News
International Middle East Media Center
Troops Detain Ten Peace Activists In Hebron
IMEMC – Sunday April 18, 2010 – 05:58, Israeli soldiers detained on Saturday evening ten international peace activists in Al Tiwani area in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and prevented others from entering Beit Ummar Town, north of the city.
Two Fighters Killed In Gaza Explosion
IMEMC – Sunday April 18, 2010 – 05:23, Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that two fighters were killed on Saturday evening in an explosion that took place east of the Al Boreij refugee camp, in central Gaza.
Mezan Center: “Israel Deliberately Killed Reuters Cameraman”
IMEMC – Saturday April 17, 2010 – 11:17, On the third anniversary of his deal, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights reported that the Israeli army deliberately shot and killed Palestinian cameraman, working for Reuters, Fadel Shana’a, 23, in the Gaza Strip.
Iran Kicks-off Nuclear Summit
IMEMC – Saturday April 17, 2010 – 10:43, Iran has officially started, Saturday, its summit on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of atomic weapons, the Iranian Press TV reported. The conference will last for two days while the participants will be discussing the issue of nuclear power and disarmament.
Israeli forces storm Prisoners Day event
4/17/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – One child and one teenager were injured on Sunday evening when Israeli forces stormed a prisoner solidarity event in Beit Ummar, north of the West Bank city of Hebron. Spokesman for the Palestine Solidarity Project Mohammad Ayyad Awad said soldiers surrounded the courtyard of the local Zahret Al-Mada’en school, and fired live bullets and tear-gas canisters, injuring Yezan Imad As-Sleibi, 17, sustaining a gunshot wound to the head, receiving treatment at the scene. Awad added that 15-year-old Sabri Ibrahim Awad sustained bruising after being beaten by Israel soldiers, and was transferred to hospital for treatment. The festival was organized by the Popular Committee Against the Wall and the Palestine Solidarity Project in solidarity with Palestinian detainees on Prisoners Day. Following a Ma’an inquiry, an Israeli military spokesman said no live fire was used and no injuries. . .
Settlers storm, damage home in Nablus village
4/17/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli citizens living on an illegal West Bank settlement reportedly stormed a home, causing structural damage, in the Burin village south of Nablus on Saturday. Palestinian Authority civil defense sources said seven settlers, two of them armed, demolished the stairs and building materials of Ibrahim Adel Eid’s home, which was still under construction. Eid was not present when the damage was, sources said, adding that the home is located near the Bracha settlement in Nablus. Israel’s Civil Administration did not immediately return calls seeking comment on the incident. [end]
Dozens in Gaza join prison hunger strike
4/17/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Dozens of young men from several factions held a sit-in protest in front of the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza City on Saturday, marking Palestinian Prisoners Day. Saber Abu Karsh, head of the Wa’ed Prisoners Society, said “all Palestinian factions are united in solidarity with the prisoners and, in support of their cause, join their hunger strike inside the Israeli jails.”Nash’et Al-Wheidi, member of the Popular Movement to Support Prisoners, said “this tent was erected to support the prisoners in Israeli jails and to demand an end to the division that has harmed the prisoners’ cause.” Last week, Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs Issa Qaraqe said the Israeli Prison Service has applied punitive measures to 36 Palestinian female prisoners in the Ad-Damun prison in response to the general hunger strike that began on 7 April.
Egyptian forces detonate smuggling tunnel
4/17/2010 – Gaza- Ma’an – Egyptian authorities detonated a smuggling tunnel in Rafah on the Egyptian border south of Gaza on Saturday. The tunnel, located in the As-Salam neighborhood of Rafah, was destroyed without any injuries reported, our correspondent said. Additionally, Egyptian forces stormed another subterranean tunnel used for smuggling cars into Gaza after receiving information that digging to complete the structure was underway in Al-Qumbuz, north of the Rafah crossing, security sources said. Sources added that the estimated cost for the tunnel’s construction exceeded USD $500,000. No cars or suspects were seized in the incident. The car-smuggling tunnel was the sixth discovered by Egyptian forces, who have detonated all the previous structures along the Gaza border.
10 Israeli citizens detained amid clashes
4/17/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained 10 Israeli citizens following clashes that erupted in Litwana, south of Hebron on Saturday. Security sources said those detained were tying to help Palestinian farmers reach their land but were stopped by Israeli forces, leading to discord. An Israeli military spokesman said 10 Israelis and five Palestinians were clashing with security forces in the southern Hebron mountain area. The Israeli citizens were detained, suspected of assaulting Israeli soldiers, the representative said, adding that all have been transferred to the Israeli police for questioning. [end]
Israeli forces surround Beit Ummar
4/17/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli forces reportedly surrounded the town of Beit Ummar on Saturday, closing off all entrances into the town and fired tear-gas canisters near the local mosque, according to the Palestine Solidarity Project. Spokesman for the PSP Muhammad Ayyad Awad, said Israeli forces surrounded the town and stopped all cars, checking owners’ identity cards, adding that Israeli and international solidarity groups were barred from entering Beit Ummar to participate in the week march against the wall. Locals said Israeli soldiers fired tear-gas canisters near the local mosque, where worshipers were gathered, with several suffering from respiratory problems as a result. Awad added that the Popular Committee Against the Wall and the PSP were unable to hold its weekly march because of the Israeli siege imposed upon the town.
