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News
International Middle East Media Center
Rabin’s
Widow: “Netanyahu Is A Liar, A Corrupt Leader”
IMEMC 27 Oct 2009 -
Israeli sources reported Monday that the wife of the late Israeli Prime
Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, said in a letter she wrote before she died
that Benjamin Netanyahu, is a liar and a corrupt leader.
Abdul-rahim:
“Abbas Did Not Threaten To Resign”
IMEMC 26 Oct 2009 -
Secretary-General of the Palestinian Presidency, Tayyib Abdul-Rahim,
denied Israeli reports claiming that the Palestinian President, Mahmoud
Abbas, told the U.S administration that he intends to resign as the
peace process seems impossible with the current Israeli leadership.
Home-made
bomb detonated near an Israeli Military base in the WB, no casualties
IMEMC 26 Oct 2009 -
Israeli military source said that a home made bomb exploded near an
Israeli army base near the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Monday.
Israeli
tanks attack Karni Crossing, northern Gaza
IMEMC 26 Oct 2009 -
Israeli tanks invaded on Monday midday the Palestinian side of Karni
crossing and closed it down.
Gaza:
Palestinian groups protest Jerusalem attacks
IMEMC 26 Oct 2009 -
A number of Palestinian groups organized on Monday protests in Gaza
city in solidarity with Palestinians of Jerusalem.
Troops
Kidnap Six Palestinians In The West Bank
IMEMC 26 Oct 2009 -
Israeli soldiers kidnapped on Monday at dawn six Palestinians in
different parts of the occupied West Bank. Six Palestinians were
kidnapped Sunday.
UN
official: Israel must end Gaza blockade
10/26/2009 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Israel must immediately open its borders with the Gaza Strip in
order to ease Palestinians' suffering, the top United Nations relief
official in Gaza, John Ging, said on Monday. Ging, the director of
operations of the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, said opening
the crossings is an urgent priority. As winter approaches, he said,
there will be a critical need for construction materials such as cement
and glass in order to rebuild houses, schools, and other buildings that
were damaged or destroyed by Israel's offensive last winter.
Construction materials are among of numerous items Israel bans from
entering Gaza. The coastal Strip has been under an Israeli-imposed
blockade since June 2007. At a news conference in the northern Gaza
Strip, Ging announced that UNRWA is creating 3,100 temporary jobs in
the private sector over the coming six months in order. . .
PA
official banned from Jerusalem after demonstrations
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - An Israeli court banned Hatem Abdul Qader,
the Palestinian Authority's most prominent official in Jerusalem, from
the Old City for three weeks on Monday after a day of demonstrations in
reaction to a police raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The Jerusalem
Magistrate's Court ordered the ban in response to a request from the
Israeli police, who arrested the former government minister on Sunday
on suspicion of inciting riots. Palestinian demonstrators fought street
battles with Israeli riot police after Israeli forces burst into the
courtyard of the holy site early on Sunday. As many as 30 Palestinians
were injured and 20 arrested. Nine police officers were also reported
injured. Earlier this month Abdul Qader was banned from the Old City
after demonstrations also sparked by reported Israeli intrusions into
the Al-Aqsa compound.
Thirteen
detained after tent erected at settlement
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinians, supported by Israeli and
international peace activists, on Friday erected a tent on
Palestinian-owned land across from Hazon David, an illegal Israeli
settlement outpost slated for evacuation, according to a local group.
The Christian Peacemaker Teams reported that 100 people chanted for an
end to the occupation and evacuation of Israeli settlements, illegal
under international law, and erected the tent structure and flew a
Palestinian flag. Israeli military, border police, regular police, and
special forces entered the area and called for the group to disperse or
face arrest, according to the group. Several Israelis sat on the ground
in front of the Palestinians, the organization said, while Israeli
police detained 11 Israelis, taking seven to the nearby Kiryat Arba
police station in Hebron. Police reportedly detained two Palestinians,
one of whom was released about three hours later.
Soldiers
round up six Palestinians overnight
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel's military seized six "wanted" Palestinians
during night raids in the West Bank on Sunday, according to an army
spokesperson. The spokesperson said the six Palestinians, all men, were
"wanted for suspected terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria [the
occupied West Bank]. "They were reportedly transferred for questioning.
Israeli media reported that three were detained in the Ramallah area,
and the rest near Bethlehem. [end]
State
Dept.: Israel still discriminates against non-Jews
10/27/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel continues to discriminate against its
religious minorities legally, politically, financially and culturally,
according to a US State Department report on worldwide religious
freedom released on Monday. In its 2009 International Religious Freedom
Report, the department said that despite last year's documentation of
Israel's prejudice against minorities, the "status of respect for
religious freedoms by the Government was unchanged during the reporting
period. "Although its section on Israel and the occupied territories
determines that both people's governments generally respect freedom of
religion, the annual report compiles a vast list of Israeli policies
that amount to religious discrimination against non-Jews both inside
Israel and via its military control over large swaths of Palestinian
lands and people.
Report:
Israel mulls quasi-inquiry into Gaza assault
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Israel's leaders think they can ease
international outrage over last winter's devastating Gaza assault by
appointing a small task force to look into it, the Israeli newspaper
Haaretz reported on Sunday. "Following much deliberation and evasion,"
the report said, "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense
Minister Ehud Barak have devised a plan to resolve pressure on Israel
to independently investigate the war crimes allegations. "The two
reportedly met with senior military officials on Sunday afternoon to
discuss jurist Richard Goldstone's fact-finding mission, which found
evidence Israel and its Palestinian rivals committed war crimes during
the country's assault on Gaza. According to Haaretz, they decided to
set up a small task force rather than an actual inquiry committee to
review the report. During that meeting, the report said, Netanyahu and
Barak voiced hope that "this move will put the issue to rest,"
according to a government aide speaking on condition of anonymity.
Egypt
boycott of Lieberman postpones Mediterranean summit
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - France postponed on Monday a planned
meeting of the foreign ministers of the Union for the Mediterranean due
to Egypt's refusal to attend in protest of the presence of Israeli
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, according to Israeli news reports.
The summit was originally scheduled to take place next week in
Istanbul. According to the newspaper Haaretz, Paris has pressured Cairo
in recent days to reverse their decision and attend the meeting. Egypt
has so far resisted the reported pressure. One solution to the impasse,
Haaretz reports, would be to upgrade the summit by inviting prime
ministers to attend, but this idea has not gained support. Egypt
maintains relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Lieberman is a resident of an illegal West Bank settlement and the
leader of the far-right Israel Beiteinu party.
Israelis
open two of three Gaza crossings
10/26/2009 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Israeli authorities opened the Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings
on Monday, but kept the Nahal Oz fuel terminal closed, according to a
Palestinian crossings official. The official, Raed Fattouh, said Israel
would allow 86-96 truckloads of aid through Kerem Shalom, while 95
trucks loaded with wheat and animal feed were expected through Karni.
Fattouh added that the Nahal Oz crossing would be closed. There were no
indications Israel was planning to allow exports from either of the two
open terminals. On Sunday, only Kerem Shalom crossing was open, while
Israel kept the Nahal Oz and Karni crossings closed. Israel and Egypt
have maintained a blockade of the Gaza Strip by land, sea and air since
June 2007. The territory's 1. 5 million inhabitants are largely banned
from traveling. However, Egypt plans to open its Rafah crossing for
three to four days in early. . .
