News
International Middle East Media Center
Palestinian Resident Expelled To Jordan
IMEMC – 9 May 2010 – The Israeli Authorities deported Saturday a Palestinian resident of the West Bank to Jordan after the army claimed he was illegally staying in the country.
Settler Groups Modify 14 Units To Be Inhabited By settlers in East Jerusalem
IMEMC – 9 May 2010 – Israeli Peace Now movement reported that several settler organizations started recently modification work in an old police station in Ras Al Amoud Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem, in order to be inhabited by Jews.
Camp committees: UNRWA reduced aid by 70%
5/9/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – West Bank refugee camp committees have accused UNRWA of reducing food aid to Palestinian refugees by 70 percent. Following an emergency session of Nablus and northern West Bank refugee camp committees, Nablus-area refugee camp coordinator Ibrahim Saqr said UNRWA had not adhered to its duties laid out in previous agreements.”After two months….
MADA: Attacks against press freedom continue
5/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Violations against press freedom and journalists in the West Bank and Gaza were considerable in April, the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) said Sunday, noting fewer assaults than in March. A MADA statement said that, while Israeli forces were responsible for the majority of assaults against press freedom, both the….
Gaza gov’t offers amnesty to collaborators
5/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Limited amnesty has been offered to Palestinian agents working with Israeli intelligence services in Gaza, the de facto government announced Saturday evening. Hamas officials set 8 May to 10 July as the period to “protect the Palestinian people,” de facto Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab Al-Ghussein told reporters, and will serve as a window….
Public figures call for delay in OECD vote on Israeli entry
5/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Public figures launched an urgent appeal to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries, which are due to vote on Israel’s accession to the group on Monday. In a Sunday statement, signtories such as 1976 Northern Ireland Nobel Prize for Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire,former South African Special Rapporteur of UN….
Threats against flotilla show weakness, activist says
5/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli threats to open fire at a host of solidarity boats carrying aid toGaza later this month reveal Israel’s weakness, said Jamal Al-Khudari, head of Gaza’s Popular Committee Against the Siege on Sunday.”Such threats reflect the occupation’s failure and embody state terrorism against peaceful individuals who come to support a people under….
US to Abbas: Direct talks before peace plan revealed
5/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – America’s Obama administration will not reveal mediation plans or Middle East peace proposals before Israeli and Palestinian officials begin direct talks, senior US officials told President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli media reported Saturday. The report follows the PLO’s Saturday endorsement of indirect talks, which came a week after the Arab League announced its….
Erekat declares official start of indirect talks
5/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat officially declared the beginning of US-brokered talks with Israel on Sunday, according to reports. Speaking after meeting with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell and President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, Erekat said “I can officially declare today that the proximity talks have begun,” the Reuters news agency….
PFLP slams indirect talks
5/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The PLO’s decision to enter US-mediated proximity talks with Israel is a violation of Palestinian consensus, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Gaza City said Sunday. PFLP leader Kayid Al-Ghoul said “the decision reflects an obvious retreat from the commitments made to the Palestinian people and a clear violation of….
Report: Obama neglects Hamas outreach attempt
5/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – US President Barack Obama reportedly disregarded two letters from Hamas in Gaza sent two weeks ago in an attempt to break political deadlock the party says hinges on US stubbornness, Israeli media reported. According to what the Hebrew language Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Aharonoth called a “reliable source,” de facto Prime Minister Ismail….
Plastic pipes to enter Gaza as 1 crossing open
5/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli authorities will partially open the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow limited quantities of food and fuel into Gaza on Sunday, a Palestinian liaison official said. The official, Raed Fattouh, said Israel would allow between 101 and 111 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial merchandise through the southern Gaza crossing of Kerem Shalom….
Israeli paper says nation’s fugitives hiding in West Bank
5/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Since January of this year, Israeli police and intelligence officers search out 86 alleged fugitives hiding out near West Bank cities, Israel’s Hebrew newspaper Ma’ariv reported on Sunday. The joint force, reportedly disguised as Palestinians – raided areas that police told the paper housing fugitives in and around Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Jenin and Qalqiliya….
Rafah, Erez partially opened during week
5/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Rafah crossing into Egypt was partially open to allow the transit of patients into Gaza while it was shutdown on Friday, a de facto crossings committee report said. The report, released Saturday, said 116 patients who completed their treatment in Egyptian hospitals returned to Gaza, as well as a number of stranded….
