News
International Middle East Media Center
Olmert, Main Suspect In Corruption Case
IMEMC – Friday April 16, 2010 – 04:06, On Thursday, an Israeli court lifted a gag order over the case of “Holy Land” corruption scandal revealing that the main suspect in this case is Israel’s former Prime Minister, former Jerusalem Mayor, Ehud Olmert.
Army Obstructs Firefighters Causing Further Damage, Losses near Jenin
IMEMC – Friday April 16, 2010 – 01:45, Palestinian sources reported Thursday that after several storehouses for households and sponge products were caught on fire, the Israeli army obstructed Palestinian firefighters and rescue teams from reaching the area an issue that increased the damage and losses.
Trial against Israeli whistleblower focuses on missing documents
IMEMC – Thursday April 15, 2010 – 22:03, As the Israeli trial against journalist Anat Gam continues, the Israeli government and media are focusing on the fact that certain key evidence has gone missing, a focus which some analysts say detracts from the real issue in the case: the content of the classified government filed that Anat Gam exposed.
Hamas Government In Gaza Executes Two Collaborators
IMEMC – Thursday April 15, 2010 – 13:45, The dissolved Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip officially announced on Thursday morning that it executed two Palestinians convicted of collaborating with the Israeli Intelligence. The two were shot to death.
Former Jerusalem Mayor Arrested For Corruption, Bribery And Money Laundering
IMEMC – Thursday April 15, 2010 – 12:58, The Israeli police arrested on Wednesday former Jerusalem mayor, Uri Lupolianski, on suspicions of corruption, bribery, and money laundering. He will remain in custody for 5 days pending further investigation.
Child Wounded By Army Fire In Hebron
IMEMC – Thursday April 15, 2010 – 10:33, Palestinian medical sources reported on Wednesday evening that the 10-year-old child was wounded by a rubber-coated bullet fired by the Israeli army at protesters near Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Israeli Tourism Agency Advertises Al Aqsa As Jewish Site
IMEMC – Thursday April 15, 2010 – 07:48, The Guardian British Newspaper reported that an Israeli tourism agency is advertising the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in occupied East Jerusalem as Jewish sites, and as part of the “Jewish Heritage Trail”.
Settler presence sparks increased violence in Qalqiliya
4/15/2010 – Qalqiliya – Ma’an – Israeli soldiers fanned out and searched for a Palestinian boy east of the Izbat At-Tabib village on Thursday morning, telling witnesses the boy was shot at by a settler moments earlier. The boy was allegedly throwing rocks at an Israeli setter car traveling on the Jewish-only road 55, east of Qalqiliya, when the driver stopped, pulled a weapon from the vehicle and fired, soldiers told witnesses. An Israeli military spokesman said he was unaware of shots fired by settlers in the area, but said that overnight Palestinians had opened fire on an Israeli vehicle. A search for the alleged gunmen was ongoing, he said. A second incident involved the detention of two boys, allegedly throwing rocks at Israeli vehicles, who were later turned over to Palestinian police, the spokesman said.
Far’a camp locked down, 1 injured during raids
4/15/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Overnight Israeli military raids sparked clashes in the northern West Bank, as troops opened fire and moderately injured one man who was later detained, along with 10 others, Palestinian security sources said Thursday. More than 30 Israeli military vehicles entered the Al-Far’a refugee camp at 2:30am, closing the entrance and raiding dozens of homes, local sources said. A total of seven were detained from the camp. Those taken were identified as:Jalal Jamal Eshtewi, 21, taken to an Israeli prison medical facility for treatment after sustaining gunshot wounds to the abdomen Imad Odeh, 19Omar Odeh, 19Hamzeh Odeh, 18Oday Tayeh ,18Nour Elian, 24Ismael Fahmawi, 20Witnesses said the raid was precipitated by the installation of a checkpoint at the camp entrance, with troops checking the ID cards of all those entering and exiting the camp.
Activist: 10-year-old boy shot with rubber bullet
4/15/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – A 10-year-old boy was shot in the leg with a rubber-coated bullet on Wednesday, activists said Thursday. The boy, Qusay Ahmad Abu Hashem, was reportedly injured in clashes with Israeli forces near Beit Ummar, north of Hebron. Palestine Solidarity Project spokesman Muhammad Awad said a protest took place Wednesday near the Kermi Tsour settlement. A spokesman for Israel’s Civil Administration said he was unaware of the incident. [end]
6 truckloads of wood, aluminum permitted to enter Gaza
4/15/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – For the first time in three years, Israeli authorities allowed limited quantities of wood and aluminum into the Gaza Strip via its southern Kerem Shalom crossing on Thursday. Raed Fattouh, a Palestinian liaison official in Gaza, said the goods would come as part of an expected 112 – 122 truckloads of aid, commercial and agricultural goods, including three truckloads of goods for the cellular provider Jawwal, and two for the electricity company. Limited quantities of fuel and domestic-use fuel will also be pumped into the Strip, Fattouh said. Two truckloads of cut carnations are expected to exit the Strip, under a continuing Dutch government program to support Gaza farmers. On Monday, Israel informed the Palestinian Authority that aluminum and wood would be permitted into Gaza, but did not cite reasons for the change of policy. Israel prohibited the entry of a number of construction goods, including aluminum, since Hamas’ takeover of the coastal enclave in June 2007.
African migrant shot dead at Israel border
4/15/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – An African migrant died after he was shot by Egyptian security forces on Thursday, sources said. Five other migrants were detained in what Egyptian security sources described as an infiltration attempt.”Forces were on night shift when they noticed an infiltration attempt by an African migrant who was trying to pass through barbed wire on the border into Israel,” an Egyptian security official said.”Security forces opened fire when he refused to listen to police instructions. He died at the scene.”[end]
Diliani warns of ‘rapidly escalating’ aggression
4/15/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Fatah Revolutionary Council member Dimitri Diliani warned Thursday that Israel’s “continuous and rapidly escalating aggression” against villages surrounding occupied Jerusalem was in cooperation with settler groups. Diliani added that such “aggression” occurs in parallel with the decision of Israel’s Jerusalem municipality to resume house demolitions in the occupied city, in addition to settlement buildin
g, the separation wall, seizing residents’ houses for the benefit of settlers, imposing high taxes, restricting movement, confining the process of education, and systematically disrupting social and cultural development. He pointed out those settlers uprooted 300 centuries-old olive trees in the village of Mikhmas, north of Jerusalem, on Tuesday at the same time that the military ruling authority in the West Bank announced the confiscation of hundreds of acres in Anata. . .
