News
International Middle East Media Center
Israel: “While Hamas Leaders In Gaza Seek Calm, Mashal Seeks Escalation”
IMEMC – Sunday April 04, 2010 – 00:58, Several Israeli media outlets accused Hamas leader in exile, Khalid Mashal, of pressuring Hamas leaders in Gaza to have further confrontations and clashes with Israel along the borders of the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds Mark Holy Saturday Near Bethlehem, PM Salam Fayyad Join The Festivities
IMEMC – Saturday April 03, 2010 – 17:58, Hundreds of Palestinian Christians at the southern West Bank town of Biet Sahour near Bethlehem marked Holy Saturday.
Reporters Without Borders: “Palestinian Journalists Repeatedly Targeted By Israel”
IMEMC – Saturday April 03, 2010 – 12:37, Reporters Without Borders reported that the Israeli army is violating the freedom of press in the occupied territories and repeatedly opened fire at them. At least eight Palestinian reporters were wounded by Israeli army fire in March, in the West Bank and in Jerusalem.
Hamas: “A.A Forces Arrest 11 Supporters In The West Bank”
IMEMC – Saturday April 03, 2010 – 12:09, The Hamas movement reported Saturday that the Palestinian Security Forces of Fateh movement arrested 11 members and supporters of the movement in the West Bank districts of Ramallah, Qalqilia, Tulkarem, Jenin and Hebron.
Free Gaza movement announces upcoming caravan to Gaza; Palestinian legislator voices support
IMEMC – Saturday April 03, 2010 – 11:56, After announcing the purchase of a new cargo ship in Ireland, which will participate in a planned caravan to break the blockade in Gaza, the Free Gaza movement received a message of support from Palestinian Legislative Council memebr Jamal El-Khoudary.
Troops Kidnap A Resident In Nablus
IMEMC – Saturday April 03, 2010 – 11:41, Palestinian sources reported Saturday that Israeli soldiers kidnapped one resident in Huwwara, south of the northern West bank city of Nablus.
Medics Locate Body Of Fighter Killed Last Week
IMEMC – Saturday April 03, 2010 – 02:11, Palestinian medics located on Friday evening the body of an Islamic Jihad fighter who was killed during clashes with Israeli soldiers in the southern part of the Gaza Strip last week.
Settlers Attack a 89-year-old woman, her 50-year-old daughter in Jerusalem
IMEMC – Saturday April 03, 2010 – 02:02, Israeli settlers attacked on Friday Rifqa Al Kurd, 89, and her daughter Nadia, 50, in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, in East Jerusalem, the Maan News Agency reported.
Troops Use Tear Gas To Suppress Bil’in’s Village Anti Wall Weekly Protest
IMEMC – Friday April 02, 2010 – 17:29, The villagers of Bil’in, central West Bank, along with international and Israeli supporters protest the Israeli-built wall on villager’s lands.
Villagers Protest The Israeli Wall In Deir Istiya In Northern West Bank
IMEMC – Friday April 02, 2010 – 17:10, Local politicians joined the villagers of Deir Istiya in northern West Bank in their protest against the Israeli wall on Friday.
Settlers attack elderly woman in Sheikh Jarrah
4/3/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israeli settlers assaulted an elderly Palestinian woman and her daughter in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Friday, amid protests against settler “provocations” in the area. The elderly woman, 89-year-old Rifqa Al-Kurd, was taken to Al-Maqasid Hospital in Jerusalem where she received medical treatment before she was discharged. Her daughter was identified as 50-year-old Nadiya. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that some 200 demonstrators, including international sympathizers, rallied in the district home to a number of settlers, protesting recent attacks on Palestinian residents of the neighborhood. He pointed out that the elderly woman was attacked in front of Israeli police officers who opted not to stop them. Instead, they told the Al-Kurd family to file a legal case against the settler who was filmed attacking the woman and her daughter, he said.
Prisoners still detained after completing sentences
4/3/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israel has refused to release two Palestinian prisoners even though they completed their sentences, the Popular Movement for the Support of Prisoners and Palestinian Rights reported Friday. Popular Movement coordinator Nash’at Al-Waheidi said in a statement that the Israel Prison Service had informed Raed Abu Mugheseibthat he would be released after he served six and a half years in jail. However, the administration of Israel’s Ketziot military prison transferred the detainee to the nearby Beer Sheva prison to be held under Israel’s 2002 Imprisonment of Illegal Combatants Law. Al-Waheidi added that Israeli authorities refused to release Munir Abu Diba’ after he completed his 11-year sentence in March. He pointed out that an Israeli military court had ruled that Abu Diba’ would be deported because he did not have a Palestinian ID.
Gaza power plant received 12% less diesel in March
4/3/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Data indicates that quantities of industrial diesel shipped into the Gaza Strip to run its sole power plant decreased by 12 percent in March compared to February. The Palestinian trade center Pal Trade collected the data as part of a project, Gaza Crossings Follow-Up, which is funded by the World Bank. The data suggests that 5. 7 million liters of fuel was shipped in March while in February, 6. 3 million liters entered Gaza. The report highlighted that the power station already suffered a 40-percent shortage in diesel supplies reducing almost half of its generating capacity. The report also pointed out that Gaza suffers from 35-percent shortage in domestic gas deliveries. In February, the power plant came close to shutting down operations several times due to fuel shortages.
Diabetic dies after long wait at checkpoint
4/3/2010 – Tubas – Ma’an – A diabetic Palestinian died on Saturday after being prevented from crossing the Al-Hamra military checkpoint into the Jordan Valley on Saturday. Mohammad Damen Abed Al-Karim E’lieyat, 62, from the village of Dir Abu Da’eef in Jenin was en route to the Jordan Valley but was barred from transit. Ma’an’s correspondent said E’lieyat made several attempts to cross but was turned back by Israeli authorities who said that he was unable to pass because he held French citizenship. E’lieyat, who suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure, was eventually allowed to pass after several hours, but suffered a heart attack in a taxi. Naser Al-A’nani from the Jericho Governmental Hospital said E’lieyat was pronounced dead upon arrival after suffering a “severe” heart attack. An Israeli military spokesman said a complaint was lodged with the Jericho DCO following E’lieyat’s death and is currently being looked into.
Tensions high as Christians flock to Jerusalem
4/3/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – As Palestinian Christians from across the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel arrived in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate Holy Fire on Saturday, tensions remained high in the Old City. Young men broke through an Israeli police barricade which prevented them from accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, as discord over entry policies was reported throughout the ancient district, including the Christian Quarter and around the Roman Orthodox convent. Injuries were reported among worshipers. Roman Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem saidSaturday that “all of the people have the right to access their holy site without harassment, to practice their traditions that have been performed for hundreds of years without any obstacles.””The Jerusalem Patriarchate announces its total rejection of all procedures that prevent followers and those of other demonimations. . . .
