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News
International Middle East Media Center
Netanyahu
Announces 10 Months Settlement Freeze
IMEMC 25 Nov 2009 -
Wednesday November 25, 2009 - 22:46, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu announced that his government has decided on a 10-month
freeze of construction in West Bank settlements,, The temporary 10
months freeze will not include settlements inside Jerusalem city or
3,000 homes under construction in West Bank settlements
The
Israeli military kidnaps six Palestinians from the West Bank
IMEMC 25 Nov 2009 -
Wednesday November 25, 2009 - 15:56, The Israeli military kidnapped on
Wednesday six Palestinian civilians during pre dawn invasions targeting
a number of west Bank communities.
Israeli
troops and police attack a Palestinian village and remove electricity
pylons
IMEMC 25 Nov 2009 -
Wednesday November 25, 2009 - 14:45, Israeli military and police forces
attacked on Wednesday afternoon the village of Towani southern West
Bank.
Detainee
To Be Allowed To Receive Medical Treatment Abroad, Won’t Be Allowed Back
IMEMC 25 Nov 2009 -
Wednesday November 25, 2009 - 11:11, Palestinian sources reported
Wednesday that the Israeli Authorities decided to release detainee
Akram Oneiter, 25, who will be receiving urgent medical treatment
abroad under the condition that he does not return to the country.
UN
Slams Israel’s Plan To Expand Gilo Settlement
IMEMC 25 Nov 2009 -
Tuesday November 24, 2009 - 23:42, The United Nations slammed an
Israeli plan to expand the Gilo illegal Israeli settlement in East
Jerusalem and considered it as another obstacle to the already stalled
peace process.
Abbas:
“Obama Is Doing Nothing To Advance Peace”
IMEMC 25 Nov 2009 -
Tuesday November 24, 2009 - 23:40, Palestinian President, Mahmoud
Abbas, stated that U.S. President, Barack Obama is, so far, doing
nothing to facilitate the peace process, and added that he hopes Obama
will be playing an essential role.
Oxfam
asks Israel to increase fuel imports to Gaza
11/25/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - "Households, bakeries and hospitals in Gaza will be
left short of cooking gas as the major annual festival of Eid Al-Adha
begins," unless Israeli authorities to allow in the daily needed
quantities of domestic gas, Oxfam International said Monday. The appeal
followed the release of a report from the UN Office of Humanitarian
Affairs saying domestic gas imports into Gaza for the first half of
November were down 88%. One day after the report was released Israeli
officials opened the Nahal Oz Crossing, and transported 257 tons of
domestic gas into Gaza. No deliveries of domestic gas have been
reported since. "Five out of ten households Oxfam talked to on Sunday
reported running out of cooking gas," a statement from the organization
said. It also repeated concerns expressed by the UN around the shortage
of gas at hospitals and the risk to hygiene and cooking abilities at
the institutions.
Gaza
gov’t warns of medicine shortage
11/25/2009 - Gaza -
Ma'an - The de facto Gaza government's Ministry of Health warned of a
severe shortage of medicine, resulting from the Israeli blockade of the
Gaza Strip, it was announced on Wednesday. Munir Al-Barsh, the general
director of pharmacology for the Gaza Ministry of Health, stated that
"among the medicines that have run out include the ones used for the
artificial kidney unit, surgeries and other needed medicines. " "There
are 10 kinds of medication that could only cover three months; another
26 kinds that could cover two months, and 29 types that will only cover
one month," he added. The Ministry of Health urged support for
patients in Gaza by allowing all the necessary medicines and medical
supplies into Gaza, whose health continues to deteriorate under the
Israeli blockade. Since Hamas' takeover in 2007 , Israel has
intermittently opened Gaza's borders leading to the limited entry of
vital supplies of food, fuel and medicine.
At
least 10 detained in overnight Israeli raids in West Bank
11/25/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel forces said 10 Palestinians were detained
during raids in the West Bank on Tuesday night, while PA forces said
five were detained and another five were served notices to report to
Israeli intelligence. According to the army, three were taken from
Qabatiya, south of Jenin; three from the village of Biddu, northwest of
Jerusalem; two from Hebron; and two from the town of Dura, south of
Hebron. All of the detainees were taken because of their status as
"wanted" individuals. In Dura, the military said that its forces
searched a man's house before arresting him, and uncovered an M16 rifle
and a handgun. The Palestinian Authority's (PA) police department said
that, in actuality, Israeli forces detained five men in Dura: Majed
Yousif Rjoub, Musallam Yousif Rjoub, Abdullah Musallam Rjoub, Abdullah
Salim Rjoub, and Riziq Salem Rjoub.
Journalists
demand release of detained colleagues
11/25/2009 - Gaza -
Ma'an - The Palestinian Journalists Association called on Wednesday for
the release of 11 Palestinian media workers detained in West Bank jails
before the advent of Eid Al-Adha. A delegation from the association
delivered a written appeal to Iyad As-Saraj, Secretary of the National
Reconciliation Committee in Gaza City, calling for urgent intervention
in securing the release of the detained individuals. The delegation
included Yaser Abu Hin, Wesam A'fefah, the association's secretary
Ibrahim Thaher, Mohammad Yasin, and Imad Al-Ifranji, head of
Palestinian media forum. In response, As-Saraj expressed his
condemnation of political arrests, particularly of journalists,
assuring the delegation that he would work on securing the release of
the 11 before Eid.
Report:
US officials survey settlements
11/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - US officials, some of them aides to special envoy
George Mitchell, have been visiting illegal Israeli settlements in the
West Bank as a part of an investigation, the Israeli daily Ma'ariv
reported on Wednesday. In the first such visit on Monday, officials
from the US consulate in Jerusalem and Mitchell's team visited the
settlement of Efrat, southwest of Bethlehem, the newspaper said. The
officials were reportedly comparing the boundaries and number of
buildings in the settlement with earlier maps to see whether
settlements are expanding. The officials met with head of the Efrat
Regional Council, Oded Ravivi, and other settler leaders. Mitchell has
been at the forefront of Obama's unsuccessful effort to convince Israel
to stop expanding settlements as a step toward resuming peace
negotiations. President Mahmoud Abbas has said he will refuse to resume
talks unless Israel complies with its prior obligations to halt
construction.
Mitchell
hesitantly welcomes partial settlement freeze
11/26/2009 -
Netanyahu said synagogues, schools and public facilities necessary to
maintain "normal life" will continue to be constructed during the
freeze. - Bethlehem - Ma'an - US Special Envoy to the Middle East
George Mitchell welcomed with hesitation the Israeli decision to offer
a 10-month settlement construction freeze in the West Bank excluding
East Jerusalem, but reiterated US objections to Israeli policies
including house demolitions. Mitchell's statements came moments after
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his Security
Cabinet approved a 10-month freeze on settlement activity in the West
Bank not including East Jerusalem. The US official "welcomed" the move,
saying "It falls short of a full settlement freeze, but it is more than
any Israeli government has done before, and can help move toward an
agreement between the parties. " According to Israel's Haaretz
newspaper, Netanyahu addressed the Security Cabinet before the vote,
telling them that. . .
PLO
to reject settlement proposal
11/26/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer
to partially freeze settlement construction is a diversion, PLO
officials told Ma'an on Wednesday. Netanyahu's cabinet approved a plan
on Wednesday to reign in settlements in the West Bank, excluding
Jerusalem, for 10 months in an effort to restart stalled peace
negotiations. "What Israel is talking about is a slowdown - not a
freeze," said one PLO official involved in negotiations with Israel,
speculating that the Ramallah-based government would likely reject it
outright. President Mahmoud Abbas has refused peace talks until Israel
halts construction on all Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem,
where Israel okayed the construction of 900 settlement units earlier
this month. "Our official position has not changed," the source said,
speaking on the condition of anonymity because the PLO's leadership had
not yet publicly rejected the deal.
