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News
International Middle East Media Center
East
Jerusalem protest brings together Israeli, Palestinian peace activists
IMEMC 28 Nov 2009 -
Saturday November 28, 2009 - 01:33, On Friday afternoon, around 70
Israeli and Palestinian peace activists gathered in Sheikh Jarrah
neighborhood to protest a court order that denies Palestinian owners
the right to remain in their homes.
Israeli
forces racially profile, deny entry to former Black Panther leader from
US
IMEMC 28 Nov 2009 -
Friday November 27, 2009 - 23:54, Dhoruba bin Wahad was a political
prisoner in the US for 19 years - 7 of those years in solitary
confinement. In 1990, he was cleared of all charges when a New York
judge found that US Federal agents had fabricated evidence against him
as part of the Counter-Intelligence Program, or Cointelpro, created by
the US government to systematically attack and destroy movements for
black, Latino and Native American Liberation. Today, bin Wahad is in
Amman, Jordan after Israeli authorities denied him entry into the West
Bank earlier this week.
Nil'in:
dozens suffer tear gas inhalation during the weekly protest
IMEMC 28 Nov 2009 -
Friday November 27, 2009 - 13:01, The villagers of Nil'in, central West
Bank, along with their international supporters staged their weekly
protest on Friday.
The
Israeli military attack Bil'in's weekly protest
IMEMC 28 Nov 2009 -
Friday November 27, 2009 - 12:55, The international day for solidarity
with the Palestinian People in the Palestinian Eid holiday, dozens
suffered teargas inhalation in Bili’n’s weekly protest.
Army
Closes Huwwara Roadblock Due To Settlers’ Protest
IMEMC 28 Nov 2009 -
Friday November 27, 2009 - 12:30, Israeli soldiers closed on Thursday
evening Huwwara roadblock, leading to the northern West Bank city of
Nablus, as fundamental settlers held a protest for more than two hours
demanding to be allowed into the city to visit Joseph’s Tomb.
Israel
Pardons Dozens Of Fighters, Some Partially
IMEMC 28 Nov 2009 -
Friday November 27, 2009 - 08:41, Palestinian sources reported Friday
that Israel decided to pardon dozens of Palestinian fighters of Fateh’s
armed wing, in the occupied West Bank, including senior fighters who
were targeted for assassinations. Some of the fighters received full
pardons, other s partial.
Israeli
media: Man succumbs to airstrike wounds
11/27/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - A second Palestinian died from wounds
sustained from an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip on Friday
morning, the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth was reporting late
the same day. Ma'an could not confirm that report, and an Israeli
military spokeswoman reiterated that the army was aware of only one
Palestinian who died in the raid on northern Gaza. Palestinian sources
had been quoted in Israeli media as saying four men were injured, two
of seriously. The second death reported on Friday evening was thought
to be among those originally hurt. The airstrike hit northern Gaza at
about 6am, army sources said, adding that it was aimed at a group of
Palestinians in the Jabaliya region of northern Gaza that was preparing
to launch projectiles on southern Israel. Earlier on Friday, an army
spokeswoman said the slain Palestinian was a member of a group. . .
Report:
Second Palestinian succumbs to injuries from morning airstrike
11/27/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - A second Palestinian died from wounds sustained
from an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, Israeli
media was reporting late the same day. Ma'an could not confirm that
report, and an Israeli military spokeswoman said the army was aware of
only one Palestinian who died in the raid on northern Gaza. Palestinian
sources had been quoted in Israeli media as saying four men were
injured, two of seriously. The death reported on Friday evening was
thought to be among those originally hurt. Israeli military sources
said a group of Palestinians in the Jabaliya region of northern Gaza
was preparing to launch projectiles on southern Israel. An army
spokeswoman said the slain Palestinian was a member of a group called
"Jaljalat" which she described as a Salafist group in Gaza with "ties
to Al-Qaeda. "
Report:
Israel approves 28 new settlement buildings
11/27/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Though Israel's army was ordered to issue
a temporary freeze order on West Bank settlement construction on
Thursday, reports from the Israeli press revealed permits were granted
for 28 new public buildings. The freeze orders applying to West Bank
settlements, likely less strict than those applying to Palestinians
living in areas marked "B" and "C" under the Oslo Accords, do not
include the construction of public buildings like schools and
synagogues. Palestinians in areas under full or partial Israeli
military control must apply for permits to build homes and garages, dig
wells and extend homes. According to a report in Israel's Haaretz
newspaper, officials have also started levying the 10-month proposed
freeze on 60% of illegal settlements not including public buildings.
Israeli
forces close Huwwara as settlers demand access to Nablus
11/27/2009 - Nablus
- Ma'an - Israeli forces closed the Huwwara checkpoint and the main
road near the village for two hours Thursday night in an effort to
contain several dozen settlers trying to access Joseph's Tomb in
Nablus. Witnesses said Israeli soldiers forcefully prevented the large
group from crossing the Huwwara area, as the crowd demanded to be let
into the area to visit a religious site. Israeli law requires settlers
wishing to enter Palestinian cities in the West Bank to arrange
military escorts. Joseph's Tomb is located near Balata Refugee Camp
just south of the Nablus city center. Locals speculated that the sudden
demand to enter Nablus may have been a move by settlers to test the
limits of their government's latest move to partially curb construction
in West Bank settlements. The 10-month proposal is not popular among
settlers.
Group:
Soldiers beat Hebron man en route to mosque
11/27/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Christian Peacemaker Teams observers responded to a
call from vendors in the Old City of Hebron on Thursday, saying a
Palestinian man was being beaten by Israeli forces. When the observers
arrived, a statement said, "six soldiers were detaining a young man who
appeared to be in distress. He was holding his abdomen and crying. His
mother and a man held him while an older man spoke with the soldiers. "
The observers said they conducted interviews with four eyewitnesses to
the event, including two Palestinians and two internationals. The
reports, according to the observers, corroborated the vendors' story
that the "young man was stopped and asked for his identity card. A
soldier pushed him against the wall. When the youth asked, 'Why do you
push me? ' the soldier beat him. He was struck on the head [and]
stomach with a rifle butt and kicked in the groin.