Investigators wrap up Al-Husseini inquiry
4/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A Palestinian Authority commission of inquiry has completed its investigation into corruption and solicitation allegations against former chief of staff Rafiq Al-Husseini, who stepped down in February. The inquiry was charged with investigating corruption and abuse of power, after Al-Husseini was shown on video allegedly soliciting sex in exchange for employment. Details of the findings and recommendations have yet to be revealed. The commission’s head, PLO Executive Committee member Salih Ra’fat, said the inquiry’s results were handed over to President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, when he met with its members of the team. Abbas has vowed to implement the commission’s recommendations, Ra’fat said. Presidential aide Rafiq Natsha told Ma’an that the commission faced only one obstacle during its investigation of one of the suspects, as Israeli authorities prevented the the unnamed person’s entry into the West Bank.
Bethlehem hosts talks on Israeli-only roads
4/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights (BADIL) hosted on 16 March a Bethlehem meeting to discuss future threats from Israel’s segregated road network under construction in Bethlehem and Hebron in the southern West Bank. The conveners highlighted that local authorities and communities were not part of planning the new road network, which means their priorities and interests were not taken into account. They also recommended that the PA’s ministries of planning, housing, and public works should play a more active role to clarify planning and prioritization process. Participants in the meeting were representatives of the Applied Research Institute (Arij), Ensan Center for Democracy and Human Rights, the YMCA, Bethlehem governorate’s department of local councils, the PLO Commission for Political and Ethical Guidance, the Abu Ghneim neighborhood,. . .
Teenager injured in West Bank confrontation
4/3/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – A Palestinian teenager was injured Saturday in confrontations in the central West Bank village of Aboud, west of Ramallah, a day after an Israeli settler ran over a young woman in the nearby village of Allubban. Palestinian residents of Aboud told Ma’an that school students had organized a rally protesting the “killing” of Samar Radwan, 21. Young men hurled stones at Israeli soldiers who fired rubber-coated bullets and tear-gas canisters to disperse them, onlookers said. As Israeli soldiers chased rock-throwers, one student was injured in the leg when he attempted to jump a barbed-wire fence to escape. Witnesses said the troops caught Yousif Awad, 15, after he hurt his leg, and that he was harshly beaten and then released. Others told Ma’an that Israeli soldiers deployed around the Aboud school as several patrols toured the area.
Israel army detains 3 in Hebron
4/3/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – The Israeli army detained three Palestinians from the Old City of the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday. Sources told Ma’an that Marwan Al-Batsh, 24, Islam Fakhuri, 22, and Sa’eed El’weiwi, 22, were detained in the Khan Shaheen area. Soldiers reportedly told them that the detentions were made as the three attempted to remove a metal fence installed in the area. Locals said the fence was being moved for clearing work being carried out in the area, with Israeli forces overlooking. The three detained were not participating in the clearing effort, locals added. An Israeli military spokesman said the army was not familiar with any arrests in Hebron on Saturday. [end]
Israeli army breaks up sit-in in Beit Ummer
4/3/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – The Israeli army reportedly attacked a sit-in at the entrance of Beit Ummer, north of the West Bank city of Hebron, on Saturday, with organizers saying protesters were beat, sustaining light bruises. Palestine Solidarity Project spokesman Mohammad Ayyad Awad said the “sit-in was organized because of Israel’s continued imposing of oppressive procedures on the town, including blocking the entrance and preventing farmers from reaching their lands.”Awad said Israeli soldiers attempted to detain three Israeli peace activists who joined the sit in, but were prevented by residents.”Settlers chopped down 10 trees in the area of Wad Ar-Reesh [in the town] while soldiers at the scene watched. Hamad Abed Jabber, the owner of the trees, had asked soldiers to keep the settlers away and prevent them from chopping down the trees.
Sweden photographer’s Gaza photo wins news prize
4/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) announced Saturday that Swedish photographer Kent Klich was recently awarded the first prize of the World Press Photo awards in the category General News Singles. The winning image is a photograph of a destroyed home in Gaza City, in the aftermath of the Israeli attacks on Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009, PCHR said in a statement. Klich worked on the Gaza photo album between 18 February and 8 March 2009, visiting dozens of homes damaged in the Israeli attacks with the assistance of PCHR team. PCHR Deputy Director Jaber Wishah wrote the foreword to Kilch’s book, which was published in Sweden by Journal and in the United States by Umbrage Editions. The book was named the best book of 2009 by photographer Martin Parr in Photo-Eye Magazine. Klich writes about his work that he arrived in the Gaza Strip on the 18th of February. . .
Bethlehem man released after 4 years in jail
4/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli authorities released a Palestinian prisoner on Friday after he completed a four-year sentence in Nafha prison. Ma’moun Zawahra, 20, from Doha in Bethlehem, was sentenced to three years and 50 months probation, as well as a 6,000-shekel fine. After his uncle and three other Fatah and Islamic Jihad affiliates were assassinated by Israeli forces operating in Bethlehem, the Israeli prosecution appealed the decision. A court added an additional year onto his sentence, which he served until Friday. [end]
Israeli forces detain Palestinian, injure 2
4/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces reportedly seized a young Palestinian man from Huwwara, south of Nablus, and injured two others with rubber-coated bullets near the central West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday. Palestinian Authority police said Israeli forces raided Huwwara and detained 20-year-old Alaa Uda, taking him to an undisclosed location. An Israeli military spokesman told Ma’an that Uda was detained at the Huwwara checkpoint following an inspection and was taken for security questioning. Israeli troops fired rubber-coated bullets at Palestinian demonstrators in the An-Nabi Salih village near Ramallah, a police report said. As a result, two Palestinians were injured and were taken to hospital for treatment. The Israeli army representative described the incident as a riot involving 100 Palestinian protesters, some of whom hurled rocks at Israeli forces.
Egyptian security detains 20 African migrants
4/3/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egyptian authorities detained 20 African migrants on Saturday in two separate incidents, caught attempting to breach the barbed-wire fencing along the Egypt-Israel border. Security sources told Ma’an that 14 African migrants were spotted five kilometers south of the Kerem Shalom crossing.”The infiltrators surrendered to Egyptian security, while some sustained bruises and cuts caused by the barbed wire as the attempted to flee,” sources added. Those injured were transferred to the Egyptian Rafah Hospital and all were questioned. Among those detained included five Eritrean nationals, seven Ethiopian, one Sudanese national and an Ethiopian child, the sources added. Separately, Egyptian forces detained six Eritrean men along the same border, who confessed to attempting to illegally enter Israel to search for work, sources said.
Lebanese bank officer charged with collaboration
4/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Lebanon has detained a high-profile bank officer on the charge of collaboration with Israel, the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported Saturday.”Munir S was on his way to work at the main branch of the Lebanese Canadian Bank in the Burj Hammoud neighborhood of Beirut when gunmen ambushed and hand-cuffed him, taking him to an unknown destination. The bank administration telephoned Internal Security, which denied any knowledge of the incident,” Al-Akhbar reported. Lebanese politicians identified as bank stockholders intervened and contacted Lebanese Security Services and were informed that Diba had been detained on suspicion of collaboration with Israeli intelligence. According to Al-Akhbar, quoting security sources, the suspect admitted he was recruited by Israeli intelligence in 2005. However, the report asserted that until Friday, Lebanon had refused to reveal details about the case.