Israel expels Hebron man to Jordan
5/9/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained a Palestinian man from Hebron and deported him to Jordan from the West Bank on Saturday, Palestinian Authority police said. A police statement said Murad Muhammad Zahda, 27, was told by Israeli officials that he had entered the occupied West Bank over 10 years earlier on a tourist visa and….
Israel releases 4 Gaza detainees
5/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The High Prisoners Committee announced the release of four Gaza men from Israeli detention facilities on Sunday, after a combined 39 years incarcerated. One man, A’ta Ihleiyel Salem Abu Khubeiza from the central Gaza Strip village of Mughraqa who spent 17 years in Israeli jails, was initially barred from entering Gaza by Israeli….
Armed PRC wing puts on Gaza military display
5/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an -Resistance fighters with the Popular Resistance Committees put on a military show in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, followed by a march south of Gaza City, announcing their readiness for an Israeli attack. The Salah Ad-Din Brigades fighters exhibited offensive and defensive maneuvers involving live ammunition and large explosive charges, integrating martial….
Military jeep, car collide near Halhoul, 2 injured
5/9/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Two Palestinians were injured
in a car accident involving an Israeli military jeep on Sunday afternoon, when the vehicles collided near the Halhul bridge north of Hebron, reports said. Medical sources at the Al-Ahli Hospital identified one of the injured as 44-year-old Awad Badran Awad from Beit Ummar, who was immediately transferred….
Report: Lebanese officer indicted on Israel spy charges
5/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – A military prosecutor requested the death penalty for an army officer accused of spying for Israel, a judicial official said on Saturday, Lebanese media reported. According to Lebanon NOW, Ghazwan Eid Shahin was the third Lebanese army officer indicted on charges of “providing information to enemy intelligence services,” the charge sheet read….
White House: Talks serious and wide-ranging
5/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A White House statement announced the conclusion of the first round of proximity talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on Sunday, as US Special Envoy George Mitchell left the region on Sunday. The statement described the talks as “serious and wide-ranging,” noting “both parties are taking some steps to help create an atmosphere….
Rafah: 5 PLO factions discuss national project
5/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Five Palestine Liberation Organization factions held a joint meeting in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Sunday, where they discussed joint action on the future of the Palestinian national project. Central conclusions from the meeting were a demand that Hamas sign the Egyptian unity deal, and a reaffirmation of the PLO as….
Lebanon victor in hummus war with Israel
5/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Lebanon won the war against Israel in the battle for the world’s largest serving of hummus on Saturday, Lebanese and Israeli media reported. Beating the record set by Palestinian chefs in the West Jerusalem village of Abu Ghosh in January 2010, Lebanese cooks presented a 10,452 kilogram plate of the chickpea dish….
Poultry farms quarantined after salmonella outbreak
5/9/2010 – Qalqiliya – Ma’an – Several chicken farms were quarantined following an outbreak of salmonella in the village of Bal’a near the West Bank city of Tulkarem on Sunday. The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Agriculture enforced the quarantine after inspectors confirmed the presence of salmonella, and banned the sale of meat produced on the farms affected by the….
Peres: We don’t want war with Syria
Palestine Note 9 May 2010 – Washington: Israeli President Shimon Peres has sent a message to Syrian President Bashar Assad saying Israel does not want a military conflict with Syria, Haaretz reported Sunday. Israeli President Shimon Peres speaks in the Knesset in…
Lebanon wins the hummus war
Palestine Note 9 May 2010 – Washington – Lebanon has secured the Guinness World Record for largest plate of hummus, Ma’an News Agency reported Sunday. Lebanon considers hummus its national dish [Photo: Whitney in Chicago – Flickr] The Lebanese effort, which weighed…
As talks start, Israel exiles West Bank man to Jordan
Palestine Note 9 May 2010 – PLO chief negotiator announces start to talks, but Israel continues inflammatory exile policy Washington – Chief negotiator for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat announced the official start to indirect negotiations with Israel Sunday following…
Hamas offers collaborators amnesty
Palestine Note 9 May 2010 – Washington – The Hamas government in Gaza has announced a period of amnesty for collaborators with Israel to come forward without penalty, Ma’an News Agency reported Sunday. The amnesty period from May 8 – July 10…
Iran hangs Kurdish activists
AlJazeera 9 May 2010 – Four men and one woman executed after they were convicted of launching bomb attacks.
Indirect Middle East talks begin
AlJazeera 9 May 2010 – Israeli PM calls for direct negotiations with Palestinians as Mitchell and Abbas meet.
