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News
International Middle East Media Center
U.S
Vows To Bury Goldstone Report In UN
IMEMC 6 Feb 2010 -
Sunday February 07, 2010 - 03:23, Israeli sources reported Saturday
that the United States vowed to Israeli leaders to bury the report of
Judge Richard Goldstone on Israel’s war in Gaza last year. The sources
added that the Israeli government vowed to respond to the report of
Goldstone by forming an independent committee.
Hamas
Says It Did Not Apologize For Civilian Israeli Casualties During
Israel’s War On Gaza
IMEMC 6 Feb 2010 -
Sunday February 07, 2010 - 01:48, The Hamas-led government in Gaza
stated Saturday that it did not apologize for Israeli civilian deaths
during the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip.
Five
Israeli Family Members Wounded in Mine Explosion In The Golan
IMEMC 6 Feb 2010 -
Saturday February 06, 2010 - 23:59, Israeli sources reported Saturday
that five Israelis, members of the same family including three
children, were wounded when a landmine went off near them as they were
vacationing in the occupied Golan Heights.
Israel
Slaps Six-month Travel Ban On Palestinian Map Expert
IMEMC 6 Feb 2010 -
Saturday February 06, 2010 - 00:59, Citing "security reasons" -- the
ubiquitous and unanswerable catch-all phrase against which it is almost
impossible to mount any defense -- Israel's Ministry of the Interior
has just issued a six-month travel ban on map expert Khalil Tafakji.
Mizrahi:
“Our Army Can Reach Damascus, Syria Cannot Stop Us”
IMEMC 6 Feb 2010 -
Saturday February 06, 2010 - 00:44, Head of the Central Command at the
Israeli Army, Avi Mizrahi, stated that Syria cannot defeat the Israeli
Army, and that the army can reach the Syrian capital, Damascus, “while
Syria will not be able to stop us”.
Irish
Herald: “Four Israelis Who Assassinated Hamas Leader Carried Irish
Passports”
IMEMC 6 Feb 2010 -
Friday February 05, 2010 - 22:59, The Irish Herald reported Friday that
members of the hit squad that operated in Dubai and killed Hamas
leader, Mahmoud Al Madbouh, 50, carried Irish passports.
10
injured in peace protest in Nabi Saleh
2/6/2010
- Ramallah - Ma'an - At least 150 anti-wall peace activists gathered in
Nabi Salah on Friday, including 20 Israelis and Palestinians from
around the West Bank, joining villagers to voice dissent against
Israel's continued construction of the separation wall. Responding to
the gathering with rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas, Israeli
forces injured 10 of the protesters. The route of the separation wall
and the expansion of nearby settlements has deprived Nabi Salah
villagers of access to the local spring, which supplied the area with
fresh water. According to a statement from local activists, the Friday
demonstration "quickly became an exercise in organized community
resistance, as demonstrators created makeshift barricades on the roads,
preempting an invasion of military jeeps to the village. "Dumpsters
wheeled down the road towards the soldiers served as an effective road
block, and doubled as shelter to the volleys of tear gas,.
Israel
to adjust wall’s route in Bil’in
2/6/2010
- Ramallah - Ma'an - Attorney of Bil'in local council, Michael Sfard,
said on Saturday that Israeli authorities informed him of the new route
of the separation wall, adjusted according to a decision by the Israeli
Supreme Court of Justice in 2007. "We were not convinced that it was
vital for security reasons to maintain the existing route that passes
through a topographically low area of Bil'in land and that there was no
fitting security substitute to the construction of the barrier in order
to protect the residents of Modi'in Illit," Justice Supreme Court
President Dorit Beinisch wrote in her decision. Once the adjusted route
is implemented, residents of Bil'in are expected to restore almost half
of their 2,300 donums confiscated during the construction of the wall's
original route. However, as the portion of the wall already built will
be removed, farmers will expect significant damage to their olive
groves located in the area.
Gaza
power plant shuts down 1 of 2 generators amidst fuel crisis
2/6/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - The Gaza Energy Authority announced on Saturday that
the sole power plant shut down one of its two generators as a result of
the ongoing fuel shortage in the coastal enclave. "The remaining amount
of fuel is enough to operate one generator until Sunday morning," a
statement said. "The power plant's capacity has dropped to 30
megawatts. . . Gaza districts will suffer as a result, leaving the
plant unable to provide power for around 50% of the residents. This
will rise to 60% if bad weather continues as it causes electrical
malfunctioning. "The Energy Authority called on international parties,
Arab states, and delegates of the Islamic Conference Organization to
end Gaza's power crisis by holding the Ramallah-based Ministry of
Finance responsible for decreasing the fuel allowance into Gaza, which
it said mirrored Israel's blockade policy on the Strip.
Family
injured in mine explosion in Golan Heights
2/6/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Five people, including three children
were injured on Saturday after a land mine explosion near a kibbutz in
the Golan Heights, occupied Syrian territory, Israeli media reported. A
boy, 11, had tripped on the mine, sustaining serious injuries to his
legs, while his sister 12, suffered moderate injuries from shrapnel,
the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. The third sibling and two adults
sustained minor injuries. The family was in the mountainous area for a
hike, and the Megan David Adom emergency medical team, which treated
the injured, said the mine may not have been visible because of the
snow. The injured were evacuated to hospital by helicopter, the daily
added. Minefields remain in the area following Israel's occupation of
the Syrian land in 1967, which the Israeli military says is cordoned
off with barbed wire, the daily wrote.
De
facto gov’t: No apologies in Goldstone response
2/7/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - There was no apology included by the de facto
government to the Goldstone report allegations, Hamas officials
responded Saturday to media reports offering quotes from the document.
Minister of Justice in Gaza Muhammad Faraj Al-Ghoul told reporters
"there were no apologies," and that moreover, "the Israeli occupation
was held accountable for any claims of civilian casualties because they
committed the assault and the holocaust [of the people in Gaza].
"According to Reuters, which said it obtained a copy of the de facto
government report, the document addressed the Israeli public, saying
"We hope the Israeli civilians understand that their government's
continued attacks on us were the key issue and the cause. " The
document further noted, Reuters said, that all projectile launches from
Gaza were aimed at Israeli military targets and were defensive in
nature.
3
injured in clashes following Hebron protest
2/6/2010
- Hebron - Ma'an - Three Palestinians from the village of Safa, north
of Beit Ummer in Hebron, were injured when Israeli forces fired
rubber-coated bullets as clashes erupted between locals, protesters and
soldiers in the village on Saturday. Spokesman for the Palestine
Solidarity Project, Mohammad Ayyad Awad said Israeli forces declared
Safa a closed military zone, preventing farmers and protesters from
accessing land. "A verbal argument erupted between the protestors and
the Israeli soldiers, who fired sound bombs, tear-gas canisters and
rubber-coated bullets to keep them away from the area. Three were
injured," he said. Awad added that "Israeli soldiers harshly beat a
disabled resident, identified as Ibrahim Mohammad Eliyan Ikhliel, 22
years old. Residents interfered to rescue him. "Those injured during
the protest were treated at the scene, Awwad said. . . . .
