News
International Middle East Media Center
Palestinian Killed East Of Khan Younis
IMEMC – Saturday March 27, 2010 – 05:49, Palestinian medical sources reported, on Friday at night, that one resident was killed and several others were wounded after the Israeli army bombarded Khuza’a town, East of Khan Younis in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Settlement Food Company Market Its Food In Europe Using Fake Address
IMEMC – Saturday March 27, 2010 – 04:34, The Israeli Peace Bloc, Gush Shalom, reported that “Shamir Salads” an Israeli company in a West Bank Israeli settlement, is marketing its products in Europe using a fake address claiming it is in Israel and not in the occupied West Bank.
Six Palestinians Wounded As Army Bombards Khan Younis
IMEMC – Friday March 26, 2010 – 23:05, Palestinian medical sources in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, reported that six Palestinians were wounded on Friday evening after the army bombarded an area East of Khan Younis.
Child Wounded By Army Fire in Northern Gaza
IMEMC – Friday March 26, 2010 – 22:07, Palestinian medical sources in Gaza reported that a Palestinian child was shot and wounded on Friday afternoon near the Beit Hanoun (Eretz) crossing , in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Two Israeli Soldiers, Two Palestinians, killed in Khan Younis Clashes
IMEMC – Friday March 26, 2010 – 21:37, The Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas movement, claimed responsibility on Friday for killing two Israeli soldiers during clashes that took place east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. At least two Palestinians were killed and several others were wounded.
U.S Informs Abbas Of Obama-Netanyahu Meeting Failure
IMEMC – Friday March 26, 2010 – 19:40, The United States Administration officially informed Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, of the failure of the meeting that took place between American President, Barack Obama, and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
One Injured At The Weekly Anti Wall Protest In The Northern West Bank Village Of Nabi-saleh
IMEMC – Friday March 26, 2010 – 16:56, A Palestinian youth was injured when Israeli troops opened fire at anti wall protesters in the village of Nabi-Saleh, northern West Bank.
One Israeli Detained Other Protesters Injured In The Anti Wall Bil’in Weekly Protest
IMEMC – Friday March 26, 2010 – 16:49, Villagers of Bil’in, central West Bank, along with international and Israeli supporters protested on Friday the Israeli wall built on farmers lands.
Israeli Troops Use Tear Gas To Suppress Anti Wall Protest In Nil’in Village
IMEMC – Friday March 26, 2010 – 16:24, Seven civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation in Friday at the village of Nil’in central West Bank during the anti-wall weekly protest.
Al Ma’ssara Village Near Bethlehem Protest The Israeli-built Wall
IMEMC – Friday March 26, 2010 – 15:41, Residents of Al Ma’ssara village near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem protest on Friday midday the Israeli-built wall on their lands.
Deadly clashes in southern Gaza
3/26/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Fierce clashes killed two Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip late Friday afternoon. Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were also reported injured in the violence, which broke out east of Khan Younis. Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, confirmed that two Palestinians were killed. They were not identified. Ambulances were dispatched to the area but Israeli forces denied them access, Hassanein said. Palestinian medics said four locals sustained shrapnel wounds after Israeli forces shelled homes in the Abasan Al-Jadida area of Khan Younis. The injured were evacuated from the scene amid the clashes, which apparently targeted Palestinian operatives in the area. Among those hurt was a 10-year-old boy who was transferred to the Nasser Hospital from Abasan with serious injuries, Ma’an’s correspondent reported from the scene.
Israel army confirms 2 soldiers killed in Gaza clashes
3/26/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Israeli army confirmed on Friday that two soldiers were killed during crossfires in Gaza. A statement issued by the military said “one IDF officer and one IDF soldier were killed, one moderately injured and one lightly injured in an exchange of fire with terrorists who were planting explosives along the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. “The families of the soldiers have been informed of the incident. The injured soldiers have been evacuated to a hospital for further medical care. After identifying the terrorists planting explosives, the force fired at them and identified killing two of the terrorists. “There is an ongoing daily effort by IDF soldiers to defend Israeli civilians. The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the citizens of the State of Israel and will continue to operate firmly against anyone who uses terror against it. . . . . ”
Israeli fire injures child in northern Gaza
3/26/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A Palestinian child was injured on Friday when Israeli forces opened fire near the northern Gaza Strip’s Erez crossing. Saeed Abed Al-Aziz Hamdan, 15, was moderately injured after he sustained gunshot wounds, said Muawiya Hassanein, head of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza. Onlookers told Ma’an that an Israeli watchtower installed near the Erez crossing opened fire at the child, who was collecting stones nearby. An Israeli military spokeswoman had no immediate comment. On Thursday, two Gaza residents were injured by Israeli fire in Beit Lahiya and Rafah, to the north and south of Gaza, respectively. [end]
Tear gas used against anti-wall rally
3/26/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Dozens of Palestinians, international and Israeli solidarity activists chokedon Friday as Israeli forces used tear gas, rubber-coated bullets, and stun grenades to disperse the weekly anti-wall rally in Bil’in, west of Ramallah. A non-violent rally began shortly after Friday prayers as protesters raised flags, anti-wall and anti-settlement posters. Demonstrators marched in the streets chanting slogans condemning Israeli policies and demanding the release of all prisoners in Israel’s custody. Palestinian National Initiative Secretary-General Mustafa Barghouthi took part in the rally, along with members and supporters of his party. Protesters called on the Arab League summit, to be held in Sirte, Libya, to back Palestine and Jerusalem “in deeds rather than words. ” Demonstrators headed to the separation barrier where an Israeli force closed the area with barbed wire and soldiers were stationed behind cement blocks.
Clashes reported in Nabi Saleh
3/26/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Clashes erupted in the Nabi Saleh village, near Ramallah, following Friday prayers, as Israeli troops besieged residents inside their homes, locals said. Residents told Ma’an that Ali At-Tamimi was injured in the foot and dozens suffocated on tear-gas when Israeli forces used riot-dispersal means in the village, including rubber-coated bullets. More than 500 residents were threatened with fire if they left their homes, locals said, with troops using rooftops as vantage points, they added. Residents said a large Israeli force convoy, reinforced with armed vehicles, entered the village just after Friday prayers. Locals said the Israeli army is employing a new type of tear-gas canister launcher. An Israeli military spokesman said he would look into the report. An Israeli military spokeswoman described the incident as a “small riot, with 20 Palestinians hurling rocks at security forces.
All Gaza crossings closed Friday, Saturday
3/26/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli authorities will close all of Gaza’s crossings Friday and Saturday, Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said. Fattouh told Ma’an that 102 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial merchandize were delivered to the Gaza Strip on Thursday through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in addition to limited quantities of domestic gas and industrial diesel. Two trucks carrying flowers from Gaza, part of a Dutch initiative to encourage exports, were exported through the southern Kerem Shalom crossing, while 84 truckloads of wheat and animal feed were shipped through the northern Karni terminal. [end]
Report: US wants Abu Dis under PA control
3/26/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – The Obama administration wants Israel to withdraw from parts of the occupied West Bank, including a district near Jerusalem, the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth quoted Palestinian sources as saying Thursday. According to the newspaper, Israel’s largest, sources say the US wants the Palestinian Authority to regain exclusive control over the Abu Dis area adjacent to occupied East Jerusalem, reverting to the state that prevailed before the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000. The American plan calls for the reopening of Palestinian governmental institutions in the area, according to the Palestinian sources. “The most significant demand is to restore the situation to what it was on the eve of the intifada,” one of the sources told the Israeli daily. Among other demands supposedly being made by the US is the release of some 2,000 of Israel’s estimated 10,000. . .
