17 March 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
EU Grants P.A €20.8 To Pay Salaries, Pensions
IMEMC – The European Union (EU) has granted the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank approximately €2.8 so that it can pay pensions and salaries to nearly 82.000 retired persons, and government employees, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. …
Settlers Burn A Chicken Coop Near Nablus
IMEMC – Several Attacks Reported In West Bank A number of armed extremist Israeli settlers burnt on Sunday at dawn a chicken coop that belongs to a villager of Qasra village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. …
Three Children Kidnapped In Hebron
IMEMC – Sunday March 17, 2013, the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West bank city of Hebron, reported that Israeli soldiers kidnapped three children, earlier on Sunday at dawn, an issue that led to clashes between local youths and Israeli soldiers. …
Army Attacks, Detains Palestinian Shepherds Near Hebron
IMEMC – Saturday March 16, 2013, Israeli soldiers attacked and detained five Palestinian shepherds in Yatta town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. …
Settlers prevent farmers from harvesting their land in Yatta
3/17/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A group of settlers prevented Palestinian farmers in Yatta from reaching their land on Sunday, a Palestinian official said. Othman Abu Sabh, an expert in settlement affairs, told Ma’an that settlers prevented the farmers from harvesting their land. Israeli forces were present in the area at the time but….
Settlers torch chicken coop in Nablus, official says
3/17/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — A group of settlers set fire to a chicken coop in a Nablus village on Sunday, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma’an that settlers from Migdalim set fire to a chicken coop belonging to Jamal Abu Rida….
Israeli forces detain 18 in overnight arrest raids
3/17/2013 – SALFIT (Ma’an) — Israeli forces arrested 18 people overnight Saturday, Israel‘s army and locals said. Israeli forces raided the Salfit village of Haris and detained Tamer Ayad Souf, Ammar Abed Souf and Ali Yassin Shamlawi, all aged 16, locals told Ma’an. In Beit Ummar, Ali Saed Ali Sabarneh, 17, Ali….
Israel to deport Ayman Sharawna to Gaza
3/17/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israel will deport Ayman Sharawna, who has been on hunger strike since July, to the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said Sunday. After more than eight months on hunger strike, Sharawna signed an agreement to be deported to Gaza for 10 years on Sunday, PPS chief Qadura Fares said. Sharawna…. Related: Minister says PA rejects deportation of prisoners and Ayman Sharawna arrives in Gaza Strip
Ayman Sharawna arrives in Gaza Strip
3/17/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Ayman Sharawna arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening after signing a deportation deal to end an 8-month long hunger strike in Israeli jail. Sharawna arrived at the Erez crossing, where a Palestinian ambulance was waiting to take him into Gaza. Hundreds of people crowded at the Palestinian…. Related: Israel to deport Ayman Sharawna to Gaza and Minister says PA rejects deportation of prisoners
Official: Jenin to receive bodies of Jordan bus crash victims
3/17/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The governor of the Jenin district said Sunday that the municipality will receive the bodies of 15 victims who died Saturday after a bus carrying pilgrims in Jordan overturned. Talal Dweikat told Ma’an that the bodies of the victims from Jenin will be transferred to the city accompanied by…. Related: Bodies of Jordan bus crash victims returned to West Bank
Minister says PA rejects deportation of prisoners
3/17/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority minister of detainees said Sunday that the PA refuses to accept the deportation of Palestinian prisoners by Israel. Issa Qaraqe said that two months ago Israel made an offer to release and deport hunger striking prisoners Ayman Sharawna and Samer Issawi. Deporting Palestinian prisoners is political blackmail, Qaraqe…. Related: Israel to deport Ayman Sharawna to Gaza
Israeli soldier tries to set himself on fire
3/17/2013 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — An Israeli soldier tried to set himself on fire on Sunday at a military base in Tel Aviv, Israeli media reported. The soldier doused himself in flammable liquid but was stopped by an officer, an army official told the Hebrew-language Maariv newspaper. He had tried to attack his superior….
Bodies of Jordan bus crash victims returned to West Bank
3/17/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — The bodies of 15 Palestinians killed in a bus crash in Jordan were returned to the West Bank on Sunday, Palestinian officials said. An official ceremony was held at a crossing in Jericho and attended by PLO officials Saeb Erekat, Tawfiq Tirawi, PA interior minister Said Abu Ali and health minister…. Related: Official: Jenin to receive bodies of Jordan bus crash victims
Egypt seizes military fatigues from Gaza tunnel
3/17/2013 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — Egyptian forces seized military-style clothing from a smuggling tunnel near the Gaza border, an army spokesman said Sunday. Ahmad Mohammad Ali said clothing similar to Egyptian army uniforms, as well as sportswear, was seized from a tunnel uncovered in the al-Sarsouria area near the Gaza Strip. He urged citizens to beware….
Prominent female Hamas lawmaker dies in Gaza
3/17/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Mariam Farahat, a Hamas-affiliated female member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, passed away on Sunday at the age of 64, a Gaza health official said. Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra confirmed that Farahat died early Sunday after entering intensive care at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. She had received treatment….
Netanyahu picks ex-general Yaalon as new defense chief
3/17/2013 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday chose Moshe Yaalon, an ex-general and vice premier from his right-wing Likud party, to be Israel‘s next defense minister, a government official said. Yaalon, 62, spent the past four years in Netanyahu’s inner circle of m
inisters, routinely boosting the rightist prime minister….
Hamas keen to implement unity deal, spokesman says
3/17/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Sunday that the Islamist group is working hard to implement a reconciliation deal with rival faction Fatah.” If the elections were held in a state of tension, it would lead to more division within the Palestinian factions,” Abu Zuhri said, adding that conditions in….
CEC announces timeline for local elections
3/17/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Voter registry lists will be published for 36 municipalities on Saturday, ahead of local elections in June, the Central Elections Commission said Sunday. Most of the West Bank voted in new councils in October and November, but a new round of voting will be held in 36 municipalities on June 1….
Israeli wanted on bribery charge arrested after Peru extradition
3/17/2013 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel arrested a former judge suspected of receiving millions of dollars in bribes as he arrived back in the country on Sunday after being extradited from Peru, authorities said. A spokeswoman for Israel‘s Justice Ministry said Dan Cohen, who fled Israel in 2005, arrived back after Peruvian President Ollanta Humala approved….
PCBS: Olive oil production increased by 10 percent in 2012
3/17/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Olive oil production in the West Bank and Gaza Strip increased in 2012, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. The total quantity of olive oil extracted increased by 10. 6 percent compared to 2011, with 22,951 tons of oil produced. There are around 279 olive presses in operation and….
Syrian rebel fighters seize security compound near Golan Heights
3/17/2013 – AMMAN (Reuters) — Syrian rebels on Sunday seized a Syrian military intelligence compound in the southern Hauran Plain near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, rebel commanders said. The frontier, quiet since Israel and Syria agreed on a US-brokered ceasefire in 1974, has turned volatile in recent weeks, after opposition brigades stepped up attacks against army and intelligence….
Four-year-old killed in Hebron road accident
3/16/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A four-year-old girl was killed in a road accident in Hebron on Saturday, medics said. Marah al-Swweiti was seriously wounded in an accident in the village of Dura, medics said, and later died in hospital. Police have opened an investigation into the incident. [END]
Syria’s 2 years of rebellion
3/17/2013 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — On a cold winter’s night in early 2011, some Syrian schoolboys drew a few slogans on a wall in a town the world had barely heard of. Two years on, more than 70,000 people have died in the bitter conflict that ensued, and calls for the West to give more help….
Bahrain court jails 17 for trying to kill policemen
3/17/2013 – DUBAI (Reuters) — A Bahrain court sentenced 17 people to 15 years in prison on Sunday after convicting them of trying to kill four policemen with a homemade bomb during political unrest last year. The attackers planted the bomb in a roadblock formed of tires, palm tree trunks and garbage bins, and detonated it when a….
Moshe Yaalon named as Israel defence minister
AlJazeera 17 Mar 2013 – Right-wing former general chosen by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for his “experience needed in stormy Middle East”.
West Bank hunger striker exiled to Gaza
AlJazeera 17 Mar 2013 – Ayman Sharawna, on hunger strike since July, signs deal with Israel, freeing him to exile in Gaza Strip for 10 years.
International Solidarity Movement
Israeli army demolish tent; leave Palestinian schoolchildren at risk of settler attack
3/17/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 16th March 2013, International Solidarity Movement, South Hebron Hills, Occupied Palestine, By Team Khalil – Palestinians raised a tent to shelter schoolchildren from settler attacks on the morning of the 16th of March, on the outskirts of the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron hills. Shortly afterwards, the Israeli military arrived and declared the area….
A 21 year-old man arrested in Burin. Repression intensifies
3/16/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 16th March 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Occupied palestine – On the night of the 12th March, Israeli forces invaded the village of Burin and arrested a 21 year-old man in his house. This arrest is part of a wave of arrests and repression of the village by Israeli forces since al-Manatir neighbourhood was established on a….
Multiple clashes lead to numerous arrests including school teacher in Hebron City
3/16/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 16th March 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Hebron, Occupied Palestine, By Team Khalil – Oden Nassar, 23, Iyab Abu Alhalawiiu, 16, and Mohamad Alzoghayer, 16, were amoung many arrested these past two days in Hebron city, including Nahil Abi Eishah, a 38 year old teacher working at Qurtaba school, who was arrested after her home was invaded….
Remembering Rachel Corrie – 10 years on
3/16/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 16th March 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Occupied Palestine – American activist Rachel Corrie was killed in Gaza ten years ago today. The International Solidarity Movement write this message in her memory. Rachel, a 23 year old woman from Olympia, Washington, was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer on the 16th March 2003, whilst protesting….
UAE’s art ambassadors head to Venice Biennale
The National 17 Mar 2013 – Among the art aficionados thronging Venice for the 55th Biennale will be 18 Emiratis who have won places on a scheme to train them to manage the UAE Pavilion, and advance the national arts scene when they return.