In photos: Palestinians examine demolished homes
4/15/2010 – 1-7) Palestinians inspect the rubble of house demolished by Israeli bulldozers in the West Bank village of Al-Khader, near Bethlehem. [MaanImages/Luay Sababa] 8-17) The home, which belonged to Ali Saleem, was destroyed on 14 April 2010 under the pretext it was built too close to Israel`s wall. [MaanImages/Haytham Othman] 18-23) Meanwhile, in Hares, a village near Nablus, Palestinians examine the remains of a home and several shops destroyed by bulldozers. [MaanImages/Rami Swidan] [end]
Gaza executions condemned
4/15/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups have denounced Thursday’s executions of two collaborators in Gaza. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reiterated in a statement its position rejecting the death penalty, which it called “a grave and unjustified violation of the right to life and a form of torture and cruel and inhumane treatment.” The Ministry of the Interior in Gaza executed by firing squad Nasser Salama Abu Fraih, 35, from Jabaliya and Mohammed Ibrahim Isma’il (As-Sabe), 36, from Rafah. These death sentences were carried out without the ratification of the president, which is required under Palestinian law and constitutes a violation of the law and constitution, the PCHR added. However, the group reiterated its position that the PA has a duty to prosecute those accused of collaboration with Israel.
Gaza government carries out executions
4/15/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Two men found guilty of collaboration with Israel were brought to Gaza’s Ash-Shifa Hospital Thursday morning, in circumstances originally deemed suspicious by Gaza rights organizations. Following investigations, however, it appeared that the men were executed early in the morning, following a last visit with their families. Military justice chief in Gaza Colonel Ahmad Atallah said the two were executed in accordance with their sentence of death, conferred earlier in the year, despite calls from international rights organizations urging a continued stay of the death penalty. The two deaths, if indeed government executions, would mark the first and second executions in Gaza since 2005. The deaths come amid controversy over a recent de facto government announcement that death sentences, which under Palestinian law must be approved by the president, would go ahead without such approval.
PA cop sentenced for leaking police secrets to Israel
4/15/2010 – Jenin – Ma’an – A military court in the West Bank city of Jenin sentenced policeman to seven and a half years of hard labor after he was convicted of leaking classified information to Israel’s military. The officer, identified only be his initials, SH. R. , will also be dismissed from the martial service, the court determined Thursday. The suspect was originally charged with collaborating with Israeli forces based on article 131/A of the Palestinian penal code. However, he was ultimately convicted of revealing martial secrets to Israeli forces. For its part, the police services said in a statement that its forces are prohibited from leaking martial information, revealing classified information, or taking photos of military posts on behalf of foreign parties. The sentencing hearing was headed by justice Muntasar Bal’awi, and included member judges Tawfiq Mansur and Majed Sammar.
Lebanese resident of Israel buried in Lebanon
4/15/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – The body of Hanna Jalad, who arrived in Israel with her family after Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, has been transferred home burial, Israeli media reported Thursday. Jalad, 70, died over the weekend and her body had been kept in the hospital, the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported. According to the report, since her death, Jalad’s children have been working to carry out her will to be buried in the Christian village of her birth. Israel ultimately decided to grant her request, the newspaper reported. [end]
EU-funded program supports media training
4/16/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Sharek Youth Forum, funded by the European Union, has completed its first step in training young people about media, concluding workshops in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Thursday. The course lasted about 18 months, and was intended to train young journalists in using media to strengthen human rights. Sahar Othman, the programming director at Sharek, told Ma’an that the project was submitted to the European Commission based on a plan to build capacity of young people in all the major fields of media. Some 180 students were selected from various universities’ media faculties, and they trained under the supervision of specialists. They chose their own topics to study, and the forum will co-publish these ideas and productions after consultation with experts in the field. Othman thanked the EU for its support to the project, which she said would help students get the necessary training in the field.
Hebron: 11 tons of settlement watermelon confiscated
4/15/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Inspection teams seized 11 tons of watermelons from Hebron markets on Thursday, alleging the goods were brought into the city from illegal settlements in the West Bank. The team, made up of officials from the Ministry of the Economy, the Ministry of Agriculture, the customs department and Palestinian police with the Ramallah-based government, regularly search shops and warehouses for illegal and expired products. Destroying the goods is part of a Palestinian Authority policy following the February declaration by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad that the sale of goods from settlements would henceforth be illegal in Palestinian areas. Officials said the settlement goods were discovered during a regular inspection.
Israel army condemns mosque vandalism
4/15/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – After the Bilal Ibn Rabah mosque in the village of Huwwara, south of Nablus, was vandalized by anonymous suspects late Wednesday night, the Israeli military expressed condemnation and vowed to bring those responsible to justice. The army said in a statement that the Star of David symbol and the caption “Muhammad” in Hebrew were among the graffiti painted on the wall of the mosque. In addition, two vehicles owned by Palestinians were reportedly set on fire in the village.”The Commander of the IDF Judea and Samaria division, Brig. Gen. Nitzan Alon ordered an immediate investigation into the incident, condemned the acts and said that those responsible should be brought to justice,” the statement noted.” The IDF conveyed a message to the Palestinians through the Civil Administration to reassure them that the IDF takes the matter of harming or vandalizing of holy sites very seriously. . .”