Arabs to allocate $500 million for Jerusalem
3/26/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Arab foreign ministers have decided to allocate 500 million US dollars to support Jerusalem, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa announced Thursday. ” Yes, it was approved,” Moussa said at a news conference that followed a series of meetings held in Sirte, Libya ahead of the Arab League summit scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, when asked whether foreign ministers had approved a Palestinian request for support. The request to establish a plan to support the Jerusalem Fund was submitted by both Syria and Palestine. The fund was established in 2001 upon a request by Saudi Arabia following the eruption of the Second Intifada. Moussa said the Arab follow-up committee would hold a meeting Friday evening to evaluate the situation in the event that US and international efforts to stop Israel’s settlement activities fail.
PA police: 4 detained by Israeli forces in Nablus, Jenin
3/26/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Four Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces on Friday in the West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin, and taken to unknown locations, Palestinian Authority police said. A police statement said Israeli soldiers deployed the Al-Hamra checkpoint north of Nablus detained two men identified as Abed Al-Aziz Abu Ruweis, 36, and Ahmad Ibrahim Musalem Abu Ruweis, 20, from An-Nassareiyah. An incursion was reported into the West Bank city of Jenin on Friday, where Mohammad Mahmoud A’ref Ja’far, 18, and Bayan Abdel Karim Malalha, 23, were detained. Police said Israeli forces withdrew shortly after the detentions were made. On Thursday, the Israeli Army Radio said two children from the villages of Al-Khas and Nu’man were detained by Israeli soldiers, identified as Mohammad Ibrahim Hamdan and A’mer Daoud Abu Haniyeh, both nine.
Palestinians to start using Ramallah highway
3/26/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli authorities are preparing to implement a High Court decision allowing Palestinians to use a West Bank highway that had previously been designated for exclusive Israeli use. Israel’s military released a statement Thursday evening affirming that Palestinians will be allowed to travel on highway 443, which runs near the villages of Beit Sira, Beit “Ur Al-Fauqa, Kharbatha Al-Misbah, and At-Tira. Palestinian cars using the Ramallah-area highway will first undergo inspection at a military checkpoint to be erected near the Ofer detention center, the military statement said. [end]
Ukrainian detainee denies deportation reports
3/26/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Irena Sarahna, a Ukrainian detainee in Israeli custody, on Thursday told lawyer Taghrid Jahshan that the Israel Prison Service had not informed her of any decision to deport her, countering news reports that her deportation was imminent. Jahshan, a lawyer for the Women’s Organization for Political Prisoners, visited Sarahna at the Hasharon prison on Thursday. “The deportation news reports are completely baseless and false. I haven’t received any official notice by the Israel Prison Service that I will be deported to the Ukraine,” Jahshan quoted her client as saying, countering recent remarks by a Palestinian official. On Wednesday, Prisoners Affairs Minister Issa Qaraqe described the supposed Israeli decision to deport Sarahna as “dangerous and tyrannical,” and a violation of human rights and international law.
In photos: Qalqiliya protests Israeli detentions
3/26/2010 – MaanImages / Khaleel Reash – Palestinians take part in a protest in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya on 23 March 2010, calling for the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. [end]
Palestinians urge Arabs to ease Gaza siege
3/26/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Hundreds of Palestinians carried out a sit-in west of Gaza City after the Popular Committee Against the Siege urged the Arab League, meeting in Libya over the weekend, to end the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip. Protestors carried flags representing every Arab country expected to attend, and affirmed close ties between the Arabs and their role in supporting the Palestinian cause. They chanted slogans demanding that Arab leaders show support and stand by the Palestinians. Jamal Al-Khudari, who heads the committee, in a news conference at the end of the rally demanded that the Arab League support occupied Jerusalem and besieged Gaza, in addition to demanding that the Arabs increase their own demands. Al-Khudari added that “the regional and international atmosphere encourage an Arab decision to confront Israeli challenges in Jerusalem and break the Gaza siege.
Abbas aide: No deal after Obama-Netanyahu talks
3/26/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to reach an agreement that would freeze settlements, a senior aide to President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday. Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaineh told the Paris-based Agence France-Presse that Abbas was updated during a meeting in Amman with David Hale, an assistant to US envoy George Mitchell. Hale officially informed Abbas that Obama and Netanyahu failed to reach an agreement on halting settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem, making indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians less likely. However, Obama will continue with his efforts to start the indirect negotiations, Hale reportedly told Abbas. The AFP report stands in contrast with another from Israel’s Army Radio, which reported Thursday that Netanyahu and Obama had actually agreed on the continuation of settlements in East Jerusalem.
Jordan: Israel threatening regional stability
3/26/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Jordan’s King Abdullah has conveyed a strong message to Israel and the international community that the region could no longer tolerate endless peace talks, the Amman-based The Jordan Times reported Thursday. In an interview with the chief editors of the Times and four other regional newspapers on Wednesday, Abdullah said that Israeli practices in Jerusalem were undermining “already cold” Jordanian-Israeli ties and threatening stability in the region, the English-language daily reported. “In all my meetings with Israeli, American and international officials, I have warned that continued attacks on Jerusalem and its holy sites will ignite the entire region,” he added. “Jerusalem has a special place in the hearts of Palestinians, Jordanians, Arabs and Muslims. “The king reportedly emphasized that all political, legal and diplomatic options were on the table in dealing with. . .
51,000 Palestinian families to receive EU social allowances
3/26/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian Authority and the EU will launch on Saturday the payment of social allowances to over 51,800 poor and vulnerable Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a statement read. The allowances, to be paid every three months are “targeted towards families in need,” an EU statement read. The PEGASE program, through which the disbursements will be made, will be done through the Bank of Palestine and the Cairo Amman Bank, “open exceptionally on Saturday 27 March to allow beneficiaries to collect their allowances. “Funds for the payment have been provided by the EU and the government of Austria, for a total amount of just under 10. 14 million Euros. The assistance takes the form of an allowance of NIS 1,000 (around 200 Euros) per household and will reach 51,826 families in need. More than half of the beneficiary families live in the Gaza Strip, according to the statement.
Egypt: Israel’s Sinai warnings baseless
3/26/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – Israel’s warnings against travel to Egypt, issued ahead of the Jewish holiday of Passover, are “false and baseless,” Egyptian security sources told Ma’an on Friday. Israeli Army Radio broadcast on Thursday in Arabic that the Egyptian anti-terrorist department has recommended that all Israeli tourists leave the Sinai peninsula immediately. Sources said such warnings were meant to harm tourism in Egypt, pointing out that more than 50,000 Israeli citizens spend Passover in Egypt, with resorts and hotels in Nueweiba, Taba, Ras Satan and El-Trabin receiving substantial profits from Israeli tourists, preferring to spend the holiday season in Egypt. The warnings issued by the Israeli army included possible kidnappings or terrorist activity in Sinai. No special emergency measures are in place in the peninsula, sources said, adding that only normal security measures are underway.
Not all leaders to attend Arab summit
3/26/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Not every Arab leader will participate in this year’s Arab League summit in Libya beginning Saturday for a number of reasons, despite the league’s secretary-general announcing an expected full house of officials and high-ranking dignitaries. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will not be in attendance due to poor health after a gallbladder operation, but will send a high-ranking official in his stead. Neither Lebanese President Michel Suleiman nor King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah Ben Abdul-Aziz are expected to convene. Media reports suggest that Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, will not attend due to a dispute with Libya, and Morocco’s president, Muhammad VI, could abstain if Algerian President Abdul-Aziz Bouteflika participates, although Bouteflika is not expected to join due to health concerns. Additionally, Sultan Qabus of Oman and Djibouti President Isma’il Omar Guelleh are not expected to participate.
Abbas arrives in Libya for Arab League summit
3/26/2010 – Serit – Ma’an – President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Serit, Libya, on Friday ahead of the Arab League summit beginning the following day. Abbas was received at the Serit International Airport by senior Libyan officials, among them Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Mahmoud, Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, and Secretary-General of the Arab League Amer Moussa, the Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA reported. The Palestinian president was also welcomed by PA Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyadh Al-Maliki, and Palestinian Ambassador to Libya, Atef Auda. Accompanying Abbas for the summitinclude PLO Chief Negotiator Saeb Ereket, PLO Executive Committee member, Saleh Ra’fat, presidential spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaineh and diplomatic advisor Majdi Al-Khalidi. Moussa said Wednesday that withdrawing the Arab Peace Initiative, which attempts to normalize relations with Israel, in return for the creation of. . .