Bahar: US gives Israel green light to strike Gaza
4/3/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an -Ahmad Bahar, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said Saturday the US stance urging Israel and Hamas to end escalating violence was biased toward Israel.”The US’ dealing with Israel and Hamas places them on an equal footing, putting criminal and victim in the same category, which is biased toward the Israeli occupation and in complete disregard for both Arab and Muslim reasoning,” Bahar said in a statement. Bahar added that the US is promoting Israeli incitement in Gaza, “which gives Israel the green light to target Hamas and strike Gaza. . . . The American administration is trying to cover up the reality of Israeli crimes committed against the Palestinian people and is working to justify it by all means.”
Gaza factions meet to discuss Israeli threat
4/3/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Four Palestinian factions held a meeting in Gaza City on Saturday to discuss the latest developments across the occupied Palestinian territories and the increase in Israeli action in the Gaza Strip. Sources told Ma’an that those factions in attendance include Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Last week saw the fiercest clashes in the Gaza Strip between Palestinian operatives and the Israeli army since the end of Operation Cast Lead 15 months prior, with two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinian fighters killed. A tank incursion followed the fighting, with Israeli forces destroying a home along the southern Gaza-Israel border. Medics said 13 Palestinians were injured when tanks and bulldozers moved into Khuza’a, with injuries ranging from critical to moderate.
Israeli media: Mash’al says war in region possible
4/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Hamas leader Khaled Mash’al said Saturday that all options against Israel remain open, including war, according to Israeli media.”We will do everything to obtain the rights stolen from us, including confrontation with the enemy,” he told journalists, Israel’s Channel 10 reported. His comments were made during a meeting with senior members of Palestinian factions at his home in Damascus, Syria.”The possibilities for war exist in the entire region,” the Israeli daily Yedioth Aharonot reported the exiled Hamas leader as saying.”A conflict with the Zionist enemy is possible in any scenario. . . We shall realize our right by standing firm in the face of aggression through resistance,” the daily wrote. Meanwhile, in Gaza, factions met to discuss Israel’s escalation in military action in the coastal enclave, with conveners asserting the need for a unified stance against such actions.
Hamas: PA detains 11 West Bank supporters
4/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority forces have seized 11 Hamas members in the West Bank, the Islamic movement said Friday. In a statement, Hamas said its members were detained in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Qalqiliya, Tulkarem, and Hebron. Some were apprehended from their homes, while others were summoned for questioning and detained upon arrival, Hamas said. On Thursday, Hamas said five of its supporters were detained in Qalqiliya, Nablus, Bethlehem and Jenin. [end]
New site helps Palestinian students find scholarships
4/3/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Two Palestinian engineers from the northern West Bank city of Nablus have launched a new Web site in Arabic and English dedicated to making scholarships available to Palestinian students in Europe, the US, and Australia.”There are dozens of students from Palestine and other Arab countries who can’t afford to pursue their undergraduate and graduate studies because of financial problems,” said Ja’far Hujeir, one of the designers.”They could excel if they had the opportunity, and Web sites for scholarships in Arabic are very rare,” he said. The other designer, Ibrahim Dweikat, explained that the site provides updates about scholarships in English and Arabic using a simple and user-friendly interface. New updates are sent to subscribers via RSS or on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, he said. Related:English websiteandArabic website
Meshal: All options against Israel are open, including war
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Hamas politburo chief meets in Damascus with Palestinian leaders, including PFLP’s Ahmed Jibril.
Egyptian border guards shoot, wound 5 migrants on Israel border
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Five African migrants shot while trying to cross into Israel; 15 others arrested.
Report: Palestinian teen allegedly killed by IDF returns home alive
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – IDF denied killing 15-year-old Gaza resident on Tuesday, who was found Friday in Egyptian custody.
U.S.: Military action will not solve Mideast conflict
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – France, U.K. condemn Israeli strike on Gaza amid rising tensions over recent bout of violence.
IDF trying to boost China ties ahead of Iran sanctions vote
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – IDF to present the Chinese with Israel’s view on Iran’s drive toward nuclear military capability.
Shin Bet: Terror-related attacks on the rise in March
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Report notes 125 attacks as opposed to 53 in February, while Gaza and Jerusalem see most drastic rise.
Hamas footage hints at extent of group’s role in Gaza clashes
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Video shows part of last week’s Gaza border clash, in which two Golani Brigade soldiers were killed.
Palestinians: IDF drops leaflets over Gaza warning of imminent attack
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Army denies ‘wait for response tomorrow’ notices; navy fires at Gaza fishing boat in off-limits waters.
Hezbollah: Israel planning to destroy Al-Aqsa mosque
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Syrian President Assad and Lebanese Druze leader meet after 5-year feud, discuss ‘importance of resistance against Israel.’
Egypt discovers massive arms cache destined for Gaza
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Security forces find 100 anti-aircraft missiles, 40 RPGs and 40 others explosive devices in Sinai depot.
IDF won’t investigate death of Bil’in activist from tear gas grenade
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – A year after activist Bassem Abu Rahmeh was killed by the IDF, the military prosecution decided not investigate his death.
Hamas releases footage of ‘Gaza clashes’
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Military wing of Hamas shows documentation of incident wherein two IDF soldiers were killed.
IDF denies killing Palestinian teen on Gaza border
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Army rebuffs Palestinian media claims that it killed 15-year-old as he tried to enter Israel.
IAF conducts first missile-defense system test
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Just how well will the air force’s multi-layered technology protect Israel from rocket attacks?
Barak: Hamas will pay for shaking equilibrium on Gaza border
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Defense minister visits IDF troops who fought in Friday’s Gaza gunbattle in which two soldiers were killed.
Netanyahu: Israel will respond to any attack
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 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 3 Apr 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 3 Apr 2010 – Hamas is satisfied with media coverage of the recent Gaza clashes, but it still isn’t interested in inciting war.
Amos Harel / Israel’s border with Egypt is like the Wild West
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 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 3 Apr 2010 – Major Eliraz Peretz and Staff Sergeant Ilan Sviatkovsky die in Gaza clash; another soldier in serious condition.
“Coalition to Break the Blockade on Gaza Announced”
Uruknet April 3, 2010 Following months of preparation, a coalition bringing together a number of organizations and movements working to break Israel’s illegal blockade on Gaza was announced yesterday in Istanbul. The coalition, comprised of the Turkey-based IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi) organization, the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG), the Greek Ship to Gaza campaign, the Swedish…
Israeli journalist to go on trial for treason over leaked papers
Uruknet April 3, 2010 – Anat Kam, 23, an Israeli journalist, goes on trial this month on charges of treason and espionage for leaking classified military documents to another Israeli journalist, who is now reportedly staying in London to avoid prosecution. Ms Kam was detained in December and is under house arrest, but a gag order imposed by the military has…
Bibi makes it personal
Uruknet April 3, 2010 – You can’t make this stuff up. It was a Monday, the first day of spring in 2010, a time usually reserved for a little fresh air. Alas, the prime minister of Israel was dispensing noxious fumes in a speech to AIPAC, the pro-Israeli lobbying conglomerate that is considered the single most effective arm-twisting organisation in Washington….
