InI Needs Your Support!
Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
www.vtjp.org/
For those interested in keeping up with events in Palestine/Israel, there is no better digest than VTJP.
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israeli soldiers
broke into Telmond Prison for Women
25 Aug 2009 - The
Center for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights (Hurryyat) stated that
an under-cover Israeli military unit, known as Dror, broke into the
Telmond prison for women, and violently searched the rooms of 32
Palestinian female detainees.
Israel
establishes special courts for Palestinian child detainees
25 Aug 2009 - The
Israeli occupation Authorities announced the formation of special
courts for Palestinian children detained by the Israeli Army in the
occupied Palestinian Territories.
Lieberman demands
military service as precondition for Cadet Courses
25 Aug 2009 -
Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, demanded barring any
person did not serve in the military from being able to be enlisted in
his ministry’s Cadet Courses organized.
400 patients in
ICU facing death due to ongoing siege
25 Aug 2009 - The
Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip voiced an appeal to
human rights groups and international heath organizations to intervene
in order to allow the entry of medications and medical equipment into
the Gaza Strip, especially as 400 patients are in critical conditions.
Palestinian
killed, child seriously wounded by military fire in northern Gaza
25 Aug 2009 -
Palestinian medical sources in Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the
Gaza Strip reported on Monday at night that a Palestinian resident was
killed and a 15-year old child was seriously wounded by Israeli
military fired in Al Atatra area near Beit Lahia.
New 14 Cases of
H1N1 reported in the West Bank
24 Aug 2009 - New 14
cases of H1N1 or better known as Swine Flu were found in the West Bank,
Palestinian sources reported.
The Israeli
military kidnaps 13 Palestinians from several parts of the West Bank
24 Aug 2009 - The
Israeli military kidnapped on Monday 13 Palestinian civilians during
dawn and morning invasions targeting a number of west Bank communities.
24 Aug 2009 - IDF soldier lightly wounded as mortar shells hit Israel in wake of cross-border shooting incident.
'Lebanon will never negotiate with Israel - directly or indirectly'
23 Aug 2009 - Lebanese FM tells local media that Peres' claims that Hezbollah has stockpiled 80,000 rockets are 'lies.'
IDF sets up separate court for Palestinian minors
24 Aug 2009 - Since 1967, adults and minors in the West Bank have been judged by the same legal authorities.
Egypt summons Israel diplomat over border shooting
23 Aug 2009 - IDF troops fired at Egyptian soldier earlier this month, apparently mistaking him for infiltrator.
Settler leader presses outpost residents to evacuate
21 Aug 2009 - Residents of Bnei Adam expected to evacuate after 'father of outposts' threatens to cut off gas supply.
Israeli forces kill Gazan man 25 Aug 2009
Swedish tabloid runs follow-up 'organ harvesting' article 25 Aug 2009
PFLP says PNC session should stick to agenda 25 Aug 2009
Israeli forces detain Palestinian man near Jenin 25 Aug 2009
Israel: Ramallah radio cut over airport interference 25 Aug 2009
Gaza schoolgirls say Hamas cracking down on dress code 25 Aug 2009
PA: Abbas' son did not meet Israeli officials 25 Aug 2009
PRC fighters 'clash with Israeli forces' in Gaza 25 Aug 2009
Palestinian workers injured in Israel after police chase 25 Aug 2009
PA releases five Hamas men in Qalqiliya 25 Aug 2009
Unions demand meeting with Fayyad after firing of labor leader 25 Aug 2009
Fatah leader Hussam Khader calls for three month "truce" with Hamas 25 Aug 2009
Israel cancels family visits for Palestinians in two prisons 25 Aug 2009
Israel: Two rockets fired from Gaza 25 Aug 2009
Egyptian intelligence chief to visit Israel for talks with Barak 25 Aug 2009
24 Aug 2009 - Yet again a breakthrough emerges in efforts to bring the estranged Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, back to unity negotiations.
Netanyahu faces stout opposition to outposts
24 Aug 2009 - While Israel hopes to push for a harsher stance against Iran, western allies will demand an end to settlements in the West Bank.
Survival a victory for Gaza football club
22 Aug 2009 - Al Shams Sports Club now offers a footballing course that helps to draw out youngsters still in a state of shock from the war.
Strangers in their own land
21 Aug 2009 - Hamas' tightening conservative grip across all sections of society may prompt some secular Palestinians to leave their homeland.