Israeli
army stops journalists on container road after PJS election
2/6/2010
- Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli forces stopped a bus transporting
journalists on the container checkpoint en route to Hebron from
Bethlehem, after having voted in the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate
elections in Ramallah on Saturday. One journalist present said that
Israeli forces detained journalist Raed Al-Atrash "under the pretext of
attacking one of the soldiers. "Israeli soldiers demanded that all
journalists to get off the bus, including the female journalists, he
said. Despite journalists refusing the order, the bus was eventually
allowed to pass through the checkpoint. [end]
Israeli
website publishes list of 13 top Hamas wanted activists
2/6/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - The Israel-based self-described
intelligence and security news service debkafile published a list of 13
Hamas leaders allegedly "Israel's next targets for liquidation" on
their website Friday. The service said the list was distributed by de
facto government security services to members following the alleged
assassination of Hamas military wing founder Mohammad Al-Mabhouh in
Dubai on 19 January, citing "counter-terror sources. "According to the
service, the following 13 men and woman were notified of an imminent
assassination threat:Jamila Shanti, member of the Hamas political
bureau and Palestinian lawmaker; Muhammad Deif, former supreme
commander of Hamas until he was badly injured in a previous Israeli
attack;Ahmad Jabry, Leader in the armed wing of Hamas, the Izz Ad-Din
Al-Qassam Brigades;. . . Related: Debkafile: Hamas warns
13 top operatives Israel is after them
Gaza
media blocs ask IFJ to boycott Press Syndicate election results
2/6/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza-based media figures publicly objected to the
decision of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate to hold separate
elections in the West Bank without arranging a simultaneous vote in
Gaza, calling the move "duplicitous" and "divisionist. " Speaking at a
news conference on Friday as syndicate elections began in Ramallah,
members of the media union in Gaza aligned with the figures who called
for a postponement of the union elections. The speakers called on the
Federation of Arab Journalists and International Federation of
Journalists - which already expressed concern around the elections and
called for a stay so transparent mechanism could be put in place - to
refuse recognition of the results of what Gaza press members considered
an "illegal" election. Several Palestinian factions announced earlier
in the week that they would boycott the elections, including Hamas,. . .
Qaraqe
calls on British Mandate prisoner file to be opened
2/6/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - Minister of Prisoners' Affairs and Ex-Detainees
Issa Qaraqe demanded that the files of Palestinian and Arab prisoners
arrested during the British Mandate and following the 1948 war be
opened to facilitate research and understanding into the era, he said
on Saturday. The minister's statement follow a visit to the Hasan
Al-Labadi Association, named after one of the longest-serving
Palestinian prisoners arrested during the British Mandate.
"Establishing such an association named after Al-Labadi is an important
step in collecting information on the prisoner, this great fighter. . .
and all documents relating to him and the circumstances of his
detention. . . in which he was isolated from the world, not knowing
what happened to Palestine during that period," Qaraqe said. Qaraqe
said the Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs will support the association in
documenting and. . .
Plans
for Palestinian Summer School week in Lebanon
2/6/2010
- Lebanon - Ma'an - A group of Arab and international Palestinian
solidarity groups announced plans for a 500-student-strong school on
Palestinian politics, history and culture aimed at educating the
English-speaking world, organizers said Saturday. The school, based in
Lebanon, would include field trips around the country with particular
focus on the Palestinian refugees living in the camps of the south and
around Beirut. Organizers Ma'un Bashour of the Arab International
Center for Continuity and Solidarity, Alice Howard with Viva Palestina
and Nabil Hallaq of Gaza's Breaking the Siege on Gaza said the school
would last a week at the end of June. The school is hoped to contribute
to a "qualitative shift in Palestinian rights and activism [reaching]
an international public opinion level. " Bashour suggested to name the
week after Rachel Corrie, theAmerican member of the International. . .
Controversial
media syndicate elections go forward in Ramallah
2/6/2010
- Ramallah - Ma'an - The Administrative Board of the Palestinian
Journalists Syndicate returned with a series of recommendations to
boost clarity and representation at the union's general elections,
postponed from Friday after calls for a new voting system were made.
Several candidates and union representatives were contacted regarding
the nature of the changes to voting protocol, but none were able or
available to comment on the issue. The new regulations apparently still
must be ratified before they take effect. Voting was expected to begin
by Saturday afternoon despite the reigning confusion over elections
methodology. One official said he expected the board to reach 63
members, and noted that the new board and outgoing chief would together
elect a replacement head for the union body. The International
Federation of Journalists called last week for a postponement in the
elections,. . .
Palestinians
convene in Cairo, mull over Mitchell suggestions
2/6/2010
- Ramallah - Ma'an - The Palestinian leadership will examine US Middle
East Envoy George Mitchell's suggestions to restart the peace process
at an Egyptian-Palestinian summit in Cairo this week, participants
confirmed Thursday. Secretary-General of the Office of the President
At-Tayyib Abdul Rahim said Palestinian delegates would begin talks
Friday and participate in a series of consultations with delegates from
around the Arab world as well as representatives from the office of the
Quartet. "It is the Israeli government that lays obstacles impeding the
resumption of peace talks. In order to restart bilateral talks,
settlement activities should be frozen completely including those in
Jerusalem, and negotiations should start from where they stopped in
December 2009," he said during an address inaugurating the general
conference of the Palestinian union of journalists in Ramallah on
behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel
dismisses Hamas claim civilian deaths accidents
2/6/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - A spokesman for Israel's foreign
ministry dismissed de facto government expressions of remorse over
civilian deaths as "misguided," adding that Hamas used to "boast about
suicide attacks against civilians. " The spokesman addressed Israel's
Army Radio on Saturday, responding to the document submitted to the UN
earlier in the week by the de facto government. The report on progress
into investigations of war crimes outlined by Justice Richard
Goldstone's mission said that Hamas "regrets any harm that may have
befallen any Israeli civilian. "According to Reuters, which obtained a
copy of the de facto government report, the document addressed the
Israeli public, saying "We hope the Israeli civilians understand that
their government's continued attacks on us were the key issue and the
cause. "
Israeli
tourist sentenced to 3 years in Egypt for hash possession
2/6/2010
- Al-Arish - Ma'an - An Egyptian criminal court in Sinai sentenced an
Israel tourist to three years of jail time on Saturday for possessing
narcotics, a court reporter told Ma'an. An Egyptian officer in Taba, on
the Israel-Egypt border, had suspected Avrim Teub, 21, of suspicious
behavior, the court reporter said. "After searching his luggage,
Egyptian security found Hashish among his possessions, which he
intended to consume, according to his confession during interrogation,"
the reporter added. Teub was en route to one of the Sharam Ash-Sheikh
resorts before he was questioned in Taba. [end]
PPP
official warns of ’factional formulae’ diverting unity talks
2/6/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - Member of the Palestinian People's Party (PPP)
politburo Walid Al-Awwad warned of certain Palestinian factions moving
toward creating "factional formulae" to suit their movement's interest,
a move, he said on Saturday, which would lead to the deviation of
conciliation talks. Al-Awwad's comments follow Nabil Sha'ath, member of
Fatah's Central Committee's recent visit to Gaza, which he said should
be viewed as an attempt to create an atmosphere of good will, leading
to the success of reconciliation efforts. Any Palestinian effort to
promote unity, he said, should stem from removing the obstacles in
place which discourage the ratification of the Egyptian document,
tipped to end inter-Palestinian factional rivalry. . . . .
PA
Police: 12 wanted criminals detained at Allenby
2/6/2010
- Jericho - Ma'an - Palestinian police operating at the Allenby Bridge
border between Jericho and Jordan detained 12 men they called
"fugitives"as they reportedly attempted to cross into Jordan. The
detentions, police media personnel said, were made between 30 January
and 6 February. The alleged fugitives were said to be some of the 7,764
Palestinians who left the West Bank via the bridge during the week. At
the same time, police said, 9,411 Palestinians entered the West Bank,
along with 76 internationals and 58 men and women with Israeli ID
cards. A total of 73 internationals and 20 Israeli ID card holders left
the West Bank during the same period, police said. [end]
Abbas:
Reconciliation began in Egypt and will be finalized there
2/6/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - Following a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart
on Saturday, President Mahmoud Abbas asserted that reconciliation will
not be attained without Egypt playing a major role and that no other
mediator will be called on, and discussed proximity talks put forward
by US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell. After meeting with Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak, Abbas said efforts to reconcile rival
Palestinian factions began in Cairo, where leaders signed the
Egyptian-sponsored document. Therefore, he said, the final signing
ceremony will take place in Egypt, who will also follow up on the
agreement's implementation. "This is the Palestinian Authority and
Fatah's stance," Abbas said. Proximity talks - Abbas further spoke of
his meeting with a US delegation on Friday, with whom he discussed
Mitchell's ongoing role as a shuttle between Israel and Palestinian
sides.
