News
International Middle East Media Center
Israeli Troops Attack Palm Sunday Protest In Bethlehem, Detains 15 Among Them Two Journalists
IMEMC – Sunday March 28, 2010 – 14:02, Fifteen people among them two journalists were detained by Israeli troops and police officers when they attack a Palm Sunday protest near Bethlehem.
Army Invades Khan Younis, Israeli Leaders Weigh Resumption Of Assassinations
IMEMC – Sunday March 28, 2010 – 13:25, Several armored military vehicles carried on Sunday morning a limited invasion into Khan Youni, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The latest attack comes admits talks of a likely resumption of assassinations in the coastal region. Israeli Finance Minister called for “reoccupying” Gaza and “eliminating Hamas”.
Mousa: “Arab Countries Need To Prepare For Peace Failure”
IMEMC – Sunday March 28, 2010 – 06:31, Amro Mousa, secretary-General of the Arab League, stated Saturday that the Arab countries should prepare for the possibility for a total collapse of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, and should start weighing different options.
Child Dies Due to The Siege on Gaza
IMEMC – Sunday March 28, 2010 – 00:01, Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that a 5-year-old child died on Saturday at a local hospital due to the ongoing illegal Israeli siege on the coastal region.
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.
Palestinian journalist receives US visa after delay
3/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Mohammed Omar, a Palestinian journalist and photographer, has received permission to visit the United States weeks after his visa application was delayed for reasons that were never made clear, a Jewish peace organization reported Saturday. MuzzleWatch, a blog affiliated with the US-based Jewish Voice for Peace organization, reported that supporters of the Gaza journalist had been putting pressure on the US Embassy in the Hague to allow Omar to participate in a speaking tour with Ali Abunimah, a Chicago-based Palestinian-American activist who founded the Electronic Intifada news and commentary Web site. Omar has lived in the Netherlands since 2008, after he was detained and severely beaten by Shin Bet interrogators upon returning to the occupied Palestinian territories from London, where he was awarded the Martha Gellhorn Award for Journalism in 2007.
Israel enforces Al-Aqsa restrictions
3/28/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israeli forces imposed tightened entry restrictions for Palestinians into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, banning men under 50 from access. The move follows an increase in security procedures on the even of the Jewish Passover. Residents living beside the compound, known in Arabic as Al-Haram Al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) told Ma’an that Israeli border police shut down the gates leading into the compound. Onlookers said a significant Israeli force was dispatched around the Old City and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, implementing a police decision on Saturday aimed at “restoring security and order during the Jewish holiday that will end next Tuesday. ” Meanwhile, Israel has imposed a West Bank lockdown over the Jewish holiday, which coincides with the Christian Easter celebrations.
PA: 20,000 could lose homes in Jerusalem
3/28/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – More than 20,000 Palestinian homes in Jerusalem could soon face demolition orders, according to Ahmad Ruweidi, a legal advisor on Jerusalem affairs within the Palestinian President’s Office. Ruweidi said Israeli courts will soon accuse homeowners of having violated construction restrictions over the past 10 years and issue demolition orders on the pretext that they needed renewable licenses. Ruweidi pointed out that the number did not include homes whose owners have already received final demolition orders from Israel’s Jerusalem Municipality or from the Israeli courts. This means, according to the lawyer, that all owners live in a state of fear that at any moment their homes could be demolished and that they will find their families living on the street. He described Israel’s policy as intended to force Palestinian residents of Jerusalem to pay large sums to engineers. . .
Israeli forces detain 5 in West Bank overnight
3/28/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained a young Palestinian man after raiding the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday morning. Palestinian security sources said Fadi Muhammad Qanazi, 22, was detained after soldiers ransacked his family’s home at 2:30am. Israel’s army said five Palestinians were detained overnight including the one from Nablus, as well as one in At-Taqaba, southwest of Hebron, two from Bir Nabala, south of Ramallah, and one from Hizma, southeast of Ramallah. “All the suspects were transferred to the security forces for questioning,” a military spokeswoman said. [end]
Police say Israeli forces detain 1, assault another
3/28/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained a young Palestinian man and assaulted another in separate incidents across the occupied West Bank on Saturday evening that left one hospitalized, police reported Sunday. According to a police report, a teenager was severely beaten at the Qalandiya checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah. He was identified as 18-year-old Ibahim Shawamra of Ar-Ram, a village on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The report said the teenager was hospitalized, but did not specify which hospital or the nature of his injuries. Calls to Israel’s Border Police unit, responsible for manning the Qalandiya crossing because Israel considers it a border terminal rather than a military checkpoint, went unanswered. Meanwhile, Israeli forces raided the villages of Deir Ghassana and Arura, two Palestinian villages north of Ramallah, the report said.
Palm Sunday detainees still in Israeli custody
3/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israel detained 11 Palestinians in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Sunday, amid protests over restrictions preventing Christians from performing religious rites in Jerusalem over Easter. Dozens of protesters, joined by international peace activists and Muslim supporters, took to the streets after Sunday prayers held for the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday in the Nativity Church. Participants performed the symbolic march of Jesus Christ to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, carrying palm branches and banners denouncing Israel’s wall and continued settlement expansion. The rally reached the Gilo checkpoint, used predominantly by tourists and through which West Bankers can only pass with permission from Israel. Participants tried to transit the military installation before being barred by waiting Israeli soldiers. Related:Palm Sunday detainees identified
Israel minister threatens to reoccupy Gaza
3/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israel will eventually have to reoccupy Gaza to topple Hamas, a top Israeli official warned Sunday. Yuval Steinitz, a member of the right-wing Israeli movement Likud and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s finance minister, told Israel Radio that “Israel won’t allow Hamas to arm with long-range missiles,” the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. Steinitz’s remarks came a day after an Israeli military incursion into the southern Gaza Strip left one dead and 13 injured, the latest in a string of clashes that officials have called the bloodiest violence since Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, which ended in January 2009. The funeral procession for Haitham Abed Al-Hakim Arafat, 23, a civilian who was killed in an overnight airstrike, was held in Khuza’a, a village that locals said was “devastated” by Israel’s operation into the border town, east of Khan Younis.
Gaza: 1 crossing partially open
3/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli authorities partially opened Gaza’s Kerem Shalom crossing Sunday for limited deliveries of aid, food, and fuel, Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said. Fattouh told Ma’an that Israel informed Palestinian authorities that between 113 and 123 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial merchandise would be shipped into the enclave. The Gaza official added that limited quantities of industrial diesel and domestic gas would also be delivered. He confirmed that Karni crossing would remain closed. Israel closed all Gaza’s crossings on Friday and Saturday. [end]
Nativity Church deportee buried in Nablus
3/28/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – The body of Abdullah Dawood, a Nativity Church deportee, was repatriated with his family on Sunday for burial in Nablus, following his death in Algeria. Dawood was buried in the Martyrs Cemetery in his native Balata refugee camp, following a military ceremony attended by Palestinian Authority officials and members of the military and intelligence services. Dawood, 48, former director of the Bethlehem intelligence service, died on Wednesday in Algeria, his family confirmed. The brigadier was deported by Israeli forces from the Nativity Church in 2002, following an Israeli siege on the holy site. Earlier on Sunday, a ceremony was held for Dawood in Jericho, where thousands of Palestinians and officials waited for his body to return to Palestine. In attendance were Fatah Central Committee members Tawfiq Tirawi and Jamal Muheisin, Palestinian Intelligence Service Director-GeneralMajid. . .