Shalit family appeals to Hamas chief
4/15/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The father of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on Thursday sent a letter to Khaled Mash’al, the Syria-based head of Hamas’ politburo, urging him to wrap up negotiations with Israel for a prisoner swap. The Shalit family approached Ma’an with a request to publish the letter, a translation of which appears as follows in its entirety.Dear Mr Khaled Mash’alHead of the Hamas movement politburo Damascus, Syrian Arab RepublicMay God’s peace and mercy be upon you,On the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners Day, 17 April 2010, and for the sake of hundreds or even thousands of Palestinian prisoners’ families and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, I address you, on behalf of myself and my family, as the leader of the Hamas movement and one of the leaders of the Palestinian people. A few months ago, German mediator Mr J. Related: Full text: Noam Shalit letter to Khaled Mash’al
Full text: Noam Shalit letter to Khaled Mash’al
4/15/2010 – Dear Mr Khaled Mash’alHead of the Hamas movement politburo Damascus, Syrian Arab RepublicMay God’s peace and mercy be upon you,On the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners Day, 17 April 2010, and for the sake of hundreds or even thousands of Palestinian prisoners’ families and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, I address you, on behalf of myself and my family, as the leader of the Hamas movement and one of the leaders of the Palestinian people. A few months ago, German mediator Mr J. Conrad, who was selected by the German government and Her Excellency Chancellor Angela Merkel, presented a proposal for a prisoner exchange that would put an end to the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. This offer, which was approved by the government of Israel, would secure the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 450 prisoners demanded by Hamas’ leadership, released in exchange for my son, Gilad Shalit. Related: Shalit family appeals to Hamas chief
PA orders 35 broadcasters shut down
4/15/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Palestinian minister of telecommunications and information technology Mashhur Abu Daka on Thursday sent letters to more than 35 television and radio stations demanding that they stop broadcasting. The move follows a dispute between a number of broadcasters protesting a rise in fees. In a statement, Abu Daka said their collective decision not to adhere to licensing regulations was illegal, and urged them to cooperate.”This step comes after the ultimatum, which lasted for one month, that was the result of the meeting between Abu Daka and the head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.” He thanked those stations that have adjusted their situation, however, affirming “the ministry’s determination to organize this vital and important sector.”He also noted that “this step includes the stations that did not complete licensing procedures, whether by the ministries of interior. . .”
British wheelchair racer tours Palestine
4/16/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Sporting legend Tanni Grey Thomson visited Palestine on Wednesday as part of a regional tour to promote the participation of disabled people in sport and to promote their role in society. In the course of her career as a competitor in wheelchair racing, Thompson won 16 Olympic medals, including 11 goldsShe also won the London marathon six times. After retiring as a competitive athlete at the age of 37, Thompson has become one of the most powerful people in British sport. She continues to campaign and break down stereotypes about what disabled people can and can’t do and in February of this year she was awarded the title of Baroness – the highest award possible for a citizen – and invited to join the House of Lords. In the morning, the Baroness visited the Nur Al-Ein Foundation for the Blind in East Jerusalem.
Hamas executes two ‘Israel collaborators’ in Gaza
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – This is the first formal execution carried out in Gaza since Hamas seized power from Fatah in 2007.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (08-14 April 2010)
Uruknet April 15, 2010 – Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (08 — 14 April 2010):
Did Banned Media Report Foretell of Gaza War Crimes?
Uruknet April 14, 2010 – An Arab member of the Israeli parliament is demanding that a newspaper be allowed to publish an investigative report that was suppressed days before Israel attacked Gaza in winter 2008. The investigation by Uri Blau, who has been in hiding since December to avoid arrest, concerned Israeli preparations for the impending assault on Gaza, known as…
Video: Jerusalem park threatens homes
Uruknet April 14, 2010 – Hundreds of Palestinians could be displaced if Jerusalem authorities carry out a plan to turn the neighborhood of Al Bustan into a tourist park. The plan entails the demolition of many Palestinian homes. But the mayor of the city says he will make sure houses are protected while developing the area.However, Palestinians in Al Bustan are…
Donkey, Horse and Cat in Israeli Jail
Uruknet April 14, 2010 – Stories and aberrant practices like these do not happen anywhere in the world but only in Israel, where the mentally ill zionists reign supreme. This latest story is not the imagination of the writer, or told by an ordinary person or by somebody accused of lying or slander, but it was seen and confirmed by fifteen…
Jerusalem Mayor Wants More Palestinian Homes Demolished
Uruknet April 14, 2010 – Jerusalem Mayor, Nir Barkat, issued orders instructing municipality engineers to demolish more Palestinian homes at a number of neighborhoods in Silwan town in East Jerusalem. The municipality will start the demolishing of Palestinian homes in Silwan on Wednesday and could also demolish homes in other Arab neighborhoods. Israel recently demolished several Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem…
Journalist threatened with extradition, arrest by Mossad
Uruknet April 14, 2010 – An Israeli journalist who went into hiding after writing a series of reports showing lawbreaking approved by Israeli army commanders faces a lengthy jail term for espionage if caught, as Israeli security services warned at the weekend they would “remove the gloves” to track him down. The Shin Bet, Israel’s secret police, said it was treating…
Israel’s ministry of justice sets up a committee to investigate ‘army’s assassinations’
15 Apr 2010 – West Bank, April 15, (Pal Telegraph) The Israe
li Ministry of Justice announced that in the near future it will be forming a committee to examine the legality of physical liquidation by the Israeli army against wanted Palestinians, which was approved by the court, and as a result of a petition filed by the Committee against Torture in December 2006. Ha’aretz…
Israel detains 13 Palestinian in WB
15 Apr 2010 – West Bank, April 15, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained today 13 Palestinian from different cities in the West Bank. The IOF detained six Palestinians from Al-Farea camp south of Tobas. One of them was shot while the IOF was detaining them, local sources reported. 20 military vehicles raided the camp and searched houses which resulted in…
IOF shoots Palestinian boy in peaceful demo
15 Apr 2010 – West Bank, April 15, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shot a Palestinian boy in his leg in clashes erupted near Krmetsour settlement in south of Bait Omar, in Hebron. The spokesman for the Palestinian solidarity project, Mohammed Awad, said to SAFA news agency that the boy Qosai Abu Hashem was shot and delivered to the hospital…
Jerusalem Mayor Wants More Palestinian Homes Demolished
14 Apr 2010 – Palestine, April 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph, by Saed Bannoura) – Jerusalem Mayor, Nir Barkat, issued orders instructing municipality engineers to demolish more Palestinian homes at a number of neighborhoods in Silwan town in East Jerusalem. The municipality will start the demolishing of Palestinian homes in Silwan on Wednesday and could also demolish homes in other Arab neighborhoods. Israel recently demolished…
Gaza tunnel is cash cow for smugglers
The National 15 Apr 2010 – While Israeli siege prevents all but the import of basic goods, a cattle market is continuing underground.
Mubarak gives Egypt’s public sector 10% pay and pension rise
The National 15 Apr 2010 – Two weeks before workers’ protest is planned, president announces boost for government employees’ wages.
Shell keeps Syria guessing over future oil prospects
The National 15 Apr 2010 – Anglo-Dutch firm confident of find but rivals are less sure as the country continues to face a shortfall in electricity production.
