News
International Middle East Media Center
Clashes Reported in Silwan
IMEMC – Thursday April 22, 2010 – 01:53, Local sources in occupied East Jerusalem reported Wednesday that clashes took place between several Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers in Silwan town, in East Jerusalem.
Hariri: “Hezbollah Did Not Receive Scud Missiles From Syria”
IMEMC – Thursday April 22, 2010 – 01:27, Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Al Hariri, stated Wednesday that Hezbollah did not receive any long-range Scud Middles from Syria, and added that reports about the issue are fabricated by Israel as a threat against Lebanese.
Fifth Annual Conference On Popular Resistance starts in Bil’in
IMEMC – Wednesday April 21, 2010 – 13:32, Hundreds of Palestinians along with international and Israeli delegates started on Wednesday the fifth annual conference on popular resistance in village of Bil’in near the central west Bank city of Ramallah.
Settlers Attack Israeli soldiers, Wound One
IMEMC – Wednesday April 21, 2010 – 11:04, Israeli sources reported that a group of settlers of the Yitzhar illegal settlement, attacked several soldiers and lightly wounded one soldiers on Thursday evening, and also hurled stones at military jeeps and slashed the tires of an army vehicle.
Thousands March Towards A Destroyed Arab Village Near Al Teera
IMEMC – Wednesday April 21, 2010 – 08:04, Thousands of Palestinians, carrying Palestinian flags and posters carrying the names of destroyed Arab villages, marched on Tuesday from Al Teera Arab city towards the ruins of Miska Arab village that was destroyed and its residents were displaced during the creation of Israel on Palestinian lands.
Fundamentalist Settlers Attack An Arab Home In Jaffa
IMEMC – Wednesday April 21, 2010 – 04:34, The Arabs48 news Website reported Tuesday that a group of fundamentalist settlers of Keryat Arba’ Yeshiva in Jaffa broke on Sunday into an Arab home in the city and attacked its owner telling her that they “will force all Arabs out of Jaffa”.
Israel deports Palestinian prisoner to Gaza
4/21/2010 – Tulkarem – Ma’an – Israel deported a prisoner from Tulkarem to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, in a move that followed the approval of new military orders to expel Palestinians living in the West Bank without certain ID cards. Ahmad Sabbah’s family was waiting at the Al-Thahriyah crossing to receive their son after 10 years behind bars, but were surprised when Israeli authorities delivered the news that he had already been deported to Gaza. Sabbah said the “discriminatory and harsh” decision was intended to further punish detainees and their parents.”There is a real war against detainees,” the former prisoner told Ma’an over the phone from Gaza. Palestinian Legislative Council member Abdul Rahman Zeidan condemned the deportation.
Medic: Israeli forces open fire, injure Gaza fisherman
4/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A Palestinian fisherman sustained a gunshot wound to the hand after Israeli forces opened fire at fishing boats on Wednesday along the Rafah coast south of Gaza, a medical official said. Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, said Israeli naval forces opened fire at a number of Palestinian fishing boats along the Rafah coast, with the one injury reported. An Israeli military spokesman said the army was not familiar with the incident after an initial inquiry. [end]
Former detainees’ minister released from Israeli custody
4/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Former Minister of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Wasfi Qabha was released from Israeli custody on Wednesday, the Palestinian prisoner’s society Wa’ed announced. The society said in a statement that Qabah would be received by lawmakers from the West Bank at the Israeli military checkpoint in Adh-Dhahiriya, southwest of the West Bank city of Hebron. Qabha was detained in May 2007, and is among prisoners who have served the longest administrative detention sentence. [end]
Gaza armed wings: Israeli warplane struck fighters
4/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, reported Tuesday that its fighters clashed with infiltrating Israeli Special Forces near the Kisufim area. Meanwhile, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, affiliated with Fatah, claimed responsibility for clashing with an Israeli force in the same area that evening. In a statement, the armed group said that at around 9:40pm, fighters were preparing to fire three projectiles toward Israel when an Israeli warplane fired a missile toward them. An Israeli military source told Ma’an that forces in the area fired mortar shells near the group of combatants in question. Witnesses said an Israeli tank fired 10 artillery shells toward a landfill east of Deir Al-Balah and warplanes fired a missile in the area with no injuries reported, Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, told Ma’an.
Committee calls for release of 2 detainees with cancer
4/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Supreme Committee for Detainees’ Issues called for the release of two Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody who were diagnosed with cancer. Committee chief Riyad Al-Ashkar said Imad Ata, from Khan Younis, southern Gaza, is marking his 18th year in Israeli custody on Wednesday. After several years in Israeli detention, Ata began suffering from a stomach disease and was later diagnosed with lymph node cancer, the official said. He further said the Israeli Prison Service had refused to provide Ata with access to specialists and treatment. Al-Ashkar further said Raed Drabiyeh, marking nine years in Israeli detention, was diagnosed with cancer four years ago and has been denied access to surgeons.
Poll: One-state solution gains ground
4/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an -Support for a one-state solution is the highest it has ever been, a new poll by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre released on Wednesday indicated. The poll covered support for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and the Hamas-led government in Gaza, as well as gauging trust in Palestinian politicians. It has a margin of error of three percentage points, the JMCC said. Nearly 34 percent of respondents favored a binational state in all of historic Palestine over the two-state solution, which only 43. 9 percent supported, the JMCC poll found. The decline in support for the two-state solution has persisted since shortly after the start of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000, however, those who favored a binational state were only 20. 6 percent in June 2009. In 2001, 18. 3 percent of respondents favored a binational state, according to JMCC polls.