Israel
denies entry to Americans attending Jericho prisoner conference
11/27/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli border guards denied Americans Dhoruba Bin
Wahad andNaji Mujahid entry into Palestine on Monday as they attempted
to travel to Jericho for a conference on Palestinian prisoners
illegally incarcerated in Israeli jails. The men, a civil rights
activist and a student, attempted to enter the West Bank via the
Allenby Bridge from Jordan. "The Israelis did not deny us entry into
Palestine for legitimate security reasons," Bin Wahad announced in a
video statement following the denial. "Ultimately we barred because of
what we think and not for any other reason. " Bin Wahad is a former
political prisoner and leader of the Black Panther Party whose
conviction was overturned after spending 19 years in prison for a crime
he did not commit. Naji Mujahid is a Washington, DC-based student and
activist.
Anti-wall
protests mark UN partition anniversary
11/27/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces opened fire on anti-wall protesters
in two West Bank villages on Friday, according to news reports.
Commemorating the UN's annual International Day of Solidarity with the
Palestinian People, residents of Bil'in and Nil'in, two villages near
Ramallah, rallied against Israel's separation barrier on Friday
afternoon. Dozens reportedly suffered tear-gas inhalation in both
areas, although there were no reports of more serious injuries.
Activists said Israeli forces fired stun grenades in addition to the
tear-gas. Protesters demonstrate each week against the wall, built
inside the Green Line on Palestinian territory, which cuts through the
center of both villages. Last week, Israeli forces shot two
Palestinians with live ammunition in Nil'in. In 1977, the UN General
Assembly called for the annual observance of 29 November as the
International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
Prisoner
release hot topic among Eid visitors this year
11/28/2009 -
Ramallah - Ma'an - The families of 10,000 Palestinian detainees greeted
their relatives this Eid Al-Adha with wishes that their sons or
daughters be among those released in a swap deal between Israel and
Hamas. The detainees issue was the hot topic this year as family
members went from home to home greeting each other and wishing
blessings on friends and kin. Pondering the authenticity of media
reports, many questioned whether or not there would be a deal this time
around. Palestinians also debated whose names would appear on a list of
450 prisoners Hamas says resistance factions have handed over to
mediators. The 450 were those who must be released under the deal,
along with another 550 unspecified Palestinian detainees. Until Hamas
officials announced a stall earlier this week, Palestinians hoped
negotiators would reach their Eid deadline for a swap conclusion so
their sons and daughters could be home for the holidays.
Abbas:
Netanyahu chose settlements over peace
11/28/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday dismissed
Israel's offer to slow down some settlement projects as meaningless and
reiterated his position that there would be no talks without a full
freeze. "The Israeli prime minister had a choice between peace and
settlements. Regrettably, he chose the settlements," Abbas said during
his first visit to Venezuela. "We cannot accept the current Israeli
government's concept that there be negotiations on the basis of, Israel
can do whatever it wants on the ground - and we can say whatever we
want at the [negotiating] table," he added, according to Wafa, the
Palestinian Authority's official news agency. Abbas noted, however,
that "we have no preconditions for the resumption of negotiations;
these are obligations under the Road Map. " The president said his
government would consult with sympathetic parties the world over,
including. . .
Report:
No swap deal until next month
11/28/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - A deal to release some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners
hinges on where they will be released and a few names, the US
broadcaster Fox News reported on Friday. Armed groups in Gaza have
demanded in exchange for captured soldier Gilad Shalit about 500
specific prisoners, some of whom Israel's government has refused to
free. According to the Fox report, which quotes sources close to the
negotiations, the deal hinges both on whether Israel will deport
prisoners or return them to their homes in Palestine, and certain names
on the list. However, the sources reportedly added that Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears willing to push a deal forward in
spite of his initial reservations about certain detainees. In any case,
the deal will likely not happen during the Muslim holiday of Eid
Al-Adha, which began on Thursday night.
US
steps up effort to catch Palestinian bomb suspect
11/27/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - The US State Department has authorized a reward of
up to five million US dollars for information leading to the arrest of
a Palestinian accused of attacks on Americans. According to a statement
from the US ministry, Husayn Muhammed Al-Umari, also known as Abu
Ibrahim, is wanted for his alleged involvement in the 1982 bombing of
Pan-Am Flight 830, which resulted in the death of a teenage passenger.
US authorities allege Al-Umari is a bomb-making expert and former
leader of the 15 May organization. He is alleged to have designed and
built the explosive device which detonated while the plane was en route
from Narita, Japan to Honolulu, Hawaii on 11 August 1982. Al-Umari, an
elderly man born in Jaffa, Palestine in 1936, was among three indicted
over the bombing. He has been indicted by the Government of France for
his alleged role in the 1985 bombing of the Marks and Spencer
Department store in Paris and the Leumi Bank.
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - 3 additional gunmen seriously hurt; IDF: Targeted rocket-launching squad was preparing to fire at Israel.
IDF foils terror attack along Egypt border
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - Infiltrator carrying bomb flees to Egypt; Gaza militants fire 5 mortars into Negev, causing no injuries.
Two Israelis stabbed near Hebron; attacker shot
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - Palestinian stabs, lightly hurts Israelis in West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba; IDF launches probe.
Report: Lebanon says Hezbollah has right to fight Israel
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - New cabinet has agreed on a policy statement acknowledging Hezbollah's right to bear arms against Israel.
Report: IDF troops allegedly abused comrade for eight months
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - Kfir Brigade soldier nicknamed 'punching bag' beaten, humiliated on almost daily basis, reports Israel Radio.
Mumbai commemorates first anniversary of city-wide attacks
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - 166 people were killed in near-simultaneous attacks on hotels, train station and Chabad house.
Report: Lebanese man charged with spying for Israel
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - Pan-Arab paper says Osama Berri admitted to being in contact with Israeli intelligence since 1990.
Report: Israel will release Barghouti in Shalit deal
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - Arab paper: Swap to take place next week; Hamas defers Shalit talks, dashing hopes of quick deal.
U.S. may allow Israeli upgrades to F-35 fighter jet
Ha'aretz 27 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 27 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 27 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 27 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 27 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 27 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 27 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 27 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 27 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 27 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 27 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 27 Nov 2009 - Ministers recommend handing control of Ghajar to UN troops, letting residents keep Israeli IDs.
[uruknet.info]
IAEA censures Iran over atomic site
Uruknet November 27,
2009 - The UN nuclear watchdog's governing body has voted
overwhelmingly to censure Iran for developing a uranium enrichment site
in secret, and has demanded it freeze the project immediately. The
resolution, the first against Tehran in almost four years, was passed
by a 25-3 margin, with six abstentions, by the 35-nation governing
board of the International Atomic...
[uruknet.info]
Interview with PA dissident: "I cannot just stay silent"
Uruknet November 27,
2009 - Abdel Sattar Qassem, a professor and author of numerous
publications on Palestinian history and Islamic thought, is well-known
for his pungent critiques of Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
As a result he has been imprisoned by both the Israelis and the PA.