THE WEST BANK FREEZE IS THAWING
Palestine Note 15 Apr 2010 – SETTLEMENT CONSTRUCTION SAID TO RESUME AFTER FREEZE PERIOD ENDS “Minister-without-Portfolio” Bennie Begin says West Bank settlement construction will likely resume after the agreed building freeze period ends, the Jerusalem Post reports. The Post says Begin (Likud)…
Times reports shift in US Mideast policy
Palestine Note 15 Apr 2010 – The New York Times reports today that recent months have seen “a far-reaching shift in how the United States views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how aggressively it might push for a peace agreement.” The Times quotes…
SA zionists bar Goldstone from grandson’s bar mitzvah
Palestine Note 15 Apr 2010 – Justice Richard Goldstone, responsible for the controversial UN ” Goldstone Report ” on military wrongdoing during Operation Cast Lead, has been disinvited to his grandson’s bar mitzvah, journalist Richard Silverstein writes for the Eurasia Review . A…
With new IDF order, what is Israel thinking?
Palestine Note 15 Apr 2010 – With all the talk lately about concerns that there is some kind of well-organized, well-funded campaign afoot to delegitimize Israel, you’d think that even if Israeli officials are not particularly worried about the health of Israeli…
Former Israeli PM faces corruption charges
Palestine Note 15 Apr 2010 – Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is a key suspect in a bribery for real estate case, Al-Jazeera English reports. Then PM Olmert with the UK’s Gordon Brown He is suspected of involvement in a case wherein…
Scandal over Israeli army’s illegal operations
Palestine Note 15 Apr 2010 – An Israeli court has lifted a gagging order preventing the country’s media from covering the case of the journalists accused of revealing classified military information to the press. It concerned the controversial killing of Palestinian militants…
Israel Sells More Drone Technology to UK
The Media Line 14 Apr 2010 – Market is a one-way affair due to de facto weapons boycott While the UK may have drastically downsized its arms sales to Israel, this hasn’t prevented Israeli firms from selling advanced weapons technology to Britain. Elbit,…
State Department Spokesman: Hizbullah’s Scuds Puts Lebanon at Risk
The Media Line 14 Apr 2010 – Responding on Wednesday to a reporter’s question about Syria supplying Scud missiles to Hizbullah, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley replied that such a move would “represent a failure by the parties in the region to honor…
Former Jerusalem Mayor Arrested in Nation’s Largest Bribe Scandal
The Media Line 14 Apr 2010 – Former Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansky is among those who have been arrested in a bribery scandal one judge has called the “worst in Israel’s history.” Lupoliansky, who preceded incumbent Mayor Nir Barkat, was the city’s first “…
No American Pressure Regarding Israel’s Nuclear Ambiguity
The Media Line 14 Apr 2010 – At a time when even the slightest nuances by American officials are being parsed for indications of policy-shifts and political message-sending, a top Israeli official has reassured his countrymen that the Obama administration is not pressuring…
‘Settlers’ desecrate W Bank mosque
AlJazeera 14 Apr 2010 – Officials say graffiti scrawled on walls of mosque in Huwara near Nablus.
Olmert faces new corruption charge
AlJazeera 15 Apr 2010 – Former Israeli PM is suspected of taking $1 million in new bribery charges.
Freedom and Press According to Israel
Alternative Information Center – Wednesday, 14 April 2010, These days the public debate in Israel is occupied by discussion about the freedom of press and the role and meaning of information in a democratic state. The debate has been provoked…
Hamas executes two ‘Israel collaborators’ in Gaza
PNN – Thursday, 15 April 2010
Former Jerusalem mayor arrested in bribery scandal
PNN – Thursday, 15 April 2010
Publish banned Gaza ‘war crimes’ report, says Arab Israeli MP
PNN – Thursday, 15 April 2010
Olmert: I’ve never accepted bribes
Jeruslalem Post 15 Apr 2010 – Former PM vehemently denies involvement in Holyland scandal.
Ya’alon No need ever to remove any settlements
Jeruslalem Post 15 Apr 2010 – “Jews should be able to remain in Palestinian entity under any peace accord,” strategic affairs minister tells ‚ÄòPost’.
‘No need ever to remove settlements’
Jeruslalem Post 15 Apr 2010 – Jews should be able to remain in Palestinian entity, strategic affairs minister tells ‚ÄòPost’.
Police bid to get other suspects to incriminate Olmert
Jeruslalem Post 15 Apr 2010 – Former PM suspected of accepting large bribes when he was mayor of Jerusalem.
Full text of Olmert’s statement
Jeruslalem Post 15 Apr 2010 –
Barak appeals to Beinisch over Klein, Peretz demolitions
Jeruslalem Post 15 Apr 2010 –
Olmert: I was never offered a bribe
Jeruslalem Post 15 Apr 2010 – Police say state witness secured in bribery affair; former prime minister’s associate Messer released to 10-day house arrest; detention of elected J’lem Municipality official also announced.
Ash cloud halts Europe-bound flights
Jeruslalem Post 15 Apr 2010 – Iceland eruption forces London, Paris-bound planes back to Israel.
Hamas executes suspected informants
Jeruslalem Post 15 Apr 2010 – Islamic group flouts rights groups, kills two men despite appeals.
U.S. Consul General’s Visit Highlights U.S. Support to Hebron Businesses
WAFA 15 Apr 2010 – JERUSALEM, April 15, 2010 (WAFA)- U.S. Consul General Daniel Rubinstein visited Hebron today to meet with local officials, businessmen, to discuss the situation in the Governorate. The Consul
VIVICITTA’- Run for Child Rights
WAFA 15 Apr 2010 – JERUSALEM, April 15, 2010 (WAFA)- At 10.30 on Sunday, April 18, about 250 young ‘athletes’ from the Shu’fat Refugee Camp and East Jerusalem will take part in VIVICITTA’, an unprecedented children’s
Weekly Trading Report: PSE Rebuilds Confidence
WAFA 15 Apr 2010 – NABLUS, April 15, 2010 (WAFA) Palestine Securities Exchange (PSE) retained its upward trend this week (April 11-15), stimulated by the optimistic sight toward investment in Arab and Global markets
PCBS: 280 Olive Presses in Palestine
WAFA 15 Apr 2010 – RAMALLAH, April 15, 2010 (WAFA)- The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said that olive presses in the Palestinian Territory for the year 2009, are 280, of which 235 were operating,
PCBS: 19,000 Palestinian under Administrative Detention
WAFA 15 Apr 2010 – RAMALLAH, April 15, 2010 (WAFA)- The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said that more than 19,000 Palestinian were under administrative detention in Israeli jails since year
Diliani Warns of Israeli Plan against Jerusalem Rural Areas
WAFA 15 Apr 2010 – JERUSALEM, April 15, 2010 (WAFA)- Member of Fatah Revolutionary Council Dimitry Diliani warned, today, of an Israeli plan against the villages surrounding the city of Jerusalem, in cooperation
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (08-14 April 2010)
PCHR 14 Apr 2010 – Palestinian civilians and international solidarity activists run away from tear gas smoke fired by Israeli troops during a peaceful demonstration organized in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) ¬? 7 Palestinian civilians, including two….