Fallujah Sunnis, once favoured by Saddam, now ‘marginalised’ by Iraq’s Shiite-led government
The National 17 Mar 2013 – Residents of Fallujah, who put up the fiercest resistance to the Iraq invasion against Saddam Hussein, now accuse Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government of racism and sectarianism. Alice Fordham reports from Fallujah
Israel unlikely to relax tough attitude towards US president
The National 17 Mar 2013 – There is little hope that the Israel‘s prime minister’s tensions with the US president over the settlements issue may soon disappear. Vita Bekker reports from Tel Aviv
Sheikh Khalifa inaugurates world’s largest concentrated solar power plant
The National 17 Mar 2013 – Shams 1 – the largest renewable energy project in the Middle East – can power 20,000 homes.
India evasive on UN reprimand over Sri Lanka human rights
The National 17 Mar 2013 – India is being pulled in different directions by its domestic politics, pressure from human-rights’ defenders, and the demands of realpolitik. Samanth Subramanian reports
UAE takes first major step towards its renewable energy ambitions
The National 17 Mar 2013 – The inauguration of Sham 1 solar power plant is a historic moment, according to the Secretary General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).
Beware of loan sharks, UAE expats told
The National 17 Mar 2013 – Financial predators are active in the Indian and Filipino communities and keep a stranglehold on borrowers and their families back home.
Palestinians doubtful that Obama will hold peace talks on Israel
The National 17 Mar 2013 – Critics in Ramallah say the US leader may be focused more on repairing his frosty relationship with the Israeli prime minister than he is on furthering peace in the region. Hugh Naylor reports
Eight Sheikh Jarrah activists acquitted of disorderly conduct at 2010 protest
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Coalition math: Settlers in, ultra-Orthodox Jews out
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Netanyahu names Ya’alon as defense minister, Sa’ar as interior minister
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
WATCH: ‘Crane Project’ satisfies both sides of Israeli bird debate
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Who won Israel’s coalition talks?
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Palestinian prisoner agrees to end hunger strike, will move to Gaza
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
New Israeli government guidelines push peace process to margins
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
15,000 police officers to protect Obama during visit to Israel
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Breakthrough on Haredi draft possible in new Israeli government plan
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
‘This American chutzpah makes my blood boil,’ Menachem Begin said during Jimmy Carter’s 1979 visit to Israel for Egypt peace talks
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Israeli ex-judge arrives in Israel after secret Peruvian decision paved way for arrest
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
After death at Tel Aviv half-marathon, Health Ministry panel will set standards for ‘extreme’ sports events
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Coalition pact calls for bill making Israel Jewish first, democratic second
Ha’aretz – 16 Mar 2013
Oren: Obama’s agenda aims to combat Jewish history deniers
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Israel’s Ambassador to the US tells ‘Post’ that the US president’s scheduled visits to Herzl’s grave, Yad Vashem seeks to stress the Jewish people’s connection to Israel after infamous Cairo University speech in 2009.
Hollande marks 1st anniversary of Toulouse attacks
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – French president attends ceremony commemorating the deaths of seven civilians killed by terrorist Mohamed Merah.
A capitalist government
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – The two largest factions – Likud Beytenu and Yesh Atid – are outspoken in their support for smaller government and market capitalism.
The Region: Note to Obama
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Note to US president: Don’t back America’s and Israel’s enemies with arms and money, believing that “it pays off in the end.”
Obama, show ’em your stuff!
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Few US presidents have had as intimate an acquaintance with Jews and Judaism, and after doing his homework, Obama should strut his stuff.
Israel to exile hunger striking prisoner to Gaza
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Shin Bet to let Palestinian prisoner relocate to Gaza; will be allowed to return to W. Bank after 10 years if abstains from terror.
Think about it: The new government, full half of the cup
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – There are quite a few aspects of this government, for someone like myself to feel positive about.
Apartheid Palestine?
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – The campaign to rid the world of Israeli settlements is a campaign to rid the world of Israel.
‘J’lem to ask Obama to stop Syria arms transfers’
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – The ‘Guardian’ reports that Israel will ask US president during visit to use airstrikes to prevent weapons transfers to Hezbollah.
‘Our teacher’ Menachem Elon
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Justice Elon characterized the Jewish heritage and the democratic tradition and the task of the courts to interweave them.
Dutch press tries to hide anti-Semitic incident
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – The anti-Semitic youths affair initially got more international attention on global websites than in the Netherlands’ media.
Thessaloniki Jews mark deportations to Auschwitz
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Seventy years later, Jewish community in Greece’s second largest city fears far-right Golden Dawn party.
Iran launches destroyer in the Caspian Sea
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Launch comes after deputy chief of staff of Iranian Army says authorized to respond immediately to enemy attacks.
Coalition deal worries haredi leadership
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Haredim fear what coalition deal will bring; secularist group accuses Lapid of abandoning promises on religion and state.
Yesh Atid commits to raise Shoah survivors’ budget
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Fubds earmarked in coalition deal to serve thousands of survivors; allow some 6000 to continue receiving nursing aid.
Lack of services pushes Syrians toward Assad
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Necessities of self-government dissipated euphoria of freedom from Assad’s reign as gas, heating oil run low.
Islamic sect leader invites Israeli MKs to Turkey
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Representative of controversial Islamic leader Adnan Oktar who promotes dialogue with Israel invites new MKs to Istanbul.
PM makes Ya’alon Def. Min., faces feuding in Likud
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Danon to be Deputy Defense Minister; Sa’ar to be Interior Minister; Erdan gets Home Front Security, Communications portfolios.
Syrian rebels seize security compound near Golan
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Military intelligence compound, 8 km from the Syrian-Israeli border, falls into rebel hands after five-day siege.
Protocols portray tense Jimmy Carter visit to Israel
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Just before Obama visit, State Archives release cables, protocols and minutes from Carter’s dramatic visit here 34-years ago.
Hoenlein expects Obama to win over Israeli people
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Executive chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations: “Obama eager to talk directly to people.”
Politicians eulogize former MK Marina Solodkin
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – PM Netanyahu and MKs pay tribute to former MK Marina Solodkin who died in Riga Saturday night.
Police open ‘Obama visit situation room’
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – US president to traverse Israel in helicopter, armored, blast-proof limousine nicknamed “the Beast.”
IDF soldier tries to set self, commander on fire
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Soldier in TA, reportedly upset he wasn’t granted discharge, pours flammable liquid on self, commander before being subdued.
Liberman: IDF should open fire at stone-throwers
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Former FM urges change to IDF rules of engagement, claiming “only this kind of change will stop targeting of citizens.”
Border Police platoon deployed to south TA
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Permanent deployment follows release of police figures indicating sharp rise in crime among African migrant population in district.
Ang Lee to direct TV pilot by Israeli writer
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Academy Award-winning director moves over TV for 1st time with new show “Tyrant” by Gidi Raff; Israeli network Keshet to help produce pilot.
Party leaders pay tribute to MK Marina Solodkin
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – PM Netanyahu and MKs pay tribute to former MK Marina Solodkin who died in Riga Saturday night.
Al-Qaeda claims assault on Iraqi justice ministry
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Three car bombs exploded and a suicide bomber blew himself up in broad daylight in the capital on Thursday, killing at least 25.
Surprised rats and better hearing
Jerusalem Post 16 Mar 2013 – Scientist investigated brain activity in the auditory cortices of rats; could lead to better hearing aids in humans.
Obama in Israel: waiting for Godot | Editorial
The Guardian 17 Mar 2013 – The international community is complicit through inaction over this dangerous and unpredictable situation Rarely has a US president prepared to visit Israel amid such low expectations of what he can achieve there. By the time Barack…
As Obama prepares to visit Israel, there are mixed emotions on both sides
The Guardian 17 Mar 2013 – Palestinians and Israelis spoke to us about their hopes and fears before the US president’s visit to the region Israeli : Zohar Soloman, 32, at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem Two days before Obama‘s visit, the midwife has…
Dear President Obama … I hope you won’t remain silent
The Guardian 17 Mar 2013 – In an open letter, a Palestinian boy describes how life has changed since settlers took part of his family’s home Dear President Obama, I am 14 and live in the Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East…
My Neighbourhood: a Palestinian boy’s view of Israeli settlements – video
The Guardian 17 Mar 2013 – My Neighbourhood tells the story of Mohammed El Kurd, a Palestinian teenager growing up in the heart of East Jerusalem
Israel to ask Obama to use air strikes in case of Syrian missile transfer
The Guardian 17 Mar 2013 – US expected to resist Israeli pressure to attack Iran, while Tel Aviv unlikely to yield on Palestine, leaving Syria a common goal Israel will use President Obama‘s visit on Wednesday to try to persuade the US…
A Shame There Aren’t More Journalists Covering Bradley Manning’s Court Martial
Uruknet
Palestinian cartoonist detained for a month as prisoner protests grow
Uruknet
013 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet
UK’s Olympic Legacy Pioneering Afghan Sportswomen Denied UK Entry
Uruknet
Hope of justice for Ziad Jilani, three years after his death
Uruknet
013 : A Video Roundup
Uruknet
Parents of British man killed by US drone blame UK government
Uruknet
U.S. acknowledges 14 on hunger strike at Guantánamo prison
Uruknet
International lending shows smallest growth in 13 years: BIS
Daily Star 17 Mar 2013 Cross-border lending saw its smallest growth in 13 years in the third quarter of 2012, according to a report published Sunday by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
Palestinian hunger-striker freed to Gaza: Palestinians
Daily Star 17 Mar 2013 A Palestinian prisoner who was on long-term hunger strike arrived in Gaza on Sunday evening after inking a deal with Israeli officials, Palestinian officials told AFP.
March 14 seeks ‘true Independence,’ says Siniora
Daily Star 17 Mar 2013 The March 14 movement will continue to work toward the true independence of Lebanon, former PM Siniora vows during the annual commemoration of the group’s founding at an event where activists, more than political figures, took…
South Yemen radicals stage strike in Aden, call protests
Daily Star 17 Mar 2013 Hardline southern separatists stage a general strike in the port city of Aden and call for protests later in the day against a national dialogue that they are boycotting, activists say.
Saudi border guards arrest 4,360 infiltrators
Daily Star 17 Mar 2013 A Saudi official says in a single month, border guards have arrested more than 4,000 infiltrators on the Yemen border, most of them looking for work.
Bahrain court jails 17 for trying to kill policemen
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – ….
IMF delegation resumes talks with Egypt over loan
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – ….
Cyprus president trying to amend bailout plan
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – ….