Israel imposes West Bank lockdown
4/17/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – The Israeli army announced Saturday that the West Bank will be sealed off from midnight until Tuesday, ahead of Israeli Independence Day. A statement from Israel’s military said “a general closure will be implemented in the Judea and Samaria region [the West Bank] for the duration of Israel’s Memorial day and Independence day.”On Tuesday at midnight the closure will be lifted “in accordance with security assessments.” For the duration of the lockdown, the statement read, individuals in need of medical attention will be permitted to pass for care.”The passage of humanitarian aid as well as doctors, medical personnel, lawyers, religious workers and additional professional grou
ps will be authorized by the Civil Administration.” Israeli authorities imposed two total lockdowns of the West Bank during March, one coinciding with the Jewish Passover holiday, sparking demonstrations. . .
Hamas leader: Israel seeks to expel indigenous people
4/17/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas is vowing to fight Israel’s new military orders with popular and armed resistance. Ismail Radwan, a senior Hamas official, called on followers to confront the Israeli move “until this decision is cancelled.”He considered the decision racist and aimed at “clearing the land of its indigenous people.”Speaking at a ceremony commemorating the 6th anniversary of the death of Abed Al-Aziz Ar-Rantisi, Radwan urged the Palestinian Authority “to end security coordination with the occupation — unleash the resistance.”He called on the resistance to abduct more Israeli soldiers in order to release more Palestinian prisoners, noting that freeing detainees is a top priority for the Islamic movement. Ahmad Bahar, the deputy parliament speaker, said “Israel’s decision to expel Palestinians from the West Bank is here to assure us that the Oslo Accords are nullified, as well as the Palestinian Authority based in Ramallah.
Jordan FM says Israel relations tense
4/17/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh said Friday that relations between Jordan and Israel “are cold and will continue to be cold until real progress is made toward establishing a Palestinian state.” Judeh told Al-Arabiya that the stances of Israel and the Palestinians should be brought closer, and affirmed the importance of the American role in bringing the two sides to the negotiating table. The official also demanded that Israel clarify its recent military order permitting the expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank. Meanwhile, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Angel Moratinos said the world will recognize a Palestinian state negotiated between Palestinians and Israelis.”We, the Europeans, are encouraging them, and they have to choose the suitable means,” Moratinos said.”We support the plan of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, which he presented to the Quartet,” the foreign minister added.
UN rights chief urges end to Gaza executions
4/17/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Friday urged the de facto Gaza government not to carry out further executions and to abolish the use of the death penalty. During the night of 14-15 April, two prisoners accused of crimes associated with the occupation of the Palestinian territories by the government of Israel were executed in Gaza.” I am deeply concerned by recent statements by senior Hamas officials that several death sentences may be carried out soon,” the independent expert said.”It is extremely disappointing that Hamas is contemplating a return to the use of the death penalty, despite the fact that no officially-sanctioned death sentences have been carried out in Gaza since 2005. The high commissioner said she was alarmed by unconfirmed reports that several more prisoners may be executed soon.”
Fayyad: It is time to free our prisoners
4/17/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told guests in Ramallah on Saturday that the PLO and Palestinian Authority are working with the international community to commit Israel to international law. At an unveiling ceremony for the Mural of Freedom on Palestinian Prisoners Day, Fayyad told detainees that “you are not alone; your people are united for your cause. You are not on your own in your fight for freedom.”Since 1967, Fayyad said, more than 760,000 Palestinians and Arabs have been detained, including 13,000 women and 25,000 children.”Of these prisoners, 327 have been in prison since before the [1993] Oslo Accords.””Moreover, 1,500 detainees are in poor health in prisons, without access to the necessary treatment,” Fayyad said, adding that 49 detainees have died as a result of medical negligence including Raed Muhammad Abu Mahmoud, 30, who died on Friday.