23 Aug 2009 - Shortage of school materials and crowded classrooms threaten education quality.
Egypt spy cell trial adjourned
23 Aug 2009 - Next hearing set for October of 26 men accused of plotting attacks on behalf of Hezbollah.
24 Aug 2009 - Bethlehem / PNN – Water continues to be a major issue in the Middle East, long known to be the most valuable regional commodity, far more scarce and in demand that oil. The Israeli administration planned the route of the Wall in the West Bank based on water resources. It is known there that Israeli settlers used several times more water than do...
Girls required to wear jilbab at Gaza Strip high schools as part of feminization of schools program
24 Aug 2009 - Gaza / PNN – High school students are returning for the new academic year with more rigid enforcement of the dress code. Public school students wear uniforms, as do pupils at private and UNRWA schools. In the West Bank not all girls cover their hair, and at private Christian schools leggings are not required under the skirts. But this policy applies only to...
Palestine does not need charity. Palestine is not a poor country
23 Aug 2009 - Huwaida Arraf and the Free Gaza Movement (www.freegaza.org (http://www.freegaza.org/)) are organizing the ‘Hope Fleet for Gaza’, in essence, a flotilla of passenger and cargo ships to open a sea channel between Gaza and Cyprus to bring in essential materials and resources which until now have been impossible to get into Gaza (see information and video links). Fundraising Suhoor: Wednesday 26 August , 9:30...
Boycott of Israeli products in UK gains renewed momentum: labels stating "West Bank" ...
23 Aug 2009 - London / PNN – The major Israeli attacks of late December and January on the Gaza Strip are still sparking protests around the world. With the siege ongoing for three years there is little reason to stop, and more to step-up demonstrations say London activists.Dozens of activists occupied the White Rose, Branch Stores in Brighton, south of London, to protest the sale of...
Palestinians receive Ramadan with empty pockets as holy month coincides with opening of school year
23 Aug 2009 - Nablus / Amin Abu Wardeh for PNN – The markets of the northern West Bank city of Nablus have sprung to life with the onset of Ramadan and the new academic year. The Muslim holy month and the start of the school year came within a day of each other. The financial burden on families is tremendous, but the markets are bustling although...
Books and paper banned from entering Gaza as new academic year begins, 200 more schools needed
23 Aug 2009 - Gaza / PNN – With the academic year about to begin, the Gaza Strip is falling short on schools. During the major Israeli attacks of late December and January, many schools were destroyed or partially destroyed. They have not been repaired or rebuilt because reconstruction materials are still banned under the siege.Palestinian Legislative Council member and Chairman of the People’s Committee against the...
Medical Association threatens open-ended strike against Health Ministry if demands not met
22 Aug 2009 - Ramallah / PNN – The Palestinian Medical Association is threatening an open-ended strike beginning the first week of next month. The target of the strike proposed for the sixth of September is the Ministry of Health.The Medical Association released a statement Sunday reading in part: “After exhausting all possible ways and means to address the outstanding issues with the Ministry of Health, which...
GAZA CITY Thursday, August 20, 2009 (IRIN) - Inadequate infrastructure, lack of equipment and a shortage of hospital staff are contributing to the deterioration of hospital care for mothers and newborns in Gaza, according to a July 2009 assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Jerusalem.
OPT: Where cancer sufferers get only painkillers
GAZA CITY Wednesday, August 19, 2009 (IRIN) - Arafat Hamdona, 20, has been confined to the cancer unit of As-Shifa, Gaza’s primary hospital, since he was diagnosed with maxillary skin tumours in June 2008. Red lesions protrude from his face, his features are distorted and his eyes swollen shut.
Analysis: Humanitarian action under siege
DAKAR Tuesday, August 18, 2009 (IRIN) - On the first-ever World Humanitarian Day, as the UN spotlights fallen aid workers and growing humanitarian needs, experts say a trend toward integrating aid goals into broader social and security agendas has contributed to an erosion of “humanitarian space”. IRIN looks at why,...
EAST JERUSALEM, Aug 24 (IPS) - Israel's continued policy of Judaising East Jerusalem in order to establish facts on the ground before the future of that part of the city is decided, has left dozens of Palestinians homeless and sleeping on the streets.
EGYPT: Christians Split Over Presidential Scion
CAIRO, Aug 24 (IPS) - Leaders of Egypt's Coptic Christian Church have voiced support for Gamal Mubarak, son of President Hosni Mubarak, as preferred candidate for president. Concurrently, however, some Coptic activists are calling for demonstrations against what they see as official state bias against Christians.