International Solidarity Movement
All Palestinian political parties will join the 5th Bil’in International Conference on Nonviolent Resistance
4/15/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Bil’in Popular Committee – The Palestinian village of Bil’in will host the next 21-23 April 2010 the conference “Khalas! Enough occupation! We’re winning! 5th Bil’in International Conference on Popular Resistance” All the Secretary Generals of the Palestinian Political Parties will participate in one of the panels of the conference in an unprecedented move since the breakup of the two main Palestinian political forces, Hamas and Fatah, four years ago. For the second consecutive year a Spanish delegation led by the Solidarity Campaign “With Palestine in the heart” wi
ll participate in the Conference representing the Spanish Civil Society and Institutions. The conference is organized by the Bil’in Popular Committee, with the support of NOVA. In addition to the remarkable presence of the Political parties, the major representatives of nonviolent Palestinian movements in Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem…. Related:With Palestine in the heartandBil’in Popular Committee
Israel envoy hosts J Street chief in bid to end rift
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – Michael Oren invites Jeremy Ben Ami to Washington talks, signaling conclusion to high-profile spat.
Diplomats: World powers intensifying Iran sanctions talks
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – Five UN Security Council members and Germany are accelerating talks on new sanctions over nuclear work.
Noam Shalit urges Meshal: Accept Israel’s offer for prisoner swap
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – In letter to Hamas politburo chief, Shalit says deal would help liberate Gaza from stringent restrictions.
U.S. Congressman lashes out at Obama over Israel remarks
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – Leading Republican official Eric Cantor criticizes U.S. president’s comments at nuclear security summit.
Sarkozy urges Iran sanctions to curb ‘quest toward atomic arms’
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – President Peres meets Sarkozy to discuss peace talks, inaugurates Ben-Gurion Boulevard in Paris.
World Jewish leader to Obama: Is U.S. committed to Israel’s security?
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – WJC President Lauder urges Obama in letter reportedly approved by Netanyahu to ‘end public feud with Israel.’
Peres among thousands stranded due to volcanic ash cloud in Europe
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – A huge ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano turned the skies of northern Europe into a no-fly zone.
Is Lebanon blocking entry to Israeli-Arab author?
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – High Court allowed Ala Hlehel to travel to Beirut for literary prize, but he is awaiting Lebanese approval.
Iran struggling to sell oil, storing millions of barrels at sea
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – Trading sources said political factors may have made buyers reluctant to buy Iranian crude oil.
Egypt police kill Eritrean migrant along border with Israel
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – Egyptian police have killed 13 migrants this year, compared with 19 for the whole of 2009.
Syria: Israel’s Scud accusation may be pretense for attack
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – U.S. raises concerns with Damascus after reports Syria had transferred Scud missiles to Hezbollah.
Jerusalem mayor slams ‘shameful’ U.K. ban on Israeli ad
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – Britain acts on complaint over ad lists holy sites in East Jerusalem as part of a tourism itinerary in Israel.
Tzvia Greenfield: peace activist, leftist, Israel’s first female Haredi MK
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – Greenfield is an enigma. She is a fierce critic of her own community’s attitudes to the peace process and modernity – ‘incapable of compromise’ -Yet she still lives in it.
Report: Zionist group bans Goldstone from grandson’s bar mitzvah
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – According to blogs, South African community reached agreement with author of damning Gaza report.
Israelis can learn a thing or two from Diaspora Jews
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – When good friends give us advice, we don’t dismiss them by saying ‘you don’t live in my skin’ – on the contrary: sometimes their fresh eyes can help us understand our own problems differently.
Obama’s theological Israel mission | Carlo Strenger
The Guardian 15 Apr 2010 – Any new Middle East peace initiative from the US must break the power of the myth of filial sacrifice associated with Jerusalem The press and the blogosphere keep stating that the Obama administration is considering launching…
Olmert: Holyland probe is ‘unprecedented character assassination’
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday made his first comments on the Holyland bribery affair since being named a prime suspect earlier in the day, saying there is not a hint of truth in the allegations against him. …
Surprise police drill causes major gridlock across Israel
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – Roads across Israel were gridlocked on Thursday as Israeli security forces launched a nationwide drill at the height of the afternoon rush hour. …
Olmert cuts short trip abroad amid Holyland suspicions
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – Former prime minister Ehud Olmert was due to land in Israel early Thursday morning, after cutting short a trip to Europe due to reports alleging his involvement in a suspected case of bribery during the development of the Holyland project in Jerusalem. Olmert was mayor of the city from 1993 to 2003. …
Why has Israel banned the iPad?