Police: 16 fugitives detained at Allenby Bridge
4/17/2010 – Jericho – Ma’an – Palestinian security forces arrested 16 fugitives attempting to travel via the Allenby Bridge over the past week, police said. All were wanted by security departments and courts, among them suspects wanted on fraud and other criminal charges, Jericho police said in a statement on Saturday.”The crossing is witnessing a noticeable rise in the numbers of travelers, reaching 18,609. Among them were 8,895 residents, 122 foreigners, and 72 Palestinians from inside Israel with blue identity cards,” the statement said. Meanwhile, the number of those traveling to Jordan stood at 9,378 residents, 105 foreigners, 52 holders of Israeli ID cards, and 20 patients whose travel was coordinated and transferred by Palestine Red Crescent Society ambulances. Some 49 Palestinians were prevented from leaving for “security reasons,” the statement said.
Fatah official calls on Hamas to sign unity deal
4/17/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A Fatah official in Gaza called on Hamas to immediately ratify the Egyptian-backed unity document on Saturday to restore national unity. Salah Abu Khalta, Fatah’s National Relations Commissioner in the coastal enclave told the Islamist movement to “let their decision [on signing the unity deal] come today, not tomorrow; we do not have time.” Abu Khalta’s remarks were made during an Islamic Jihad festival in Rasha As-Shawwa center to mark Prisoners Day.”Fatah’s intention is honest and we do not want the chance to be lost. Come let us unite, let us bring hope to our people, and let us beat our enemy. Come let us open a new page in the national struggle process based on love, brotherhood, giving, sacrifice and genuine partnership in the national responsibilities.” “We have overcome our conditions and terms hoping that we achieve unity to end our people’s suffering,” added Abu Khatla.
Fatah-Hamas conference calls for ‘end to nightmare’
4/17/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A joint news conference held by Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayyeh and Fatah official Salah Abu Khalta on Saturday called for immediate action to resolve inter-factional rivalry.”Its time to remove the nightmare of hatred [between the two factions] because the national cause is violated every day,” Al-Hayyeh said, during a sit-in in Gaza City in front of the Red Cross headquarters marking Prisoners Day. Al-Hayyeh said national unity is popular among Palestinians and is a “national demand” that should be achieved.” There is an American veto on national reconciliation, the Hamas leader said, adding that this veto must be “broken to achieve unity.”Abu Khatla said Palestinian detainees have “reunited the people. Everyone should unit to end prisoners’ suffering.”The Fatah official added that President Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah’s Central Committee praised the participants in the sit-in tent and those on hunger-strikes.
EU, Ma’an showcase Jerusalem theater
4/17/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The E’shtar Theater in Jerusalem has been at the center of a Palestinian cultural revival over the past year, producing plays on a variety of social and political issues affecting Jerusalemites. Touching on themes such as oppression, issues faced by Palestinians living in Jerusalem, the proliferation of drugs use amon
g young men and many others, the E’shtar Theater aims at giving current events in the occupied Palestinian territories a voice on stage. Founded in 1991, the theater group has sought to portray the hardships endured by Palestinians living under occupation and has been funded and supported by the EU. The company has toured many West Bank cities with its latest production, a play by Sa’eed Al-Mas’ud on the dangers of drug addiction affecting Palestinian men, and has hosted delegations of artists and actors from more than five countries who gathered to learn of E’shtar’s “theater of the oppressed.
Khdour: Pharmacists deserve hospital representation
4/17/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – At day two of the Sixth Palestinian Pharmaceutical Conference, a first session on clinical pharmacy was led by pharmacist Bilal Saleh, who spoke about recent developments in diabetes mellitus. Saleh discussed the link between cancer and insulin lantus, whereas new data published recently suggest there is a possible link between French drug manufacturer Sanofi – Aventis Lantus, which produces insulin for diabetes treatment. A higher risk of cancer has been linked to the drug, according to the Diabetologia journal based in Germany. He also discussed a study comparing the number of people affected by diabetes across the world. A study shows that the number of people infected by diabetes living in the Middle East between 2000 and 2030 will double, he said.”This is bad news for the Middle East.” In an interview with a member of the scientific committe at the conference, Dr. . .
Report: Egypt blows up Gaza smuggling tunnel
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – Palestinian sources say Egypt uncovered two tunnels, including one used to transport vehicles.
Probe death of Palestinian prisoner in Israel jail, PA says
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – Israel Prison Service says Raed Abu Hammad was found dead on the floor of his solitary confinement cell.
Unclear whether Syria Scuds reached Hezbollah, U.S. officials say
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – Alleged long-range missile deal fueled recent cross-border tensions between Lebanon and Israel.