Sources:
Two truck drivers seized at Karni crossing
10/26/2009 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Israeli forces detained two Palestinians in a cross-border raid
into northeastern Gaza on Monday, according to local residents and two
armed groups. Witnesses said they saw four army vehicles and two
military bulldozers crossing through Gaza's side of the Karni terminal
on Monday afternoon. Soldiers confiscated phones from the two
detainees, who were identified only as truck drivers, according to the
local sources. They added that the bulldozers then spent a short while
digging in the area before all six vehicles withdrew not long after
they arrived. A spokesman for Israel's military could not substantiate
the reported incursion, although several hours later, two armed wings
later claimed responsibility for attacking the forces. The Abu Ali
Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Al-Quds Brigades,. . .
Witnesses:
Israeli forces seize Jericho boy
10/26/2009 - Jericho
- Ma'an - Israeli forces detained a 15-year-old from Jericho on Monday
morning, witnesses said. According to local residents, soldiers raided
Jericho at dawn and detained Mahmud Ahmad Ash-Shawwa, 15. The boy was
taken to an undisclosed location, residents said. [end]
Qalandiya
stabbing suspect identified
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - The woman who Israel says stabbed a guard at a
Ramallah military checkpoint on Sunday evening was identified as Sumoud
Hasan Karaja, 21, from the village of Saffa, local sources told Ma'an.
Karaja family members said Israeli forces besieged Sumoud's family home
in the village and told relatives that their daughter attempted to kill
an Israeli soldier. The soldiers inspected her home and questioned
family members before they withdrew, according to onlookers. Teenagers
hurled stones at the Israeli forces in the village, but no injuries
were reported. Israeli forces detained Karaja for questioning after a
guard was found stabbed in the abdomen at the Qalandiya checkpoint
leading to East Jerusalem on Sunday evening, according to a military
spokesperson. The guard's injuries were described as moderate.
Pipe
bomb explodes near Israeli installation near Jenin
10/26/2009 - Jenin -
Ma'an - A pipe bomb exploded 300 meters from an Israeli military post
near the West Bank village of Yabud, southwest of the city of Jenin on
Monday, according to Israeli security sources. The sources said the
explosion resulted in no injuries. Israeli border guards then searched
the area but were unable to find the suspected bombers, they added. In
a statement, an organization calling itself "The Group of the Martyr
Imad Mughniyah" claimed responsibility for "detonating the pipe bomb
near the military area on Monday at noon. " The self-proclaimed group
is named after Hizbullah's former military commander who was
assassinated in Syria in 2008. The group claims allegiance to the
Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah movement. The statement
added, "The mujahedeen were able to withdraw from the area safely, even
though a large number of occupation forces rushed to the site and
searched the area.
Israel’s
neighbors condemn Al-Aqsa violence
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - All four countries bordering Israel, as well as
both governments in the West Bank and Gaza, have condemned Sunday's
crackdown in occupied East Jerusalem. Jordan, which maintains close
ties with Israel, registered concern just hours after some 30
Palestinians were injured and 20 arrested during clashes in the Old
City on Sunday morning. "Jordan. . . is extremely worried about what is
taking place and warns against going ahead with this provocative
behavior on the part of Israeli troops," said Nabil Sharif, the
kingdom's minister of state for media and communications, in a
statement. "Any new provocative attempts by Israeli troops and Jewish
extremists such as what happened today in the shrine's compound
represent a flagrant violation of international law and conventions and
set the stage for more tension and acts of violence," Sharif added,
urging "an immediate. . . "
Magazine
compares Fayyad to early Zionists
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad did not
reject a comparison between his efforts to build Palestinian
institutions with what he said were similar efforts by early Zionist
immigrants to Palestine in an interview published online on Saturday.
Lally Weymouth, a journalist for the US magazine Newsweek told Fayyad,
"People have compared you to the early Zionists. " Fayyad is quoted as
responding "I keep telling people, "˜Israel was not created in 1948.
Israel was proclaimed as a state in 1948. The institutions of the state
were there before 1948. '" Fayyad told Newsweek that he is focused on
implementing his plan build up all the institutions needed for
self-government within two years. He denied that he had political
ambitions beyond this, saying, "My preoccupation now is this plan -
that's all I'm campaigning for. "
Gaddafi:
’Even Palestinians’ should be allowed nuclear weapons
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Arab states and "even the Palestinians"
should be allowed nuclear weapons as long as Israel's nuclear arsenal
is tolerated, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said in an interview
released on Monday. Israel has the Middle East's only know nuclear
stockpile, although it has never publically admitted this. Gaddafi told
the UK's Sky News that the world should also allow neighboring Arab
counties to develop nuclear waepons. Israel is widely considered to be
the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear state, and Gaddafi told
Britain's Sky News television that the international community should
also allow its Arab neighbors to develop nuclear weapons. "If the
Israelis have the nuclear weapons and the nuclear capabilities, then it
is the right of the Egyptians, the Syrians, the Saudis to have the same
- even the Palestinians should have the same because. . . "
Israeli
media: Abbas tells Obama he’s on verge of resignation
10/27/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas told US President Barack
Obama that the present Israeli administration's intransigence has left
him no choice but to resign, according to Hebrew-language news reports.
But Yasser Abed Rabbo, the secretary-general of the PLO's executive
committee, told Ma'an that the reports were "not true at all. " Abed
Rabbo said he "witnessed the phone call between President Abbas and
President Obama and the talks did not have anything to do to with Abbas
resigning. However Obama said that [US Secretary of State] Hillary
Clinton will visit the area soon to encourage the situations for the
better. " The secretary-general of the presidency, At-Tayyib Abdul
Rahim, also denied the Channel Ten report. According to the Palestinian
Authority, Obama phoned Abbas on Friday to reiterate his commitment to
a peace process resulting in a sovereign Palestinian state.
Abbas
seeks unified election list against Hamas
10/26/2009 - Gaza -
Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas plans to run for reelection on a
unified ticket of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) factions and
independents against the opposition Islamist Hamas movement,
Palestinian officials said on Monday. Abbas issued a decree on Friday
scheduling elections for 24 January, an order that Hamas rejected, on
the grounds that a national unity deal should be signed first. Since
Hamas, which is excluded from the PLO, intends to boycott the election,
and will likely not allow the poll to go ahead in Gaza, the legitimacy
of Abbas' grand coalition could be in question from the start. An
official from one PLO faction, the Palestinian People's Party (PPP)
said the group is considering Abbas' proposal. "We are studying Abbas'
proposal on the basis of holding elections in the West Bank, the Gaza
Strip and Jerusalem," said Walid Al-Awad, a member of the PPP's
Political Bureau.
Fatah:
Egypt to announce way forward on unity
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - A top Fatah official hinted on Monday that Egypt
could resume efforts to broker a deal with the rival Hamas movement
that were frozen with President Mahmoud Abbas' decree for new
elections. Azzam Al-Ahmad, a member of the Fatah Central Committee who
was personally involved in prior negotiations with Hamas, said that
Egypt will announce the nature of its plans in about two weeks. The
official added in an interview with Voice of Palestine radio that there
are contacts and negotiations underway related to the matter. Al-Ahmad
also called on the "wise men of Hamas" to work in support of the
overall Palestinian national interest. On Friday Abbas declared that
elections will take place on 24 January, a step Hamas says should only
come after a unity deal is reached. On Sunday a top Hamas official
declared that the reconciliation talks with Fatah were "completely
frozen. "
Palestine
women tie Jordan in soccer first
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestinian national women's football team
played its first home international match against Jordan on Monday
before a capacity crowd at Faysal Al-Husseini Stadium on the outskirts
of Jerusalem. The game ended in a 2-2 tie. Fans, mainly women travelled
from throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem to the stadium in Dahiyet
Al-Barid, in between Jerusalem and Ramallah. The 12,000-seat stadium
was filled to capacity. Among the fans attending were caretaker Prime
Minister Salam Fayyad, the chairman of the Palestinian football
federation Jibreel Rajoub, senior Fatah and PLO officials, and
representatives of other Palestinian factions. Jordan scored the first
goal early in the first half. After several missed opportunities by
both teams, Palestine leveled the score midway through the second half,
and then scored again on a penalty kick.