Gaza’s airport unhindered by Europe’s ash cloud
4/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – With Europe at a standstill, awaiting Iceland’s cloud of volcanic ash to dissipate over its air space, Gaza’s international airport remains unhindered by its chaos. The Yasser Arafat International Airport did not bare witness to stranded travelers sleeping in waiting halls, with hordes of travelers commuting back and forth in the hopes of catching a flight home as the volcanic emission closes off Europe’s airspace. A much darker cloud prevails over Gaza’s runways and terminals. Forced to shut down nearly 10 years ago, it continues to suffer from daily losses while its former employees remain jobless. Its runways are destroyed, its radar unused, and its control tower in ruins, employees feel they have been “placed on the shelf,” unable to find work. Since its closure at the beginning of 2001, following an Israeli airstrike, the sole Palestinian airport no longer caters to travelers.
Bethlehem man jailed on treason charges
4/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A Palestinian military court in Bethlehem on Wednesday sentenced a convicted collaborator to seven years in prison. According to the attorney general, the defendant “had maintained ties with the occupation since 1986, and was discovered in June 2009.”The 62-year-old detainee, identified only as M. A. from Bethlehem, was accused of collaborating with and contacting an enemy state. He was originally sentenced to death, but a court panel decided to reduce the penalty to seven years. Meanwhile, a military official was acquitted on insubordination charges. Also on Wednesday, four civilians were jailed on weapons charges. [end]
Erekat: Settler violence reflects Israeli policy
4/21/2010 – Bethelehem – Ma’an – Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat on Wednesday condemned recent settler attacks against Palestinians, attributing them to a culture of violence, hatred and extremism that the Israeli government has encouraged by announcing new settlements.” Settler violence and the wanton destruction of Palestinian property replicate what is being done on a much larger scale by Israel as it pushes ahead with illegal settlement construction across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” Erekat said in a statement.”They bring into full view the violence that underpins Israel’s policy of illegal settlement construction and the cost to Palestinians.” The PLO official added that “Settlers are the direct beneficiaries of a state policy that says it is OK to occupy and steal another peo
ple’s land, to demolish their homes, to steal their water, to construct segregated roads and build entire. . .”
EU Commission funds media training with youth forum
4/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian youth organization Sharek Youth Forum has organized a training course for emerging Palestinian journalists from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. An 18-month project was funded by the European Commission to Palestine under the banner “Young Journalists for Human Rights,” training participants on the uses of media in addressing issues faced by young Palestinians. Sharek operates throughout Palestine with the primary goal of creating the opportunity for young Palestinians to becomeengaged in all sectors of civil society and to participate in the development of local communities. Director of Sharek programs Sahar Othman said the project was submitted to the European Commission after the support department selected 180 media students from different Palestinian universities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Queen Rania launches Madrasati Palestine Women’s Network
4/21/2010 – Bethelehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Queen Rania of Jordan has launched the Madrasati Palestine Women’s Network, comprising a group of women from the Arab world, Jordanian media reported. Launched by Rania earlier this week, Madrasati Palestine is an education initiative to renovate disadvantaged schools under the auspices of the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in East Jerusalem. The network members will, individually or collectively, organize functions and charity events to raise funds in support of Rania’s initiative, which aims at supporting Palestinian schools in East Jerusalem, The Jordan Times reported. In an address during a lunch for members of the network at Basman Palace, Rania expressed her thanks to the women for their efforts to ensure quality education for Jerusalem’s children, and spoke about the crisis in the education sector in Palestine, the news site said.
De facto gov’t to implement same tax system as PA
4/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The de facto government will implement taxes ratified by the Palestinian Legislative Council before the 2006 elections, the Gaza minister of economy said Wednesday.”New taxes were not imposed upon Gaza residents; rather it was decided to implement the taxation and financial systems that are in place in the Palestinian Authority territories,” Gaza-based minister Ziad Ath-Thatha said, adding that the system was previously approved by the PLC before the 2006 elections. The tobacco tax, the minister said, was previously fixed at seven shekels per pack entering Gaza, the revenue of which “went to the occupation and groups working with it.”The new tax on cigarettes is three shekels, he said, “which is the minimum imposed on domestic production, and less than the [tax] previously imposed.”The de facto minister added that there was no cause for objection to the tobacco tax because. . .
PA police shut down 7 Hebron stations
4/21/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority police said Wednesday that seven radio stations in Hebron, southern West Bank, were shut down for broadcasting without the necessary permits. The stations includedRadio An-Nawras, Seraj, Dream, Hebron, An-Nojoum, Al-Yamameh, and Al-Amal in Hebron City, a police statement read. Police said the stations in question were operating without a broadcasting license. On Tuesday, the PAMinistry of Telecommunications reversed a decision to take three Bethlehem TV stations off the air on Tuesday, the city’s governor Fattah Hamayel said. Head of Information Services in Bethlehem Munjed Jado told Ma’an that the decision was revoked after station owners submitted the necessary documents and an agreement was reached with the ministry to allow them to continue broadcasting. Al-Mahed, Al-Ruah and Al-Kul TV stations were shut down after failing to apply to the Ministries. . .
Palestinian universities on strike Thursday
4/21/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – College professors will go on strike Thursday at every Palestinian university, the head of the Teachers and Universities Union, Amjad Barham, said Wednesday. The strike includes Hebron, Bir Zeit, Al-Quds, Palestine Polytechnic, Bethlehem, Arab American, Al-Azhar and Islamic, Barham said. [end]
Abbas hospitalized six times in recent weeks
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – U.K. papers reports medical personnel in Jordanian hospital were instructed not to disclose Abbas’ treatment.
Israeli company to launch world’s first electric taxi fleet in Tokyo
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Better Place firm, set to urn pilot, stated Tokyo has 60,000 taxis, more than New York, Hong Kong.
The ‘Rachel Corrie’ ship to try to breach Gaza blockade next month
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Left-wing groups planning on trying to reach Gaza with 8 ships containing 600 passengers, journalists.
How will Netanyahu respond to Obama’s ultimatum?
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – The gist of Obama’s demand is to freeze East Jerusalem construction and the numbers of Jews moving there.
