News
International Middle East Media Center
Israel extends West Bank closure until Tuesday
IMEMC – Sunday March 14, 2010 – 20:25, Israeli security forces announced that a full closure on the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank would be extended until Tuesday, supposedly to protect a group of Israeli settlers as they begin construction of a Jewish synagogue on stolen Palestinian land in the Old City of Jerusalem.
US issues stern warning to Israel due to ongoing settlement expansion
IMEMC – Sunday March 14, 2010 – 10:19, In his latest waver back and forth on the issue of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, US President Barack Obama issued a warning Friday night to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, saying that he wants the Israeli leader to show that he is “serious about peace” by halting settlement construction.
Israeli settlers tear up olive grove, uprooting 40 trees near Nablus
IMEMC – Saturday March 13, 2010 – 10:21, Local municipal officials in the Palestinian Authority reported Friday morning that overnight, a group of Israeli settlers had ambushed a Palestinian olive grove in the town of Qaryut, uprooting and completely destroying 40 trees.
Israeli Police Crackdown On Protesters In East Jerusalem, Eleven Civilians Arrested
IMEMC – Friday March 12, 2010 – 16:45, Eleven protesters were arrested by Israeli officers are they crackdown of a protest organized by Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
Protesters Carry Photos of ISM Activist During Weekly Nil’in Protest One Year On From Injury
IMEMC – Friday March 12, 2010 – 15:27, Dozens of protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation, this Friday, following the weekly demonstration in the central West Bank village of Nil’in, near Ramallah.
Two Injured, Dozens Suffer Effects Of Tear Gas Inhalation At The Bil’in Weekly
IMEMC – Friday March 12, 2010 – 15:13, Two civilians were injured as dozens suffered from the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked the weekly anti wall protest at the village of Bil’in, central West Bank.
Clashes Erupt At Jerusalem’s Old City
IMEMC – Friday March 12, 2010 – 14:57, Clashes erupted, on Friday afternoon, at Jerusalem’s old city between local youths and Israeli soldiers after the later prevented people for praying.
Al-Ma’sara Village, Southern West Bank, Protest The Israeli Built Wall
IMEMC – Friday March 12, 2010 – 14:41, Villagers of al-Ma’sara, near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, protested on Friday the Israeli built wall on villagers’ lands.
Palestinians Demand Entry to Jerusalem without permits during the Holy Week of Easter
IMEMC – Friday March 12, 2010 – 13:12, Palestinian Christian organizations, figures and many other Palestinians from the Jerusalem and the surrounding area have sent a letter on March 4, to the heads of churches in Jerusalem, demanding them to encourage all Christians in Palestine to enter Jerusalem for the Easter celebrations without applying for permits from the Israeli authorities.
Barak Orders Full Closure on Jerusalem, West Bank
IMEMC – Friday March 12, 2010 – 12:26, Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, ordered a full siege on Jerusalem and the West Bank starting on Thursday night after night. His decision was made after the Israeli Police warned of the possibility of clashes in Jerusalem.
PA official: Israel orders demolition of Nablus mosque
3/14/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli authorities ordered the demolition of a mosque under construction in the northern West Bank village of Burin on Sunday, head of the Palestinian Authority’s settlement portfolio said. Ghassan Daghlas told Ma’an that the Israeli Civil Administration issued a stop-order on works at the Salman Al-Farisi Mosque, which consists of three floors, ordering the demolition of the mosque’s already built structures. The order was issued under the pretext that the mosque’s renovations were undertaken without the necessary licence, Daghlas said. The PA official said Israel’s decision was a “dangerous procedure,” unprecedented during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Palestinian lawyer Tawfiq Jabarin, who has taken on the case, told Ma’an that the Israeli Construction and Structure department in Beit El, an Israeli settlement in Ramallah, issued the demolition order.
Families denied prison visits as West Bank closure continues
3/14/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – The Israeli Prison Services cancelled all family visits on Sunday to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody until the West Bank’s lockdown is lifted. The International Red Cross said family visits to the Negev and Ashkelon prions in Israel were annulled, while Monday’s visit to HaSharon, Hadarim, Rimonim, as well as Ashkehlon will also be cancelled as a result of the West Bank’s closure. As a result of the West Bank’s closure, families wishing to visit imprisoned relatives will not be allowed entry into Israel. Under the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, detainees cannot be transferred to prisons in Israel. [end]
Locals: Israeli forces training in Jordan Valley
3/14/2010 – Tubas – Ma’an – The Israeli army carried out a number of military drills in the Jordan Valley, deploying warplanes, tanks and ground troops in the exercise on Sunday, locals reported. Palestinian farmers told Ma’an that “Israeli forces raided the lands planted with wheat and vegetables, declaring a military zone and preventing us from accessing our lands. “They added that Israeli helicopters were seen hovering at low levels over the area. Jordan Valley residents appealed to President Mahmoud Abbas, and caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, to follow up on Israeli forces preventing farmers from reaching their lands, as they constitute their main livelihood. Residents said the Israeli army is working to expel them from the area by declaring closed military zones for training. Randa Hassan, a project coordinator for Survival Is Resistance in the Jordan Valley said “carrying out military drills. . . “
Settlers destroy Palestinian properties near Nablus
3/14/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Settlers from the illegal Israeli settlement of Yitzhar south of Nablus in the northern West Bank destroyed Palestinian properties in the nearby area of Ash-Shamiyyat between the villages of Urif and Einabuson Sunday. Fawzi Shehada, head of the village council of Urif told Ma’an that “more than 20 settlers from Yitzhar tried to block the road between Urif and Einabus after they destroyedplants and chopped down several trees. “ He affirmed that confrontations erupted between local residents and settlers. Shehada added that “Israeli forces raided the village after the incident and detained 15-year old Mustafa Fuad Abdullah Sabbah and took him to unknown direction. “An Israeli military spokesman said he would look into the incident. . . . .
Israeli forces attack anti-wall rally near Bethlehem
3/14/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces attacked on Sunday a non-violent demonstration in the southern West Bank townof Beit Jala near Bethlehem in protest against separation wall construction in the area, according to eyewitnesses. International and Israeli solidarityactivists joined the rally which was organized by the Bethlehem anti-wall and settlements committee. Fatah affiliated lawmaker Fayiz As-Saqa partook in the rally along with local Fatah leader Abdul-Fattah Khalil and Palestinian peace activist from inside Israel Mubarak Awad. Israeli soldiers, according to eyewitnesses, fired stun grenades at the demonstrators when they came close to the work site. As a result,Fatah leader Abdul-Fattah Khalil was slightly hurt by shrapnel of a stun grenade. Israeli soldiers prevented the protestors from reaching the work site, thus protestorssat on the ground chanting slogans against building the wall.