Power Outages Dim Future of Gaza Refugees
Uruknet April 3, 2010 – At night in Gaza, the narrow alleyways of the refugee camps echo loudly with clatter amidst the darkness. The clatter is the sound of small generators. Families in the camps, and many stores in the camps and in the cities, rely on such portable units for electricity during the rolling blackouts that now afflict the Gaza…
A Stupid Maneuver
Uruknet April 3, 2010 – …Allawi says “Iran is interfering in the Iraqi matter, appointing a government that Iran wants”…OH REALLY? Good morning Mr. Allawi!!! what a lovely valuable piece of information, this is a great thing you said Dr. Allawi, you uncovered a dangerous threat to the nation that Iraqis were not aware of. You uncovered Iran’s ambitions, you really…
Bahar: US gives Israel green light to strike Gaza
Uruknet April 3, 2010 Ahmad Bahar, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said Saturday the US stance urging Israel and Hamas to end escalating violence was biased toward Israel. “The US’ dealing with Israel and Hamas places them on an equal footing, putting criminal and victim in the same category, which is biased toward the Israeli occupation and in…
Israel’s deadly legacy still lurks in Lebanon
Uruknet April 3, 2010 Nearly four years after Israel littered southern Lebanon with mines during its devastating war with Hezbollah, teenager Mohammed al-Hajj Mussa can barely bring himself to speak of the day he lost his legs. On August 11, 2006, the lean, dark-haired boy was riding behind his father on a motorbike to deliver food to a nearby town…
Diabetic Palestinian dies after long wait at checkpoint
Uruknet April 3, 2010 A diabetic Palestinian died on Saturday after being prevented from crossing the Al-Hamra military checkpoint into the Jordan Valley on Saturday. Mohammad Damen Abed Al-Karim E’lieyat, 62, from the village of Dir Abu Da’eef in Jenin was en route to the Jordan Valley but was barred from transit. Ma’an’s correspondent said E’lieyat made several attempts to…
The So Called ‘Only Democracy in the Middle East’
Uruknet April 3, 2010 – In Israel, the so called ‘only democracy in the Middle East’, a journalist has been held under house arrest since December for leaking a story of Israeli barbarism…The Guardian reported today that Anat Kam, 23, an Israeli journalist “has been under secret house arrest since December on charges that she leaked highly sensitive classified military documents…
Video: Jerusalem ban angers Christians
Uruknet April 3, 2010 – Thousands of Palestinian pilgrims are celebrating Easter week’s fire ceremony in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – which is built on Christianity’s holiest shrine in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, thousands of Christians in the occupied West Bank are not being allowed to attend the rituals because all Palestinians in the territory have been banned by Israel from…
Israel Gags News on Extra-Judicial Killings
Uruknet April 2, 2010 – An Israeli journalist remains under house arrest and another lives abroad, after they broke news on Israeli undercover units carrying out assassinations or “targeted killings” of non-combatant Palestinian political opponents. Anat Kam, 23, who used to work for the Israeli news site ‘Walla’, was arrested last December for allegedly copying secret Israeli Defence Force (IDF) documents…
Settlers Attack a 89-year-old woman, her 50-year-old daughter in Jerusalem
Uruknet April 3, 2010- Israeli settlers attacked on Friday Rifqa Al Kurd, 89, and her daughter Nadia, 50, in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, in East Jerusalem, the Maan News Agency reported. attack took place after nearly 200 residents and peace activists held a protest on Friday evening demanding an end to the provocative attacks and violations carried out by the settlers against…
Palestinian dies on Israeli checkpoint
Jenin, April 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) A Palestinian elderly died today in an Israeli checkpoint in Jenin, in the West Bank. Mohammed Aliat, 62, died a after the Israeli soldiers had stopped him at Al-Hamra checkpoints and prevented him from passing under the pretext of holding French ID. Aliat was in his way to Jordan when he was stopped….
Gaza’s missing body slain by Israel is finally found
Gaza, April 3 rd , (Pal Telegraph) Palestinian medical crews found on Friday night the body of Jihad Eita Daghma, 23, near the border adjacent to the town of Khuza’a, east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Ambulances ferried Jihad’s body to Nasser Hospital after being found in the vicinity of an Israeli army incursion that took place last…
Egypt explodes tunnel in Gaza- Egypt border
Gaza, April 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) The Egyptian security forces exploded a tunnel in Gaza- Egypt border today. The Egyptian security exploded a tunnel opposite to Salah Al-Dain Gate in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. Medical sources confirmed that the tunnel was exploded and no injuries were reported, SAFA news agency reported. In Thursday, Egyptian police seized 41 brand new…
Israel detains Palestinian from Howara
West Bank, April 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces detained today a citizen from Howara village in the West Bank. The Israeli occupation forces raided Howara village and broke into the house of Alaa Oda, 20, and searched it. Then they detained him and took him to unknown place, WAFA news agency reported.
Gaza’s crossings witness some movement
Gaza, April 3 rd , (Pal Telegraph) According to the border crossings committee, 217 of the passengers (patients and those who wanted returned to Gaza) returned to the Gaza Strip on Thursday, while 9 left the Sector even though the Rafah crossing was closed by the Egyptian side on Friday. As for the movement of the crossings in the Beit Hanoun…
Christians angry at Jerusalem lockdown as Easter clashes with Passover
The National 3 Apr 2010 – With eastern and western Easter and Jewish Passover all, unusually, occurring at the same time, access to the city is tightly restricted.
Hamas dismisses Israel’s threat of another Gaza invasion
The National 2 Apr 2010 – Officials ignore warning by senior Israeli minister of ‘another major military operation’ as half a dozen targets around the Gaza strip come under attack.
Christians around the world mark Good Friday
The National 2 Apr 2010 – Thousands of Christian pilgrims gather in Jerusalem while dozens of devout Filipinos are nailed to crosses to mark Good Friday.
U.S. revamps airport profiling system
Palestine Note 3 Apr 2010 – Airport security procedures implemented after the Christmas Day “underpants” bombing attempt that subjected travelers from 14 countries to mandatory extra screening will be scrapped in favor of a more “intelligence-based” system, the New York Times’ Jeff…
Gaza economy: ‘Currency speculation bears fruit’
Palestine Note 3 Apr 2010 – Hamas has begun speculating currency on the black market to relieve financial stress, YNet reports. The Gaza economy has come under strain from siege and increased international pressure on its main financial supporter, Iran. This strain…
Settler violence spikes in West Bank, E. Jerusalem days before Easter
Palestine Note 3 Apr 2010 – 21-year-old Summar Said Radwan, a West Bank native, was struck and killed by a settler’s car Friday, Ma’an News Agency reports. Radwan was pronounced dead at the hospital. The woman was killed on a road running…
Journalism Initiative shares the ‘Palestinian perspective’
Palestine Note 3 Apr 2010 – The Research Journalism Initiative will change how students think and learn about “socio-economic, religious and geopolitical conflict by providing students a direct link to regions of conflict abroad,” the website explains. An-Najah University Founded by human…
PA SEX SCANDAL: AL-HUSSEINI INVESTIGATION ENDS
Palestine Note 3 Apr 2010 – INVESTIGATORS CONCLUDE INQUIRY INTO CORRUPTION AND SOLICITATION ALLEGATIONS AGAINST FORMER PA CHIEF OF STAFF RAFIQ AL-HUSSEINI The Palestinian Authority-commissioned investigation into misconduct of former Abbas chief of staff Rafiq al-Husseini has ended, Ma’an News Agency reports….