Report: Assad due in Egypt to discuss fear of Israel-Syria war
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Syrian president expected to comment on reports that Syria delivered scud missiles to Hezbollah.
South African Jews open their doors to World Cup fans
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – South Africa’s Jewish population is gearing up for a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to play host to thousands of Jewish soccer fans from around the world, during this summer’s World Cup.
Analysis / Hungary free speech leaves room for Nazi songs
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Hungarian website features jingle denying existence of gas chambers, threatening to gas Nazis’ enemies.
Is Hitler angry at YouTube?
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Due to hundreds of parodies made on the film ‘Downfall’, producers ask YouTube to remove online clips.
Clothes flow into Gaza after Israeli embargo eased
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Since embargo eased in April, 97 truckloads of clothes entered Gaza with 650 containers still in transit.
Hezbollah official: UN report on militias biased in favor of Israel
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – UN releases biannual report on implementation of militia disarmament Security Council resolution.
U.S. court: Disabled Jewish women’s parents can fight for her rights as mother
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Abbie Dorn, an Orthodox Jew, hasn’t seen her triplets since the birth left her severely handicapped.
WJC distances itself from Wiese
l’s pro-Israel Jerusalem ad
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Nobel laureate’s full page ad came just day after WJC President Ronald Lauder’s own message.
U.S. officials slam pro-Israel Jerusalem ad
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – In the ad, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel says that as a Jew ‘Jerusalem is above politics.’
Top U.S. official: Military strike on Iran was never ‘off the table’
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Pentagon clarifies comments by defense official Flournoy who said military force is ‘last resort.’
U.S. lawmaker: Obama should deal with Iran nukes, not criticize Israel
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: Obama telling Israel to join NPT, despite urgency of Iran.
Palestinians losing faith in Obama administration, poll finds
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Public opinion poll: 30% of Palestinians believe armed struggle is the best way to end occupation.
Indyk: If Israel manages alone, it can decide alone
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel: If Israel needs America, it should think of U.S. interests.
U.S. defends Syria envoy plan despite reports of Scud transfer
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Top U.S. official says ambassador will enable closer access to Assad, opportunity to express concern.
Were the withdrawals from Lebanon and Gaza a failure?
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – In the absence of a correctly executed withdrawal there will be no progress toward peace, no security.
IDF officer: Settlers who attacked soldiers are ‘scum’
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Army furious after troops wounded by rioting students from hard-line West Bank yeshiva.
Holyland probe leads to arrest of two top Israeli businessmen
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Former Bank Hapoalim chairman Dan Dankner and the former director of the Israel Lands Administration, Ya’akov Efrati, were arrested on Wednesday in a case of suspected graft uncovered during investigation of the Holyland corruption affair. …
Israel reopens 16th-century gate to Jerusalem’s Old City
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Israel reopened a 16th-century gate to Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday, completing a two-month renovation and cleaning project that drew criticism from Palestinian officials. …
Jerusalem reopens Jaffa Gate after two-month renovation
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Jerusalem on Wednesday reopened a 16th-century gate to its Old City, completing a two-month renovation and cleaning project that drew criticism from Palestinian officials. …
Researchers: Israel’s economy is headed for disaster
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Study shows if things stay as they are, 78% of Israeli children will learn in Haredi or Arab schools by 2040.
Labor ministers: If peace process won’t move forward, we may quit the government
Ha’aretz 21 Apr 2010 – Labor party ministers threatened Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday that if significant steps won’t be taken soon to advance the peace process, they will consider quitting the government. …
Israel erects two military barriers in Hebron
21 Apr 2010 – West Bank, April 21, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) ‚Äì Israeli occupation forces (IOF) erected today two military barriers in Hebron where they stopped and humiliated the citizens. The IOF erected a military barrier between Yata and Hebron. They also erect another barrier Ezna and Hebron, local sources said. The IOF stopped the citizens in the two barriers and checked their ID…
Israeli police to arrest settlers
21 Apr 2010 – West bank, April 21, (Pal telegraph) The Israeli police is planning to carry out a campaign of arrests and confrontations with the settlers of “Itsear” settlement, which is located in the northern West Bank, as part of investigations by the police in the wake of stone clashes between settlers and Israeli border guards yesterday which led to the injury of…
Israeli settlers attempt to raid Madama village
21 Apr 2010 – West Bank, April 21, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) ‚Äì Residents of Madama village confronted Tuesday night the Israeli settlers who tried to raid the village in order to attack its residents’ houses. The official of West Bank settlements file, Ghassan Douglas, said that group of Israeli settlers from Berkh settlement in Boureen tried Tuesday night to raid the village and attack…
Call to immediately empty Gaza’s market from deadly fish
21 Apr 2010 – Gaza, April 21, (Pal Telegraph) The Egyptian Ministry of Health, revealed today that there is a kind of fish that lives in the region and cause poisoning, warning humans from eating it because it constitutes a danger to health. The ministry issued a statement saying that the intake of this fish known as ‘Rabbit’, which is found in the Red…
Palestinian cars stoned in Salfit
21 Apr 2010 – Salfit, April 21, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) ‚Äì Group of Israeli settlers from Areal settlement stoned Palestinian cars near Kafel Hares crossroad in Salfit, in the West Bank. Mohammed Abed Al-Hadi, who works as a headmaster in Yasouf village, said that a group of Israeli settlers stoned his car while he was in his way to his work. He added that…
Gazan fisherman shot by Israeli armed boats
21 Apr 2010 – Gaza, April 21, (Pal Telegraph) Palestinian medical sources said today that a Palestinian fishermen was moderately wounded by fire from Israeli armed boats off the Rafah coast, southern Gaza Strip. The sources said that the fisherman, Youssef Hossam Habbash, 15, is a resident of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, was transferred to Abu Yousef Najjar Hospital in Rafah in southern…
Israel shells Dir Al-Blah, no injuries
21 Apr 2010 РGaza, April 21, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli tanks fired 15 shells at the area of Abu Safiah east of Dir Al-Balah, no injuries were reported. The Israeli tanks stationed near Kesofem, an Israeli military site east of Al-Qrara, shelled the area and opened fire under the cover of the warplanes. Dr Muawiya Hassanein, director-general of ambula
nce and emergency services…
IOF shoot farmers in Khan Younis
20 Apr 2010 – Gaza, April 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) ‚Äì Israeli soldiers at military towers opened fire today at the Palestinian farmers and citizens’ houses in east of Khan Youins. The Palestinian farmers were forced to evacuate their land to avoid the Israeli fire, no injuries were reported. Israeli tanks and bulldozers used to raid the area near the Gaza-Israel border from Kesofem,…
Israeli armed boats open fire at Gazan fishing boats
20 Apr 2010 – Gaza, April 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli armed boats opened fire today at Palestinian fishing boats sailing in northern Gaza waters, Palestinian sources said. The Israeli gunboats opened heavy fire towards dozens of Palestinian fishing boats anchored on Al-Sodaneya coastal area, north of Gaza Strip and no casualties were reported. Israeli gunboats stationed in the waters of Gaza target…
10,000 Palestinians homes razed by Israel in 10 years
Uruknet April 21, 2010 – Al-Maqdesi foundation for society development said that Israel demolished more than 10,000 Palestinian homes in the neighborhoods of occupied Jerusalem during the past 10 years. Director of the foundation Mu’aad Al-Zaatari stated that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) issued 850 demolition orders against Palestinian homes at the pretext of unlicenced construction from the beginning of 2010….