Fatah
spokesman: Hamas humiliating itself in front of Israel, world
2/6/2010
- Ramallah - Ma'an - Fatah spokesman Ahmad Assaf expressed astonishment
at Hamas' regret for the deaths of Israeli civilians by rocket
fire"while they [Hamas] don't regret killing and injuring hundreds of
Palestinians during the bloody coup they staged [in 2007]. . . "he said
in a statement on Saturday. "President Abbas and the Palestinian
leadership have always warned of these useless rockets," he added, in
reference to Hamas' investigation into the Goldstone report submitted
late on Wednesday, which stated that the Islamist movement's intentions
were to fire solely at military targets, but the rudimentary nature of
the projectiles led to the unintended death of Israeli civilians, Hamas
said. "While Hamas avoids speaking of reconciliation, refuses to sign
the Egyptian document and restore Palestinian national unity, they are
now humiliating themselves in front of Israel and the. . . "
Palestinian
volleyball team excluded from Arab Championship
2/6/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinian volleyball teams will demand answers
for a series of mistakes leading to the denial of registration for West
Bank and Gaza teams in the 28th Arab Volleyball Championship. The
games, set to start on 23 February, will go ahead with neither the
Senjil Club from the West Bank nor the As-Sadaqa Club team from Gaza
because of a decision to send the official invitation to the
Palestinian representative of volleyball teams in Jordan, who in turn
was late in transmitting the details of the event. The As-Sadaqa and
Senjil clubs received the registration notice late, but sent their team
lists in anyways, along with a note of apology explaining the
situation. Head of As-Sadaqa Club in Gaza, Jamal Abu Hashish, blamed
the Palestinian Volleyball Federation for the mishap. "The program of
the Arab Volleyball Federation is distributed to the regional clubs at
the. . . "
Ma’an
TV, Patients’ Society to produce documentary on wind energy
2/6/2010
- Hebron - Ma'an -The Ma'an TV Network and the Patients' Friends
Society (PFS) in Hebron signed an agreement on Saturday to produce a
documentary on a wind energy project implement by the Al-Ahli Hospital
and funded by the EU. Following the signing ceremony, Mohammad
At-Tamimi, project manager, said that the goal of the wind energy
project was preserve the environment and noted that 700 kilowatts of
energy generated by wind turbines reduces the hospital's energy
consumption by 40 percent. The project will be reviewed to ascertain
the feasibility of implementing similar wind turbine projects across
the West Bank, he added. Funded by the EU at a cost of 1. 3 million
Euros, 80% of the project's total cost, it aims at assisting developing
states and partner organizations in managing the environment and
natural resources as well as contribute to the fight against global
warming, desertification. . .
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Group was busy disseminating ideas identified with the ideology of Osama bin Laden via Internet.
Get real, Iron Dome is too expensive to defend Sderot
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Israel needs money for attack forces, protecting civilians and other measures, not just missile defense.
Dubai: We'll go after Netanyahu if Mossad killed Hamas man
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Police chief warns both Mossad and Hamas against conducting covert operations in Dubai.
Robbing Sderot of defense from rockets
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Suspicions exist that defense establishment developed Iron Dome to serve moneymaking interests.
IDF officer: I wouldn't live in same country as Goldstone
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Mizrahi to yeshiva students: I don't believe a word of Gaza report.
Hamas rejects Goldstone charge of Gaza war crimes
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Human Rights Watch: Hamas claim that rocket attacks against Israel are not war crimes is legally wrong.
Israel's southern residents irate over missile defense decision
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - IDF: No intention at this stage of deploying Iron Dome system to protect Sderot against rocket attacks.
Police destroy third 'barrel bomb' washed ashore south of Tel Aviv
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Two barrels found earlier this week were packed with TNT and rigged for detonation by cellphone.
Second Qassam rocket in 24 hours strikes southern Israel
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Attack follows calls to expedite deployment of delayed "Iron Dome" defense batteries.
Dubai warns Mossad, Hamas against covert operations
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Dubai police chief denies Hamas claim that the assassins entered the country with Israeli delegation.
Peretz to Barak: Deploy anti-missile system near Gaza
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Comment by former defense min. comes as IDF says it will only deploy Iron Dome system in IAF bases.
Shalit family: German mediator set to deliver Hamas response
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Hamas says mediated talks have been halted due to assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.
IDF officer: Gaza civilians risked to protect Israel troops during war
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Officer tells The Independent that the IDF's new policy meant literally zero risk to the soldiers.
Hamas returns Israeli Bedouin who entered Gaza
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - The reportedly mentally unstable man made previous attempts to illegally cross into Egypt and Jordan.
IAF hits Gaza tunnels in wake of bombing attempt by sea
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Palestinians claim responsibility for attempted attack, say more explosive-laden barrels in sea.
Israel fears more explosive-laden barrels in Mediterranean
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Following discovery of two explosives in Ashkelon and Ashdod, police scan coast for devices.
IDF arrests two suspects plotting to attack Israel for Hamas
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - East Jerusalem residents allegedly recruited while living in Jordan and Dubai to attack civilian locations.
VIDEO: Israel's immigration police cracks down on pro-Palestinian foreigners
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Newly formed Oz Unit has joined the IDF in at least three arrest raids on foreign activists in recent weeks.
IDF denies disciplining top officers over white phosphorous use in Gaza war
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Army denial counters state report into Gaza shelling that found two officers jeopardized civilian lives.
Israel frees detained Lebanese shepherd into UNIFIL hands
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Lebanese sources accuse IDF of kidnapping 17-year-old and abusing him; Lebanon MP appeals to army.
2/5/2010 - Antiwar.com - UN chief says he can't determine if Gaza probes by Israel and the Palestinians are 'credible' - AP - U. N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he could not determine whether the Israelis or Palestinians had conducted credible investigations into allegations of war crimes during last year's Gaza conflict as required under a U. N. resolution. In a highly anticipated report released Thursday night to the 192-nation General Assembly, Ban said "no determination can be made on the implementation of the resolution by the parties concerned. " A U. N. panel, overseen by a respected South African jurist, Richard Goldstone, found in September that both Israel and Palestinian militants committed war crimes during the fighting, in which 13 Israelis and almost 1,400 Palestinians were killed, including many civilians. In November, the General Assembly endorsed the Goldstone report, urging Israel and the. . . .
Palestinians still waiting for right to use Highway 443
2/5/2010 - The National - JERUSALEM // They start just after the Israeli checkpoint near the city of Modi’in, along this fast, scenic motorway that connects Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. All along the hilly road, vast concrete boulders, rubble heaps and piles of rubbish barricade access from several Palestinian villages. At one such barrier at the village of Beit Sira, cars with Israeli registration plates deposit groups of dusty-looking workers, who squeeze between the concrete boulders to the Palestinian cars and cabs that can take them back home. This is how it has been for the thousands of Palestinians who have been barred access to Highway 443 since 2002. The Israeli military had cited security reasons for the closure – five Israelis were shot dead in 2001, at the height of the second intifada, and dozens more have been injured in attacks along this 28km stretch of road that cuts into the West Bank.