Israel’s trade club entry opposed
AlJazeera 9 May 2010 – Public figures launch appeal to thwart Israel’s membership to OECD.
State issues demolition order for Yitzhar settlement yeshiva
Ha’aretz – Demolition order one of series of enforcement steps taken in wake of clash between settlers and IDF troops in Yitzhar last month.
Barak to WWII veterans: Without you there would be no Israel
Ha’aretz – Defense Minister addresses veterans at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial on 65th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazis.
Tel Aviv official targeted by car bomb
Ha’aretz – Police are treating incident as attempted hit on Shoteh Hovel, who was arrested two years ago for suspected corruption.
Ultra-Orthodox educators reject plan to raise education bar for principals
Ha’aretz – Education Ministry attempting to institute regulations that will require school principals to hold master’s degrees.
Israel fights to keep Palestinians from sabotaging its admittance into OECD
Ha’aretz – PA Foreign Minister sent letter to OECD countries calling to delay the vote because ‘Israel infringes on Palestinians’ human rights, violates OECD values.’
U.S.: Israel pledged not to build in Ramat Shlomo for two years
Ha’aretz – U.S. State Dept. says first round of proximity talks ends with positive steps from both sides.
Peres in message to Syria: Israel does not want war Ha’aretz – President relays message to Assad via Russian President Medvedev who is expected to visit Damascus Monday.
Peace Now: Construction for largest East Jerusalem settlement has begun
Ha’aretz – Anti-settlement group says renovations within former police station did not require municipal building permits – official approval that could torpedo the new peace negotiations.
Israel to build 14 housing unit in Jerusalem
9 May 2010 – Jerusalem, May 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — The Israeli far-left Peace Now organization revealed the news of building in settlement in Ras Al-Amoud neighborhood in Jerusalem. The organization said in report that the Israeli occupation has started building new 14 housing unit in the neighborhood near the police station. The report added that there are 1900 Jews live in 119…
IOF raids Hebron, detains Palestinian
9 May 2010 – Hebron, May 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained today Palestinian citizen after raiding Hebron city in the West Bank. “Israeli occupation forces raided Al-Haras area and searched number of citizens’ houses and then detained a Palestinian from Al-Suori family.” Security sources told SAFA news agency. The sources added that Israeli forces raided Yata and Ezna village…
Israel deports Palestinian to Jordan
9 May 2010 – West Bank, May 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation authorities deported Saturday a Palestinian citizen from Hebron to Jordan. The media director of Hebron police said to SAFA news agency that Israeli force detained the citizen Morad Zahed, 27, from his house in Hebron and forced him to pack his luggage and then they drove him to the borders…
IOF raids Bardalah, erects 2 barriers at Tubas
9 May 2010 – Tubas, May 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation forces raided today Bardalah village in Tubas city and erected two barriers at the entrance of Al-Akaba village in the same city. Israeli occupation forces raided the house of Odai Sawafta in Bardalah and searched its contents, no detentions were reported, local sources said. The sources added that Israeli soldiers erected…
Obama Administration Continues to Supply Israel with Advanced Weapons
Uruknet May 9, 2010 – I have repeatedly pointed out that as of now the Obama Administration has never put any material pressure on Israel. There are wild rumors and irresponsible materials floating around to the contrary. They aren’t true. As proof, for example, take the article by Barbara Opall-Rome in Defense News, May 3, 2010, “U.S. Backs Israeli Munitions Upgrades.”…
Israeli Jet Fighters Raid Gaza Strip, Egyptian Borders
Uruknet May 9, 2010 — Israeli jet fighters raided on Sunday evening the smuggling tunnels’ areas between Gaza Strip and Egyptian borders.Palestinian sources told KUNA that Israeli F-16 jets unleashed several missiles targeted the tunnels in Al-Jaradat area southeast of Rafah city bordering Egypt. The missiles did not cause any injuries among workers in the tunnels, however, material damage was seen…
Palestinian Resident Expelled To Jordan
Uruknet May 9, 2010 – The Israeli Authorities deported Saturday a Palestinian resident of the West Bank to Jordan after the army claimed he was illegally staying in the country. Resident Morad Suleiman Zahda, 27, from Hebron in the southern part of the West Bank was expelled to Jordan. Zahda, a Palestinian native, entered the country using a visitors’ visa ten…
FIVE POLITICAL PRISONERS WERE EXECUTED IN TEHRAN TODAY
Uruknet May 9, 2010 – According to the reports from Iran five political prisoners were executed in Tehran’s Evin prison early this morning. According to the official Iranian news agency IRNA, four men and one women, all convicted of Moharebeh (at war against the God), were hanged at the Evin prison today…Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of Iran Human Rights condemned today’s…