Israel
opens two Gaza crossings
11/25/2009 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Israeli authorities opened the Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings
with the besieged Gaza Strip on Wednesday, while Nahal Oz, used for
fuel deliveries, remained closed. Palestinian crossings official Raed
Fattuh said between 89-79 truckloads of commercial products and
humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom
crossing. He added that 91 truckloads of wheat and animal feed would be
allowed through Karni. Israel opened the Kerem Shalom and Nahal Oz
crossings on Tuesday and allowed 600 calves to be delivered, among
other items. Furthermore, 250 tons of cooking gas were shipped through
Nahal Oz. [end]
Israel
releases Palestinian after seven years
11/25/2009 - Nablus
- Ma'an - Israeli authorities released on Tuesday night Sinan Muhammad
Abu Ayesh from Balata Refugee Camp after holding him for seven years.
Abu Ayesh was sentenced to six years in prison. At the end of his term
he was transferred to Israel's Negev prison camp held for another year.
Abbas
in Argentina: Obama doing nothing to advance peace
11/25/2009 - Buenos
Aires - Ma'an/Agencies - The US president Barak Obama is currently
doing nothing to revive the peace process between the Israelis and the
Palestinians, said President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday during a visit to
Argentina. "For now he is doing nothing, but he has invited us to
revive the peace process. I hope that in the future he can play a more
important role," Abbas said in an interview with the Argentine daily
Clarin. "The Palestinians expect the US to exert pressure on Israel to
get it to show respect for international law and implement the Road Map
plan," he also said. "They can exert pressure on Israel so as to do
two things; halting settlement activities, and withdrawal from the
Palestinian territories they occupied in 1967," Abbas explained. For
her part, president of Argentina Cristina Fernandez on Tuesday
criticized Washington for doing too little to. . .
Mash’al
to decide on prisoner deal
11/25/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Hamas' senior-most leader Khalid Mash'al
is expected to make a decision about a proposed prisoner exchange with
Israel on Wednesday. A delegation of senior Hamas leaders were reported
to be in Damascus Tuesday night, where Mash'al and other top Hamas
figures in exile are based. They are reportedly discussing whether to
go forward with a deal in which resistance groups in Gaza would release
an Israeli soldier held in the Strip in return for some 1,000
Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that
Mash'al's pronouncement on the issue will be the linchpin for a deal as
far as the Palestinian side is concerned. "On the Palestinian side,
Mash'al is the key - that is known. Now he is in his favorite position.
The Gazans are flocking to him like pilgrims, and his office will be
the one to issue the Hamas response," the newspaper said.
US
Consulate staff donate gifts to Bethlehem orphanage
11/25/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - US Consulate staff from Jerusalem visited the Holy
Family Orphanage in Bethlehem on Wednesday to present the children with
gifts and food donated by staff and family members for the Thanksgiving
and Eid Al-Adha holidays. During their visit, Iskandar Ar-Ruwha,
administrative manager of the orphanage, briefed US consulate staff on
the wide range of facilities and programs provided for the children, in
addition to describing the circumstances which bring many of the
children to the Holy Family Orphanage. Kyler Kronmiller, a member of
the consulate's political office visiting the orphanage for the first
time, expressed that the donations were "an opportunity to celebrate
both Thanksgiving and Eid Al-Adha and to share the blessings that we
have with our neighbors in Bethlehem," adding that, "We hope that our
contribution today will be helpful to the children.
Libya
wants UN debate on settlements
11/25/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Libya will ask the UN Security Council to
demand an end to Israel's expansion of illegal settlements on land
taken from Palestinians, Tuesday news reports said. "We are discussing
it with the Palestinians and other members of the Security Council. We
are going to do that, yes," Libya's UN Ambassador Mohamed Shalgham told
reporters about the plans, according to Agence France-Presse. Arab
states could prepare a draft resolution by Friday, the Libyan official
said. Text of a similar resolution was prepared in July 2008. At the
time Libya, the only Arab country on the15-member council, was
dissuaded from introducing the measure on account of the certainty of a
US veto. According to AFP, the US deputy ambassador to the United
Nations, Alejandro Wolff, indicated that Washington would again oppose
any such resolution.
PA
reaching for diplomatic plan B
11/25/2009 -
Ramallah - Ma'an - The Fatah-dominated Palestinian leadership based in
Ramallah is developing a new diplomatic strategy that would free itself
from the failing framework of US-brokered bilateral negotiations with
Israel, officials say. The new strategy, sources in the Palestinian
Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) explain, is
more "pluralistic" and more internationally-oriented. As a first step
in implementing this strategy, the PA will launch a diplomatic campaign
on Sunday 29 November, which marks the UN's International Day in
Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The same day Palestinian envoy
to the UN, Riyad Mansour, is to deliver a speech on behalf of President
Mahmoud Abbas. The details of the campaign and the speech have not yet
been released. Earlier this month, top Palestinian officials floated
the notion of asking the UN Security Council. . .
Fatah:
Banning PA official from Al-Aqsa affirms racist occupation
11/25/2009 -
Ramallah - Ma'an - The Secretariat of the Fatah Revolutionary Council
condemned on Wednesday the Israeli authorities ban on senior
Palestinian Authority (PA) official Hatem Abdul Qader from entering the
Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. In a news release, the
Secretariat said the decision to prohibit Abdul Qader, Fatah's
Jerusalem affairs chief, from coming within 150 meters of the Al-Asqa
Mosque compound was proof of a "racist" Israeli occupation. The
statement called the move part of a policy aimed at keeping
Palestinians away from Jerusalem. The Secretariat appealed to the
international community and European delegations visiting Jerusalem to
intervene and end discrimination against Palestinians. The statement
made extensive reference to Israel's demolition and evictions program
targeting Palestinian families in East Jerusalem.
Austrian
delegation ignites peace light with Palestinian minister
11/25/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - An Austrian delegation of 450 Christian pilgrims
illuminated the Austrian peace light at the Beit Sahour Catholic Church
on Wednesday with Palestinian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
Khuloud Deibis. The Austrian pilgrims attend the Church of the Nativity
in Bethlehem every year to light the peace torch, which is then
transferred to the churches of Austria. Because of repairs going on at
the Nativity Church ahead of expected Christmas traffic, the
celebration this year was held down the hill in Beit Sahour, near the
traditional site of Shepherds Fields. During the visit, Deibis met with
the head of the delegation, Austrian Governor Borenger, and Austrian
representative to the Palestinian Authority, Oscar Westneger, to
discuss the state of tourism in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Report:
Prisoner swap talks postponed to after Eid Al-Adha
11/25/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Mediated prisoner swap talks between Israel and
Gaza resistance officials have been postponed until after Eid Al-Adha,
Israel's Channel 2 reported Wednesday night. According to the TV
report, the postponement came after because of Gaza's insistence on the
release of Hamas leaders like Ibrahim Hamed, commander of the Hamas
military wing in the West Bank and Abdullah Barghouti, who was
sentenced to 67 life terms in Israeli jai. Hamas officialKhalil
Al-Hayyeh, however, told the news channel that Israeli stubbornness
caused the failure of the latest round of talks. Earlier in the week
Gaza leaders stressed their earlier position, that Israel can take all
the time it wants to decide on the release of the 450 named Palestinian
prisoners and 550 other detainees. Officials said the names on the list
delivered to Israel were not going to change.