Hamas: PA arrests 5 supporters in West Bank
3/26/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Hamas said Friday that the Palestinian Authority Preventative Security Services have detained five of the movement’s affiliates across the West Bank. According to a statement issued by Hamas, the five were detained from the Nablus and Jenin districts. On Thursday, the Islamist movement said PA forces detained a further five members and supporters from Hebron, Nablus and Salfit. The allegations, which could not be independently verified by Ma’an, come as both calls for unity and tension between parties increase. Hamas leaders have spoken out against PA-Israel peace talks, and have demanded that efforts to restart negotiations be declared failed. Hamas also wants PA officials to make moves toward reconciliation, release detained members, and activate dormant resistance forces. The PA has endorsed popular resistance campaigns, but generally does not condone the use of violence.
PA police arrest 40 fugitives across Hebron
3/26/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority security forces arrested 40 fugitives during a security campaign in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, police said. A PA police statement said those arrested were involved in a number of forgery, robbery, and narcotics cases, as well as for illegally excavating antiquities across the Hebron district. “Ten of the fugitives were arrested on suspicion of cell phone left. One woman was arrested for stealing electrical appliances from a store in the Bab Az-Zaweiyah area of Hebron. The anti-narcotics police confiscated drugs and arrested a man after a sting operation west of Hebron,” the statement read. Four people were arrested for excavating antiquities without the necessary permits in Wad Al-Hareiya, and their equipment was confiscated, the report said, adding that 25 were detained on “various charges.
Barak warns Hamas of ramifications for Gaza fire
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Two IDF soldiers killed in Gaza border clashes named as Maj. Eliraz Peretz, Staff Sgt. Ilan Sviatkovsky.
Is Gaza now Netanyahu’s biggest problem?
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – While PM focuses on U.S. pressure, four fatalities in last week near Gaza may prove more urgent.
NATO chief calls for new missile defenses to counter Iran
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – West must cooperate with Russia against ‘growing WMD threat’, Anders Fogh Rasmussen tells allies.
Barak under fire for ministry’s costly Independence Day party
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – State Comptroller report says Barak brought cost of Defense Ministry fete to more than NIS 1.5 million.
Exclusive / Despite row, U.S. and Israel sign massive arms deal
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Israel will purchase three new Hercules C-130J airplanes at cost of nearly a quarter billion dollars.
After delay, Turkey receives first delivery of Israeli-made drones
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Six Heron drones delivered; Diplomatic row between countries delayed execution of $185 million deal.
‘I was stabbed in the back,’ says soldier who used human shield in Gaza
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Trial begins for two IDF soldiers suspected of using children to open bags of explosives in Gaza war.
Israel defends right to arrest foreigners in West Bank
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – State argues legal right to detain non-Israelis, even in areas under Palestinian control.
Court ruling lets settlers shoot in air to repel Palestinians
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Settler found not guilty of mishandling a weapon after firing over the heads of Palestinian shepherds.
Military prosecutor to IDF: Probe shooting death of two Palestinians
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Prosecutor urges internal police, Judea and Samaria division already planning to look into incident.
IDF soldier laid to rest after killed by friendly fire
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – IDF St.-Sgt. Gabriel Cepic was killed by friendly fire near Kissufim during pursuit of infiltrators.
IDF official to Hamas: Don’t repeat mistakes of Gaza war
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – IDF chief of staff: Iran threat rising, Hamas accountable for Qassams, Hezbollah deploying north of Litani.
IAF strikes Gaza City weapons storage facility
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Israel launches attack in response to recent Gaza Strip rocket fire on southern communities.
Would Palestinian state stymie Iran’s plans?
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – U.S. General David Petraeus said Israeli-Palestinian conflict enflames anti-American feelings.
IDF soldier killed by friendly fire on Gaza border
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Golani troops open fire on comrades after mistaking tank soldiers for terrorists.
Can anything douse the flames of West Bank unrest?
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Two clashes between IDF and Palestinians over the weekend are a drop in the ocean of an imminent upsurge.
Egypt frees Israeli journalist who tried to infiltrate border
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Yotam Feldman, who also works for Haaretz, was preparing a piece on illegal immigration for Ch. 10.
Israel hits Gaza tunnel in response to latest rocket attack
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – No casualties or damages reported in Sunday’s Qassam strike, which came days after Thai worker killed in south.
Gaza rocket fired at south Israel, days after deadly strike
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – No casualties or damages reported; four rockets fired over weekend, 12 over course of last week.
West Bank businessman eyes creation of new city – if Israel agrees
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Town will cut West Bank unemployment by 10 per cent, Palestinian developers say.
Israeli tanks enter in Gaza in worst clash in year
Uruknet March 26, 2010 – Two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinian gunmen were killed on Friday in the most deadly clash on the Gaza Strip border since Israel ended its offensive there 14 months ago. The Israeli army said an officer and a conscript were killed in an ambush by Palestinian gunmen against an Israeli military patrol. Two soldiers were wounded…
Gaza: Six Palestinians Wounded As Israeli Army Bombards Khan Younis
Uruknet March 26, 2010 – Palestinian medical sources in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, reported that six Palestinians were wounded on Friday evening after the army bombarded an area East of Khan Younis. One of the wounded residents is a child who suffered serious injuries. Local sources reported that the army fired shells at Abasan Al…
Egyptian steel barrier tests Gazan mettle
Uruknet March 26, 2010 – Egypt’s imminent completion of an above-and-below-ground steel barrier along its border with the Gaza Strip is putting Gazans on edge: How will they survive without the huge trade conducted via underground tunnels? A lucrative tunnel smuggling trade in a range of commodities took off after Israel imposed an economic embargo on the Strip after a Hamas…
Lebanese army encircling Baddawi refugee camp
Uruknet March 26, 2010 – The relationship between the Lebanese government and the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon is changing. The process of redefining the old relationship began explosively with the battle and subsequent demolition of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, near the northern city of Tripoli, in 2007. Now the Lebanese army is erecting a barrier around the nearby Baddawi…
2 Israeli soldiers, 2 Palestinian militants killed in clashes
Uruknet March 25, 2010 – Two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians have been killed in a clash east of the Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis. The Israeli military said on Friday that there was an exchange of fire on the border after soldiers challenged Palestinians planting bombs near the separation barrier. The military said an officer and a soldier have…
International Water Day: Chronic water shortage in the West Bank due to discriminatory division of shared resources
Uruknet March 26, 2010 – International Water Day, which the UN has marked for 17 years, is devoted this year to water quality, emphasizing the importance of clean water and the need for sustainable management of water sources. For Israelis and Palestinians, the ground water from the Mountain Aquifer is a shared water source. It is the largest and highest quality…
Israeli fire kills 2 in southern Gaza
Uruknet March 26, 2010 – Israeli artillery fire killed two Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip late Friday afternoon, witnesses said. Others sustained injuries amid fierce clashes between resistance fighters and Israeli forces east of Khan Younis, onlookers said. Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, confirmed that two were killed. Hassanein said ambulances were dispatched to the…
Netanyahu’s outright deceit
Uruknet March 26, 2010 – While claiming to have a genuine desire for the resumption of “peace talks” with the Palestinian Authority (PA), Israel has been murdering Palestinian civilians in the streets of the West Bank in a clear overreaction to recent Palestinian protests against Israeli transgressions against Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem. Eyewitnesses reported that trigger-happy Israeli troops shot had…
Israeli fire injures child in northern Gaza
Uruknet March 26, 2010 A Palestinian child was injured on Friday when Israeli forces opened fire near the northern Gaza Strip’s Erez crossing. Saeed Abed Al-Aziz Hamdan, 15, was moderately injured after he sustained gunshot wounds, said Muawiya Hassanein, head of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza. Onlookers told Ma’an that an Israeli watchtower installed near the Erez crossing opened…
Apartheid on Two Continents
Uruknet March 25, 2010 – …Apartheid is back. Apartheid is near. A short plane ride away and you can again experience what we all thought had been buried forever. We are requested to take a stand and dare walk out on the stage and have our voice heard. Israel bears the main responsibility to eradicate the crime it has itself created….