Most recently his car was blown up as a warning from the PA....
[uruknet.info]
News Europe IAEA censures Iran over atomic site
Uruknet November 27,
2009 - The UN nuclear watchdog's governing body has voted
overwhelmingly to censure Iran for developing a uranium enrichment site
in secret, and has demanded it freeze the project immediately. The
resolution, the first against Tehran in almost four years, was passed
by a 25-3 margin, with six abstentions, by the 35-nation governing
board of the International Atomic...
[uruknet.info]
What festive cheer will the West bring to the Holy Land this Christmas?
Uruknet November 27,
2009 - The UK is now in the grip of festive fever as the nation
prepares for the customary annual binge called Christmas. Despite the
recession families are being urged to spend, spend, spend on an excess
of food and alcohol and extravagant presents. For them there is also
the luxury of unrestricted travel to see relatives or...
[uruknet.info]
Palestinians forced to demolish their own homes
Uruknet November 27,
2009 - We are used to seeing Palestinian homes turned to rubble by the
Israeli authorities, but what you probably do not know is that
Palestinians are now cruelly being forced to destroy their own homes by
their own hands. I have witnessed this for myself years ago in the town
of Halhul near my home town Alkhaleel (...
[uruknet.info]
Report: Palestinian succumbs to injuries from morning airstrike
Uruknet November 27,
2009 - A second Palestinian died from wounds sustained from an Israeli
airstrike on the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, Israeli media was
reporting late the same day. Ma'an could not confirm that report, and
an Israeli military spokeswoman said the army was aware of only one
Palestinian who died in the raid on northern Gaza...
[uruknet.info]
Deception Has Always Been the Name of Zionism's Game
Uruknet November 27,
2009 - Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu described his offer to
temporarily restrict construction of all-new Jewish settlements on the
West Bank excluding Arab East Jerusalem as a "far-reaching and painful
step", which was part of a policy he hoped would give a new impetus to
peace talks. Netanyahu is not stupid. He knows that some of us know...
[uruknet.info]
Lebanon accepts' Hezbollah's weapons and Congress prepares its reply
Uruknet November 27,
2009 - "It is the right of the Lebanese people, Army and the (Hezbollah
led-) Resistance to liberate the Shebaa Farms, the Kfar Shuba Hills and
the northern part of the village of Ghajar as well as to defend Lebanon
and its territorial waters in the face of any enemy by all available
and legal means." So reads...
[uruknet.info]
Israel's occupation, linked by rail The Jerusalem light railway is set
to link to illegal settlements such as French Hill. Palestinians need
help stopping it
Uruknet November 27,
2009 - The architects of Israel's occupation of the West Bank are
highly skilled at the art of needlework, deftly stitching up land
inside Israel proper and disputed territory over the Green Line as
though it was the most natural thing in the world. According to their
logic, it should be possible to seamlessly suture together the two...
[uruknet.info]
Gaza: Eid: beautiful, impossible
Uruknet November 27,
2009 - I wake in the early hours of the morning, as the rush of Eid
begins: prayers call out from mosques around Gaza, Palestine. In the
living room of my friends' home, the prayers surround me, like the
carols and church bells did at Christmas as a child. In fact, there are
other parallels: the sound of...
[uruknet.info] A
Night Unto The Nations
Uruknet November 27,
2009 - ...Marcus is concerned. Israel's reputation is falling apart
"From a light unto the nations, Israel has become a maligned and
ostracized nation".... "Ever since Operation Cast Lead in Gaza officers
in the Israel Defense Forces have been at risk every time they land in
an international airport". However, Marcus is not at all concerned with
the...
Adam, The “Terrorist” !!! This picture, of my wife and our little baby I got yesterday evening Aug. 5th 09, a moments before dusk. Today my wife went to visit her brother in the “israeli” jail, and of course she got to take our baby Adam with her. Adam, our baby, is less than two months, he’s exactly 54 days...
Gazan infant diagnosed with brittle bone disease
Gaza Strip, November 26, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Gaza health officials have diagnosed a Palestinian baby girl with a rare condition caused by a genetic mutation in the production of collagen, commonly called brittle bone disease. "About 10 days after her birth, while her mother was changing her clothes, I noticed a fracture like that of a pencil tip in...
For Gaza's Homeless, Eid is a Time of Despair
Gaza, November 26, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - In the days leading up to Eid al-Adha, Zaid Khadar would usually be buying new clothes for his children and stocking up on traditional foods to celebrate one of the most important dates on the Muslim calendar.
Children in Occupied Gaza, living in Containers as Israeli siege continues
Gaza, November 26, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - A tent, a container, and a lot of wood suspended in the air by a metal column: who can imagine this as a home? Nobody. And before the Gaza War, neither could Om Ramadan.
Death Penalty: A State Of Assassins !!!
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...
The National 27 Nov 2009 - In an unprecedented case, the former prime minister Ehud Olmert faces trial for graft, while some of his ministers have been sentenced.
Iran seizes lawyer's Nobel Peace medal
The National 27 Nov 2009 - Iranian authorities confiscate Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi’s medal in a sign of the increasingly drastic steps Tehran is taking against any dissent.
Bad blood between Egypt and Algeria runs deeper than football
The National 27 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.
Russia and China take hard line with Iran over uranium enrichment
The National 27 Nov 2009 - Pair support West in demanding that Tehran comply with Security Council resolutions.
Refugees now view Lebanon as the enemy
The National 27 Nov 2009 - Displaced Palestinians say the conditions of their camp controlled by the Lebanese army has left them living in squalor
Dark waters
The National 27 Nov 2009 - World Sign of a self-determined Egypt, tool of foreign profiteers, emblem of a populist movement, and reminder of its failure – 150 years after work began on the Suez Canal, Maria Golia tallies the project’s many faces.
AlJazeera 27 Nov 2009 - UN nuclear watchdog rebukes Tehran over secret development of uranium enrichment site.
Iran denies seizing Nobel medal
AlJazeera 27 Nov 2009 - Tehran rejects claims it confiscated prize awarded to Iranian human rights campaigner.
Palestinians reject Israeli offer
AlJazeera 26 Nov 2009 - Fatah says Israel's 10-month settlement suspension move is "nothing new".
Jeruslalem Post 28 Nov 2009 - Dozens demonstrate over operation of J'lem factory on Shabbat; leaders seek smaller protests.