Israel is 62 years old and its indigenous citizens still have second-class status
Uruknet April 21, 2010 – In Israel, the main factor that determines the right of citizenship is “nationality” rather than the place of birth. Such nationality does not apply to all the current residents of the Zionist state because it is based on ethnicity, as stated in the Declaration of Independence and the Law of Return issued in 1950. According to…
Israeli gunboats open fire on fishermen off the Rafah coast
Uruknet April 21, 2010 – A Palestinian security source and local fishermen have reported that Israeli gunboats opened fire on a number of Palestinian fishing vessels off the coast of Rafah (southern Gaza Strip) on Tuesday. One fisherman, Mohammed El-Bardawil said, in a telephone conversation with Quds Press: “They have forced us to leave the sea ‚Ķthe fire was about to…
ISRAELI MILITARY ORDERS “IN BREACH OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW,” WARNS UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR
Uruknet April 20, 2010 ‚Äì The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Richard Falk, warned Monday that two Israeli Defense Forces Military Orders* may be in breach of the fourth Geneva Convention and violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Mr. Falk noted that “a wide range of violations of…
Their homes reduced to rubble
Uruknet April 20, 2010 – ISRAELI FORCES carried out several major home demolition operations on Wednesday, April 14, within three separate areas in the occupied West Bank. The demolitions left dozens of people homeless in Hares (near the northern town of Tulkarem); and the towns of Beit Sahour and al-Khader near Bethlehem. Several Palestinian-owned shops in Hares were also reduced to…
Begin was right, deportation is a Nazi policy
Uruknet April 20, 2010 – There is a reason for the fact, that in modern times laws are written by representatives of the people to whom they are applied: Governments and parliaments come and go, but laws often outlive them. Except in dictatorships, laws are not written by the executives who enforce them or the judges who interpret them. Even some…
The Ugly Side of Israel’s Independence
Uruknet April 20, 2010 – For Palestinians, some things can never be forgotten. On the contrary, we would not dare allow ourselves to forget them lest we do a huge injustice to our people and to our history. This week, as Israel prepares to commemorate 62 years of independence, we Palestinians also mark the flip side of that celebration, that terrible…
Iran: Family Unfairly Sentenced to Death
Uruknet April 20, 2010 – Death sentences issued to three family members and two of their close associates after a politicized, unfair trial, at which only weak evidence was presented, reveal a continuing program of punishing post-election protestors and intimidating the population, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. These five cases, together with that of Abdolreza Ghanbari,…
Mizan: IOF killed 13 Gazans, injured 62 in the past three months
Uruknet April 20, 2010 — Al-Mizan centre for human rights issued its quarterly report on the Israeli violations of international humanitarian law against the Gaza people during the first three months of 2010. The center said that 13 Gazans were killed by the IOF during the reporting period and 62 others were injured, 11 of them were children. In addition, the…
What Anglicans need is another Tutu as top cat
Uruknet April 20, 2010 – My ears pricked up when I heard the Archbishop of Canterbury was planning a visit to Gaza last February, and Lambeth Palace (his headquarters in London) was “actively engaged in humanitarian relief and advocacy”. I asked for more information. Whom would he meet? Would he see the health minister? Would he sit down and talk with…
Egypt and Sudan continue to argue over the Nile
The National 21 Apr 2010 – Despite a lack of agreement from Egypt and Sudan, seven of the nine countries that share the Nile River basin will proceed with plans to create a permanent negotiating body for determining the equitable use of the world’s longest river.
Holiday over for Israel as Obama lays down the law
The National 21 Apr 2010 – Israel, which returns from a holiday season today, is under pressure to answer US questions over a peace process with the Palestinians.
Fayyad hopes to rid West Bank markets of ‘settlement goods’
The National 21 Apr 2010 – Salam Fayyad vows to step up peaceful resistance against Israeli occupation by boycotting settlement goods throughout the West Bank.