Israel to adjust wall’s route in Bil’in
2/5/2010 - Ma’an News Agency - Ramallah – Ma’an – Attorney of Bil’in local council, Michael Sfard, said on Saturday that Israeli authorities informed him of the new route of the separation wall, adjusted according to a decision by the Israeli Supreme Court of Justice in 2007. “We were not convinced that it was vital for security reasons to maintain the existing route that passes through a topographically low area of Bil’in land and that there was no fitting security substitute to the construction of the barrier in order to protect the residents of Modi’in Illit,” Justice Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch wrote in her decision. Once the adjusted route is implemented, residents of Bil’in are expected to restore almost half of their 2,300 donums confiscated during the construction of the wall’s original route. However, as the portion of the wall already built will be removed, farmers will expect significant damage to their olive groves located in the area.
Don’t Let Israel Ballet Tip-toe around Apartheid
2/6/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - NEW YORK, February 6, 2010 (WAFA)- Adalah-NY, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, Boycott! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call from Within, and American Jews for a Just Peace call for a boycott of and protests against the performances of the Israel Ballet during their February, 2010 US tour, due to the Israel Ballet’s complicity in whitewashing Israeli apartheid. The Israel Ballet will perform from February 8 – 27, 2010 in Panama City (FL), Ft. Myers (FL), Sarasota (FL), Bunnel (FL), West Palm Beach (FL), Gainesville (FL), Newport News (VA), Burlington (VT), Worcester (MA), Brooklyn (NY), Morgantown (WV), Buffalo (NY), Elmira (NY) and Rockville (MD). We call on individuals and groups to mobilize to boycott and protest against these performances.
Ban’s report pleases Israel
2/5/2010 - Jerusalem Post - But rights groups say UN chief failed to assess Israeli, Palestinian probes - “Israel is satisfied that the secretary general of the United Nations accurately reflected the Israeli document submitted this week,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement published Friday afternoon. The ministry said Israel’s document “fully expresses Israel’s obligation to hold independent and reliable investigations, which would measure up to the yardstick of international law. ”“Despite the difficulties presented by the Gaza theater, Israel kept international norms and will continue to do so in the future, while primarily maintaining the security and well-being of its citizens,” the statement continued. A senior Israeli official said Israel has been in constant contact with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and other UN officials. The United States has also been a key advocate, deploying senior officials to convey a strong message on the issue.
OCHA: 16 Palestinians Injured by Israeli Forces
2/5/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - JERUSALEM, February 5, 2010 (WAFA)- This week, (January 27 – February 2) Israeli forces injured 16 Palestinians in various incidents throughout the West Bank, bringing the total number of Palestinians wounded in Israeli-Palestinian violence since the beginning of 2010 to 67, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory reported. The weekly average number of injured in 2009 was 17. Four of this week’s injuries were sustained during the weekly anti? Barrier protest held in Bil’in village (two) and a demonstration held by Palestinian residents of Deir Nidham and An Nabi Saleh villages against the expansion of Hallamish settlement in the Ramallah area (two); two Israeli forces were injured in the former. In the latter demonstration, one family, including five children were evacuated after Israeli forces fired gas canisters into their house; several other cases of tear gas inhalation were reported.
Drawings From Gaza
2/5/2010 - Political Theatrics - The following drawings were created by unidentified Palestinian children living in the Gaza Strip – These bright and passionate children are witness to unwavering Israeli brutality, heart-wrenching violence, and death – all of which is due to the illegal occupation of their homeland, Palestine. [end]
Five injured in mine explosion in North Israel
2/6/2010 - Earth Times - DPA - Jerusalem - An Israeli family of five, including three children, were injured Saturday in a mine explosion as they were hiking in the Golan Heights, in the border between Syria and Israel, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement. An 11-year-old boy was seriously injured in the legs while his 12- year-old sister suffered slight face injuries. Three other three hikers, members of the same family, also suffered minor injuries. All were immediately evacuated to hospital by helicopter. The family from central Israel had travelled to the snow-covered Mount Avital in the Golan Heights and entered a mine zone which the IDF said had signs posted warning that it was a military area. It was initially unclear if the family might not have noticed the warning signs because they were covered by the snow. The IDF issued a statement regretting the incident and said that Israeli citizens. . . .
Israeli hit squad that killed Hamas commander ’had Irish passports’
2/6/2010 - Belfast Telegraph - Members of a hit squad that assassinated a top Hamas military commander used Irish passports to enter and leave Dubai, it's been claimed. The suspected Israeli hit team, including at least one woman, entered the United Arab Emirates using Irish documents, police authorities said. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh (50), held responsible by Israel for the abduction and murder of two Israeli soldiers in 1989, died in mysterious circumstances on January 20 in a Dubai hotel room. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said yesterday: "We are aware of the media reports and we are in contact with authorities locally to try and determine the truth of the reports. " Al-Mabhouh was said to have been shocked with an electric weapon held to his legs and then suffocated or poisoned. Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the killing, but Israeli news media claimed al-Mabhouh had many enemies and could have been killed by other Arab factions.
Israeli military may aim new rocket shield at Lebanon front instead of Gaza
2/6/2010 - Daily Star - Reuters - OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel’s new rocket-interceptor system will not be deployed near the Gaza Strip as expected but kept on standby, possibly to counter attacks from the north by Lebanese Hizbullah should conflict erupt with its backer, Iran. News this week on deployment of “Iron Dome,” a short-range system to be ready by June, disappointed Israelis in southern towns who hoped it would be set up to protect them from rockets fired by Gaza’s Islamist Hamas fighters. Less than a month ago, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the rocket shield would have its first deployment on the Gaza front. But this week officials changed tack and said they had to think of placing it elsewhere, notably facing Lebanon. “At the moment there is quiet [in Gaza] based on deterrence, which has to be examined every day of course because it could change, and Hamas’ basic hostility toward Israel has not changed,” said Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad.
Palestinians question US on reviving peace talks
2/6/2010 - Yahoo! News - CAIRO – The Palestinians have asked the Obama administration to clarify a U. S. envoy's proposal to restart long-stalled peace talks with Israel indirectly by shuttling between the two sides, the Palestinian president said Saturday. The talks collapsed a year ago during Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Efforts by President Barack Obama since then to revive them have failed in large part over the issue of Israel's settlement construction in areas the Palestinians want for a future state. On Saturday, Abbas met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose country has also served as an intermediary between Israel and the Palestinians, to discuss the new U. S. plan. " We have asked the American side some questions. . . and the answers will be discussed within a joint Arab framework and then we will announce our position," Abbas said.
Pilot who refused to bomb Palestinian targets gets ’golden wings’
2/6/2010 - Ha'aretz - Brig. Gen (res. ) Iftach Spector, the highest-ranking officer to sign the "pilots' letter," declaring the refusal to participate in operations in the territories in 2003, was last week awarded the golden wings given to Israel Air Force pilots to mark the 50th anniversary of their graduation from flight school. The insignia was bestowed on Spector less than two weeks after the Israel Defense Forces decided to dismiss from service a Kfir Brigade soldier for waving a sign in support of refusing to evacuate unauthorized settler outposts in the West Bank. In 2003, at the height of the second intifada, Spector was the commander of the IAF's Ramat David and Tel Nof bases and was considered one of the best fighter pilots in Israeli history. He downed 12 enemy planes in the course of his career and was one of the pilots who attacked Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981.
One year on, most Israelis disapprove of Netanyahu
2/5/2010 - Ha'aretz - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is losing altitude, according to the Haaretz-Dialog poll published here. The results show that, for the first time in a year, a majority of the public is dissatisfied with his performance and questions his suitability as prime minister. This is purely personal, not party-related. Likud under his leadership is actually stronger: If elections were held today, the party would get 35 Knesset seats, eight more than its current total and 23 more than it received in 2006. Netanyahu took a broken, shattered party that had been split and decapitated by the predecessor of his predecessor - i. e. , Ariel Sharon - and brought it back to life. No one can take that away from him. Every few months, this poll, conducted under the supervision of Prof. Camil Fuchs from the Department of Statistics at Tel Aviv University, checks the prime minister's political health.