‘Unavoidable politics’: Egypt, its Jews, and the Occupation
Palestine Note 3 Apr 2010 – Egypt finished restoring the Maimonidies synagogue in Cairo’s old Jewish Quarter earlier this year, but when the inaugural ceremony was cancelled, it was “symptomatic of the uncomfortable, and sometimes tense relationship between the Egyptian state, and…
Another European Fund Divests from Israel
The Media Line 1 Apr 2010 – Sweden’s largest pension funds have elected to remove Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems from its investment portfolios over its involvement in the construction and operation of the Israeli separation barrier erected around the West Bank….
Israeli air raids wound children
AlJazeera 2 Apr 2010 – Israel threatens more attacks following overnight air raids on Gaza Strip.
Alternative Information Center
Open Letter to German Left Party (Die Linke)
Alternative Information Center – Thursday, 01 April 2010, Dear Friends, This letter is being sent to you by citizens of the state of Israel who are active in various Left groups and on a variety of topics throughout Israel and…
Fourth International Political Field Seminar
Alternative Information Center – Wednesday, 31 March 2010, Fourth International Political Field Seminar Bridges Instead of Walls! 9th May 2010 – 15th May 2010 Organized by the Alternative Information Center Introduction In an increasingly globalized world, it is often the…
Israel’s Inclusion in Economic Organization a Threat to Democracy
Alternative Information Center – Sunday, 28 March 2010, Membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which includes 30 of the world’s most developed countries, does not provide money or any special economic benefits. Yet it is easy…
Israeli air raids wound children
PNN – Saturday, 03 April 2010
Israel allows cement, aid into Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 3 Apr 2010 – Gov’t to decide whether to allow Free Gaza cargo ship to reach Strip in May.
Israel urges ‘int’l action’ on Iran
Jeruslalem Post 3 Apr 2010 – Iranian nuke chief announces new facilities; Ahmadinejad once again taunts West.
‘J’lem was to be debated directly’
Jeruslalem Post 3 Apr 2010 – Top US ME adviser says issue was forced’ by Ramat Shlomo announcement.
Lebanon prepares for summer tourist invasion
Jeruslalem Post 3 Apr 2010 – Inbound tourism to Lebanon in 2009 rose by 39 percent over 2008 figures, with 1.8 million tourists entering the country of 4 million inhabitants.
Israel allows cement, other aid into Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 3 Apr 2010 – Gov’t to decide whether to allow Free Gaza cargo ship to reach Strip in May.
Crossing Kalandiya
Jeruslalem Post 3 Apr 2010 – Where Israel’s security needs meet Palestinian frustration.
Gaza youth returns home alive
Jeruslalem Post 3 Apr 2010 – Mohammed Farmawi was said to have been killed by the IDF during Land Day riots.
Holy fire ritual celebrated in J’lem
Jeruslalem Post 3 Apr 2010 – Orthodox Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried at an Old City site.
Metro Views: This is New Jersey, not Jerusalem
Jeruslalem Post 3 Apr 2010 – As residents of Bergen County battle it out over adherence to the blue laws that restrict commerce on Sunday, things will probably get ugly.
Palestinian Christians Rebuke Israeli Violations of Freedom of Worship during Easter
WAFA 3 Apr 2010 – JERUSALEM, April 3, 2010 (WAFA)- ‘As we are celebrating the most religiously and traditionally significant Christian Holiday, we are repeatedly being subject to Israeli violations of our God-given
Bulgarian Church Delegation Collects Holy Fire from Jerusalem
WAFA 3 Apr 2010 – SOFIA, April 3, 2010 (WAFA)- A Bulgarian Orthodox Church delegation has traveled to Jerusalem to light a night-light with Holy Fire to be used in the “Alexander Nevski” cathedral in Sofia for the
CHF’s Emergency Jobs Program Graduate Second Round of Fellow Engineers
WAFA 3 Apr 2010 – RAMALLAH, April 3, 2010 (WAFA)Thirty Fellow Engineers celebrated the completion of their fellowship with the Emergency Jobs Program (EJP) which is implemented by CHF International and funded by the
Villagers of Bil’in Break Military Closure for Third Week
WAFA 3 Apr 2010 – RAMALLAH, April 2, 2010 (WAFA)- The weekly protest in Bil’in this week headed out after the Friday prayer to protest the wall and settlements, despite military orders three weeks ago declaring the
PCHR Concludes Human Rights Training Course in Gaza
WAFA 3 Apr 2010 – GAZA, April 2, 2010 (WAFA)- The Training Unit in the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) concluded Thursday a training course in the field of human rights and gender issues, which was
OCHA: Reduced Tensions in East Jerusalem; 11 Palestinian Injuries
WAFA 3 Apr 2010 – JERUSALEM, April 2, 2010 (WAFA)- Following several weeks of demonstrations and intense clashes in and around the Old City of Jerusalem, the situation calmed this week, leading to a significant
MSD: Demolitions in Jerusalem Increased to 110: 102 Housing Units
WAFA 3 Apr 2010 – JERUSALEM, April 1, (WAFA)- Al-Maqdese for Society Development (MSD) said that Israeli demolition operations in East Jerusalem in 2009 increased to 110: 102 housing units (located in 85
Palestinian Journalists Repeatedly Targeted by Israeli Army Gunfire during March
WAFA 3 Apr 2010 – PARIS, April 1, 2010 (WAFA)- Reporters Without Borders deplores the frequency of press freedom violations by the Israeli army, which routinely fire on Palestinian journalists. At least eight
MIDEAST: Israel Gags News on Extra-Judicial Killings
IPS RAMALLAH, Apr 2 (IPS) – An Israeli journalist remains under house arrest and another lives abroad, after they broke news on Israeli undercover units carrying out assassinations or “targeted killings” of non-combatant Palestinian political opponents.
LEBANON: ‘Roumieh Prison Breeds Criminality Not Reform’
IPS BEIRUT, Apr 1 (IPS) – Lebanon’s notorious Roumieh prison, the scene of a stand-off between inmates and security personnel this month, is no stranger to rioting, escapes, corruption and abuse.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Receive Spanish Delegation in Ramallah Office
PCHR 2 Apr 2010 – Ref:38 /2010 On Friday, 02 April 2010, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) received a Spanish delegation in its office in Ramallah. The delegation, headed by Christina Ruiz, was comprised of 14 persons representing 4 Spanish NGOs: Al-Quds Association Malaga; Social Forum; Andalusia Association for Support and Peace; and Support Program for Palestinians…..
International Solidarity Movement
Activists support rehabilitation of historic natural springs destroyed by settlers
4/3/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – 02 April – A group of internationals, including two ISM activists, joined supporters from Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank in assisting the villagers of Qarawat Bani Hassan repair and rehabilitate the historic natural springs which lie in the nearby Wadi Qana. The springs which issue at the base of the wadi feed into a series of reservoirs cut into the stone, said to date from Roman times. From time immemorial they have been the source of water for those villagers without their own wells. Today the springs and their surroundings, a location of outstanding natural beauty, are the most important cultural heritage for the village. Situated between Ramallah and Nablus, Qarawat Bani Hassan has the misfortune to be surrounded by a number of settler colonies, including Nofim, Yaqir, Revava and Kiryat Netafim. Settlers routinely trespass onto village lands and two weeks previously,. . . .