British Organizations To Sue Israel Over Forged Passports Used By Assassins
Uruknet March 25, 2010 – Several British organizations, along with Palestinian and Islamic Institutions in Britain, are conducting preparations to file a lawsuit against the Israeli Mossad for forging British passports that were used by some of the assassins who killed Hamas leader, Mahmoud Al Madbouh, in Dubai in January. The Qatar-based Al Jazeera reported that the case of Al Madbouh…
Petraeus reaffirms military bond with Israel
Uruknet March 25, 2010 – Political crisis, but no military crisis: US General David Petraeus on Wednesday spoke with Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi and reassured him that he never said Israel’s policies endanger US troops in the Middle East. Recent reports about Patraeus’ alleged comments during a Congress hearing were denied by American security officials. However, the general insisted…
Breaking Gaza: 2 martyrs and many critically injured in Khan Younis
Gaza, March 26, (Pal Telegraph) The IOF carried an invasion in khan younis opening random fire on civilians causing many injuries among them. All kinds of Israeli air crafts were over seeing and protecting the ground IOF while the invasion, then they missiled a playground in khan younis targeting a bunch of children playing football. 3 children were critically injured,…
Dr. Eyad El Sarraj received International Award in Psychiatry for the Year 2010
Palestine, March 26, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – The First of its Kind at the Palestinian Arab Level Dr. Eyad El Sarraj President of Gaza Community Mental Health Programme received the most prestigious International Award in Psychiatry for the Year 2010 Gaza Community Mental Health Progarmme Board of Directors, Director General, and staff congratulate Dr. Eyad El Sarraj on receiving the…
Abdullah Daoud to be buried at his hometown on march 28th
Bethlehem, March 25, (Pal Telegraph) The Minister Hussein al-Sheikh, President of the General Authority for Civil Affairs, said that the occupation authorities had agreed to bury the martyr Abdullah Daoud, 48, at his home town (Bethlehem) next Sunday, March 28. Sheikh pointed that after the efforts of civil affairs, Israel agreed to the return of the martyr Abdullah Daoud’s body,…
IOF shoot Gazan fisherman
Gaza, March 25, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) Israeli gunships opened fire on Thursday at Palestinian fishing boats off the coasts of northern Gaza Strip and injured a fisherman. Hasim Juma Qzaan was injured and taken to Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern sector, Palestinian sources said. Palestinian fishing boats are targeted daily, as Israel claims that they…
Israel detains 3 Palestinians in Hebron
Hebron, March 25, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces detained on Thursday a citizen from Dura village, southwest of Hebron in the West Bank, while the other two citizens were detained Wednesday evening near Al-Hram Al-Ibrahimi. Security sources told SAFA news agency that the soldiers detained Hassan Mohammed Nasr,39 , from Dura after raiding his home, Fouad Fares Al-Qasrawi ,23,…
Despite ban, Gaza men still style women’s hair
The National 26 Mar 2010 – More than three weeks since the ban, hairstylist says Hamas diktat has not been officially conveyed.
Netanyahu in crisis talks with cabinet
The National 26 Mar 2010 – Discussions were under way to chart out a response to a list of demands made by the US to pave the way for indirect peace talks with the Palestinian Authority.
Digging out East Jerusalem: how Israeli families are taking over
The National 26 Mar 2010 – House by house, street by street, Israeli families are taking over an area that Palestinians want as the capital of their future state.
Rights Groups: Hamas Liable for Rocket Attacks
The Media Line 20 Mar 2010 – International human rights groups criticize Hamas over continuing Gaza rocket attacks on civilians in Israel. Hamas authorities in Gaza have the responsibility to stop indiscriminate rocket attacks into Israel, international human rights groups said over the…
UN’s Ban Ki-Moon Pledges Continued Support for Gazans
The Media Line 20 Mar 2010 – Visiting the Gaza Strip, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was “distressed” by the rubble from last year’s 22-day Israeli offensive and pledged Palestinians that the UN would “stand with you.” Ban’s visit to Israel…
Netanyahu Heads to Washington Meeting with Obama
The Media Line 20 Mar 2010 – Hours before he took off for Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared that major issues such as Jerusalem, refugees, settlements and borders were all on the table for negotiations with the Palestinians. The clarification came…
Arab ministers agree Jerusalem fund
AlJazeera 26 Mar 2010 – Accord aims to support Palestinians in face of Israel’s settlement drive.
Israeli cabinet mulls US demands
AlJazeera 26 Mar 2010 – Prime minister calls “crisis” session following troubled talks in Washington.
Israeli troops killed in Gaza clash
AlJazeera 26 Mar 2010 – Two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians killed in fighting east of Gaza Strip.
Saudi arrests over ‘terror plot’
AlJazeera 26 Mar 2010 – More than 100 arrested for allegedly plotting attacks on kingdom’s oil installations.
Alternative Information Center
OECD Countries Attempt to Illegally Affirm Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian, Syrian Territories
Alternative Information Center – Thursday, 18 March 2010, Israel’s proposed ascension to the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is nearly complete, while the details of this ascension provide a worrying picture of European negligence: The statistics provided by…
Why Protest Building a Synagogue?
Alternative Information Center – Thursday, 18 March 2010, The Hurva synagogue was destroyed in the 1948 war by the Jordanian army. Before 1948, synagogues were used by Zionist underground forces for illicit activities including hording weapons.* But why is there…
Upcoming AIC Publication: Social Chaos: A Critical Perspective on the Israeli Educational System
Alternative Information Center – Wednesday, 17 March 2010, In April the Alternative Information Center (AIC) will release a new publication entitled Social Chaos: A Critical Perspective on the Israeli Educational System. Social Chaos is a compilation of articles written by…
Israeli army indicts 2 soldiers accused of using boy as human shield in Gaza war
PNN – Thursday, 25 March 2010
Obama and Netanyahu play hardball over Israeli settlement plan
PNN – Thursday, 25 March 2010
Israel defends right to arrest foreigners in West Bank
PNN – Thursday, 25 March 2010
Two IDF soldiers killed in Gaza clashes
Jeruslalem Post 26 Mar 2010 – Two others wounded, one seriously; at least 4 Palestinian terrorists killed; unusually, Hamas claims responsibility for ‘ambush’ of IDF troops.
PM: No change in policy on Jerusalem
Jeruslalem Post 26 Mar 2010 – 5-hour long ‘Septet’ discussion on US demands yields no decisions.
At least 2 Palestinians killed in Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 26 Mar 2010 – Fierce battles ongoing between IDF troops and members of al-Qaida inspired terror group.
Post poll: Obama still in single digits
Jeruslalem Post 25 Mar 2010 – 9% of local Jews say US administration pro-Israel; 48% call it pro- Palestinian.
African migrants celebrate their own Egypt exodus
Jeruslalem Post 25 Mar 2010 – Nearly 300 people attend special community Seder in south Tel Aviv.
Obama demands Netanyahu’s peace answers by Saturday
Jeruslalem Post 25 Mar 2010 – US hopes to get immediate Arab League approval for proximity talks; PA official: DC meetings ended without progress on east Jerusalem construction freeze.
Petition may lead to wider acceptance of common law marriage
Jeruslalem Post 25 Mar 2010 – Permanent resident of Israel and former member of Black Hebrews community asks to wed her partner, a Nigerian Christian.
Israel mum on UK passport promises
Jeruslalem Post 25 Mar 2010 – Officials say they are unaware if Lieberman will provide UK with guarantee.