ID LAW EXPELS TULKAREM MAN TO GAZA
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – ISRAELI ID LAW OFFICIALLY IN EFFECT AS PALESTINIAN PRISONER IS DEPORTED FROM THE WEST BANK Israel expelled a Palestinian prisoner Ahmad Sabbah to Gaza Wednesday, as military orders to deport all persons without a valid West…
Inside detention: Reporting on Palestine’s women and children in Israeli jails
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – Counter Currents ‘ Reham Alhelsi documents the gross number of Palestinian women and children detained by Israeli soldiers across the occupied territories – surprising when news sources, Palestinian or otherwise, rarely feature stories of women detained…
JewsForSarah.com: Palin is the new American-Zionist darling
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – As US President Obama and Israeli PM Netanyahu continue to bandy demands back and forth with no result over the stalled peace process, some Jews in America are looking for a better politician to stand behind,…
Author-activists Alice Walker speaks in Gaza
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – The Color Purple author Alice Walker travels to Gaza with CodePink to publicize the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Democracy Now! reports. “I have come here,” Walker says, “in part, to see what I’m buying with my…
Poll shows one-state solution gaining popularity
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – A poll but in the field by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center shows support for a one-station solution or bi-national solution is gaining ground, Ma’an News Agency reports. JMCC polled residents in the West Bank…
Polygamy ‘en vogue’ in Gaza
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – By Mariam Hamed, special to Palestine Note I recently got in touch with my old friend Amal. I asked her what was new in her life, and to my surprise, she told me, “I’m marrying a…
Diverse musical ensemble bridges cultures
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – Chicago, Illinois – The arts profoundly reach our common core, transcend cultural barriers and link us together for a greater good. These are the reasons why Genesis at the Crossroads, a Chicago-based non-governmental organisation dedicated to…
No difference between Palestinian Christians and Muslims: an interview with Michel Sabbah
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – Jerusalem – Contrasting with the general pessimism regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the 77-year-old former Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah continues to believe in harmonious Christian-Muslim coexistence in Palestine and shared his thoughts with reporter Laurent…
INDYK TO ISRAEL: PLAY BALL IF YOU WANT AMERICAN AID
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – FMR. US AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL SAYS IF ISRAEL VALUES ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE US, IT NEEDS TO ACCOUNT FOR US INTERESTS Former US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk told Army Radio Wednesday that if Israel is…
An integrated approach to arrested terror suspects in Indonesia
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – Jakarta – The so-called “war against terror” is a war of ideologies. It can only be won by changing extremists’ beliefs in the use of violence, an Indonesian expert in extremism says. Noor Huda Ismail, Executive…
All that jazz in Pakistan
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – Karachi, Pakistan – Science fiction fans may remember how humans and aliens communicated with one another using a five-tone musical motif in the 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind . The movie was also one…
An Arab diplomat for the weekend
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – Washington, DC – With the twin goals of student development and promoting knowledge and understanding vis- ?†-vis the Arab world, the Model Arab League (MAL) draws around 2,000 American students to 14 annual conferences nationwide. Megan…
Arab-Israeli conflict as told by Malcolm in the Middle
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 –
The persecution of Haaretz
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – Haaretz, Israel’s oldest daily paper, has a status that exceeds its limited circulation. Israel’s supporters who whishes to portray it as a thriving democracy give Haaretz as an example; Critics of Israel use Haaretz when claiming…
Settlers attack Arab home in Jaffa
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – Sunday settlers from Keryat Arba’ Yeshiva in Jaffa broke into an Arab home, physically assaulted its residents, and told her “[we] will force all Arabs out of Jaffa,” Arab48 reports via IMEMC . Settler graffiti Settlers hit…
Hamas destroys painkillers smuggled into Gaza
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – Hamas has incinerated 2 million units of Tramadol smuggled in Gaza from Egypt, BBC report. Tramadol is a popular recreational drug in Gaza, especially among the destitute and unemployed to combat a reality that is often…
Israeli “independence” vs Nakba
Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 – Israeli Flags The articles and images crossing my mind and my computer screen over the past two days are an amalgam of ironies. An ultra orthodox Jew who burned the flag of the Zionist state on…
Hariri derides Scud missiles claim
AlJazeera 21 Apr 2010 – US-Israeli accusations of Syrian transfer of missiles to Hezbollah rejected by Lebanese PM.
Letter to a Friend on Israel’s Independence Day
Alternative Information Center – Monday, 19 April 2010, Tonight you celebrate the independence day of the state of Israel. I do not. You probably believe that the Jews deserve a state, that the Holocaust survivors and their children had…
Israeli Arab brothers win payout for El Al abuse’ in New York
PNN – Two Israeli Arab brothers have won US$8,000 (Dh29,000) in damages from Israel’s national carrier, El Al, after a court found that their treatment by the company’s security staff at a New York…
Hamas burns Tramadol painkillers smuggled into Gaza
PNN – Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement in control of the Gaza Strip, has burned two million painkillers used as recreational drugs by Gazans. The pills, called Tramadol, were confiscated from smugglers who bring…
MIDEAST: Hamas to Carry Out More Executions
IPS GAZA CITY, Apr 20 (IPS) – The Hamas authorities in Gaza have vowed to carry out more executions of those on death row despite intense international criticism and condemnation from both Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Receives French Delegation in Ramallah Office
PCHR 20 Apr 2010 – Ref: 43/2010 On Tuesday, 20 April 2010, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) received in its office in Ramallah a delegation from the Paris-based la Campagne Civile Internationale pour la Protection du Peuple Palestinien (CCPPP)…..
New anti-terrorist bill would replace, expand current laws
Jeruslalem Post 21 Apr 2010 – Stiffer punishments on tap as Israel follows in the footsteps of other countries in post-9/11 reality.
Back to Egypt
Jeruslalem Post 21 Apr 2010 – Uri Ehrenfeld, former POW in Egypt, goes back there for Pessah.
US: Iran strike ‘off table’ for now
Jeruslalem Post 21 Apr 2010 – Defense official says Washington hopes talks, sanctions will suffice.
US signaling Israel to hold its fire
Jeruslalem Post 21 Apr 2010 – Jerusalem still backs sanctions but skeptical of their effect.
Indyk warns of a ‚Äòserious crisis’ in relations
Jeruslalem Post 21 Apr 2010 – “Israel must adjust its policy to interest of US or face consequences.”