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – The Communications Ministry announced Tuesday that it was imposing a blanket ban on the import of Apple’s new tablet computer, the iPad, citing incompatibility with the European Wi-Fi standard, which is used in Israel. For this reason, several such computers have been confiscated by customs officials at Ben-Gurion Airport. Eden Bar Tal, director of the Communications Ministry, defends the ban. …
No-one saw, no-one heard: 300 Palestinian olive trees uprooted
Ha’aretz 15 Apr 2010 – Some 300 olive trees belonging to Palestinians were uprooted on the night between Monday and Tuesday in groves near the village of Mihmas, close to the illegal outpost of Migron. Mihmas residents blamed settlers for the attack and said this was the third time the settlers had uprooted trees in th
e area. …
OPT: Protection of Civilians Weekly Report, 31 Mar – 13 Apr 2010
Relief Web 15 Apr 2010 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
OPT: Renovations at Jericho Hospital Begin
Relief Web 15 Apr 2010 – Source: American Near East Refugee Aid, US Agency for International Development
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 08-14 April 2010
Relief Web 15 Apr 2010 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Video: West Bank Bedouin facing crisis
Relief Web 15 Apr 2010 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Holyland case: Ex-mayors to face off
YNet News 15 Apr 2010 – Ehud Olmert, Uri Lupolianski accuse each other of facilitating corrupt real estate project; law enforcement officials tell Ynet that despite Olmert’s claims, they possess solid evidence in case
Rightist official: Sheikh Jarrah Jews irresponsible
YNet News 15 Apr 2010 – Rightist Jerusalem official slams Jewish residents in Sheikh Jarrah, says debate on ownership of old properties could open Pandora’s box
Police drill ‘largest in Israel’s history’
YNet News 15 Apr 2010 – Major terror drill that paralyzed traffic across nation Thursday crucial, police say; exercise involved top secret police units, simulated various terror attacks, hostage-taking scenarios
Rights groups slam Hamas executions
YNet News 15 Apr 2010 – Hours after execution of two Gaza Strip residents convicted of collaborating with Israel, rights groups criticize Islamist organization in joint statement
Olmert denies involvement in Holyland scandal
YNet News 15 Apr 2010 – Real estate project at center of corruption affair modified after his term as Jerusalem mayor, Olmert says; former PM slams ‘character assassination’ attempts against him, says he was never offered or took bribe
Sarkozy to Peres: What’s your secret?
YNet News 15 Apr 2010 – Israeli president meets French counterpart; two leaders discuss Iran, peace process
Shalit to Mashaal: Cut a deal
YNet News 15 Apr 2010 – Father of abducted IDF soldier sends letter to Hamas leader on occasion of Palestinian Prisoners Day, calls on him to accept ‘generous’ deal on table
Two Palestinians executed in Gaza
B’tselem 14 Apr 2010 – B’Tselem strongly condemns the execution today of two Palestinians convicted of collaboration with Israel, by the Hamas government in Gaza. The death penalty is immoral and violates the basic right to life of every human being. B’Tselem holds that under n
Syria denies giving Scud missiles to Hizbullah
Daily Star 15 Apr 2010 DAMASCUS: Syria warned Thursday that Israel was paving the way for new military action in the region with its allegation that Damascus is providing Scud missiles to the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah. Israeli defense officials have said they believe Hizbullah has Scud missiles capable of hitting all of Israel and earlier this week Israeli President
P5, Germany hold third round of talks on Iran sanctions
Daily Star 15 Apr 2010 UNITED NATIONS: Six powers trying to rein in Iran’s nuclear program met for a third time Thursday to discuss possible new sanctions against Iran, UN diplomats said. Ambassadors from the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany met behind closed doors about 15 hours after wrapping up a more than three-hour session Wednesday
Paris street honors Israel’s Ben Gurion amid protests
Daily Star 15 Apr 2010 PARIS: Pro-Palestinian protesters hurled hostile slogans at Israeli President Shimon Peres on a Paris quay Thursday as they protested the unveiling of a plaque renaming an embankment along the Seine River after Israel’s founding father, David Ben Gurion. French President Nicolas Sarkozy offered Peres support and urged a quick resumption
Hamas executes two Palestinians ‘collaborating’ with Israel
Daily Star 15 Apr 2010 GAZA CITY: A firing squad executed two Palestinians convicted of collaborating with Israel in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip at dawn on Thursday, sparking condemnation from human rights groups. “This morning, the death sentences against collaborators Mohammad Ibrahim Ismail, 37, from Rafah, and Nasser Salameh Abu Freih, 34, of Jabaliya, were
Olmert named key suspect in real-estate scandal
Daily Star 15 Apr 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was named as a key suspect in a massive real-estate scandal in Jerusalem after a court lifted a gag order on the case Thursday, Israeli media reported. The reports said Olmert, who is also a former mayor of Jerusalem, was suspected of having taken a bribe of almost $1 million.
Palestinian Information Center
Jordan summons Israel’s ambassador to protest decision to expel W. Bankers
PIC 15 Apr 2010 – The Jordanian ministry of foreign affairs summoned Israel’s ambassador to Jordan on Wednesday to officially protest the Israeli military decision to expel thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank.
Palestinian civilian wounded, 16 arrested in the WB
PIC 15 Apr 2010 – A Palestinian citizen was wounded at dawn Thursday at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in Nablus while 16 others were arrested, press sources reported.
Jewish settlers uproot 300 olive trees in WB
PIC 15 Apr 2010 – Jewish settlers rooted out 300 olive trees in the Palestinian West Bank village of Muhmus in one night, a Hebrew daily reported on Thursday.
Sayel: Egyptian natural gas is the best solution to Gaza power crisis
PIC 15 Apr 2010 – Director of Palestine electricity company Walid Sayel on Wednesday called on Egypt to provide Gaza power station with natural gas as the optimal radical solution to the crisis.
Wa’ed: Prisoners to go on hunger strike next Saturday
PIC 15 Apr 2010 – The Wa’ed society for prisoners said that the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails would go on hunger strike next Saturday as part of their protest steps against Israeli repressive measures.
Israeli tourism ad in UK depicting Aqsa Mosque as part of Israel banned
PIC 15 Apr 2010 – An Israeli tourist office press campaign in the United Kingdom has displayed the Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock as part of Israel, the British Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Sources deny news about finding weapons belonging to Hamas in Salfit
PIC 15 Apr 2010 – A Palestinian informed source denied the allegation made by an official in the preventive security about finding a cache of weapons belonging to Hamas in the village of Marda in Salfit district.
Israel renews rejection to sign nuclear non-proliferation treaty
PIC 15 Apr 2010 – Israel has renewed its rejection to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty despite the call by American president Barack Obama on all countries to sign the agreement.
Israeli troops wound Palestinian child in Ommar town
PIC 15 Apr 2010 – A 10-year-old child was moderately wounded on Wednesday evening when he was shot by Israeli troops in Beit Ommar town, north of Al-Khalil city, who also kidnapped a young man from Yatta town.
Interior ministry denies closing tunnels
PIC 15 Apr 2010 – The interior ministry in the Palestinian government in Gaza has denied news reports that it had closed tunnels used for providing goods for the Gaza Strip.