Drinking tea with the man who killed my father
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Her father was killed in an IRA bombing but Jo Berry decided to meet the men responsible; her first meeting with Pat Magee, the bomber, developed into a public dialogue lasting years; the two visited Israel and told Ynet their story ….
Hunger striking Palestinian arrives in Gaza
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Ayman Sharawna released from Israeli prison, arrives in Gaza Strip where he has been expelled to for 10 years. Palestinian official: ‘This is punishment not release’ ….
Egypt vigilantes hang 2 thieves in public
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Egyptian vigilantes lynch 2 thieves in town north of Cairo; ‘Kill them!’ shouted 3,000 strong crowd; police helpless, weakened by strikes and riot control ….
Palestinian hunger striker back in Gaza Strip
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – ….
France marks anniversary of Toulouse slayings
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Marking anniversary of Toulouse Massacre, French President Hollande compares shooting to Holocaust: They died because they were Jewish ….
Man dies after running in Barcelona marathon
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – ….
Netanyahu’s lost dignity
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Op-ed: How is it that Israel‘s most stable prime minister has become least popular, least valued by Israeli public? ….
‘Mother of martyrs’ dies
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Mariam Farhat, who said she wished she had 100 sons to die carrying out terror attacks against Israelis, died in a Gaza city hospital. Also known as ‘Umm Nidal’ she received military funeral ….
Syrian rebels seize security compound near Golan Heights
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – The Syrian military intelligence base near the Israeli border was siezed by opposition forces on Sunday, rebel commanders said ….
Soldier sets himself on fire in Tel Aviv base
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Soldier in Tel Aviv’s Kirya base tries to immolate himself, stopped by other soldiers; claims he was not given home leave ….
Jimmy Carter: The US president who put on the pressure
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Moments before Obama‘s anticipated visit, minutes covering Israel–Egypt peace accord negotiations are released by state archives. They include tense meetings between Begin and Carter, last minute disagreements and the final OK ….
Netanyahu appoints Ya’alon as defense minister
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – PM says Ya’alon has necessary experience to deal with ‘turmoil around us’; Erdan named home front defense minister, placed in charge of strategic talks with US; Sa’ar to head Interior Ministry ….
Iran launches destroyer in Caspian Sea
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Ahmadinejad says guided missile destroyer Jamaran-2 ‘is there to meet those who want to jeopardize security of surrounding nations’ ….
IDF: Man drafted during Gaza op did not prove he was mentally ill
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Civilian in his 20s was called up for reserve duty in combat unit during Operation Pillar of Defense despite mental illness. Attorney: He could have harmed himself, other soldiers ….
Road trip in the Holy Land
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Op-ed: Obama will be very surprised by some of the things he will see on the way from Jerusalem to Ramallah ….
High-ranking Syrian general defects from army
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ezz al-Din Khalouf, who defected with his son to Jordan, says many within Damascus regime have lost faith in it; claims Hezbollah fighting in ‘more than one place’ in Syria ….
Report: Rebels take control of routes to Damascus
YNet News, 16 Mar 2013 – Al Jazeera says FSA extended its hold over area surrounding Syrian capital, country’s main airport effectively paralyzed ….
Israeli plan to seize the remaining part of Ma’manullah cemetery
PIC – A Jerusalemite Foundation revealed that there are Israeli plans to implement 7 Judaizing projects targeting the historic Islamic cemetery of Ma’manullah, in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
14 Palestinian prisoners suffer cancer in the Israeli jails
PIC – A human rights report said that the occupation authorities continue to detain fourteen Palestinian prisoners suffering from cancer.
PA security arrest 11 liberated prisoners in Jerusalem
PIC – Hamas accused the Authority apparatuses of arresting 11 Palestinians from the town of Biddu northwest of Jerusalem, in two days, and summoning three others for investigation.
Palestinian historian: Hamas has no interest in the Rafah attack
PIC – The Palestinian political historian, Abdel Qader Yassin, said that the Egyptian government is responsible for hiding the names of those involved in crime of killing the Egyptian soldiers in Rafah.
Protest against desecration of Jerusalem’s Mamanullah cemetery
PIC – Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage stated that it has been putting the final touches of the protest demonstration against the continued Israeli violations of Mamanullah cemetery.
Hamas mourns “Khansa of Palestine”
PIC – The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, mourned member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Haja Mariam Farhat, 64, who passed away in Gaza City on Sunday, after a long march of jihad.
IOA extends 3 prisoners’ administrative detention
PIC – An Israeli military court extended the administrative detention of three Palestinian prisoners from Ramallah including two leaders in Hamas movement.
Rizqa calls on Egyptian media to correct its compass
PIC – Youssef Rizqa, Political Adviser to the Palestinian Prime Minister, called on the Egyptian media to correct the compass toward Gaza and the Palestinian resistance through revealing the truth.
Sharawneh to End Strike as Israel Offers Exile to Gaza
WAFA – 17 Mar 2013
Operation Dove: Israeli Police Arrest 3 Palestinian Teenagers
WAFA – 17 Mar 2013
EU Contributes €20.8M to February Salaries and Pensions
WAFA – 17 Mar 2013
Olive Oil Production Rises in 2012, says Statistics Bureau
WAFA – 17 Mar 2013
Settlers Raid Village, Burn Shack near Nablus
WAFA – 17 Mar 2013
Consumer Prices Down in February
WAFA – 14 Mar 2013
Assad Issues a Worldwide Plea as a Top Syrian General Defects
New York Times 17 Mar 2013 – Brig. Gen. Mohammed Nour Ezzedeen Khallouf, who once led a military intelligence office widely believed to be a torture site, has joined the rebels against President Bashar al-Assad.
At Foreign Schools in the Gulf, a More Local Push
New York Times 17 Mar 2013 – Some analysts say that the universities, locally funded but serving student bodies that are still dominated by foreigners, seem like bubbles cut off from Gulf culture and society.
Delek to sell 19% of Delek US for $355m
Globes Energy & Water – Delek Group has increased the number of shares in the secondary offering from 7,825,000 shares to nine million shares.
Tamar and Leviathan fields contain valuable gas condensate
Globes Energy & Water – The condensates in the two reservoirs have not yet been priced, but are estimated at an additional $3 billion, on top of the reservoirs’ current valuations.
Leviathan partners seek cartel exemption
Globes Main News – Delek and Ratio have asked Antitrust Authority director general David Gilo for a cartel exemption for gas exports from the reservoir.
IAI wins $400m Brazilian Air Force deal
Globes Main News – IAI will convert Boeing 767-300ER jetliners into refueling, troop, cargo transport, and medical evacuation planes.
Sun: Dual-listed shares drag market down
Globes Main News – Mellanox fell sharply and Teva was down on the day’s biggest turnover, but Delek’s exploration units Avner and Delek Drilling bucked the market.
Mayer Group lends Habas €1.3m
Globes Main News – Mayer Real Estate is the partner of Habas in overseas arm Habas Star.
Lapid targets haredim but not settlers
Globes Macro Economics – Yesh Atid’s coalition agreement includes specifics about hitting the haredim, but not a word about settlements and the billions poured into them.
Locust plague to continue through Passover
Globes Macro Economics – Agriculture Ministry inspectors have been observing locusts mating and laying eggs at several locations in the south.
Burst the housing bubble now
Globes Macro Economics – Instead of initiating another lost decade and falling home prices (prices fell 22% in real terms in 1998-2007), it would be better to slash prices all at once.
Former Teva CEO named vice chair of Caesarea Foundation
Globes Macro Economics – Baroness Ariane de Rothschild personally chose Shlomo Yanai.
Home prices up 1.7% in January
Globes Macro Economics – This was the biggest monthly gain in home prices since June 2010.
Elbit Systems unit wins $115m Asian contract
Globes Aerospace & Defense – Elisra will supply electronic warfare systems for multi-purpose land missions over two years to an Asian customer.
Naftali Bennet as The Joker
Tikun Olam – Naftali Bennet as The Joker The Joker Related Posts Bibi Boom-Boom Israel-U.S. Attack on Iran: Driving Off a Cliff Wanted: IDF Soldier for Gravely Wounding Unarmed Palestinan Demonstrator Obama Tells Mubarak to Go in All But Words Zemanta
Zionists thrill that Obama will recognize ancient Jewish connection to ‘homeland’ (undoing his Cairo error)
Mondoweiss – Reporting on a White House conference call the other day laying out Obama‘s purposes in Israel, Alex Kane noted the importance to Israel supporters of symbolic actions the president is scheduled to take later this week to affirm an ancient Jewish connection to the land. These…
Schoolboy’s campaign to besmirch an eminent professor smacks of totalitarian society
Mondoweiss – Earlier t
his week, I posted a piece about a Jewish senior at Croton-Harmon High School in New York who by accusing John Mearsheimer of anti-Semitism in letters to school authorities was able to postpone for a year a distinguished alumnus award that had been announced for…
US Jews leave ‘Gatekeepers’ asking why we give money to Israel — says Oren, outraged
Mondoweiss – The documentary “Gatekeepers” is now playing at two theaters in Westchester. Here and here . There are a lot of Jews in Westchester. And what do we care about Jews seeing the movie? Well, Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., does. He is quoted in…
Landmark ‘NYT Magazine’ cover story ennobles resistance in Nabi Saleh
Mondoweiss – New York Times Magazine Graphic A week ago we linked a landmark piece in the New York Times, a Jewish professor’s essay saying that we must question the right of a Jewish state to exist; and today there is another one: a cover story in the…
Some thoughts on the 10-year anniversary of the death of Rachel Corrie
Mondoweiss – I was at my home in Olympia, Washington, on the morning of Sunday, March 16, 2003, when I received a call from Will, a friend who had traveled to Rafah. It was a pleasant surprise. I had already heard from Rachel Corrie, whom he had gone…
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon May Be Voice of Moderation on Iran
The Foward Breaking News 17 Mar 2013 – Although Benjamin Netanyahu’s next defence minister shares his deep distrust of the Palestinians, the two could yet clash about when – and whether – Israel should go to war with Iran. Click here for the rest of the article…
Moshe Yaalon Picked as Israel Defense Minister
The Foward Breaking News 17 Mar 2013 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday chose Moshe Yaalon, an ex-general and vice premier from his right-wing Likud party, to be Israel’s next defence minister, a government official said. Click here for the rest of the article…
Is Israel a Special Case?