HEALTH: Swine Flu Hits Ramadan Gatherings
CAIRO, Aug 23 (IPS) - Muslims marked the start of the fasting month of Ramadan Saturday, but the global H1N1 pandemic has put a damper on religious festivities throughout the Middle East.
RIGHTS-US: Teenage Terror Plot or Wild Imagination?
ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug 21 (IPS) - Following a seven-day trial, Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, 23, was convicted in a U.S. federal court earlier this month on several counts of providing material support to terrorists and the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LET), a designated foreign terrorist organisation.
24 Aug 2009 - The people of Burin held another demonstration this week in protest of the ongoing theft of their land. Villagers marched this Friday to their fields, confronting soldiers who refused to allow them onto their land. Demonstrations come in response to settlers from Barcha and Yizhar who, with the protection of Occupation forces, have taken over 50 dunums this month for agricultural pursuits, stealing more land from the besieged village. [
New concrete wall in Ni’lin prompts fierce resistance
23 Aug 2009 - The regular march to the confiscated land in the village of Ni’lin was different this week, as Occupation forces have begun building a concrete wall in front of the fences and military road. Facing tear gas, live and rubber bullets and chemical spray, protestors cut sections of fence and clashed with soldiers. Six people were injured, including a medic who was hit with a sound bomb. [
On 14 August 2009, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats opposite to Rafah beach. As a result, a 12-year-old Palestinian child, who was at the beach, was seriously wounded by a gunshot to the head.
International Solidarity Movement
Plans for largest East Jerusalem settlement filed for approval8/23/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Ha'aretz - A plan for the building of a new settlement, Ma'aleh David, in the middle of an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem was filed for approval by the relevant municipal committee at the Jerusalem Municipality. The plan calls for the construction of 104 housing units on the land where the former headquarters of the Judea and Samaria police was housed in the neighborhood of Ras al-Amud. The new settlement is planned to be connected to an existing Jewish neighborhood, Ma'aleh Zeitim, and together will be occupied by some 200 families, forming the largest Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem. The plan is being promoted by the right-wing group Elad. The land on which the new housing is planned was, until 18 months ago, the compound of the Judea and Samaria police headquarters, which has since moved to a new building in Area E-1.
One arrested during demonstration against settlement expansion
8/23/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Palestine Solidarity Project, 21 August 2009 - Construction of a road has begun on Palestinian land right outside the settlement Karmei Tsur, between Beit Omar and Halhoul, about two weeks ago. The construction has happened between the edge of the settlement and a "security fence" that the military built three years ago. This agricultural land still belongs to the Palestinian families of Abu Maria, Soleiby, Awwad, Abu Ayyesh, and Sabarna. However, entry to their land since the building of the fence has required a permit from Israel, which most Palestinian families refuse to apply for, maintaining that the land is rightfully theirs. Friday, August 21, a group of Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals held a demonstration outside the fence. Palestine Solidarity Project organized the demonstration, in which about 35 people participated.
A mass demonstration will be held outside Ofer prison in the West Bank
8/23/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Monday, 24 August 2009 at 9am: A mass demonstration will be held outside Ofer prison in the West Bank. Palestinians, alongside Israeli and international solidarity activists will gather in front of Ofer (on the Palestinian side) to protest against Israeli arrest and intimidation campaigns of Palestinians. Israeli forces have conducted arrest and intimidation campaigns on villages that resist Israeli apartheid infrastructure. According to a joint report from Addameer and Stop the Wall, Israeli forces have arrested 176 Palestinians from 5 villages alone in their resistance against construction of the Wall. The family of Na'el Barghouthi will be in attendance to demand for his release. Barghouthi was taken by Israeli forces on 4 April 1978 and has been behind bars for 31 years. An estimated 11,000 Palestinian political prisoners are currently being held in Israeli jails.
New Jersey town wants to ban Gadhafi from staying at local site
23 Aug 2009 - Officials are trying to prevent Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi from staying in northern New Jersey when he visits the United States next month. ...
U.S. says it's closer to Israel-Palestinian talks
23 Aug 2009 - The State Department says its Mideast peace envoy is getting closer to winning agreement by the Israelis and Palestinians to resume peace talks. ...
Sweden newspaper editor: I'm not a Nazi, I'm not anti-Semitic
23 Aug 2009 - The editor-in-chief of the Swedish newspaper that printed an article alleging that Israeli soldiers killed Palestinians to harvest their organs denied accusations on Monday that he was anti-Semitic. ...