PSE
rises slightly: Al-Quds Index up 0.12% on Monday
10/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Stocks rose slightly on the Palestine Securities
Exchange in Nablus on Monday. The Al-Quds Index closed at 503. 28,
marking an increase of 0. 6 points (0. 12%). Trading volume for Monday
was 1,155,626 shares for a total value of 3,286,829. 96 US dollars,
over the course of 316 trades. The shares of (25) companies were
traded. The share prices of (10) companies rose, while those of eight
others declined. The top five gainers were PRICO by 5. 00%, PIIC by 4.
92%, WASSEL by 4. 84%, PLAZA by 4. 41%, and JPH by 3. 66%. The top five
losers were AHC by 4. 94%, MIC by 3. 51%, NCI by 3. 13%, AMB by 1. 28%,
and AIG by 1. 25%. [end]
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Gabi Ashkenazi said Israel can't let anyone control its future, in his first visit to Germany as Chief of Staff.
Peres: Unlike Hamas, Israel protects its children
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - President tells schoolchildren that Israel doing everything possible to bring Gilad Shalit back home.
Israel to set up team to review Gaza war probe
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Netanyahu stresses that team will recommend course of action, IDF troops won't be investigated.
Hamas: War will settle Jerusalem dispute, not talks
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Jordan to Israel: Temple Mount violence derails peace efforts; Arab MK: Israel letting extremists desecrate Al-Aqsa.
IDF troops who waved pro-settler banner expelled from brigade
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Offending troops also given 20 days in military prison after holding banner at IDF swearing-in ceremony.
Israel Police battle Arab rioters on Temple Mount; PA official arrested
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Abbas aide among 15 arrested by Jerusalem police in fresh unrest; three cops wounded.
Palestinian woman stabs Israeli guard at West Bank checkpoint
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Guard taken to hospital in moderate condition; Jerusalem police detain 21-year-old assailant for questioning.
IDF soldier hospitalized after beating by officer
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Golani platoon commander caused soldier internal bleeding; officer dismissed from post.
Is Taliban helping Gaza militants make deadlier roadside bombs?
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - IDF tests find that bombs deployed on security fence are similar to those used against U.S. in Afghanistan, Iraq.
'Netanyahu didn't mean he backed Israel probe of Gaza war'
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - PM's bureau issues statement to clarify comments Netanyahu made in interview with Washington Post.
Ministers to discuss bill to give IDF vets more benefits
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Benefits would include money towards education and a discount on mortgage of first apartment.
IDF threatens to dismiss 'disgraceful' pro-settler troops
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Group of Kfir Brigade soldiers waved anti-disengagement placards during graduation march in Jerusalem.
Palestinian leaders urge Gaza militants to kidnap more IDF troops
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Hamas says release of two Syrian Druze prisoners from Israeli prison last week was part of Shalit film deal.
U.S.: IDF defense drill helping craft Europe missile shield
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - U.S. and Israel launched joint drill as world powers try to persuade Iran to curb uranium enrichment.
'Hamas holding intensive negotiations over Shalit'
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Senior Hamas official quoted by Israel Radio as saying negotiators studying remaining issues.
[uruknet.info]
Israel rules out questioning troops about Gaza offensive
Uruknet October 26,
2009 -- The Israeli government has ruled out setting up an independent
investigative body that would interview Israeli military personnel
about allegations that the military committed war crimes during its
offensive against Hamas earlier this year. According to an Israeli
government official, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday met
with representatives from the Defense, Justice and Foreign ministries...
[uruknet.info]
Prisoner Society: more than 2,000 cases of torture in Israeli prison
during past year
Uruknet October 26,
2009 - President of the Palestinian Prisoner Society, Qaddura Fares,
reported today that during the past year there have been more than
2,000 cases of torture in Israeli prison. The Israeli administration
has exerted, and continues to do so, violence, beatings, and physical
and psychological torture against Palestinians, said Fares on Monday.
He described daily evidence of the "...
[uruknet.info]
Iran Hints At Acceptance Of Atom Deal With Powers
Uruknet October 26,
2009 - Iran said on Monday it could endorse a U.N. deal for it to send
potential nuclear fuel abroad for processing, the first official
indication that Tehran could respond positively to the outline
agreement. The remark by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was the
most positive yet from a senior Iranian official and hinted at a shift
in...
[uruknet.info] It
is essential to speak the truth regardless of which prison section we
are in
Uruknet October 26,
2009 - The past weekend, we had a conference over two days attended by
over 200 people from around the world. The Conference addressed issues
of Israeli colonialism, occupation, and racism. It was held in the
Paradise Hotel in Bethlehem, a scene of previous Israeli attack that
severely damaged this beautiful hotel. In workshops and panels we
heard...
[uruknet.info]
Israeli forces storm Palestinian side of Gaza commercial crossing
Uruknet October 26,
2009 - Israeli forces stormed the Palestinian side of a Gaza commercial
crossing and conducted search operations before withdrawing, a
Palestinian official said on Monday. During the operation, the Israeli
soldiers held nearly 10 Palestinian truck drivers and questioned them,
Ra'ed Fatouh, an economy ministry official, told Xinhua...
[uruknet.info]
The Maiden Voyage of the DIGNITY
Uruknet October 26,
2009 - A year ago today, our boat, the DIGNITY, made her first voyage
to Gaza. She was a beautiful yacht, donated by people who believed in
the Free Gaza movement after our first voyage in August. On board were
dignitaries such as Mairead Maquire, the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize winner
from Ireland and Mustafa Barghouti, President of...
[uruknet.info]
Video: Israel's nuclear capabilities
Uruknet October 26,
2009 - While Israel is one of the loudest voices calling for a tougher
line on Iran's nuclear programme, its own nuclear capability has never
been put to inspection. Israel has two nuclear research centres - at
Dimona and Soreq. The latest estimates suggest that Israel has produced
at least 118 warheads with weapons grade plutonium. The Jericho...
[uruknet.info]
MADA: The Israeli occupation forces continue attacks on journalists in
Jerusalem
Uruknet October 26,
2009 - The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)
strongly condemns the Israeli attacks on Palestinian journalists in
Jerusalem. The Israeli occupation forces attacked yesterday (25
October): the reporter and photographer of "Alquds Net" Dyala Jwayhan,
the correspondent of Palestinian News Network (PNN) Mais Abu-Ghazaleh,
AP photographer Mahfouz Abu Turk. "Yediot Aharonot" newspaper
photographer, Atta Ewissat...
[uruknet.info]
THIRD INTIFADA OR FINAL SOLUTION?