Israel detains top Hamas leader in Ramallah
3/14/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained a top Hamas leader during a raid in the West Bank city of Ramallah early Sunday morning, the Israeli army said. Mahir Uda, 47, was seized from the village of Beir Nabala south of Ramallah. A military statement said Uda had been wanted by Israeli intelligence for over a decade, suspected of planning and executing the 9 September 2003 simultaneous bombings of a Cafe Hillel in Jerusalem and a bus stop near the Tzrifin military base in central Israel. The Israeli army said the Hamas official was was detained by Palestinian Authority Security Services in 1998, but was shortly released after. The detention on Saturday was a joint effort undertaken by the Israeli army, Israeli police and the Shin Bet security service. According to the Israeli army, Uda’s “arrest is the final stage of thwarting Hamas’ military headquarters in Ramallah, which executed. . . “
Rights center: Restrictions in Jerusalem continue
3/14/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israeli authorities continued imposing entrance restrictions on Palestinian Jerusalemites on Sunday in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights reported. An age limited remains in place for the third consecutive day for Palestinians wishing to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City, with individuals over 50 only being allowed entry. The JCSER said Israeli police and border guards stormed most of the Old City’s stalls, restaurants, coffee shops, and internet cafes. The soldiers confiscated the ID cards of all shop owners who do not live in the Old City, telling them their papers would be returned by Israeli forces manning checkpoints into Damascus Gate and Herod’s Gate, the center said. Several complaints have been filed by Palestinian shop-owners in the Old City, the JCSER asserted, who were prevented from opening up. . .
West Bank lockdown extended
3/14/2010 – Bethelehem – Ma’an – Israeli authorities extended a closure of the West Bank on Saturday evening as restrictions on Palestinian entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound remain in place. The closure, expected to end on Saturday night, was extended until Tuesday “In accordance with the directives of the Minister of Defense, Mr. Ehud Barak, and following additional situation assessments adopted by the defense establishment,” an Israeli military statement read. The military said people who will need to pass for humanitarian reasons, including medical patients en route for treatment, 1,500 medical workers, 1,100 religious workers, 550 teachers and other professional groups “will be permitted to cross subject to the authorization of the Civil Administration. The transfer of merchandise will operate regularly. “ Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Center for Civil and Economic Rights said Israeli forces continue. . .
Locals: Israeli forces raid Bethlehem, detain elderly man, son
3/14/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces raided the Duheisha refugee camp south of Bethlehem and other neighborhoods of the city, detained an elderly man and his son, causing damage to Palestinian properties, locals said. Locals told Ma’an that Israeli troops detained Muhammad Hammad, 60, and his son 30, as hostages until Hammad’s other son, Hamza, turns himself in to Israeli security services. In the Duheisha refugee camp, Israeli military vehicles struck and destroyed two cars belonging to the Mufti of Bethlehem Sheikh Abdul-Majid Ata Amarneh and his brother Mahmoud. Mahmoud Amarneh told Ma’an that Israeli military vehicles deliberately hit the Mufti’s car which was parked near the house, pushing it until it was crushed against a second car. In the same regard, Israeli forces stormed Wadi Shahin and Hindaza neighborhoods southeastBethlehem and ransacked several Palestinian homes, witnesses said.
Gaza man marks 4 years of lower body amputation
3/14/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A Gaza amputee from Shuja’iyya in Gaza City marked the fourth anniversary of his critical injury by reciting verses of the Quran at the site where his limbs are buried. Khaled Yousif had both legs amputated to the hip bone after he was injured in 2006 when Israeli forces invaded the city. Yousif informed his family that he wishes to be buried in the same grave where his limbs rest, upon his death. Yousif’s mother told Ma’an that her son is in need of prosthetic limbs. While he had originally received artificial limbs, traveling to Egypt to receive treatment, Yousif was unable to carry their weight. Nash’at Al-Wahidi, coordinator for the popular prisoners’ support movement and Palestinian rights, said President Mahmoud Abbas had arranged for Yousif to receive artificial limbs in Germany, but has been unable to travel for treatment.
West Bank university staff declare hunger strike, 6 days of protest
3/14/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – The Union of University Employees in the West Bank announced an escalation in industrial action on Sunday, with six days of strikes to begin on Wednesday. The latest decision will include a two-day hunger strike and the complete suspension of classes, the union announced, after the Ministry of Higher Education failed to respond to their demands, employing a “foot dragging policy,” a statement read. The union said the following action will be taken by university staff in the West Bank, agreed upon during a meeting on Tuesday:Wednesday will see the suspension of classes, a sit-in by all university staff across the West Bank in Birzeit University, near Ramallah. Following which, a two-day hunger strike will commence;From 24 March, a two-day general strike will be held in all Palestinian universities;Between 29 and 3 March, the strike will continue, with no staff attending university their respective university campus.
Zahhar: Prisoner swap talks impossible unless Hamas demands are met
3/14/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar said on Sunday that “return to negotiations over captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit would be impossible unless Hamas demands are met. “ Zahhar’s comments came during a panelheld at the Islamic University in Gaza city discussing the future of the question of Palestine inlight of current political developments. He said, “ the Arab countrys’ attitude towards the question of Palestine is currently one of division rather than unity. Defeating the Zionist-American project in addition to Arab and Islamic consensus are prerequisites for backing the Palestinians. “ “We can’t keep the question of Palestine dependent on causes of Arab countries, neighboring countries, and human right groups, because these are obstacles,” he added. The Hamas leader noted that “indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authoritybegan to meet obstacles as. . . “
1 Gaza crossing partially open, flower export permitted
3/14/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli authorities partially opened the Kerem Shalom crossing into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, allowing the limited transfer of aid and export of flowers, Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said. Between 66 and 76 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial goods will enter the southern crossing, including two trucks carrying supplies for Gaza’s sole power station, Fattouh explained. Limited amounts of domestic gas and induestrial fuel will be transferred via the Kerem Shalom crossing, Fattouh added. As Gaza’s strawberry season ends, three trucks of cut carnations will leave the same terminal for local and international export, the official said. Meanwhile, the Karni crossing, Gaza’s second goods terminal, will remain closed, Fattouh concluded. . . . .
Egypt sends rice to Gaza through Al-Auja crossing
3/14/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egyptian authorities permitted the transfer of humanitarian aid on Sunday into the Gaza Strip through the Al-Auja crossing between Israel and Egypt, south of Rafah, a Palestinian Authority representative in Al-Auja said. Amr Hadhud said 200 tons of rice donated by the Egyptian Red Crescent entered Gaza, the first stage of a food donation including 1,500 tons of rice, sugar, and flour. Israel agreed to the Egyptian Red Crescent’s transfer of aid, he said. The remaining foodstuffs will be transferred into Gaza in the coming weeks on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesday. On Sunday, Israeli authorities allowed the limited entry of humanitarian aid and fuel supplies through its southern crossing with Gaza, Kerem Shalom. . . . .