Mezan Center: “Israel Deliberately Killed Reuters Cameraman”
Uruknet April 17, 2010 – On the third anniversary of his deal, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights reported that the Israeli army deliberately shot and killed Palestinian cameraman, working for Reuters, Fadel Shana’a, 23, in the Gaza Strip. Center called on the International Community, regional and international Press Agency and agencies that defend the freedom of press to practice…
Israel’s stooges battle for British votes
Uruknet April 17, 2010 – We can already see how disastrously the US election turned out, not just for Americans but the rest of us also. “The US president is simply the voice of the Zionist parasite,” writes a friend in Norway. “It is sickening and frightening that Obama is seen toeing the Zionist line. “Zionism has the US administration and…
Palestinians mark Prisoners Day
Uruknet April 17, 2010 – More than 7,000 Palestinians, including 270 who are under the age of 18, are currently held in Israeli prisons, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said in a statement released to coincide with Prisoners Day, which Palestinians mark on Saturday. Three of the prisoners have been in jail for more than 30 years, and 315…
A Nation Behind Bars: Palestinian Political Prisoners in Israeli Detention
Uruknet April 17, 2010 – …Almost every Palestinian family has been abused by Israeli soldiers while visiting their loved ones. Almost every Palestinian family has known the pain of waiting, the fear of what might happen behind bars, the hope for a near release and a safe return home. Every Palestinian family knows the meaning of detention, has felt it directly…
Global Peace and Justice Groups Threaten Israel’s Legitimacy
Uruknet April 17, 2010 – Working pro bono for Israeli government agencies, the Tel Aviv-based Reut Institute (RI) provides “real-time strategic decision-making” support in areas of national security and socioeconomic policy. Saying global peace and justice groups threaten Israel’s legitimacy, its recent series of articles, policy papers, and presentations counterattacked – a combination of damage control and rethink despite legitimate criticism…
Lest We ForgetPrison Martyrs
Uruknet April 17, 2010 – Since 1967; 198 Palestinian political prisoners have been killed by the IOF while in detention; 70 as a result of torture at the hands of Israeli Shabak and Israeli Prison Authority (IPA), 71 killed in cold blood after being arrested, 50 as a result of medical negligence by the IPA and 7 being shot dead inside…
Video: Young Palestinians in Israeli jails
Uruknet April 17, 2010 – It is estimated that around 9,000 Palestinians are detained every year by Israel. According to human-rights groups, up to 700 teenagers and children were detained last year alone. More than 270 Palestinians, who are under the age of 18, are currently held in Israeli prisons. Little is known about the long-term effect of detention on Palestinian…
Waiting To Return Home: Palestinian Martyrs in Israeli “Cemeteries of Numbers” and Morgues
Uruknet April 17, 2010 – The Zionist entity is not only built on the remains of the ethnically cleansed Palestinian villages, it not only thrives on Palestinian blood, the Zionist entity excels in punishing the Palestinians it occupies and oppresses; both the living and the dead. In yet another outrageous violation of everything that is humane and in violation of all…
Dozens in Gaza join prison hunger strike
Uruknet April 17, 2010 ‚Äì Dozens of young men from several factions held a sit-in protest in front of the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza City on Saturday, marking Palestinian Prisoners Day. Saber Abu Karsh, head of the Wa’ed Prisoners Society, said “all Palestinian factions are united in solidarity with the prisoners and, in support of their cause, join their hunger…
Palestinian Women and Children Behind Zionist Bars
Uruknet April 17, 2010 – On a beautiful March day, I was on the way to school in Jerusalem when the bus I was in was stopped at Ras Il-Amoud. The soldiers got into the bus, told everyone to get out and told the bus driver to turn and go back from where it came. Some passengers started arguing with the…
Kucinich: White House Assassination Policy Is Extrajudicial
Uruknet April 16, 2010 – There has been almost universal silence among Congressional Democrats on the Obama administration’s recently revealed decision to authorize the assassination of a US citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki. Al-Awlaki, who now lives in Yemen, has been accused of providing inspiration for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the alleged “underwear bomber,” and Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the alleged Fort Hood shooter….
Picnicking on Mount Vesuvius?
Uruknet April 16, 2010 – Tensions are rising in Lebanon between elected representatives in Parliament, ‘Unity’ Cabinet members and the American Embassy, as the 7th anniversary of the 1983 attack on the US Embassy approaches and the Embassy issues another warning for Americans to leave Lebanon.On March 29, 2010 the US Embassy instructed Americans not to travel to Lebanon citing ‘safety…
Traders hit by Gaza City taxes
The National 17 Apr 2010 – Tracking down unpaid licence fees is part of a broader effort to increase municipal revenue by chasing outstanding debts.
Iran wants US removed from IAEA
The National 17 Apr 2010 – President Ahmadinejad kicks off alternative atomic conference in Tehran by calling for a new UN body to oversee disarmament process.