Chavez: 'Genocidal' Israel aims to 'exterminate' Palestinians
Jeruslalem Post 27 Nov 2009 - Venezuela's leader tells Abbas he supports fight against "Yankee empire"; PA President claims Netanyahu chooses "occupation" over "peace."
West Bank settlement permits banned
Jeruslalem Post 27 Nov 2009 - Civil Administration prohibits Judea and Samaria council heads from approving new construction.
'Iran to face consequences for defiance'
Jeruslalem Post 27 Nov 2009 - Reuters quotes unnamed US official after IAEA votes on resolution to demand Teheran freeze Qom facility.
90 Fatah terrorists 'pardoned' to bolster Abbas
Jeruslalem Post 27 Nov 2009 - Fugitives are allowed to move freely in Palestinian cities but must refrain from terrorist activity.
Hamas suspends Schalit negotiations
Jeruslalem Post 27 Nov 2009 - Group accuses Israel of hindering swap deal by refusing to release all prisoners demanded.
Abu Marzouk: Major progress on Schalit
Jeruslalem Post 27 Nov 2009 - Mashaal's deputy is highest ranking Hamas official to indicate that the sides are nearing a deal.
Exclusive: Gondar health clinic re-opens
Jeruslalem Post 27 Nov 2009 - IFCJ-funded move follows Sharansky's talk of bringing remaining Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
IAF kills terrorist in northern Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 27 Nov 2009 - Army says man, who was part of cell preparing to fire rockets, belonged to al-Qaida-linked organization.
IRIN TEL AVIV Thursday, November 26, 2009 (IRIN) - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that restrictions on the West Bank's population in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) will be eased during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha between 26 November and 2 December.
SYRIA: Drought response faces funding shortfall
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.
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
Israel’s occupation, linked by rail11/27/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - The Guardian, 26 November - The architects of Israel's occupation of the West Bank are highly skilled at the art of needlework, deftly stitching up land inside Israel proper and disputed territory over the Green Line as though it was the most natural thing in the world. According to their logic, it should be possible to seamlessly suture together the two parts without raising eyebrows either at home or abroad, regardless of the contravention of both international law and basic morality that such actions entail. All that is required is a healthy dose of chutzpah, combined with a drip-drip effect in which a steady stream of expropriating activities are undertaken at a slow but relentless pace, in the hope that insufficient feathers are ruffled to put a halt to the overarching campaign of annexation. The Jerusalem light railway is a case in point: in isolation, few Israelis would be too. . . .
U.S.: Iran to face consequences for nuclear defiance
Ha'aretz 28 Nov 2009 - The United Nations nuclear watchdog's vote to rebuke Iran on Friday should send a clear message that Tehran will face consequences if it fails to engage with major powers on the nuclear issue, a senior U.S. official said. ...
Hugo Chavez: Israel plans to 'terminate the Palestinian people'
Ha'aretz 28 Nov 2009 - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday charged that Israel aims to "terminate the Palestinian people" and said he backs the establishment of Jerusalem as capital of an independent Palestinian state. ...
Report: Shalit deal on verge of completion
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - Fox News reported Friday that a deal aimed at securing the release of captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit was close to completion, and that it will likely be carried out next week. ...
Comment / Anti-Semitism in Europe: New prejudice fans flames of the oldest hatred
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - Israeli soldiers harvest Palestinians' organs for profit, the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reports in August, following up with an op-ed claiming Muslims are the greatest threat to society since the Second World War. The latest installment is an article on foetus diagnostics under the headline: "It is not wrong to want perfect human beings" - in effect an excuse to discard "weak individuals" in order to breed the ideal. Ideas not a million miles away from the ones that rang across the Rhineland seven decades ago. ...
NATO to Haaretz: We won't play role in Mideast peace process
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero, has never been an ambassador in the traditional sense. Rather, ambassador is the title he holds in the Italian foreign service, where he advanced from a position as a U.S. expert and diplomat to NATO and the United Nations. Two years ago, NATO appointed him deputy secretary general. ...
The Guardian 27 Nov 2009 - As time marches on, attempts to reach a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lack any sense of urgency On his recent trip to the Middle East, French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner observed : "The coming days...
The Golan Heights' long wait | Simon Tisdall
The Guardian 26 Nov 2009 - The city of Quneitra is preserved in devastation as attempts to improve Syria's relations with its neighbours and the US stall Little has changed in the ruined city of Quneitra , former capital of the Syrian Golan...
Letters: Threat of war in the Middle East
The Guardian 26 Nov 2009 - With the western allies having been entangled in two destructive and illegal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Benny Morris ( Obama's nuclear spring , 24 November) is eager and willing to start a third one. The history professor...
Israel's occupation, linked by rail | Seth Freedman
The Guardian 26 Nov 2009 - The Jerusalem light railway is set to link to illegal settlements such as French Hill. Palestinians need help stopping it The architects of Israel's occupation of the West Bank are highly skilled at the art of...
Israel is Europe's blind spot | Isi Leibler
The Guardian 26 Nov 2009 - Many have been seduced by a false Islamic narrative. In fact, the more concessions Israel makes, the more it is attacked I recently met with a group of Australian journalists, including editors of some of the...
Israel offers partial halt to West Bank settlement building
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...
Ha'aretz 26 Nov 2009 - These days are especially tough for Benjamin Netanyahu - perhaps his roughest since returning to the prime minister's office eight months ago. Ministers and confidants describe him as a man who hardly recognizes himself in the mirror anymore. ...
ANALYSIS / Settlers have been working for months to undermine construction freeze
Ha'aretz 26 Nov 2009 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu owes much gratitude to the Yesha Council and the members of the rightist flank in Likud. Were it not for their public opposition over the past two days, someone might have suspected that the decision to freeze settlement construction permits for 10 months was an even smaller Israeli concession than it originally appeared to be. ...
Israel okays 28 new settlement buildings, despite freeze
Ha'aretz 26 Nov 2009 - Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday ordered the IDF to issue a temporary freeze order, but at the same time allowed the construction of 28 new public buildings in settlements. ...
Agam painting sells for record-setting $326,500 in New York
Ha'aretz 26 Nov 2009 - fA painting by Israeli artist Yaacov Agam was sold at Sotheby's for ...
God's promise of land to Jews has deep pull on secular Israelis
Ha'aretz 27 Nov 2009 - Although most of the Jewish population of Israel is secular and therefore seemingly unaffected politically by God's promise of the land to Abraham in Genesis, it appears the divine promise that "I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the land of thy sojournings" holds ancient power. The pull is unconscious for most but very deep, which has an effect on most Israelis. ...