Palestinian, Israeli journalists meet in Tel Aviv
Jeruslalem Post 25 Mar 2010 – Reporters from Gaza and the West Bank tour Tel Aviv as part of initiative to build bridges between Arab media and their peers in Israel.
MIDEAST: ‘Palestinian Life is Cheap’
IPS RAMALLAH, Mar 24 (IPS) – In early February, 41-year-old Fayez Ahmed Faraj, a father of nine from the city of Hebron, 30 miles south of Jerusalem, in the southern West Bank, was shot dead in his home town by Israeli soldiers after he allegedly tried to stab one of them….
MIDEAST: Israeli Army World’s Most Moral?
IPS RAMALLAH, Mar 23 (IPS) – Many Israelis like to believe, and the clich is repeated regularly in Israel, that their army is the “most moral army in the world.”
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (18-24 march 2010)
PCHR 24 Mar 2010 – A Palestinian is carried into al-Aqsa Martys Hospital in the central Gaza Strip town of Deir al-Balah, as he was wounded by Israeli troops, 22 March 2010….
PCHR Concludes a Human Rights Training Course in Rafah
PCHR 24 Mar 2010 – Ref: 35/2010….
PCHR Receives Professor Tateyama from the Department of International Relations at the Japan National Defense Academy
PCHR 24 Mar 2010 – Ref: 36/2009….
International Solidarity Movement
Teenager shot by Israeli forces in northern Gaza
3/26/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – ISM Gaza – Said Abdel Aziz Hamdan, 15, went for his first time to Gaza’s northern border area to try gathering scrap metal for re-sale. Although an area lined with Israeli military towers and notorious for Israeli soldier shooting, shelling and abductions of Palestinian workers and farmers, Hamdan did not feel he would be in danger. “People go there everyday to gather bits of metal and concrete. The Israelis see us and know we are just working, it’s normal,” he said from his hospital bed in Jabaliya’s Kamal Adwan hospital. Hamdan set out from home shortly after 10 am Friday, going with his younger brother Suleiman, 13, to earn whatever shekels they could. From a family of 7 brothers and 5 sisters and whose father is unemployed, Said Hamdan had no other options for employment. “My friends go every Friday, so I decided to join them today, to try this work.
Netanyahu: I’m not building in Jerusalem for Lieberman and Yishai
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – ‘I plan to continue building in Jerusalem as all previous prime ministers did before me,’ PM vows.
Israel’s U.S. envoy: We face monumental challenges this Passover
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Michael Oren urges U.S. Jewish leaders to overcome differences with Israel and ‘unite as a people.’
U.S. assessing ‘most effective path forward’ for peace talks
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Despite upcoming holiday period, U.S. determined to push Mideast peace efforts ahead, says official.
Report: Egypt’s Mubarak expected to return home Saturday
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Egyptian President Mubarak in good health after undergoing gall-bladder surgery in Germany on March 6.
Barak warns Hamas of ramifications for Gaza fire
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Two IDF soldiers killed in Gaza border clashes named as Maj. Eliraz Peretz, Staff Sgt. Ilan Sviatkovsky.
Is Gaza now Netanyahu’s biggest problem?
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – While PM focuses on U.S. pressure, four fatalities in last week near Gaza may prove more urgent.
Where have all the anti-Semites gone?
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – The glass is half full: Anti-Semitism is mostly no longer politically correct and doesn’t pay off electorally.
Israeli feared abducted by al-Qaida contacts his family
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Al-Sharq al-Awsat reports that the man entered Algeria with a Spanish passport, was sold to Al-Qaida by locals.
U.S. Congressman Cantor: I’ve been threatened because I’m Jewish
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Cantor says he was ‘directly threatened’ when someone shot at the window of his office in Virginia.
Netanyahu and Obama are at point of no return
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Obama has decided his moderate Mideast coalition is more important than Netanyahu’s extremist one.
Petraeus to Ashkenazi: I never said Israel policy endangers U.S.
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Petraeus denies blaming Israel for stalled peace progress; Gates: Conflict ‘affects’ U.S. security interests.
VIDEO / Why wasn’t Obama photographed with Netanyahu?
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – White House waves off suggestion that U.S. president was ’embarrassed’ to be seen with Israeli PM.
Netanyahu better shape up before U.S. tensions get worse
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – ‘Obama isn’t only sticking the knife in,’ a minister said, ‘he’s twisting it and enjoying it.’
Israeli West Bank food company fakes address for EU markets
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – European court ruled last month that products from settlements don’t qualify for tax-exempt status.
Palestinians dismiss U.S., Israel reports of Mideast progress
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Netanyahu postpones Forum of Seven meet; White House: Obama wants confidence-building measures.
Ivor Dembina | Comedy review
The Guardian 26 Mar 2010 – House of Commons, London Heckles are one thing, division bells quite another. Veteran standup Ivor Dembina has spent 20 years handling the former, but that’s no preparation for when his show is interrupted by a ringing…
The real price of Israel’s settlements | Seth Freedman
The Guardian 25 Mar 2010 – Israel has spent $17bn on its settlements in the Palestinian territories, but the cost to the peace process is much higher The cost of building Israeli settlements in the occupied territories stands at more than $17bn,…
Britain’s historical mandate | Natasha Gill
The Guardian 25 Mar 2010 – A frank recognition of its past in the Middle East can give Britain a unique role in the peace process The reprimand of Israel by David Miliband, the foreign secretary, resonated sharply in an already difficult…
Netanyahu’s reluctant gift to Palestine | Hussein Ibish
The Guardian 25 Mar 2010 – US pressure on Binyamin Netanyahu has not achieved a settlement freeze, but it has delivered real gains to Palestinians The Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is not being honest with his fellow Israelis by insisting that…
Palestinian student: Israel Border Police beat me for hours
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – A Palestinian who was imprisoned for a week says members of the Border Police beat and abused him for hours, then accused him of attacking one of them. …
Netanyahu intensifies bid to poach Kadima MKs for coalition
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will intensify efforts to draw Kadima MKs to the Likud, say sources close to him. The move comes in response to the crisis in relations between the United States and Israel, and the sources say the crisis atmosphere highlighted for many, including MK Shaul Mofaz, the need to rally for a broader centrist coalition. …
‘Miracle’ rabbi’s non-profit plundered charity donations
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – Managers of Rabbi Nir Ben-Artzi’s charity Talmi Geulat Am Yisrael are suspected of having plundered its donations, listing them as “loans” and then “repaying” them to themselves. …
State finds misconduct at Barak’s Independence Day party
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – More than 12,000 people were invited to Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s traditional Independence Day reception last year, at a cost of some NIS 1.5 million, the state comptroller said Thursday in a brief statement. …
Did IDF general cut short probe into U.S. activist Corrie’s death?
