DebateGate

China uncovers "worms, substandard goods" from U.S.
Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:46AM EDT
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSPEK26657820070831?sp=true

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has found microscopic worms in wooden packaging from the United States and uncovered substandard U.S. vitamin pills and fish oil for children, Chinese media said on Friday in the latest volley of cross-border accusations.

China has highlighted several quality concerns with U.S. products in apparent response to recent complaints in Washington about the safety of Chinese exports ranging from toys to toothpaste.

The pine wood worms, or nematodes, were found in 13 sets of packaging in the manufacturing hub of Shenzhen, the China Daily said.

Harmful organisms were found in another 10 of 70 batches of wooden packaging sampled between mid-July and mid-August.

This meant the rate of sub-standard packaging from the United States was higher than that for the European Union, Japan, Korea or Canada, the newspaper said.

The labels on some of the wooden packaging were unclear, the report said, adding that that this suggested some exporters might have used fake documents.

Officials have destroyed the goods and urged tighter supervision of wooden U.S. packaging, the paper said.

The vitamin and mineral pills and children's fish oil were discovered in the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang, the China News Service said.

"The two failed to reach the nutritious levels promised on their labels," it said, citing the Zhejiang industrial and commercial department.

China recently destroyed a cargo of sub-standard frozen potato slices also shipped from the United States, and the quarantine bureau earlier this month highlighted a cargo of contaminated soybeans that arrived in February.

China has sent a notice to the World Health Organization defending its own food safety standards and said it was willing to cooperate globally to tackle the problem.

China's quality watchdog on Friday introduced what Xinhua news agency called a landmark recall system for unsafe food products and toys to improve product safety.

The regulations, following the introduction of recall system for defective cars in 2005, went into effect on Friday, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine announced.

Xinhua did not give details.

An outbreak of cholera in two northern Iraqi provinces has killed eight people and infected 80 others, the Kurdistan Regional Government has said.
Kurdish Health Minister Zeryan Othman said local health authorities were also treating 4,250 suspected cases of the disease in Sulaimaniya and Tamim.

Specialist teams and emergency aid have been sent to the affected regions.

Serious problems with water quality and sewage treatment, worsened by crumbling local infrastructure, are being blamed.

A report by the UK-based charity, Oxfam, and the NGO Co-ordination Committee in Iraq (NCCI) last month warned that 70% of Iraq's population did not have adequate water supplies and that only 20% had access to effective sanitation.

Emergency aid

Speaking after a visit to Azadi hospital in Kirkuk, Mr Othman said there were 47 confirmed cases of cholera in Tamim province and 35 in the neighbouring semi-autonomous Kurdish province of Sulaimaniya.

The minister said 2,350 people were also suffering from diarrhoea in Sulaimaniya and a further 2,000 in Tamim.

Mr Othman said the rate is about three times higher than the number recorded in the past three years.

He also warned that other areas could become affected, including the capital Baghdad and the central province of Salahuddin, where there have been some cases of the disease.

Specialist teams have been sent from Baghdad and emergency supplies flown in, he added.

The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) is distributing safe water and oral rehydration kits.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it will establish a system to monitor water quality in the region.

Cholera is a bacterial infection which causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting. Patients, particularly children and the elderly, are vulnerable to dangerous dehydration as a result.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6970130.stm

Published: 2007/08/30 10:46:13 GMT

As the Bush administration readies a ?pivotal? progress report on Iraq, it?s worth asking if this time will be any different than the past. We?ve seen countless politicians and pundits on both sides herald the arrival of a ?turning point? in Iraq, only to watch the war roll on. Herewith, a quick rundown of the ?turning points? that turned out to be anything but.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3964

---

Lt. Gen. Jay Garner arrives in Baghdad

Date: April 21, 2003

U.S. military fatalities to date: 131

Unwarranted optimism: ?We will be here as long as it takes. We will leave fairly rapidly.? ?Lt. Gen. Jay Garner

---

President Bush appears beneath ?Mission Accomplished? banner

Date: May 1, 2003

U.S. military fatalities to date: 140

Unwarranted optimism: ?Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.? ?U.S. President George W. Bush