The Forward Editorial 17 Mar 2013 – FORWARD EDITORIAL : The blunt ax of sequestration cuts is hurting Israel. But trying to single out the Jewish state to be exempted from the cuts could jeopardize support in the future. Click here for the rest of the article…
Arrests in Beit Ommar
Palestine Solidarity Project 17 Mar 2013 –
Venezuelan Post-Chavez Roadmap to the Middle East
Al-Akhbar News 17 Mar 2013 – A woman shows her tattoo of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chavez during his funeral parade in Caracas 15 March 2013. (Photo: Reuters – Carlos Garcia Rawlins) A woman shows her tattoo of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chavez during his funeral parade in Caracas 15 March 2013. (…
PA: Israel offered to deport hunger-striking prisoners
Al-Akhbar News 17 Mar 2013 – Young Palestinian protesters hold portraits of Samer Issawi, a Palestinian prisoner who has been on a hunger strike for more than 200 days, during a solidarity sit-in outside the Red Cross offices in Jerusalem on 14 March 2013. (Photo: AFP – Ahmad Gharabli) The Palestinian Authority…
Bomb kills 10 in southern Iraq
Al-Akhbar News 17 Mar 2013 – A car bomb exploded near the outskirts of the southern Iraq city of Basra on Sunday, killing 10 people and wounding 16, the head of the Basra provincial council security committee said. The bombing at a bus station came soon after another went off in the…
Israel names new anti-Palestinian defense minister
Al-Akhbar News 17 Mar 2013 – Israel‘s new Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon walks after a visit to the Kissufim crossing in the Gaza strip in this 16 February 2005 file photo. (Photo: Reuters – Ronen Zvulun) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday chose Moshe Yaalon, an ex-general and vice premier from…
Iraq car bomb kills 10 near Basra
BBC 17 Mar 2013 – Ten people are killed as a car bomb explodes at a bus station near Basra in southern Iraq, days before the 10th anniversary of the US-led invasion.
Israel profile
BBC 17 Mar 2013 – Provides an overview of Israel, including key events and facts about the world’s only state with a majority Jewish population
VIDEO: Iraq war victim, then and now
BBC 17 Mar 2013 – Ten years after the US military fought their way into Baghdad, the BBC’s Kevin Connolly reports of the life of one Iraqi girl who’s life was changed forever when she was gravely injured in an air raid.
Articles
Settler leader calls new Israeli government ’a wet dream’
Noam Sheizaf, +972 Magazine 3/17/2013
The new Netanyahu coalition will give settlers and their supporters more executive power than any previous government in Israel has until now.
With the Housing and Industry ministries in their hand, and political ally Moshe Ya’alon as the new defense minister, the settlers are very pleased by the new Netanyahu government. Head of the Samaria region (the northern West Bank) Gershon Mesika told the Ynet news site:
“On the face of it, it does look like a wet dream – Ya’alon on defense and Ariel on housing is something which carries great potential, but in these things you can’t foretell what will happen.”
The Ynet piece quotes other settler leaders who were extremely satisfied with the new coalition.
The Jewish Home party (formally known as the National Religious Party) registered an all-time high of 12 seats in the last elections. The settlers also did very well in the internal Likud primaries, with many of their favorites – Moshe Feiglin, Tzipi Hotovely, Yariv Levin and Danny Danon – ranking in high places on the united Likud-Yisrael Beitenu list.
With the help of Yair Lapid, the centrist leader who formed a pact with Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett during coalition negotiations, the settlers were able to fulfill two of their most important political goals: replacing Ehud Barak with a more hospitable defense minister, and taking over the Housing Ministry. The Defense Ministry is the final authority on all civilian projects in the West Bank, while the Housing Ministry can help speed up the bureaucratic process and finance projects in the occupied territories. The Housing Ministry has special importance in the right-wing effort to establish a Jewish presence in Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem. — See also: Israel’s new war cabinet and Pro-settlement, neo-liberal government on Israel’s horizon more.. e-mail
Israel, Obama, and other people’s oil
Nadia Hijab, Al Jazeera.com013
If the US stops Genie Energy from going ahead with oil contract, it invites the wrath of myriad pro-Israel groups.
Even as it plans to illegally drill for oil in the occupied Golan Heights, “Israel appears to have its eye on the occupied West Bank oil”, according to a classified Foreign Office correspondence.
The schedule for President Barack Obama‘s first visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories next week has just been released and it is no surprise that the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is not on his travel agenda.
And yet Israel put it on the international agenda less than a month ago with its award of a licence to a US energy firm to explore for oil in the Golan Heights. Oil drilling by the New Jersey-based Genie Energy Ltd in the occupied Golan Heights could well result in a lawsuit claiming that Israel is engaged in an illegal act of pillage as defined in the Hague Convention. Perhaps Israel is now so used to living off the fat of other people’s land – Palestinian and Syrian soil and water, among other resources – it has seemingly thrown caution to the wind.
The award puts the US on the spot. If the Obama administration tries to stop Genie from going ahead with the contract, it invites the wrath of myriad pro-Israel groups and their neocon allies, whose strength was most recently on display in the battle to confirm Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense.
And if the administration ignores the oil deal, it leaves US corporations exposed to potential lawsuits for profiteering from Israel‘s violations of human rights and international law.
An additional worry for the Obama administration is the cast of characters involved in Genie Energy. The company is headed by former Israeli minister of infrastructure Effie Eitam, who lives in one of the illegal settlements on the Golan Heights, and includes former vice president Dick Cheney as an adviser and Rupert Murdoch as a shareholder. more.. e-mail
The third Palestinian intifada
Ali Badwan, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 3/15/2013
It is expected widely that the current outbreak of popular unrest and protests across the occupied West Bank will become a third intifada, with a new shape and activities. Will this happen or are there too many obstacles in the way?
There are clear signs that preparations are underway for a popular uprising which will rock the entire region if it breaks out; the main cause for this is the impasse with negotiations due to Israel‘s ongoing settlement programme. This expansion of the illegal colonies on Palestinian land is fuelled by the ever more extreme right-wing policies of Israeli political parties backed by violence against the Palestinians by the occupation f
orces.
We do not expect to see any balance in America’s role in the “peace process”, nor will it put pressure on Israel to stop settlement expansion. Ahead of the visit of Barack Obama it is already being trailed that he has no “new proposals”.
The conditions across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem are getting worse. Barbaric attacks against Palestinian by illegal Jewish settlers and Israeli security forces include incursions at the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa and assaults on female students, damage to copies of the Holy Qur’an and even provocative visits by extremist Knesset Members.
Economic hardship is also on the rise, with unemployment reaching 65 per cent according to official sources.
This is all a result of Israel‘s policies in the occupied Palestinian territories, some of which stem from the imbalanced Paris Agreement covering economic activity between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. This ties the Palestinian economy to Israel‘s, with the PA‘s budget dependent on tax revenues collected by Israel on goods flowing in to the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as aid from donor countries, all of which ebb and flow according to the political climate. more.. e-mail
Pakistan tests US will with Iran pipeline
Kaveh L Afrasiabi, Asia Times 3/13/2013
NEW YORK – Although the United Nations has never imposed sanctions on Iran’s energy sector, the US government has opposed a decision by Pakistan to proceed with a much-delayed pipeline from Iran on the grounds that this would put Islamabad in “violation of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear program”. [1] It seems the US has once again mistaken its own laws for that of the international community.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Zardari, on Monday inaugurated the construction of the 781-kilometer Pakistani side of the 1,600-kilometer pipeline. Dubbed the “peace pipeline”, the project was first mooted in 1994 as a tripartite Iran-Pakistan-India project. (In 2009, despite its pressing energy needs, India opted out of the deal under US pressure.)
As is to be expected, the mainstream Western media has taken a negative view of the Iran-Pakistan pipeline. It has referred to the project as a “pipe dream”, citing the unlikelihood that Pakistan would be able to come up with the US$1.5 billion financing to complete a link that, once completed, would pump 750 million cubic feet of natural gas into the energy-starved Pakistani economy each day.
The skepticism is unwarranted. Plagued by power shortages and the rising energy demands of a growing economy, this pipeline is “in Pakistan’s national interest”, as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani stated recently.
The two countries have also signed an accord for a 400,000 barrel capacity oil refinery in Gwadar, in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province. Foreign experts, such as Dan Millison of Asian Development Bank (ADB), concur. Millison has defended an ADB assessment of the “peace pipeline” based purely on economic grounds and the rising energy demands from the subcontinent. more.. e-mail
sabr
In Gaza: 17 Mar 2013 – I asked Emad to talk about sabr, patience, as the cactus and the noun are essential to life in Gaza. He replied, somewhat cheekily and with the usual Palestinian dry humour: “ Illi bedo e3esh fi Falesteen o buzzpt fi Gaza lazem yspoor o yokel saber min Gaza. Gher hek, ma begder y3esh fe Gaza. “ If you want to live in Palestine, especially Gaza, you must be patient (yspoor) and eat Gazan cactus fruit (sabr) If not, you won’t make it in Gaza. Arabic expressions never quite translate into English as the original. Being told to eat cactus fruit actually isn’t as painful or insulting as one might think. Although stoney and not overly sweet, the fruit is pleasant in its own way, once peeled of its spines. Gaza abounds with cactus plants, many varieties, but the most common is the broad, flat-stemmed plant that lines roads and is…more
Rachel’s Legacy: The Corries’ Ten-Year Quest for Justice
Palestine Chronicle: 17 Mar 2013 – By Tom Wright and Therese Saliba ‘Parents can be awakened by their children.’ — Cindy Corrie , 2003 Commencement address Ten years have now passed since we received the terrible phone call telling us our young friend Rachel Corrie was dead. We had gone to see her off the drizzly winter day she left Olympia to work in Gaza with the International Solidarity Movement. We couldn’t know that we were seeing her for the last time, nor foresee the legacy she would leave as she said goodbye to her hometown, and stepped into history. Rachel would be killed on March 16, 2003, crushed beneath an armored Israeli bulldozer as she tried to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in the Gazan border town of Rafah. It seems likely that Rachel’s story would by now have faded from memory as just one more among the thousands of deaths in Gaza over…more
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EU Grants P.A €20.8 To Pay Salaries, Pensions
IMEMC – The European Union (EU) has granted the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank approximately €2.8 so that it can pay pensions and salaries to nearly 82.000 retired persons, and government employees, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. …
Settlers Burn A Chicken Coop Near Nablus
IMEMC – Several Attacks Reported In West Bank A number of armed extremist Israeli settlers burnt on Sunday at dawn a chicken coop that belongs to a villager of Qasra village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. …
Three Children Kidnapped In Hebron
IMEMC – Sunday March 17, 2013, the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West bank city of Hebron, reported that Israeli soldiers kidnapped three children, earlier on Sunday at dawn, an issue that led to clashes between local youths and Israeli soldiers. …
Army Attacks, Detains Palestinian Shepherds Near Hebron
IMEMC – Saturday March 16, 2013, Israeli soldiers attacked and detained five Palestinian shepherds in Yatta town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. …
Settlers prevent farmers from harvesting their land in Yatta
3/17/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A group of settlers prevented Palestinian farmers in Yatta from reaching their land on Sunday, a Palestinian official said. Othman Abu Sabh, an expert in settlement affairs, told Ma’an that settlers prevented the farmers from harvesting their land. Israeli forces were present in the area at the time but….