Ha’aretz 26 Mar 2010 – The Military Police interrogation of a key suspect in the killing of American human rights activist Rachel Corrie was cut short by a direct order of then GOC Southern, Maj. Gen. Doron Almog, army documents obtained by Haaretz suggest. …
Human Rights Council concludes thirteenth session
Relief Web 26 Mar 2010 – Source: UN Human Rights Council
Ban meets with Palestinian President and Arab League chief ahead of summit
Relief Web 26 Mar 2010 – Source: UN News Service
Activists Opposed to Separation Wall Speak Up During United Nations Civil Society Meeting in Support of the Palestinian People
Relief Web 26 Mar 2010 – Source: UN General Assembly
ANALYSIS-Lack of India refugee law leaves many in limbo
Relief Web 26 Mar 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
Families mourn soldiers killed in Gaza
YNet News 26 Mar 2010 – ‘I have six children, don’t tell me two are gone,’ cries mother of 32-year-old Eliraz Peretz, killed in fire exchange with Palestinians near Kissufim 12 years after his brother Uriel dies in Lebanon blast. Meanwhile, parents of 21-year-old Ilan Sviatkovsky, also killed in Gaza incident, are left speechless, brother Arik says, ‘He loved the army so much’
Palestinians: Tanks enter Strip
YNet News 26 Mar 2010 – Hours after IDF officer, soldier killed in Gaza clashes, Palestinians report at least five IDF tanks, two armed bulldozers enter area east of Khan Younis, fire shells. At least one Palestinian injured
Cabinet meeting ends with no decision on US demands
YNet News 26 Mar 2010 – Prime Minister Netanyahu, his six senior ministers try to come up with creative solution on east Jerusalem, Gaza siege. Meeting ends with no conclusions, forum to reconvene next week
Palestinians sources: Hamas ambushed IDF
YNet News 26 Mar 2010 – Izz a-din al-Qassam Brigades spokesman says ‘interception and observation unit identified Israeli force advancing into Palestinians territory, confronted it by directly striking its men’
IDF officer, soldier killed in Gaza clashes
YNet News 26 Mar 2010 – Two soldiers also injured in serious clashes with Palestinians near border fence. Israeli force enters Strip after identifying Palestinians planting explosive devices. During chase, bomb detonates, fire opened at force. Two Palestinians also killed
Border clashes: 2 Palestinians killed
YNet News 26 Mar 2010 – Palestinian media report Gazans attempting to plant explosives near border fence killed by IDF artillery
300 protesters gather in Sheikh Jarrah
YNet News 26 Mar 2010 – Weekly leftist protest in east Jerusalem neighborhood spills over to Shepherd Hotel, where construction permit was granted this week. MK Dov Khenin: ‘Netanyahu can lie to the world, but cannot do this with us’
International Water Day: Chronic shortage in West Bank
23 Mar 2010 – The discriminatory division of the shared water resources infringes the Palestinians’ right to water, to sanitation, and to health. Israel’s policy also infringes the Palestinians’ right to gain a livelihood, in that the water shortage prevents developmen
Israel says it will still build in occupied Jerusalem
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel insisted on Friday it would not change its policy of building homes in East Jerusalem, keeping the country at odds with Washington on how to renew stalled peace talks with Palestinians. The statement on Jerusalem came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened senior cabinet ministers to consider confidence
Two Israelis dead in worst Gaza clash in year
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 GAZA: Two Israeli soldiers were killed and at least two Palestinians wounded on Friday in what may be the most deadly clash on the Gaza Strip border since Israel ended its war there 14 months ago. The Israeli army said an officer and a conscript were killed in an ambush by Palestinian gunmen against an Israeli military patrol. Two other soldiers were wounded.
Riots expose well of fear beneath Jerusalem’s Old City
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: The riots that shook Jerusalem this month were sparked by mere rumors, but tensions remain high in the narrow alleys of the Old City and could erupt again, confounding US-led peace efforts.The trigger for the March 16 troubles, the worst unrest to hit the Holy City in years, was the opening of a rebuilt 17th-century
HRW urges Syria to probe Kurd New Year shootings
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 NEW YORK: Human Rights Watch urged the Syrian authorities Friday to probe the shootings by security forces during Kurdish New Year celebrations that killed at least one person. “Syrian authorities should conduct an independent investigation into the shootings by security forces on March 21, 2010, that left at least one person dead and others wounded
Clinton sees increasing momentum on Iran sanctions
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday there would be “increasing activity” in the near future toward a package of UN sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program.Clinton said the Obama administration had held “constructive talks” with all its partners and in-depth consultations with Russia and other international partners
Arabs challenge Israeli settlements with Jerusalem fund
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 SIRTE, Libya: Arab foreign ministers on Thursday agreed to raise funds for Jerusalem Palestinians in a bid to counter Israel’s settlement drive in the Holy City, at preparatory talks for a weekend summit.The decision will be submitted to Arab leaders for ratification when they gather on Saturday and Sunday in the Libyan Mediterranean city of Sirte for their annual conference.
Ban worried over Hizbullah arms, Sleiman raps Israeli breaches
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 BEIRUT: The continued presence of Hizbullah’s weapons in Lebanon threatens to undermine any progress made by Lebanon and Israel in the implementation of Resolution 1701, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. “I am worried about Hizbullah’s possession of arms. I hope this will be resolved,” Ban told the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat
UN announces launching of Arab research network project
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 BEIRUT: Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman of the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development, announced on Thursday the launching of the Arab research network project which will take place in Brussels at the end of March 2010. “In each Arab University there is a research center but these centers do not exchange information and do not Abu-Ghazaleh
The squandering of our heritage
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 Our newspaper today carries a story about the persistent looting of Lebanon’s archaeological sites, and this marks an appropriate time to note the state of degradation we have reached in these vital sources of this nation’s wealth: its environment and its history.We could celebrate a heritage that we can trace back through millennia of recorded history.
Lebanese take home 4 awards at lavish Takreem ceremony
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 BEIRUT: Four Lebanese have received recognition in the first annual Takreem Arab Achievements Awards, which highlight individual efforts and leadership in the region. The award, designed to challenge existing negative stereotypes of Arabs abroad and communicate about Arab leadership, is the brainchild of Ricardo Karam, a prominent Lebanese
Oh Canada, why so dry with the Arabs?
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 Canada is charting a troubling new course in the Middle East. Under the Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, Canadian foreign policy is tilting strongly toward Israel, a direction that is forsaking Canada’s past even-handedness in the region. This is not only undermining the country’s reputation and economic interests, it is at variance
Tribunal preparing for trial within a year
Daily Star 26 Mar 2010 Editor’s note: The following are excerpts of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s annual report, which was released Saturday. The Daily Star is publishing excerpts of the report until Wednesday.PART II – MAIN ACTIVITIES OF THE TRIBUNAL BETWEEN MARCH 2009 AND FEBRUARY 2010 A. Chambers 1. Introduction 95. The Tribunal’s Chambers are
Palestinian Information Center
The Qassam Brigades claims responsibility for the killing of two IOF soldiers
PIC 26 Mar 2010 – Two Israeli occupation soldiers were killed Friday in a border clash between the IOF and the Palestinian resistance to the east of Khan Younis.
Netanyahu and Obama agree continuation of settlement
PIC 26 Mar 2010 – A high ranking Israeli official revealed that Benjamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama are in agreement regarding the building of settlements in occupied east Jerusalem.
Abu Sha’ar warns of possible annexation of the Aqsa Mosque to “Jewish heritage”
PIC 26 Mar 2010 – Dr. Talib Abu Sha’ar, the Palestinian Awkaf minister, has warned Friday of a possible Israeli scheme to annex the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem to the alleged Jewish heritage..
Israeli court allows settlers to shoot at Palestinians
PIC 26 Mar 2010 – An Israeli court in the occupied city of Jerusalem ruled that it was legal for Jewish settlers to carry firearms and use them against Palestinians with the purpose of “dispersing them”.
Islamists boycott BirZeit University elections, decry Fatah repressive practices
PIC 26 Mar 2010 – The Islamic League has decided to boycott the student elections in Bir Zeit University, saying that the absence of the Islamic bloc would turn the election process into a farce.
US and Israel agree a major arms deal
PIC 26 Mar 2010 – A major arms deal has been concluded between the United States and Israel, at a time the relations between the two countries are allegedly tense, according to Israeli sources.
Egyptians call for expulsion of Israeli ambassador
PIC 26 Mar 2010 – Tens of angry Egyptians picketed the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in the capital Cairo on Thursday to protest the Israeli occupation breaches against the Islamic holy places in occupied Palestine.
Zionists attempt to gain a foothold in Sinai through fraudulent deals
PIC 26 Mar 2010 – The prominent Egyptian analyst and writer, Fahmi Huwaidi, wrote that some foreign parties are trying to gain control of large areas of land in the Sinai Peninsula with Zionist participation.
Palestinian captives launch internet site
PIC 26 Mar 2010 – Born Free, is the name of a new Arabic website which was launched recently by Palestinian captives in Israeli occupation jails in an attempt to break barriers between captives and the outside world.