Samaritans mourn their high priest
2/5/2010 - Jerusalem Post - Snow flurries drifted to the ground on Mount Gerizim overlooking Nablus on Thursday, as mourners gathered to bury the spiritual leader of the Samaritans, who passed away the previous day. High Priest Elazar ben Tsadaka ben Yitzhaq was born during a snowstorm 83 years ago, one mourner said. On Thursday, as he was being laid to rest at the holiest site in the Samaritan religion, the snow began to fall again. According to Samaritan tradition he was the 131st holder of the post since Aaron. This is not be accepted by all historians, but the office may well go back to the Hellenistic period, which would still make it the oldest office in the world. One account in Josephus suggest that it is an offshoot of the Zadokite high priests in Jerusalem from around the time of Alexander the Great. Mourners took shelter from the storm inside the community center in the hilltop neighborhood of Kiryat Luza, where much of the ethnoreligious group of 730 lives. Nearly all the rest live in Holon’s Neveh Pinchas neighborhood.
Complete power outage imminent in Gaza
Gaza, February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Energy and Natural Resources Authority in Gaza warned that a severe shortage of fuel will force it to shut down electricity by Sunday. Kanan Abaid, head of the authority, said on Saturday that only enough fuel is available for one more day, warning of a crisis if the station stopped working. He...
Is it just the calm before the storm in Israel?
Jerusalem, February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; by Patrick Martin) - It's been a year since the election that brought Benjamin Netanyahu to power in Israel and, for most Israelis, it's been the best year in recent memory. There has been almost no violence or breaches of security, and the country's economy weathered the world recession remarkably well. Israelis, for the...
U.S. pledges $40 million for Palestinian refugees
U.S., February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegreph) - The United States on Thursday pledged an additional contribution of $40 million for the United Nations relief operations for Palestinian refugees. The U.S. State Department said out of this, $30 million would support the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East's (UNRWA) core services in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon,...
Four killed in car accident in Gaza
Gaza, February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Four Palestinians were killed and four others were seriously injured in a car accident in Salah Al-Din Street, in central Gaza Strip on Friday. Medical sources said in a press statement that the accident occurred when a mini bus hit a tank truck carrying fuel. Later, the medical sources declared the IDs of...
Protesters clash with IOF in Ni'lin
Ramallah, February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Hundreds of the Palestinians and international activists demonstrated on Friday afternoon against the construction of the apartheid wall in Ni'lin. Israeli occupation forces fired gas bombs against the protesters after they hurled rocks at them. In addition, Israeli occupation forces worked to disperse some 100 Palestinian protesters who gathered near Nabi Saleh, northwest...
The National 6 Feb 2010 - Non-governmental organisations are now playing a much more prominent role in the provision of services in the country.
Crashed Ethiopian jet parts found off Lebanon
The National 6 Feb 2010 - Search teams have found main segments of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed off the coast of Lebanon last month killing all 90.
Palestinians still waiting for right to use Highway 443
The National 5 Feb 2010 - Israeli supreme court has issued a deadline to open vital route linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to West Bank traffic – and time is running out.
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Israel's major aerospace manufacturer considers plans to build wind turbines. Israel's prime aircraft manufacturer is contemplating expanding its expertise of military and commercial aircrafts to the development of wind turbines. The Israeli military and civil aviation...
Somalia's Al-Shabab Aligns with Al-Qaeda
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Somalia's Al-Shabab declares a formal allegiance with the global terrorist network Al-Qaeda. Somalia's Islamist Al-Shabab movement plans to become part of the global Al-Qaeda organization in an attempt to boost its standing among potential recruits and...
Israel Disciplines Senior Officers for Gaza Artillery Use
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Experts argue that international law is no longer relevant in Israel's asymmetric conflict with the Palestinians. One year after the Gaza Operation, the Israeli army has reprimanded two senior officers for firing cannons in populated areas....
Israeli Beaches Closed After 2 Explosive Devices Found Offshore
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Israeli security authorities are keeping civilians off the beaches until they are certain no more explosive devices are floating in the waters south of Tel Aviv. Two devices apparently set to explode were discovered on Monday....
Iran Celebrates Ayatollah Khomeini's Triumphant Return 31 Years Ago
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Iran was awash in celebration on Monday, marking 31 years since the late Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to lead the revolution that ousted the Shah of Iran. Festivities will continue until February 11th: the anniversary...
‘Abbas Now Offering Resumption of Talks for Temporary Building Freeze
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud 'Abbas is apparently tempering his absolute refusal to return to peace talks with Israel unless an absolute freeze in building in areas Israel acquired in the 1967 war is in place. The...
‘Wine Fatwa' Sparks Religious Spat in Morocco
The Media Line 31 Jan 2010 - A Moroccan cleric issues a ban on wine, drawing angry responses from secularists. A Moroccan cleric's religious edict banning the consumption of wine has drawn angry responses from pro-democracy groups, who say religion is being hijacked...
Israel Outlines Energy Goals
The Media Line 31 Jan 2010 - Israel plans to generate 10% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020. Israel hopes to have five percent of its energy needs supplied by renewable sources within five years and to double that percentage...
AlJazeera 6 Feb 2010 - Defense secretary dismisses Iran's claims uranium swap could be agreed in near future.
Lebanon finds crash jet recorders
AlJazeera 6 Feb 2010 - Divers retrieving black boxes but "will take time", transportation minister says.
Alternative Information Center
Berlusconi, Israel and the Big BrotherAlternative Information Center 5 Feb 2010 - After the three-day visit of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to Israel and a short visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a judgement is due. Berlusconi came with a large Italian ministry delegation (Foreign Minister Franco...
PNN 6 Feb 2010 - I like to travel and when I travel, I like to have a guide book. Here in Jerusalem, that guide book is the Tanah, the Bible. This is how guide Asher Altshul likes to start his tours at the expansive City of David archaeological site in Jerusalem. The site stretches along and down one of Jerusalem's hills, just outside the Old City....
Palestinians still waiting for right to use Highway 443
PNN 6 Feb 2010 - JERUSALEM // They start just after the Israeli checkpoint near the city of Modi’in, along this fast, scenic motorway that connects Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. All along the hilly road, vast concrete boulders, rubble heaps and piles of rubbish barricade access from several Palestinian villages. At one such barrier at the village of Beit Sira, cars with Israeli registration plates deposit groups of...
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Senior officer: This is a completely secure network, impossible to hack into.”
IDF purchases ATVs for risky transport
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Plan to enable soldiers to carry large amounts of equipment into enemy territory and operate independently.
‘Post’ stops Chazan column after legal threat
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - New Israel Fund and its president Chazan threaten legal action against 'Post' after running advertisement.
Israel 'satisfied' with UN chief's report on Gaza probes
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - No long a sense of urgency in Jerusalem to combat fallout from Goldstone Report.
Western powers reject Iran nuke proposal
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Germany: Teheran is playing for time; US is losing patience, Gates says.
IDF considers using BlackBerry for military network
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - “This is a completely secure network that is impossible to hack into,” a senior officer in the IDF’s C4I Directorate explained.
Syria: We're ready for peace or war
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Official paper accuses Israel of having "no intention" to take path of peace.
Gaza key power plant could shut over money row
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - EU starts scaling back funds, says it wants PA to find other ways to pay for fuel; PA demanding Hamas pay its share.
‘Mabhouh died after interview'
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Israel allegedly identified senior Hamas operative on Al-Jazeera.
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 5 (IPS) - Gazans hoping for a modicum of justice following Israel’s indiscriminate military assault on the coastal territory during December 2008 and January 2009 - which left 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dead - could be waiting in vain.
EGYPT: Minimum Wage Not Enough
IPS CAIRO, Feb 4 (IPS) - A stalemate between labour unions and business associations is preventing Egyptian authorities from setting a minimum wage that could improve the lot of millions of citizens living in poverty.