---

L. Paul Bremer III takes over from Jay Garner

Date: May 11, 2003

U.S. military fatalities to date: 148

Unwarranted optimism: ?The coalition provisional authority, led by Ambassador Bremer, has a comprehensive strategy to move Iraq toward a future that is secure and prosperous.? ?George W. Bush

---

Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) announces Iraqi Governing Council

Date: July 13, 2003

U.S. military fatalities to date: 225

Unwarranted optimism: ?The establishment of the Iraqi Governing Council is an important step forward in the ongoing transition from ruthless dictatorship to a free and democratic Iraq with Iraqis determining their own future. We look forward to working with the Council as it moves toward a democratic and prosperous Iraq, at peace with its neighbors.? ?George W. Bush

---

U.S. forces kill Uday and Qusay Hussein

Date: July 22, 2003

U.S. military fatalities to date: 238

Unwarranted optimism: ?While there is still much work to do in Iraq, the Iraqi people can see progress each day toward a better and more prosperous future for their country.? ?White House statement

---

U.S. forces capture Saddam Hussein

Date: December 13, 2003

U.S. military fatalities to date: 463

Unwarranted optimism: ?Iraq?s future, your future, has never been more full of hope. The tyrant is a prisoner. The economy is moving forward. You have before you the prospect of a sovereign government in a few months.? ?L. Paul Bremer III, head of the CPA

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Iraqi Governing Council completes Transitional Administrative Law

Date: March 8, 2004

U.S. military fatalities to date: 557

Unwarranted optimism: ?The adoption of this law marks a historic milestone in the Iraqi people?s long journey from tyranny and violence to liberty and peace. While difficult work remains to establish democracy in Iraq, today?s signing is a critical step in that direction.? ?George W. Bush

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U.S. transfers sovereignty to Iraqi interim government

Date: June 28, 2004

U.S. military fatalities to date: 858

Unwarranted optimism: ?Let freedom reign!? ?George W. Bush, writing on a napkin

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Iraq holds elections for Transitional National Assembly

Date: January 30, 2005

U.S. military fatalities to date: 1,438

Unwarranted optimism: ?Across Iraq today, men and women have taken rightful control of their country?s destiny, and they have chosen a future of freedom and peace.? ?George W. Bush

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Ibrahim al-Jaafari forms new Iraqi government

Date: April 28, 2005

U.S. military fatalities to date: 1,580

Unwarranted optimism: ?The United States is confident that the new government will meet these challenges in the months ahead, and America will stand by Iraq, its leaders, and the Iraqi people as they continue their work to establish a stable, peaceful, and democratic Iraq.? ?George W. Bush

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U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney declares insurgency in ?last throes?

Date: May 30, 2005

U.S. military fatalities to date: 1,665

Unwarranted optimism: ?The level of activity that we see today from a military standpoint, I think, will clearly decline. I think they?re in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency.? ?Dick Cheney

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Cindy Sheehan camps out in Crawford, Texas

Date: August 6, 2005

U.S. military fatalities to date: 1,834

Unwarranted optimism: ?The vigils [organized by MoveOn.org in support of Sheehan] were something we hadn?t seen in quite some time. It was a turning point, I think.? ?Todd Gitlin, professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University

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Iraqis ratify new constitution

Date: October 15, 2005

U.S. military fatalities to date: 1,977

Unwarranted optimism: ?Just 30 months removed from the rule of a dictator, and nine months after they first elected their own leaders, the Iraqi people are resolving tough issues through an inclusive political process. And this process is isolating the extremists who wish to derail democracy through violence and murder.? ?George W. Bush

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U.S. Rep. John Murtha calls for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq

Date: November 17, 2005

U.S. military fatalities to date: 2,083

Unwarranted optimism: ?I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid-December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice that the United States will immediately redeploy. All of Iraq must know that Iraq is free. Free from United States occupation. I believe this will send a signal to the Sunnis to join the political process for the good of a ?free? Iraq.? ?Rep. John Murtha

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White House releases ?National Strategy for Victory in Iraq?