Israel bans imports of Apple iPad
LA Times 15 Apr 2010 – JERUSALEM — Israel has banned imports of Apple Inc.’s hottest new product, the iPad, citing concerns that the strength of its wireless receivers and transmitters are incompatible with national standards and could disrupt other wireless devices.
Hamas Executes Two Accused of Aiding Israel
New York Times 15 Apr 2010 – The executions, carried out by a firing squad at dawn, were the first since the Islamic group Hamas seized control of Gaza after routing forces loyal Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.
Former Israeli Leader Is a Suspect in New Corruption Case, Media Says
New York Times 15 Apr 2010 – Ehud Olmert was named as a chief suspect in a major bribery investigation involving a West Jerusalem building project that was advanced during his years as mayor of the city.
Checkpoints
Palestine Monitor – “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…
Settler Harassment: VIDEO ROUND-UP
Palestine Monitor – According to OCHA’s weekly “Protection of civilians” report, “since the beginning of 2010, 22 Palestinians have been injured as a result of settler violence in the West Bank”(1). But settler violence consists of much more than injuries. Here are few recent events that exemplify what the…
Reclaiming Water in Qarawat Bani Hassan
Palestine Monitor – End of December, accompanied by soldiers, Israeli settlers driving bulldozers started carrying out significant construction works in the area where is located the Neweitef Al — Majur spring, central source of water for farming the land of the nearby West Bank town of Qarawat Bani Hassan,…
Freedom and Press According to Israel
Alternative Information Center – Wednesday, 14 April 2010, These days the public debate in Israel is occupied by discussion about the freedom of press and the role and meaning of information in a democratic state. The debate has been provoked by the news of a 23-year-old Israeli journalist, Anat Kamm,…
Showdown for Human Rights in Berkeley
Mondoweiss – A former IDF soldier is speaking out in opposition to the occupation of Palestine. An 85-year old Holocaust survivor testifies to the peril of waiting to make a decision rather than saving lives now by stopping war machines. A queer Jewish Latino speaks about his own…
Right of return and international law— why the Clinton Parameters are a problem
Mondoweiss – Noa
m Sheizaf , an Israeli journalist who blogs at Promised Land , has a post up supporting the idea of an Obama administration imposed “peace plan” based (at least as a starting point) on the “Clinton Parameters” and disagrees with my negative assessment of the plan. He raises…
Judge Goldstone barred from grandson’s bar mitzvah
Mondoweiss – Many of you have already read this news from JTA : South African judge Richard Goldstone has been barred from attending his grandson’s bar mitzvah. Following negotiations between the South African Zionist Federation and the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol in Sandton, an affluent suburb of Johannesburg where the…
The war among the Israelis over settlements
Mondoweiss – Here is an interesting poll by the Truman Institute showing that Israeli public opinion has shifted somewhat against the settlements: A survey of the Israeli general public and Israeli settlers taken in early March shows three-fifths of the Israeli public (60%) support “dismantling most of the…
NYT: Obama ‚Äòincensed’ by Netanyahu
Mondoweiss – The Times seems to be dealing with the embarrassment of Ethan Bronner by having Helene Cooper report on shifts in Obama’s policy on Middle East from Washington. This is a really good report from her (and Mark Landler) yesterday, saying flatly that Obama was “incensed” by…
Articles
Did Banned Media Report Foretell of Gaza War Crimes?
Jonathan Cook, Dissident Voice4/15/2010
Publish investigation, Israeli MP demands
An Arab member of the Israeli parliament is demanding that a newspaper be allowed to publish an investigative report that was suppressed days before Israel attacked Gaza in winter 2008.
The investigation by Uri Blau, who has been in hiding since December to avoid arrest, concerned Israeli preparations for the impending assault on Gaza, known as Operation Cast Lead.
In a highly unusual move, according to reports in the Israeli media, the army ordered the Haaretz newspaper to destroy all copies of an edition that included Mr Blau’s investigation after it had already gone to press and been passed by the military censor. The article was never republished.
Mr Blau has gone underground in London after the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret police, demanded he return to Israel to hand back hundreds of classified documents they claim are in his possession and to reveal his sources.
He published several additional reports for Haaretz in 2008 and 2009 that severely embarrassed senior military commanders by showing they had issued orders that intentionally violated court rulings, including to execute Palestinians who could be safely apprehended.
Haneen Zoubi, an MP who previously headed an Israeli media-monitoring organisation, said it was “outrageous” that the suppressed report was still secret so long after the Gaza attack. She is to table a parliamentary question to Ehud Barak, the defence minister, today demanding to know why the army suppressed the article and what is preventing its publication now. Mr Barak must respond within 21 days.more..e-mail
Gazans Gassed By Silent Killer
Mel Frykberg, Inter Press Service, CounterCurrents4/13/2010
GAZA CITY, Apr 13, 2010 (IPS) – “You feel very sleepy and dizzy. You put your head down and all you want to do is sleep. Everything feels very peaceful, you are not even aware what is happening and if there is no immediate intervention you are dead within minutes,” Enaam Abu Nada told IPS.
Abu Nada is one of the lucky ones who lived to tell the tale. In February the aid worker and her 20-year-old daughter Nevine were working in their Gaza city apartment near a generator, to provide emergency electricity, when they were both overcome with carbon monoxide poisoning from it.
What saved Abu Nada and Nevine’s lives, according to doctors, is that Nevine had eaten a meal not long before they started breathing in the toxic fumes from the generator.
Her digestive system reacted strongly to the poisoning of her blood, which was taking place without her knowledge.
“Nevine started complaining of a vicious headache. She was sweating and vomiting and collapsed on the floor. I tried to get out of my chair and open the door to call for help but I was almost paralysed and my body was too weak. All I could do was bang feebly on the door,” recalls Abu Nada.
“Eventually I managed to attract the attention of my son who rushed us both to hospital where I spent the night and was given an injection, oxygen and medicine. I’m still recovering from the ordeal. My sight has been affected and I ache all over,” Abu Nada told IPS.
Israel’s siege on the Gaza strip, enforced since Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007, has resulted in chronic fuel and electricity shortages.