Netanyahu: Settlement timing hurtful, approves Egypt wall
3/14/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers on Sunday that the announcement to build 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem was “hurtful,” and approved the construction of a wall along Egypt’s border. Netanyahu said during his weekly cabinet meeting “I suggest not to get carried away and to calm down. . . There was a regrettable incident here, that occurred innocently. “The annoucement followed US Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in a bid to renew peace efforts in the region. Biden turned up 90 minutes late to a state dinner hosted by Netanyahu after the latest build in East Jerusalem was declared by Israel’s Interior Ministry. “[It] was hurtful, and which certainly should not have occurred. We appointed a team of directors-general to examine the chain of events and to ensure procedures that will prevent such occurrences in the future. . . . “
Omani delegation to enter Gaza via Rafah
3/14/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – A delegation of Omani officials will arrive in Gaza via the Rafah crossing with Egypt on Sunday afternoon, Egyptian security sources said. “Egyptian authorities agreed to allow a donation of one million US dollars in cash from the Sutlan Qabus of Oman – a contribution toward breaking the Israeli imposed siege on Gaza,” sources told Ma’an. The delegation will include the Oman ambassador to Egypt, Sultan Qabus’ envoy Saif bin Naser Al-Barai, and the secretary-general of financial affairs for the Oman Shura Council. Egyptian security sources revealed that Egyptian authorities are preparing for the entry of a Venezuelan aid convoy into the Gaza Strip, headed by President Hugo Chavez. Sources said authorities welcomed the convoy’s decision to visit Gaza and will undertake the according arrangements. . . . .
Israel nabs Hamas leader behind 2003 terror attacks
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Mahar Udda suspected of leading Hamas unit responsible for killing more than 70 Israelis in last 10 years.
High Court rejects petition to stop building in West Bank outpost
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Judge blocks injunction against settlement building for second time in a month.
Palestinians try to breach East Jerusalem checkpoint
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – IDF seals off West Bank for 48 hours; Israel forces arrest one Palestinian for assaulting police.
Why are Israel’s politicians still prevaricating about rocket defense?
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – While citizens of North, South are safer, government stalling is keeping further plans from materializing.
Police to let far-rightists march in East Jerusalem
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Activists led by Baruch Marzel and Itamar Ben-Gvir to protest against illegal Palestinian construction.
UN humanitarian chief warns of disaster if Gaza siege continues
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – John Holmes calls on Israel, Egypt to end Gaza blockade, says siege doesn’t weaken Hamas.
IAF strikes two targets in southern Gaza Strip
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – IDF Spokesperson: Airstrikes launched in response to Qassam rocket attack that hit western Negev kibbutz.
Two IDF soldiers charged with using 9-year-old ‘human shield’ in Gaza war
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – IDF court free soldier convicted of beating Palestinian, rejects demand to return officer to the ranks.
State: IDF not to blame for activist Rachel Corrie’s death
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – State Prosecution asks court to dismiss civil suit filed by U.S. activist’s family against Israel.
UN bomb disposal unit to enter Gaza to neutralize ordnance
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – IDF authorizes UN sapper unit’s entry into Gaza to deal with unexploded arms from Operation Cast Lead.
IDF Chief of Staff: All options on Iran should remain open
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Ashkenazi spoke at Friends of IDF dinner; Protestors outside held signs condemning ‘Israeli war crimes.’
Iran maneuvering Israel in a show of nuclear strength
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Iran concluded that the danger of an Israeli strike of nuclear sites has been neutralized.
IDF arrests Palestinian tractor driver who fled West Bank crash
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Three Israelis injured after tractor slammed into their car; IDF believes incident not terror-related.
U.S. urges caution as Israel okays 112 new West Bank homes
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – State Department says move does not violate freeze; Palestinians: Israel trying to sabotage talks.
PA moves to ban Palestinians from working in settlements
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Economics Min. drafting law he hopes will pass this month; PA already moving against settlement-made goods.
Palestinian boy freed from IDF jail without paying bail
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Hebron teenager had been held for nine days for alleged stone-throwing, after family unable to pay NIS 2,000.
Six Palestinians killed in accident with IDF jeep
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Car swerves off course head-on into IDF armed jeep near Ofra settlement in West Bank.
Report: Hamas admits losing control in Gaza
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Gaza in anarchy as extremist groups challenge Hamas regime, military chief tells Damascus leader.
IDF to release new findings defending Gaza war strike
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Army uses reports by Hamas and Islamic Jihad to justify mosque attack during Operation Cast Lead.
Israel treading carefully to avoid war with Syria
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – IDF cancels part of massive combat training exercise to calm tensions along northern border.
Israel Lands in Public Relations Nightmare
Uruknet March 14, 2010 – Israeli riot police and soldiers have, since Friday, sealed off the Al Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine, restricting entry to women and Palestinian men over 50. Outside the walled Old City, where the Al Aqsa mosque is situated, and in several West Bank villages, clashes were reported between Palestinian protestors, their Israeli and international supporters,…
Israel detains 5 Palestinians without food for 48 hours
Uruknet March 14, 2010 – Palestinian sources revealed today that Israeli occupation forces detained five Palestinians from the village of Nabi Saleh in Ramallah for 48 hours. The IOF handcuffed their hands and did not give the Palestinians any food or drink. The sources said that the five detainees kidnapped from their homes in the early morning, including four brothers, were:…
PFLP: US position on settlements and negotiations is a cover for the crimes of the occupation
Uruknet March 14, 2010 – The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine condemned negotiations of any shape or form with the occupier, saying that what is needed for the Palestinian people is action, not words with the occupier. On March 13, 2010, the PFLP issued a press statement saying that US positions on settlement construction, labeling it as a “negative…
Hizma: A microcosm of a disappearing Palestine
Uruknet March 14, 2010 – Palestinian women clash with Israeli soldiers at the Qalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and occupied East Jerusalem. To the south, Israeli soldiers clash with youth in Beit Ummar, near Hebron. These are the latest manifestations of boiling tensions in the area, sparked by Israel’s announcement of large-scale settlement expansion in Occupied East Jerusalem. Israel has kept the…
West Bank lockdown extended
Uruknet March 14, 2010 – Israeli authorities extended a closure of the West Bank on Saturday evening as restrictions on Palestinian entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound remain in place. The closure, expected to end on Saturday night, was extended until Tuesday “In accordance with the directives of the Minister of Defense, Mr. Ehud Barak, and following additional situation assessments adopted…
Children of Gaza: Scarred, trapped, vengeful
Uruknet March 14, 2010 – Omsyatte adjusts her green school uniform and climbs gingerly on to a desk at the front of the classroom. The shy 12-year-old holds up a brightly coloured picture and begins to explain to her classmates what she has drawn. It is a scene played out in schools all over the world, but for one striking difference:…
Video: Charges on Gaza boy “human shield”