Palestinians want back farmland taken by state but not used
Jeruslalem Post 21 Apr 2010 – 590 dunams of private farmland were expropriated for the construction of a highway to serve Jewish settlers that was never built.
Analysis: Zaken and Olmert through thick and thin
Jeruslalem Post 21 Apr 2010 РHaving Zaken testify for the state would almost certainly sew up the case – assuming there is a case.
Jaffa Gate rededicated, sports new look
Jeruslalem Post 21 Apr 2010 – Barkat: We will continue to build and develop the Old City, all of J’lem.
Holyland fallout causing anxiety in J’lem City Hall
Jeruslalem Post 21 Apr 2010 – “Even people who have nothing to do with the scandal are concerned that something will happen to them,” says councilwoman.
Obama Assures Abbas his Commitment to Two-state Solution
WAFA 21 Apr 2010 – AMMAN, April 21, 2010 (WAFA) – U.S. President Barack Obama assured President Mahmoud Abbas his commitment to the Middle East peace process and the two-state solution. In a letter handed Wednesday
OIC Condemns Israeli Measures against Palestinian Civilian
WAFA 21 Apr 2010 – NEW YORK, April 21, 2010 (WAFA)- The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Group strongly condemned the latest illegal and provocative Israeli measure against the Palestinian civilian
Poll: Rise in popularity of the President
WAFA 21 Apr 2010 – JERUSALEM, April 21, 2010 (WAFA)- The results of the public opinion poll conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre show that there is a rise in the level of satisfaction in how
UNIFEM: 30 Stories of Women in OPT
WAFA 21 Apr 2010 – JERUSALEM, April 21, 2010 (WAFA) – Although women’s human rights have advanced in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), serious legal and cultural barriers in numerous aspects of women’s daily
Indyk: If Israel Manages alone, it can Decide alone
WAFA 21 Apr 2010 – TEL AVIV, April 21, 2010(WAFA)- “If Israel is a superpower that manages alone, then it can make decisions alone”, the Israeli daily Haaretz quoted Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk
An Israel-Palestine like no other nation | Keith Kahn-Harris and Joel Schalit
The Guardian 21 Apr 2010 – Progressive Zionists preparing for the failure of Obama’s peace plan should start thinking about a new model of statehood If we’re to believe the polls, Jewish support for a two-state solution has never been higher. According…
Saudi Campaign convoy of flour heads to Gaza
Relief Web 21 Apr 2010 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
UNHCR Iraq Fact Sheet March 2010
Relief Web 21 Apr 2010 – Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Statement Issued
by the OIC Group at the Ambassadorial Level at UN in New York on the Recent Illegal, Provocative Measure by Israel, the Occupying Power, Threatening to Deport Thousands of Palestinians
Relief Web 21 Apr 2010 – Source: Organization of the Islamic Conference
Fayyad vows to step up ‘peaceful resistance’ against Israeli occupation
Daily Star 21 Apr 2010 BILIN, Occupied West Bank: Palestinian Premier Salam Fayyad vowed on Wednesday to step up “peaceful resistance” against Israeli occupation by boycotting settlement goods throughout the West Bank. “There has been progress in the boycott of settlement products, which comes from the idea of popular peaceful resistance, and I hope we
UAE likens Iran’s hold on Gulf islands to Israeli occupation
Daily Star 21 Apr 2010 The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) likened Iran’s control of three disputed Gulf islands to Israel’s occupation of Arab territories on Tuesday, while Tehran reiterated its rule over islands and rebuked the UAE’s comments on Wednesday. “The occupation of any Arab land is an occupation,” Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan said
Egypt to try Brotherhood members, Saudi for money laundering
Daily Star 21 Apr 2010 CAIRO: An Egyptian court will try four Muslim Brotherhood members and a Saudi man on charges of money laundering to fund the banned movement, a judicial official said Wednesday. The five would face the emergency security court after being charged with channeling money through a UK-based Islamic charity to fund the movement’s Egyptian
Iran denounces US ‘nuclear threats’ as elite force prepares to stage military drill
Daily Star 21 Apr 2010 TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader denounced on Wednesday US “nuclear threats” against the Islamic Republic, and its elite military force said it would stage war games in a waterway crucial for global oil supplies. The Revolutionary Guards’ exercises in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz this week take place at a time of rising tension between
Feltman: Hizbullah receiving Scuds would be ‘incendiary’ action
Daily Star 21 Apr 2010 BEIRUT: The Obama administration’s top diplomat for the Middle East says the United States has warned Syria numerous times in recent weeks that transferring ballistic missiles to Lebanon’s Hizbullah could lead to war in the region. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said Wednesday giving such weapons to Hizbullah would be
Initiative seeks improved rights for domestic workers
Daily Star 21 Apr 2010 BEIRUT: They can be seen throughout Lebanon carrying heavy shopping bags, running errands for their employers and walking the dog. But just as frequently, migrant domestic workers aren’t seen by the public at all. An estimated 200,000 women migrant domestic workers, mostly coming from countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,
Palestinian prisoner suffering cancer starts his 18th year in captivity
PIC 21 Apr 2010 – Palestinian prisoner Emad Zurub, who suffers cancer, has started his 18th year in Israeli detention and is in bad need of proper medical treatment outside prison.
PLC warns of the seriousness of the underground metro in OJ
PIC 21 Apr 2010 – The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) chairmanship on Wednesday warned of the seriousness of the Israeli project to build an underground metro that would run from western to eastern Jerusalem.
Protest rally, including Hamas, Fatah, at Erez
PIC 21 Apr 2010 – National and Islamic forces on Wednesday organized a rally at the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing in northern Gaza to protest the Israeli imposed security belt along the Strip’s borders.
Bahar calls for int’l plan to activate issue of Palestinian MPs in Israeli jails
PIC 21 Apr 2010 – Dr. Ahmed Bahar called on the international community to develop a systematic plan to activate and internationalize the issue of Palestinian lawmakers imprisoned in Israeli jails.