Palm Sunday detainees identified
3/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained 11 Palestinians on Palm Sunday, who marched toward the Gilo checkpoint in Bethlehem protesting Israel’s increased restriction imposed on Palestinian Christians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, barring them access to the Old City of Jerusalem to perform Easter rites. Those detained during the rally have been identified as follows: Abbas Zaki, member of the Fatah Central CommitteeMohammad Al-Hubani, member of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Bethlehem Mahmoud Zawahreh, member of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Al-Ma’sara Fadi Hamad, Associated Press photographerHassen Breijeiyah, member of the Popular Committee Against the wall in Al-Ma’saraMarwan Fararjeh, member of Fatah’s Regional Office in Bethlehem Toni Shahwwan, member of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Beit Jala Two of the Palm Sunday detainees remain unidentified. Related:Palm Sunday detainees still in Israeli custody
Islamic Jihad say combatant’s corpse found in southern Gaza
3/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The body of a Palestinian was found in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday evening, an Israeli military source told Ma’an. Medics confirmed that a body was picked up shortly after the find. It was identified as Suleiman Arafat by medical officials in Gaza City. Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency services, said that Arafat’s body was transferred to the An-Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis when a crew of medics found him Al-Faqqassa, east of A’basan. Hassanein added that Suleiman was the brother of Hamdi Arafat, who died of wounds sustained in Friday’s clashes with Israeli forces entering in the south of the coastal enclave. The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, announced that Arafat was one of the fighters involved in the deadly clashes, the bloodiest since the end of Israel’s Operation Cast Lead 14 months ago.
Hamas: MK stance reflects criminal intent
3/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israel’s comments about potentially reoccupying Gaza reflect “criminal intentions,” Hamas said Sunday. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said remarks by Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz that Israel would eventually have to reoccupy Gaza to topple Hamas affirmed that “state terrorism” against the Palestinian people would continue. Israel will commit further war crimes and crimes against humanity in the coastal enclave, Barhoum added. He called on regional and international entities to take decisive resolutions against the Israeli government as soon as possible, and to bring Israeli leaders before international courts as “war criminals. “The Hamas official further said any relations or normalization with Israel would provide a cover for “these crimes” and encourage the Israeli government to practice additional “terrorism and criminality” against the Palestinian people.
Sha’ath: Gaddaffi’s behavior insulting
3/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Member of Fatah’s Central Committee Nabil Sha’ath said Sunday that the Palestinian delegation at the Arab League summit is indignant over Libyan leader Muammar Gaddaffi’s treatment of President Mahmoud Abbas. “This was the result of the strange and inappropriate decision on Gaddaffi’s part to not greet President Abbas at the airport upon his arrival in Serit, as he did with all other Arab leaders,” Sha’ath told Ma’an Radio during a telephone interview. Gaddaffi was named the latest rotating president of the Arab League on Saturday, taking over from Qatar. Sha’ath said the summit was named after Jerusalem to respond to Palestinian concerns and “they [the summit’s conveners] are required to produce decisions on a par with its name. “He added that Arab leaders are faced with “either US option or the Jerusalem option”.
Arab League summit concludes in Libya
3/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Arab leaders and officials concluded the 22nd Arab League summit held in Serit, Libya on Sunday and will hold an exceptional summit in October to discuss unresolved issues. A declaration addressing the Arab League’s key issues was passed, mandating the establishment of a legal committee to follow up on the”Judaization” of East Jerusalem, home evictions, and attacks against holy sites in the occupied Palestinian territories, with the aim of putting its findings before national and international courts. A political framework was also outlined to tackle Israeli policy in East Jerusalem. Arab leaders pronounced their full support for Jerusalem and its residents, “on their land in the face of continued Israeli aggression against them and their holy places, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the declaration read. “East Jerusalem is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian lands of 1967.
Palestinian public school teachers to strike
3/28/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – The Union of Palestinian Teachers announced Saturday that it will go on strike from Monday after the government refused to address their demands. According to the union’s secretariat-general, teachers will go to schools on Monday and stay until 11am without attending classes. The same plan will apply the next Monday. On Wednesday and Thursday, 7-8 April, classes will be suspended after 11am, and all other employees of the Palestinian Ministry of Education in Ramallah will go on strike from that point. A meeting will be held on Thursday, 8 April to evaluate the situation and take further steps in light of recent developments. The union reiterated that their demands had not changed: salary improvements, adjustment to administrative bonuses, adjustment of the bonus to the nature of work, risk bonuses, employment ranking, promotions, and end-of-service payment for those who served more than 28 years.
Gaza factions call for an end to rivalry
3/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian factions called for an end to factional rivalry to confront Israeli aggression, during a Land Day commemoration ceremony on Sunday. Senior Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said an end to division is necessary to “stand united against Israel’s systematic attacks,” during the event, organized by the Palestinian National Initiative. Radwan added that all direct and indirect talks with Israel should be brought to halt, “because it would help the Israeli occupation with its settlement expansion and massacres carried out against the Palestinians. “The Hamas leader added that conveners at the Arab League summit must help Palestinian face the ongoing challenges, and offer Palestinians political and moral support to break the siege imposed on Gaza. A’ed Yaghi, PNI member, demanded that the Palestinian Authority “stand by national consensus that does not support negotiations until. . . ”
In photos: GCOM meeting in Bethlehem
3/28/2010 – MaanImages / Haytham Othman — Palestinians attend a meeting of Globalcom Telecommunications (GCOM), Palestine`s main Internet provider, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on 24 March 2010. [end]
Netanyahu: Israel will respond to any attack
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – PM says Hamas will be made to be held accountable for the attack that killed 2 IDF soldiers in Gaza.
Thousands mourn IDF officer and soldier killed in Gaza
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Major Eliraz Peretz’s best friend: We will avenge your death against those who hurt you.
Hamas is reminding the world it exists
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Hamas is satisfied with media coverage of the recent Gaza clashes, but it still isn’t interested in inciting war.
IAF conducts first missile-defense system test
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Just how well will the air force’s multi-layered technology protect Israel from rocket attacks?
Amos Harel / Israel’s border with Egypt is like the Wild West
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – PM wants to build a fence along the Egyptian border, as tensions rise over the refugee question.