Date: November 30, 2005

U.S. military fatalities to date: 2,113

Unwarranted optimism: ?As we make progress toward victory, Iraqis will take more responsibility for their security, and fewer U.S. forces will be needed to complete the mission.? ?George W. Bush

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Iraqis elect new Iraqi Assembly

Date: December 15, 2005

U.S. military fatalities to date: 2,155

Unwarranted optimism: ?The last two weeks have been critically important and I believe may be seen as a turning point in the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism.? ?U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman

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Nuri al-Maliki sworn in as new Iraqi prime minister

Date: May 20, 2006

U.S. military fatalities to date: 2,455

Unwarranted optimism: ?We believe this is a turning point for the Iraqi citizens, and it?s a new chapter in our partnership.? ?George W. Bush

The choice of Maliki is ?a good step in the right direction. He?s an Iraqi patriot. He?s a strong leader.? ?U.S. Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad

?

• ur security forces will be capable of taking over the security portfolio in all Iraqi provinces within one year and a half.? ?Nuri al-Maliki

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U.S. forces kill Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

Date: June 7, 2006

U.S. military fatalities to date: 2,490

Unwarranted optimism: ?Zarqawi?s death is a severe blow to al Qaeda. It?s a victory in the global war on terror, and it is an opportunity for Iraq?s new government to turn the tide of this struggle.? ?George W. Bush

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Iraqi national security advisor calls for U.S. troop drawdown

Date: June 20, 2006

U.S. military fatalities to date: 2,510

Unwarranted optimism: ?We envisage the U.S. troop presence by year?s end to be under 100,000, with most of the remaining troops to return home by the end of 2007.? ?Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq?s national security advisor

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Iraq ?drifting sideways,? U.S. Sen. John Warner warns

Date: October 6, 2006

U.S. military fatalities to date: 2,740

Unwarranted optimism: ?Warner?s statement is an important, important statement and, I hope, a turning point.? ?U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden

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Iraq Study Group publishes report

Date: December 6, 2006

U.S. military fatalities to date: 2,925

Unwarranted optimism: ?Even if its proposals don?t succeed, Baker-Hamilton can still accomplish its purpose, to ?enable the United States to begin to move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly.?? ?David Ignatius, Washington Post columnist

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Robert Gates replaces Donald Rumsfeld as U.S. secretary of defense

Date: December 18, 2006

U.S. military fatalities to date: 2,953

Unwarranted optimism: ?[T]he pragmatists have won the battle for the president?s attention. Now let?s see how the president responds, and what, together with the Democrats, they can do about Iraq.? ?Howard Fineman, chief political correspondent at Newsweek

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Iraqi government hangs Saddam Hussein

Date: December 30, 2006

U.S. military fatalities to date: 2,999

Unwarranted optimism: ?Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on Iraq?s course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and defend itself, and be an ally in the War on Terror.? ?George W. Bush

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110th Congress convenes

Date: January 4, 2007

U.S. military fatalities to date: 3,005

Unwarranted optimism: ?Newly empowered Democrats plan to start the next congressional session with a head-on challenge to President Bush?s Iraq war policy, seeking to push the Bush administration to start troop withdrawals by mid-2007, party leaders said yesterday.? ?Rick Klein of the Boston Globe

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President Bush announces troop ?surge? strategy for Iraq

Date: January 10, 2007

U.S. military fatalities to date: 3,016

Unwarranted optimism: ?This new strategy will not yield an immediate end to suicide bombings, assassinations, or IED [improvised explosive device] attacks. ? Yet over time, we can expect to see Iraqi troops chasing down murderers, fewer brazen acts of terror, and growing trust and cooperation from Baghdad?s residents. When this happens, daily life will improve, Iraqis will gain confidence in their leaders, and the government will have the breathing space it needs to make progress in other critical areas. Most of Iraq?s Sunni and Shia want to live together in peace?and reducing the violence in Baghdad will help make reconciliation possible.? ?George W. Bush

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Gen. David Petraeus takes command in Iraq; the ?surge? begins

Date: February 10, 2007

U.S. military fatalities to date: 3,124

Unwarranted optimism: ?People want to live in peace; they want to grow up in a peaceful environment. And the decision I made is going to help the Iraqi government do that.? ?George W. Bush

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U.S. House passes resolution condemning ?surge? in Iraq