Report: Madoff tells cellmates he's dying of cancer
23 Aug 2009 - Bernard Madoff, convicted of swindling $65 billion through the biggest-ever Ponzi scheme, has told fellow prison inmates that he is dying of cancer, the New York Post reported on Monday, citing unnamed prison sources. ...
Lieberman: Foreign Min. should accept only ex-IDF soldiers as cadets
23 Aug 2009 - Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Monday proposed a new regulation that would allow only those Israelis who served in the Israel Defense Forces or completed national service eligible for the Foreign Ministry's cadet program. ...
24 Aug 2009 - How Israel has expanded its presence in the West Bank since 1967 Paddy Allen Christine Oliver
How settlements in the West Bank are creating a new reality, brick by brick
24 Aug 2009 - Continuing our series of exclusive reports, we look at how Israel's growing infrastructure in the region threatens not just the form but the very possibility of a future Palestinian state There is a hilltop east of...
Familes evicted from their East Jerusalem homes after 50 years
24 Aug 2009 - The police came for them at dawn on a Sunday, heavily armed, wearing helmets and riot shields as they broke down the metal doors of the houses and dragged the two Palestinian families out onto the...
Israel cries wolf over 'blood libel' | Seth Freedman
24 Aug 2009 - A Swedish report about supposed organ-harvesting by troops in the West Bank isn't antisemitic – it's just bad journalism Last week's allegations in a Swedish newspaper sparked an inferno in diplomatic circles, the flames of which...
23 Aug 2009 - In response to the growing pressure generated by the grassroots campaign on behalf of captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, the Israel Prison Service announced that it will not allow Palestinians incarcerated for security-related offenses in two correctional facilities to receive their loved ones and relatives for visits on Tuesday. ...
Ex-chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu hospitalized after fainting
23 Aug 2009 - Former Sephardic chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu was hospitalized on Monday after he had fainted in his Jerusalem home. ...
Petah Tikva parents mull school strike unless Ethiopian kids admitted
23 Aug 2009 - Petah Tikva parents on Monday threatened to strike in the beginning of the school year next week, unless private religious schools in the city agreed to enroll Ethiopian students. ...
24 Aug 2009 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
Palestine: The Naughty Boys of Gaza
24 Aug 2009 - Source: Action by Churches Together International
OPT: Water Scarcity Emergency Response Strategy Framework (07 Aug 2009)
24 Aug 2009 - Source: Food and Agriculture Organization
24 Aug 2009 - Foreign Ministry sources comment on attacks against Lieberman over his demands that ministry cadet candidates must complete national, military service. 'He presented these opinions during the election campaign, and they are what got him the job as foreign minister,' source says
FM employee: Lieberman a provocateur
24 Aug 2009 - Following Ynet report of minister's demand that military service or national service be set as prerequisite for becoming Foreign Ministry cadet, ministry employee who finished cadet course says, 'Luckily we have laws in this country against discrimination.' Ministry source concerned over potential loss of Arabic speakers
Fayyad rolls up sleeves to build Palestinian state
24 Aug 2009 - Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to present plans for institutions, infrastructure of future state including new international airport, rail links, generous tax regime for foreign investors, securing water, energy sources in hopes of 'building free, democratic and stable Palestine'
Fatah proposes 3-month truce with Hamas
24 Aug 2009 - Renewed waves of arrests between rival Palestinian factions prompts Fatah official Hussam Khader to propose truce to allow for release of political prisoners, resumption of talks
Egyptian editorial: Sweden victim to Israeli blackmail
24 Aug 2009 - State paper publishes editorial in defense of Sweden following Israel's recent censure over country's refusal to officially condemn report accusing IDF soldiers of harvesting Palestinians' organs. Says 'Israel trying to use blackmail against West's freedom of speech'
First in 2 weeks: Fire from Gaza into Israel
24 Aug 2009 - IDF shoots and kills Palestinian near border fence. In response, shots fired from Gaza Strip land near Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. Soldier lightly injured after hitting his head while seeking shelter. Hundreds of bathers evacuated from beach
Prison service cancels Hamas visitations for Shalit protest
24 Aug 2009 - As part of series of events marking Shalit's 23rd birthday, 'Army of Shalit's Friends' plans to block family visits to Hamas prisoners in protest to detainment conditions of captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in Gaza. However, in bid to prevent clashes, Israel Prison Service cancels visits at two facilities
Palestinian women complain of IPS security checks
24 Aug 2009 - Two women visiting loved ones held in Israeli prison say were asked to undress as part of 'humiliating' security check; decided to give up on visit instead. Israel Prison Service spokesman says no change in policy
25 Aug 2009 - Iran will continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, apparently confirming Tehran had given inspectors access to a reactor under construction after barring visits for a year. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi also called on the West to seek "interaction" rather than impose more sanctions on the Islamic Republic, state Press TV reported.