Threats against flotilla show weakness, activist says
Uruknet May 9, 2010 – Israeli threats to open fire at a host of solidarity boats carrying aid to Gaza later this month reveal Israel’s weakness, said Jamal Al-Khudari, head of Gaza’s Popular Committee Against the Siege on Sunday. “Such threats reflect the occupation’s failure and embody state terrorism against peaceful individuals who come to support a people under siege and…
Defying appeal from Gaza students, Atwood set to accept Israeli prize
Uruknet May 8, 2010 – On Sunday, Booker Prize-winning author Margaret Atwood will accept the Dan David Prize at Tel Aviv University and her portion of the $1 million payout that goes with it. Meanwhile, a mere 40 miles away, students in the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip will stilll be struggling to find the ways and means to continue their…
Palestine’s Popular Resistance Continues
Uruknet May 8, 2010 – A poll reveals that a majority of Israelis are willing to ban human rights organization in the ‘Jewish state’. A bill introduced in the Knesset would outlaw any Israeli human rights organization which expose Israeli war crimes. Yesterday, one peaceful protester hurt and 6 detained in Bilin’s weekly protest against the apartheid wall, which has been…
Four Beaten and Arrested at Al-Walaje Sit-In
Uruknet May 8, 2010 – Our ten hour ordeal with the occupation forces started at 8:30 AM as we gathered in the small village of Al-Walaje. A tiny store with an elderly women who insisted on making me coffee and not charging me. Idyllic setting except for the heavy bulldozers now carving the hills to separate the remaining people from their…
Russian pilots no longer needed in Iran
The National 9 May 2010 – Tehran plans to replace its ageing Tu-154s with the latest version and send home Russian pilots — after they train national aviators.
International Solidarity Movement
General ‘tried to cover up truth about death of Rachel Corrie’
5/9/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – The Independent, 7 May 2010, by Ben Lynfield –Israeli war hero accused of suppressing testimony that could reveal what really happened to Gaza activist— The peace activi
st Rachel Corrie died on 16 March 2003. Seven years after the American activist Rachel Corrie was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza, evidence has….
Alternative Information Center
Free Ameer Makhoul! Stop Repression of Palestinian Civil Society!
Alternative Information Center – Yesterday morning, May 6, 2010 at 6 am the Israeli General Security Service and Israeli police raided Ameer Makhoul’s home in Haifa and arrested him. Makhoul, serves as General Director of Ittijah — The Union of…
The Palestine World Education Forum National Committee Condemns Arrest of its member Ameer Makhoul, Demands his Immediate Release
Alternative Information Center – The Israeli occupation authorities arrested the community leader and activist Ameer Makhoul, who serves as the General Director of Ittijah, President of the Popular Committee for the Defence of Political Freedoms and member of the Palestine…
Huge Israeli Companies Liable to Awaken Political Boycott throughout World
Alternative Information Center – Since its establishment, Israel has been under attack regarding the legitimacy of its very existence. This attack has tremendous economic implications. In the past they were due primarily to Arab countries that created the infamous Arab…
Beit Jala Town Protest the Wall and Settlements Products
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura – PNN – Around 100 people from the town of Beit Jala, southern West Bank, protest on Sunday the Israeli wall and settlement products. Beit Jala town, a superb of…
MK Tibie: 90% of Israeli lecturers in universities are Ashkenazi Jews
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – The Arab member of the Israeli Keenest (Parliament), Ahmad Al Tibie, said on Sunday that 90% of education committees, academics and lecturers in Israeli universities are Ashkenazi Jewish…
Indirect talks approved, New Settlers Homes in Jerusalem’s Old City
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura— PNN- as indirect peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis mediated by Washington is expected to be announced on Sunday, Israel approves settler’s homes in Jerusalem’s old city. The Israeli Group…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (29 April — 05 May 2010)
PCHR 5 May 2010 – A mosque that was burnt by Israeli settlers in al-Lubban al-Sharqi village near Nablus, 04 May 2010 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)….
Peres in Moscow: We seek peace
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – Syria giving Hizbullah missiles is war mongering, president cautions.
‘Tent city’ near J’lem’s Holyland project targets corruption
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – “Holyland isn’t just another high-profile project with a bad smell,” says one of the demonstration’s organizers.