Uruknet March 14, 2010 – Two Israeli soldiers will face charges in an Israeli court for allegedly using a young Palestinian boy as a human shield during the country’s three-week bombardment in Gaza in 2008. Majed Al Rubah, 10, says Israeli troops forcefully took him from his family and made him carry out life-threatening tasks during military operations. Many other Palestinians…
Jail ordeal of hundreds of Palestinian children arrested for throwing stones
Uruknet March 14, 2010 – With more than 300 Palestinian children being held in Israeli prisons, human rights groups and Palestinian officials are increasingly concerned about the actions of the Israeli military. The Israeli group B’Tselem said that security forces had “severely violated” the rights of a number of children, aged between 12 and 15, who had been taken into custody…
Jerusalem burns
Uruknet March 13, 2010 – Once again, Muslim worshipers aged over 50 were not permitted to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the old city of Jerusalem. Palestinian men were obliged to pray on stairs in the large square located in front the Damascus gate, the main access to the Muslim quarter. The whole area was severely restricted to Palestinians. Following the…
Israel Police arrests children aged 12 to 15 in night raids in Silwan, East Jerusalem
Uruknet March 13, 2010 – In recent months there have been many cases in which minors aged 12-15 from Silwan, in East Jerusalem, were arrested in the middle of the night by police officers and Israel Security Agency agents accompanied by armed border policemen. The minors were taken out of their beds and brought to the police station in the Russian…
Gaza…1000 Days Under Siege
Uruknet March 13, 2010 – Pitifully looking at her baby child, Om Yamen is recalling the past 1,000 days of her life under a crippling Israeli siege. “Life has been a living hell,” she told IslamOnline.net on Tuesday, March 9, in a broken voice. “We can’t stand this anymore. The siege has exhausted us and broken our backs.” The 1.6 million…
Umm Al-Kheir, Where Freedom Stands For Demolition
Uruknet March 13, 2010 – Umm al-Kheir means ‘Mother of Freedom’ in Arabic. But the eighty residents of this little Bedouin community in the South Hebron Hills aren’t free at all. With the settlers of Carmel as their neighbours, these shepherds have to deal with harassment, warrants of demolition, bulldozers and even gunshots. Written and photographed by FLV…
Gaza’s male hairdressers struggle to stay in business
Gaza, March 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – “Maybe I will emigrate to Somalia or Afghanistan,” says hairdresser Adnan Barakat with a wry smile. “There’s no life for me in Gaza.” Barakat is one of only five or six male hairdressers in the Gaza Strip who cut women’s hair. He has been serving female clients at his small salon in Gaza…
Gaza children struggle to survive
Gaza, March 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph, by Rachel Shields) – Omsyatte adjusts her green school uniform and climbs gingerly on to a desk at the front of the classroom. The shy 12-year-old holds up a brightly colored picture and begins to explain to her classmates what she has drawn. It is a scene played out in schools all over the…
Israel detains 5 Palestinians without food for 48 hours
Ramallah, March 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Palestinian sources revealed today that Israeli occupation forces detained five Palestinians from the village of Nabi Saleh in Ramallah for 48 hours. The IOF handcuffed their hands and did not give the Palestinians any food or drink. The sources said that the five detainees kidnapped from their homes in the early morning, including…
Tunnel worker talks frankly about life underground
Gaza, March 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; by Jody McIntyre)- The siege on Gaza is tightening as the Egyptian government continues construction of an underground steel wall at the Rafah border with Gaza to block the tunnel trade. The tunnels, which journalist Robert Fisk has described as “the lung through which Gaza breathes,” are the only means in which most basic…
Israel invades houses in Hebron
Hebron, March 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided several houses today in Ezna and Yatta neighborhoods in Hebron, in the West Bank. Local sources said that the IOF raided a number of houses belonging to the Al-Oweiwi family in the Al-Jama neighborhood near Al-Khalil University. In addition, they raided two other houses in Bair Al-Mahjar…
Hamas blames Fatah for arrest
The National 14 Mar 2010 – The arrest by Israeli forces of a senior Hamas commander has political rivals Hamas and Fatah trading heated words, and may undermine recent steps toward reconciliation.
Egypt forced to cancel football match in Jerusalem
The National 14 Mar 2010 – A controversial match between the Egyptian and Palestinian football teams in occupied East Jerusalem was postponed indefinitely yesterday after its announcement sparked outrage in Egypt.
Islamists’ moves in Gaza seen as sign of maturity
The National 14 Mar 2010 – In a change of approach, Islamists are trying to ‘steer a course between governance, political process and resistance’.
’Abbas: Iran Hampering Palestinian Unity
The Media Line 13 Mar 2010 – Palestinian Authority leader says Iran is impeding efforts to reach a deal between Fatah and Hamas. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas has blamed Iran for impeding reconciliation between his Fatah faction and its archrival Hamas. “Iran…
Crisis Deepens as Clinton Rebukes Netanyahu
The Media Line 13 Mar 2010 – Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is trying to downplay the crisis with Washington, urging at a Cabinet meeting Sunday “not to get carried away and calm down.” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rebuked Netanyahu in…
Israel Bars Nearly All Palestinians as it Enforces General Closure on West Bank
The Media Line 13 Mar 2010 – In an unusual move, Israel’s defense force extended a general closure of the West Bank, barring nearly all Palestinians from entering Israel. Imposed last Thursday, rioting over the weekend, combined with fears they could spread, led…
Israeli Army Raids Ramallah, Arrests Top Hamas Terrorist Mastermind
The Media Line 13 Mar 2010 – Israeli troops and security officers swept into Palestinian-controlled Ramallah in the West Bank and nabbed a senior Hamas operative who has been on the run for over a decade. The Hamas operative, Maher U’dda, 47, was…
The undoing of Obama’s Cairo speech
AlJazeera 13 Mar 2010 – Joe Biden’s Israel visit may mark new stage in US policy towards Middle East peace.
Israel extends West Bank closure
AlJazeera 14 Mar 2010 – Lockdown extended and access to the al-Aqsa mosque restricted over fears of clashes.
Alternative Information Center
Border Police Critically Injures 14 Year Old in Nabi Saleh Demonstration
Alternative Information Center – Saturday, 06 March 2010, The 14 year old boy was critically injured during a demonstration in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh against creeping land grab by the adjacent Jewish-only settlement of Halamish.
News from Within Videocast: The Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem
Alternative Information Center – Friday, 05 March 2010, The US-based Center for Constitutional Rights is petitioning various United Nations offices, of Palestinian families whose ancestors are buried in the Mamila Cemetery. The cemetery better known as Mamilla, has been a…
Conclusions of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine
Alternative Information Center – Friday, 05 March 2010, These are the conclusions of the Jury pertaining to the Barcelona session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine. However, the contents are subject to the normal processes of editing and corrections before…
Harvard students condemn center’s defense of fellow’s racist statements
PNN – Saturday, 13 March 2010
Bil’in protest in support of Jerusalem and the Islamic Holy Sites
PNN – Saturday, 13 March 2010
Clinton rebukes Israel over East Jerusalem homes
PNN – Saturday, 13 March 2010
Democrats in Israel kick off voter registration drive
Jeruslalem Post 14 Mar 2010 – Board member slams Netanyahu for “throwing mud in the face of the most important nation on earth.”
Brazil’s president here for 1st time
Jeruslalem Post 14 Mar 2010 – Israel to take issue with the Latin American country’s close relations with Iran.
’Hamas used kids as human shields, hospitals as launch pads’
Jeruslalem Post 14 Mar 2010 – Exclusive: New research report finds medical facilities served as command centers during Gaza op; 100 mosques used for military purposes; police incorporated into group’s military wing.