Israel seizes water pumps in Palestinian farming community
Palestine Note 17 Apr 2010 – Israeli soldiers raided Khirbet al-Farsieyah village in the Jordan Valley Friday and seized four water pumps, Ma’an News Agency reports. Sewage treatment facility – Newark, NJ The water pumps were used for crop irrigation and drinking…
Israel arrests Abbas guard
Palestine Note 17 Apr 2010 – Just hours before US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s address to David S. Abraham Center for Peace calling on Israel to “do more for peace,” Israeli soldiers arrested a member of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’…
Hamas and Fatah officials call for immediate reconciliation
Palestine Note 17 Apr 2010 – Hamas’ Khalil Al-Hayyeh and Fatah’s Salah Abu Khalta called for an end to Hamas-Fatah fighting at a press conference in Gaza Saturday, Ma’an News Agency reports. Al-Hayyeh gave remarks at a sit-in marking Prisoners’ Day in…
PALESTINIAN PRISONER FOUND DEAD IN CELL
Palestine Note 17 Apr 2010 – INMATE DIES AFTER 18 MONTHS IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT 27-year-old Raed Hamad died in an Israeli prison late Friday night, the Associated Press reports. Israeli officials say he was found dead in his cell, and Hamad’s body…
Ten Israeli citizens detained amid clashes in Hebron
Palestine Note 17 Apr 2010 – The Palestinian news agency Ma’an is reporting that Israeli forces have detained ten Israeli citizens following clashes that erupted in Litwana, south of Hebron. Security sources told Ma’an that those detained were trying to help Palestinian…
Banned books make their way to Gaza through tunnels
Palestine Note 17 Apr 2010 – The Chinese news agency Xinhua is reporting on the recent book smuggling phenomenon in Gaza as a smuggling trade has grown along the Gaza-Egypt border through thousands of tunnels underneath. Xinhua’s Celine Joss interviewed Ahmed B….
Gaza tunnel is cash cow for smugglers
PNN – Saturday, 17 April 2010
Israel’s manufactured outrage over a presidential palace
PNN – Saturday, 17 April 2010
UN criticises executions of ‘collaborators’ in Gaza
PNN – Saturday, 17 April 2010
IDF: Bldg freeze sparks settler crimes
Jeruslalem Post 18 Apr 2010 – Jewish terrorists burn Palestinian vehicles,spray-paint mosque.
US Jews pro Obama, oppose concessions
Jeruslalem Post 18 Apr 2010 – Only 5% think diplomacy and sanctions can stop Iran, AJC poll finds.
Abdullah: Summertime war possible
Jeruslalem Post 18 Apr 2010 – King urges Israel, PA to accept Arab peace initiative.
Herzog:Siblings of fallen soldiers should get benefits
Jeruslalem Post 17 Apr 2010 – “It is up to the State of Israel to acknowledge these bereaved siblings and relate in some way to their sensitive situation.”
IDF fears settler uprising if building freeze extended
Jeruslalem Post 17 Apr 2010 – “There are Jewish terrorists on the margins who are radicals and are the minority.”
‚ÄòAll right, we’re putting out a paper’
Jeruslalem Post 17 Apr 2010 – Mordecai Chertoff recalls the deadly bombing of ‚ÄòThe Palestine Post.’
‘War could break out this summer’
Jeruslalem Post 17 Apr 2010 – Jordan’s Abdullah urges Israel, PA to accept Arab peace initiative.
Iran opens ‘alternative’ nuke summit
Jeruslalem Post 17 Apr 2010 – Iranian leaders: US an atomic criminal, should be expelled from IAEA.
Ya’alon: War of Independence has not ended
Jeruslalem Post 17 Apr 2010 – Strategic affairs minister Ya’alon discusses wide conceptual gaps with the US and Iran, and why no settlements should be removed ‚Äì ever.
Abdul
lah: Arabs Committed to Peace when Israel Withdraws
WAFA 17 Apr 2010 – CHICAGO, April 17, 2010 (WAFA)- King of Jordan Abdullah II said the Arab countries are committed to achieve peace with Israel when the latter withdraws from occupied Arab territories and a sovereign
Americans For Peace Now: Prescription for Perpetual Strife
WAFA 17 Apr 2010 – WASHINGTON, April 17, 2010 (WAFA)- Debra DeLee, president and CEO of Americans for Peace Now, said, today, that Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel’s “ad in the Washington Post and the
UN Human Rights Chief Urges Halt to Gaza Executions
WAFA 17 Apr 2010 РGENEVA, April 17, 2010 (WAFA)–The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay urged, Friday, Hamas not to carry out further executions and to abolish the use of the death penalty, United
Alleged Weapons Transfer Threatens Mideast Status Quo
IPS WASHINGTON, Apr 16 (IPS) – This week, Israeli President Shimon Peres accused Syria of arming Lebanon’s Hezbollah with long-range Scud missiles, possibly altering the current political and military dynamics of the region and affecting U.S. interests.
Will sanctions against Iran really serve the West’s interests?
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – Applied sanctions could alienate Iran’s younger generation from the West, reverse their political leanings.
Jordan’s Abdullah: Failure of peace talks could spark war
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – With Israel stalling, moderate Arab states are losing support for peace initiative, monarch warns.