Date: February 16, 2007

U.S. military fatalities to date: 3,135

Unwarranted optimism: ?The passage of this legislation will signal a change in direction in Iraq that will end the fighting and bring our troops home safely and soon.? ?U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

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U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar calls for troop reductions in Iraq

Date: June 25, 2007

U.S. military fatalities to date: 3,568

Unwarranted optimism: ?When we finally end this war?and the history books are written?I believe that Senator Lugar?s words yesterday could be remembered as a turning point.? ?U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, Senate majority leader

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New York Times calls for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq

Date: July 8, 2007

U.S. military fatalities to date: 3,608

Unwarranted optimism: ?It is time for the United States to leave Iraq, without any more delay than the Pentagon needs to organize an orderly exit.? ?New York Times editorial

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Sen. John Warner calls on President Bush to withdraw some troops

Date: Aug. 23, 2007

U.S. military fatalities to date: 3,727

Unwarranted optimism? ?John Warner is the single most influential Republican voice on Capitol Hill. ? This is going to have a major impact, Katie.? ?Bob Schieffer, CBS News

Shaken by product safety woes, China declares "war"
Fri Aug 24, 2007 7:24AM EDT
By Chris Buckley

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has launched a four-month "war" on tainted food, drugs and exports, state media reported on Friday, as beleaguered officials embraced time-tested campaign tactics to clean up the country's battered image.

Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi told officials that the campaign, to run to the end of the year, would focus on problem products that have corroded domestic and foreign consumers' confidence in the "made in China" label.

"This is a special battle to protect the health and personal interests of the public and to protect the reputation of Chinese goods and the national image," Wu said, according to the government Web site (www.gov.cn).

She called the campaign a "stern political task" -- a reminder that officials' careers may be on the line.

The world's largest toymaker, Mattel, recalled more than 18 million Chinese-made toys in mid-August because of hazards from small magnets that can cause injury if swallowed, just two weeks after it recalled 1.5 million toys due to fears over lead paint.

Wal-Mart said it was asking suppliers to resubmit testing documentation for the toys it sells after Mattel's move.

Other Chinese export scares have hit toothpaste, animal food ingredients, tires, eels and seafood, and deadly chemicals that found their way into cough medicine, killing patients in Panama.

Shaken by the scares, China has fought back with new rules, factory shutdowns, constant news conferences and now an old-style campaign to shake up officials often more focused on economic growth targets.

Wu blamed lax inspection and enforcement and failure of officials in rival agencies to cooperate. She vowed to whip them into line with a list of eight tasks and 20 specific goals.

TOP-DOWN CAMPAIGN

"Clearly, this is an autocratic, top-down approach using campaigning methods," said Mao Shoulong, an expert on public policy at the People's University of China.

"In China, this campaigning method still has a role to play in addressing relatively simple problems, because when grassroots officials see the premier or vice premier taking up an issue, focusing on it, they know they also have to sit up and pay attention."

Since 1949, the ruling Communist Party has often resorted to short-term storming campaigns to deal with enemies, pests and policy bottlenecks, though the frequency and intensity of these efforts have died down in past decades.

"The execution of Zheng Xiaoyu was also part of that campaigning approach to get officials' attention," said Mao, referring to the former head of the national food and drug safety watchdog, who was executed in July for taking bribes.

As part of the latest campaign, the government named 60 "food safety model counties" to show how things should be done.

In the latest health scare, the Shanghai Daily reported on Friday that city officials had seized more than a tonne of kelp soaked in a toxic chemical to keep it looking fresh. They also found fake wine and vinegar.

Wu announced targets to clean up pig slaughtering, restaurants and canteens, pesticide use, food additives and the country's vital exports. "In some businesses the management level is low, production conditions are poor, quality levels and standards are low, and reliability is weak," she said.

Local officials may not share Wu's determination to move so fast, said the China Daily.

"Building an omnipresent monitoring and guarantee mechanism will prove a challenging mission for a four-month campaign," the paper said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSPEK27505720070824?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

Aug 22nd 2007
From Economist.com

But only if the Chinese Communist Party says so

LIKE many religious monuments around the world, the Yonghegong or ?Lama Temple? in Beijing is both tourist trap and place of worship. First built in the late 17th century as a home for eunuchs from the imperial court, it became a palace for a future emperor and then a lamasery for monks from Tibet and Mongolia. Unlike many monasteries in Tibet itself, it survived the mass vandalism of the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, thanks, says a prominent sign in the grounds, to the intervention of Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong?s long-serving prime minister.