Netanyahu sees talks with Palestinians within two months
25 Aug 2009 - Iran will continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, apparently confirming Tehran had given inspectors access to a reactor under construction after barring visits for a year. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi also called on the West to seek "interaction" rather than impose more sanctions on the Islamic Republic, state Press TV reported.
Swedish premier rebuffs Israeli calls to slam tabloid report
25 Aug 2009 - Iran will continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, apparently confirming Tehran had given inspectors access to a reactor under construction after barring visits for a year. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi also called on the West to seek "interaction" rather than impose more sanctions on the Islamic Republic, state Press TV reported.
Plans to power Europe using Saharan sunlight: miracle or just a mirage?
25 Aug 2009 - Iran will continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, apparently confirming Tehran had given inspectors access to a reactor under construction after barring visits for a year. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi also called on the West to seek "interaction" rather than impose more sanctions on the Islamic Republic, state Press TV reported.
Argentina calls for arrest of Iran minister nominee
25 Aug 2009 - Iran will continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, apparently confirming Tehran had given inspectors access to a reactor under construction after barring visits for a year. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi also called on the West to seek "interaction" rather than impose more sanctions on the Islamic Republic, state Press TV reported.
Scottish minister defends move to free Lockerbie bomber
25 Aug 2009 - Iran will continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, apparently confirming Tehran had given inspectors access to a reactor under construction after barring visits for a year. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi also called on the West to seek "interaction" rather than impose more sanctions on the Islamic Republic, state Press TV reported.
UAE prosecutor claims American man on trial had ties to Al-Qaeda
25 Aug 2009 - Iran will continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, apparently confirming Tehran had given inspectors access to a reactor under construction after barring visits for a year. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi also called on the West to seek "interaction" rather than impose more sanctions on the Islamic Republic, state Press TV reported.
Rasmussen to pay first visit to Turkey as NATO chief
25 Aug 2009 - Iran will continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, apparently confirming Tehran had given inspectors access to a reactor under construction after barring visits for a year. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi also called on the West to seek "interaction" rather than impose more sanctions on the Islamic Republic, state Press TV reported.
Palestinian Information Center
Hamad: There contacts with Egyptian officials to open the Rafah crossing25 Aug 2009 - Dr. Ghazi Hamad, said that contact with the Egyptian side was ongoing to ensure the opening of the Rafah crossing for stranded passengers and those on their way to perform Omra.
Senior Israeli official arrested for taking bribes from Palestinian workmen
25 Aug 2009 - The Israeli military censorship allowed media outlets to report about the arrest of a senior official on a charge of issuing work permits to Palestinian workmen in exchange for bribes.
Abbas’s militias kidnap nine citizens in Al-Khalil
25 Aug 2009 - The militias of Abbas kidnapped Sunday nine Palestinian citizens in Al-Khalil city including a father and his six sons as well as an ex-detainee recently released from Israeli jails.
Hamas: Early to judge Abbas’s decision to release political detainees
25 Aug 2009 - Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that it is premature to judge the decision made by Mahmoud Abbas about the release of 200 political detainees from his jails in the West Bank.
Moussa slams Israel for allowing extremists to storm Aqsa Mosque
25 Aug 2009 - Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League strongly denounced Israel for allowing extremist Jewish groups to storm the Aqsa Mosque to perform religious rituals.
Um Kamel asks Turkish authorities to publish title deeds of Palestinian lands
25 Aug 2009 - Fawzia Sidki Jaber, who was kicked out of her home in occupied Jerusalem, has asked the Turkish authorities to publish the title deeds of Palestinian lands, which are retained in the Ottoman archive.
Jewish settlers storm the Aqsa Mosque
25 Aug 2009 - Jewish settlers on Sunday stormed the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and offered rituals while roaming the holy site's plazas, the Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage said.
Barhoum: Fayyad's denial about political detainees sheer lies, deception
25 Aug 2009 - The insistent denial of the illegitimate government in Ramallah of Salam Fayyd on the presence of political detainees in its jails is a sheer lie and deception.
Khudari calls for sending ships anew to break the siege on Gaza
25 Aug 2009 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular anti siege committee, has called on all foreign solidarity activists to consider sending ships anew to break the siege on the Gaza Strip.