Volcanic ash causes worst flight disruptions since September 11
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – Three in four flights in Europe halted; Ash cloud from Iceland volcano affected 30,000 passengers in Israel.
Hamas threatens to abduct more Israelis
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – With Shalit talks deadlocked, militants proclaim alternative strategy to free Palestinians in Israeli jails.
Ahmadinejad: Israel has nukes while Iran banned from nuclear energy
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – Speaking at Tehran nuclear disarmament meet, Syria FM says Israel is threat to Mideast peace.
The Palestinian Authority’s skin-deep makeover | Rachel Shabi
The Guardian 17 Apr 2010 – The Palestinian government’s latest PR drive looks like little more than a tactical attempt to dispel its ‘collaborator’ image It looks as though the Palestinian Authority (PA), sick of being slated as an Israeli puppet, is…
For Jerusalem, a response to Elie Wiesel
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – For Jerusalem’s sake I, like you, will not rest. …
Why are fallen soldiers exempt from culpability?
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – Who said Ehud Barak is insensitive? Who falsely accused Gabi Ashkenazi of being the silent type? And who suspects them of not being able to work together? The defense minister and chief of staff stood united at the end of last week to prevent the destruction of illegal homes in the illegal outpost of Givat Hayovel. Some of the houses were built on private Palestinian land; in other words, stolen land, and others were built on “state lands” and “survey lands” – more misleading terms to emerge from Israel’s endless supply of tricks. …
Israel to mark Memorial Day with nationwide ceremonies
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – As the sirens sound Sunday night at 8 P.M., marking the beginning of Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the number of the fallen soldiers stands at 22,682. Since last year’s Memorial Day, 111 soldiers have been killed. …
‘Suspicions against Olmert in Holyland probe are well founded’
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – The office of State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss has given the police information on investigations into former prime minister Ehud Olmert, including the Holyland affair, a former adviser to the comptroller says. …
Study reveals health problems among IDF widows, orphans
Ha’aretz 17 Apr 2010 – Sixty percent of widows of men killed while serving in the Israel Defense Forces or the security services suffer from health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, high blood pressure and anxiety, according to a new study conducted by the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization. …
OPT: Week in Review- Israeli Law Threatens Mass Deportation
Relief Web 17 Apr 2010 – Source: MIFTAH
Palestinians call on Israel to probe prison death
Relief Web 17 Apr 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
Two cars torched in West Bank, Palestinians blame settlers
Relief Web 16 Apr 2010 – Source: Agence France-Presse
Holyland affair: Lupolianski to be released to house arrest
YNet News 17 Apr 2010 – Police to release former Jerusalem mayor to house arrest under restricted conditions, hold-departure order. Additional former senior figures at city municipality to be questioned next week
Jerusalem: Holyland sign vandalized
YNet News 17 Apr 2010 – Unknown vandals change letter ‘He’ to a ‘Chet’ so sign will read ‘Cholyland’; resident says housing project at center of corruption scandal ‘monstrous’
Illegal migrants: Let us leave with dignity
YNet News 17 Apr 2010 – Africans living in Israel for more than eight years demand another year to prepare for their departure to other countries. ‘We can’t just get up and leave in one day,’ protestor says outside PM’s Residence
Palestinian Prisoners’ Day rally: They are a symbol of liberty
YNet News 17 Apr 2010 – 36th Prisoners’ Day events held in West Bank, Gaza. Hamas PM Haniyeh: We must complete reconciliation with Fatah, engage in widespread resistance
Report: Obama to push Israel to renew peace talks
YNet News 17 Apr 2010 РAl-Sharq al-Awsat quotes Israeli sources in Paris as saying US president told French counterpart he does not plan to ease pressure on Israel to resume peace negotiations – even at cost of Congress elections
Palestinian Information Center
Eli Wiesel: Another irredeemable Zionist liar
PIC 17 Apr 2010 – Last week, I wrote about Ed Koch, the former New York Mayor, a notorious Zionist supremacist who thinks that Israel should be able to carry out genocide in Palestine without receiving criticism..
Finkelstein: What happened in Gaza was a massacre of civilians
PIC 17 Apr 2010 – American writer Norman Finkelstein has said that Israel had trespassed all lines in its last war on Gaza, charging that it did not engage in a war but rather carried out a massacre against civilians.
Haneyya champions resumption of resistance in the West Bank
PIC 17 Apr 2010 – Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya has called for the resumption of resistance attacks against Israeli occupation in the West Bank to bridle its growing atrocities against the Palestinian people.
IOA confiscates Palestinian land in downtown Al-Khalil
PIC 17 Apr 2010 – The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) notified Palestinian families in downtown Al-Khalil on Saturday that their land lots would be confiscated for military purposes.