On a muggy summer afternoon the car park is full of tour buses and the temple grounds swarm with Chinese and foreign tourists in shorts and T-shirts, fanning themselves, guzzling water and distractedly spinning prayer wheels. But in the shrines themselves the devout pray with real fervour. They are almost all Chinese. Like other religions, Tibetan Buddhism, and even its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, is gaining new adherents in China. In Tibet itself, there seems little sign that faith is weakening.

This helps explain ?Order Number Five?, passed at a conference of the State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA) in Beijing last month, and due to come into effect on September 1st. It covers ?management measures for the reincarnation of living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism?. In this faith, some who have achieved enlightenment can opt to be reborn, to help those less blessed.

The most famous living Buddha is of course the Dalai Lama himself, but there are many others. India?s former ambassador to Mongolia was a living Buddha from Ladakh. So is Arjia Rinpoche, the former abbot of a big monastery near Xining, the capital of China?s Qinghai province (formerly part of Tibet), who defected to America in 1998.

Living Buddhas are typically identified in boyhood through a mixture of tests?familiarity with the late incarnation?s belongings?and divination. Now the government wants to control the process, arrogating to itself the right to approve incarnations. Bizarrely, Order Number Five even provides for ?living Buddha permits?, to be registered at SARA. Reincarnation, moreover, is banned in ?cities with delineated districts?, which can only refer to Xining and Lhasa, the capital of what is now the ?Tibet Autonomous Region? of China.

The government?s odd meddling in religious affairs is not confined to Buddhism. One of China?s chief disputes with the Vatican is over its refusal to allow the Pope the authority to appoint bishops. But its apparent determination to control religion in Tibet is especially intense, because Buddhism is so bound up with Tibetans? identity and nationalism.

Chinese spokesmen accuse the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since 1959, of engaging ?in activities aimed at splitting the motherland? (ie, China). In fact, the Dalai Lama says that, unlike many Tibetans, he is ready to accept Chinese sovereignty in exchange for genuine autonomy. His representatives are engaged in drawn-out and seemingly aimless talks with the government. Leaders in Beijing seem to have decided that the best hope of quelling resistance to their rule is to wait for his death.

The government may even hope to install a Buddha of its own, as it tried with the second most senior figure in Tibetan Buddhism, the Panchen Lama. There are two rival Panchens. The boy recognised by the Dalai Lama is now 18, and apparently in Chinese detention.

The Dalai Lama has said he may not be reincarnated at all, or, if Tibet is not free, he may be reincarnated in exile. It seems unlikely that China could install a Tibetan leader who also commands the loyalty of Tibetans. And the death of the present Dalai Lama?a robust man, but in his 70s?would remove the most powerful force restraining Tibetans from violent resistance to Chinese rule. Of course, China could crush an armed uprising easily. But it might be a bloody business.

Muslim women: My headscarf is not a threat

Story Highlights
-- Study: Majority of American Muslims worried hijabs could lead to discrimination
-- American Muslim says wearing headscarf is "God's wish"
-- Egyptian: "I do believe in modesty and you shouldn't be showing off yourself"

By Brian Rokus
CNN

Editor's note: This is part of a series of reports CNN.com is featuring from an upcoming, six-hour television event, "God's Warriors," hosted by CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

(CNN) -- Last year at Christmastime, Rehan Seyam, a Muslim living in New Jersey, went to pick up some things at a local Wal-Mart. Seeing her distinctive traditional Muslim head covering called a "hijab," a man in the store, addressing her directly, sang "The 12 Days of Christmas" using insulting lyrics about terrorism and Osama bin Laden.

She was stunned.

"Do I look like a terrorist to you?" Seyam said she asked the man.

According to Seyam, the man replied, "What else does a terrorist look like?"

Such stories are not altogether uncommon for Muslim Americans. According to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center, 53 percent of Muslims living in America said it has become more difficult to be a Muslim in the United States since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Fifty-one percent said they are "very worried" or "somewhat worried" that women wearing the hijab are treated poorly, according to the poll.