Gaza
government to release 100 prisoners
11/25/2009 - Gaza -
Ma'an - De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh announced on Tuesday
that his Gaza administration will release 100 prisoners ahead of the
Eid Al-Adha holiday which begins on Thursday. In a statement, Haniyeh's
government said the prisoners slated for release were arrested on
"criminal" charges. It was unclear if the decision was related to
reports that Haniyeh planned to release members of the rival Fatah
movement in a gesture of political goodwill. Yasser Wadiyeh, an
independent official involved in mediating between Hamas and Fatah,
said that Haniyeh made this commitment in a meeting with a group of
political independents. Fatah-affiliated detainees and members of the
Hamas-rival group Jund Ansar Allah, involved in the Rafah-mosque
take-over in August, were released ahead of Ramadan in a similar move.
PSE
surges: Al-Quds Index up 0.83%
11/25/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Stocks on the Palestine Securities Exchange (PSE)
in Nablus rose on Wednesday. The Al-Quds Index closed at 502. 12,
marking an increase of 4. 11 points (0. 83%). Trading volume was
1,184,833 shares, for a total value of4,911,504. 38 US dollars Volume
for Wednesday, November 25, 2009 reached (1,184,833) shares traded for
a total value of (4,911,504. 38) USD , excuted through (256) trades The
shares of 20 companies were traded. The shares of eight firms rose in
value, and five dropped. The top five gainers were NCI by 3. 33%,
LADAEN by 3. 13%, JCC by 1. 72%, WASSEL by 1. 61%, and PALTEL by 1.
34%. The top five losers APC by 4. 42%, ARE by 3. 64%, PIIC by 1. 37%,
PID by 1. 02%, and PEC by 1. 00%.
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Negotiations on Shalit will continue after the Muslim holiday of Id al-Adha, which ends on Monday.
U.S. may allow Israeli upgrades to F-35 fighter jet
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - An order from Israel has been delayed for months because of discussions on the issue of Israeli systems.
Barak: Israel to target Lebanon if Hezbollah escalates tension
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Defense Min. says Israel does not accept that a militia like Hezbollah sits in Lebanon government.
Iran official warns Russia of legal action over S-300 missiles
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Tehran has voiced growing irritation at Moscow's failure to supply it with the S-300 missile defense system.
Abbas: Palestinians won't launch new intifada, despite frustration
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - 'We will not go back to an intifada because we have suffered too much,' says Abbas in Argentina.
Wary of pro-settler protest, IDF strip-searches troops at ceremony
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - IDF wary soldiers to declare refusal to evacuate settlements as soldiers from the Kfir Brigade did.
IDF planes attack Gaza arms depot and smuggling tunnels
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - The rocket attacks violated an agreement over the weekend by militant factions in Gaza to halt them.
Netanyahu: We'll have public and Knesset debates on Shalit swap
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - PM seeks to calm hopes over deal for soldier; Shalit's father 'not reassured' after meeting negotiator.
Gaza rocket hits Israel, despite Hamas moratorium on Qassams
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Hamas declared Sat. that militants agreed to halt cross-border rocket fire; no casualties in attack.
Rightist MKs: 'Cursed' deal for Shalit will bring terror to Israel
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - 'These murderers have killed between one to 65 people each, so start doing the math,' says MK Eldad.
Netanyahu aide hopes PA peace talks will be renewed within weeks
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Uzi Arad: Our priority is to renew the peace talks; Peres: PM can and must make peace with Palestinians.
Two settlers charged with attacking Palestinian shepherd
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Suspects claim to have acted out of self-defense when they beat shepherd near Mitzpeh Yair outpost.
Israel looks toward IDF pullout from Lebanon border village
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Ministers recommend handing control of Ghajar to UN troops, letting residents keep Israeli IDs.
Rabbis at secret meet: Soldiers who refuse orders are 'heroes'
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Religious Zionist rabbis hold meeting to discuss ways of bolstering refusal to evacuate settlements.
Iran launches 'huge' war games amid threats to strike Tel Aviv
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - War games aimed at helping protect nuclear sites; Iran cleric: We'll strike heart of Tel Aviv if attacked.
IDF vows 'zero tolerance' for soldiers who refuse orders
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - IDF Chief echoes comments made by Defense Minister and PM, says troops will be needed for all missions.
IDF soldier who tried to sell army rifle jailed for 20 months
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Offending soldier and two others were suspected of burying stolen weapon with the intention of selling it.
Number of IDF recruits seeking combat service jumps by 6%
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - As in previous years, IDF infantry brigades are most highly sought after, of which Golani still most popular.
ANALYSIS / Gaza war brought Israel its quietest year in a decade
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - However, formulating an answer to rocket attacks seems to be a complex and lengthy process.
War and Profits
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - ...The faceless corporate oligarchy that runs this country has
been around awhile. It ran Clinton and Bush, now runs Obama. (How far
back do you want to take it?) Who are these oligarchs? Yes, there are
factions within the oligarchy. They have their differences. They don't
all agree. They represent different entities of industrial and
corporate...
Rebellion in
Denmark confronts "anti-terrorism" laws in court
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - Rebellion, in Denmark, announced that the court case brought
against it by the Danish government will soon be proceeding. Rebellion
was founded in 2004 to challenge so-called "anti-terrorist legislation"
and the designation of national liberation movements as terrorist
organizations, in order to inhibit international solidarity with those
movements. Rebellion members are facing charges related to the...
Zionism's
un-Christian Bible
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign should widen
its scope to target non-Israeli companies who contribute significantly
to the oppression of Palestinians. As part of this broader strategy,
priority should be given to one of the most egregious offenders, the
prestigious British publisher, Oxford University Press. As unlikely as
it may seem, the world's largest university...
"We will have to
kill them all": Effie Eitam, thug messiah
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - Colonel Efraim (Fein) Eitam was only following orders when he
told his troops to beat Ayyad Aqel in 1988. They beat him to death.
Eitam, who since then has held several senior posts in the Israeli
government, has recently toured the US as Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's "Special Emissary" to the "Caravan for Democracy"
program...
Report: Prisoner
swap talks postponed to after Eid Al-Adha
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - Mediated prisoner swap talks between Israel and Gaza resistance
officials have been postponed until after Eid Al-Adha, Israel's Channel
2 reported Wednesday night. According to the TV report, the
postponement came after because of Gaza's insistence on the release of
Hamas leaders like Ibrahim Hamed, commander of the Hamas military wing
in the West Bank and...
LEBANON: Refugees
Remain Sceptical of Nahr al-Bared Reconstruction
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - More than two years after their refugee camp was destroyed in a
war between the Lebanese army and the Islamist militant group Fatah
al-Islam, Nahr al-Bared refugees Wednesday witnessed the start of the
camp's reconstruction. Their relief is mixed with scepticism, however.
Established in 1949, the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in
north Lebanon's Akkar...
Israeli troops
and police attack a Palestinian village and remove electricity pylons
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - Israeli military and police forces attacked on Wednesday
afternoon the village of Towani southern West Bank. Around 50 soldiers
and police officers surrounded the village decelerated it a close
military zone then started to remove pylons providing the Towani with
electricity. Members from the human right group Christian Peace Makers
Teems, CPT, told IMEMC that the...