Ghoul calls for capturing more Israeli soldiers
PIC 17 Apr 2010 – Palestinian minister of prisoners in Gaza Mohammed Al-Ghoul has renewed his call on Palestinian resistance factions to capture more Israeli soldiers to trade them for Palestinian prisoners.
Palestinian prisoner dies in IOA jail, Hamas holds IOA responsible
PIC 17 Apr 2010 – Palestinian prisoner Ra’ed Mohammed Abu Hammad was found dead in his cell in the Israeli Eichel prison on Friday, the Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies and human rights announced.
Anti wall marches challenge Israeli ban
PIC 17 Apr 2010 – Palestinian marches against the Israeli separation wall continued n West Bank villages for the fourth week running challenging the Israeli military order banning such rallies issued four weeks ago.
IOF tightens security around Nablus, rounds up lecturer, youths
PIC 17 Apr 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have tightened their security measures on all roadblocks surrounding Nablus city on Saturday leading to long queues of Palestinians waiting to cross those barriers.
Mishaal: Reconciliation should protect resistance
PIC 17 Apr 2010 – Gaza- Khaled Mishaal, the political bureau chairman of Hamas, has said that any Palestinian national reconciliation should be based on a program that protects resistance
Islamic University awards Turkish premier honorary doctorate
PIC 17 Apr 2010 – Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan was awarded the title of honorary doctorate by the Islamic University in Gaza during a ceremony held in Ankara on Friday.
World Briefing | Middle East: Lebanon: No Comment on Missiles
New York Times 16 Apr 2010 – A Hezbollah government minister refused Friday to confirm or deny Israeli allegations that the militant Lebanese group had acquired Scud missiles.
South African Judge May Be Kept From Grandson’s Bar Mitzvah
New York Times 17 Apr 2010 – A vague threat of violence may mean Richard Goldstone, who led an inquiry into Israel’s invasion of Gaza, won’t attend a celebration for his grandson in a Johannesburg suburb.
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…
Tuba: Israeli Police Forces Ransack Houses
Palestine Monitor – On Wednesday March 31st, Israeli Special Police Forces entered the village of Tuba in the South Hebron Hills and ransacked two homes. Two white vehicles drove into the village at around 10am. A third vehicle, a van, was parked outside the village. Ommar Abu Jundia, a…
Groundbreaking Chicago Hearing to Ask : Does US Policy on Israel/Palestine uphold our values?
Mondoweiss – Tomorrow the American Friends Service Committee in Chicago will hold a mock Congressional Hearing on US foreign policy in Israel/Palestine to look at the question – ” Does US Policy on Israel/P
alestine uphold our values? ” The event will take place 1:30 – 5:30 p.m. Central…
Articles
Deir Yassin’s inextinguishable fire
Dina Elmuti, Deir Yassin, Israeli Occupation Archive4/16/2010
“They will not criminalize us, rob us of our true identity, steal our individualism, depoliticize us, churn us out as systemized, institutionalized, decent law-abiding robots. We refuse to lie here in dishonor!” – Bobby Sands, Provisional Irish Republican Army
It’s as if the very moment I passed by Bab al-Amud or Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, I was transported back in time to a forbidden place, a place I was forced to feel as though I was illegally trespassing through just by gazing at it, a place now belonging to others. “This place you talk about no longer exists. It’s been long gone.” That’s what they continue to say with such impunity and disregard, but those sentiments of deterrence wouldn’t stop me. They never had before, and they wouldn’t stand a chance now. I was determined to go back, to see it all again with my own eyes, to capture every sight so the memories would be engraved in my head forever, despite any and all pretentious constructions that would be made without our permission. Despite all the renovations and reconstructions to make it “their own,” it would always be Deir Yassin to me.
“Deir Yassin,” she says with a sadness, a sense of loss in her eyes each time she speaks of the atrocious day she lost her home. “Deir Yassin,” she says with a childlike innocence in her voice as she recalls sweet memories before her entire world was completely denatured by evil. “Deir Yassin,” the imperishable words of my grandmother continue to resonate with me each day for she made me promise to never forget, and that’s a promise I intend to keep to her.
I followed the imperiously-placed road signs leading to Givat Shaul until the memories began flooding back, one by one. With no place to park, I took the chance of leaving the yellow-plated car on the side of the road, near the abandoned blue fence so I would be able to step back in time on foot. In the cool breeze of that afternoon, standing on the ledge overlooking the Har HaMenuchot cemetery in scenic view of the Jewish Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, I inhaled deeply and digested the view of what was now known as Givat Shaul. As I stood there taking in the surreal surroundings of Mount Herzl and Yad Vashem, I was overcome by emotions as the tales of my grandmother soon came to life right before my very eyes. — See also:Sourcemore..e-mail
Water – driving Israel’s need for more land and more power
Jim Miles, Axis of Logic4/13/2010
According to Amnesty’s 2009 report, accusing Israel of denying Palestinians water: Some 180,000-200,000 Palestinians living in rural communities have no access to running water and the Israeli army often prevents them from even collecting rainwater. In contrast, Israeli settlers, who live in the West Bank in violation of international law, have intensive-irrigation farms, lush gardens and swimming pools. Numbering about 450,000, the settlers use as much or more water than the Palestinian population of some 2.3 million.