Settlers torch chicken coop in Nablus, official says
3/17/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — A group of settlers set fire to a chicken coop in a Nablus village on Sunday, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma’an that settlers from Migdalim set fire to a chicken coop belonging to Jamal Abu Rida….
Israeli forces detain 18 in overnight arrest raids
3/17/2013 – SALFIT (Ma’an) — Israeli forces arrested 18 people overnight Saturday, Israel‘s army and locals said. Israeli forces raided the Salfit village of Haris and detained Tamer Ayad Souf, Ammar Abed Souf and Ali Yassin Shamlawi, all aged 16, locals told Ma’an. In Beit Ummar, Ali Saed Ali Sabarneh, 17, Ali….
Israel to deport Ayman Sharawna to Gaza
3/17/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israel will deport Ayman Sharawna, who has been on hunger strike since July, to the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said Sunday. After more than eight months on hunger strike, Sharawna signed an agreement to be deported to Gaza for 10 years on Sunday, PPS chief Qadura Fares said. Sharawna…. Related: Minister says PA rejects deportation of prisoners and Ayman Sharawna arrives in Gaza Strip
Ayman Sharawna arrives in Gaza Strip
3/17/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Ayman Sharawna arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening after signing a deportation deal to end an 8-month long hunger strike in Israeli jail. Sharawna arrived at the Erez crossing, where a Palestinian ambulance was waiting to take him into Gaza. Hundreds of people crowded at the Palestinian…. Related: Israel to deport Ayman Sharawna to Gaza and Minister says PA rejects deportation of prisoners
Official: Jenin to receive bodies of Jordan bus crash victims
3/17/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The governor of the Jenin district said Sunday that the municipality will receive the bodies of 15 victims who died Saturday after a bus carrying pilgrims in Jordan overturned. Talal Dweikat told Ma’an that the bodies of the victims from Jenin will be transferred to the city accompanied by…. Related: Bodies of Jordan bus crash victims returned to West Bank
Minister says PA rejects deportation of prisoners
3/17/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority minister of detainees said Sunday that the PA refuses to accept the deportation of Palestinian prisoners by Israel. Issa Qaraqe said that two months ago Israel made an offer to release and deport hunger striking prisoners Ayman Sharawna and Samer Issawi. Deporting Palestinian prisoners is political blackmail, Qaraqe…. Related: Israel to deport Ayman Sharawna to Gaza
Israeli soldier tries to set himself on fire
3/17/2013 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — An Israeli soldier tried to set himself on fire on Sunday at a military base in Tel Aviv, Israeli media reported. The soldier doused himself in flammable liquid but was stopped by an officer, an army official told the Hebrew-language Maariv newspaper. He had tried to attack his superior….
Bodies of Jordan bus crash victims returned to West Bank
3/17/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — The bodies of 15 Palestinians killed in a bus crash in Jordan were returned to the West Bank on Sunday, Palestinian officials said. An official ceremony was held at a crossing in Jericho and attended by PLO officials Saeb Erekat, Tawfiq Tirawi, PA interior minister Said Abu Ali and health minister…. Related: Official: Jenin to receive bodies of Jordan bus crash victims
Egypt seizes military fatigues from Gaza tunnel
3/17/2013 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — Egyptian forces seized military-style clothing from a smuggling tunnel near the Gaza border, an army spokesman said Sunday. Ahmad Mohammad Ali said clothing similar to Egyptian army uniforms, as well as sportswear, was seized from a tunnel uncovered in the al-Sarsouria area near the Gaza Strip. He urged citizens to beware….
Prominent female Hamas lawmaker dies in Gaza
3/17/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Mariam Farahat, a Hamas-affiliated female member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, passed away on Sunday at the age of 64, a Gaza health official said. Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra confirmed that Farahat died early Sunday after entering intensive care at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. She had received treatment….
Netanyahu picks ex-general Yaalon as new defense chief
3/17/2013 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday chose Moshe Yaalon, an ex-general and vice premier from his right-wing Likud party, to be Israel‘s next defense minister, a government official said. Yaalon, 62, spent the past four years in Netanyahu’s inner circle of ministers, routinely boosting the rightist
prime minister….
Hamas keen to implement unity deal, spokesman says
3/17/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Sunday that the Islamist group is working hard to implement a reconciliation deal with rival faction Fatah.” If the elections were held in a state of tension, it would lead to more division within the Palestinian factions,” Abu Zuhri said, adding that conditions in….
CEC announces timeline for local elections
3/17/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Voter registry lists will be published for 36 municipalities on Saturday, ahead of local elections in June, the Central Elections Commission said Sunday. Most of the West Bank voted in new councils in October and November, but a new round of voting will be held in 36 municipalities on June 1….
Israeli wanted on bribery charge arrested after Peru extradition
3/17/2013 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel arrested a former judge suspected of receiving millions of dollars in bribes as he arrived back in the country on Sunday after being extradited from Peru, authorities said. A spokeswoman for Israel‘s Justice Ministry said Dan Cohen, who fled Israel in 2005, arrived back after Peruvian President Ollanta Humala approved….
PCBS: Olive oil production increased by 10 percent in 2012
3/17/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Olive oil production in the West Bank and Gaza Strip increased in 2012, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. The total quantity of olive oil extracted increased by 10. 6 percent compared to 2011, with 22,951 tons of oil produced. There are around 279 olive presses in operation and….
Syrian rebel fighters seize security compound near Golan Heights
3/17/2013 – AMMAN (Reuters) — Syrian rebels on Sunday seized a Syrian military intelligence compound in the southern Hauran Plain near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, rebel commanders said. The frontier, quiet since Israel and Syria agreed on a US-brokered ceasefire in 1974, has turned volatile in recent weeks, after opposition brigades stepped up attacks against army and intelligence….
Four-year-old killed in Hebron road accident
3/16/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A four-year-old girl was killed in a road accident in Hebron on Saturday, medics said. Marah al-Swweiti was seriously wounded in an accident in the village of Dura, medics said, and later died in hospital. Police have opened an investigation into the incident. [END]
Syria’s 2 years of rebellion
3/17/2013 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — On a cold winter’s night in early 2011, some Syrian schoolboys drew a few slogans on a wall in a town the world had barely heard of. Two years on, more than 70,000 people have died in the bitter conflict that ensued, and calls for the West to give more help….
Bahrain court jails 17 for trying to kill policemen
3/17/2013 – DUBAI (Reuters) — A Bahrain court sentenced 17 people to 15 years in prison on Sunday after convicting them of trying to kill four policemen with a homemade bomb during political unrest last year. The attackers planted the bomb in a roadblock formed of tires, palm tree trunks and garbage bins, and detonated it when a….
Moshe Yaalon named as Israel defence minister
AlJazeera 17 Mar 2013 – Right-wing former general chosen by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for his “experience needed in stormy Middle East”.
West Bank hunger striker exiled to Gaza
AlJazeera 17 Mar 2013 – Ayman Sharawna, on hunger strike since July, signs deal with Israel, freeing him to exile in Gaza Strip for 10 years.
International Solidarity Movement
Israeli army demolish tent; leave Palestinian schoolchildren at risk of settler attack
3/17/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 16th March 2013, International Solidarity Movement, South Hebron Hills, Occupied Palestine, By Team Khalil – Palestinians raised a tent to shelter schoolchildren from settler attacks on the morning of the 16th of March, on the outskirts of the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron hills. Shortly afterwards, the Israeli military arrived and declared the area….
A 21 year-old man arrested in Burin. Repression intensifies
3/16/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 16th March 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Occupied palestine – On the night of the 12th March, Israeli forces invaded the village of Burin and arrested a 21 year-old man in his house. This arrest is part of a wave of arrests and repression of the village by Israeli forces since al-Manatir neighbourhood was established on a….
Multiple clashes lead to numerous arrests including school teacher in Hebron City
3/16/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 16th March 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Hebron, Occupied Palestine, By Team Khalil – Oden Nassar, 23, Iyab Abu Alhalawiiu, 16, and Mohamad Alzoghayer, 16, were amoung many arrested these past two days in Hebron city, including Nahil Abi Eishah, a 38 year old teacher working at Qurtaba school, who was arrested after her home was invaded….
Remembering Rachel Corrie – 10 years on
3/16/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 16th March 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Occupied Palestine – American activist Rachel Corrie was killed in Gaza ten years ago today. The International Solidarity Movement write this message in her memory. Rachel, a 23 year old woman from Olympia, Washington, was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer on the 16th March 2003, whilst protesting….
UAE’s art ambassadors head to Venice Biennale
The National 17 Mar 2013 – Among the art aficionados thronging Venice for the 55th Biennale will be 18 Emiratis who have won places on a scheme to train them to manage the UAE Pavilion, and advance the national arts scene when they return.
Fallujah Sunnis, once favoured by Saddam, now ‘marginalised’ by Iraq’s Shiite-led government
The National 17 Mar 2013 – Residents of Fallujah, who put up the fiercest resistance to the Iraq invasion against Saddam Hussein, now accuse Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government of racism and sectarianism. Alice Fordham reports from Fallujah
Israel unlikely to relax tough attitude towards US president
The National 17 Mar 2013 – There is little hope that the Israel‘s prime minister’s tensions with the US president over the settlements issue may soon disappear. Vita Bekker reports from Tel Aviv
Sheikh Khalifa inaugurates world’s largest concentrated solar power plant
The National 17 Mar 2013 – Shams 1 – the largest renewable energy project in the Middle East – can power 20,000 homes.