IOA demolition
threatens family of 207 members
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - The family of Ja'abis in Jabal Al-Mukabir, southeast of occupied
Jerusalem, expressed concern that the Israeli occupation authority
(IOA) would demolish their 53 apartments at the pretext of unlicensed
construction which, if implemented, would render 207 citizens homeless
including 117 children. The Makdesi (Jerusalemite) institution said in
a statement on Wednesday that its employees made a...
In His Cave, a
Palestinian Farmer Makes a Stand
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - Abed Abed-Rabbo doesn't want to live in a cave, but its the only
way he can stay on his farm. The Palestinian farmer, 48, inherited the
property in the village of Wallajeh, on the southern edge of Jerusalem,
from his father and his grandfather but had to flee amid the 1967
Six-Day War, when Israel occupied...
Palestinian trade
unions unanimously support boycott movement
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - In reaction to reports alleging that a Palestinian trade union
official has stated his reservations about the Palestinian civil
society campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), the full
spectrum of the Palestinian trade union movement has expressed solid
support for the BDS National Committee (BNC) and for the global BDS
campaign against Israel as an...
Weekly Report: On
Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
No. 46/2009 (19-24 Nov. 2009)
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - Israeli violations of international law in the OPT continued
during the reporting period (19 - 24 November 2009): Shooting: During
the reporting period, 9 Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli
gunfire in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. On 22 November 2009, 6
Palestinian civilians were wounded when Israeli warplanes attacked the
Yebna area near...
Rights group: 69
cases of Palestinian olive trees destroyed, but no prosecutions
Uruknet November 25,
2009 - The human rights organization Yesh Din says not one of the 69
complaints filed during the past four years on damage to Palestinians'
trees in the West Bank has resulted in an indictment. The organization
released a report on the matter Tuesday and makes specific reference to
damage caused to olive groves, central to the livelihood...
There’s a worldwide debate over the “legality” of Death Penalty, Execution or Capital Punishment as it is referred to in the different legal systems. There are people and organizations who support capital punishment and even with increasing its rates and the legislation that widens its range alleging that it deters and reduce capital crimes within the society. However, others, people...
Marking 60th anniversary of UNRWA: Report and Study to be released
US, November 25, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - The Palestinian Return Center (PRC) continues its preparations for the upcoming International Conference, UNRWA and the Future of Palestinian Refugees, which will highlight the Performance of UNRWA through studies conducted by PRC.
Israeli warplanes attack Gaza again, 3 wounded
Gaza Strip, November 25, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli warplanes attacked an alleged weapons-making factory and two supply tunnels in the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday in what the military said was retaliation for Palestinian rocket fire into southern Israel. Medics and other witnesses said two of the air raids struck supply tunnels on the border between the blockaded coastal...
Council of the Socialist International supports a Palestinian state
US, November 25, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - The Council of the Socialist International reaffirms its conviction that a solution of the Israeli-Arab conflict, by creating a Palestinian state, by recognizing the right of Israel to live in peace within internationally recognized borders, and by putting an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territory occupied in 1967 including East...
Palestinians tear down chunk of own 'Berlin' wall
West Bank, November 24, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Palestinians mark 20th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall by protesting Israel's 'apartheid' wall. Palestinians tore down a chunk of Israel's West Bank separation barrier (known by Palestinians as 'apartheid' wall) on Monday in a protest staged to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the day the Berlin Wall came down. A...
The National 25 Nov 2009 - Women in Syria are facing a deliberate campaign by religious conservatives to reduce their social freedoms
Yemenis protest against Iran for alleged support of rebels
The National 25 Nov 2009 - Sana’a faces growing demands to break off relations with Tehran, as fighting continues between the army and al Houthi insurgents in northern provinces.
Security measures mar student polls
The National 25 Nov 2009 - While regulations governing undergraduate elections in Egypt have been eased, recent ballots have revealed a lack of freedom, one observer says.
Netanyahu to restrict West Bank settlements
The National 25 Nov 2009 - The Israeli prime minister announces a restriction on construction of settlements in the West Bank for 10 months.
Lebanon police force caught in spat over reforms
The National 25 Nov 2009 - Arguments over authority within the country's unity cabinet could derail modernisation efforts.
The legal legacy of a ‘hedonist’
The National 25 Nov 2009 - In an unprecedented case, the former prime minister Ehud Olmert faces trial for graft, while some of his ministers have been sentenced.
Bad blood between Egypt and Algeria runs deeper than football
The National 25 Nov 2009 - Violence is latest incident in escalating diplomatic row between Egypt and Algeria, whose two World Cup qualifying matches this week inflamed decades-old tensions.
AlJazeera 25 Nov 2009 - US says 10-month partial freeze that excludes Jerusalem "significant" but "falls short".
Gaddafi to mediate in football row
AlJazeera 25 Nov 2009 - Libyan leader to calm tension between Algeria and Egypt after World Cup matches.
Jordanian king disbands parliament
AlJazeera 24 Nov 2009 - Jordan's MPs sent home as King Abdullah II orders snap general election.
Alternative Information Center
Tainted Cement: BDS Campaign Against CRH Irish Construction Company’s Business Dealings with Israeli Company That Exploits Resources on Occupied LandsAlternative Information Center 25 Nov 2009 - On 15 November, hundreds gathered in Dublin, Ireland for a demonstration against the CRH Irish construction company. The demonstration was organized by the Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (IPSC). CRH owns 25% of Mashav (“resource” in Hebrew),...
New Campaign to Defend Gaza Workers in Israeli Courts: Call for Solidarity and Action
Alternative Information Center 24 Nov 2009 - In the area between Israel and the industrial zone of Erez, the rights of thousands of workers from Gaza have disappeared The Closure of Factories in the Erez Industrial Zone The industrial zone of Erez, constructed...
Art Exhibition Organized by the AIC: Jerusalem...Like Heaven or Closer
Alternative Information Center 24 Nov 2009 -
PNN 24 Nov 2009 - Palestinian medical sources reported on Tuesday morning that three Palestinians suffered mild-to-moderate wounds after the Israeli Air Force shelled the ‘Tunnels Area’ in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The wounded residents were moved to a local hospital while dozens of residents rushed out of their homes fearing additional strikes. In related news, the Israeli Air Force bombarded a...
Syrian Actor Duraid Lahham Enters Gaza along with a group of actors and actresses
PNN 23 Nov 2009 - Duraid Lahham is probably considered one of the most prominent Arab actors to participate in breaking the siege on Gaza. The Syrian actor and satirist is perhaps the equivalent of Bob Hope, Larry David and Jon Stewart put in one. Through his most famous character, Ghawar Attoshe, and for several decades, he provided the most stinging political satire and social commentary the...
Mubarak, Peres hold 'frank' Middle East talks
PNN 23 Nov 2009 - EGYPTIAN President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres, have held discussions in Cairo on efforts to restart Middle East peace talks after the Egyptian leader accused the Jewish State of creating obstacles to a settlement with the Palestinians. The talks, according to Reuters yesterday, came as Israeli aircraft attacked two suspected weapons-making factories and a smuggling tunnel in the Gaza Strip...
Jeruslalem Post 25 Nov 2009 - Gov't will spend NIS 3.5 million to renovate battered women's shelters and give a large grant to those who leave them to join workforce.
Settler leaders, Likud MKs blast PM
Jeruslalem Post 25 Nov 2009 - MK Hotovely: Mistake to differentiate between east Jerusalem and settlements in Judea and Samaria.
US welcomes settlement moratorium
Jeruslalem Post 25 Nov 2009 - Mitchell: Freeze is more than any Israeli gov't has done; Clinton: Move will help resolve conflict.