MIDEAST: Raze Illegal Buildings - Unless They Are Jewish
IPS SILWAN, Occupied East Jerusalem, Feb 3 (IPS) - Backed by armed security men, the municipal inspectors race their jeeps through the narrow alleyways and up a hillside crowded with buildings.
MIDEAST: Corrupt Arab Regimes - Who is to Blame?
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 2 (IPS) - The Mideast continues to be plagued by autocratic Arab regimes where human rights, democracy and freedom of speech are a pipe dream for the average citizen. But who is to blame and what can be done to amend this situation?
International Solidarity Movement
Mohammad Khatib released as 3 more arrested in Bil’in night raids2/6/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Bil'in Popular Committee Against Wall and Settlements, 3 February - Mohammed Khatib of the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements was released from jail on Wednesday night Feb. 3rd, 2010. The military had taken Khatib from his home in Bilin on January 28th for allegedly not complying with legal conditions from a arrest in 2009. He was released on a bail of 10,000 Israeli shekels, with the condition of not participating in any of the weekly protests. He must appear at the nearest Israeli police station every Friday between 12:00- 5:00pm. The night of Khatib's release, the Israeli military conducted their second raid of the month in Bilin Village. Ibrahim Burnat a resident of Bilin and activist against the wall was arrested in his home early Thursday morning, along with local photojournalist Hamde Abu Rahmeh and an international journalist who were documenting the invasion.
Zvi Bar'el / Peace with Syria no less vital than stopping Iran's bomb
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Ehud Barak said what he had to say, Bashar Assad did not understand or maybe he did, Avigdor Lieberman uttered his usual concoction, Benjamin Netanyahu explained that "we want peace," and life is good. Everything is all right. This week's ruckus is over. All that remains is the media circus. Because war, we should recall, is not something Israel does in winter. ...
UN likely to refer Goldstone findings to The Hague
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Sources in New York said Saturday that in all likelihood the United Nations General Assembly will convene to discuss the report transmitted Friday by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the GA and to member states on the responses by Israel and Hamas to the fact-finding mission on Operation Cast Lead led by Justice Richard Goldstone. The UN is likely to refer the findings of the Goldstone report to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. ...
'Hezbollah raises alert level in Lebanon'
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Hezbollah has raised its state of alert in Lebanon following the recent war of words between Israeli and Syrian officials, according to a report by the Beirut correspondent of Saudi daily Al-Okaz. ...
Deputy FM Ayalon shakes hands with Saudi prince in rare gesture
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - In a rare occurrence, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon shook the hand of Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki al-Faisal during the annual security conference in Munich on Saturday. The handshake was preceded by the prince's attempts at avoiding participation in a panel alongside Ayalon, a consequent uproar and a sharp American condemnation of the Saudi behavior. ...
U.S. Senator Lieberman: Impose sanctions on Iran or attack it
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - IAEA chief seeks accelerated talks with Tehran over proposed uranium enrichment outside Iran.
The Guardian 5 Feb 2010 - Playwright Amir Nizar Zuabi on how growing up in Galilee after the 1948 conflict inspired his latest theatre piece, I Am Yusuf and This Is My Brother Andrew Dickson Mustafa Khalili Laurence Topham
Christian Aid's anti-Israel blunders | Adam Levick
The Guardian 5 Feb 2010 - By hosting vicious attacks on Israel, Christian Aid is destroying its reputation as a non-partisan charitable organisation Christian Aid, one of the world's largest anti-poverty NGOs, chose 27 January, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, to issue a...
Peace with Syria still in Israel's sights
The Guardian 5 Feb 2010 - It might be wishful thinking, but some in Israel believe the time is ripe to push for a deal with Damascus It is hardly news that Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's rightwing foreign minister, is a bruiser who...
Chilcot will change the way Muslims see the west | Karen Armstrong
The Guardian 5 Feb 2010 - If there is any hint of whitewash in the Iraq inquiry, it will only exacerbate an already inflamed situation As we watch the unfolding drama of the Chilcot inquiry, we should be aware that this is...
Netanyahu slaps down minister to end war of words with Syria
The Guardian 4 Feb 2010 - Israeli prime minister rebukes foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, for threat directed at Syrian president Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has slapped down his controversial foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, for warning President Bashar al-Assad of Syria that...
Israel's dual reality | Aluf Benn
The Guardian 4 Feb 2010 - Israelis believe in peace, yet the Palestinian issue is met with apathy except by our leaders, who see it just as a PR problem Israel's image problem abroad is down to one issue: the stark and...
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - The suspect pedophile arrested early last week came to the attention of police after the parents of an 8-year-old girl complained to the webmaster of a children's Web site that a man identifying himself as a 25-year-old had been communicating with her on the site's forum. ...
Going to sleep in Israel, waking up in Lebanon
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - It was only when the sun rose on Tuesday morning that the inhabitants of Ghajar ascertained their village was still in Israel and had not gone over to some other sovereignty during the night. The United Nations soldiers had not yet fanned out into the streets, and the Israel Defense Forces soldiers were still manning their nearby positions. ...
Chazan associates: JPost is harming freedom of speech
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Associates of Prof. Naomi Chazan attacked the Jerusalem Post Saturday in the wake of the English-language daily's decision to fire the former Meretz MK who is at the center of a right-wing campaign against the New Israel Fund, of which Chazan is president. ...
A fascist state under the cover of Zionism
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Binyamin Ze'ev is turning in his grave once again: A McCarthyite movement has taken his best-known slogan for its name. Im Tirtzu, which deceptively calls itself a "moderate, centrist movement," gives a bad name to Herzl, a democrat and liberal, who coined the phrase "Im tirtzu, ain zo agada" (If you will it, it is no dream). The group's latest trick: a dirty war against the New Israel Fund for its funding of 16 organizations that provided documentation used in the Goldstone report. ...
Actor in Oscar-nominated Israeli film Ajami arrested
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Tony Copti, a supporting actor in the Oscar-nominated Israeli film Ajami and brother of Ajami co-director Scandar Copti, was arrested Saturday evening along with another brother for allegedly assaulting police officers during a brawl in Jaffa, and released several hours later. ...
Relief Web 6 Feb 2010 - Source: Human Rights Watch
Hamas 'regrets' civilian deaths, Israel unmoved
Relief Web 5 Feb 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
Follow-up to the report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict: Report of the Secretary-General (A/64/651)
Relief Web 5 Feb 2010 - Source: UN General Assembly
PCHR Expresses Grave Concern Regarding Credibility of Investigations Carried Out in Response to Recommendations of the Goldstone Report
Relief Web 5 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Bomb Detonated near ICRC Convoy in Northern Gaza Strip
Relief Web 5 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn
Relief Web 5 Feb 2010 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Networks
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Two Israeli missile boats pass through Egypt's Suez Canal en route to Red Sea, according to Arab media reports; Cairo adopts strict security measures to ensure ships' safety. Egyptian sources estimate vessels headed to Persian Gulf
70 Palestinian illegal aliens found in truck
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Veteran police officers stunned after stopping suspicious truck at impromptu roadblock
Iran lauds 'very good meeting' with IAEA chief
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Iranian foreign minister sounds positive, but says Tehran insists on determining amount of fuel to be exchanged under deal with West
Hamas backtracks on missile apology
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Hamas distances itself from earlier statement of regret over Israeli casualties in Gaza war
2 children hurt in Golan mine explosion; boy in serious condition
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Family from central Israel enters minefield near Mount Avital; 11-year-old's foot severed in blast, his sister sustains moderate wounds; three others suffer from shock
Obama security adviser: Sanctions looming for Iran
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - In Munich, Jones says Tehran must meet its responsibilities or face wider sanctions, increased isolation. US Defense Secretary Gates says Tehran has done nothing to reassure international community it is willing to stop progress towards nuclear weapon
Report: Hezbollah raises alert level
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Lebanese sources tell Saudi paper Shiite group fears heightened tensions between Jerusalem and Damascus may lead to Israeli strike
3 Feb 2010 - The report praises the military's investigative and judicial systems, ignoring essential flaws in their operation. To date, only one soldier who participated in Operation Cast Lead has been prosecuted - for stealing a credit card. B'Tselem again urges Isr...