Uruknet October 26,
2009 - ...The intensified Israeli assault on the AlAqsa compound and
the whole of the Holy City of AlQuds/Jerusalem in a final push to
Judaicize the city and erase Arab Christian and Muslim heritage. Home
demolitions, denial of basic rights of residence, denial of rights of
worship and movement, and outright military assaults on the "city of
peace"...
[uruknet.info]
Amnesty says Israel curbing water to Palestinians
Uruknet 26 October
2009 - Human rights group Amnesty International said in a report
published on Tuesday that Israeli restrictions prevent Palestinians
from receiving enough water in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The report says Israel's daily water consumption per capita is four
times higher than that in the Palestinian territories. "Water is a
basic need and a right,...
[uruknet.info]
Ministry of prisoners: 100 citizens arrested during storming of Aqsa
Uruknet October 26,
2009- The ministry of prisoners in Gaza has said that the Israeli
occupation authority (IOA) had rounded up 100 citizens in the vicinity
of the Aqsa Mosque during the attempt to storm the holy site. The
ministry in a statement on Monday said that among those detained were
Hatem Abdul Kader, who is in charge of the Quds...
[uruknet.info]
Sources: Two Gazans seized in cross-border raid
Uruknet October 26,
2009 - Israeli forces detained two Palestinians in a cross-border raid
into northeastern Gaza on Monday, sources said. Four army vehicles and
two military bulldozers were seen plowing through Gaza's side of the
Karni crossing early on Monday afternoon. Soldiers reportedly
confiscated mobile phones from the two Palestinian detainees, who were
identified only as truck drivers...
West Bank, October 27, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Israel is denying Palestinians access to even the basic minimum of clean, safe water, Amnesty International says.
Abbas to Obama: I Quit
West Bank, October 27, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told U.S. President Barack Obama that he intends to resign his post, Channel 10 television reported on Monday.
Maysoon Zayid Helps Palestinian Kids Through Comedy
Bethlehem, October 27, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - "I am officially the most oppressed person in the world," Maysoon Zayid recently told an audience in California. "I'm a Palestinian Muslim with cerebral palsy."
EU Lawyers Hold Lists of IDF Officers Suspected of War Crimes in Gaza
UK, October 27, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Human rights lawyers and pro-Palestinian activists in a number of European countries hold lists with names of Israel Defense Forces soldiers allegedly linked to war crimes committed during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip....
Gaza: Prospects Fade as Isolation Grows
Gaza, October 27, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - The bank executive sits in a suit and tie behind his broad empty desk with plenty of time to talk. Almost no loans are being issued or corporate plans made.
The National 26 Oct 2009 - Recent unrest at the Al Aqsa mosque, in the old city of Jerusalem, follows rumours of a planned attack at the holy site.
Jordan's ties with Israel turn cold
The National 25 Oct 2009 - Jordan and Israel mark 15 years of peace today, but their relations are cooler than ever.
Damascus delays signing on dotted line for EU deal
The National 25 Oct 2009 - As Europe prepares to finalise a partnership deal, Syria is appearing to be playing for time.
Iran accuses West of cheating'
The National 25 Oct 2009 - Iranian official maintains that there is no rationale or legal foundation for the proposal by the IAEA to force Tehran to give away its low enriched uranium in return for nuclear fuel.
Israeli police storm Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque
The National 25 Oct 2009 - Israeli police have entered Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site to arrest a number of Palestinian demonstrators.
Palestinian elections may pose risk to unity
The National 25 Oct 2009 - Analysis Mahmoud Abbas's decision to call for polls to open in January is an attempt to pressure Hamas to sign a reconciliation deal.
Death toll in Egypt train crash reaches 18
The National 25 Oct 2009 - A first class train, filled with passengers, rammed into a nearly empty stationary train on the same track and killed 18.
AlJazeera 26 Oct 2009 - Internal inquiries that cleared military of wrongdoing to be reportedly reviewed.
Meshaal urges Arab action on Aqsa
AlJazeera 26 Oct 2009 - Exiled Hamas leader says resistance, not negotiation, will decide Jerusalem's future.
Jordan probes politician's assault
AlJazeera 26 Oct 2009 - Supporters urge government to expose motives behind attack on Leith al-Shbeilat.
UN nuclear team visits Iran site
AlJazeera 25 Oct 2009 - Inspectors visit Qom plant as pressure mounts on Iran to accept UN-drafted deal.
Alternative Information Center
Audio for United in Struggle Against Israeli Colonialism, Occupation and Racism SeminarAlternative Information Center 26 Oct 2009 - Day One, Saturday 24 October 2009 : Introduction
PNN 26 Oct 2009 - The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) raid of the al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday morning, 25 October 2009, and their use of excessive force against Palestinian civilians who attempted to stop the raid. The raid and related incidents followed a call by extremist Jewish groups, particularly the Organization for Human Rights...
Ministry of Health to procure one million does of vaccine against swine flu beginning in December
PNN 26 Oct 2009 - Ramallah / PNN - The Minister of Health in the Palestinian Authority, Dr. Fathi Abu Maghli, announced that a new agreement will have enough swine flu vaccine coming in for a major outbreak. Speaking in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the health minister said that an agreement was reached with the global pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline headquartered in the United Kingdom.One million doses...
Border fence installed hemming in northwestern West Bank town of Azzun
PNN 26 Oct 2009 - Ramallah / PNN – Twenty-four kilometers south of Tulkarem in the West Bank is the town of Azzun. Israeli forces are involved in extending a patrolled fence from the northern entrance toward the settlement of Ma’ale Shomron. The fence is still being installed as of the writing of this report.In the central West Bank’s Bethlehem, Israeli forces invaded last night both the city...
At the edge of Har Homa Settlement on Abu Ghaneim Mountain: huge buildings and facilities
PNN 26 Oct 2009 - Bethlehem / Fadi Yacoub for PNN - Har Homa Settlement wiped out the beautiful green trees, the lush Abu Ghaneim Mountain, on the territory of Beit Sahour. It is impossible to miss the cancerous arteries of the settlement and its roads as they encroach closer to the city of Bethlehem and its neighboring towns.It is something we have no choice but to see...
Palestinian villager stands up to Israeli settlement, repairs damaged trees, continues olive harvest
PNN 26 Oct 2009 - Nablus / Amin Abu Wardeh and Rana Khmus for PNN – Palestinian farmer Abdel Asaus has become a model of steadfastness standing in front of Bracha Settlement. His home is in the southern Nablus village of Burin, nearby the confiscated West Bank land on which the Israeli settlement of Bracha was built.Repeated attacks by the settlers darken the area, but Asaus is continuing...
Reconciliation is a prerequisite for elections: Hamas may not accept results since Abbas term ended
PNN 26 Oct 2009 - The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights issued a position paper today on the Presidential Decree calling for elections in January. “Reconciliation Is a Prerequisite for Elections; Presidential Decree is Constitutionally Sound, But Inappropriate and Impossible without Reconciliation” On Friday, 23 October 2009, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he was issuing a decree calling for free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections...
PCHR Hebron and Bethlehem field worker beaten and detained by Israeli forces
PNN 26 Oct 2009 - The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the detention and beating of Fahmi Hamdi Shaheen, 39, PCHR’s field worker in Hebron and Bethlehem. Shaheen was beaten by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Friday, 23 October 2009, when he was participating in a peaceful sit-in organized by a number of Palestinian civilians, human rights defenders and international and Israeli solidarity activists near...
Jeruslalem Post 27 Oct 2009 - Organization accuses Israel of hogging West Bank water, says Palestinians' human rights being violated; Israel insists the figures are wrong.