Google buys Israeli ex-pat’s start-up company
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – Episodic describes itself as a comprehensive publishing platform for broadcasting live, on-demand video to the Web.
Israel is refusing to understand what Obama wants
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – Why is it that Netanyahu and his government can’t seem to grasp what is so clear to everyone else?
Sarkozy’s advisers: Renewed talks between Israel and Syria unlikely
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – France seeking to mediate between Jerusalem, Damascus; Syrians imply they prefer Turkey as go-between.
Report: Hamas wants to try Fayyad over Haaretz interview
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – Hamas claims Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad surrendered the right of return within 1948 borders.
Iran intends to build more uranium enrichment plants
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – Ahmadinejad: Sanctions strenghten our resolve; Iranian leader also warns Israel over Gaza attacks.
Comparison of attacks on pope to anti-Semitism sparks outrage
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – Jewish leaders describe sermon by Father Raniero Cantalamessa as repugnant and offensive.
White House in calming message to U.S. Jews: Obama is Israel’s friend
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – White House tells prominent U.S. Jewish leaders that the recent bout of tension overblown by media.
Yemen court upholds death sentence for Israeli spy
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – Yemen man, 27, convicted of contacting former PM Ehud Olmert, offering to work for Mossad.
Obama: Evidence shows Iran is developing nukes
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – U.S. president says intends to up pressure against Iran’s potentially destabilizing nuclear program.
Despite Obama’s sanctions, Ahmadinejad can keep smiling
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – Without U.S. permission to attack Iran, Israel will also have to get used to the notion of a nuclear Iran.
Vatican preacher compares attacks on pope to anti-Semitism
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – Father Cantalamessa at Good Friday service: Shifting personal guilt to a collective guilt reminds me of anti-Semitism.
Palestinian PM to Haaretz: We will have a state next year
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – Fayyad hopes Israel will celebrate Palestinians’ sovereignty, accuses Netanyahu of succumbing to settlers.
Who will a Palestinian boycott of settler economy really hurt?
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – PA has been burning settlement-made goods, and now there’s a proposal to ban Palestinians workers.
Qassam hits Israel after Russia urges Hamas to stop rocket fire
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – Russia to Hamas: Rocket fire against Israel must stop; Meshal: Hamas wants to maintain Gaza calm.
Israeli who trained Colombia guerillas wins appeal against extradition
Ha’aretz 4 Apr 2010 – Yair Klein was tried in absentia in 2001 for training ‘death squads’ linked to drug trafficking.
Israeli journalist Anat Kam under secret house arrest since December
The Guardian 2 Apr 2010 – Woman faces treason trial after allegedly leaking documents that suggest military breached court order on West Bank assassinations An Israeli journalist has been under secret house arrest since December on charges that she leaked highly sensitive,…
Britain calls for peace as violence escalates in Gaza
The Guardian 2 Apr 2010 – Three children injured in Israeli air strikes after Palestinian militants step up rocket attacks Israeli jets and helicopters have attacked Gaza, injuring three children and hitting what the Israeli military said were weapons manufacturing and storage…
Israel pays for return ticket of illegally deported migrant worker
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – A migrant worker from Nepal who was deported from Israel earlier this year in contravention of a court order is expected to arrive this morning on a return flight paid for by the state. …
Accident victims now need to watch what they post on social networking sites
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Accident victims, not just job applicants, also need to be careful about what they post on social networking sites, it seems. …
Immigration to Israel from North America up by 20% in 2010
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Immigration to Israel from North America during the first quarter increased by more than 20 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Jewish Agency, pointing to a busy year. …
Palestinian aspirations are clear, but what does Israel want?
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – Does anybody know what Benjamin Netanyahu wants? Has anybody ever understood what his predecessors wanted? Where are they headed? And where are they leading us? One after another, Israeli politicians have been asked these questions, only to reply with the standard rejoinders: “You don’t expect me to answer this question” or “Let’s leave this for the negotiations.” Vague answers, obfuscations, evasive and noncommittal cliches – promises, promises. There was one clear, unequivocal answer – none. There is no other country whose citizens, friends and enemies have not the slightest clue about which direction it is facing. For our enemies not to know is understandable, but don’t we deserve to know more? Don’t we at least deserve to know the ultimate goal? …
A third intifada would work wonders for Israel’s battered image
Ha’aretz 3 Apr 2010 – “Civil uprising? That’s not a civil uprising, just local riots,” defense minister Yitzhak Rabin told journalists back in 1987 when they asked why he was going to Washington just as the territories were flaring up. Rabin waved his hand dismissively, and his aide, Danny Yatom, reprimanded the interviewers: “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” True, journalists also didn’t quite grasp the full scale of the upcoming intifada. At first the events were called protests, then disturbances, and finally riots. It took a while for the word “intifada” to enter the Israeli vocabulary. …
Palestinian dies after being delayed at IDF checkpoint
YNet News 3 Apr 2010 – Witnesses say 63-year-old man dies of cardiac arrest after being held up for hours at West Bank checkpoint. Soldiers claim thorough background check was required in light of his foreign citizenship
US delays report on China ahead of Iran sanctions talks
YNet News 3 Apr 2010 – After Beijing announces President Hu will attend nuclear security summit meeting in Washington, Treasury Secretary Geithner says delaying report on whether China manipulates its currency. Analysts: Report would have been ‘slap in the face’ to China
Fayyad envisages Jerusalem as Palestinian capital within 1 year
YNet News 3 Apr 2010 – Palestinian prime minister says at end of Christian Holy Fire vigil, ‘Next year we shall celebrate the creation of an independent Palestinian state along all 1967 borders’
Haredim uproot memorial for terror victims
YNet News 3 Apr 2010 – Five ultra-Orthodox youngsters remove, then hurl monument dedicated to victims of suicide bombing on Jerusalem bus
Palestinian teen reportedly killed by IDF returns home
YNet News 3 Apr 2010 – According to Palestinian report IDF soldiers shot a 15-year-old boy earlier this week in Gaza Strip, however it appears teen tried to cross over into Egypt via smuggling tunnel
Mashaal: War in region possible
YNet News 3 Apr 2010 – Hamas leader meets with heads of Palestinian factions at his Damascus home, says armed struggle against Israel to continue. Islamist group’s Gaza government calls on armed factions to halt rocket fire on Israel for fear of escalation
Egypt: Border guards wound 5 illegal migrants
YNet News 3 Apr 2010 – Security official says guards fired warning shots in effort to stop African refugees from crossing into Israel
Christians hold Jerusalem vigil
YNet News 3 Apr 2010 – Israeli border police, soldiers man barriers to channel faithful flocking around Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Old City for ‘Holy Fire’ ceremony
Iran plans on building 2 more nuclear plants
YNet News 3 Apr 2010 – Iran’s atomic chief unveils construction plans for two uranium enrichment facilities due within next six months, which have been submitted to Ahmadinejad
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. [
Nabi Saleh: collective punishment targets entire neighbourhoods
Stop The Wall – The residents of Nabi Saleh confirmed that the occupation forces deliberately launched stun grenades inside the homes to intimidate the population. In fact, the occupation forces are constantly striving to create conflict between the people in order to weaken the popular resistance from the inside. [
Palestinian Information Center
Can there be free elections under Fatah?