India evasive on UN reprimand over Sri Lanka human rights
The National 17 Mar 2013 – India is being pulled in different directions by its domestic politics, pressure from human-rights’ defenders, and the demands of realpolitik. Samanth Subramanian reports
UAE takes first major step towards its renewable energy ambitions
The National 17 Mar 2013 – The inauguration of Sham 1 solar power plant is a historic moment, according to the Secretary General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).
Beware of loan sharks, UAE expats told
The National 17 Mar 2013 – Financial predators are active in the Indian and Filipino communities and keep a stranglehold on borrowers and their families back home.
Palestinians doubtful that Obama will hold peace talks on Israel
The National 17 Mar 2013 – Critics in Ramallah say the US leader may be focused more on repairing his frosty relationship with the Israeli prime minister than he is on furthering peace in the region. Hugh Naylor reports
Eight Sheikh Jarrah activists acquitted of disorderly conduct at 2010 protest
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Coalition math: Settlers in, ultra-Orthodox Jews out
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Netanyahu names Ya’alon as defense minister, Sa’ar as interior minister
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
WATCH: ‘Crane Project’ satisfies both sides of Israeli bird debate
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Who won Israel’s coalition talks?
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Palestinian prisoner agrees to end hunger strike, will move to Gaza
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
New Israeli government guidelines push peace process to margins
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
15,000 police officers to protect Obama during visit to Israel
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Breakthrough on Haredi draft possible in new Israeli government plan
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
‘This American chutzpah makes my blood boil,’ Menachem Begin said during Jimmy Carter’s 1979 visit to Israel for Egypt peace talks
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Israeli ex-judge arrives in Israel after secret Peruvian decision paved way for arrest
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
After death at Tel Aviv half-marathon, Health Ministry panel will set standards for ‘extreme’ sports events
Ha’aretz – 17 Mar 2013
Coalition pact calls for bill making Israel Jewish first, democratic second
Ha’aretz – 16 Mar 2013
Oren: Obama’s agenda aims to combat Jewish history deniers
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Israel’s Ambassador to the US tells ‘Post’ that the US president’s scheduled visits to Herzl’s grave, Yad Vashem seeks to stress the Jewish people’s connection to Israel after infamous Cairo University speech in 2009.
Hollande marks 1st anniversary of Toulouse attacks
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – French president attends ceremony commemorating the deaths of seven civilians killed by terrorist Mohamed Merah.
A capitalist government
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – The two largest factions – Likud Beytenu and Yesh Atid – are outspoken in their support for smaller government and market capitalism.
The Region: Note to Obama
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Note to US president: Don’t back America’s and Israel’s enemies with arms and money, believing that “it pays off in the end.”
Obama, show ’em your stuff!
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Few US presidents have had as intimate an acquaintance with Jews and Judaism, and after doing his homework, Obama should strut his stuff.
Israel to exile hunger striking prisoner to Gaza
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Shin Bet to let Palestinian prisoner relocate to Gaza; will be allowed to return to W. Bank after 10 years if abstains from terror.
Think about it: The new government, full half of the cup
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – There are quite a few aspects of this government, for someone like myself to feel positive about.
Apartheid Palestine?
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – The campaign to rid the world of Israeli settlements is a campaign to rid the world of Israel.
‘J’lem to ask Obama to stop Syria arms transfers’
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – The ‘Guardian’ reports that Israel will ask US president during visit to use airstrikes to prevent weapons transfers to Hezbollah.
‘Our teacher’ Menachem Elon
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Justice Elon characterized the Jewish heritage and the democratic tradition and the task of the courts to interweave them.
Dutch press tries to hide anti-Semitic incident
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – The anti-Semitic youths affair initially got more international attention on global websites than in the Netherlands’ media.
Thessaloniki Jews mark deportations to Auschwitz
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Seventy years later, Jewish community in Greece’s second largest city fears far-right Golden Dawn party.
Iran launches destroyer in the Caspian Sea
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Launch comes after deputy chief of staff of Iranian Army says authorized to respond immediately to enemy attacks.
Coalition deal worries haredi leadership
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Haredim fear what coalition deal will bring; secularist group accuses Lapid of abandoning promises on religion and state.
Yesh Atid commits to raise Shoah survivors’ budget
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Fubds earmarked in coalition deal to serve thousands of survivors; allow some 6000 to continue receiving nursing aid.
Lack of services pushes Syrians toward Assad
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Necessities of self-government dissipated euphoria of freedom from Assad’s reign as gas, heating oil run low.
Islamic sect leader invites Israeli MKs to Turkey
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Representative of controversial Islamic leader Adnan Oktar who promotes dialogue with Israel invites new MKs to Istanbul.
PM makes Ya’alon Def. Min., faces feuding in Likud
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Danon to be Deputy Defense Minister; Sa’ar to be Interior Minister; Erdan gets Home Front Security, Communications portfolios.
Syrian rebels seize security compound near Golan
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Military intelligence compound, 8 km from the Syrian-Israeli border, falls into rebel hands after five-day siege.
Protocols portray tense Jimmy Carter visit to Israel
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Just before Obama visit, State Archives release cables, protocols and minutes from Carter’s dramatic visit here 34-years ago.
Hoenlein expects Obama to win over Israeli people
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Executive chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations: “Obama eager to talk directly to people.”
Politicians eulogize former MK Marina Solodkin
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – PM Netanyahu and MKs pay tribute to former MK Marina Solodkin who died in Riga Saturday night.
Police open ‘Obama visit situation room’
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – US president to traverse Israel in helicopter, armored, blast-proof limousine nicknamed “the Beast.”
IDF soldier tries to set self, commander on fire
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Soldier in TA, reportedly upset he wasn’t granted discharge, pours flammable liquid on self, commander before being subdued.
Liberman: IDF should open fire at stone-throwers
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Former FM urges change to IDF rules of engagement, claiming “only this kind of change will stop targeting of citizens.”
Border Police platoon deployed to south TA
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Permanent deployment follows release of police figures indicating sharp rise in crime among African migrant population in district.
Ang Lee to direct TV pilot by Israeli writer
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Academy Award-winning director moves over TV for 1st time with new show “Tyrant” by Gidi Raff; Israeli network Keshet to help produce pilot.
Party leaders pay tribute to MK Marina Solodkin
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – PM Netanyahu and MKs pay tribute to former MK Marina Solodkin who died in Riga Saturday night.
Al-Qaeda claims assault on Iraqi justice ministry
Jerusalem Post 17 Mar 2013 – Three car bombs exploded and a suicide bomber blew himself up in broad daylight in the capital on Thursday, killing at least 25.
Surprised rats and better hearing
Jerusalem Post 16 Mar 2013 – Scientist investigated brain activity in the auditory cortices of rats; could lead to better hearing aids in humans.
Obama in Israel: waiting for Godot | Editorial
The Guardian 17 Mar 2013 – The international community is complicit through inaction over this dangerous and unpredictable situation Rarely has a US president prepared to visit Israel amid such low expectations of what he can achieve there. By the time Barack…
As Obama prepares to visit Israel, there are mixed emotions on both sides
The Guardian 17 Mar 2013 – Palestinians and Israelis spoke to us about their hopes and fears before the US president’s visit to the region Israeli : Zohar Soloman, 32, at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem Two days before Obama‘s visit, the midwife has…
Dear President Obama … I hope you won’t remain silent
The Guardian 17 Mar 2013 – In an open letter, a Palestinian boy describes how life has changed since settlers took part of his family’s home Dear President Obama, I am 14 and live in the Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East…
My Neighbourhood: a Palestinian boy’s view of Israeli settlements – video
The Guardian 17 Mar 2013 – My Neighbourhood tells the story of Mohammed El Kurd, a Palestinian teenager growing up in the heart of East Jerusalem
Israel to ask Obama to use air strikes in case of Syrian missile transfer
The Guardian 17 Mar 2013 – US expected to resist Israeli pressure to attack Iran, while Tel Aviv unlikely to yield on Palestine, leaving Syria a common goal Israel will use President Obama‘s visit on Wednesday to try to persuade the US…
A Shame There Aren’t More Journalists Covering Bradley Manning’s Court Martial
Uruknet
Palestinian cartoonist detained for a month as prisoner protests grow
Uruknet
013 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet
UK’s Olympic Legacy Pioneering Afghan Sportswomen Denied UK Entry
Uruknet
Hope of justice for Ziad Jilani, three years after his death
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013 : A Video Roundup
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Parents of British man killed by US drone blame UK government
Uruknet
U.S. acknowledges 14 on hunger strike at Guantánamo prison
Uruknet
International lending shows smallest growth in 13 years: BIS
Daily Star 17 Mar 2013 Cross-border lending saw its smallest growth in 13 years in the third quarter of 2012, according to a report published Sunday by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
Palestinian hunger-striker freed to Gaza: Palestinians
Daily Star 17 Mar 2013 A Palestinian prisoner who was on long-term hunger strike arrived in Gaza on Sunday evening after inking a deal with Israeli officials, Palestinian officials told AFP.
March 14 seeks ‘true Independence,’ says Siniora
Daily Star 17 Mar 2013 The March 14 movement will continue to work toward the true independence of Lebanon, former PM Siniora vows during the annual commemoration of the group’s founding at an event where activists, more than political figures, took…
South Yemen radicals stage strike in Aden, call protests
Daily Star 17 Mar 2013 Hardline southern separatists stage a general strike in the port city of Aden and call for protests later in the day against a national dialogue that they are boycotting, activists say.
Saudi border guards arrest 4,360 infiltrators
Daily Star 17 Mar 2013 A Saudi official says in a single month, border guards have arrested more than 4,000 infiltrators on the Yemen border, most of them looking for work.
Bahrain court jails 17 for trying to kill policemen
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – ….
IMF delegation resumes talks with Egypt over loan
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – ….
Cyprus president trying to amend bailout plan
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – ….