A simple headscarf generally used by women to hide the hair from view, the hijab has become so controversial among some that several countries have banned or considered banning Muslim women from wearing them in public places. In light of this contentiousness, why do Muslim women choose to wear the hijab? Watch the making of CNN's TV special "God's Warriors" ?

Gayad al-Khalik lives in Egypt and says the hijab is a focus on inner beauty.

"I want to shift the attention from my outer self to my inner self when I deal with someone, I don't want them to look at me in a way that wouldn't suit me," she told CNN in an upcoming documentary called "God's Warriors."

Al-Khalik is fluent in English and German; studied in Europe; plays Western music on her guitar; and spent time working for a women's rights organization.

She wears the hijab -- and says it's not just for religious reasons.

"My own conclusion was it is debatable whether it is a religious obligation or not, but I chose to keep it on because I do believe in modesty and you shouldn't be showing off yourself," al-Khalik said.

The Quran calls for women to be modest in their dress but interpretation of the edict varies widely, according to religious experts who spoke with CNN. An author who has written widely on Islam told CNN the Quran does not require women to wear the hijab.

"There's nothing in the Quran about all women having to be veiled or secluded in a certain part of the house. That came in later [after Prophet Mohammed's time]," said religious historian and author Karen Armstrong.

For Seyam, the hijab is a religious duty. "It's God's wish," she said.

"It's a requirement by God. He wants us to cover. He wants us to be modest," Seyam said.

But as important as the hijab is to her, Seyam's decision to cover her face wasn't one she made easily.

"It was very dramatic for me. And I remember, even now thinking about it, it really does make my heart beat a little bit faster," she said, "I was making a decision I knew was permanent. You put on hijab, you don't take it off."

Through her childhood growing up in Long Island, New York, Seyam prayed with her devout Muslim parents, but says she was just "going through the motions." It wasn't until college that she decided to wear a hijab consistently.

Influenced by her more devout friends, Seyam decided being a good Muslim meant covering her head.

"My sole purpose is to be here for the sake of Allah, and I'm doing something that he specifically says that you should be doing."

Seyam said there were practical factors in her decision as well. "I'm sick of guys catcalling. It was just driving me crazy. I felt like a piece of meat."

But Seyam says she traded in catcalling for a different kind of negative attention. People "look at me as if I am threatening and I do not feel like I am threatening looking. I don't feel I should instill fear in anybody's heart, but I do feel like I get dirty looks," she said.

Still, Seyam says her faith sustains her and that wearing the hijab is an important part of that faith.

"I'm not here to live my life and do whatever I want. I'm here to worship God," Seyam said. "I don't think that everybody has that, and I think that I'm lucky for it."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=895893&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1
By The Associated Press 
 
An 86-year-old Jewish surfing guru from Hawaii donated on Tuesday 12 surfboards to Gaza's small surfing community, in a gesture he hoped would get Israelis and Palestinians catching the same peace wave.

"God will surf with the devil, if the waves are good," retired doctor Dorian Paskowitz said Tuesday. "When a surfer sees another surfer with a board, he can't help but say something that brings them together."

Paskowitz emerged shirtless at the Israel-Gaza crossing after handing over the dozen boards to Gazan surfers waiting on the other side. He said he was spurred into action after reading a story about two Gaza surfers who couldn't enjoy the wild waves off the coast because they had only one board to share between them.

Arthur Rashkovan, a 28-year-old surfer from Tel Aviv, said Paskowitz's project was part of a larger effort called Surfing for Peace, aimed at bringing Middle East surfers closer together. He said eight-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater, who is of Syrian descent, is expected to arrive in Israel in October to take part in the drive.

Paskowitz, whom Rashkovan called a 'guru' to Israeli surfers, has surfed in Israel several times over the past five decades.

Paskowitz, a father of nine, served in the Navy during World War II, practiced family medicine for more than half a century and has published books on surfing and health. He said he's surfed for 75 years, in locations all over the world, and ranks the waves off the coasts of Israel and Gaza as among the world's best.

"It's really quite remarkable how good they are for modern surfing," he said.