PIC 4 Apr 2010 – In the absence of real guarantees for holding truly free elections, the raucous blather about elections by the Fatah organization, remains an expression of deception and hypocrisy.
Hamas: Fayyad must stand trial
PIC 4 Apr 2010 – Hamas said that Salam Fayyad, the illegitimate premier of the PA government in Ramallah, did not represent the Palestinian people.
Palestinian old man dies at IOF roadblock
PIC 4 Apr 2010 – A Palestinian old man died at a roadblock for the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in the Jordan Valley afternoon Saturday, Palestinian medical sources reported.
Resheq: Fayyad is selling the refugees at a cheap price
PIC 4 Apr 2010 – Ezzet Al-Resheq has expressed utter dismay and repulsion at the statement of Salam Fayyad, the premier of the illegitimate government in Ramallah, to Hebrew daily Ha’aretz.
Gaza orphans demonstrate against siege as congressman enters the Strip
PIC 4 Apr 2010 – Tens of Gaza orphans demonstrated in Gaza city on Saturday to demand an end to the Israeli siege that has been suffocating the coastal strip for more than three years.
Relatives of prisoners stage solidarity sit-in
PIC 4 Apr 2010 – The Palestinian prisoner’s committee organized a sit-in before the Talmund jail in solidarity with the prisoners who started a series of protest steps to improve their incarceration conditions.
Foreign activists agree on sending aid material aboard ships to Gaza
PIC 4 Apr 2010 – Human rights activists told a press conference in Istanbul on Friday that they were determined to break the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip and send boats loaded with much needed aid.
IOF troops quell peaceful anti-wall marches
PIC 4 Apr 2010 – Tens of Palestinian citizens were treated for breathing problems after the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) violently quelled peaceful anti wall marches in a number of West Bank villages on Friday.
Abu Marzouk: Ramallah authority blocked a third intifada
PIC 4 Apr 2010 – The PA in Ramallah has blocked the outbreak of a third intifada in the West Bank using various non-nationalistic means to say the least, Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk said.
IOA planning the demolition of 312 buildings in OJ
PIC 4 Apr 2010 – The Jerusalemite institution for the development of the society has said that the IOA controlled municipality of Jerusalem was planning to demolish 312 buildings in eastern Jerusalem.
Obama-Hu phone call signals a renewed connection
LA Times 2 Apr 2010 – The president urges the Chinese leader to put pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear program. The long talk comes after months of friction between Washington and Beijing. President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao discussed U.S.-led efforts to impose new sanctions on Iran in a lengthy telephone call that signaled tensions between the two countries may be easing.
Christians converge on Jerusalem for Good Friday
LA Times 2 Apr 2010 – The cobblestone alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City became moving forests of wooden crosses as Christian pilgrims and clergymen commemorated the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, Good Friday.
Palestinian, 14, Emerges Unharmed
New York Times 3 Apr 2010 – A 14-year-old boy thought to have been killed either by Israeli gunfire or from internal Palestinian violence last week turned up unharmed at his family’s house after trying to sneak into Egypt.
Israel Mounts Air Attacks in Gaza
New York Times 2 Apr 2010 – The attacks on Friday, which Israel said were in response to rocket fire, caused no injuries but damaged buildings.
World Briefing | Middle East: Gaza: Hamas Presses for Calm
New York Times 2 Apr 2010 – Leaders of Hamas indicated Friday that they were trying to keep attacks on Israel in check, in what appeared to be an effort to keep recent acts of violence from spiraling into open conflict.
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…
Simpsons’ go to the happiest place on earth’
Mondoweiss – 3 Apr 2010 – When I learned the Simpsons, America’s famous cartoon family, were going to Israel ( S21E16 ) , I thought: Oy vey! The episode predictably glosses over the real Israel. All is well in cartoon Israel. The Muslims in Jerusalem are voiceless, sour-faced caricatures that prostrate themselves in the street (…
Netanyahu heritage declaration is all about annexation of territory
Mondoweiss – 3 Apr 2010 – The day after Netanyahu declared the Ibrahimi Mosque/Cave of the Patriarchs holy site in Hebron as an “Israeli national heritage site”, Mustafa Barghouti visited the mosque. After his visit, I caught Dr. Barghouti on film explaining how this decision to incorporate two sites in Occupied Palestinian…
A Palestinian-American discovers that the State Department allows Israel to define his national identity
Mondoweiss – 3 Apr 2010 – It occurred to me recently that I ought to try to gain entry into the West Bank. As a Gaza-born Palestinian with dual American citizenship, I regularly travel using my American passport without any problems. I thought I’d do some due diligence before committing, so I…
When Israel invaded Lebanon, Americans died
Mondoweiss – 3 Apr 2010 – Dershowitz at Huffpo, saying, The conflict between the US and Israel must end now! “Most of all, it is an entirely false argument. There is absolutely no correlation between Israeli actions and the safety of American troops none. “No one has ever shown any relationship…
Land Day Commemorations in France in Support of BDS
Alternative Information Center – 4 Apr 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,…
Bili’in as an Allegory: The Party is Over, Declares Netanyahu
Alternative Information Center – 4 Apr 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…
Israel’s Inclusion in Economic Organization a Threat to Democracy
Alternative Information Center – 4 Apr 2010 – Sunday, 28 March 2010, Membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which includes 30 of the world’s most developed countries, does not provide money or any special economic benefits. Yet it is easy to see why the Israeli government attributes great importance to…
Fourth International Political Field Seminar
Alternative Information Center – 4 Apr 2010 – Wednesday, 31 March 2010, Fourth International Political Field Seminar Bridges Instead of Walls! 9th May 2010 – 15th May 2010 Organized by the Alternative Information Center Introduction In an increasingly globalized world, it is often the case that quantity of information is privileged over quality. We…
Open Letter to German Left Party (Die Linke)
Alternative Information Center – 4 Apr 2010 – Thursday, 01 April 2010, Dear Friends, This letter is being sent to you by citizens of the state of Israel who are active in various Left groups and on a variety of topics throughout Israel and Palestine, including human rights, ecology, peace, support for refugees, social…
Articles
Fayyad subverts right of return
Iqbal Jassat, Ma’an News Agency 4/3/2010
“Fayyad just gave away your right of return,” I read on the Twitter page of Electronic Intifada editor Ali Abunimah yesterday, leading me to access a link and discover that indeed, the Palestinian Authority prime minister has done the unforgivable.
In an interview with Akiva Eldar of the Israeli daily Haaretz, Fayyad made the following comment in response to a question about refugees: “Of course, Palestinians would have the right to reside within the State of Palestine.”