PM, Clinton still due at AIPAC parley
Jeruslalem Post 14 Mar 2010 – Despite dispute over e. J’lem, secretary of state to address pro-Israel group.
US presses for Israeli concessions
Jeruslalem Post 14 Mar 2010 – Moves would include canceling Ramat Shlomo project, freeing Palestinian inmates.
’Gaza police was incorporated into Hamas military wing’
Jeruslalem Post 14 Mar 2010 –
Hamas used almost 100 mosques for military purposes
Jeruslalem Post 14 Mar 2010 –
Israel’s first real response to Goldstone
Jeruslalem Post 14 Mar 2010 – Over a year after Operation Cast Lead, the vindication of the IDF has finally begun.
Old City’s Hurva shul reopens
Jeruslalem Post 14 Mar 2010 – Police on alert as Fatah official urges Palestinians to converge on Al-Aksa.
MIDEAST: Israel Lands in Public Relations Nightmare
IPS JERSUSALEM, Mar 14 (IPS) – Israeli riot police and soldiers have, since Friday, sealed off the Al Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine, restricting entry to women and Palestinian men over 50.
US-ISRAEL: Tiff or Tipping Point?
IPS WASHINGTON, Mar 13 (IPS) – “Condemn” is not a word that rolls trippingly off the tongue of a U.S. politician addressing anything having to do with actions, however objectionable, by Israel.
Hand Grenades Thrown at Two Persons in al-Boreij and Jabalya Camps
PCHR 13 Mar 2010 – Field Update In the past two days, two persons were injured when hand grenades were thrown towards them by unknown militants in two separate attacks in al-Boreij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, and Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
International Solidarity Movement
Autopsy doctor admits to violating court order in Rachel Corrie autopsy
3/14/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Rachel Corrie Foundation – Today 14 March 2010 the Haifa District Court saw the second full day of testimony in the civil lawsuit filed by Rachel Corrie’s family against the State of Israel for her unlawful killing in Rafah, Gaza. Rachel Corrie, an American human rights defender from Olympia, Washington, was crushed to death on March 16, 2003 by a Caterpillar D9R bulldozer. She had been nonviolently demonstrating against Palestinian home demolitions with fellow members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent, direct action methods and principles. In today’s hearing: – Dr. Yehuda Hiss, the former head of the Israel Forensic Institute who conducted the autopsy of Rachel Corrie at the request of the Israeli military, admitted that he violated an Israeli court order requiring that an official from the U.
Barak: East Jerusalem announcement was unnecessary, damaging
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Obama aide Axelrod says approval of 1,600 new East Jerusalem homes seemed meant to thwart talks.
Israeli envoy to Poland deplores vandalism of Holocaust memorial
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Ambassador condemns vandals who desecrated the Poland memorial with anti-Semitic slogans on Saturday.
Egypt nixes synagogue ceremony citing ‘Israeli aggression’
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Cancellation of unveiling attributed to Israeli oppression of Muslims in the occupied territories.
Mubarak, Egypt regime change and Israel
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Given Egyptian president’s advanced age and medical history, his recent operation is no trivial affair.
France FM: UN sanctions on Iran not likely before June
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – EU leaders says consensus ‘emerging’ in bloc on taking unilateral action over Iran’s nuclear program.
Pro-Palestinian groups urge H&M boycott after Israel branch opens
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Pro-Palestinian group: H&M invests in Israel while UN Goldstone commission reports about Israel’s crimes.
Al-Jazeera airs unseen 1983 footage of abducted IDF soldiers
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Clip shows soldiers seized during first Lebanon War, who were then released in controversial prison swap.
Netanyahu must choose between ideology and U.S. support
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Prime Minister faces choice between the need for U.S support and his ideological ties to the Israeli right.
Biden to Israelis: Mideast status quo unsustainable
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Vice President says that Palestinians, Israelis must decide for themselves if they want peace.
To 120! The secret of Ashkenazi Jews who live past 100
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Dr. Nir Barzilai of Albert Einstein College of Medicine is studying the lifestyles and genes of centenarians.
Obama’s new nuclear age doesn’t bode well for Israel
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – The United States’ latest update of nuclear strategy will do nothing to stop Iran acquiring a bomb.
Did Germany help Eichmann escape to Argentina?
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – German court may release papers detailing Adolf Eichmann’s escape and subsequent capture by Israel.
Netanyahu is trading Israeli security for right-wing ideology
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Despite risks at home, PM must act in the national interest to strengthen U.S. support for Israel.
Netanyahu: Probe events that led to row with U.S. over East Jerusalem
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – PM convenes ministers to discuss crisis with U.S. over announcement about 1,600 new housing units.
Jewish, Latino leaders forge alliances to fight bigotry in U.S.
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – One source says sporadic attempts to build better Jewish-Latino relations have been happening for years.
Jail ordeal of hundreds of Palestinian children arrested for throwing stones
The Guardian 13 Mar 2010 – Rights groups express concern at the rising number of juveniles as young as 12 who are held behind bars and ‘treated like terrorists’ With more than 300 Palestinian children being held in Israeli prisons, human rights…
Breaking the Gaza deadlock | Andy Slaughter
The Guardian 13 Mar 2010 – Progress can be achieved through open engagement without preconditions — and that includes Hamas I returned last week from a visit to Gaza as part of a parliamentary delegation from the Britain-Palestine All-Party Group. Knowing that…
Israel and America: Foolish tricks | Editorial
The Guardian 13 Mar 2010 – By its continued settlement expansion, Israel makes the two-state solution ever harder to realise Politics is ultimately about interests. Morals and highfalutin principles have their place, but a more reliable truth is that governments and countries…
The economy wakes up to Israel’s Arabs
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – Haaretz and TheMarker take an in-depth look at the sector long overlooked by employers and investors, but which is now seen by some as the next ‘big thing’ in the Israeli market. …
Big brother may be watching as Israel embarks on CCTV project
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – The Public Security Ministry will be placing surveillance cameras and sensors in urban public areas, as part of its City without Violence program, a statement released on Sunday said. …
Contested gravesite at Ashkelon hospital may have belonged to pagans
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – The ancient gravesite at the center of ongoing tensions between the Haredi community and the Health Ministry may have belonged to pagans, as opposed to Jews, according to new findings by the Israel Antiquities Authority. …
Jerusalem council drops construction, apparently due to U.S. crisis
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – The Jerusalem District Planning and Building committee has canceled two meetings planned for this week, apparently out of concern that any more decisions on construction might result in further tensions with the United States. …
Cabinet approves NIS 1.3b plan to reverse Israeli brain drain
Ha’aretz 14 Mar 2010 – The cabinet on Sunday approved the creation of 30 academic excellence centers aimed at reintegrating leading scientists who have left Israel to conduct research abroad, a NIS 1.3 billion initiative. …
Hand Grenades Thrown at Two Persons in al-Boreij and Jabalya Camps
Relief Web 14 Mar 2010 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Israel extends West Bank lockdown
Relief Web 13 Mar 2010 – Source: Agence France-Presse
Economic and Social Development in the West Bank and Gaza continues to be a World Bank Priority
Relief Web 12 Mar 2010 – Source: World Bank