‘US support for nuke policy eroding’
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – J’lem jittery as IAEA seeks to turn spotlight on Israel.
Reality Check: There she is
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – Opposition leader Livni now has to ensure her words turn into action.
The Region: All things not considered
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – Even if Iran doesn’t give terrorists nukes, other scenarios are worrying.
Lebanon breaks Israel’s humous world record
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – Feat more than doubles January Abu Ghosh record.
Fury over new nat’l security case
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – Some details from latest probe reported abroad, prohibited in Israel.
State admits to court it was ‘imprecise’ about Gaza aid
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – Watchdog group deems statements to have been ‘false’.
Erekat: Proximity talks have begun
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – Palestinian negotiator’s comments come after Mitchell-Abbas meeting.
Analysis: Boycott Shoah memorial because of Iran?
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – Austrian Jews walk away from Vienna event.
Lebanon breaks Israel’s hummus world record
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – Feat more than doubles Israel’s January record.
Gov’t focuses on Jerusalem
Jeruslalem Post 9 May 2010 – Grants city Development Area status, conserves historical sites in weekly meeting.
U.S.: Israel Pledged not to Build in Ramat Shlomo for 2 Years
WAFA – TEL AVIV, May 9, 2010 (WAFA)- The U.S. State Department announced on Sunday that the first round of indirect peace talks between Israel and the PLO has been completed, saying that both Israel and the
Wide Spread Absence of Human Secur
ity Impeded Palestinian Progress
WAFA – RAMALLAH, May 9, 2010 (WAFA)- Until Palestinians are afforded economic and environmental control, specifically control over macro-economic policy, trade, livelihoods, water resources and borders,
Peace Now: Construction for Largest East Jerusalem Settlement has Begun
WAFA – TEL AVIV, May 9, 2010 (WAFA)- The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said Sunday that renovation work has recently begun for the construction of 14 housing units in an old Israel Police station
Activists Ask Shoppers to Buy Flowers, Not Leviev Diamonds, on Mother’s Day
WAFA – NEW YORK, May 9, 2010 (WAFA)- For the third year in a row, activists protested in front of Lev Leviev’s store on Madison Avenue the day before Mother’s Day to discourage shoppers from buying
Israel and Palestinians enter indirect peace talks mediated by US
The Guardian 9 May 2010 – Little progress expected until both sides sit around same table and Washington imposes own programme Long-stalled indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians resumed today, amid low expectations of success and a public warning from…
Hamas offers amnesty to ‘Israel collaborators’
YNet News – Government in Gaza says two-month amnesty period meant to ensure that ‘all those….
Police cannot ensure security for J’lem Day celebrators
YNet News – Police commissioner says Lion’s Gate, Herod’s Gate dropped from Flag Dance….
US: Israel promised not to build in Ramat Shlomo for 2 years
YNet News – State Department spokesman Crowley says first round of indirect….
Hamas says indirect talks most dangerous phase
YNet News – Senior Islamist group figure says indirect negotiations between Israel, PA will….
Peres sends Assad message of peace
YNet News – President visits Russia, asks Medvedev to tell Syrian president that ‘you cannot….
IAF strikes Gaza tunnels in response to Qassam attack
YNet News – Israeli aircraft attacked two targets in south Gaza late Sunday night in response to the firing of a Qassam rocket Saturday evening towards the western Negev region. …….
Barkat: Construction throughout J’lem will continue
YNet News – Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat vowed to continue building throughout the capital early Monday morning, just a few hours after US Special Envoy to the Middle East George …….
WWII veterans mark Victory Day in Jerusalem march
YNet News – Dozens of World War II veterans attended a Jerusalem march on Sunday marking 65 years since the victory over Nazi Germany. A moment of silence was noted in memory of the …….
Poll: Obama to blame for US-Israel crisis
YNet News – Despite the ongoing tension between Washington and Jerusalem, a clear majority — 61% — of the overall Israeli public defines the relations between the two countries as …….
Rightists threaten PM following Mitchell announcement
YNet News – Rightist groups reacted angrily Sunday to the announcement by US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell that Israel had agreed to freeze construction in east …….