The Palestinian state he refers to is what many analysts have come to regard as no different than apartheid South Africa’s version of “independent homelands” for blacks, commonly referred to as Bantustans. It is within the confines of this oxymoron that Fayyad envisions the return of refugees not to the land from where they were forcibly uprooted.
This is a blatant subversion of a fundamental right of Palestinians in the diaspora, millions of whom have been living in miserable conditions for more than 60 years as stateless refugees. Their right to return guaranteed by international conventions has remained sacrosanct.
As Abunimah correctly tweets, Fayyad has no right to waive the hopes and aspirations of victims of a terrible ordeal perpetrated by the founders of the illegitimate state of Israel through massacres and ethnic cleansing. These brutal policies have remained and have been applied at regular intervals by successive Israeli leaders.
Both the colonial foundations and apartheid character of Israel testify to its illegitimacy. Dispossession and dismemberment resulting from the enforcement of colonial practices paved the way for a migrant population of European Jews to establish a Jewish state on the ruins of Palestine.more..e-mail
Another forlorn summit
Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah, Al-Ahram Weekly 4/1/2010
With Israel continuing settlement expansion and Arabs clinging to a path proven fruitless, something has got to give.
Palestinians reacted with a combination of ambivalence and disenchantment to the outcome of this week’s two-day Arab summit in Sirte, Libya. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, who participated in the summit, voiced general satisfaction, describing the conference’s decisions as “good and reasonable”. He particularly praised the decision to allocate $500 million for Jerusalem, saying he hoped it would be implemented soon.
Abbas also welcomed the summit’s decision to give American-led efforts to restart the stalled peace process a “chance”, saying that the “exhaustive approach we are adopting towards the cause of peace is necessary so that we won’t regret anything we should have done and didn’t do.” Regardless, it was clear that on the “street level” reactions were negative, spurred by widespread disillusionment with the Arab League, especially its notorious failure to formulate a meaningful Arab stance on the Palestinian question.
Palestinian frustration in this regard stems in part from a collective feeling that whatever decisions Arab leaders adopt at their summit meetings remain largely within the “realm of rhetoric” and don’t rise to the level of being serious challenges to Israel’s efforts to Judaise East Jerusalem and efface the city’s Arab-Islamic identity. Most Palestinians have come to interpret the mediocrity of Arab summits as either a failure to understand reality in occupied Palestine or as an expression of a shrinking commitment by the Arab world to the Palestinian cause.
This attitude was expressed by the Islamic Liberation Party, an emerging Islamist force, which accused Arab leaders meeting in Libya “of betraying Jerusalem as you have always done”. Even Hamas, which is not particularly eager to burn bridges with Arab regimes, criticised the summit for “doing next to nothing to end the criminal siege on the Gaza Strip”…..more..e-mail
Zionists against Zion?
Shahid Alam, Al-Ahram Weekly 4/1/2010
Zionists are eager beavers, but all the chewing in the world won’t help if the forest rots.
Certainly Zionists have worked hard and cleverly for their successes, but their cause has been greatly advanced at each stage by the logic of imperialism itself and the way a Jewish state in the heart of the Islamicate meets its needs.
Zionism created a geopolitical realignment of great importance. It fused two forces of the Western world, previously at odds — Christians and Jews — and turned them against the Islamic world.
At every stage in its history, Israel has ratcheted up its power by unleashing forces, negative forces, that it has then turned to its advantage. Power, intelligence and luck have played into this.
Israel’s birth radicalised important segments of the Arab world, creating anxiety among Arab Jews about their future. Israel fanned this anxiety, with help from agent provocateurs — aided unfortunately by myopic Arab policy — to force a Jewish flight from the Arab world. As a result, Israel doubled its Jewish population — and fighting force — within a few years after its creation.
Arab nationalism, if properly harnessed and directed, could end the Western and Jewish state’s hegemony in the Middle East. Defiantly, seemingly unafraid, Israel actually took steps to fan this nationalism and use it to push the US to embrace Israel, firmly and openly, as the West’s bulwark against the Arab world. The plan worked, and by the late 1950s, if not earlier, the US was unswervingly on Israel’s side.more..e-mail
Four Palestinians injured during Land Day protests in Gaza
Electronic Intifada: 2 Apr 2010 – Four nonviolent demonstrators were shot at close range with live ammunition by Israeli soldiers during six simultaneous protests throughout the Gaza Strip commemorating Land Day. Three of those injured come from Khozaa, a village east of Khan Younis in Gaza’s south. The fourth, from Deir al-Balah, was participating in a peaceful demonstration east of Meghazi, central Gaza.
Film review: Pastoral resistance in “This Palestinian Life”
Electronic Intifada: 2 Apr 2010 – This Palestinian Life , a 28-minute documentary, surveys rural resistance in occupied Palestine: in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, in the Jordan Valley, and in the south Hebron hills. The film was made by Egyptian-German journalist Philip Rizk, who lived in Palestine from 2004 to 2007, talking with those struggling under the daily violence and oppression of Israel’s occupation, and recording their stories. Max Ajl reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
‘Hold Me Back!’ But Will Israel Attack Iran?
Palestine Chronicle: 4 Apr 2010 – By Uri Avnery Israel ‘Hold me back!’ is a part of Israeli folklore. It reminds us of our childhood. When a boy has a scuffle with a bigger and stronger boy, he pretends that he is going to attack him any moment and shouts to the spectators: “Hold me back, or I am going to kill him!” Israel is now in such a situation. We pretend that we are going to attack Iran at any moment and shout to the entire world: “Hold us back or” And the world does indeed hold us back. It is dangerous to prophesy in such matters, especially when we are dealing with people not all of whom are wise and not all of whom are sane. Yet I am ready to maintain: there is no possibility whatsoever that the government of Israel will send the air force to attack Iran. I am not…more
Fayyad’s Subversion of Right of Return
Palestine Chronicle: 3 Apr 2010 – By Iqbal Jassat Pretoria A tweet on twitter by the editor of the Electronic Intifada Ali Abunimah ‘Fayyad just gave away your right of return’ alerted me to access the link and discover that indeed, the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister has done the unforgivable. In an interview with Akiva Eldar of Haaretz, Fayyad made the following comment in response to question about refugees: “Of course, Palestinians would have the right to reside within the State of Palestine”. The Palestinian State he refers to is what many analysts have come to regard as no different to apartheid South Africa’s version of “independent homelands” for blacks, commonly referred to as “Bantustans”. It is within the confines of this oxymoron that he envisions the return of refugees not to the land from where they were forcibly uprooted! This is a blatant subversion of a fundamental right of Palestinians in the diaspora,…more
Holiest Days behind the Wall
Palestine Chronicle: 3 Apr 2010 – By Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D. On this Great and Holy Friday, Christians in the Holy Land feel like crying out the same words of our Lord and Savior, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.” (Mark 15:34) Especially since September 2000 there has been no change on the ground from the awful military occupation that strips people from their very basic human rights. And at the same time seeing all our hope in Christ who offers eternal life, we remember the most important words of all, “Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34) Thus on this most holy day, we must forgive that we live behind the huge Apartheid Wall that keeps us as prisoners in an open space. We must forgive that there are 600 military checkpoints all around us. We must forgive that all the natural resources, the roads,…more
The New Dark Age 
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