Mother of soldier killed in Gaza: He paid the price of war
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Major Eliraz Peretz and Staff Sergeant Ilan Sviatkovsky die in Gaza clash; another soldier in serious condition.
Egypt police shoots dead two African migrants at Israel border
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Security forces injure five and detain three African migrants who tried infiltrating the Egyptian border into Israel.
Is Gaza now Netanyahu’s biggest problem?
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – While PM focuses on U.S. pressure, four Israeli fatalities in last week near Gaza may prove more urgent.
NATO chief calls for new missile defenses to counter Iran
Ha’aretz 28 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 28 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 28 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 28 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 28 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 28 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 28 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 28 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 28 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 28 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 28 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 28 Mar 2010 – U.S. General David Petraeus said Israeli-Palestinian conflict enflames anti-American feelings.
It Is Their Land And It’s All About The Land!
Uruknet 28 March, 2010 – “Land Day” commemorates the killing of six Palestinians, 96 wounded and 300 arrested on March 30, 1976, in the Galilee. The anticipated peaceful demonstration by Palestinians was a response to Israeli authorities that had announced the confiscation of 5,500 acres of their land which Israel classified as “closed military zones” for “security and settlement purposes.” At…
Israel enforces Al-Aqsa restrictions
Uruknet March 28, 2010- Israeli forces imposed tightened entry restrictions for Palestinians into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, banning men under 50 from access. The move follows an increase in security procedures on the even of the Jewish Passover. Residents living beside the compound, known in Arabic as Al-Haram Al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) told Ma’an that Israeli border…
Bili’in as an Allegory: The Party is Over, Declares Netanyahu
Uruknet March 28, 2010 – The decision to declare Bili’in and Na’alin as closed military zones for a period of six months (so far) has meaning that goes far beyond the weekly demonstrations held there for the past five years already. “The party is over” that is the message that the Netanyahu-Liberman government is sending to the social movement in…
PA: 20,000 could lose homes in Jerusalem
Uruknet March 28, 2010 More than 20,000 Palestinian homes in Jerusalem could soon face demolition orders, according to Ahmad Ruweidi, a legal advisor on Jerusalem affairs within the Palestinian President’s Office. Ruweidi said Israeli courts will soon accuse homeowners of having violated construction restrictions over the past 10 years and issue demolition orders on the pretext that they needed renewable…
Israeli Troops Attack Palm Sunday Protest In Bethlehem, Detains 15 Among Them Two Journalists
Uruknet March 28, 2010 – Fifteen people among them two journalists were detained by Israeli troops and police officers when they attack a Palm Sunday protest near Bethlehem.Palestinians along with international and Israeli supporters gathered at the Church on Nativity in Bethlehem city, southern West Bank. The carrying Palm leaves and flags protesters headed towards the gat of the wall separating…
Israeli Army Invades Khan Younis, Israeli Leaders Weigh Resumption Of Assassinations
Uruknet March 28, 2010 – Several armored military vehicles carried on Sunday morning a limited invasion into Khan Youni, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The latest attack comes admits talks of a likely resumption of assassinations in the coastal region. Israeli Finance Minister called for “reoccupying” Gaza and “eliminating Hamas”. Eyewitnesses reported that several armored vehicles and military…
Israel minister threatens to reoccupy Gaza
Uruknet March 28, 2010 – Israel will eventually have to reoccupy Gaza to topple Hamas, a top Israeli official warned Sunday. Yuval Steinitz, a member of the right-wing Israeli movement Likud and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s finance minister, told Israel Radio that “Israel won’t allow Hamas to arm with long-range missiles,” the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. Steinitz’s remarks came a day…
Video: Israeli Troops Release A Community Organizer After Weeklong Detention And Torture
Uruknet The Israeli military released on Tuesday at dawn Omer Aladdin from the village of Al Massara, near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. Aladdin was detained by Israeli troops last week while passing thought a military checkpoint near Bethlehem. After hours of his release Aladdin had to be taken to hospital after suffering health complications. He was tortured by…
“Cabbing” for Israel?A question every voter should ask candidates in the coming UK general election
Uruknet March 27, 2010 – There can be few sights more pathetic than ex-ministers and chums of Tony Blair offering to use their government contacts to help influence policy on behalf of business clients. “I’m like a cab for hire,” said Stephen Byers when secretly filmed by a Channel 4 TV ‘Dispatches’ programme. Byers could be “hailed” for 3,000 to 5,000…
Digging out East Jerusalem: how Israeli families are taking over
Uruknet March 27, 2010 – …They are doing so house by house, street by street. Israel considers all of Jerusalem its undivided capital and it is the seat of government.
Justice for the Murder of Rachel Corrie
Uruknet March 27, 2010 – Seven years ago, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) caterpillar crushed Rachel Corrie, an International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist, to death in Rafah, in the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip. She was wearing a fluorescent vest, screaming through a microphone at the armored vehicle as it bore down upon her as she tried to use her…
Child Dies Due to The Siege on Gaza
Uruknet March 27, 2010 – Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that a 5-year-old child died on Saturday at a local hospital due to the ongoing illegal Israeli siege on the coastal region. The child, Fuad Swerih, 5, suffered respiratory issues, and Israeli prevented his transfer to hospitals outside the besieged and war- torn Gaza Strip. Swerih is from…
Israel detains 12 activists in Bethlehem
Bethlehem, March 28, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Today, twelve protesters were detained by Israeli occupation forces at a demonstration of about 100 Palestinian and Israeli left-wing activists near Bethlehem. The demonstration was stopped by the Israeli forces while the rest of the demonstrators were forcibly removed from the checkpoint area. Some 100 activists left the Beit Jala area for a…
Barghouthi: Netanyahu is an extremist
Ramallah, March 28, (Pal Telegraph) MP Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, said that who should be characterized by extremism are Netanyahu and his government and not the Palestinians. And that Netanyahu is accusing the Palestinians of what he is doing and he forgets that he is acting as head of the settlers. Barghouthi considered…
Houses to be demolished in Jerusalem
Jerusalem, March 28, (Pal Telegraph) Sources are confirming that more than 20 thousand houses in Jerusalem are subject to demolition by the decisions of Israeli courts, claiming that the homes were violating of building laws during the last ten years and required the owners to obtain a building permit during the year subject to renewal, which it is not possible…
Scans of shot Gaza Fishermen show Israeli Claims are False
Gaza, March 28, (Pal Telegraph) ISM Follow up Report on Gaza Fisherman Hazem Gora’ani: Dr Osama Al Aklouk and his team from the Shifa’a Neurosurgery Department give evidence that dismiss Israel’s claim that they did not fire and that Hazem fell and injured his head. He is the head of the Department and Hazem Gora’ni was operated on by…
Tamimi: Al-Aqsa is in danger tomorrow
Jerusalem, March 28, (Pal Telegraph) Sheikh Tayseer Rajab Tamimi, Chief Justice of Palestine and President of the Islamic-Christian advocay of Jerusalem and the holy sites, asked the Palestinian in all positions and places, especially Jerusalemites to be present at Al-Aqsa mosque to address the processes of invading it by The IOF. His call came in response to the Declaration…
Israelis devise a new oil weapon
The National 28 Mar 2010 – Tel Aviv unveils green technologies strategy for crippling oil-producing states and groups resisting the occupation of Palestinian land.