Occupation deports 75 Palestinians since start of Aqsa intifada
PIC 26 Mar 2010 – Abdel-Naser Farwana said that the Israeli occupation deported a total of 75 Palestinians since the start of the Aqsa intifada in September 2000, under various pretexts.
2 Israeli soldiers, 2 Palestinian fighters killed in Gaza Strip clash
LA Times 27 Mar 2010 – Hamas says the soldiers provoked its forces by crossing the border. Israel says its troops were investigating a potential assault after an uptick in rocket attacks. Two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinian militants were killed Friday in a gun battle in the Gaza Strip, heightening fears that violence in the region is returning to levels not seen for more than a year.
In Egypt, all eyes on Mubarak’s health
LA Times 27 Mar 2010 – Many fear that the military may step in if President Mubarak falters before elections are held. Without him, some fear that the country will slide into chaos. George Ishak has been battling the political repression of the Egyptian government for years, so it seemed odd recently when he mentioned, perhaps with a bit of slyness, that he was praying for the good health of President Hosni Mubarak.
Palestinian security forces walk a careful line
LA Times 26 Mar 2010 – The Palestinian Authority’s reformed forces are more professional than ever. But maintaining legitimacy in eyes of their people despite Israeli limits on their authority is an ongoing battle. As the highest-ranking commander of nearly 8,000 Palestinian security troops, Maj. Gen. Diab Ali is accustomed to being top gun. But the salutes often stop when he leaves the military base and travels through the West Bank.
West softens proposed Iran sanctions
LA Times 26 Mar 2010 – The new tack by U.S. and Europe is an effort to win the support of Russia and China and gain broad international backing. U.S. and European officials considering new sanctions against Iran have decided to set aside some of the harshest of the measures as they seek broader international agreement in United Nations Security Council negotiations, said diplomats involved in the talks.
Another East Jerusalem project gets OK
LA Times 25 Mar 2010 – Approval for the 20-unit project for Jewish residents funded by a U.S. businessman comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with President Obama. Officials deny a political motive. Another controversial housing project in East Jerusalem has received approval to break ground despite strong U.S. objections, officials said Wednesday.
Netanyahu Remains Firm on Jerusalem Housing
New York Times 26 Mar 2010 – The Israeli premier stood firm on building in East Jerusalem, a point of contention with the U.S.
U.S. Fails to Persuade Israel on Housing Plan
New York Times 25 Mar 2010 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not appear willing to give President Obama a commitment to rein in building in East Jerusalem.
China and Russia Pressed Iran to Accept U.N. Deal
New York Times 24 Mar 2010 – Russia said its envoys and Chinese envoys pressured Iran to accept a plan on uranium enrichment but Iran refused.
Checkpoints
Palestine Monitor – 17 Dec 2010 – “The right to freedom of movement provides that people are entitled to move freely within the borders of the state, to leave any country and to return to their country.” Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 12 of the International Covenant…
Israeli Military Critically Wounds Gazan Fisherman
Palestine Monitor – 26 Mar 2010 – Hazem Gora’ani was critically wounded at 9AM on Thursday morning when the Israeli navy fired at his fishing boat. He was brought to Shifa’a hospital in Gaza City with serious head wounds where he underwent emergency surgery. His condition is currently too unstable to risk removing…
When it comes to E Jerusalem, ‘NPR’ misleads and misinforms
Mondoweiss – 26 Mar 2010 – It’s been almost two weeks since I wrote to National Public Radio’s senior Washington editor, Ron Elving, and to the network’s ombudsman, Alicia Shepard, to ask why Elving used an Israeli formulation “disputed” area to characterize East Jerusalem, instead of calling it “occupied,” the…
Netanyahu ‘humilated,’ but the ‘special relationship’ is alive and well
Mondoweiss – 26 Mar 2010 – It’s satisfying to read reports like this one from the UK-based Times that show the Obama administration “humiliated” Benjamin Netanyahu when he came to the White House this past week. But other events that also transpired this week show that the “special relationship” between the United…
Int’l Relations 101: Harvard’s David Gergen says Obama has no power over Israel
Mondoweiss – 26 Mar 2010 – As an addendum to Henry Norr’s post about NPR above, I’d register the fact that tonight I heard Tom Ashbrook’s show On Point , in which David Gergen of the Kennedy School, Jack Beatty of the Atlantic, and a fellow from the Dallas Morning-News called Bill McKenzie…
World Education Forum in Palestine Launched
Alternative Information Center – 26 Mar 2010 – Tuesday, 16 March 2010, The Palestinian National Committee in charge of the preparations of the World Social Forum on Education hosted a delegation of the International Advisory Committee of the World Social Forum in Ramallah from March 11 -13. Together they launched the organizing process that…
It is Time to Hear the Palestinian People
Alternative Information Center – 26 Mar 2010 – Tuesday, 16 March 2010, Israel’s dangerous and arrogant escalation in settlement building, house demolitions and evictions of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem indicates that the government of Netanyahu-Lieberman’s is pushing for overt clash and conflict and demonstrates that it has absolutely no real…
Why Protest Building a Synagogue?
Alternative Information Center – 26 Mar 2010 – Thursday, 18 March 2010, The Hurva synagogue was destroyed in the 1948 war by the Jordanian army. Before 1948, synagogues were used by Zionist underground forces for illicit activities including hording weapons.* But why is there a furor over building it again? First we must recognize…
Upcoming AIC Publication: Social Chaos: A Critical Perspective on the Israeli Educational System
Alternative Information Center – 26 Mar 2010 – Wednesday, 17 March 2010, In April the Alternative Information Center (AIC) will release a new publication entitled Social Chaos: A Critical Perspective on the Israeli Educational System. Social Chaos is a compilation of articles written by AIC co-founder and board member Marcello Weksler, Director of Educational…
OECD Countries Attempt to Illegally Affirm Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian, Syrian Territories
Alternative Information Center – 26 Mar 2010 – Thursday, 18 March 2010, Israel’s proposed ascension to the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is nearly complete, while the details of this ascension provide a worrying picture of European negligence: The statistics provided by Israel to the OECD’s committees have no reference to the…
Articles
Ramallah and Gaza are waiting
Amira Hass, Ha’aretz, Israeli Occupation Archive 3/26/2010
Satisfaction that’s what Israeli faces radiate, at least as observed by people who just came out of Ramallah or Gaza and watch Jerusalem’s busy Ben-Yehuda Street, the Ramat Aviv Mall or Ben-Gurion International Airport.
To the Israelis, nothing exists beyond the moment. It’s just like the smugness exhibited by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his private playing field, the AIPAC conference. Have our diplomats been expelled? Is the American administration angry? We’ll bow our heads for a moment, the storm will pass, and we’ll be accepted into the honorable club of the OECD. The main thing is that Israel’s obstinate policy of separation has succeeded and that two adversarial Palestinian entities has been created.
One is building its Islamic principality in an isolated enclave, bouncing around promises that the second step toward the liberation of Jerusalem and Haifa has already been taken. The other proudly hosts representatives of donor nations in its small and crowded enclaves, and tries to persuade everybody that this is the way to build a state that includes Area C, no-man’s land, Latrun, Gaza, Al-Aqsa and the approximately 70 square kilometers that Israel has annexed and calls Jerusalem.
But we Israelis know that everything is equally imaginary. We are the wizards of the status quo. We establish it as we like, moving an acre here and a military base there, until the world says it agrees. When God wants, Ramallah will also be called a holy city and Gaza will be crowned an Egyptian district capital.
That is not the way the future looks in the two separate entities. Their mutually contradictory rhetoric is based on a similar assumption: Both Gaza and Ramallah believe that change will eventually come from the outside, and that is the popular expectation as well. — See also:Sourcemore..e-mail
Provocation at Al-Aqsa
Jonathan Cook, CounterPunch 3/26/2010
Rabbi Plans “Miracle” at the Western Wall
The Israeli government has indicated that it will press ahead with a plan to enlarge the Jewish prayer plaza at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, despite warnings that the move risks triggering a third intifada.