These have caused rolling blackouts which seriously threaten the delivery of emergency services provided by hospitals and waste water treatment plants amongst others.more..e-mail
Accelerating Fascism in Israel
Stephen Lendman, Dissident Voice4/15/2010
Occupied Palestinians and Israeli Arabs never had rights in a state affording them solely to Jews. Now even they’re at risk as democratic freedoms fast erode on their way to extinction; to wit, free expression, a right without which all others are endangered. It includes free speech, a free press, freedom of thought, culture, intellectual inquiry, and the right to challenge government authority peacefully, especially in times of war and cases of injustice, lawlessness, incompetence, and abuses of power.
Israel has no constitution or specific laws guaranteeing equality or free expression. Yet its Basic Laws protect human dignity and liberty as fundamental democratic values, more rhetoric than fact given its persecution of journalist Anat Kam and Haaretz’s national security reporter Uri Blau.
Kam (held under house arrest since December) will be tried in mid-April for passing confidential documents she removed while stationed in IDF General Yair Naveh’s office during her mandatory military service. Blau, fearing assassination or a judicial lynching, is now hiding in London.
Two (internal security) Shin Bet gag orders (code name “Double-Take”) were judicially implemented to silence press discussion, on October 8, 2009 and on January 1, 2010 for 90 days, now partially lifted.
They’re on grounds of harming national security, damaging the investigative process, and the ability of prosecutors to prove criminal liability. Part of it is cited in an undated April Tikun Olam article headlined, “Anat Kam Gag Order Published for the First Time,” stating:
….publication about the investigation or that it even exists
(is prohibited), and on the judicial discussion of the matter and legal decision rendered by the court which has been and will be conducted….more..e-mail
Did banned media report foretell of Gaza war crimes?
Electronic Intifada: 15 Apr 2010 – An Arab member of the Israeli parliament is demanding that a newspaper be allowed to publish an investigative report that was suppressed days before Israel attacked Gaza in winter 2008. The investigation by Uri Blau, who has been in hiding since December to avoid arrest, concerned Israeli preparations for the impending assault on Gaza, known as Operation Cast Lead. Jonathan Cook reports.
Adding torture to injury
Electronic Intifada: 15 Apr 2010 – GAZA (IPS) – It was bad enough that Ahmad Asfour was severely maimed by an Israeli drone strike outside his house on 9 January 2009. But, his search for advanced treatment landed the journalism student, now 19, in Israeli prison where he remains.
Film review: Missed opportunities in “Checkpoint Rock”
Electronic Intifada: 15 Apr 2010 – Sometime early this decade the Israeli army issued a military order banning Palestinian musicians from using simile and metaphors. This order also prevented them from singing about anything but the occupation. Ok, that’s not actually true. But if your only contact with Palestinian music was through the documentary Checkpoint Rock you could be forgiven for coming to that conclusion. Jimmy Johnson reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
Israel’s manufactured outrage over a presidential palace
Electronic Intifada: 15 Apr 2010 – Israel’s hysterical reaction — and the US support of it — to the building of a Palestinian Authority presidential compound on a street named after a Hamas military commander, is hardly surprising. Of note however is the double-standard exhibited by Israel and its patron, the US. The assumption throughout is that Israel’s actions are just, defensive and in pursuit of peace for all. Conversely, Palestinian actions are aggressive and evil, and worthy of worldwide condemnation. Stephen Maher comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Settler Harassment: VIDEO ROUND-UP
Palestine Monitor: 15 Apr 2010 – According to OCHA’s weekly “Protection of civilians” report, “since the beginning of 2010, 22 Palestinians have been injured as a result of settler violence in the West Bank”(1). But settler violence consists of much more than injuries. Here are few recent events that exemplify what the daily life of Palestinians living close to settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories can be like. Written by J.S. East Jerusalem : Sheikh Jarrah Palestinian house ocuupied by Israeli settlers in Sheikh Jarrah Photo: Brady Ng Clashes between settlers and Palestinians occur frequently despite the frequent police presence in the area. The following video was filmed by an ISM peace activist at the end of January: In the same place, visits to an expropriated house are organised in front of the protest tent that the stolen family erected. Following the closures imposed on Palestinians in Jerusalem, several confrontations erupted in the month of March: flyers…
Did Banned Media Report Foretell of Gaza War Crimes?
Palestine Chronicle: 15 Apr 2010 – By Jonathan Cook – Nazareth An Arab member of the Israeli parliament is demanding that a newspaper be allowed to publish an investigative report that was suppressed days before Israel attacked Gaza in winter 2008. The investigation by Uri Blau, who has been in hiding since December to avoid arrest, concerned Israeli preparations for the impending assault on Gaza, known as Operation Cast Lead. In a highly unusual move, according to reports in the Israeli media, the army ordered the Haaretz newspaper to destroy all copies of an edition that included Mr Blau’s investigation after it had already gone to press and been passed by the military censor. The article was never republished. Mr Blau has gone underground in London after the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret police, demanded he return to Israel to hand back hundreds of classified documents they claim are in his possession and to reveal his sources….more
Obama Takes a Small Step
Palestine Chronicle: 15 Apr 2010 – By George S. Hishmeh — Washington D.C. Benjamin Netanyahu has done it again. The Israeli prime minister has dug his head this time deeper into the sand on the eve of the international conference on nuclear security held in Washington, for fear that Turkey, Egypt and others would raise the issue of Israel’s unmonitored nuclear arsenal. Typically, this extremist right-wing Israeli government took two missteps in an attempt to divert international attention over the absence of Netanyahu from the 47-nation conference initiated by President Obama. Israel was only represented by a cabinet minister at this largest assemblage of several heads of state in the U.S. capitol in 60 years as when President Theodore Roosevelt helped launch the United Nations. Much to Obama’s credit, the world leaders in their final statement endorsed his call for securing vulnerable nuclear materials within four years. But missing from the communique was any suggestion as…more
Dispatch from China: Number 15 Has Left the Building
Palestine Chronicle: 15 Apr 2010 – By Ramzy Baroud Li Changchun is often referred to as one of the most powerful men in China, in Asia and, increasingly, in the world. He is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee. On April 8, he awaited our arrival at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Between him and I stood a group of newspaper editors from throughout Asia, along with giant pillars, thick walls and a strict protocol that had to be followed to the letter, or to the number. Yes, to the number. I was Number 15. I needed to remember this fact at all times. I also needed to be constantly aware of the identities of Number 14 and Number 16. This was to ensure the lineup was adhered to without fail wherever we were – whether lining up outside the Great…more
The New Dark Age 