Fierce fighting erupts in Gaza
The National 27 Mar 2010 – Palestinians fear that the clashes, the worst since last year’s war, may pull the embattled territory into a new cycle of violence.
Moussa holds out little hope for peace
The National 27 Mar 2010 – The 22nd Arab League Summit opens with a stark warning from Amr Moussa, that Arab countries need to prepare for the eventuality that the peace process between Palestinians and Israel will end in failure.
Why Hamas won and what it means
Palestine Note 28 Mar 2010 – Although it is still unclear what the future holds for Israelis and Palestinians, a few things can be said about the processes that enabled Hamas to win a landslide victory in the January 25 democratic elections…
PERES BLAMES NETANYAHU FOR JERUSALEM FALLOUT
Palestine Note 28 Mar 2010 – ISRAELI PRESIDENT SHIMON PERES SAYS PM NETANYAHU’S POLICIES BREACHED THE JERUSALEM ‘STATUS QUO’ Israel’s president Shimon Peres says PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval of East Jerusalem construction violates the relatively peaceful equilibrium in the city, Haaretz reports….
Saudi poet challenges and inspires
Palestine Note 28 Mar 2010 – Hissa Hilal is a journalist, wife and mother of four, and a poet whose verse is “setting her conservative Arab homeland alight,” BBC reports. Saudi woman dressed in an abaya and niqab Hilal keeps dress norms,…
Settlers suspected in Hebron vandalism
Palestine Note 28 Mar 2010 – According to a Palestinian official, settlers from the Ma’on settlement in Hebron destroyed a fence installed by Palestinian residents, Ma’an News Agency reported. Settler graffiti: “Gas the Arabs” Saber Al-Hereini, who serves as head of the…
Israel to seal West Bank for Passover
Palestine Note 28 Mar 2010 – Israeli authorities will close the West Bank from midnight Sunday April 4 until midnight Tuesday April 6 for the Passover holiday, Haaretz reports. Traditional Passover Sedar table Authorities say all aide and NGO workers as well…
New poll on American attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Palestine Note 27 Mar 2010 – A new poll out this week shows that while Israelis retain strong US public support, Americans are deeply concerned that the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict puts US interests at risk across the Middle East and the public,…
Netanyahu Confers with Cabinet Over Response to Obama
The Media Line 27 Mar 2010 – Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continues to discuss his proposed response to President Obama in meetings with his inner cabinet on Sunday. The deliberations began when Netanyahu returned to Israel on Thursday from what many Israeli…
Arab Summit Offers Support for Palestinian Position
The Media Line 27 Mar 2010 – The Israeli-Palestinian conflict tops the agenda of the Arab summit meeting in Libya. Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas told the 2-day conference that no agreement will be acceptable unless it includes an “end to Israeli occupation…
Saudi arrests over ‘terror plot’
AlJazeera 26 Mar 2010 – More than 100 arrested for allegedly plotting attacks on kingdom’s oil installations.
Israel ends Gaza incursion
AlJazeera 27 Mar 2010 – Withdrawal follows clash that left two Israeli soldiers and one Palestinian dead.
Egypt’s Mubarak returns home
AlJazeera 27 Mar 2010 – President arrives in Sharm el-Sheikh following gall bladder surgery in Germany.
Iran hosts leaders for Nowruz
AlJazeera 27 Mar 2010 – Regional leaders gather in Tehran to celebrate Persian New Year at Ahmadinejad’s invitation.
Alternative Information Center
Bili’in as an Allegory: The Party is Over, Declares Netanyahu
Alternative Information Center – Sunday, 28 March 2010, The decision to declare Bili’in and Na’alin as closed military zones for a period of six months (so far) has meaning that goes far beyond the weekly demonstrations held there for the…
Land Day Commemorations in France in Support of BDS
Alternative Information Center – Sunday, 28 March 2010, On March 30, Palestinian Land Day, there will be a large rally of all the people who refuse the repression and threats from our government against the people who join the Boycott,…
Letter from French MP Patrick Braouezec to PM Francois Fillon Concerning BDS
Alternative Information Center – Sunday, 28 March 2010, Dear Mr. Prime Minister, During the recent celebratory dinner of the Coordination of the Jewish Organizations in France (CRIF) to which you were invited, you stated that the Boycott Divestment Sanctions(BDS) Campaign,…
15 arrested during a non-violence demonstration on Palm Sunday
PNN – Sunday, 28 March 2010
Jerusalem to dominate Arab summit
PNN – Saturday, 27 March 2010
Despite ban, Gaza men still style women’s hair
PNN – Saturday, 27 March 2010
Israeli troops killed in Gaza clash
PNN – Saturday, 27 March 2010
PA purges educators suspected of links to Hamas
Jeruslalem Post 28 Mar 2010 – Exclusive: Firing of hundreds of teachers, thousands of imams intended to undermine movement’s influence in West Bank.
Barak: Israel alone will decide issues of ‘nat’l importance’
Jeruslalem Post 28 Mar 2010 – In message to DC, says “We are the ones who have exclusive responsibility for Israel’s fate and future.”
Army reservists plead for Schalit
Jeruslalem Post 28 Mar 2010 – Letter to PM on Sunday calls on him to conclude a deal with Hamas for the release of abducted IDF soldier.
‘PM not worried Labor will leave coalition’
Jeruslalem Post 28 Mar 2010 – Livni rules out joining government.
Cabinet weighs preferring vets for slots in Foreign Ministry
Jeruslalem Post 28 Mar 2010 – Labor sees measure is aimed at weeding out Arabs, but Lieberman maintains it is only to help vets.
‘I don’t know which son to mourn first’
Jeruslalem Post 28 Mar 2010 – Miriam Peretz’s heart torn between grave of son Uriel killed in Lebanon in 1998 and flag-draped coffin of her son Eliraz, 31, who was slain in Gaza on Friday.
Egypt expands anti-smuggling efforts to Sudanese border
Jeruslalem Post 28 Mar 2010 – Defense Ministry official says significant forces have been deployed with the aim of preventing the smuggling of weapons to Hamas.
US may abstain on J’lem resolution
Jeruslalem Post 28 Mar 2010 – Normally pro-Israel Security Council member may decide not to use veto power.
J’lem posters call for 3rd Temple, leave out Al-Aksa
Jeruslalem Post 28 Mar 2010 – Campaign’s organizers plaster the posters on buses whose routes take them through predominately Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem.