Drinking tea with the man who killed my father
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Her father was killed in an IRA bombing but Jo Berry decided to meet the men responsible; her first meeting with Pat Magee, the bomber, developed into a public dialogue lasting years; the two visited Israel and told Ynet their story ….
Hunger striking Palestinian arrives in Gaza
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Ayman Sharawna released from Israeli prison, arrives in Gaza Strip where he has been expelled to for 10 years. Palestinian official: ‘This is punishment not release’ ….
Egypt vigilantes hang 2 thieves in public
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Egyptian vigilantes lynch 2 thieves in town north of Cairo; ‘Kill them!’ shouted 3,000 strong crowd; police helpless, weakened by strikes and riot control ….
Palestinian hunger striker back in Gaza Strip
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – ….
France marks anniversary of Toulouse slayings
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Marking anniversary of Toulouse Massacre, French President Hollande compares shooting to Holocaust: They died because they were Jewish ….
Man dies after running in Barcelona marathon
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – ….
Netanyahu’s lost dignity
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Op-ed: How is it that Israel‘s most stable prime minister has become least popular, least valued by Israeli public? ….
‘Mother of martyrs’
dies
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Mariam Farhat, who said she wished she had 100 sons to die carrying out terror attacks against Israelis, died in a Gaza city hospital. Also known as ‘Umm Nidal’ she received military funeral ….
Syrian rebels seize security compound near Golan Heights
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – The Syrian military intelligence base near the Israeli border was siezed by opposition forces on Sunday, rebel commanders said ….
Soldier sets himself on fire in Tel Aviv base
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Soldier in Tel Aviv’s Kirya base tries to immolate himself, stopped by other soldiers; claims he was not given home leave ….
Jimmy Carter: The US president who put on the pressure
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Moments before Obama‘s anticipated visit, minutes covering Israel–Egypt peace accord negotiations are released by state archives. They include tense meetings between Begin and Carter, last minute disagreements and the final OK ….
Netanyahu appoints Ya’alon as defense minister
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – PM says Ya’alon has necessary experience to deal with ‘turmoil around us’; Erdan named home front defense minister, placed in charge of strategic talks with US; Sa’ar to head Interior Ministry ….
Iran launches destroyer in Caspian Sea
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Ahmadinejad says guided missile destroyer Jamaran-2 ‘is there to meet those who want to jeopardize security of surrounding nations’ ….
IDF: Man drafted during Gaza op did not prove he was mentally ill
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Civilian in his 20s was called up for reserve duty in combat unit during Operation Pillar of Defense despite mental illness. Attorney: He could have harmed himself, other soldiers ….
Road trip in the Holy Land
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Op-ed: Obama will be very surprised by some of the things he will see on the way from Jerusalem to Ramallah ….
High-ranking Syrian general defects from army
YNet News, 17 Mar 2013 – Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ezz al-Din Khalouf, who defected with his son to Jordan, says many within Damascus regime have lost faith in it; claims Hezbollah fighting in ‘more than one place’ in Syria ….
Report: Rebels take control of routes to Damascus
YNet News, 16 Mar 2013 – Al Jazeera says FSA extended its hold over area surrounding Syrian capital, country’s main airport effectively paralyzed ….
Israeli plan to seize the remaining part of Ma’manullah cemetery
PIC – A Jerusalemite Foundation revealed that there are Israeli plans to implement 7 Judaizing projects targeting the historic Islamic cemetery of Ma’manullah, in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
14 Palestinian prisoners suffer cancer in the Israeli jails
PIC – A human rights report said that the occupation authorities continue to detain fourteen Palestinian prisoners suffering from cancer.
PA security arrest 11 liberated prisoners in Jerusalem
PIC – Hamas accused the Authority apparatuses of arresting 11 Palestinians from the town of Biddu northwest of Jerusalem, in two days, and summoning three others for investigation.
Palestinian historian: Hamas has no interest in the Rafah attack
PIC – The Palestinian political historian, Abdel Qader Yassin, said that the Egyptian government is responsible for hiding the names of those involved in crime of killing the Egyptian soldiers in Rafah.
Protest against desecration of Jerusalem’s Mamanullah cemetery
PIC – Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage stated that it has been putting the final touches of the protest demonstration against the continued Israeli violations of Mamanullah cemetery.
Hamas mourns “Khansa of Palestine”
PIC – The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, mourned member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Haja Mariam Farhat, 64, who passed away in Gaza City on Sunday, after a long march of jihad.
IOA extends 3 prisoners’ administrative detention
PIC – An Israeli military court extended the administrative detention of three Palestinian prisoners from Ramallah including two leaders in Hamas movement.
Rizqa calls on Egyptian media to correct its compass
PIC – Youssef Rizqa, Political Adviser to the Palestinian Prime Minister, called on the Egyptian media to correct the compass toward Gaza and the Palestinian resistance through revealing the truth.
Sharawneh to End Strike as Israel Offers Exile to Gaza
WAFA – 17 Mar 2013
Operation Dove: Israeli Police Arrest 3 Palestinian Teenagers
WAFA – 17 Mar 2013
EU Contributes €20.8M to February Salaries and Pensions
WAFA – 17 Mar 2013
Olive Oil Production Rises in 2012, says Statistics Bureau
WAFA – 17 Mar 2013
Settlers Raid Village, Burn Shack near Nablus
WAFA – 17 Mar 2013
Consumer Prices Down in February
WAFA – 14 Mar 2013
Assad Issues a Worldwide Plea as a Top Syrian General Defects
New York Times 17 Mar 2013 – Brig. Gen. Mohammed Nour Ezzedeen Khallouf, who once led a military intelligence office widely believed to be a torture site, has joined the rebels against President Bashar al-Assad.
At Foreign Schools in the Gulf, a More Local Push
New York Times 17 Mar 2013 – Some analysts say that the universities, locally funded but serving student bodies that are still dominated by foreigners, seem like bubbles cut off from Gulf culture and society.
Delek to sell 19% of Delek US for $355m
Globes Energy & Water – Delek Group has increased the number of shares in the secondary offering from 7,825,000 shares to nine million shares.
Tamar and Leviathan fields contain valuable gas condensate
Globes Energy & Water – The condensates in the two reservoirs have not yet been priced, but are estimated at an additional $3 billion, on top of the reservoirs’ current valuations.
Leviathan partners seek cartel exemption
Globes Main News – Delek and Ratio have asked Antitrust Authority director general David Gilo for a cartel exemption for gas exports from the reservoir.
IAI wins $400m Brazilian Air Force deal
Globes Main News – IAI will convert Boeing 767-300ER jetliners into refueling, troop, cargo transport, and medical evacuation planes.
Sun: Dual-listed shares drag market down
Globes Main News – Mellanox fell sharply and Teva was down on the day’s biggest turnover, but Delek’s exploration units Avner and Delek Drilling bucked the market.
Mayer Group lends Habas €1.3m
Globes Main News – Mayer Real Estate is the partner of Habas in overseas arm Habas Star.
Lapid targets haredim but not settlers
Globes Macro Economics – Yesh Atid’s coalition agreement includes specifics about hitting the haredim, but not a word about settlements and the billions poured into them.
Locust plague to continue through Passover
Globes Macro Economics – Agriculture Ministry inspectors have been observing locusts mating and laying eggs at several locations in the south.
Burst the housing bubble now
Globes Macro Economics – Instead of initiating another lost decade and falling home prices (prices fell 22% in real terms in 1998-2007), it would be better to slash prices all at once.
Former Teva CEO named vice chair of Caesarea Foundation
Globes Macro Economics – Baroness Ariane de Rothschild personally chose Shlomo Yanai.
Home prices up 1.7% in January
Globes Macro Economics – This was the biggest monthly gain in home prices since June 2010.
Elbit Systems unit wins $115m Asian contract
Globes Aerospace & Defense – Elisra will supply electronic warfare systems for multi-purpose land missions over two years to an Asian customer.
Naftali Bennet as The Joker
Tikun Olam – Naftali Bennet as The Joker The Joker Related Posts Bibi Boom-Boom Israel-U.S. Attack on Iran: Driving Off a Cliff Wanted: IDF Soldier for Gravely Wounding Unarmed Palestinan Demonstrator Obama Tells Mubarak to Go in All But Words Zemanta
Zionists thrill that Obama will recognize ancient Jewish connection to ‘homeland’ (undoing his Cairo error)
Mondoweiss – Reporting on a White House conference call the other day laying out Obama‘s purposes in Israel, Alex Kane noted the importance to Israel supporters of symbolic actions the president is scheduled to take later this week to affirm an ancient Jewish connection to the land. These…
Schoolboy’s campaign to besmirch an eminent professor smacks of totalitarian society
Mondoweiss – Earlier this week, I posted a piece about a Jewish
senior at Croton-Harmon High School in New York who by accusing John Mearsheimer of anti-Semitism in letters to school authorities was able to postpone for a year a distinguished alumnus award that had been announced for…
US Jews leave ‘Gatekeepers’ asking why we give money to Israel — says Oren, outraged
Mondoweiss – The documentary “Gatekeepers” is now playing at two theaters in Westchester. Here and here . There are a lot of Jews in Westchester. And what do we care about Jews seeing the movie? Well, Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., does. He is quoted in…
Landmark ‘NYT Magazine’ cover story ennobles resistance in Nabi Saleh
Mondoweiss – New York Times Magazine Graphic A week ago we linked a landmark piece in the New York Times, a Jewish professor’s essay saying that we must question the right of a Jewish state to exist; and today there is another one: a cover story in the…
Some thoughts on the 10-year anniversary of the death of Rachel Corrie
Mondoweiss – I was at my home in Olympia, Washington, on the morning of Sunday, March 16, 2003, when I received a call from Will, a friend who had traveled to Rafah. It was a pleasant surprise. I had already heard from Rachel Corrie, whom he had gone…
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon May Be Voice of Moderation on Iran
The Foward Breaking News 17 Mar 2013 – Although Benjamin Netanyahu’s next defence minister shares his deep distrust of the Palestinians, the two could yet clash about when – and whether – Israel should go to war with Iran. Click here for the rest of the article…
Moshe Yaalon Picked as Israel Defense Minister
The Foward Breaking News 17 Mar 2013 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday chose Moshe Yaalon, an ex-general and vice premier from his right-wing Likud party, to be Israel’s next defence minister, a government official said. Click here for the rest of the article…
Is Israel a Special Case?