Hamas suspends Schalit negotiations
Jeruslalem Post 25 Nov 2009 - Group accuses Israel of hindering swap deal by refusing to release all prisoners demanded.
Analysis: Can a settlement freeze thaw the coalition rifts?
Jeruslalem Post 25 Nov 2009 - Ultimately, like any decision Netanyahu makes, its real goal is preventing the nuclearization of Iran.
Rivlin attacks Neeman, Livni's plan for gov't reform
Jeruslalem Post 25 Nov 2009 - Jpost obtains advance copy of Knesset speaker's speech declaring that the initiative was "intended to weaken the Knesset."
IDF to streamline construction operations
Jeruslalem Post 25 Nov 2009 - Part of 10-year multi-billion shekel cost-saving plan.
Backstabbing, politicking - the norm in Barak's office?
Jeruslalem Post 25 Nov 2009 - Tumult of personnel changes in defense minister's staff a 'purge' from the top, some officials say.
J'lem's Deer Valley gets green light to become nature park
Jeruslalem Post 25 Nov 2009 - Capital's District Planning Committee decides to allocate valley teeming with wildlife as an official nature park.
IRIN DAMASCUS Tuesday, November 24, 2009 (IRIN) - With a few weeks left before the end of this year’s planting season, UN officials have raised concerns over the lack of funds to help drought-hit farmers and herders in northeastern Syria.
MIDDLE EAST/ASIA: Crunching the swine flu numbers
IRIN DUBAI Wednesday, November 18, 2009 (IRIN) - More people have died from H1N1 influenza in Iran than in any of the 22 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region, according to WHO’s 14 November update.
EGYPT: Out of the slum and into joblessness
IRIN CAIRO Tuesday, November 17, 2009 (IRIN) - When government workmen came in a truck to take Ahmed Mohamed’s furniture to his new home just outside Cairo, the 32-year-old fisherman was overjoyed: His dream of quitting the slum where he had lived for years seemed to be coming true.
IPS RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 24 (IPS) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial visit to Brazil further underscored the independence of this country's diplomacy, and gave Tehran a chance to defend its points of view on the construction of a lasting peace in the Middle East.
MIDEAST: Settlements "Moratorium" Still Short of Freeze
IPS WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (IPS) - U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed an announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday that Israel will impose a 10-month "moratorium" on settlements, but warned that the move falls short of a freeze on...
Stop The Wall - Military incursions into Jayyus continued this past week, as many as three times daily. Clashes and curfews have characterized village life, and undercover units have attempted to trap local youth. Although there has of yet been no serious injuries among the villagers, a group of young men were arrested several days ago. [
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2118.shtml
Stop The Wall - On 23 November 2009, after 61 days of detention for the purpose of interrogation by Israeli Security Agency officers, human rights defender Mohammad Othman received his first administrative detention order. The administrative detention order is set for a three month period, during which time Mohammad will be held without charge or trial. The judicial review of the order is scheduled to take place on 25 November at the Military Court of Administrative Detainees in Ofer Military Base. [
PCHR
International Solidarity Movement
Inside Israeli jails, the real victims of a cry for justice11/24/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Jesse Rosenfeld, The National - Amid the growing media fever over a possible prisoner swap involving the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held by Hamas, another young captive has a less visible public profile - but personifies Israel's chokehold on Palestinian self-expression. Mohammad Othman, 33, from the West Bank town of Jayyous, and an activist with the grassroots Palestinian organisation Stop the Wall, was arrested on September 22 at the Allenby Bridge crossing on the Jordanian border. He was on his way home after a meeting in Norway with supporters of the global movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel (BDS). Adameer (Arabic for "conscience"), the Palestinian prisoners' support and human rights organisation, contends that his arrest is a result of "his successful human rights advocacy and community activism".
Netanyahu: Abbas has no more excuses to avoid peace talks
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - The security cabinet voted yesterday to impose a partial 10-month freeze on construction in West Bank settlements, which will not apply to East Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced yesterday. He said the partial freeze was a bid to restart stalled peace talks with the Palestinians. ...
Was a Swede who abandoned his family really a Mossad agent?
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - The myth of the Mossad is so great, some in Sweden claim that a man who lied about his identity and abandoned his family cannot possibly be a simple con artist - but must be a member of the Mossad. In any case, this is what has surfaced from a story that appeared in the Swedish newspaper Expressen about Johanna Wallin, a 33-year-old woman searching for her father, Peter Reginald Tonge. ...
South Africa: Israel's East Jerusalem acts reminiscent of apartheid
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - The South African government has issued an unusually harsh statement condemning Israel for approving 900 new housing units in Gilo and evicting Palestinians from their East Jerusalem homes, comparing Israel's actions to the "forced removals" of the apartheid era. ...
Abbas pledges to stay on until next Palestinian election
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday he plans to stay on in his post until the next election is held and that he would be ready to hold ...
Obama mourns Washington Wizards owner and AIPAC leader Abe Pollin
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - U.S. President Barak Obama on Wednesday spoke of his sadness at the death of Abe Pollin, the Washington Wizards owner and leader of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, who died Tuesday at 85. ...
The Guardian 25 Nov 2009 - Netanyahu says proposed 10-month halt is 'far-reaching and painful step' but Palestinians dismiss offer as insufficient Israel tonight proposed a 10-month partial halt to settlement building on the occupied West Bank as a prelude to restarting...
Hamas officials hold talks on Shalit prisoner swap deal
The Guardian 24 Nov 2009 - Reports say deal to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in return for release of Palestinian prisoners may be close at hand Ian Black: deal could herald big breakthrough Senior figures from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas...
Netanyahu's Syrian distraction | Chris Phillips
The Guardian 24 Nov 2009 - France-brokered talks between Syria and Israel are unlikely to provide an avenue for peace neither is offering anything new A glimmer of hope in the moribund Middle East peace process surfaced in Paris recently when Nicolas...
Israeli prisoner swap with Hamas could herald big Middle East breakthrough
The Guardian 24 Nov 2009 - Deal for captive soldier Gilad Shalit may include return of the one man able to rebuild Fatah and unite the Palestinians: Marwan Barghouti Prisoner exchanges have been part of the terms of trade of the Middle...
Obama's nuclear spring | Benny Morris
The Guardian 24 Nov 2009 - An Israeli attack on Iran's atomic weapons plants rests on one thing the US president's approval The talk in Israel, explicit and open including in the country's leading daily, Haaretz , last week is about a war...
An insidious argument for censorship | David Henshaw
The Guardian 23 Nov 2009 - The legitimate questions raised by Dispatches deserve better than to be dismissed as Islamophobia and antisemitism So what's it like to go from being Britain's top Islamophobe (Dispatches' Undercover Mosque ) to Britain's top antisemite (Dispatches' Inside...
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Three does are all that remain of the famed herd of 25 native gazelles that once lived in Emek Ha'tzvaim ("Gazelle Valley"), in the heart of Jerusalem. But yesterday, after a public struggle lasting nearly almost a decade, the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Council gave final approval to a plan aimed at ensuring the does' future and enabling the repopulation of the herd. The council rejected the claim by two nearby kibbutzim, Ma'aleh Hahamisha and Kiryat Anavim, over the land and voted to leave it as open parkland. ...
Israel marks elimination of violence against women day
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - It was only after 32 years of marriage that Molly realized she had been the victim of ongoing financial abuse at the hands of her husband. ...