BTFSG: 2 British Companies Buy Produce from Settlememts
WAFA 28 Mar 2010 – BRIGHTON (UK), March 28, 2010 (WAFA)- British companies are still buying produce from Jewish settlements and illegally labelling it as ‘Produce of Israel’. Two researchers from the UK found herbs
Israel to Seal off West Bank for Passover
WAFA 28 Mar 2010 – TEL AVIV, March 28, 2010 (WAFA)- Israel will close off the West Bank from Midnight Sunday until midnight, April 6, for the duration of Passover holiday, the Israeli military spokesman announced
Israeli Army Subjects Palestinian School children to Verbal Abuse
WAFA 28 Mar 2010 – HEBRON, March 28, 2010 (WAFA)- For three consecutive days Palestinian school children from Maghayir al Abeed and Tuba were subjected to unprofessional conduct by the Israeli Soldiers. Operation
Lebanese Children Raise Funds to Build Kindergarten in Gaza
WAFA 28 Mar 2010 – BEIRUT, March 27, 2010 (WAFA)- The head of the United Nations’ humanitarian mission in Gaza visited Lebanon to receive funding to build a kindergarten in the besieged enclave, in a project
Human Rights Council Concludes thirteenth Session
WAFA 28 Mar 2010 – GENEVA, March 27, 2010 (WAFA)- The UN Human Rights Council closed its thirteenth regular session this afternoon, adopting 28 texts on a wide range of issues, including texts on Jewish settlements in
Activists Opposed to Separation Wall Speak Up UN Meeting in Support of Palestinian People
WAFA 28 Mar 2010 – VIENNA, March 27, 2010 (WAFA)- Representatives of non-governmental organizations, activists and others attending Friday’s United Nations Meeting of Civil Society in Support of the Palestinian People
Holy Land Churches Slam Israel’s Policy in Jerusalem
WAFA 28 Mar 2010 – JERUSALEM, March 27, 2010 (WAFA)- In a press conference organized in Jerusalem this morning by The National Christian Coalition in the Holy Land, Representatives of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate,
ADC Addresses Settlement Development, East Jerusalem at Town Hall in New York
WAFA 28 Mar 2010 – NEW YORK, March 26, 2010 (WAFA)- The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee ADC was represented by Legal Advisor, Mr. Abed Ayoub, at a town hall meeting in New York, which questioned why
MIDEAST: Religion Sways Policy, Now in Israel
IPS JERUSALEM, Mar 26 (IPS) – There was a time when Israel was held in contempt by its neighbours for its over-liberal ways. They felt it did not “belong” in the Middle East.
EGYPT: Civil Society Sidelined Ahead of Elections
IPS CAIRO, Mar 26 (IPS) – Egypt’s ruling party is taking measures to restrict the work of non-governmental organisations ahead of crucial parliamentary elections.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
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
An Nabi Saleh continues to defy military repression
3/28/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – International Solidarity Movement, 27 March – In recent weeks there has been an escalation of Israeli military violence against the weekly demonstration in the village of An Nabi Saleh, which last week led to 25 injuries, as well as attacks on 12 homes and 3 cars. Despite this, approximately 100 villagers joined the demonstration on Friday, and attempted to reach their land, much of which has been stolen by the nearby illegal settlement of Halamish. The Israeli army prevented the demonstration from leaving the village by surrounding it on all sides, and firing large amounts of tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets directly at the demonstrators. The demonstration was preceded by a press conference in which representatives of the village spoke of the land they have lost, and the importance they attach to continued resistance against the occupation, as manifested in the nearby settlement and the attacks from the Israeli military.
15 Arrested in Bethlehem Demo incl. PLO Executive Committee Member
3/28/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – Israeli forces arrested 15 demonstrators, including Abbas Zaki of the PLO Executive Committee, during a Bethlehem demonstration to mark Palm Sunday and protest Israeli restrictions on movement. An AP photographer and four members of local popular committees were also arrested. About 200 demonstrators set out from the Church of Nativity today on their way to Jerusalem to mark Palm Sunday, protest Israeli-imposed restrictions on movement and demand that Israel respects Palestinians’ freedom of religion. The protesters, who overwhelmed the soldiers at the checkpoint in their numbers, managed to nonviolently pass through the Bethlehem checkpoint and enter Jerusalem. They were blocked by a massive police force shortly after and could not advance further. Once blocked, the demonstrators, who all remained peaceful throughout the protest, held speeches, and then began heading back.
Barak: U.S. ties are ‘pillar and cornerstone’ of Israel’s security
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Axelrod: Obama did not snub Netanyahu in Israel-U.S. talks; Netanyahu: Meet was not ‘greatest disaster’.
Passover Seder, Cup 4: Obama, this year in Jerusalem
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – We built this city, and after us, the Christians built this city, and after them, the Muslims.
Report: U.S. will ‘consider abstaining’ if UN votes on East Jerusalem
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Diplomatic source tells BBC that a U.S. official told Qatari FM the U.S. would not guarantee veto.
Passover – an Obama family tradition
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – For second straight year, President Obama will host a Passover seder at the White House.
Obama makes surprise visit to Afghanistan
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Trip comes months after Obama ordered deployment of additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
Syria to Palestinians: Quit Mideast peace talks, resume violence
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Arab League defers vote on resuming peace process; Abbas aide: We won’t listen to ‘special agendas’.
ADL: Carter has reverted to anti-Israel stance, despite recent apology
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Statement says former president slams White House for ignoring Israel’s seizure of Palestinian lands.
Egypt antiquities chief: I gave the Zionist enemy a slap in the face
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – The ‘Egyptian Indiana Jones’ refers to Egypt’s cancellation of a ceremony of a restored Cairo synagogue.
Dershowitz: Obama needs hard line on Iran to win Israeli support
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – ‘Mistrust of Barack Obama will make it more difficult to persuade Israelis to take risks for peace.’
Tough stance on Israel at Arab League summit opener
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – League agrees to donate $500m annually to bolster Palestinian institutions in E. J’lem.
Israel should thank Obama for acting like a friend
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – With Obama, there is a chance Israel could work for a better future, in which it will claim only what it owns.
Israel’s financial success can’t overcome political despair
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Despite a stable economy raising the quality of life, the once hoped-for peace is becoming less likely.
Netanyahu endangering Israel’s security
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – If U.S. gives Israel the cold shoulder, other important countries like, Britain, Egypt and Brazil might too.
Peres blames Netanyahu for breaching Jerusalem status quo
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – President reportedly told PM diplomatic row with U.S. could be resolved if Israel ends E. J’lem building.
Mother of soldier killed in Gaza: He paid the price of war
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Major Eliraz Peretz and Staff Sergeant Ilan Sviatkovsky die in Gaza clash; another soldier in serious condition.