Palestinian Information Center
We need an honest commission of inquiry to establish the truthPIC 7 Feb 2010 - The recent visit to the Gaza Strip by Fatah leader Nabil Sha’ath should be a welcome first step toward Palestinian national reconciliation.
Friends of humanity: 2009 the worst ever in the history of Palestinian detainees
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Friends of humanity organization reported Saturday that 2009 was the worst year ever in the history of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
UN report: Israel continues violations against Palestinians
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - OCHA issued a report Saturday accusing the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) of violating human rights of the Palestinian people and destroying tens of their homes without justification.
Haneyya gov't: We did not apologize in our response to Goldstone report
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian government under premier Ismail Haneyya underlined that resistance is a legitimate right for all Palestinians in face of occupation and aggression as endorsed by international laws.
IOA allocates 15 billion US dollars to Judaize Jerusalem by 2020
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - The Muslim-Christian commission for supporting the Aqsa and holy shrines in Palestine has exposed Saturday an Israeli scheme to completely Judaize the occupied city of Jerusalem by the year 2020.
Khudari: The US administration unserious about its call for easing Gaza siege
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari said that the US administration is not fair in its dealing with the Palestinian people and not serious about its call on Israel to ease its blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian journalist: Sha'ath visit to Gaza serves as a tranquilizer
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Ibrahim Al-Darawi opined that the visit of Fatah official Nabil Sha'ath to Gaza Strip was meant to calm the Palestinian public for a while till the futile negotiations process is re-endorsed.
Israeli gunboats fire at Palestinian fishing boats
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Israeli navy gunboats attacked Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of northern Gaza Strip on Saturday but no casualties were reported.
Dubai to issue arrest warrant against Netanyahu if Mossad involvement proven
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - "The National" newspaper has revealed that Dubai police would issue an arrest warrant against Netanyahu if the Israeli Mossad was behind the killing of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh two weeks ago in Dubai.
Surani: Ban Ki-moon’s speech is imprecise
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Palestinian center for human rights director Raji Al-Surani said that the speech of Ban Ki-moon on the Palestinian and Israeli response to Goldstone report is inaccurate and full of sophistries.
LA Times 7 Feb 2010 - As the majority Muslim nation turns more conservative, the Christian minority, which has lived in relative peace for centuries, faces an uncertain future. Recent killings and riots add to the fear. Father Metyas Mankarios ministers to garbage men and runs a newspaper for Coptic Christians from an office crammed with brittle archives above vegetable sellers and fishmongers barking out prices along the muddy roads of a Cairo neighborhood.
Robert Gates says Iran's response to nuclear proposal is disappointing
LA Times 7 Feb 2010 - Defense Secretary Gates urges tougher sanctions as Iranian officials offer conflicting messages on the proposed deal to swap uranium for fuel plates. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and a conservative official in Tehran found something they could agree on Saturday, as each dismissed the Iranian foreign minister's suggestion that a deal was near on Iran's nuclear program.
Exploring Iran via its cinema
LA Times 5 Feb 2010 - The UCLA Film & Television Archive's 20th annual celebration of the country's art-house offerings affords what is for many a rare glimpse inside the country's psyche as well as its borders. For the past two decades, the UCLA Film & Television Archive has been presenting the preeminent in Iranian art-house cinema -- highly personal, moving, contentious and even controversial films dealing with day-to-day life, social mores, religion and war.
New York Times 6 Feb 2010 - The United States and Germany rejected Iran’s assertion that it was close to accepting an international compromise on enriching uranium abroad.
Iran May Be Near Uranium Deal
New York Times 6 Feb 2010 - The West may balk at Tehran’s condition: that it set the amounts of uranium to be enriched.
Hamas Insists Rockets Were Not Aimed at Civilians
New York Times 5 Feb 2010 - Hamas insists that it did not intentionally aim rockets at Israeli civilians during the Gaza war last winter, according to a report submitted this week to a United Nations office in Gaza.
Israeli Minister Adds Heat to Exchange With Syria
New York Times 5 Feb 2010 - Israel’s foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, warned Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, that the Assad family would lose power in any war with Israel.
China Renews Opposition to Iran Sanctions
New York Times 5 Feb 2010 - Adding to tension between Washington and Beijing, China said that pressure for tighter sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program could impact chances of settling the dispute.
In Response to Iran’s Nuclear Program, German Firms Are Slowly Pulling Out
New York Times 4 Feb 2010 - As the United States and Israel press to tighten sanctions against Iran, some German companies are winding down operations there or operating through third countries.
Palestine Monitor - 6 Feb 2010 - Local and international activists braved foul weather conditions to demonstrate in villages up and down the West Bank yesterday. As further evidence of the popular struggle's growing power, each protest went ahead as planned. Here's a video round-up of what happened. Bilin Thierry Vallat led an...
Blair says Israelis were in on pre-war planning
Mondoweiss - 6 Feb 2010 - Remember when Mearsheimer and Walt were called deluded anti-Semites? A choice tidbit from Mehdi Hasan’s blog on the New Statesman’s website re: Tony Blair’s testimony in the Iraq War Inquiry: The most unforgivable, outrageous and bizarre moment of the day occurred when Blair, for some inexplicable...
Jews are rich elitists, ‘Commentary’ says
Mondoweiss - 6 Feb 2010 - Last month Commentary published a piece called "Why Jews Hate Palin" that I greatly appreciated. Written by Jennifer Rubin, the piece directly addressed sociological issues that I often raise about my tribe: we’re incredibly privileged, and not very humble, and our political values tend to be...
status, radicalism, & happiness
Mondoweiss - 6 Feb 2010 - I grew up in a liberal Jewish academic community. Everyone was smart, everyone did well. My parents’ friends are in their late 70s/80s now and all have two houses and good lifestyles. Yet they regard themselves as Jewish outsiders– an understanding cemented by their youthful experience...
I wish journalists would interview Jim Crow whites about how/why they changed
Mondoweiss - 6 Feb 2010 - Last night NBC Nightly News did a moving report on one of the black students who helped desegregate Little Rock Central H.S. more than 50 years ago. Her daughter is now a parks officer who conducts tours of the site. Very inspiring. The mother was such...
‘AP’ misquoted UN Sec’y Gen’l as praising Israel
Mondoweiss - 6 Feb 2010 - Here’s a weird story. And I think we have the internet to thank for discovering the weirdness. Last night the New York Times printed an AP story about the United Nations’ followup to the Goldstone report, titled "UN Chief Praises Israel Probe of Its Gaza Actions."...
Berlusconi, Israel and the Big Brother
Alternative Information Center - 5 Feb 2010 - After the three-day visit of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to Israel and a short visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a judgement is due. Berlusconi came with a large Italian ministry delegation (Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti, Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa,...
Articles
When Israel joins NATO
Galal Nassar, Al-Ahram Weekly 2/4/2010
If Israel succeeds in joining NATO, its regional belligerency would be backed by the collective strength of the entire alliance. Before that happens, will the Arabs react?
Israel wants to be a member of NATO. It no longer looks down its nose at military alliances. It no longer wants to stay away from Western military arrangements. It wants in.
A majority of Israelis believe NATO membership would boost Israel’s security as well as NATO’s strategic power. Interestingly enough, there has been no Arab reaction to Israel’s desire to join NATO, no Arab attempt to block the move, and no preparations to deal with its consequences.