MK waves basketball during Knesset debate, sparking uproar
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - MK Ronit Tirosh (Kadima) and Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat (Likud) got into a verbal spat on the Knesset floor yesterday. The two have been at odds since Tirosh served as Education Ministry director-general while Livnat was education minister. ...
Wanted: Culinary consultants to improve Israeli prisoners' food
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - The Israel Prison Service is set to expand a pilot program to improve its food offerings, run last year in 12 prisons, to the 20 other prisons throughout the country. ...
Lieberman demands cabinet take polygraph tests over leak to Haaretz
Ha'aretz 25 Nov 2009 - Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is demanding that everyone who attended Sunday's meeting of the security cabinet undergo a polygraph test, in the wake of a leak to Haaretz of the substance of the discussion. Lieberman has asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shin Bet security service director Yuval Diskin to summon participants to a lie-detector examination. ...
Relief Web 25 Nov 2009 - Source: European Union
OPT: UK continues call for full settlement freeze
Relief Web 25 Nov 2009 - Source: Government of the United Kingdom
Israel halts some settlement, urges Abbas to talk
Relief Web 25 Nov 2009 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
OPT: On the anniversary of the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, the suffering of Palestinian women continues in the West Bank and doubles in the Gaza Strip
Relief Web 25 Nov 2009 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
OPT: Harvesting olives in the West Bank - Not as simple as it sounds
Relief Web 25 Nov 2009 - Source: ICRC
On the anniversary of the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, the suffering of Palestinian women continues in the West Bank and doubles in the Gaza Strip
Relief Web 25 Nov 2009 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
YNet News 25 Nov 2009 - Venezuelan president singles out comment by President Shimon Peres according to which his, Ahmadinejad's days in power numbered, says Israel stands for "murderous arm of Yankee empire'
Cabinet approves 10-month West Bank settlement freeze
YNet News 25 Nov 2009 - Eleven ministers vote in favor of Netanyahu's proposal to halt construction in West Bank for 10-month period in bid to jumpstart peace talks. Eleven ministers vote in favor of initiative; two Shas ministers absent. PM says, 'I hope Arab world will seize this opportunity to promote peace.' Palestinians reject move because freeze does not include construction in east Jerusalem
Abbas says vote date depends on consensus with Hamas
YNet News 25 Nov 2009 - Palestinian president says will stay on post until next elections, but stresses will not run for reelection.
Hardliners defend vote for settlement construction freeze
YNet News 25 Nov 2009 - Rightist ministers stress that West Bank construction will resume following 10-month moratorium. Begin claims cabinet's decision merely 'limitation on new building permits,' while Lieberman says, 'We have a commitment to Israel's allies, who supported us on the Goldstone Report issue, not to the PA'
Barak: Prisoner swaps 'slippery slope'
YNet News 25 Nov 2009 - Defense minister warns of possible Shalit deal ramifications, but says Israel has 'moral obligation' to bring him home
Germany says nuclear-armed Iran unacceptable
YNet News 25 Nov 2009 - German foreign minister says his country's patience won't last forever in respect to dialogue with Iran during joint press conference with IAEA chief ElBaradei. 'Frankly, a nuclear-armed Iran is not acceptable,' he says
Yesha Council on settlement freeze: PM broke campaign promise
YNet News 25 Nov 2009 - Rightist camp blasts decision to temporarily halt West Bank construction. Marzel: Prepare to topple Netanyahu, toss him into the trash bin of Jewish history along with Olmert, Sharon
Clinton: Israeli settlement move helps peace effort
YNet News 25 Nov 2009 - US secretary of state says Israel's decision to freeze construction in settlements for 10 months helps efforts to solve Israeli-Palestinian conflict. US envoy to Middle East notes decision could have 'substantial impact'
Daily Star 25 Nov 2009 Israel announced on Wednesday it was limiting settlement construction for 10 months to try to revive peace negotiations with the Palestinians, who said the step fell short of their terms for talks. In a move immediately welcomed by his key ally the United States, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a major step toward peace.
Egypt-Algeria soccer dispute timely diversion for Cairo woes
Daily Star 25 Nov 2009 Egypt sent in riot police to quash street protests after a soccer loss to Algeria, but the state's own rants against Algiers suggest Cairo may have welcomed the diversion of discontent to a foreign target. Far from quelling public anger over talk of Algerian hooliganism after match-day scuffles, Egypt summoned Algeria's envoy and recalled its own., Egypt sent in riot police to quash street protests after a soccer loss to Algeria, but the state's own rants against Algiers suggest Cairo may have welcomed the diversion of discontent to a foreign target. Far from quelling public anger over talk of Algerian hooliganism after match-day scuffles, Egypt summoned Algeria's envoy and recalled its own.
Ahmadinejad in Venezuela for official visit
Daily Star 25 Nov 2009 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Caracas for a Wednesday meeting with President Hugo Chavez, as the two outspoken anti-US leaders try to boost ties. Chavez has publicly backed Iran's right to a nuclear program and backed the Iranian leader's deeply criticized re-election in June, which spurred mass protests in the Islamic Republic.
Iran's classrooms new front line in 'soft war' against West
Daily Star 25 Nov 2009 Islamic religious authorities are tightening their grip on Iranian public schools, a report said Wednesday, as hard-liners wage an ideological "soft war" against Western influence. The effort appears to be part of a wider drive to counter opposition groups and other pro-reform factions that have been emboldened by the unprecedented protests after June's disputed presidential poll.
Hamas: Prisoner swap hit snag on top militants
Daily Star 25 Nov 2009 Prisoner swap talks between Hamas and Israel have hit a snag over some of the top militants the Islamic group wants freed and a deal is unlikely in the coming days, Hamas officials said Wednesday. Israel is objecting to some of the names put forward by Hamas, a senior official of the militant group familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
My bid for president of Palestine is a campaign for peace
Daily Star 25 Nov 2009 In 33 years of political journalism and election campaigning in America, I've learned that no one can predict an election outcome. Surprising things that people do not expect usually happens. And longshots with no hope of winning oftentimes do win. So with all that in mind, I am announcing my candidacy for president of Palestine.
Palestinian Information Center
Palestinians eager to embrace their beloved ones as prisoner-swap deal nearsPIC 25 Nov 2009 - Seventy-year-old Muhammed Yousuf has kept his eyes glued to al-Jazeera TV to know the latest regarding efforts to conclude a prisoner-exchange accord.
IOA demolition threatens family of 207 members
PIC 25 Nov 2009 - The family of Ja'abis in Jabal Al-Mukabir expressed concern that the IOA would demolish their 53 apartments which, if implemented, would render 207 citizens homeless including 117 children.
Al-Tahrir party slams Abbas’s speech in Argentina
PIC 25 Nov 2009 - Al-Tahrir party strongly denounced the speech of Mahmoud Abbas in Argentina in which he stressed his adherence to the policy of negotiation with Israel.
Haneyya gov't condemns silence regarding continued political detention in WB
PIC 25 Nov 2009 - The Palestinian government headed by Ismail Haneyya denounced the continued campaign of political arrests in the West Bank at the hands of militias loyal to former PA chief Mahmoud Abbas.
Sawaf: Israel is maneuvering regarding the prisoner swap deal
PIC 25 Nov 2009 - Palestinian political analyst Mustafa Al-Sawaf said that Israel is maneuvering regarding the prisoner swap deal in an attempt to reduce the demands of the Palestinian resistance.
Students suffer breathing difficulty following IOF gas attack
PIC 25 Nov 2009 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed a school in Beit Uwa village, southwest of Al-Khalil city, on Wednesday morning using gas canisters while breaking into its yard.