'We'll never underestimate threats'
Jeruslalem Post 26 Oct 2009 - In Germany, Ashkenazi says, "Today, state leaders openly declare their desire to destroy Israel."
'Conditions for talks have got worse'
Jeruslalem Post 26 Oct 2009 - Mitchell to push for resumption of negotiations despite Jerusalem's concerns over PA elections.
Barak: Left behaving like a little child
Jeruslalem Post 26 Oct 2009 - At Labor faction meeting, defense minister slams MK Ben-Simon for saying party will face blast if peace process isn't resumed.
Survey: US support for Israel strong
Jeruslalem Post 26 Oct 2009 - ADL poll shows sympathy for Israel, onus on Palestinians and willingness to strike Iran.
Defiant Abbas: Elections in January
Jeruslalem Post 26 Oct 2009 - Hamas legislator in Gaza: Abbas is on his way to becoming the governor of the West Bank.
Senior aide denies report that Abbas threatened to resign
Jeruslalem Post 26 Oct 2009 - Channel 10: Obama phones PA president after Abbas says he'll quit over stalled peace talks, accuses US of "abandoning" him for Israel.
Peres blames Hamas for stalling talks
Jeruslalem Post 26 Oct 2009 - President to students at Schalit's school: Problem is not Israeli, terror group does not respect int'l law.
Jordanians protest against Israel peace
Jeruslalem Post 26 Oct 2009 - 15 years after it was signed, dozens in Amman call for peace treaty to be annulled, set fire to Israeli flag.
IRIN CAIRO Monday, October 26, 2009 (IRIN) - The Egyptian government's May 2009 decision to cull the country's entire pig population - ostensibly to stem the spread of H1N1 influenza - has hit the livelihoods of 70,000 former pig farmers and unofficial rubbish collectors and their families in the Cairo area,...
EGYPT: Abdullah Kahiya, "Cairo is better than Mogadishu, but life is still hard"
IRIN CAIRO Sunday, October 25, 2009 (IRIN) - In the third of a series of interviews with refugees living in Cairo, IRIN spoke to Abdullah Bare Kahiya, 31, about why he left home, and the prospects he has in this host country.
EGYPT: Swine flu risk for Cairo’s overcrowded schools
IRIN CAIRO Thursday, October 22, 2009 (IRIN) - The Egyptian ministries of health and education have ordered all schools in Cairo to halve the number of children in each class to mitigate the possible spread of H1N1 influenza - no small challenge in this overcrowded city of 20 million.
IPS WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (IPS) - The Barack Obama administration claims that construction of a second Iranian uranium enrichment facility at Qom began before Tehran's decision to withdraw from a previous agreement to inform the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in advance of such construction. But the November 2007 U.S. intelligence...
MIDEAST: Is Jerusalem Burning?
IPS JERUSALEM, Oct 26 (IPS) - Déjà vu on one of the world's most volatile religious sites, a site deeply revered by both Muslims and Jews.
Stop The Wall 26 Oct 2009 - More than 150 people attended the weekly demo against the Apartheid Wall. Protestors held signs with the names of the five Nil’in prisoners, and others called for the freedom of the 11,000 other Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Youth marched with their hands tied, imitating the means soldiers use when they arrest Palestinians. Soldiers constantly tried to capture protestors, and jeep mounted launchers showered the area with gas. Soldiers also targeted medical teams, firing tear gas directly at them. [
Ni’lin demands Palestinian unity
Stop The Wall 26 Oct 2009 - Six people were injured, including one young man who was shot in the jaw with a rubber coated steel bullet, when more than 200 demonstrators attended the weekly demonstration against the Apartheid Wall in Ni’lin yesterday. This week the demonstration was calling for Palestinian unity, and the protestors demanded a stop to all factional rivalry and unification against the occupation. ‘The Palestinian people are one, the Palestinian people all live under occupation and we can only overcome if we stand strong as one! [
PCHR
PCHR IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders to protest the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
International Solidarity Movement
Israeli police arrest Greek diplomat in Sheikh Jarrah10/27/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - On Monday 26 October 2009 at 4pm, a group of about 40 – 50 international and Israeli citizens, taking part in a tour organised by the Alternative Information Centre visited the Palestinian neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah. They gathered outside of the house of the Gawi family which was recently forcefully evicted from their house, only for it to be taken over by settlers. Israeli police units summoned by the settlers occupying the Gawi family house, arrived at the scene and responded to what they claimed was an illegal demonstration by clearly disproportionate violence. In an attempt to disperse the crowd, the police arrested four participants of the tour – an Israeli rabbi, Yehiel Grenimann from Rabbis for Human Rights, a Greek diplomat, Tina Strikou and two international activists. At first, only one police unit arrived to the area and started pushing the crowd away from the Gawi family house, to the other side of the street where the family has been living since they were forcefully evicted on 2 August 2009.
Three Palestinians injured as settlers attack villagers from Iraq Burin
10/26/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - 24 October 2009 - The village of Iraq Burin came under attack from the nearby settlement Bracha on Saturday, 24 October. Approximately 50 settlers clashed with 50 young men of the village, followed by violent intervention of Israeli Occupation Forces. Three Palestinian boys were taken to hospital following the attack. At 1pm approximately 50 settlers were seen approaching Iraq Burin. They then surrounded a now-defunct well approximately 200m from the edge of the village. Eyewitnesses report them sitting on the land around the well, watching the village from across the small valley that divided them. Taking up rocks in their hands they began to attack, as the boys and young men gathered to face the settlers were showered with hundreds of stones. The Palestinians ran in to the valley to fight back, hurling rocks at their invaders. Three Palestinians sustained injuries in the clash; one to the arm, one his shoulder and one his hands.
Clinton touts steps to bolster beleaguered Abbas
Ha'aretz 27 Oct 2009 - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that efforts should center on bolstering the position of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Her comments were in a report to President Barack Obama last week on attempts to renew negotiations between Israel and the Palestinains. ...
French court to rule today on charges against Gaydamak
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - A French court is due to reach its verdict today in the case of the Israeli-Russian-French mogul Arcadi Gaydamak, who is on trial along with 40 French defendants, including ministers, officials and public figures, on charges of illegal gun running in the 1990s. ...
Jews who survived wartime Europe have higher risk for cancer
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Israeli Jews who survived World War Two in Europe have a significantly higher risk for cancer than other Jews, possibly as a result of hardships ...
Comment / Netanyahu surrendered to Barak on Gaza inquiry
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - There are a thousand ways of starting an article on Israeli current affairs and they're all associated with issues of conduct and mess ups. ...
Comment / Human Rights Watch applies same standards to Israel, Hamas
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Critics of Human Rights Watch's work on Israel raise three main points. First, they say we disproportionately focus on Israel, and neglect other countries in the Middle East. Second, they claim our research methodology is flawed - relying on witnesses with an agenda. Third, as recently expressed by our founding chairman Robert Bernstein, they argue that we should focus on "closed" countries such as China rather than "open" societies like Israel. ...
The Guardian 26 Oct 2009 - Maysoon Zayid helps disabled West Bank refugees become standup comics. It's not as crazy as it sounds, she says the saddest stories are often the funniest " I am officially the most oppressed person in the world,"...
Poll | Roadmap or roadblock?