Relief Web 28 Nov 2009 - Source: Government of Israel
OPT: Restrictions eased in the West Bank during Eid al-Adha festival
Relief Web 27 Nov 2009 - Source: Government of Israel
OPT: Cáritas Jerusalén insita a la comunidad internacional a dar pasos decididos a favor de una paz duradera en Tierra Santa
Relief Web 27 Nov 2009 - Source: Caritas
Israel okays construction of 28 public buildings in settlements
Relief Web 27 Nov 2009 - Source: Deutsche Presse Agentur
OPT: Four wounded in Israeli air strike on Gaza: medics
Relief Web 27 Nov 2009 - Source: Agence France-Presse
Influenza A (H1N1): Eastern Mediterranean Region - WHO latest update, 23 Nov 2009
Relief Web 27 Nov 2009 - Source: World Health Organization
YNet News 28 Nov 2009 - A few dozen ultra-Orthodox spontaneously rally against plant's operation on Shabbat. Haredi community's leadership plan more protests on weekdays
PA shuts down West Bank radio station
YNet News 27 Nov 2009 - Palestinian police close station after Israel says it interferes with military, airport communications
Abbas says settlement freeze insufficient
YNet News 27 Nov 2009 - Palestinian president tells Venezuelan lawmakers that 10-month halt in settlement construction 'doesn't bring anything new because occupation will continue in West Bank and Jerusalem'
Arabs, leftists protest in Beit Jarrah
YNet News 27 Nov 2009 - Activists protest eviction of Arabs from east J'lem homes by Jewish owners bearing court orders
Israel commends IAEA resolution on Iran
YNet News 27 Nov 2009 - Foreign Ministry says resolution on secret uranium plant shows international community's concern
Iran 'illegally' freezes Nobel winner's assets
YNet News 27 Nov 2009 - After confiscating Shirin Ebadi's medal and diploma awarded to her in 2003, Islamic republic also froze her bank accounts, colleague says
Palestinian to testify against regiment commander
YNet News 27 Nov 2009 - Military court summons Ashraf Abu Rahma of Naalin, who was shot in leg by IDF soldier while handcuffed, blindfolded. 'I will tell the soldier that if there is any justice, he should be punished,' he tells Ynet
25 Nov 2009 - Twice this month, soldiers fired 22-caliber bullets at demonstrators against the Separation Barrier in Ni'lin, injuring four. This contradicts the JAG's statement that this potentially lethal ammunition is not a means to disperse demonstrators, and that s
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 Israel's foreign minister Thursday shrugged off the Palestinian dismissal of a 10-month moratorium on some building in illegal West Bank settlements, saying winning international support was more important. "The last thing that should interest us is the Palestinians' concern. Before the Palestinian issue, what should interest us is our friends in the world," Avigdor Lieberman told Israel Radio.
World powers press Iran to mothball Fordow site
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 Six world powers are demanding Iran immediately mothball a uranium enrichment site it hid for years in a resolution to be voted on by UN nuclear agency governors, calling it a message to Tehran to change its ways. Diplomats forecast the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) would approve the resolution in a vote in Vienna Thursday or Friday, in its first action against Iran in almost four years.
Rabbis maintain senior Israeli Army officers contaminated by politics
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 Israelis were perturbed when new recruits at a recent passing-out parade at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the remains of Judaism's holiest site, suddenly unfurled banners reading, "Our Sons Do Not Evacuate Jews." The concern became more acute last week. After the demolition of two hilltop settler houses in the occupied West Bank.
Leading Iran reformist faces six-year jail sentence
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 An Iranian court has sentenced leading reformist Behzad Nabavi to six years in prison for his part in June demonstrations but freed him on bail pending a possible appeal, his lawyer said Thursday. It was the latest in a string of tough jail terms handed down against prominent critics of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the mass protests that broke out after his disputed re-election.
Israel-Hamas prisoner-swap talks on hold until Tuesday
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 Indirect talks between Israel and the Hamas movement over a prisoner exchange have been suspended until Tuesday, a Palestinian official said. "Negotiations - will resume after Eid al-Adha in Cairo on Tuesday," the official told AFP on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Maliki warns election dispute poses risks to security
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 Iraq's prime minister on Thursday warned that a political dispute likely to postpone January elections was a threat to security, but said American troops would not have to delay their timetable for leaving because of the vote. "Linking the withdrawal process with the elections is meaningless," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Human Rights Watch slams Syria for 'repressing' Kurds
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 Syrian authorities should end their "unlawful and unjustified" practices of attacking Kurdish gatherings and detaining Kurdish activists, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report released Thursday. The report documents what HRW says are efforts by Syria to "ban and disperse" Kurdish gatherings, and "the detention of leading Kurdish political activists and their ill-treatment in custody.", Syrian authorities should end their "unlawful and unjustified" practices of attacking Kurdish gatherings and detaining Kurdish activists, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report released Thursday. The report documents what HRW says are efforts by Syria to "ban and disperse" Kurdish gatherings, and "the detention of leading Kurdish political activists and their ill-treatment in custody."
Statement grants state monopoly on political policy
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 The ministerial committee tasked with formulating the Cabinet's policy statement concluded on Thursday its discussions with another compromise granting the state monopoly over matters which relate to the country's political policy while also highlighting Leba non's right to liberate its occupied territories "by means of its army, resistance and people.", The ministerial committee tasked with formulating the Cabinet's policy statement concluded on Thursday its discussions with another compromise granting the state monopoly over matters which relate to the country's political policy while also highlighting Leba non's right to liberate its occupied territories "by means of its army, resistance and people."
Lebanon's WTO entry will have little impact on agriculture
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 The Economy and Trade Ministry indicated that the reduction of tariffs on vegetable imports, as part of Lebanon's accession to the World Trade Organization, would have minimal impact on either Lebanese producers or consumers, as most of these imports already come from countries that are subject to very low or no customs duties, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group., The Economy and Trade Ministry indicated that the reduction of tariffs on vegetable imports, as part of Lebanon's accession to the World Trade Organization, would have minimal impact on either Lebanese producers or consumers, as most of these imports already come from countries that are subject to very low or no customs duties, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group.