Iran hangs woman, four other ‘enemies of God’ – reports
Daily Star 9 May 2010 TEHRAN: Iran hanged on Sunday five militants, including a Kurdish woman, convicted of bombing government offices and a gas pipeline to Turkey and described as “enemies of God,” state media reported. The five, including the woman…
Egyptians, Saudi on trial for links to Brotherhood
Daily Star 9 May 2010 CAIRO: Four Egyptians and a Saudi national are to stand trial in Egypt on June 14 on charges of money laundering and funding the banned Muslim Brotherhood, a judicial source told AFP on Sunday. “Their trial…
Most Jerusalem Palestinians live in poverty: Israeli study
Daily Star 9 May 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Most Palestinians in East Jerusalem, including three out of every four children, live below the poverty line, an Israeli rights group said on Sunday, accusing the state of neglect and discrimination. “A unified Jerusalem…
Assad tells Turk president Syria ready to resume peace talks with Israel
Daily Star 9 May 2010 ISTANBUL: Syria is ready to reopen peace talks with Israel, with Turkey serving as a mediator, but Israel has not asked Ankara to resume that role, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Saturday. “Syria has said…
Debut of First Non-Latin Top Domain Names
The Media Line 8 May 2010 – In an Internet first, Arabic characters introduced as domain name. In recognition of increased use of Arabic on the web, the first domain names on the Internet using Arabic and not Latin characters have been launched….
PLO Gives Abbas Green Light to Head to Indirect Talks
The Media Line 8 May 2010 – The PLO Executive Committee has empowered Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to move ahead with US-mediated indirect talks with Israel. The approval came through just as Obama’s Middle East envoy George Mitchell was set to leave…
Israel Expected to Win Acceptance into OECD
The Media Line 8 May 2010 – The OECD is expected to invite Israel to join its elite ranks this week as the organization’s 31st member. The decision by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development must be unanimous. Israel has been fast-tracked…
IAEA’s Agenda Set to Jeopardize Israel’s Ambiguity of its Nuclear Capabilities
The Media Line 8 May 2010 – Israel was reportedly caught by surprise by the US decision to allow the UN’s International Atom
ic Energy Agency to discuss Israel’s presumed nuclear arsenal at its June 7 board meeting for the first time in the…
Public Figures Call For Delay In OECD Vote On Israeli Entry
Palestine Monitor – Public figures launched an urgent appeal to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries, which are due to vote on Israel’s accession to the group on Monday. In a Sunday statement, signtories such as 1976 Northern Ireland Nobel Prize for Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire,…
Free Ameer Makhoul! Stop Repression of Palestinian Civil Society!
Alternative Information Center – Yesterday morning, May 6, 2010 at 6 am the Israeli General Security Service and Israeli police raided Ameer Makhoul’s home in Haifa and arrested him. Makhoul, serves as General Director of Ittijah — The Union of Arab Community-Based Associations and Chairman of the Public Committee for…
The Palestine World Education Forum National Committee Condemns Arrest of its member Ameer Makhoul, Demands his Immediate Release
Alternative Information Center – The Israeli occupation authorities arrested the community leader and activist Ameer Makhoul, who serves as the General Director of Ittijah, President of the Popular Committee for the Defence of Political Freedoms and member of the Palestine World Education Forum National Committee. The authorities broke into Makhoul’s…
Huge Israeli Companies Liable to Awaken Political Boycott throughout World
Alternative Information Center – Since its establishment, Israel has been under attack regarding the legitimacy of its very existence. This attack has tremendous economic implications. In the past they were due primarily to Arab countries that created the infamous Arab boycott, which cost Israel, according to various estimates and during…
Desch: Bloom misses the historical shift re anti-Semitism
Mondoweiss – Harold Bloom’s review of the new Anthony Julius book on Antisemitism in England in the New York Times book Review is a landmark in the increasing absurdity of the whole concept of anti-Semitism. To conflate classical anti-Semitism, which was based on the notion that Jews could…
Goodbye, settlement roads!
Mondoweiss – HEY ELTON from John Greyson on Vimeo . You have to watch this: fabulous Elton John parody-medley done by John Greyson , the Canadian filmmaker who touched off the Toronto explosion last fall, calling on Elton John to cancel his June 17 Tel Aviv gig. Check out the…
Israeli children rally against the killings
Mondoweiss – of baby seals . Canadian embassy, Tel Aviv. (h/t Max Blumenthal)
Israel doesn’t get it yet—but they sure are hearing
Mondoweiss – Daniel Gordis of the Shalem Center has a piece in the Jerusalem Post , wringing his hands over the protests against fellow aliyah-shapeshifter-Michael Oren appearing at the Brandeis graduation. It used to be that our side did all the handwringing! No more. Inter alia , Gordis shows that…
If the lobby wants to save ‘the Zionist dream,’ it needs Mearsheimer and the realists
Mondoweiss – I once did a post showing how John Mearsheimer used to be published in the New York Times all the time before he made the mistake of opposing the Iraq war. Of course better things were yet to come, the Israel lobby, and Mearsheimer became a…
Articles
How the US and Israel Draw Ever Closer Together
Brian Cloughley, CounterPunch5/7/2010
Cementing Relationships
Following Israel’s deliberate insult to the United States of America on March 9 some people thought there would be action taken by Washington to make it clear that in future it would be unwise to make a fool of the US Vice President.