Israel and NATO have grown closer over the past decade or so. In 2000, NATO expanded its Mediterranean Dialogue through talks with seven countries from the Middle East and North Africa; namely, Egypt, Israel, Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania. In 2004, NATO- Mediterranean talks were held under the name "Partnership for Peace". Six new countries were included in the new dialogue: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Israel, in particular, was eager to use every opportunity the Partnership for Peace had to offer.
On 24 February 2005, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer became NATO’s first secretary-general to visit Israel. In the following month, NATO and Israel held their first joint military drills in the Red Sea. Within weeks, a flotilla of six NATO ships called on the Israeli port of Eilat. Israel (and Jordan) also took part for the first time in joint military drills held within the Partnership for Peace programme in Macedonia in the former Yugoslavia in February 2005. more.. e-mail
Amid row over contentious ad, Jerusalem Post fires Naomi Chazan of New Israel Fund
Jonathan Lis, Haaretz, Israeli Occupation Archive 2/5/2010
“They’re using me to attack in the most blatant way the basic principles of democracy and the values of the Declaration of Independence: Values of equality, tolerance, social justice and freedom of speech,” she added. On Thursday, Chazan received an e-mail from Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief David Horovitz, informing her the newspaper would cease publishing her column. Chazan had provided the daily with one of its few leftist voices in recent years.
The broadside campaign by the Im Tirtzu movement against the New Israel Fund caught its president, Professor Naomi Chazan, in New York, where she traveled to chair a meeting of the fund’s board of trustees, scheduled months in advance.
“I’ve seen everything,” she said in a phone interview this week of the posters released by the movement depicting her with a horn emerging from her forehead and labeling her Naomi Goldstone Chazan. “I don’t know why they chose me – I can think of plenty of human rights supporters they could pick on. But I’m ever so proud to be a symbol of Israeli democracy. No doubt about it.”
“They’re using me to attack in the most blatant way the basic principles of democracy and the values of the Declaration of Independence: Values of equality, tolerance, social justice and freedom of speech,” she added.
On Thursday, Chazan received an e-mail from Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief David Horovitz, informing her the newspaper would cease publishing her column. more.. e-mail
Putting peace front and centre
James Zogby, Al-Ahram Weekly 2/4/2010
To get Middle East peace back on the agenda, the Arabs need to seize the initiative
As we mark one year into the Obama era, several realities have become painfully clear.
First, there are limits to what a US president is willing or able to do. Obama began his term in a rush to advance Israeli- Palestinian peace, which he claimed was in "America’s national security interests". One year later he appears no longer in a rush. In recent interviews he has analysed the reasons for the failure to make progress and he pointedly ignored any mentioning of the issue in his State of the Union speech. What, of course, is distressing is that in addressing other unrealised priorities he set for his first year (healthcare reform, reform of the banking industry, and energy/climate change), the president has made clear his determination to fight "the lobbyists and special interests" standing in the way of change. There are no indications he’ll extend this same fighting spirit to Middle East peace. His team, headed by George Mitchell, will continue to work in the field, but for now, with a sluggish economy, still staggeringly high unemployment, and congressional elections in November, unless an unlikely "breakthrough" is in the offing, Obama will direct his personal energies to issues uppermost in the minds of voters.
Second, both the Israeli and Palestinian political situations have become seriously dysfunctional. Obama alluded to this in recent interviews and at a town hall session in Florida last week. This problem is even more significant than the president suggested. Israeli hardliners and religiously fanatical settlers pose a serious threat not only to Palestinians, but also to any Israeli government that tries to uproot West Bank settlements. They are a "civil war in the making" and the danger they pose must be recognised and confronted.... more.. e-mail
Israel slaps six-month travel ban on Palestinian map expert
Electronic Intifada: 5 Feb 2010 - Citing "security reasons" -- the ubiquitous and unanswerable catch-all phrase against which it is almost impossible to mount any defense -- Israel's Ministry of the Interior has just issued a six-month travel ban on map expert Khalil Tafakji. Tafakji, like almost all other Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, is a "permanent resident," but not a citizen of Israel. Marian Houk reports.
Pressure continues on Veolia and Alstom to halt light rail project
Electronic Intifada: 5 Feb 2010 - French transport giants Veolia and Alstom are involved in the construction and running of a light rail line which connects West Jerusalem to several illegal settlements in or surrounding occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem. The light rail project is part of the "Jerusalem Transportation Master Plan" sponsored by the Israeli government and the Jerusalem municipality. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada.
Palestine Monitor: 6 Feb 2010 - Local and international activists braved foul weather conditions to demonstrate in villages up and down the West Bank yesterday. As further evidence of the popular struggle's growing power, each protest went ahead as planned. Here's a video round-up of what happened. Bilin Thierry Vallat led an EU delegation joining the march of around a hundred people. Soldiers dispersed the protest with high velocity tear gas canisters, resulting in injuries to three men, two were named as Ashraf al-Khatib, and Hamde Abu Rahma, the other an unnamed European activist. Soldiers then stormed the village but failed in arrest attempts. As part of the army's zero tolerance policy toward protests, resident and activist Ibrahim Burnat, 27, became the 36th resident of Bilin to be arrested in the past seven months, in a night raid on Wednesday. Ni'lin A group of around 200 blocked the gate and raised the Palestinian flag on the...
Palestine Chronicle: 5 Feb 2010 - By Shafiq Morton If you're a budding student of surrealism, I would recommend Israel. It will prove to be your greatest project. I can assure you that Israel's bizarre political landscape will provide you with material beyond your wildest dreams. Described by the Oxford dictionary as an “expression of the sub-conscious mind through imagery”, surrealism communicates its meaning through absurd, irrational and capricious nonsense. It is a metaphor in which nothing is what it seems. And if we weren’t addressing one of the modern era’s most vexing conflicts, we would all be laughing by now. For the issue of Erez Israel, the “greater” Israel, is a serious one. For those of us who might need reminding, Israel was the political end-result of a project; a project initiated by European Jewish secularists at the end of the 1800’s to create a Jewish homeland. Whilst this aspiration (called Zionism) was initially seen as a noble end in itself, its means – the Palestinian people being displaced at the point of a gun – has become, as Nelson Mandela once said, one of the world’s biggest unresolved questions. This is because for its most ardent and unbending disciples, Zionism in the 21st century has morphed into a golden calf. This is why in its inviolable, idolatrous name Gaza can be bombed and besieged, and why helicopters can murder Hamas leaders from the sky. Zionist reasoning is that if you question Zionism, you strike at the heart of a mythical, homogenous “collective Jew”. That...
Cracks in Israel's Armor
Palestine Chronicle: 5 Feb 2010 - By James Gundun – Washington America and Israel are fond of comparing similarities. Religious persecution, the desire to found new worlds, democracy, high technology - they seem to share all their strengths. They share a few critical weaknesses too. Stubbornness is one of them. The Israeli press claims a fierce internal debate remains undecided on outside examination into Operation Lead Cast, but this may not be relevant. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly favors independent investigations from the military as recommended by the Justice and Foreign ministries. Except he’s is trying to clear Israel’s name in the West, hardly to understand and rectify its failings during the Gaza War. Netanyahu’s inner position likely corresponds with Defense Secretary Ehud Barak, who by the nature of his position must resist vetting from civilians or foreigners. Israel’s recent 52-page update to the UN came with Barak’s personal opinion that, “All of the soldiers and officers whom we sent to battle need to know that the state of Israel stands behind them even on the day after. The Goldstone Report is a distorted, false, and irresponsible report." This latest reply perpetuates a creeping reality that Israel’s strategic foresight doesn’t reach its lofty tactical ability. Consciously or not, Israel has mimicked the American style of warfare. A premium is placed on military technology while the international community is leveraged for every penny - then cast away at the slightest inconvenience. American thinking, evolving but still dominated by the military battlefield, often fails to grasp the totality...