Gunpoint taxi muggings on rise in Beirut
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 Expats and tourists are becoming the target of armed robbers in Beirut, with six known cases of muggings at gunpoint in almost as many weeks. Each of the victims' stories plays out the same: taking a service taxi that already has another passenger in the front - either in Hamra or downtown - being driven out of their way, then having a gun put to their head and their valuables stolen., Expats and tourists are becoming the target of armed robbers in Beirut, with six known cases of muggings at gunpoint in almost as many weeks. Each of the victims' stories plays out the same: taking a service taxi that already has another passenger in the front - either in Hamra or downtown - being driven out of their way, then having a gun put to their head and their valuables stolen.
Lebanese women bereft of protection
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 As women's rights groups worldwide are organizing events to raise awareness for the 9th International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Lebanon's women find themselves virtually unprotected against domestic violence, a number of NGO workers told The Daily Star. Amal Ftouni, media coordinator with the NGO Lebanese Council to Resist Violence against Women (LCRVAW)., As women's rights groups worldwide are organizing events to raise awareness for the 9th International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Lebanon's women find themselves virtually unprotected against domestic violence, a number of NGO workers told The Daily Star. Amal Ftouni, media coordinator with the NGO Lebanese Council to Resist Violence against Women (LCRVAW).
Great and good gather to celebrate Chevening scholarships
Daily Star 28 Nov 2009 Great Britain's Ambassador to Lebanon Frances Guy and Hugo Raybaudo hosted a sparkling reception at Villa al-Lawzi last Tuesday, to introduce the Chevening program - which provides nearly 1,000 scholarships for higher education institutions in the UK for postgraduate students or researchers from over 130 countries. Nearly 100 people attended the Yarzeh event., Great Britain's Ambassador to Lebanon Frances Guy and Hugo Raybaudo hosted a sparkling reception at Villa al-Lawzi last Tuesday, to introduce the Chevening program - which provides nearly 1,000 scholarships for higher education institutions in the UK for postgraduate students or researchers from over 130 countries. Nearly 100 people attended the Yarzeh event.
Palestinian Information Center
Four Palestinians wounded as a result of Israeli shelling in northern GazaPIC 28 Nov 2009 - Four Palestinians were wounded on Friday morning near the Martyrs cemetery to the east of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, when Israeli tanks fired at Palestinian citizens.
Uglo calls on Muslims to unite and defend the Aqsa Mosque
PIC 28 Nov 2009 - Akmaludheen Ihsan Uglo, Organization of the Islamic Conference Secretary General, called on Muslims around the world on the occasion of Eid al-Adha to unite and defend their holy places.
Salah: Jerusalem is an Islamic, Arab city that will be restored to its owners
PIC 28 Nov 2009 - Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic movement in 1948 occupied Palestine, said that the occupation cannot steal the joy of the Muslims on Eid day especially in occupied Jerusalem.
PLC: Netanyahu's freeze of settlement building partial, aims to deceive
PIC 28 Nov 2009 - The Presidency of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) said that the announcement made by Netanyahu regarding a freeze on settlement activity for ten months is bogus..
IOF troops arrest two Palestinians in Nablus
PIC 28 Nov 2009 - On the eve of the first day of Eid al-Adha, IOF troops arrested two Palestinians in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, according to local sources.
Jewish settlers close the Nablus main road, threaten to occupy Nabi Yusuf
PIC 28 Nov 2009 - Jewish settlers demonstrated on the main road leading to the northern West Bank city of Nablus and called for the re-occupation of Prophet Yusuf's memorial in the city.
Haneyya: Palestinian state with provisional boundaries absolutely rejected
PIC 28 Nov 2009 - Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya has emphatically denied that he or that the Hamas Movement had accepted the establishment of a Palestinian state with temporary borders.
IOF troops detain two Palestinians
PIC 28 Nov 2009 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained two Palestinian young men in Qabatia village during an incursion that started at midnight Wednesday and ended on Thursday morning, locals reported.
Fadwa: We have full confidence in Palestinians negotiating Shalit deal
PIC 28 Nov 2009 - Fadwa Al-Barghouthi, the wife of detained Fatah leader Marwan Al-Barghouthi, has stressed that she was fully confident of the skill of the Palestinian party negotiating the prisoners' swap deal.
Health ministry: 141 types of medicines and medical items out of stock
PIC 28 Nov 2009 - The department of pharmaceutics at the health ministry in the Gaza Strip has announced that a big number of medications and medical items were out of stock in its stores.
LA Times 26 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.
U.N. nuclear agency head laments 'dead end' over Iran
LA Times 27 Nov 2009 - IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said world powers had made no progress over the last year in settling concerns about Iran's nuclear program. The agency's board is pondering resolutions on Tehran. In unusually direct language, the outgoing chief of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency on Thursday took Tehran to task for failing to resolve unanswered questions about its nuclear program and lamented a "dead end" in resolving the standoff between the Islamic Republic and world powers.
New York Times 28 Nov 2009 - A small Islamic extremist group influenced by Al Qaeda was blamed for the attempted strike in northern Gaza early Friday.
Half-Truths Dim Chances for Renewing Mideast Talks
New York Times 27 Nov 2009 - Despite Israel’s plan for a 10-month settlement freeze and Palestinians’ claim that attacks are over, tensions seem set to rise.
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.
In Welcoming Iranian President, Chavez Blasts Israel
New York Times 26 Nov 2009 - President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela described Israel as “the murderous arm of the Yankee empire.”
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.
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 York Times’ trivializes violent nightly raids on captive population as ‘cutting the grass’
Mondoweiss - 27 Nov 2009 - I’m at my parents and they get the Times every day. I got up today and read a news analysis by Ethan Bronner about the latest step in the peace process and it has upset me all day. Bronner presents as equivalent the Israelis’ failure to...
‘Tikkun’ dares readers to imagine one-state future
Mondoweiss - 26 Nov 2009 - The breakdown of the two-state solution– evidenced by Netanyahu’s announcement that some greet as progress but that continues the solidification of Jerusalem as a Jewish settlement– is producing important discussions at the periphery, including efforts by leftish Jewish outlets to imagine a binational future in Israel/Palestine....
Reflections on the BDS conference at Hampshire
Mondoweiss - 26 Nov 2009 - The spirit of the Hampshire College conference on Boycott Divestment and Sanctions that I attended last weekend is captured by Adam Horowitz’s post of Sunday . There was a stirring sense of youthful leadership, and a sense that the left in America can no longer seek to...
Viral video puts modish Brits in Palestinians’ shoes
Mondoweiss - 26 Nov 2009 - People keep sending me this British short about checkpoints and the Palestinian experience reimagined. When people keep sending you something, that means it’s important. Related posts: Brits have no trouble talking about elephant in the room As usual, ‘NYT’ puts Palestinians inside the parenthesis Obama’s Jewish...