The Guardian 26 Oct 2009 - The new "pro-Israel, pro-peace" lobby J Street is holding its first conference in Washington, but critics accuse it of being hostile to Israel. Is J Street helping or hurting the peace movement?
West Bank land belongs to Jews, says Israeli army judge
The Guardian 26 Oct 2009 - Settlements lawyer reveals core beliefs Peace with Palestinians 'goes against nature' Major Adrian Agassi did not make the connection between the Bible, the land and the Jews when, fresh out of university, he left England for...
Violent clashes in Jerusalem
The Guardian 26 Oct 2009 - 25 October 2009: Violence erupted in Jerusalem between Israeli police and Palestinians in and around the holy site known to Muslims as the al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) and Jews as the Temple Mount
J Street's 'pro-Israel' stance is phoney | Isi Leibler
The Guardian 26 Oct 2009 - This lobby group reminds me of the Jewish communists who defended Stalin's antisemitism in the guise of a peace campaign Antony Lerman falsely accuses me of calling for the "excommunication" of liberal lobby group J Street...
Palestinians clash with Israeli troops at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
The Guardian 25 Oct 2009 - Demonstrations at holy shrine erupt into violence as youths fight battles with riot police Israeli riot police firing stun grenades and crowds of young Palestinians throwing stones clashed in the compound around the al-Aqsa mosque in...
Israel's National Library adds a final twist to Franz Kafka's Trial
The Guardian 24 Oct 2009 - German museum asked to hand back author's disputed manuscript to correct 'historical error' Israel's National Library is calling on a German museum to hand over the original manuscript of Franz Kafka's novel The Trial to correct...
Palestinians plan to boost housing by investing in City hedge funds
The Guardian 24 Oct 2009 - West Bank building projects will benefit if sovereign wealth fund expands its international investments Palestinian house builders on the West Bank could benefit from an influx of cash if plans by the $900m (552m) Palestine sovereign...
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - "What we need is a kind of a vacuum cleaner, to suck back all those Israeli brains from foreign universities," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week. One detailed plan proposed by the Immigrant Absorption Ministry was recently shot down by the Finance Ministry, citing financial concerns, amidst competing proposals to save Israeli academia. ...
Study: Half of Israelis will need cardiac treatment
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - The Israeli association of atherosclerosis specialists, which has recently released new guidelines on heart attack prevention, recommend lowering "bad" cholesterol by significantly increasing treatment using the popular Statin-group medications. ...
Commnet / Israel must outlaw seditious Islamic Movement
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - The recent riots on the Temple Mount instigated by the Islamic Movement force us again to turn our attention to the Israeli Arab community. How many times does it need to be said that the most important challenge facing Israel is the integration of Israel's Arab citizens into Israeli society? That the government needs to place priority on providing a climate where Israel's Arab citizens enjoy not only equal rights, but also equal opportunities, and share equally with the Jewish citizens of Israel the obligations of citizenship. In other words, that they feel at home in Israel. How often does it need to be repeated that a large minority community that feels alienated from the country it lives in is dangerous to all concerned? ...
Fox takes down provocative Bar Refaeli billboard
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Fox clothing company decided Monday to replace a provocative billboard featuring model Bar Refaeli laying in bed with minimal clothing, after several consumer complaints. ...
Religious Zionist rabbis: Ascend the Temple Mount
Ha'aretz 26 Oct 2009 - Top religious Zionist leaders came together Sunday at a rightist conference advocating Jewish ascent to the Temple Mount. ...
Relief Web 26 Oct 2009 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
OPT: Seeing the wood for the trees
Relief Web 26 Oct 2009 - Source: Palestine Monitor
OPT: UNRWA official - Israeli refusal to allow stationary into Gaza illogical
Relief Web 26 Oct 2009 - Source: Medical Aid for Palestinians
OPT: PCHR condemns IOF's raid of al-Aqsa mosque
Relief Web 26 Oct 2009 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Al Mezan Centre: Elections must be held under Palestinian national unity
Relief Web 26 Oct 2009 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
OPT: Calm returns to Jerusalem's Old City after clashes
Relief Web 26 Oct 2009 - Source: Agence France-Presse
YNet News 26 Oct 2009 - Arab diplomat at UN tells AFP war report accusing Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza to be considered by the General Assembly in early November
Ashkenazi in Germany: We won't rely on foreign armies
YNet News 26 Oct 2009 - (Video) IDF chief speaks in Holocaust ceremony held on platform from which Jews left for death camps
Left slams Barak comments
YNet News 26 Oct 2009 - After defense minister accuses Israeli Left of childish behavior, former Meretz Chairwoman Shulamit Aloni says, 'Barak most dangerous person in Israel today'. Labor MKs Cabel, Tamir say chairman 'more Right than Netnayahu'
Poll: Most Americans view Israel as 'loyal ally'
YNet News 26 Oct 2009 - Anti-Defamation League poll shows Americans more sympathetic towards Israel than Palestinians; 57% support Israeli military action to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons
J'lem riots: Fatah official banned from capital again
YNet News 26 Oct 2009 - Hatem Abdel Kader was removed from Old City in early October for 15 days. Upon resuming riots on Sunday court bans Fatah's senior member from capital for three weeks. Minister Aharonovitch appeals to Arab MKs to work towards restoring order
Israel, Egypt in conflict over FM's attendance in Euro-Med conference
YNet News 26 Oct 2009 - Egypt refuses to attend EU conference with Mediterranean countries due to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's scheduled attendance. Date for meeting yet to be set; 'Egypt mainly hurts itself,' says Jerusalem diplomat
Settler indicted for incitement
YNet News 26 Oct 2009 - Shmuel Ben-Yishai from Kiryat Arba faces criminal charges after saying IDF soldiers should be 'slaughtered' for evicting illegal outpost near Hebron
Daily Star 26 Oct 2009 Hundreds of Israeli police patrolled occupied Jerusalem's most volatile holy site on Monday, a day after fierce clashes with Palestinian protesters turned the quiet hilltop compound into a battleground. The complex, claimed by both Arabs and Jews, was quiet Monday, but after weeks of sporadic violence around the site, police were on high alert.
Iran says two nuclear fuel options remain on the table
Daily Star 26 Oct 2009 Iran said on Monday it could ship out some of its low-enriched uranium to be upgraded abroad or buy the fuel directly, as a UN team ended its inspection of a newly revealed atomic plant. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran was mulling the UN-brokered deal which envisages sending Tehran's low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad to be converted into nuclear fuel, and would announce a decision within days.
Palestinians rule out imminent talks, blame Israel
Daily Star 26 Oct 2009 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are unlikely to resume in the near future, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Monday, blaming Israel for the impasse and urging Washington to do the same. "The gap is still wide and Israel does not give a single sign of meeting its obligations under the road map, halting settlement activities and resuming negotiations where they left off," he told Voice of Palestine radio.
Baghdad steps up security after suicide bombings kill 155
Daily Star 26 Oct 2009 Iraqi security forces conducted intense searches at checkpoints in Baghdad on Monday amid warnings of more attacks, as Iraqis questioned how two buses packed with explosives penetrated what was supposed to be one of the city's safest areas, killing 155 people. Sunday's twin suicide blasts in the heart of the capital targeting the Justice Ministry.
Iraqi finds missing brothers buried in ancient cemetery after years of searching
Daily Star 26 Oct 2009 The graves stretch some 16 kilometers into the desert, in what may be the largest cemetery in the world. Near the center lie the older ones, packed closely together in a jumble of tall clay mounds and blue-domed mausoleums. Here is the final resting ground for those killed during Saddam Hussein's brutal regime or in the war against Iran and other cases and causes that date back centuries.