Binyamin Netanyahu’s efforts to heal rift marred as Barack Obama branded ‘disaster for Israel’
The Guardian 28 Mar 2010 – Both sides deny snubbing the other in settlement row as insiders launch outspoken press attack on US leader Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, tried to smooth over a breach in relations with the US today, speaking…
Obama’s other difficult partners | Petra Marquardt-Bigman
The Guardian 28 Mar 2010 – Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu is presently seen as the chief obstacle to Middle East peace, but what of the Arab League? It is hardly surprising that Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech at this week’s Aipac policy conference didn’t…
Shalit supporters hold protest seder outside Netanyahu’s home
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Activists fighting for the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier held a mock seder outside of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence on Sunday night. …
Christian pilgrims flock to Jerusalem to mark Palm Sunday
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Hundreds of Christians from around the world marched from the …
Two young students suspected of terrorizing their school in North
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – A campaign of violent behavior by two young students was uncovered recently at school in the Jezreel Valley region. …
Replace Temple Mount mosques with Jewish Temple, rightist campaign says
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – A right-wing group announced a campaign Sunday ahead of the Passover festival calling for the construction of the Jewish Temple on the location of the existing temple mount mosques. …
IDF to seal off West Bank for the duration of Passover
Ha’aretz 28 Mar 2010 – Israel will close off the West Bank from Midnight Sunday until midnight, April 6, for the duration of Passover holiday, the Israeli military spokesman announced Sunday morning. …
Fisherman and Rubble Collector Injured; Five Arrested by IOF in Gaza, Al Mezan Condemns IOF Attacks and on Calls for the International Protection of Civilians
Relief Web 28 Mar 2010 – Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories March-April 2010
Relief Web 27 Mar 2010 – Source: Foundation for Middle East Peace
$17.4bln spent on West Bank settlements: report
Relief Web 27 Mar 2010 – Source: Agence France-Presse
Israelis quit Gaza after worst clash in over a year
Relief Web 27 Mar 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
IDF imposes closure on West Bank
YNet News 28 Mar 2010 – Army prepares for tense holiday after Gaza clashes that killed two, closes off territories for a week
Case of Palestinian girl’s death reopened
YNet News 28 Mar 2010 – State responds to High Court after Abir Aramin’s family demands trial for border guards. New evidence comes to light, case to be reexamined
Report: US may abstain from UN resolution on east Jerusalem
YNet News 28 Mar 2010 – According to BBC, senior American official told Qatari FM Washington would ‘seriously consider abstaining’ from vote on UN motion against Israeli construction in eastern part of capital
Golani soldier gets Jewish burial despite incomplete conversion
YNet News 28 Mar 2010 – Ilan Sviatkovsky, killed in Gaza clashes Friday, planned to complete controversial IDF conversion program upon returning from service in Strip. ‘Halacha recognizes people who want to be Jewish,’ says rabbi
Wounded soldier: I saw Eliraz on the ground, dead
YNet News 28 Mar 2010 – Guy Elmakayes, wounded in Gaza incident that killed Peretz and Sviatkovsky, relates events to GOC Southern Command Galant
Syria, Libya pressure Palestinians to quit talks
YNet News 28 Mar 2010 – ‘Price of resistance is not higher than the price of peace,’ Assad tells Abbas; Gaddafi warns Libya will withdraw support for Arab peace initiative. Moussa: Renewal of Israeli-Palestinian talks conditioned on halt to settlement activity
Ashkenazi to soldiers near Gaza: Prepare for more incidents
YNet News 28 Mar 2010 – IDF chief tells soldiers who lost two of their comrades during Friday’s exchanges of fire with Palestinians near Kissufim they serve as ‘wall between terrorist and Israeli communities’
Military Police to investigate killing of youths in ‘Iraq Burin
27 Mar 2010 – On 20 March ’10, soldiers killed two youths in ‘Iraq Burin. Demonstrations had taken place in the village that day. B’Tselem’s findings contradict the army’s statement that the soldiers had shot only “rubber” bullets. In a rare step, the Military Police w
Stop the Wall Land Day and Global BDS Day Activities
Stop The Wall – Click here to see the full program – including 20 activities all over the West Bank -, which Stop the Wall and the popular committees against the Wall and the settlements are organizing to commemorate Land Day and join in the Global BDS Action Day. [
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2215.shtml
Stop The Wall – As soon as the demonstrators reached the edge of the village, the occupation forces began firing tear gas on them, using Israel’s latest export product a tear gas launcher that fires 30-40 tear gas grenades at a time. [
Arab states renew support for peace efforts
Daily Star 28 Mar 2010 SIRTE, Libya: Arab leaders on Sunday renewed their support for Mideast peace efforts, rejecting pressure from Syria and Libya on the Palestinians to abandon talks with Israel and resume armed resistance.The Arab League’s backing for the land for peace initiative with Israel comes despite its firm opposition to Israeli plans for new Jewish settlements in East
Israel blames Palestinians for blocking US peace efforts
Daily Star 28 Mar 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has infuriated Washington with plans to expand settlements in East Jerusalem, on Sunday accused the Palestinians of blocking US peace efforts. His remarks came after the Palestinians reiterated their refusal to hold even indirect talks without a complete Jewish settlement
Arabs increasingly convinced US unable to stand up to Israel
Daily Star 28 Mar 2010 Amid a cacophony of statements, commentary and analyses about the American-Israeli relationship, and the events since Joe Biden’s visit to Israel, Mark Perry wrote an article in Foreign Policy magazine on March 13, 2010 titled “The Petraeus briefing: Biden’s embarrassment is not the whole story.” Perry explained that on January 16, 2010, a team
Israel voices hope that Egypt will complete Gaza wall by year end
Daily Star 28 Mar 2010 TEL AVIV: Israel hopes an underground wall that Egypt is building along its border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to stop smuggling will be completed by the end of the year, a senior Israeli official said Sunday. Cairo has played down the scope of the work along the 14-kilometer frontier, but the Islamist group Hamas condemns it as a “wall of death”
Palestinian Information Center
Sabri asks Palestinians to frequent Aqsa, Barhoum urges Arabs to isolate Israel
PIC 28 Mar 2010 – Sheikh Ekrema Sabri asked the Palestinian people to frequent the Aqsa Mosque and to shun internal differences to confront Jewish attempts to storm the holy site.
Haneyya gov’t: Ramallah discharging civil servants for political affiliation
PIC 28 Mar 2010 – The Palestinian government under Ismail Haneyya has lashed out at the PA in Ramallah for continuing to dismiss civil servants, especially teachers, for their political affiliation.
Occupation policemen quell Jerusalem march, arrest 16
PIC 28 Mar 2010 – Israeli occupation police violently quelled a peaceful march in occupied Jerusalem that started from Bethlehem on the occasion of Palm Sunday, local sources reported.
IOF troops advance into southern Gaza
PIC 28 Mar 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) mounting armored vehicles advanced into Abasan Al-Jadida east of Khan Younis to the south of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, local sources said.