The Forward Editorial 17 Mar 2013 – FORWARD EDITORIAL : The blunt ax of sequestration cuts is hurting Israel. But trying to single out the Jewish state to be exempted from the cuts could jeopardize support in the future. Click here for the rest of the article…
Arrests in Beit Ommar
Palestine Solidarity Project 17 Mar 2013 –
Venezuelan Post-Chavez Roadmap to the Middle East
Al-Akhbar News 17 Mar 2013 – A woman shows her tattoo of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chavez during his funeral parade in Caracas 15 March 2013. (Photo: Reuters – Carlos Garcia Rawlins) A woman shows her tattoo of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chavez during his funeral parade in Caracas 15 March 2013. (…
PA: Israel offered to deport hunger-striking prisoners
Al-Akhbar News 17 Mar 2013 – Young Palestinian protesters hold portraits of Samer Issawi, a Palestinian prisoner who has been on a hunger strike for more than 200 days, during a solidarity sit-in outside the Red Cross offices in Jerusalem on 14 March 2013. (Photo: AFP – Ahmad Gharabli) The Palestinian Authority…
Bomb kills 10 in southern Iraq
Al-Akhbar News 17 Mar 2013 – A car bomb exploded near the outskirts of the southern Iraq city of Basra on Sunday, killing 10 people and wounding 16, the head of the Basra provincial council security committee said. The bombing at a bus station came soon after another went off in the…
Israel names new anti-Palestinian defense minister
Al-Akhbar News 17 Mar 2013 – Israel‘s new Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon walks after a visit to the Kissufim crossing in the Gaza strip in this 16 February 2005 file photo. (Photo: Reuters – Ronen Zvulun) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday chose Moshe Yaalon, an ex-general and vice premier from…
Iraq car bomb kills 10 near Basra
BBC 17 Mar 2013 – Ten people are killed as a car bomb explodes at a bus station near Basra in southern Iraq, days before the 10th anniversary of the US-led invasion.
Israel profile
BBC 17 Mar 2013 – Provides an overview of Israel, including key events and facts about the world’s only state with a majority Jewish population
VIDEO: Iraq war victim, then and now
BBC 17 Mar 2013 – Ten years after the US military fought their way into Baghdad, the BBC’s Kevin Connolly reports of the life of one Iraqi girl who’s life was changed forever when she was gravely injured in an air raid.
Articles
Settler leader calls new Israeli government ’a wet dream’
Noam Sheizaf, +972 Magazine 3/17/2013
The new Netanyahu coalition will give settlers and their supporters more executive power than any previous government in Israel has until now.
With the Housing and Industry ministries in their hand, and political ally Moshe Ya’alon as the new defense minister, the settlers are very pleased by the new Netanyahu government. Head of the Samaria region (the northern West Bank) Gershon Mesika told the Ynet news site:
“On the face of it, it does look like a wet dream – Ya’alon on defense and Ariel on housing is something which carries great potential, but in these things you can’t foretell what will happen.”
The Ynet piece quotes other settler leaders who were extremely satisfied with the new coalition.
The Jewish Home party (formally known as the National Religious Party) registered an all-time high of 12 seats in the last elections. The settlers also did very well in the internal Likud primaries, with many of their favorites – Moshe Feiglin, Tzipi Hotovely, Yariv Levin and Danny Danon – ranking in high places on the united Likud-Yisrael Beitenu list.
With the help of Yair Lapid, the centrist leader who formed a pact with Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett during coalition negotiations, the settlers were able to fulfill two of their most important political goals: replacing Ehud Barak with a more hospitable defense minister, and taking over the Housing Ministry. The Defense Ministry is the final authority on all civilian projects in the West Bank, while the Housing Ministry can help speed up the bureaucratic process and finance projects in the occupied territories. The Housing Ministry has special importance in the right-wing effort to establish a Jewish presence in Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem. — See also: Israel’s new war cabinet and Pro-settlement, neo-liberal government on Israel’s horizon more.. e-mail
Israel, Obama, and other people’s oil
Nadia Hijab, Al Jazeera.com 3/17/2013
If the US stops Genie Energy from going ahead with oil contract, it invites the wrath of myriad pro-Israel groups.
Even as it plans to illegally drill for oil in the occupied Golan Heights, “Israel appears to have its eye on the occupied West Bank oil”, according to a classified Foreign Office correspondence.
The schedule for President Barack Obama‘s first visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories next week has just been released and it is no surprise that the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is not on his travel agenda.
And yet Israel put it on the international agenda less than a month ago with its award of a licence to a US energy firm to explore for oil in the Golan Heights. Oil drilling by the New Jersey-based Genie Energy Ltd in the occupied Golan Heights could well result in a lawsuit claiming that Israel is engaged in an illegal act of pillage as defined in the Hague Convention. Perhaps Israel is now so used to living off the fat of other people’s land – Palestinian and Syrian soil and water, among other resources – it has seemingly thrown caution to the wind.
The award puts the US on the spot. If the Obama administration tries to stop Genie from going ahead with the contract, it invites the wrath of myriad pro-Israel groups and their neocon allies, whose strength was most recently on display in the battle to confirm Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense.
And if the administration ignores the oil deal, it leaves US corporations exposed to potential lawsuits for profiteering from Israel‘s violations of human rights and international law.
An additional worry for the Obama administration is the cast of characters involved in Genie Energy. The company is headed by former Israeli minister of infrastructure Effie Eitam, who lives in one of the illegal settlements on the Golan Heights, and includes former vice president Dick Cheney as an adviser and Rupert Murdoch as a shareholder. more.. e-mail
The third Palestinian intifada
Ali Badwan, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 3/15/2013
It is expected widely that the current outbreak of popular unrest and protests across the occupied West Bank will become a third intifada, with a new shape and activities. Will this happen or are there too many obstacles in the way?
There are clear signs that preparations are underway for a popular uprising which will rock the entire region if it breaks out; the main cause for this is the impasse with negotiations due to Israel‘s ongoing settlement programme. This expansion of the illegal colonies on Palestinian land is fuelled by the ever more extreme right-wing policies of Israeli political parties backed by violence against the Palestinians by the occupation forces.
We do not expect to see any balance in America’s role in the “peace process”, nor will it put pressure on Israel to stop settlement expansion. Ahead of the visit of Barack Obama it is already being trailed that he has no “new proposals”.
The conditions across the occupied West Bank an
d Jerusalem are getting worse. Barbaric attacks against Palestinian by illegal Jewish settlers and Israeli security forces include incursions at the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa and assaults on female students, damage to copies of the Holy Qur’an and even provocative visits by extremist Knesset Members.
Economic hardship is also on the rise, with unemployment reaching 65 per cent according to official sources.
This is all a result of Israel‘s policies in the occupied Palestinian territories, some of which stem from the imbalanced Paris Agreement covering economic activity between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. This ties the Palestinian economy to Israel‘s, with the PA‘s budget dependent on tax revenues collected by Israel on goods flowing in to the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as aid from donor countries, all of which ebb and flow according to the political climate. more.. e-mail
Pakistan tests US will with Iran pipeline
Kaveh L Afrasiabi, Asia Times 3/13/2013
NEW YORK – Although the United Nations has never imposed sanctions on Iran’s energy sector, the US government has opposed a decision by Pakistan to proceed with a much-delayed pipeline from Iran on the grounds that this would put Islamabad in “violation of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear program”. [1] It seems the US has once again mistaken its own laws for that of the international community.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Zardari, on Monday inaugurated the construction of the 781-kilometer Pakistani side of the 1,600-kilometer pipeline. Dubbed the “peace pipeline”, the project was first mooted in 1994 as a tripartite Iran-Pakistan-India project. (In 2009, despite its pressing energy needs, India opted out of the deal under US pressure.)
As is to be expected, the mainstream Western media has taken a negative view of the Iran-Pakistan pipeline. It has referred to the project as a “pipe dream”, citing the unlikelihood that Pakistan would be able to come up with the US$1.5 billion financing to complete a link that, once completed, would pump 750 million cubic feet of natural gas into the energy-starved Pakistani economy each day.
The skepticism is unwarranted. Plagued by power shortages and the rising energy demands of a growing economy, this pipeline is “in Pakistan’s national interest”, as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani stated recently.
The two countries have also signed an accord for a 400,000 barrel capacity oil refinery in Gwadar, in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province. Foreign experts, such as Dan Millison of Asian Development Bank (ADB), concur. Millison has defended an ADB assessment of the “peace pipeline” based purely on economic grounds and the rising energy demands from the subcontinent. more.. e-mail
sabr
In Gaza: 17 Mar 2013 – I asked Emad to talk about sabr, patience, as the cactus and the noun are essential to life in Gaza. He replied, somewhat cheekily and with the usual Palestinian dry humour: “ Illi bedo e3esh fi Falesteen o buzzpt fi Gaza lazem yspoor o yokel saber min Gaza. Gher hek, ma begder y3esh fe Gaza. “ If you want to live in Palestine, especially Gaza, you must be patient (yspoor) and eat Gazan cactus fruit (sabr) If not, you won’t make it in Gaza. Arabic expressions never quite translate into English as the original. Being told to eat cactus fruit actually isn’t as painful or insulting as one might think. Although stoney and not overly sweet, the fruit is pleasant in its own way, once peeled of its spines. Gaza abounds with cactus plants, many varieties, but the most common is the broad, flat-stemmed plant that lines roads and is…more
Rachel’s Legacy: The Corries’ Ten-Year Quest for Justice
Palestine Chronicle: 17 Mar 2013 – By Tom Wright and Therese Saliba ‘Parents can be awakened by their children.’ — Cindy Corrie , 2003 Commencement address Ten years have now passed since we received the terrible phone call telling us our young friend Rachel Corrie was dead. We had gone to see her off the drizzly winter day she left Olympia to work in Gaza with the International Solidarity Movement. We couldn’t know that we were seeing her for the last time, nor foresee the legacy she would leave as she said goodbye to her hometown, and stepped into history. Rachel would be killed on March 16, 2003, crushed beneath an armored Israeli bulldozer as she tried to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in the Gazan border town of Rafah. It seems likely that Rachel’s story would by now have faded from memory as just one more among the thousands of deaths in Gaza over…more
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The New Dark Age 