Subaih: Jerusalem a red line
25 Aug 2009 - Ambassador Mohammed Subaih, the assistant Arab League secretary general, has underlined that the Palestine cause would top the agenda of the Arab League ministerial council on 29/9/2009.
24 Aug 2009 - The six-part series, which examines similarities among several ancient civilizations, premieres Monday night at 9 p.m. She's an assistant professor at UCLA who specializes in ancient Egyptian art and architecture. But Kara Cooney doesn't teach only in the lecture hall. She teaches on the small screen too.
Article about organ harvesting sparks Israel-Sweden tiff
24 Aug 2009 - Sweden, citing a right to free expression, refuses to condemn suggestions that Israeli troops harvested the organs of dead Palestinians. Israel says the article could incite violence against Jews. Israel, already on the defensive over European criticism of its policies, has picked a diplomatic fight with Sweden over an unsubstantiated newspaper "expose" suggesting that Israeli soldiers harvested the organs of Palestinians who died in army custody.
Largest exhibition ever in Iran
23 Aug 2009 - Position No. 6069: Black to play and win. From the game Peter Shaw - Yang-Fan Zhou, British Championship, Torquay 2009.
24 Aug 2009 - While the young man was not identified, his charges were graphic and emotional, and documented official indifference — even callousness — toward his account.
Bank of Israel Raises a Lending Rate
24 Aug 2009 - The bank’s governor cited signs of global growth as a reason to increase the lending rate to 0.75 percent.
Accusation of Organ Theft Stokes Ire in Israel
23 Aug 2009 - An article in a Swedish newspaper last week accused the Israeli Army of harvesting organs from Palestinians killed by soldiers, causing a diplomatic storm.
Mondoweiss - 24 Aug 2009 - Above is a trailer for an upcoming documentary from Max Blumenthal and the exciting new website The Daily Nuisance . It is the culmination of the work that Blumenthal and others have been doing to cover an important story not being told in the press here in...
Guns scare us in Phoenix, but not Jerusalem
Mondoweiss - 24 Aug 2009 - Driving to a Gaza event last night in Kingston, I listened to NPR and heard Arthur Frommer, the travel maven, defending his blogpost saying he was boycotting Arizona because of the state’s loose gun laws (and specifically, because a protester at an Obama event had carried...
‘Let’s dialogue.’ ‘Actually, let’s not–’
Mondoweiss - 24 Aug 2009 - Here is a n important piece at Electronic Intifada by Faris Giacaman, a Palestinian student in the United States, on the fecklessness of the "dialogue" movement that says that if only the two sides got together in bull sessions, Israel/Palestine would be healed. No, only pressure...
Tx. Gov. Rick Perry compares the US and Israel, but reaches the wrong conclusions
Mondoweiss - 23 Aug 2009 - Gabriel Camacho sent the following letter to the Jerusalem Post. Camacho is a regional organizer with the American Friends Service Committee in Cambridge, MA. Dear Editors, I found the article " Texas gov. compares Gaza to Mexico " by Abe Selig on August 13, 2009 regarding...
Why it is essential for Jews to speak out, as Jews, on Israel
Mondoweiss - 23 Aug 2009 - Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} The other day Phil Weiss asked Dorothy Zellner, a longtime leftwing activist now working with Jews Say...
Israel's Offensive Defense: Attacking Human Rights Organizations and Solidarity Groups as Pressure on Israel from the U.S. Administration Continues
Alternative Information Center - 24 Aug 2009 - The military offensive on Gaza, the change in the US administration and the formation of an extreme Right government in Jerusalem boosted voices that criticize Israel worldwide. Following the war in Lebanon, the so called “Ad-Dahia doctrine,” named after the total destruction of the south-Beirut neighborhood...
BOYCOTT! Stands with Dr. Neve Gordon for BDS and Against Oppression
Alternative Information Center - 24 Aug 2009 - BOYCOTT! would like to extend its support and appreciation to Dr. Neve Gordon of Ben-Gurion University in Beer-Sheva for publishing his position in support of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel in an LA Times Op-Ed . In an overwhelming assault on freedom of speech, Gordon has...
Education for Blindness: Memories from a Combat School in Israel
Alternative Information Center - 24 Aug 2009 - Two weeks ago, the Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronot awarded, in a screaming main headline, grades to school principals in Israel. Not for educational achievements, but for the percentages of enlistment into combat units amongst their students. The high school in which I studied several years...