Radwan: Abbas proved in Libya his ineligibility to talk on behalf of his people
PIC 28 Mar 2010 – Ismail Radwan stated that Abbas’s use of the Arab summit as a platform for attacking Hamas was the best evidence of his ineligibility to represent his people in any Arab or international meeting.
Al-Qassam belittles Israeli threats, affirms readiness to confront any attack
PIC 28 Mar 2010 – Al-Qassam Brigades belittled the Israeli threat to reoccupy Gaza, affirming that its fighters are ready and geared up to confront any aggression on the Strip.
Barhoum: Statements of occupation leaders “state terrorism”
PIC 28 Mar 2010 – The statement of Israel’s finance minister Yuval Steinitz reflects the Israeli occupation authority’s criminal intention and its insistence on pursuing “state terrorism”, Fawzi Barhoum said on Sunday.
MP Adli: Egypt’s gas contributes to the building of Israeli settlements
PIC 28 Mar 2010 – Egyptian lawmaker Mohamed Al-Adli denounced the Egyptian government for its insistence on exporting subsidized gas to Israel, affirming that this gas contributes to the building of settlements.
IOA extends hermetic closure on West Bank
PIC 28 Mar 2010 – The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has decided to extend its hermetic closure on the West Bank that started on Friday till midnight Saturday for three more days ending at midnight Tuesday.
Polish MPs harassed in Israeli airport after visit to W. Bank and Gaza
PIC 28 Mar 2010 – The Israeli airport authorities deliberately harassed a polish parliamentary delegation as they were trying to catch their flight leaving the occupied Palestinian lands.
A healing visit to L.A. for a boy from Gaza
LA Times 28 Mar 2010 – The 11-year-old, who lost his foot to Israeli shelling in 2006, gets surgery in Los Angeles and TLC from a group of Southland residents. Abdullah Alathamna was 7 years old when Israeli shells crashed into his family’s home in the Gaza Strip, jolting him from sleep. In the blitz of explosions, Abdullah lost his mother, two sisters and his right foot.
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.
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.
Agencies Suspect Iran Is Planning Atomic Sites
New York Times 28 Mar 2010 – Six months after the revelation of a secret nuclear enrichment site, inspectors and intelligence agencies suspect that Tehran is preparing to build more sites in defiance of United Nations demands.
Mubarak Returns to Egypt; Succession Debate Persists
New York Times 28 Mar 2010 – President Hosni Mubarak arrived back, ending a period of intense speculation over the state of his health but maybe not about his political future.
Netanyahu Remains Firm on Jerusalem Housing
New York Times 27 Mar 2010 – The Israeli prime minister met with his top ministers to discuss the government’s next moves, but there was no indication that the differences with the United States had been resolved.
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…
sea change?
Mondoweiss – 28 Mar 2010 – The BBC says that the U.S. may not veto a Security Council resolution that is critical of Israel’s expansion in East Jerusalem: During their talks, [Qatar Foreign Minister] Sheikh Hamad asked the US official whether Washington would guarantee not to veto a UN Security Council resolution…
Happy Passover, Palestine!
Mondoweiss – 28 Mar 2010 – “Israeli army closes West Bank for Passover” JTA . And do you worry about women wearing headscarves in the West? Have you ever experienced the cattle-station checkpoints for Palestinians and Israelis-only roads of the occupied West Bank? Have you been yelled at by a young soldier from…
Why can’t we do this?
Mondoweiss – 28 Mar 2010 – Guardian : The UK’s ‘special relationship’ with US is over, recommends a British foreign affairs committee. Churchill’s phrase is now out of step with reality. Related posts: UK’s ‘Guardian’ likens Gaza slaughter to ‘Deir Yassin’ ‘Before I Was a Democrat, I Was a Zionist’New Chair of Foreign…
It’s time for Americans to discover the true character of Israeli society
Mondoweiss – 28 Mar 2010 – In Israel two months back, a hiplooking young man at a bus stop flipped me the bird as I passed with a couple hundred people demonstrating against the evictions in East Jerusalem. That’s Israeli society. From the Guardian : Two opinion polls suggest many Israelis want their…
Land Day Commemorations in France in Support of BDS
Alternative Information Center – 28 Mar 2010 – Sunday, 28 March 2010, On March 30, Palestinian Land Day, there will be a large rally of all the people who refuse the repression and threats from our government against the people who join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign. In less than three weeks,…
Letter from French MP Patrick Braouezec to PM Francois Fillon Concerning BDS
Alternative Information Center – 28 Mar 2010 – Sunday, 28 March 2010, Dear Mr. Prime Minister, During the recent celebratory dinner of the Coordination of the Jewish Organizations in France (CRIF) to which you were invited, you stated that the Boycott Divestment Sanctions(BDS) Campaign, endorsed by many local and international organizations, a campaign that…
News from Within Videocast: U.S-Israel Crisis
Alternative Information Center – 28 Mar 2010 – Friday, 26 March 2010, The Israeli press reports that the strife between Israel and the United States concerns something far bigger than the proximity talks with the Palestinians. As far as President Barack Obama and his senior advisers are concerned, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to…
Advice Givers from the Zionist Left
Alternative Information Center – 28 Mar 2010 – Sunday, 28 March 2010, In the Palestinian daily newspaper Al Quds, an article by the Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information) Gershon Baskin, was published in the opinion section on 3 March 2010. The article has nothing new and this is…
Bili’in as an Allegory: The Party is Over, Declares Netanyahu
Alternative Information Center – 28 Mar 2010 – Sunday, 28 March 2010, The decision to declare Bili’in and Na’alin as closed military zones for a period of six months (so far) has meaning that goes far beyond the weekly demonstrations held there for the past five years already. “The party is over” that…
Articles
Time for the Obama parameters
Graham Usher in Washington, Al-Ahram Weekly 3/25/2010
The real crisis is not between Israel and the US but the absence of an American policy for ending the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The apparent “crisis” in relations with the United States caused by Israel’s decision to build 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem seems to be over.
On 19 March Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Israeli bridging proposals were “useful and productive”. By 21 March US Envoy George Mitchell was back in the region to urge so-called proximity talks: indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians which the Jerusalem settlement scuttled but which Mitchell now wants “under way in full course”.
And Binyamin Netanyahu accepted an invitation to meet Barack Obama in Washington on 23 March, drawing a line under their worst clash since both men were elected leaders of their countries.
And — as with his demand for a comprehensive settlement freeze last year — it seems it was the American president who stood down rather than the Israeli prime minister.
Whatever bridging proposals Netanyahu has in mind, rescinding the 1,600 units or announcing a general settlement freeze in East Jerusalem are not among them, despite both reportedly being American demands.