IOA deports Palestinian sick detainee to Jordan
PIC 25 Nov 2009 - Palestinian local sources reported that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) transferred Palestinian prisoner Akram Anteer, who suffers from a serious disease, from Negev prison to Jordan.
Palestinian journalist bloc appeal for freeing 11 journalists from W. Bank jails
PIC 25 Nov 2009 - The Palestinian journalist bloc appealed to the national reconciliation committee to urgently intervene and get 11 journalists released from West Bank jails.
Awad: IOA exploiting negotiations with PA to judaize Jerusalem
PIC 25 Nov 2009 - The politburo member of the Palestinian people's party, Walid Al-Awad, has charged the IOA with exploiting negotiations with the PA to annex more Palestinian lands and to judaize occupied Jerusalem.
IOF troops storm Jenin, Tobas, deliver demolition notifications
PIC 25 Nov 2009 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed at dawn Wednesday the village of Arrabe, south of Jenin city, and combed the outskirts of the village without arrests being reported.
LA Times 25 Nov 2009 - The 10-month hiatus in building new homes for Jewish settlers is aimed, the Israeli prime minister says, at restarting peace talks with the Palestinians, who say his move falls short. Israel imposed a 10-month moratorium Wednesday on approvals for new homes in Jewish settlements across the West Bank. But it appeared unlikely that the restriction, applauded by the Obama administration, would be enough to coax the Palestinians back to U.S.-brokered peace talks.
Israel, Hamas said to be near deal on prisoner swap
LA Times 24 Nov 2009 - Israeli officials are tight-lipped as negotiators hammer out details in Cairo to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, being held by Hamas, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Expectations of a swap of hundreds of jailed Palestinian militants for an Israeli soldier held by Hamas soared Monday after some of the most promising signs of progress in years of negotiations.
New York Times 26 Nov 2009 - President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela described Israel as “the murderous arm of the Yankee empire.”
Israel Offers a Pause in Building New Settlements
New York Times 26 Nov 2009 - The offer had been anticipated and offered previously to the Palestinians, but had been turned down on the grounds that it did not include Jerusalem.
Netanyahu Plays Down Talk of a Prisoner Exchange
New York Times 25 Nov 2009 - Israel’s prime minister sought to dampen speculation about a deal with Hamas to recover an Israeli soldier.
Prisoner Swap Appears Near in the Mideast
New York Times 24 Nov 2009 - Hundreds of prisoners could be exchanged for the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and officials said the deal would likely include Marwan Barghouti, a popular West Bank leader.
Alternative Information Center - 25 Nov 2009 - On 15 November, hundreds gathered in Dublin, Ireland for a demonstration against the CRH Irish construction company. The demonstration was organized by the Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (IPSC). CRH owns 25% of Mashav (“resource” in Hebrew), an Israeli company controlled by the Israeli billionaire Nochi Dankner....
New Campaign to Defend Gaza Workers in Israeli Courts: Call for Solidarity and Action
Alternative Information Center - 24 Nov 2009 - In the area between Israel and the industrial zone of Erez, the rights of thousands of workers from Gaza have disappeared The Closure of Factories in the Erez Industrial Zone The industrial zone of Erez, constructed more than 30 years ago and located on the border...
Art Exhibition Organized by the AIC: Jerusalem...Like Heaven or Closer
Alternative Information Center - 24 Nov 2009 -
Ali Abunimah’s speech at Hampshire
Mondoweiss - 25 Nov 2009 - The highlight of the Hampshire conference on Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions was a speech by Ali Abunimah on Saturday night. An amazing performance, it begins with a great joke about Prilosec. Very Borscht Belt. Myron Cohen used to do heartburn humor, Abunimah tops him. We’re hoping...
Delegitimization is moving fast. What next?
Mondoweiss - 25 Nov 2009 - As I read the news surrounding developments in Palestine/Israel I’m astonished at how quickly the political landscape has changed and continues to change, and the future of Palestine/Israel is as unclear as ever. Making predictions about the future is risky business, and I don’t presume to...
Nakba never ends
Mondoweiss - 25 Nov 2009 - I know that Arutz Sheva is a rightwing news service, but here is their latest poll . Shiver-making. Transfer of Arabs from the Palestinian Authority to actual Arab countries was the most popular solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, according to a poll this week by Israel National...
We let Jackie Robinson play ball 62 years ago
Mondoweiss - 25 Nov 2009 - Ali Abunimah read aloud this clipping from Ynet before his speech last Saturday at Hampshire. I’m republishing most of it below. Recently I said that Israeli elections are 45 years behind ours because the Democratic Party finally seated Mississippi blacks after 1964, and Israelis still don’t...
Catholics face questions over abortion that Jewish neocons never got for Iraq mess
Mondoweiss - 25 Nov 2009 - The other night Chris Matthews provided riveting television in an interview with Providence, R.I., Catholic bishop Thomas Tobin, who has said that Congressman Patrick Kennedy can no longer take communion at mass because he has supported legislation for abortion. Matthews is Catholic, and said that he...
Articles
Rabbi’s Followers ’Terror Cell in Parliament’
Jonathan Cook, Nazareth, CounterPunch 11/22/2009
A plan by right-wing legislators in Israel to commemorate the anniversary this month of the death of Meir Kahane, whose banned anti-Arab movement is classified as a terrorist organization, risks further damaging the prospects for talks between Israel and the Palestinians, US officials have warned.
A move to stage the commemoration in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, is being led by Michael Ben-Ari, who was elected this year and is the first self-declared former member of Kahane’s party, Kach, to become a legislator since the movement was banned 15 years ago.
The US Embassy, in Tel Aviv, has sent a series of e-mails to Reuven Rivlin, the parliamentary speaker, asking that he intervene to block the event.
According to US officials, pressure is being exerted on behalf of George Mitchell, the US president Barack Obama’s envoy to the region, who is concerned that it will add to his troubles as Israeli and Palestinian leaders clash over a possible move by the Palestinians to issue a unilateral declaration of statehood.
Some Israeli legislators have warned that Mr Ben-Ari and his supporters are gaining a stronger foothold in parliament, in an indication of the country’s increasing lurch rightwards.
“Ben-Ari and the advisers he has brought with him are unabashed representatives for Kach and Kahane’s ideas,” said Ahmed Tibi, an Arab legislator and the deputy speaker. “What we have is in effect a terrorist cell in the parliament.”
Kahane, a US rabbi who emigrated to Israel in the early 1970s, advocated the expulsion of all Arabs from “Greater Israel”, an area that the far right believes encompasses not only Israel but also the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and parts of neighbouring Arab states. more.. e-mail
Palestine’s right to statehood
Curtis Doebbler, Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2009
With the Palestinian authorities in Ramallah seeking recognition of a Palestinian state through the United Nations, we must consider what this means both to Palestinians and to the rest of the world.
States are the predominant actors in the international community. They are the main actors who create and implement and are subject to international law, a system of rules initially established by Western states but now widely accepted as governing relations between states.
As statehood will have a significant effect on how Palestine is considered, and likely treated, by the international community, it is important to consider what exactly is the Palestinians’ entitlement to a state and what statehood means. International law provides a common denominator that can be used to answer this question.
The starting point for Palestinian statehood or independence is not UN General Assembly Resolution 181, which recommended, as the world body has no power to do more, that two states be created on Palestinian territory. It is this right to self-determination that belongs to the Palestinians as the indigenous people of Palestine.