German 'veil martyr' trial opens under tight security
Daily Star 26 Oct 2009 A man accused of killing a pregnant Egyptian woman in court in a frenzied anti-Islamic attack went on trial in Germany Monday in a case that inflamed tempers throughout the Muslim world. Prosecutors say the defendant, Alex Wiens, then 28, stabbed the veiled Marwa al-Sherbini at least 16 times in three minutes on July 1 in the same courthouse in the city of Dresden where the trial opened., A man accused of killing a pregnant Egyptian woman in court in a frenzied anti-Islamic attack went on trial in Germany Monday in a case that inflamed tempers throughout the Muslim world. Prosecutors say the defendant, Alex Wiens, then 28, stabbed the veiled Marwa al-Sherbini at least 16 times in three minutes on July 1 in the same courthouse in the city of Dresden where the trial opened.
Opposition parties walk out of Sudan Parliament
Daily Star 26 Oct 2009 Sudan's opposition parties walked out of Parliament on Monday after President Omar al-Bashir's party refused to back down on reforming the intelligence service, parliamentarians said. The powerful security forces were blamed by opponents for mass murder and torture during the North-South civil war., Sudan's opposition parties walked out of Parliament on Monday after President Omar al-Bashir's party refused to back down on reforming the intelligence service, parliamentarians said. The powerful security forces were blamed by opponents for mass murder and torture during the North-South civil war.
Palestinian Information Center
Khudari: The Aqsa Mosque break-ins are an Israeli systematic policyPIC 27 Oct 2009 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari stated that the repeated Israeli break-ins at the Aqsa Mosque are not only attempts by extremist Jewish groups or individuals, but they represent an Israeli systematic policy.
Jihad armed wing denounces Ramallah's detention of cadres
PIC 27 Oct 2009 - The armed wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, the Quds Brigades, on Monday denounced the Ramallah authority's security campaigns against its cadres in the West Bank.
IOF troops advance into Mintar crossing, detain West Bankers
PIC 27 Oct 2009 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday advanced into the Mintar crossing in central Gaza and detained the workers and a number of truck drivers along with their trucks.
Nasr: Holding elections without consensus will turn the division into separation
PIC 27 Oct 2009 - Mohamed Nasr, a member of Hamas political bureau, stated that holding legislative and presidential elections without a national consensus means turning the division into permanent separation.
Ging calls for opening Gaza crossings before winter
PIC 27 Oct 2009 - John Ging, the director of UNRWA operations in the Gaza Strip, has called for opening all Gaza crossings before winter, describing it as the first and foremost political step that should be done.
Shalhoub: Abbas’s intent to hold elections is a Zio-American choice
PIC 27 Oct 2009 - Palestinian political analyst Faraj Shalhoub condemned Mahmoud Abbas’s edict to hold election next January as an uncalculated step and a Zio-American choice under Arab sponsorship.
Ministry of prisoners: 100 citizens arrested during storming of Aqsa
PIC 27 Oct 2009 - The ministry of prisoners in Gaza has said that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) had rounded up 100 citizens in the vicinity of the Aqsa Mosque during the attempt to storm the holy site.
Resheq: Palestinians should give the Aqsa Mosque priority over other issues
PIC 27 Oct 2009 - Ezzat Al-Resheq stated that the Israeli escalating attacks on the Aqsa Mosque dictate that the Palestinian people and factions should give the file of the Aqsa Mosque precedence over any other file.
IOF soldiers arrest young woman for alleged assault attempt
PIC 27 Oct 2009 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained a young Palestinian woman at the Qalandia roadblock between Ramallah and occupied Jerusalem after claiming she tried to stab a soldier on Sunday.
Mishaal: All parts of Jerusalem belong to Palestinians
PIC 27 Oct 2009 - Khaled Mishaal, the head of Hamas political bureau, stated Sunday in Damascus that all parts of Jerusalem with its land and symbolism and not only Abu Dis belong to the Palestinians.
LA Times 26 Oct 2009 - The rioting is said to have erupted over the presence of a group of Jewish settlers at the Al Aqsa mosque compound, but Israel says no Jewish civilians had entered the area at the time. Israeli police stormed the grounds of Al Aqsa mosque Sunday, using clubs and stun grenades to subdue hundreds of stone-throwing Palestinians in the worst clashes in a month of unrest in and around Jerusalem's Old City.
Top Iran official says West's nuclear plan a coverup for theft
LA Times 25 Oct 2009 - The speaker for Iran's parliament says the proposal to ship out most of the country's uranium for refinement elsewhere is a trick by the U.S. to skim nuclear fuel. The powerful speaker of Iran's parliament Saturday derided a Western-backed proposal to transfer the bulk of the country's enriched-uranium stockpile abroad as a trick meant to rob Iran of its nuclear fuel.
New York Times 26 Oct 2009 - Twenty-six people were hurt at the Temple Mount compound in the latest sign of tension in Jerusalem.
Alternative Information Center - 26 Oct 2009 - Day One, Saturday 24 October 2009 : Introduction
Off to J Street
Mondoweiss - 25 Oct 2009 - Phil and I are on our way to Washington DC for J Street’s first national conference . We’ll be reporting from the conference on the site and over twitter , so be sure to follow along. Related posts: Follow Mondoweiss from AIPAC on Twitter You have questions, they...
Is equality a ‘nightmare’ for liberal Zionists?
Mondoweiss - 24 Oct 2009 - Ali Abunimah responds to Jeffrey Goldberg’s interview with Jeremy Ben-Ami : Here, Jeremy Ben-Ami describes a one-state solution as a "nightmare": JG: But they’re by no means Zionists. Helena Cobban, who is going to be speaking on this blogger panel, is close to a one-stater, as far...
Israel—casting out its own children
Mondoweiss - 24 Oct 2009 - South Tel Aviv, home to foreign workers and African refugees, is in turmoil again after Interior Minister Eli Yishai recently indicated that children of illegal residents will be deported by the end of the school year. They won’t be going alone—their parents will be deported, too—but...
Moyers plays devil’s advocate with Goldstone
Mondoweiss - 24 Oct 2009 - As an admirer of Bill Moyers, I was disheartened by the debacle of his playing cowardly "Devil’s Advocate," interviewing Judge Richard Goldstone and pushing the Israeli government’s lies. Goldstone personified integrity compared to Moyers. Moyers treated Hamas as the aggressor and Israel as the victim acting...
Lesson for Democrats: substitute ‘Israel’ for ‘insurance industry’
Mondoweiss - 24 Oct 2009 - From an email sent out by Barack Obama’s group today, Organizing for America, on the health-care debate : Reports just leaked from a closed-door meeting where insurance industry lobbyists frantically warned Republican members of Congress that it was not in their interest to "ever vote for this...
Articles
Why Israel is unlikely to conduct any investigation into Gaza war crimes
Uri Avnery, Redress 10/25/2009
Uri Avnery explains why Israel is unlikely to carry out a real – or even a sham – investigation into its conduct during the invasion of Gaza in 2008/09, as demanded by the UN-sponsored Goldstone report.
”The [Israeli] army commanders object to any investigation and any inquiry whatsoever. They probably know why. After all, they know the facts. They know that a dark shadow lies over the very decision to go to war, over the planning of the operation, over the instructions given to the troops, and over many dozens of large and small acts committed during the operation.”