On the contrary: “Our policy towards Jerusalem is the same policy of all Israeli governments in the past 42 years, and it has not changed. From our point of view, construction in Jerusalem is the same as construction in Tel Aviv,” Netanyahu told his cabinet on 21 March.more..e-mail
Samson and the Second Nakba
Gilad Atzmon, Dissident Voice 3/27/2010
A Short Study of the Jewish Hercules
As much as many of us enjoyed watching the humiliation of Israel and PM Netanyahu in Washington this week, I am reluctant to suggest that the emerging crisis between America and Israel may also be a red light warning for all of us. The current crisis may lead to some devastating consequences as far as Palestine, Iran and the Middle East are concerned.
“Netanyahu and Obama are at a point of no return” claims Haaretz writer Akiva Eldar. “As far as President Barack Obama and his senior advisers are concerned, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to blame for nothing less than damaging the standing of the U.S. in the Middle East and the Muslim world.”
It may be possible that the Americans have started to gather that there is no partner for peace in Israel. America clearly has had to shun its ‘kosher ally’. The American military and political elite already admitted this week that Israel is a strategic burden on the U.S. Seemingly, the only people who genuinely believe in the American Israel strategic bond are AIPAC and its list of obedient ‘Sabbath Congressmen Goyim’. But unfortunately, this is just one side of the story.
A deeper reading of recent events would suggest that the latest American Israeli rift is actually led by Netanyahu’s political partners. Interestingly enough, as much as America reveals growing disapproval of Israeli policy, the anti American attitude, demonstrated by Netanyahu’s allies at home, is overwhelming. It doesn’t take a genius to grasp that some of Netanyahu’s cabinet members are doing everything in their power to fire up a storm between Israel and its ‘closest ally’.more..e-mail
Preparations For Land Day 2010
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD, Desert Peace 3/27/2010
On Wednesday, the Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall and Settlements in Beit Sahour hosted a gathering of over 100 town people and guests (including Nabil Shaath of Fatah Central Committee) to brief them on what is going on at Ush Ghrab with the military watch tower erected. The discussion revolved around the popular resistance. We explained the nature of our activities and it was made clear that even though the mayor would prefer that we limit our activities to just being in the park, that the committee has monthly schedule of events that we would like people to participate in. The next two popular resistance events here will be 1) a march from the Nativity square in Bethlehem to Rachel’s tomb area (Sunday at 11:30 AM), 2) land day events in Ush Ghrab throughout the site beginning at 10 AM to 2 PM on Tuesday (in Beit Sahour).
Land day will be commemorated in hundreds of cities around the world on March 30th as a day to promote boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (act in your area please) as it has been since the first land day in 1976 when Palestinians inside the Green Line (Palestine of 1948) rose-up against the continued unfair land expropriation. My wife, who does not yet have a Palestinian ID card, was thus able to travel to Nazareth area and brought pictures and stories of the beauty of the stolen lands of the Galilee where my maternal grandmother comes from. The greenery and the richness of the soil reminded me of my grandmother’s stories about how idyllic rural village life in Palestine was before 1948 and the ethnic cleansing that followed. We also had a press conference with Omar Ala’Eddin who was abused by the Israeli soldiers. Amira Hass attended the conference and reported the story in Haaretz.
Omar’s case was highlighted today in the weekly demonstration in Al-Masara also attended by Imam Tamimi (for this and previous events mentioned and other activities of the popular committees, see new short video…and our earlier video of Omar at the Hospital). Links:Omar and MoreandIsraeli Troops Release A Community Organizer After Weeklong Detention And Torture— See also:VIDEO – Omar and MoreandVIDEO – Israeli Troops Release A Community Organizer After Weeklong Detention And Torturemore..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.
Israeli invasion into southeastern Gaza kills 4, injures 8, destroys a home and ravages farmland
In Gaza: 27 Mar 2010 – On 26 March, fighting erupted between Palestinian resistance and invading Israeli soldiers when IOF jeeps, tanks, and bulldozers invaded, supported by F-16s, Apache helicopters and unmanned drones from above. Two Israeli soldiers were reported killed and 2 more injured. Medics with the Red Crescent report that three Palestinian resistance fighters were killed, along with 1 civilian, Haitam Arafat, 22 years old, shot on his land. Eight more Palestinians were injured, according to Muawiyya Hassaniin, director of emergency services in Gaza. The injured include Osama Abu Dagga, a child of 6 years, shot in the head while in his home 2 km from the border. He is in critical condition. While the invasion was underway, locals reported several F-16 Israeli warplanes, Apache helicopters, drones, roughly 20 tanks and 6 bulldozers. During the Israeli invasion, Palestinian ambulances were unable to reach the injured, delayed and unable to attain coordination from Israeli authorities…
AIPAC: Telling a Whopper
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Mar 2010 – By Stephanie Westbrook The theme of this year’s annual policy conference for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was ‘Israel: Tell the Story.’ And it was quite a story that AIPAC wanted to tell. The conference aimed at imparting to the over 7000 attendees ‘an intimate understanding of the many ways that Israel is making the world a better place,’ with a focus on peacemaking and innovation. According to the AIPAC web site, conference goers will also ‘meet Israelis who rush to the scene of natural disasters in far away lands because they believe that to save one life is to save the whole world.’ No mention was made of the 1400 people killed during the Israeli assault on Gaza. Against a backdrop of creative blends of US and Israeli flags and icons, the three-day conference in Washington DC included plenary speeches by former Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi…more
‘Cabbing’ for Israel?
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Mar 2010 – By Stuart Littlewood London There can be few sights more pathetic than ex-ministers and chums of Tony Blair offering to use their government contacts to help influence policy on behalf of business clients. “I’m like a cab for hire,” said Stephen Byers when secretly filmed by a Channel 4 TV ‘Dispatches’ programme. Byers could be “hailed” for 3,000 to 5,000 per day. And so a new expression was born into the sleazy world of Westminster: “political cabbing”. The latest revelations come only a few months after another Channel 4 ‘Dispatches’ report, by Peter Oborne, showed how large numbers of MPs were stooging (or “cabbing”) for Israel. Mr Oborne reported that a majority of Conservative MPs and half the shadow cabinet are signed-up Friends of Israel, and millions flow into the bank accounts of MPs and parties although only a fraction of these “contributions” are visibly accounted for. Sir Richard…more
Netanyahu and the Road to Canossa
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Mar 2010 – By Uri Avnery Israel In January 1077, King Henry IV walked to Canossa. He crossed the snow-covered Alps barefoot, wearing a penitent monk’s hair shirt, and reached the North-Italian fortress in which the Vicar of God had found refuge. Pope Gregory VII had excommunicated him after a conflict over the right to invest bishops throughout the German Reich. The excommunication endangered the position of the king, and he decided to do everything possible to get it lifted. The king waited for three days outside the gates of Canossa, fasting and wearing the hair shirt, until the pope agreed to open the gate. After the king knelt before the pope, the ban was lifted and the conflict came to an end at least for the time being. This week, the Netanyahu went to Canossa in the United States, in order to prevent Pope Obama I from putting a ban…more
The New Dark Age 
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