Recent Home Demolitions in the Negev Highlight Bedouin Struggle Over Land
Alternative Information Center - 21 Aug 2009 - Israeli forces demolished several homes belonging to families of the Bedouin Tlalka tribe settled near Highway 40 in the Negev between the Lehavim and Gorel junctions, adding to what the Association for Civil Rights in Israel estimates at more than 130 house demolitions carried out by...
Palestinian Shops in Jerusalem’s Old City Close in Protest of Israeli Harassment
Alternative Information Center - 21 Aug 2009 - Palestinian shopkeepers in the Old City of Jerusalem closed their businesses on Wednesday, 19 August, protesting what they deem to be arbitrarily-applied fines and disruptions by Israeli forces. In recent weeks, municipal authorities have begun enforcing a law barring businesses from displaying goods on tables and...
Articles
Electronic Intifada
Baseless organ theft accusations will not bring Israel to justice
24 Aug 2009 - The fact that Bostrom did not offer evidence for his organ theft claims has given Israel an enormous propaganda gift. Because he offered nothing more than conjecture and hearsay, Israel has launched a major campaign casting itself as an aggrieved victim of "blood libel." This allows Israel to distract attention from the mountains of evidence of well-documented war crimes, and even to discredit real evidence. Matthew Cassel comments for The Electronic Intifada.
CAMERA's broken lens revisited
24 Aug 2009 - A February 2008 report by the pro-Israel media watchdog CAMERA claimed the existence of an overwhelming pro-Arab, anti-Israel agenda in The Washington Post , The New York Times , and The Los Angeles Times in "guest op-eds" over a 19-month period. The Electronic Intifada found CAMER ignored articles that undermined its claims. CAMERA responded with another report reaffirming most of its findings, but The Electronic Intifada finds that once again, CAMERA's analysis fails to pass the credibility test.
Bilin village fights for its land
24 Aug 2009 - Being sprayed with tear gas is a humbling experience, though not at all uncommon here in Palestine, particularly in the village of Bilin in the occupied West Bank. A symbol of popular resistance against Israel's apartheid policies, during the past several years Bilin has been a constant site for protesting the encroachment of Israel's wall on village lands. Brian Pickett writes for The Electronic Intifada.
Entering Gaza: an interview with Viva Palestina activist
24 Aug 2009 - On 15 July, a humanitarian convoy organized by Viva Palestina entered the Gaza Strip via Egypt with medical supplies and blankets. Among the 200 individuals in the July convoy was Boulder resident Dan Winters, a 72-year-old retired computer scientist who has been on several humanitarian missions to war-torn countries. The Electronic Intifada contributor Ida Audeh interviewed him about how his latest mission fits into his long history of activism.
In Gaza
one
year after Free Gaza arrives
24 Aug 2009 -
Yesterday, one year to the day of the Free Gaza movement’s historic
landing at Gaza port (the 1st in over 40 years), various Palestinian
NGOs and organizations held a press conference, calling for the siege
on Gaza (over3 years! unbelieveable!!) to be halted, for humanitarian
goods to enter, and for Gaza’s Palestinians to have a shot at the just
life that so many of us outside Gaza enjoy. The first Free Gaza voyage
brought 2 old boats (certainly no match for Israel’s state of the art,
US-funded navy) and a random bunch of internationals with justice on
their minds and Palestinians’ suffering in their hearts. Following
that, 4 more voyages...
Palestine Chronicle
Abbas
Failed To Do the Honorable Thing
24 Aug 2009 - By
Hasan Afif El-Hasan Nations and organizations reward success. They
elect and re-elect leaders who deliver and advance the interests of
their constituency and they terminate the tenure of the failure, the
incompetent and the corrupt. The Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had
to step down when he was investigated for alleged corruption, and for
his mishandling of the war against Hizbullah. In February 2001, the
Israelis booted Ehud Barak out of office because of his failure to deal
with the Palestinians and replaced him with Ariel Sharon by the widest
margin in Israeli history. President Jimmy Carter, who later was
awarded the Noble Peace Prize, negotiated the peace treaty between
Egypt and Israel but he lost the second term election to Ronald Reagan
for his failed attempt to rescue the American hostages in Tehran.
President George H.W. Bush won the Gulf War but he lost the election to
Bill Clinton for reneging on a campaign promise not to raise taxes.
