-kidnapping-victim-cried-every-night-162017054.html

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Fundraising for Brantford's Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre going slow

The city's fundraising campaign for the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre is falling dramatically short of its goals so far.

The campaign kicked off with the hiring of KCI Ketchum Canada in December 2011. The initial work and reports from the fundraising consultants showed the potential to raise between $3 million and $5 million. About $1 million of that amount would support the construction of the Brantford Sports Hall of Recognition, with any remaining funds offsetting the construction costs of the centre's $64-million redevelopment. The campaign was officially launched in June 2012.

While KCI indicated at the time it can take up to two years to cement big-dollar donations, as of the last public announcement at the end of June, the campaign had raised a total of about $700,000. The largest donation to-date has been $200,000 from SC Johnson, targeted for an outdoor play structure.

Many of the other donations that have been made have been tied to specific parts of the centre or equipment within the centre, such as the $25,000 donation by BMO Bank of Montreal for a new timing system and display in the 25-metre pool.

The fundraising consultants were hired at a cost of $25,000 a month for 14 months. The last month KCI was working on this fundraising campaign was April of this year ? with the city having paid a minimum of $350,000 drawn from the pot of money being used to finance the overall reconstruction. The thought at the time was the payments for the professional fundraisers would be taken out of the monies raised for the overall project.

?People so far have been willing to donate for specific projects,? general manager of community services Greg Dworak said this week. ?There is still some money that will be general donations and that will go to payment of KCI's fees.?

Dworak said there are more sponsorship agreements coming to council for approval this fall and the volunteer committee continues to work to solicit donations and work to solidify potential donors who've shown an interest. But as of this week, when amounts dedicated to specific items are discounted, the dollars raised aren't enough to cover KCI's costs.

The campaign's shortfall to-date hasn't impacted the facility itself ? the third large phase of reconstruction that included a new gymnasium, six-lane 25-metre pool, warm-water therapy pool, new change rooms and fitness studios opened over the month of June. The fourth and final phase involves the reconstruction of the change rooms in the old 65-metre pool and should be complete by the spring.

hugo.rodrigues@sunmedia.ca

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Source: http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2013/07/31/fundraising-for-brantfords-wayne-gretzky-sports-centre-going-slow

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