Women’s Commission Forwards Draft Resolution on Assistance to Palestinian Women to Economic and Social Council, Adopts Six More, as It Concludes Annual Session
Relief Web 12 Mar 2010 – Source: UN Commission on the Status of Women, UN Economic and Social Council
Egypt: Israel’s actions prove it isn’t interested in peace
YNet News 14 Mar 2010 – Referring to east Jerusalem building plan, Cairo official calls for continued international pressure on Israel to prevent ‘provocative actions’. Jordan’s King Abdullah warns against unilateral measures that will ‘change Jerusalem’s identity, threaten holy sites
Hamas’ al-Zahar says no negotiations on Shalit deal
YNet News 14 Mar 2010 – Islamist movement official admits to internal disagreements regarding prisoner swap deal but continues to blame Prime Minister Netanyahu for backing out in last minute
13 years for pedophile who fled Israel
YNet News 14 Mar 2010 – Judges criticize defense witnesses including rabbis for praising haredi man who was extradited from Britain to face accusations of sexual offences
Kadima: We’ll join coalition if Shas or Lieberman ousted
YNet News 14 Mar 2010 – Members of opposition party do not rule out option of joining government under certain terms. ‘Netanyahu needs Livni to fix damage caused over past year,’ party official says
Barak: Biden fiasco not intentional but damaging
YNet News 14 Mar 2010 – Amid crisis over Israel’s plan to build in east Jerusalem, defense minister says ties with US ‘vital to our security’; Peres tries to ease tension
Israel decries Holocaust desecration in Poland
YNet News 14 Mar 2010 – Ambassador Rav-Ner says desecration of Holocaust memorial at site of former labor camp in Plaszow ‘disgrace to Jews and to Poles who risked their lives to save them’
Netanyahu seeks to ease row with US over settlement plans
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced regret on Sunday for the announcement of a Jewish settlement plan that has strained ties with Washington and threatens the revival of Middle East peace talks. In his first public remarks on what Israeli commentators called his most serious crisis with Washington since taking office a year ago
France says EU ready for Iran sanctions, UAE pledges to uphold any embargo
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 SAARISELKA, Finland: The European Union is ready to unilaterally impose new sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner confirmed Sunday. Asked by journalists whether there was a consensus within the EU for unilateral sanctions against Iran, Kouchner replied “broadly yes, but we have to talk about what kind of sanctions.
Cairo scraps synagogue ceremony after ‘provocative’ acts
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 CAIRO: Egypt canceled the formal opening Sunday of a renovated 19th-century synagogue in Cairo to protest what antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said were “provocative” Jewish and Israeli action. Hawass and Culture Minister Faruq Hosni were due to attend the event, a week after 150 people, including rabbis and the US and Israeli ambassadors
Khamenei tells Iranians to shun Persian fire festival
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday urged Iranians to shun next week’s Persian fire festival as an un-Islamic event which causes “a lot of harm.” Seven people have already been reported killed in the runup to the festival, ISNA news agency said, quoting a police chief. Charshanbe Soori, an ancient pagan festival, is held on the eve of the last Wednesday
Israel captures senior Hamas commander in West Bank
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: A top Hamas commander in the West Bank has been arrested by the Israeli security services after more than a decade on the run, an Israeli military spokesman announced on Sunday. Maher Uda, 47, a senior commander in Hamas’s armed wing in the occupied territory, was captured overnight in the West Bank political capital of Ramallah, the spokesman said.
Muslims attack Coptic Christians in northern Egypt
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 CAIRO: Muslims attacked a community center and burned several homes belonging to Coptic Christians in northwestern Egypt over the weekend, injuring 23 people, in a rampage that a local bishop said was incited by a radical Muslim cleric. The rioting began Friday when a group of young men hurled rocks at the church community center in Marsa-Matruh, a city along Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
Somali forces ‘inefficient’ and ‘corrupt’ – UN
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 NAIROBI: Despite international assistance the Somali government’s military forces are ineffective and corrupt, and it remains dependent on foreign troops for survival, a UN group concluded in a report.”Despite infusions of foreign training and assistance, government security forces remain ineffective, disorganized and corrupt,” the UN’s Monitoring Group
March 14 demands fixed timeframe to conclude national defense strategy
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 BEIRUT: The March 14 alliance called Sunday for a fixed timeframe to conclude dialogue on a national-defense strategy in order to keep Lebanese territories from becoming a launch pad for an upcoming regional war. “Our revolution will continue until the achievement of its goals despite many setbacks and mistakes we committed in order to preserve our dream
Lebanon’s external debt appraisal kept at ‘underweight’
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 BEIRUT: Merrill Lynch maintained its recommendation on Lebanon’s external debt at “undeweight” in its model portfolio of emerging markets debt and kept Lebanon’s market weight at 2.1 percent in March 2010, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group. Last January, Merrill Lynch revised downward its recommendation to
Two decades of Israeli insults
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 It has been a long time since the Americans were pushed too far. Not since 1990, when then Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Shamir rejected US demands to halt settlement activity, did the administration of George Bush Senior take action and refuse $10 billion in loan guarantees, resulting in full Israeli compliance. It is a lesson worthy of recounting, not just for the markedly
Mideast HIV cases reach 461,000 in 2008
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 BEIRUT: The number of HIV positive people in the Middle East reached about 461,000 by the end of 2008, revealed the 19th Gathering of the Directors of National AIDS Programs held on Saturday in Beirut. The gathering was attended by Health Minister Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh, regional directors of the World Health Organization (WHO)
’Shankaboot’: Delivering day labor to the web
Daily Star 14 Mar 2010 BEIRUT: Of all the species of motorists thronging Beirut’s chaotic thoroughfares, the moped-driver is probably the most terrifying. Where car-drivers are constrained by the size of their vehicles in the range of journey-quickening manoeuvers they can attempt, the relatively lithe moped specializes in zipping in and out of lanes of traffic and nipping directly across red-lit crossings.
Palestinian Information Center
To hell with national unity if it means surrender to Israel
PIC 14 Mar 2010 – If Fatah truly seeks national reconciliation, it must first stop being at Keith Dayton’s beck and call and immediately put an end to the vicious campaign of witch-hunting against Hamas
Israeli doctors torture Palestinian prisoner to extract confessions
PIC 14 Mar 2010 – The prisoners’ center for studies has called for an investigation into the involvement of the Israeli health ministry in the torture of Palestinian detainees.
Khudari calls for Intifada against Israeli siege on Gaza
PIC 14 Mar 2010 – MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular committee against the siege called for an Arab, Muslim and international Intifada (uprising) for breaking the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Hamdan: Arabs before historic opportunity to end settlement process
PIC 14 Mar 2010 – Osama Hamdan, the representative of Hamas in Lebanon, has said that the Arab countries were before an historic opportunity to end the settlement process after it had proven its failure.
Zahhar: Dayton’s mission in W. Bank is to keep “peace process” going
PIC 14 Mar 2010 – Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar stated that the mission of Keith Dayton in the West Bank is to protect the survival of the “peace option” and not to let the option of resistance progress.