There is a global crisis emerging concerning the allocation, uses, and abuses of fresh water. This is a combination of misuse by humans and the increasing violence and changing frequency of various weather conditions as the global climate heats up. Along with the heating are other factors such as the acidification of the oceans as they uptake more carbon than the life forms living there can deal with it in such a short time span. Agriculture becomes threatened, potable water for domestic use becomes scarcer, and although fresh water should be a right enshrined in the UN Charter, it is increasingly becoming both a military and corporate target.
Intersecting with the water crisis is the current economic situation with the rising economic power of India and China and their roughly 2.5 billion population making increasing demands on energy and food resources. Oil is at or near its peak, and while it may not be noticeable in the near future, its increasing scarcity and difficulty with extraction will cause the price to rise inexorably, creating further economic hardship and alternate demands on the environment.
Global Warring
A new text by Cleo Paskal [1] highlights the intersection of these environmental, economic and political crises and how they will redraw the world map. Her writing is not of the apocalyptic nature, not describing the horrors of a post-nuclear holocaust period nor the horrors of the survivalist’s imagination when the economy and the environment tank together and suddenly we need to become self reliant in a much more primitive sense.more..e-mail
A Bailout For Arms Dealers – US Aid and the Israeli Budget
Rela Mazali and Jesse Bacon, Israeli Occupation Archive4/15/2010
The Only Democracy in the Middle East?
The US Congress has shamefully abdicated its oversight role in US foreign policy and has become an apologist for the worst policies of the Israeli Government, all the while sending Israel billions of dollars in aid. Fortunately activists are not waiting for the US Congress to act. They are staging their own investigation, a first of its kind event.
….Yotam Amit, one of the organizers, asked New Profile, a feminist, anti-militarist movement in Israel, to provide background information about the link between US aid and undemocratic aspects of Israeli society. The following piece is based on an ensuing exchange of emails between Amit, Rela Mazali, a founding and active New Profile member (and frequent contributor to The Only Democracy?) and co-editor Jesse Bacon, incorporating excerpts from a seminal study by Israeli sociologist Shlomo Swirski, “The Burden of Occupation,” which can be downloaded in full here.
For years now, groups such as the US Campaign to End the Occupation have been trying to show how US aid reduces US social spending, New Profile works in Israel to make a somewhat analogous argument. While the $3 Billion in official US Aid is vastly more then we give any other country, the impact on Israeli’s spending is obviously much greater.
Based on various studies and, in particular, Shlomo Swirski’s “The Cost of Occupation,” we suggest that the direct effect is not the repeated slashes in Israeli social spending, but rather a camouflaging of the fact that these slashes are the neoliberal policy of choice benefiting the economic and security elite, under the guise of necessary “security spending.” According to Swirski,
“It can be said that the American administration allowed Israel to conduct its military operations against the Palestinian Authority under highly favorable domestic political conditions. The government was not forced to strain the local capital market or to raise taxes, steps that would have dist
ressed Israel’s more affluent stratum….” — See also:Chicago Hearing SummaryandSourcemore..e-mail
Film Review: Simone Bitton’s investigative documentary, “Rachel”
Electronic Intifada: 16 Apr 2010 – One of a filmmaker’s primary roles in any inquiry is to illuminate the topic of the narrative through entertainment, information, posing challenges or any other kind of engagement. Simone Bitton’s Rachel , a new documentary about the death of International Solidarity Movement activist Rachel Corrie, struggles to do this. Jimmy Johnson reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
Tuba: Israeli Police Forces Ransack Houses
Palestine Monitor: 17 Apr 2010 – On Wednesday March 31st, Israeli Special Police Forces entered the village of Tuba in the South Hebron Hills and ransacked two homes. Two white vehicles drove into the village at around 10am. A third vehicle, a van, was parked outside the village. Ommar Abu Jundia, a Tuba resident, came out of his house and was searched by the forces who had by now disembarked and approached on foot. / The house of Ibraheem Abu Jundia after the search on March 31st. Photo courtesy of Christian Peacemaker Teams Abu Jundia was told to remove the rest of his family from the house, which was then searched aggressively by the police. The same thing happened to his brother, Ibraheem. “They asked me to close the cave and follow them to the other one”, says Abu Jundia. ” They took everyone and started searching the cave.” The lead-up to events on March 31st…
The New Dark Age 
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