No chance. You can humiliate the Vice President of the United States of America any time you want — if you’re the Israeli government.
To recap on what happened : in March Vice President Biden went to Israel, supposedly in an attempt to persuade the Israelis and Palestinians to at least begin to start to engage in talks. He didn’t have a hope of succeeding, but he did what vice presidents are designed for : he sought to convey the impression that the US Administration is serious about an international problem that it has no intention of fixing. And while he was in Tel Aviv the Israelis announced that they were going to build yet more settlements on Arab lands, in defiance of international law, human decency, and everything else associated with civilized behavior.
Nothing new about that — but it does raise the matter of a calculated insult to the United States, because Israel yet again defied a Security Council ruling that the construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land is illegal.
The official policy of the United States is to encourage adherence to UN Security Council resolutions. Washington, after all, refers to them repeatedly in regard to alleged violations by North Korea and Iran. So perish the thought that the President of the United States should deem some resolutions less relevant or operative than others.more..e-mail
How Will Disclosing Whether Coriander Is or Isn’t Allowed into the Gaza Strip Harm Israel’s National Security?
Gisha5/6/2010
Gisha responds to a State submission in its Freedom of Information Act petition
* In a court submission, the State of Israel admits that, contrary to its previous claims, it does indeed possess documents related to its policy on the transfer of goods into the Gaza Strip, including a list of “permitted” goods.
* However, the State claims for the first time that it can not reveal the documents, out of concern that allowing the public to review them would harm Israel’s national security and foreign relations.
* Israel admits the existence of a “Red Lines” document that establishes the minimum nutritional requirements for residents of Gaza, but refuses to reveal it.
Thursday, May 6, 2010 —
After 12 months of unsuccessful attempts by Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement to obtain documentation from the Israeli authorities about Israel’s policy concerning the entry of food and other goods into the Gaza Strip, and after claiming for many months that no such documents exist, Israel has finally admitted that it does indeed possess the information requested by Gisha, including a list of goods whose admission into the Gaza Strip is permitted. Following a petition submitted by Gisha under the Freedom of Information Act, and as a result of the Tel Aviv District Court’s rejection of the State’s claim that it had already provided all relevant information, the State last week submitted its response to the court. In this response the State apologized for “inaccurate statements made to the court”, that it claimed were the result of a misunderstanding and admitted to the existence of four primary documents. Following this admission, however, the State refused to disclose the contents of the documents. It argued that, despite not previously raising such an objection, disclosure of the documents “‚Ķwould harm national security and foreign relations”. Gisha today filed its response to the court.more..e-mail
‘Anti-Israel lies’ futile propaganda
Iqbal Jassat, Ma’an News Agency5/8/2010
As Israel reels from successive blows to its image as a “civilized democracy,” its supporters have, in another desperate attempt to salvage this bruised profile, come up with a rescue plan.
This time the Simon Wiesenthal Center has produced a brochure titled “2010 Top Ten Anti-Israel Lies” that they plan to distribute to millions of people worldwide.
It’s a multi-million dollar propaganda exercise that they hope will counter what they perceive to be “a worldwide frenzy of intimidation” and “threats” directed against Israel “that has backed its supporters into a corner.”
It’s an exercise that they believe will help to restore normalcy in the relations between the United States and Israel, which many commentators acknowledge are severely strained and tense. They allude to this by admitting that it’s no secret that these ties reflect a new reality and not what they once were.
Apart from being a reaction to the battering that Israel has undergone in the court of public opinion, especially following its horrific violations during the Gaza massacre and since then with the inhumane blockade of Gaza’s occupied people, the new propaganda blitz is also designed to equip Zionist groups with stock responses.
The 10 themes it covers reflect some of the most difficult charges Israel has had to endure and overcome. Though the Wiesenthal PR exercise attempts to rebuff the validity of these varied charges, their responses remain unconvincing.