According to a Chinese saying, if someone in the street tells you that you are drunk, you can laugh. If a second person tells you that you are drunk, start to think about it. If a third one tells you the same, go home and sleep it off.
Our [Israeli] political and military leadership has already encountered the third, fourth and fifth person. All of them say that they must investigate what happened in the “Cast Lead” operation.
They have three options:
1. T o conduct a real investigation
2. To ignore the demand and proceed as if nothing has happened
3. To con duct a sham inquiry.
It is easy to dismiss the first option: it has not the slightest chance of being adopted. Except for the usual suspects (including myself) who demanded an investigation long before anyone in Israel had heard of a judge called Goldstone, nobody supports it. more.. e-mail
Saving Lives by Saving Money
Alison Weir, The Gilmer Mirror and Grayson County News-Gazette, If Americans Knew 6/21/2009
Imagine you could help people abroad by keeping your money home. Imagine you could help bring peace to the Middle East, build a safer world and alleviate massive misery. Imagine you could begin to eliminate the requirement for long airport lines, the justification for frisking old ladies, the alleged need to discard our most cherished principles in a quest for ‘security’ against an ill-defined enemy.
Imagine you could save America. You can – by ending our $7 million per day gift to Israel. Following are six reasons to end this enormous foreign expenditure:
1. We can’t afford it. Businesses are failing; schools are closing; we owe more money than many think we can ever pay back. We need to get our financial house in order. We are trimming our personal, governmental and business spending. We need to trim this as well.
2. It is a failed policy. Rather than improvement, during our six decades of more aid to Israel than to any other nation, we have seen escalating regional violence, numerous wars (many involving Americans) and growing global instability. It is time to stop sending good money after bad.
3. It fuels the tragic cycle of violence. Empowered by our money, Israeli expansionism consistently initiates renewed violence, costing numerous lives. Israel struck first in all its wars except one. Historically, it was the initiator of conflict. The state of Israel was created in 1948 through the ethnic cleansing of Christians and Muslims, who had originally composed 95 percent of the inhabitants of land that colonists wanted for a Jewish-only state. In the current round of conflict that began in 2000, Israeli forces killed 140 Palestinian men, women and children in the Palestinian Territories before a single Israeli in Israel was killed – before any suicide bombers or Gazan rockets. In the past 8.5 years, 6,348 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis (1,487 of them children), and 1,072 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians (123 of them children). In more than 96 percent of the actions that ended periods of calm, it is Israel that broke the peace.... more.. e-mail
Electronic Intifada
Book review: How aid hurt Palestine
Electronic Intifada: 26 Oct 2009 - International relations specialist Anne Le More's first monograph, International Assistance to the Palestinians after Oslo , the first in Routledge's Studies on the Arab-Israeli Conflict series, provides an important critique of the belief that reconstruction, development and humanitarian aid form essential counterparts to political processes aimed at resolving longstanding violent conflicts. Ali Abunimah reviews.
What does China's ascendance mean for Palestine?
Electronic Intifada: 26 Oct 2009 - George Habash, the late leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), called China Palestine's "best friend." Indeed, he was on an official PFLP visit to China when the conflict between Palestinian forces and the Hashemite Kingdom erupted in Jordan in 1970, the events later known as "Black September." However, if there are actors today hoping that China might offer an alternative to US hegemony and pushing the international community into a more just position on Palestine, it is not likely to happen soon -- if ever. Sarah Irving analyzes for The Electronic Intifada.
Palestine Chronicle
'Where
Have All the Friendships Gone…'
26 Oct 2009 - By Uri
Avnery According a Chinese saying, if someone in the street tells you
that you are drunk, you can laugh. If a second person tells you that
you are drunk, start to think about it. If a third one tells you the
same, go home and sleep it off. Our political and military leadership
has already encountered the third, fourth and fifth person. All of them
say that they must investigate what happened in the “Molten Lead”
operation. They have three options: - to conduct a real investigation.
- to ignore the demand and proceed as if nothing has happened. - to
conduct a sham inquiry. It is easy to dismiss the first option: it has
not the slightest chance of being adopted. Except for the usual
suspects (including myself) who demanded an investigation long before
anyone in Israel had heard of a judge called Goldstone, nobody supports
it. Among all the members of our political, military and media
establishments who are now suggesting an “inquiry”, there is no one –
literally not one – who means by that a real investigation. The aim is
to deceive the Goyim and get them to shut up. Actually, Israeli law
lays down clear guidelines for such investigations. The government
decides to set up a commission of investigation. The president of the
Supreme Court then appoints the members of the commission. The
commission can compel witnesses to testify. Anybody who may be damaged
by its conclusions must be warned and given the...
A
Rare Victory for Lebanon's Palestinians
26 Oct 2009 - By
Franklin Lamb - Lebanon Known simply as the “General” Michel Naim Aoun
was born in a peaceful mixed Christian-Shia area of Haret Hreik, now a
core Hezbollah area. He rose from poverty to become the head of
Lebanon’s newly created Eighth army following the September 1983 battle
of Souq el Gharb against Palestinian and Druze forces. Six years later
he served a forcibly truncated term as President of Lebanon. Since
returning from a self imposed 15 year exile in France in 2005, he is
widely believed to intend to gain that office. A current outspoken
member of Lebanon’s parliament, Aoun has many supporters and detractors
being variously referred to a brilliant, cunning, honest, corrupt,
obstructionist, mercurial, mentally ill, Napoleonic, and Hezbollah’s
most important political ally. The past couple of months have seen the
General’s popular support shrink a bit and one of his recent antics led
to Hezbollah signal its concern since the leaders of the Resistance
were reeiving political heat they did not need nor felt they deserved.
This current problem began on August 13, 2009 when the key Hezbollah
ally and ambitious leader of the Free Patriotic Movement sought and was
immediately granted from Lebanon’s highest administrative Court, the
Shura Council, an injunction freezing any and all reconstruction of
Nahr al Bared (Arabic: Cold River) Palestinian Refugees camp which had
been destroyed two years ago in a three month battle between the
salafist group Fatah al Islam and the Lebanese army. The renewable
injunction was initially for...
Taking
Flight: Memories of Diaspora
25 Oct 2009 - By
Ramzy Baroud [The following is an excerpt from Ramzy Baroud’s
forthcoming book: My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story
. The events are situated in Baroud’s historic home of Beit Daras, one
of the nearly 500 Palestinian villages that were completely destroyed
by Zionist militias in 1948. Baroud’s father, a very young boy at the
time, and his family are fleeing on foot to their new destiny in a
refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, where they remain to this day. Gaza was
and remains a center stage of the struggle against Israeli occupation,
and the ordinary people of the strip are major players that shaped past
events and continue to do so to the present day, despite protracted
sieges, sanctions, and every other attempt at crushing their resistance
and forcing them into submission.] Spring was one of the most beautiful
times of the year in the countryside of Palestine. With everything in
full bloom, apricots, almonds, oranges and lemons, the perfume carried
itself on the wind for miles. As the villagers embarked on this rite of
passage, many captured a long moment to breathe in the fragrance of the
fields and orchards, to snatch a large handful of the earth of Beit
Daras, wrap it in a small piece of cloth and tuck it away for safe
keeping. Deeds and keys were stored safely. Grandpa Mohammed mounted
his faithful donkey with a few of the family’s belongings and young
daughter Mariam. Ibrahim was in his mother’s arms....