This right is perhaps the most notable human right recognized by the United Nations. It is the only human right expressly recognized in the Charter of the United Nations, acknowledged in articles 1, paragraph 2, 55 and 73. The right to self-determination is an essential, the most essential for many states, part of customary international law and has been declared one of the most basic principles by the UN General Assembly’s Declaration on the Principles of International Law concerning the Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States. more.. e-mail
A Policy Paper on the Internal Palestinian Peace Plague
Ayman Nijim, Palestine Think Tank 11/22/2009
The speculation upon the destiny of the Palestinian factions and the hope of a unified geographical Palestine (West Bank and the Gaza Strip), in this period, may seem spontaneous and easy, according to the facts of life in the Palestinian territories. But this is the challenging situation – Hamas governs the Gaza Strip and Fatah has the sovereignty on the West Bank and this has caused ‘Big Problems’ to which their political future will now be in question. The problems are severe because the two parties did not choose to reconcile, despite all their differences – in favor of the Palestinian people.
Historically, unlike most liberation movements over the globe, Hamas and Fatah have failed to achieve a common ground regarding the outstanding issues since 1988. That stance started when Hamas rejected a proposal by Fatah-dominated Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) to get 5 seats out of 450 in the 19th Palestinian National Council.
The stance continued. In August 1991, Fatah held a meeting with Hamas in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, they wanted to join Hamas and then engage in the "Madrid conference”. This reconciliation did not happen. Then in 1995, the Palestinian Authority (PA) urged Hamas to participate in the Palestinian Legislative Elections or to have guarantees that Hamas would not spoil the electoral march. To this request Hamas responded that any election under the umbrella of Oslo Accords are taboo and should be boycotted by the Palestinian people; accordingly, they had not interfered in the elections.
Over the 10th-13th November and January 4th -7th of 2003, many meetings were held between the Palestinian factions. It was on 15th-17th March 2005 that the Palestinian factions reached a covenant which "gives the right to fight the occupation and announcing Tahdeha”, calming down; holding legislative elections and activating the PLO on a "partnership basis" between all of the Palestinian political spectra.
Unfortunately, after Hamas’s assuming full control of the Gaza Strip on 14th August 2006, reconciliation between the factions was again set back. more.. e-mail
Electronic Intifada
Palestinian trade unions unanimously support boycott movement
Electronic Intifada: 25 Nov 2009 - In reaction to reports alleging that a Palestinian trade union official has stated his reservations about the Palestinian civil society campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), the full spectrum of the Palestinian trade union movement has expressed solid support for the BDS National Committee and for the global BDS campaign against Israel as an effective form of resisting its military occupation, war crimes and apartheid policies.
"We will have to kill them all": Effie Eitam, thug messiah
Electronic Intifada: 25 Nov 2009 - Eitam, who since then has held several senior posts in the Israeli government, has recently toured the US as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "Special Emissary" to the "Caravan for Democracy" program of the Jewish National Fund (JNF). This is a marriage made in heaven. Since Israel was founded, the JNF has organized the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the settlement of Jews on their expropriated land; Eitam sees himself as the messianic soldier-prophet directing future expulsions of Palestinians from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Jim Holstun and Irene Morrison comment for The Electronic Intifada.
Eid al-Adha highlights a Gaza family's struggle to survive
Electronic Intifada: 25 Nov 2009 - Daoud Suleiman Ahmad, 48, an unemployed construction worker, has been unable to find work for almost three years due to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Life for Ahmad and his family in the al-Maghazi refugee camp has been desperately difficult, something that is particularly on his mind during the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday. Rami Almeghari reports from the occupied Gaza Strip.
Veolia and Alstom continue to abet Israel's rights violations
Electronic Intifada: 24 Nov 2009 - Despite mounting pressure to withdraw from the light rail project in Jerusalem designed to serve the needs of Israel's illegal settlements, the French transportation giant Veolia is set to be highly involved in the project for the next five years. The company needs to support its new Israeli partner, the Dan Bus Company, which lacks the experience to operate the light rail. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada.
In Gaza
the
young bird keeper
In Gaza: 24 Nov 2009 - It was a lovely
story, that of a boy who caught birds in order to protect them. He
lives, the boy, but his hopes died in the massacre Israeli authorities
and soldiers commited in Gaza last winter. A friend, Abed, told me the
story, as we discussed one of the latest victims of Israeli soldiers’
shooting in Gaza’s border regions with Israel. This one occurred near
the northern border on the morning of 15 November. Abed, filming his
young bird-catcher friend, saw the bloodied Amjad Hassanain, 27, being
carried away by other bird-catchers. “I heard the shots, but didn’t
expect the Israelis to shoot at us,” he said. Hassanain survived,...
Palestine Chronicle
A
Federation in Mideast?
Palestine
Chronicle: 25 Nov
2009 - By Uri Avnery - Israel 25 November 2009 I recall my last
conversation with Yasser Arafat in his Ramallah compound a few weeks
before his death. It was he who brought up the idea of a threefold
federation — Israel, Palestine and Jordan. “And perhaps Lebanon, too.
Why not?” Lately, the term “federation” has come into fashion again.
Some people believe that it can serve as a kind of compromise between
the “two-state solution”, now a worldwide consensus, and the “one-state
solution” that is popular in some circles. “Federation” sounds like a
miracle: There will be both “two states for two peoples” and a single
entity. Two in one, one in two. The word “federation” does not frighten
me. On the contrary, I was already using it in this context 52 years
ago. On June 2, 1957, my magazine, Haolam Hazeh, published the first
detailed plan for an independent Palestinian state that would come into
being next to Israel. The West Bank was then under Jordanian and the
Gaza Strip under Egyptian occupation. I proposed helping the
Palestinians to get rid of the occupiers. According to the plan, the
two states, the Israeli and the Palestinian, would then establish a
federation. I thought that its proper name should be “the Jordan
Union”. A year later, on September 1, 1958, there appeared a document
called “the Hebrew Manifesto”. I am proud of my part in its
composition. It was a comprehensive plan for a fundamental change of
the State of Israel...
A
Paradigm Shift in Singapore: Yet Apec Offers No Clear Answers
Palestine
Chronicle: 25 Nov
2009 - By Ramzy Baroud Like scores of journalists, I attentively
listened as Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivering his
closing remarks, and for the last time answering journalists’
questions. It was the conclusion of 17th Apec Economies Leaders’
Meeting in Singapore, on November 15, and Prime Minister Lee was
clearly tired, although unruffled. Mr. Lee is an impressive man. He has
a commanding presence and is very articulate, despite his soft poise
and humble demeanor. He speaks with the confidence of a leader of a
great nation, not an island city-state, the smallest nation in
Southeast Asia. In fact, Lee’s confidence is well earned, and greatly
deserved, and, by any reasonable standards Singapore is indeed a great
nation. His country, once a site of a small fishing village, which saw
a most tumultuous history of hardship, occupation and war, is now a
prosperous nation, economically notwithstanding; its GDP per capital
makes it the fifth wealthiest country in the world. Singapore’s
official reserve is estimated at more than US $170 billion. For a
country of 4-5 million people, it isn’t too bad. In some way, Singapore
is the world’s most efficiently managed company. Every facet of society
contributes to the prowess of the corporate machinery that never takes
a break. Its people are the employees in a hierarchy that has little
room or patience for favoritism or corruption. But, despite the callous
and, at times dehumanization nature of business, the nation is
immensely proud, its people are most helpful, self-assertive,
resourceful,...