Israeli settlers set fire to historical Petra hotel in O. Jerusalem
PIC 21 Apr 2010 – The Petra hotel caught fire after Israeli settlers celebrating the occasion of the occupation of Palestine (their independence day) fired firecrackers that fell on the roof.
IPU pledges to take legal action against Israel for violating prisoners’ rights
PIC 21 Apr 2010 – Ingeborg Schwarz, an official at the inter-parliamentary union, pledged to file lawsuits against Israel for its violation of the international humanitarian law on the rights of Palestinian prisoners.
Masri to Fatah: Release detainees to confront Israeli challenge
PIC 21 Apr 2010 – MP Mushir Al-Masri called on Fatah faction release the Palestinian resistance fighters from its jails in order to respond to the Israeli decision to deport Palestinians from the West Bank.
Palestinian fisherman wounded in IOF shooting, other youth detained in OJ
PIC 21 Apr 2010 – A Palestinian fisherman was wounded off the Rafah coast when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) aboard navy boats fired at him on Wednesday, medical sources reported.
10,000 Palestinians homes razed by Israel in 10 years
PIC 21 Apr 2010 – Al-Maqdesi foundation for society development said that Israel demolished more than 10,000 Palestinian homes in the neighborhoods of occupied Jerusalem during the past 10 years.
Egyptian authorities to demolish houses to complete building the steel wall
PIC 21 Apr 2010 – The Egyptian authorities were negotiating tens of families living at the border area with Gaza Strip to compensate them and give them alternative houses in Rafah border town, local residents reported.
Israeli Foreign Minister Warns of Potential Backlash of Imposed Settlement
The Media Line 20 Apr 2010 – Responding to increasingly frequent suggestions that President Obama is considering imposing a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has warned that such a policy will backfire and make matters worse. Addressing foreign…
Ban Ki-moon: Syrian Arms to Hizbullah Threatens Lebanon
The Media Line 20 Apr 2010 – United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says that armed groups acting independent of the Lebanese government pose a threat to regional security and to Lebanon’s “domestic peace” as well. Ban was responding to reports that Syria…
Decrying U.S. ‚ÄòThreats,’ Iran to Launch War Games
New York Times 21 Apr 2010 – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attacked the U.S. for making what he called “atomic threats,” while the army announced a massive drill in the Persian Gulf.
Letter to a Friend on Israel’s Independence Day
Alternative Information Center – Monday, 19 April 2010, Tonight you celebrate the independence day of the state of Israel. I do not. You probably believe that the Jews deserve a state, that the Holocaust survivors and their children had a right to a safe home of their own, and…
Rabbinic Letter to Goldstone: ‚Äòyour report is a clarion call to Israel and the Jewish people to awaken from the slumber of denial and return to the path of peace.’
Mondoweiss – Dear Judge Goldstone, As rabbis from diverse traditions and locations, we want to extend our warmest mazel tov to you as an elder in our community upon the bar mitzvah of your grandson. Bar and Bat Mitzvah is a call to conscience, a call to be…
Is this how it works? Yes, I think this is how it works
Mondoweiss – The late New York Times managing editor, Gerald Boyd, has posthumously published a book, My Times in Black and White: Race and Power at the New York Times . You can read excerpts of the book at Amazon . Boyd talks about his childhood in St. Louis and…
Haber: does BDS leadership seek ideological purity or a coalition?
Mondoweiss – Yesterday we published Ahmed Moor’s criticism of Jerry Haber’s appeal to liberal Zionists to offer guarded support to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Today Haber, the Magnes Zionist , responds. Ahmed Moor has criticized my modest attempt to convince liberal Zionists either to support BDS, or…
Rabbi Hillel: ‚ÄòIf not now, when?’ Rahm Emanuel: ‚ÄòNot now’
Mondoweiss – Haaretz asks Rahm Emanuel whether Obama should announce a US plan for two states: “A number of people have advocated that. That time is not now. The time now is to get back to the proximity talks [and] have those conversations that eventually will lead to…
Margalit says Jerusalem must be internationalized (who is listening?)
Mondoweiss – Important piece in the Jerusalem Post about Israeli thinker Avishai Margalit, in which he says things that he hasn’t written in the U.S.—and nor has his sometime co-author Michael Walzer. Jerusalem must be shared and under international governance— just what the UN said 60 years ago….
Articles
Israeli Military Orders ‘in Breach Of International Human Rights Law,’ Warns Un Special Rapporteur
United Nations Office at Geneva4/19/2010
GENEVA – The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Richard Falk, warned Monday that two Israeli Defense Forces Military Orders* may be in breach of the fourth Geneva Convention and violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Mr. Falk noted that “a wide range of violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law could be linked to actions carried out by the Government of Israel under these Orders, with particular gravity in the event that young persons become victims of their application.”
“The Orders appear to enable Israel to detain, prosecute, imprison and/or deport any and all persons present in the West Bank,” noted the Special Rapporteur, basing his concern on Israel’s new definition of the term ‚Äòinfiltrator:’ “A person who entered the Area unlawfully following the effective date, or a person who is present in the Area and does not lawfully hold a permit.”
“Even if this open-ended definition is not used to imprison or deport vast numbers of people, it causes unacceptable distress,” the UN independent expert said. Mr. Falk further noted that “it is not at all clear what permit, if any, will satisfy this Order.”
“Illustrative of the potential for cruel abuse,” he said, “is a provision of the Order requiring the person deported to pay the costs of his or her deportation, and suffer confiscations of property if unable to pay.”