Levy: Obama has endorsed return to ‘67 lines
Mondoweiss - 26 Nov 2009 - Interesting analysis of the latest statements by Daniel Levy: that a pugnacious Netanyahu has continued to overstep , and that the U.S. may be drawing the line at the ‘67 borders: Netanyahu also repeated the totally (meaningless) commitment of no new settlements or land confiscations (meaningless because...
Articles
Today’s Ancient Warfare: Facts vs. Beliefs
Jeff Gates, Palestine Think Tank 11/10/2009
In unconventional warfare, manipulated beliefs are used to displace inconvenient facts. When waging war by way of deception, false beliefs are an oft-deployed weapon.
Recall Iraqi weapons of mass destruction? Iraqi ties to Al Qaeda? Iraqi mobile biological weapons laboratories? Iraqi meetings in Prague with Al Qaeda? Iraqi purchases of yellowcake uranium from Niger?
All these claims were reported as true. All were later proven false or, worse, fabricated. Yet all were widely believed. Only the yellowcake uranium was conceded as bogus before the invasion of Iraq. As the
U.S. crafted its response to the provocation of a mass murder on U.S. soil, those widely shared beliefs shaped a consensus to wage war on a nation that had no hand in it.
A similar deception-traceable to the same source-is now working to expand this war to Iran. Based on fast-emerging events, the next conflict could include Pakistan.
The modern battlefield has shifted. Ground warfare is now secondary. Likewise air strikes, combat troops, naval support and even covert operations. Those physical operations are all downstream of information
operations. Manipulated beliefs come first. Psyops precede bombs and bullets. Hardware ranks a distant third.
First and foremost are the consensus shapers and thought manipulators who target perceptions and opinions until a critical mass of agreement is reached. Then comes war. Those skilled at such duplicity
induced coalition troops to war in Iraq. Knowledge was their target. Manipulate thought and all else was downstream.
Unconventional warfare is waged "upstream" with the assistance of those with the means, motive and opportunity to massage consensus opinion. Where are modern-day battles fought? Not on the ground nor in the air nor on the seas. more.. e-mail
Bay Area Premier of 'My Name is Rachel Corrie'
Charlotte Silver, P U L S E 11/26/2009
On November 19, 2009, My Name is Rachel Corrie made its Bay Area premier at Stanford University. Amanda Gelender, senior at Stanford University, produced a staged reading of the play as a part of her senior thesis at Stanford University. Amanda is my friend. She was also my college classmate and we worked together in several campus political organizations, including the student-led Israel divestment campaign.
I attended opening night and along with a sold-out audience was struck by the poignancy of the play and Amanda’s subtle and deeply moving performance. Rachel Corrie was a 23 year-old American woman who traveled to Gaza in 2003 during the Second Intifada. She was killed by a Caterpillar bulldozer driven by Israeli Defense Forces as she attempted to prevent the IDF from demolishing the home of a Palestinian family. My Name is Rachel Corrie consists entirely of words written by Corrie herself, recorded in diary entries and emails from Rachel’s early childhood until a few days before her death. Gelender breathes vivid life into Rachel’s words, which themselves reveal the keen sensitivity and eloquence of a poetic nature.
Amanda Gelender, the lead and visionary behind this production, had been waiting to obtain the rights for the play for nearly two years. But obtaining rights is not always the only hurdle to securing a production of Rachel. Since its London premier in 2005, several professional American and Canadian theaters have seen their efforts to mount a production of this one-woman show quashed by vigorous opposition from powerful forces. The charge is always the same: the play is anti-Semitic. Gelender’s successful production reflects the changing tide that is occurring within the American public’s relationship to Israel and anti-Semitism. more.. e-mail
House, Senate Letters Want Arab States to Make 'Dramatic Gestures Toward Israel'
Shirl McArthur, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs 11/1/2009
Congress Watch - House, Senate Letters Want Arab States to Make “Dramatic Gestures Toward Israel” - Sen. Sanders does not sign.
As they broke for their August vacation, House and Senate members of Congress sent separate, AIPAC-promoted letters urging Arab states to recognize Israel’s “legitimacy.” In a typical show of hubris, the House letter was sent not to President Barack Obama or to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but to Saudi King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz. The letter, circulated by Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Ed Royce (D-CA) and signed by 226 House members, was sent on July 31. It recognizes the Arab Peace Initiative, calling it “an important element in the effort toward peace in the Middle East,” but expresses disappointment in the Saudi government’s public reaction to President Obama’s call for Arab states to improve relations with Israel. The letter’s signers urge His Majesty “to assert a strong leadership role and help lead the Middle East to a new era of peace and reconciliation by stepping forward with a dramatic gesture toward Israel.”
The Senate letter was sent, more conventionally, to Obama. Circulated by Sens. Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Jim Risch (R-ID) and signed by 71 senators, its managers held it until Aug. 10 in order to get the maximum number of signatures. The letter cites “concrete measures” taken by Israel “to reaffirm its commitment to advancing the peace process” (but nowhere mentions illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territories), and it encourages “Arab leaders to take similar tangible steps to demonstrate their commitment to the peace process.” The letter’s concluding paragraph says, “We would like to understand what steps you are urging Arab leaders to take and what your expectations are from Arab states in the coming weeks and months.”
Interestingly, the letter was signed by only six of the Senate’s 13 Jewish members. Those Jewish senators not signing were Russ Feingold (D-WI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Carl Levin (D-MI) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).more.. e-mail
Electronic Intifada
Interview with PA dissident: "I cannot just stay silent"
Electronic Intifada: 27 Nov 2009 - Abdel Sattar Qassem, a professor and author of numerous publications on Palestinian history and Islamic thought, is well-known for his pungent critiques of Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). As a result he has been imprisoned by both the Israelis and the PA. Most recently his car was blown up as a warning from the PA. Marcy Newman spoke with Professor Qassem on behalf of The Electronic Intifada at his home in the Palestinian city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
Book review: Post-September 11 "Homeland Insecurity"
Electronic Intifada: 26 Nov 2009 - After the 11 September 2001 attacks there have been many books and articles regarding the misuse of justice and harsh treatment of Arab Americans and Muslims in the United States. Louise Cainkar's extensive research and excellent analysis is the most complete published so far. Homeland Insecurity is an ethnography which took three years to complete and benefits from more than a hundred interviews. Barbara Aswad reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
Refugees remain skeptical of Nahr al-Bared reconstruction
Electronic Intifada: 26 Nov 2009 - NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (IPS) - 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 skepticism, however. Established in 1949, the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in north Lebanon's Akkar region has become home to more than 30,000 residents.