Israeli officials rejected this week a Jerusalem court’s proposal to shelve the plan after the judge accepted that the plaza’s expansion would violate the “status quo” arrangement covering the Old City’s holy places. Islamic authorities agreed to the arrangement after Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967.
The site eyed by Israeli officials is located at the Mughrabi Gate, an entrance to the mosque compound known as the Haram al Sharif, the most sensitive site in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Inside are Al Aqsa Mosque and the golden-topped Dome of the Rock.
Earlier encroachments by Israel on Islamic authority at the site have triggered clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians. A heavily armed visit to the compound by Ariel Sharon in 2000, shortly before he became prime minister, to declare Israeli rights there sparked the second intifada.
In recent weeks, analysts have grown increasingly concerned that a third intifada is imminent as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has advanced settlement building in East Jerusalem and declared several places deep in the occupied West Bank as Jewish heritage sites.
Another assault on Muslim control so close to Al Aqsa Mosque risked “pouring fuel on the fire”, said Hanna Sweid, an Arab member of the Israeli parliament who filed the original planning objections to the Israeli scheme.more..e-mail
‘My Fellow Americans, Tonight I’m Going to Talk Frankly About a Pesky Little Nation Israel…’
Alexander Cockburn, CounterPunch 3/19/2010
Don’t get excited. It’ll never happen. Is there really a crisis in US-Israeli relations? Yes and No. Yes, because the world’s premier power doesn’t care to have its vice president publicly humiliated by a midget of a nation whose entire population is smaller than that of Los Angeles county. No, because the elected politicians nominally running the government of the world’s premier power live in mortal fear of the Israel lobby in the United States. This time, as always, No will carry the day. (You can find a detailed narrative by Jeffrey Blankfort on this site today, from which much of this Diary is drawn.)
Consider Biden’s reaction the day after Interior Minister Eli Yishai, probably with Netanyahu’s foreknowledge, announced the scheduled building of 1600 apartments Jews only in East Jerusalem, right at the moment Biden was trying to breathe life into the “peace process”
So here’s the vice president of the United States of America,standing with all the injured dignity of a man who has just had a bucket of sewage dumped over his head and who amid his discomfiture, actually did use the word “condemn” and “Israel” in the same paragraph. The next day Biden heads for Tel Aviv university and confides to the audience that he is a Zionist and that, “throughout my career, Israel has not only remained close to my heart but it has been the center of my work as a United States Senator and now as Vice President of the United States.” Get that: “the center of my work.” This mission statement is not quoted in the U.S. press.
Then Biden repeats the nonsense he spouted when he arrived in Jerusalem: that “there is no space — this is what they [the world] must know, every time progress is made, it’s made when the rest of the world knows there is absolutely no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to security, none. No space. That’s the only time when progress has been made.”more..e-mail
Restaurant attacked for barring armed Israeli soldier
Electronic Intifada: 26 Mar 2010 – An Arab-owned restaurant in the Israeli city of Haifa has been caught in a whirlwind of legal action and threats of violence after staff refused to serve a soldier in uniform, an incident that is rapidly tarnishing the city’s reputation as a model of good Jewish-Arabs relations. Jonathan Cook reports.
Lebanese army encircling Baddawi refugee camp
Electronic Intifada: 26 Mar 2010 – The relationship between the Lebanese government and the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon is changing. The process of redefining the old relationship began explosively with the battle and subsequent demolition of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, near the northern city of Tripoli, in 2007. Now the Lebanese army is erecting a barrier around the nearby Baddawi refugee camp because of “security concerns.” Ahmed Moor and Deen Sharp report for The Electronic Intifada.
Visions of Palestine’s present and future in “Invictus” and “Avatar”
Electronic Intifada: 26 Mar 2010 – The recent Hollywood films Invictus and Avatar inspire reflection on the past, present and future hopes of the Palestinian nation. The response to these movies among audiences around the world underscores the amount of sympathy around the world for moral struggles that ensue after the creation of an unjust reality, a sympathy Palestinians have been slow at garnering. Abdaljawad O.A. Hamayel comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Rights groups dispute Israel’s story in Hebron killing
Electronic Intifada: 25 Mar 2010 – RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) – In early February, 41-year-old Fayez Ahmed Faraj, a father of nine from the city of Hebron, 30 miles south of Jerusalem, in the southern West Bank, was shot dead in his home town by Israeli soldiers after he allegedly tried to stab one of them. After a preliminary investigation the Israeli military authorities stated that the soldiers had acted in self-defense and had used the necessary force.
Israeli soldiers target Gaza’s poorest, including children
In Gaza: 26 Mar 2010 – Said Abdel Aziz Hamdan, 15, went for his first time to Gaza’s northern border area to try gathering scrap metal for re-sale. Although an area lined with Israeli military towers and notorious for Israeli soldier shooting, shelling and abductions of Palestinian workers and farmers, Hamdan did not feel he would be in danger. “People go there everyday to gather bits of metal and concrete. The Israelis see us and know we are just working, it’s normal,” he said from his hospital bed in Jabaliya’s Kamal Adwan hospital. Hamdan set out from home shortly after 10 am Friday, going with his younger brother Suleiman, 13, to earn whatever shekels they could. From a family of 7 brothers and 5 sisters and whose father is unemployed, Said Hamdan had no other options for employment. “My friends go every Friday, so I decided to join them today, to try this work.” The bullet…
How Neutral is US Neutrality in the Middle East?
Palestine Chronicle: 26 Mar 2010 – By Ershad Abubacker The recent dueling positions of long time friends and all time allies Israel and America over the construction of 1,600 new apartments in east Jerusalem has obviously hit the headlines worldwide. This has lead to a few high dramatic enactments including the Vice President Joe Biden being reported to be ’embarrassed;’ Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calling the Israeli land policy ‘provocative’ and termed it as not in Israel’s long-term interests and undermined U.S. credibility as a neutral mediator. At this juncture it is really worthwhile to examine the claims of America as the neutral broker in the long standing Israeli Palestine conflict. Israel recently announced new housing plans for east Jerusalem, the part of the city Palestinians want for a future capital, drawing unusually sharp criticism from the Obama administration. The drama reached its high-end when President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…more
Apartheid on Two Continents
Palestine Chronicle: 26 Mar 2010 – By Mats Svensson We all have a common history that crosses borders in terms of both country and time. Together with black and white in South Africa we acted forcefully, taking a stand against apartheid and defining the evil and the good. We became part of a historic decision. A decision that was made by an earlier generation and led to that many today can feel pride over our common history. Today we can unfortunately read analytical reports showing that the evil remains in other parts of the world. Today we should therefore again react forcefully when this appears, when it becomes visible. Tor Sellstrm has in his work documented what Sweden did to fight apartheid in southern Africa. South African researchers have now found signs of apartheid in Palestine. But how do we use this knowledge? How does the world react? Most surfaces are covered with post-its; yellow, green…more
Israel’s Provocation at al-Aqsa: Rabbi Plans ‘Miracle’
Palestine Chronicle: 25 Mar 2010 – By Jonathan Cook – Jerusalem The Israeli government has indicated that it will press ahead with a plan to enlarge the Jewish prayer plaza at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, despite warnings that the move risks triggering a third intifada. Israeli officials rejected this week a Jerusalem court’s proposal to shelve the plan after the judge accepted that the plaza’s expansion would violate the “status quo” arrangement covering the Old City’s holy places. Islamic authorities agreed to the arrangement after Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967. The site eyed by Israeli officials is located at the Mughrabi Gate, an entrance to the mosque compound known as the Haram al Sharif, the most sensitive site in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Inside are Al Aqsa Mosque and the golden-topped Dome of the Rock. Earlier encroachments by Israel on Islamic authority at the site have triggered clashes between…more
The New Dark Age 
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