IOF troops storm home of MP, round up two citizens
PIC 14 Mar 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the home of MP Mohammed Abu Juhaisha in Beit Ola village, west of Al-Khalil, on Sunday, local sources said.
Union of teachers slams PA for cutting salaries of 2,000 teachers
PIC 14 Mar 2010 – The union of Palestinian teachers strongly denounced the PA in Ramallah for cutting the salaries of two thousand teachers in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank because of their political affiliation.
Hamas: Ode’s detention in collusion with Abbas’s militia
PIC 14 Mar 2010 – Hamas issued a statement in the West Bank charging that the arrest of Hamas commander Sheikh Maher Ode after a long and complicated pursuit was only possible with the collusion of Abbas’s militias.
Resheq consoles Sheikh Yousuf, hails his patience for ordeals
PIC 14 Mar 2010 – Ezzat Al-Resheq sent a letter to imprisoned Sheikh Hasan Yousuf to comfort him and express admiration for his patience and fortitude especially after he disowned his son who renounced his religion.
IOF troops wound citizens in Nablus district
PIC 14 Mar 2010 – A number of citizens in Irak Burin village, Nablus district, were wounded on Saturday evening when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) intervened to protect Jewish settlers who attacked the village.
How Dubai unraveled a homicide, frame by frame
LA Times 14 Mar 2010 – A mix of old-fashioned legwork and high-tech razzle-dazzle, scouring hundreds of hours of surveillance videos, helped police home in on suspects in a Hamas man’s slaying, blamed on Israel’s Mossad. Lacking witnesses but blessed with hundreds of hours of video, the cops and spooks worked the case of the slain weapons smuggler like a movie in reverse.
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s harsh words stun Israel
LA Times 14 Mar 2010 – A spat over the Ramat Shlomo housing project in East Jerusalem becomes a bigger clash as the secretary of State calls it ‘an insult to the United States.’ Beginning as a spat over a single housing project, a dispute this week between the Obama administration and Israel has ballooned into the biggest U.S.-Israeli clash in 20 years, adding to months of strain between Washington and one of its closest allies.
Some Palestinian Jordanians Lose Citizenship
New York Times 14 Mar 2010 – A Human Rights Watch report said 2,700 people lost citizenship from 2004 to 2008 and more were vulnerable.
Israel Arrests Top Hamas Official
New York Times 14 Mar 2010 – Israeli forces arrested a senior Hamas figure after a raid in Ramallah, the seat of the West Bank-based Palestinian government, the Israeli military said.
Rethinking What Happens If Iran Gets Nuclear Weapons
New York Times 13 Mar 2010 – Whatever the U.S. wishes, Iran may get nuclear weapons. A debate is building on whether containment would work.
Clinton Rebukes Israel on Housing Announcement
New York Times 13 Mar 2010 – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Israel’s plans for new housing units for Jews in East Jerusalem “a deeply negative signal” about Israel-American relations.
Israel Seals Off West Bank to Prevent Unrest
New York Times 13 Mar 2010 – Israel wants to prevent Palestinians from entering the country for 48 hours, in reaction to clashes following Friday prayers that have taken place in the past few weeks.
Israelis Block Palestinians From Holy Site
New York Times 12 Mar 2010 – On Friday, Israeli police prevented young Palestinian men from praying at a holy site in Jerusalem, and Israel’s military imposed a general ban on travel by Palestinians from the West Bank into Israel.
AIPAC panicked by Obama people’s ‘escalated rhetoric’ about you-know-who
Mondoweiss – 14 Mar 2010 – Prague spring? AIPAC is panicked by the recent spate of critical statements about Israel from Obama aides. It just issued a statement expressing “serious concern” about the comments and calling on Obama to defuse tensions with Israel now and put the onus back on Iran. Excerpt…
Bombshell: Gen’l Petraeus has single loyalty
Mondoweiss – 14 Mar 2010 – Mark Perry, writing (at War In Context) about his sources for his bombshell report that General David Petraeus sees the special relationship with Israel as putting American interests at risk and that he is going to the mat in the White House to effect policy: There…
Slater: by failing to stand up for Goldstone, Jewish peace groups have made themselves irrelevant
Mondoweiss – 14 Mar 2010 – Jerry Slater has a wonderful analysis here of how the “moral collapse “ of Israel and the failure of the peace process have been aided by American peace groups, Americans for Peace Now and J Street, because they are not giving the real news about the…
In Almontaser coverage, ‘NYT’ gives Israel lobby a pass
Mondoweiss – 14 Mar 2010 – Did you see the NYT article on the EEOC decision that Debbie Almontaser was the victim of bias when she was forced to resign as head of a Arabic-language high school? It is a classic case of the Times refusing to acknowledge the lobby’s efforts. The…
Bemock Obama
Mondoweiss – 14 Mar 2010 – Tony Karon in the National : Conventional wisdom in Israeli politics once held that no Israeli government would survive a clash with the United States; today, Mr Netanyahu is confident that if it came to a showdown, he could make an end run around the Obama administration…
Italian Professors Denounce Complicity of Israeli Academic Institutions in the Occupation
Alternative Information Center – 14 Mar 2010 – Thursday, 04 March 2010, A group of Italian professors recently published a letter denouncing “university and cultural discrimination of Palestinians.” The document‚Äîcalled “Right to study and academic freedom in Palestine”‚Äîexpressly quotes the AIC bulletin Academic Boycott of Israel and the…
Conclusions of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine
Alternative Information Center – 14 Mar 2010 – Friday, 05 March 2010, These are the conclusions of the Jury pertaining to the Barcelona session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine. However, the contents are subject to the normal processes of editing and corrections before a definitive edition is made public.
Protest Against Swedish Clothing Store Chain H&M, Which Plans to Open Outlets in Israel
Alternative Information Center – 14 Mar 2010 – Thursday, 04 March 2010, On 11 March, the Swedish clothes and fashion chain, H&M, will be opening the first of six planned stores in Israel. The familiar red H&M sign will be viewed in the Malcha shopping center in Jeruslaem, a municipality which has to continuously…
News from Within Videocast: The Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem
Alternative Information Center – 14 Mar 2010 – Friday, 05 March 2010, The US-based Center for Constitutional Rights is petitioning various United Nations offices, of Palestinian families whose ancestors are buried in the Mamila Cemetery. The cemetery better known as Mamilla, has been a Muslim burial ground since the 7th century, when companions of…
Border Police Critically Injures 14 Year Old in Nabi Saleh Demonstration
Alternative Information Center – 14 Mar 2010 – Saturday, 06 March 2010, The 14 year old boy was critically injured during a demonstration in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh against creeping land grab by the adjacent Jewish-only settlement of Halamish.
Articles
Re-reading Al-Mabhouh’s murder
Ramzy Baroud, Al-Ahram Weekly 3/11/2010
How can the weak response of the West to Israel’s latest illegal assassination be justified? And how can those justifications be written by Israel, the accused?