In an age wherein information has overwhelmed the globe and the ability provided by technology to ordinary people, students, and researchers to not only filter fact from fiction, but also to authenticate news, has made it extremely tough for the Zionist enterprise to continue peddling its lies.more..e-mail
Public Figures Call For Delay In OECD Vote On Israeli Entry
Palestine Monitor: 9 May 2010 – Public figures launched an urgent appeal to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries, which are due to vote on Israel’s accession to the group on Monday. In a Sunday statement, signtories such as 1976 Northern Ireland Nobel Prize for Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire, former South African Special Rapporteur of UN on Palestine John Dugard and former Italian vice-President of the European Parliament Luisa Morgantini, are calling for a delay in the process until Israel fulfills its obligations toward the Palestinians under international law and abides fully with OECD principles and benchmarks. “OECD’s mission includes promotion of world trade and economic development,” the statement said, noting that “Israel allows only 81 items into Gaza, while Palestinians are not allowed to export their produce.” The document said the “inhumane policy defies logic, not to mention basic moral principles, and makes us wonder how an organization like OECD would find…
Apartheid State or a Bi-national State?
Palestine Chronicle: 9 May 2010 – (Editor’s Note: Click here to watch or read Professor John J. Mearsheimer’s – Professor of Political Science and co-director of the Program on International Security Policy, University of Chicago — lecture at the Palestine Center, entitled: ” The Future of Palestine: Righteous Jews vs. the New Afrikaners “.) By Uri Avnery – Israel I admire Prof. John Mearsheimer. His rigorous logic. His lucid presentation. His rare moral courage. I was very honored to host him and his colleague, Prof. Stephen Walt, in Tel Aviv, after their book about the Israel lobby in the US provoked a furor. And I don’t agree with his conclusions. A few days ago, Prof. Mearsheimer delivered an impressive lecture in Washington DC. He presented a profound analysis of the chances of Israel surviving in the long term. Every Israeli who is concerned about the future of his state should grapple with this analysis. The professor…more
American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein
Palestine Chronicle: 9 May 2010 – By Mamoon Alabbasi – London Professor Norman Finkelstein’s admirers are familiar with his views, which they share to one degree or another. His critics are unhappy with the ‘tone’ in which he criticises Israel. As for his foes, they charge ‘anti-Semitic’ and ‘self-hating Jew’ – but backed by little evidence. However, the newly released documentary film American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein sheds much light on the true character of the man who is often found in the middle of controversies. He is seen as controversial because of the issues he raises and the way he raises them. Finally; a documentary that tells us why. From early on in his academic life, he challenged the faulty conventional wisdom regarding the Middle East conflict in the US, by showing Joan Peters’s widely praised best seller, “From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict Over Palestine”, to be not much…more
Sixty Two Years of Israeli Independence
Palestine Chronicle: 9 May 2010 – By Miko Peled I will never forget celebrating Independence Day in Israel as a child. Yom Ha’atzmaut as we call it in Hebrew was a big day. The main event was the military parade in the streets of Jerusalem and as I recall, it began in the main stadium of Hebrew University. We would sit among dignitaries because my father, the late General Matti Peled, was a member of the Israeli army’s to
p brass. Such excitement can hardly be described in words. Patton and Centurion tanks drove by, army units would display their colors and, of course, the Israeli air force would put on an aerial show displaying the F-4 “Phantom” fighter jets acquired from the US. As the most recent Independence Day came and went, I felt dismay. On the one hand, Israel is home to a nation that for centuries was despised, oppressed and nearly exterminated and like…more
Either Way, Zionists Win in Britain’s Confused Election
Palestine Chronicle: 9 May 2010 – By Stuart Littlewood — London The battle of the Israel stooges in Britain’s general election has ended inconclusively in what’s called a ‘hung parliament’ – i.e. no overall winner. We can now expect a few days of horse-trading between David “I’m-a-Zionist” Cameron, Gordon “Me-too” Brown to see which one can form a credible government. But regardless of who finally enters Number 10 Downing Street the real winners will be the Zionists. Either party chief will ensure Israel has a staunch friend who’s faithful to the thuggish regime. Cameron and Brown are both patrons of the Jewish National Fund and have surrounded themselves with lieutenants who are equally supportive of the Zionist entity’s lawless expansion and barbaric conduct. Their loyalty to the British Crown is of course suspect, nevertheless many of them will occupy ministerial or key posts, especially in the Foreign Office and on intelligence, security and defence committees, as…more
The New Dark Age 