Mr. Falk warned that deportations under the two new Orders could take place without judicial review, and that detained persons can be imprisoned for 7 years, unless able to prove that their entry was lawful, in which case they would be imprisoned for 3 years.more..e-mail
Palestinian Women and Children Behind Zionist Bars
Reham Alhelsi, My Palestine4/17/2010
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 soldiers, explaining they had jobs or classes to go to, but the soldiers didn’t want to know about that and started shouting and beating those present with their clubs, including me. We were school children and were not a threat to armed soldiers, nevertheless a number of us were arrested for daring to tell the soldiers to stop beating us. We were handcuffed and loaded into military jeeps. On the way, we were forced to bend our heads down the whole trip and the only thing I could see were the boats of the soldiers. When the jeep finally stopped, we were ordered by the soldiers to step down and as I looked around me I realized we were in a military camp. The soldiers told us then to stand in a certain place, turn our backs to them and kneel on the ground. We were still handcuffed. Opposite me I could see the mountains of Jerusalem and I realized we were in the Abu-Dees military camp which occupied one of the hills. We weren’t allowed to sit but half kneel which was very painful. And as we half-knelt there, near each other but not able to talk to each other, the soldiers started throwing small stones at us. They were laughing and talking in Hebrew while throwing the stones. I didn’t understand what they were talking about, but I figured they were betting who would hit which one of us and where. I don’t remember how long this “game” lasted, but I remember how painful the kneeling was, how painful the stones were when they hit my head and how I wondered what would happen to us, what they would to us here alone in this military camp with no Palestinian around. Every now and then I would talk a quick peep at the hills in front of us and I would think about my parents and what they were doing. We tried comforting each other silently by touching our feet. We didn’t talk for we weren’t allowed to do that, but whenever someone near me touched my foot with theirs, it was like telling me: don’t worry, we’ll get through this, and I would return the gesture. After seemingly long hours, maybe in the afternoon, we were loaded back into the jeeps, ordered to lower our heads again and a new journey started. When this second journey ended, we were in one of the detention centres….more..e-mail
Another Palestinian Journalist persecuted for criticizing the PA
Khalid Amayreh, Uprooted Palestinians4/21/2010
Muhannad Salahat, 32, is another Palestinian journalist victimized by the Palestinian Authority Mukhabarat or General Intelligence. Earlier this month, Salahat, who lives in Amman, Jordan, but has a home in the northern West Bank town of Nablus, had to spend 14 nightmarish days in the custody of the Palestinian Mukhabarat in Jericho where he was thoroughly abused for criticizing the PA, especially its so-called security coordination with Israel.
Following his release, Middle East Monitor had the chance to interview Salahat. The following is a verbatim translation of his testimony on the treatment he received during his detention in Jericho. Salahat can be contacted on the following email address. salahatm@hotmail.com [This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.]
“On 18 March, as the bus I was riding from Amman arrived at the Allenby Bridge, which is under Israeli control, we proceeded to the Palestinian Authority Inspection Terminal where the minibus stopped for identity checking. Soon, I saw the bus being surrounded on all sides by policemen. One of them boarded the bus, carrying my passport in his hand and shouting “Where is Muhannad Salahat.” As I said “yes,” the policeman asked me to disembark and accompany a number of other policemen to a nearby room where all my personal items and luggage were taken from me. Then I was taken rather unceremoniously to another room without being informed why. However, I understood that I was being pursued by the PA General Intelligence. At that point, I was able to call my family to tell them that I was being arrested. As soon as I ended the call, which lasted only for one minute, my mobile phone was confiscated.
“Then I was taken to a third room, and a large Ford van stopped nearby and three armed young men dressed in plain clothes, got off the car, and asked me to stand up with my face toward the wall. They warned me against looking at them. A fourth person, armed with an Ak-47, stood behind, training his gun toward me….”more..e-mail
Gil Scott-Heron: don’t play apartheid Israel!
Electronic Intifada: 21 Apr 2010 – The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel is gravely disappointed by the announcement that well-known, progressive artist Gil Scott-Heron is due to perform in Israel on 25 May. We call upon Mr. Scott-Heron, a member of United Artists Against Apartheid in the 1980s and a featured singer on the breakthrough song “Don’t Play Sun City,” not to play apartheid Israel.
Hamas vows to carry out more executions
Electronic Intifada: 21 Apr 2010 – GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) – The Hamas authorities in Gaza have vowed to carry out more executions of those on death row despite intense international criticism and condemnation from both Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups.
Is the US-Israeli ‘Special Relationship’ in Danger?
Palestine Chronicle: 21 Apr 2010 – By Kim Bullimore If one were to believe the almost breathless reports coming from the Israeli, US and other corporate media, a major ruction in US-Israeli dealings had occurred and the demise of their “special relationship” was imminent. According to the media, this was triggered by the announcement on March 9, by Israel’s interior minister, Eli Yishai, that Israel would build 1600 new Jewish-only homes on occupied Palestinian land. The announcement was made just as US Vice-President Joe Biden began a four-day “good will” tour of Israel. The visit by Biden, a staunch Zionist, was widely seen in both the US and Israel, as well as internationally, as an attempt to boost the stalled Middle East “peace” process. Biden’s visit coincided with the March 8 announcement of George Mitchell, US envoy to the Middle East, that
the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Israel had agreed to resume “indirect” negotiations or…more
Will Netanyahu Open his Ears?
Palestine Chronicle: 21 Apr 2010 – By George Hishmeh – Washington DC Israel, like a child, always sees itself blameless, thanks to its traditionalist supporters, including some key members of the well-entrenched American Jewish community, who cannot see the light of day as if they are blindfolded. Here is one prominent example (and there are many) where the author of a full-page advertisement, costing tens of thousands of dollars, and which appeared in key U.S. papers, made a fool of himself this week, even as some fellow Jews recognized. Elie Wiesel, a prominent Holocaust survivor and a 1986 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, is the author of the ad titled ‘For Jerusalem,’ where he expresses his attachment to the city and yet has never chosen to live there. In the ad, which reportedly has been paid for by a friend and which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported, Wiesel makes outrageous claims. He says, ‘Contrary to…more
The New Dark Age 
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