The killing of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh on 19 January 2010 was clearly a well-planned, violent and sadistic act, committed by Israeli assassins in the supposed safety of a foreign and sovereign country.
Yes, Al-Mabhouh was a Palestinian activist. We have no reason to believe otherwise. He spent years of his life in Israeli prison (and one year in an Egyptian jail) for his political activism. This, however, gives no credibility to Israel’s accusation that Al-Mabhouh was a killer of Israelis. This assertion becomes even more problematic when considering that Al-Mabhouh’s assassination was, according to the British media, ordered by accused Israeli war criminals and rightwing politicians.
According to The Sunday Times, Meir Dagan, the current director of Mossad, briefed Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on the assassination plan during a meeting in early January. “The people of Israel trust you. Good luck,” Netanyahu reportedly said at the end of this meeting.
It is disgraceful enough that the assassins used fraudulent European passports as well as credit cards linked to an American bank to carry out their plans. But more upsetting is the fact that this cruel and calculated action has inspired little more than expressions of “outrage”. Have we become this resigned to Israeli impunity? What about the sanctity of life, the sovereignty of nations, and respect for international law? Are these immediately disposable when the victim is Palestinian and the location of the crime an Arab country?more..e-mail
U.S. Placates Israel and Opens New War Front While Ignoring Palestinians
Rachelle Marshall, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs 3/1/2010
THE ISRAELIS were not happy last June when President Obama in his Cairo speech referred to “the tensions fueled by colonialism” and promised a new beginning to relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world. The president’s popularity in Israel plummeted further when, a few months later, he called for a complete halt to Israeli settlement construction.
The heretofore close relationship between the U.S. and Israel seemed destined to chill permanently when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu adamantly rejected Obama’s demand and the Israelis began construction of 3,000 new apartments in the West Bank and 1,500 apartments for Jews only in Arab East Jerusalem. More than 800 Palestinian homes were scheduled to be destroyed.
Although he criticized Israel’s expansion into territory the Palestinians regard as a future capital, Obama assured the Israelis that “The U.S. will maintain your QME” (qualitative military edge), and the flow of American military technology and financial aid to Israel has continued uninterrupted. Relations warmed considerably last November when Netanyahu made a show of luring the Palestinians back to the negotiating table by imposing a partial 10-month freeze on settlement construction and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed his move as “unprecedented.”
Clinton moved further to accommodate Israel when she said on Nov. 25 that a peace agreement should be based on the borders that existed on June 4, 1967 but include agreed-upon changes that “reflect subsequent developments and meet Israel’s security needs.” “Subsequent developments” include the large settlement blocs located on the West Bank’s major water aquifers and most valuable agricultural land, which presumably would be annexed to Israel.more..e-mail
Hamas: 4 years since electoral victory
Ahmad Yousef, Ma’an News Agency 3/13/2010
The following is a speech delivered by Ahmad Yousef on Saturday in Gaza.
It is with great pleasure that I deliver this speech before you in this year and month in particular. January 2010 marks the 4th anniversary of Hamas in the government following its democratic victory in the 2006 Parliamentary election and the formation of its government in March of the same year. This year is also special because it also marks the fourth year of Hamas’ successful transition to a political party, despite the trials and tribulations faced and imposed by certain members of the international community that attempted to see Hamas toppled and to thwart Palestinian democracy.
…..Despite the pressures imposed externally, Hamas, for the sake of Palestinian national interest, opened the door to forming the National Unity Government based on the Mecca Agreement. The purpose of the Mecca Agreement was to halt external interference and give the Palestinians the chance to build their own democratic political system based on participation, transparency and freedoms enshrined in the UN Declaration on Human Rights.
In the National Unity Government, a common Political Program was presented that was accepted by both Hamas and Fatah. In that program, President Abbas was given the mandate to negotiate with Israel; the conclusion of those negotiations were to be discussed and approved by the Palestinian people; and, final, the right of the people to resist the occupation, enshrined in international law, so long as Israel continues to occupy our lands in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, was upheld.
Unfortunately, the national unity government didn’t last more than three months and, during that time, the amount of targeting of Hamas members increased. The chaos on the ground led to what is referred to as the Military Take Over of June 2007. Many mistakes by Palestinian political parties were committed during that time; mistakes that should not and will not prevent Palestinian reunification and reconciliation.more..e-mail
PA’s betrayal of human rights defenders the unkindest cut
Electronic Intifada: 14 Mar 2010 – They hail from opposite parts of the globe, but they have much in common: Jewish; experts on and passionate defenders of international law; and pummeling bags for Israel and the Palestinian Authority. And the future of the law of war lies at the heart of the campaigns against them. Nadia Hijab comments how the undermining of Richard Goldstone and Richard Falk.
relations
In Gaza: 12 Mar 2010 – “My grandmother was Jewish,” a voice drifts out from behind the meagre selection of second-hand clothes. The souk al fres , a massive market in Gaza’s old district, Sahaa , carrying just about all one needs used to thrive with second-hand clothes and goods brought through open borders via Israel. It was a thrift-shop-junkies dream. Today, after 1000 days of siege (complete siege, from June 2007, but in reality the siege goes back to Hamas’ election, back to post-Oslo ‘peace years’ when the closures began, denying Palestinians in Gaza of freedom, of work, of medical treatment outside, of imports and exports, and now of all but less than 40 items ) ( painstakingly aquired ), the used-clothes market is bare-bones. Wa’el is sitting in a room devoid of nearly all but some scarves and many empty hangers. “My grandfather was from Jaffa . He fell in love with a Jewish woman. This was in the…
A Matter of Timing
Palestine Chronicle: 14 Mar 2010 – By Uri Avnery – Israel Some weeks the news is dominated by a single word. This week’s word was ‘timing’. It’s all a matter of timing. The Government of Israel has insulted the Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, one of the greatest “friends” of Israel (meaning: somebody totally subservient to AIPAC) and spat in the face of President Barack Obama. So what? It’s all a matter of timing. If the government had announced the building of 1600 new housing units in East Jerusalem a day earlier, it would have been OK. If it had announced it three days later, it would have been wonderful. But doing it exactly when Joe Biden was about to have dinner with Bibi and Sarah’le — that was really bad timing. The matter itself is not important. Another thousand housing units in East Jerusalem, or 10 thousand, or 100 thousand — what…more
On Hamas’s Achievements, Trials and Tribulations
Palestine Chronicle: 14 Mar 2010 – By Dr. Ahmed Yousef — Gaza January 2010 marks the 4th anniversary of Hamas in the government following its democratic victory in the 2006 Parliamentary election and the formation of its government in March of the same year. This year is also special because it also marks the fourth year of Hamas’ successful transition to a political party, despite the trials and tribulations faced and imposed by certain members of the international community that attempted to see Hamas toppled and to thwart Palestinian democracy. Hamas was ambitious in achieving its Platform of Change and Reform; a platform that called for an end to government corruption and transparency and participation of all political parties in governance. As may be recalled, many of the candidates that ran and won on the Change and Reform platform, at both the local and national level, were Palestinians of all walks of life that held diverse…more
The New Dark Age 
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