In Gaza
one
year later, young fisherman still trying to heal
In Gaza: 26 Nov 2009 - Just as his leg
was healing from a gaping bullet wound in his calf, Mohammed Musleh
broke it, setting his healing back. Although the re-break happened in
April, now in November his leg is still in metal braces. Musleh was
initially wounded early in the morning of 5 October 2008 when Israeli
soldiers shot at him from a distance of 100 metres. “Doctors told me
there was an entry wound of two square centimetres and an exit wound of
10-15 square centimetres. They said the shot fractured my shinbone and
severed arteries in my leg,” Musleh testified to B’Tselem , the Israeli
human rights group. At the time of his shooting,...
Palestine Chronicle
Where
Next for Palestinians?
Palestine
Chronicle: 27 Nov
2009 - By Ghada Karmi Palestinian history is at one of its most serious
and important junctures. The peace negotiations that commenced with the
Oslo accords in 1993 are at an end. Even hardened devotees of the peace
process with Israel have now given up and are adopting positions that
threaten to disrupt the cozy status quo of the "peace process". The
Palestinian president's announcement that he will not seek re-election,
and the recent demand for UN recognition of a Palestine state on the
1967 territories are examples of this trend. It has become impossible
for even the most pliant Palestinian leadership to ignore Israel's
strategy of "talking and taking", its relentless colonization of the
occupied territories, which doubled after the Oslo agreement and is
ever more blatant and aggressive. The Palestinian maneuver, taking
advantage of an assumed US frustration with Israeli intransigence on
settlement building, is clearly designed to challenge the international
community out of its inertia. Whether this will be able to jump-start a
process more favorable to the Palestinians is unclear. So far, the
signals are mixed. Western leaders have reacted by urging Abbas to stay
on and restart negotiations with Israel. The US has even offered him
various sweeteners--more weapons for PA security forces, a release of
400 Fateh prisoners, and extending PA security control to Area B and
partially to Area C. Israel was said to be considering a ten-month
settlement moratorium as another inducement. At the same time, both the
US and the EU rejected the...
What
Festive Cheer will the West Bring to the Holy Land?
Palestine
Chronicle: 27 Nov
2009 - By Stuart Littlewood – London The UK is now in the grip of
festive fever as the nation prepares for the customary annual binge
called Christmas. Despite the recession families are being urged to
spend, spend, spend on an excess of food and alcohol and extravagant
presents. For them there is also the luxury of unrestricted travel to
see relatives or take a foreign holiday. A far cry from the kind of
Christmas that’s possible in the illegally occupied and blockaded
territories of the Holy Land… Two years ago, in the run-up to Christmas
2007, I had just returned from Gaza and the West Bank. With tears of
rage in my eyes I addressed these remarks to Britain’s prime minister,
Gordon Brown: “The dire conditions we witnessed in Gaza are designed to
enable Israel and the West to grind Hamas into submission and bring a
weakened and demoralised population under the puppet regime now
governing the West Bank. Will the plan succeed? It's hard to say. There
is astonishing pride and resilience among the Gazans. But if you kick,
murder and starve people long enough, commit crimes against humanity
often enough and turn your back callously enough, hey presto! victory
can be yours… But please tell us, Mr Gordon Brown, why is Britain
complicit in such a base and cowardly scheme? “Gaza was formerly under
British mandate, which is sufficient reason for us to feel special
responsibility for its wellbeing. But it isn’t even on the agenda at
the Annapolis...
Congress:
Selling out on American Values for Politics
Palestine
Chronicle: 27 Nov
2009 - By Adam Shapiro One year ago, I watched election results coming
in for Virginia's Fifth Congressional District, where my friend and
colleague Tom Perriello was challenging incumbent Virgil Goode, Jr. CNN
kept flipping the winner because the vote was close. Finally, Tom
emerged with a 727-vote victory. I was elated, because I knew Tom and
knew his deeply rooted principles. And daring to accept that there
might be something to this overall atmosphere of change and hope
espoused by the President-elect, I felt encouraged by the seemingly new
direction and new leaders the country was embracing. Two years earlier,
I met Tom in Afghanistan when he arrived as a consultant with the
United Nations to explore transitional justice possibilities for the
country. I was already working for a human rights organization,
promoting rule of law, women's rights and transitional justice. Tom had
done similar work in Liberia helping launch a truth and reconciliation
commission. We quickly saw eye to eye on the work and became friends
over discussions about the role of law in achieving justice in
extremely difficult conflict and post-conflict circumstances. I took
Tom hiking in the hills overlooking Kabul and we strategized on how to
strengthen the justice sector in Afghanistan. Of course, my work on
Palestine came up and Tom usually brought the discussion to the role of
international law and the need for accountability on all sides -
considerations that clearly help protect civilians, particularly
Palestinians living under occupation. A year later, back in the...
Lebanon
'Accepts' Hezbollah's Weapons; Congress Prepares Reply
Palestine
Chronicle: 27 Nov
2009 - By Franklin Lamb – Beirut "It is the right of the Lebanese
people, Army and the (Hezbollah led-) resistance to liberate the Shebaa
Farms, the Kfar Shuba Hills and the northern part of the village of
Ghajar as well as to defend Lebanon and its territorial waters in the
face of any enemy by all available and legal means." So reads the
Policy Declaration of the new Government of the Republic of Lebanon,
issued on 11/26/09, four days after the celebration of Lebanon’s 66
years of independence from the French colonial power, achieved in 1943.
Legally, constitutionally, and politically, Lebanon’s new National
Unity Government policy legitimizes, embraces, and incorporates by
reference, according to some Pentagon and State Department analysts,
the National Lebanese Resistance. For the US-Israel axis, the 52 words
signal that Hezbollah- which since 2006 has enjoyed majority popular
support- and the State of Lebanon are inseparable and indivisible with
respect to defending this country from foreign interference and
occupation. It affixes the Governmental imprimatur for liberating
Lebanese lands still occupied by Israeli forces. According to some
international lawyers, it also fulfills UN Security Council Resolution
1559 regarding disarming militias because Lebanon has in effect
declared that the arms of the Hezbollah led Resistance are part of the
defense of Lebanon itself and not a particular movement or political
party. This Policy statement satisfies UNSCR 1701 for the same reason.
Apart from the Phalange (Kataeb) Party and the Lebanese forces, and
their spokesmen Samir Geagea and Amin Gemeyal, who...