Tony Blair resigned both his leadership of the Labour Party and as
Prime Minister for the low approval of his role in the Iraqi war. Egypt
and Israel but he lost the second term election to Ronald Reagan for
his failed attempt to rescue the American hostages in Tehran. President
George H.W. Bush won the Gulf War but he lost the election to Bill
Clinton for reneging on a campaign promise not to raise taxes. Tony
Blair resigned both his leadership of the Labour Party and as Prime
Minister...
The
Long Struggle to Reclaim Beersheva's Great Mosque
24 Aug 2009 - By
Jonathan Cook in Beersheva The walls have been freshly plastered and
painted white, the sculpted stone window frames are filled with frosted
glass and the builders are hanging spotlights from the ceiling. The
municipality of Beersheva, the capital of southern Israel, is racing to
put the finishing touches to repairs of the city’s long-neglected and
unused Great Mosque, built more than 100 years ago by the Ottoman
rulers of what was then Palestine. But, over the protests of
Beersheva’s thousands-strong community of Muslims, the Jewish-run
municipality is not planning to restore the city’s only mosque to its
former glory as a place of worship. It wants to convert it into a
museum. The building’s fate now rests with the Supreme Court, which is
expected to rule in the coming months on whether to give the go-ahead
to the municipality or insist on the mosque’s return to local Islamic
authorities from whom it was confiscated 61 years ago. Muslim
campaigners, however, are not hopeful. After seven years of
foot-dragging by the judges, they fear the court will not risk setting
a precedent that might force the return of dozens of other Islamic holy
places seized decades ago by Israel. “There is so much paranoia from
the government, the municipality and the courts about Muslims using
this mosque again,” said Nuri al Uqbi, a 67-year-old Bedouin activist
in Beersheva. “It was built with money raised from the local Bedouin
and we should have the right to pray in it.” Israel’s treatment...
Zionism:
An Abnormal' Nationalism
24 Aug 2009 - By M.
Shahid Alam 'The ultimate goal…is, in time, to take over the Land of
Israel and to restore to the Jews the political independence they have
been deprived of for these two thousand years…The Jews will yet arise
and, arms in hand (if need be), declare that they are the masters of
their ancient homeland.' —Vladimir Dubnow, 1882 Zionism is best
described as an abnormal nationalism. This singular fact has engendered
a history of deepening conflicts between Israel - leading an alliance
of Western states - and the Islamicate more generally. Jewish
‘nationalism’ was abnormal for two reasons. It was homeless: it did not
possess a homeland. The Jews of Europe were not a majority in, or even
exercised control over, any territory that could become the basis of a
Jewish state. We do not know of another nationalist movement in recent
memory that started with such a land deficit - that is, without a
homeland. Arguably, Jewish nationalism was without a nation too. The
Jews were a religious aggregate, consisting of communities, scattered
across many regions and countries, some only tenuously connected to
others, but who shared the religious traditions derived from, or an
identity connected to, Judaism. Over the centuries, Jews had been
taught that a divinely appointed Messiah would restore them to Zion;
but such a Messiah never appeared; or when he did, his failure to
deliver ‘proved’ that he was false. Indeed, while the Jews prayed for
the appearance of the Messiah, they had no...
Our
Sons Plundered for Their Organs
23 Aug 2009 - By
Donald Boström You could call me a 'matchmaker,' said Levy Izhak
Rosenbaum, from Brooklyn, USA, in a secret recording with an FBI-agent
whom he believed to be a client. Ten days later, at the end of July
this year, Rosenbaum was arrested and a vast, Sopranos-like, imbroglio
of money-laundering and illegal organ-trade was revealed. Rosenbaum’s
matchmaking had nothing to do with romance. It was all about buying and
selling kidneys from Israel on the black market. Rosenbaum says that he
buys the kidneys for $10,000, from poor people. He then proceeds to
sell the organs to desperate patients in the States for $160,000. The
accusations have shaken the American transplantation business. If they
are true it means that organ trafficking is documented for the first
time in the US, experts tell the New Jersey Real-Time News. On the
question of how many organs he has sold Rosenbaum replies: “Quite a
lot. And I have never failed,” he boasts. The business has been running
for quite some time. Francis Delmonici, professor of transplant surgery
at Harvard and member of the National Kidney Foundation’s Board of
Directors, tells the same newspaper that organ-trafficking, similar to
the one reported from Israel, is carried out in other places of the
world as well. 5–6,000 operations a year, about ten per cent of the
world’s kidney transplants are carried out illegally, according to
Delmonici. Countries suspected of these activities are Pakistan, the
Philippines and China, where the organs are allegedly taken from
executed prisoners....