News
International Middle East Media Center
Obama To Abbas: “Talks To Focus On Borders, Security”
IMEMC – 11 May 2010 – The White House reported Tuesday that President Barack Obama phoned Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and informed him that the proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinians will focus on final-status issues, mainly borders and security.
New Settlement Neighborhood In Occupied East Jerusalem
IMEMC – 11 May 2010 – The Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud Party, approved the construction of 14 units in Maaleh David outpost, which is a new settlement neighborhood planned to be built in Ras Amoud Palestinian neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
Detainee To Have His Leg Amputated
IMEMC – 11 May 2010 – The Detainees Media Center of the Society for Detainees and Liberated, Husam, reported Wednesday that detainee Nahedh Al Aqra’, 41, will have his left leg amputated in a surgery scheduled for May 30, 2010.
Troops Detain Three From The West Bank
IMEMC – 11 May 2010 – Israeli troops detained on Tuesday three Palestinian civilians during predawn invasions targeting West Bank communities.
Settlers Set Farm Lands On Fire In Northern West Bank
IMEMC – 11 May 2010 – A group of Israeli settlers attacked on Monday evening Palestinian farm lands and set it on fire near the village of Jiet near Qalqilia, northern West Bank.
Settlers Storm Silwan Town In East Jerusalem
IMEMC – 11 May 2010 – Dozens of Israeli settlers and hardliner Jewish supporters marched into the Palestinian town of Silwan on Tuesday in support of a settlement there.
Barak: “Israel Must Present A Peace Plan”
IMEMC – 11 May 2010 – Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, stated that the “deteriorating relations” with the United States should push Israel to come up with a serious initiative for peace with the Palestinians.
Jordan Union To Fight For Boycott
IMEMC – 11 May 2010 – The Professional Associations Complex in Jordan is holding a campaign to ensure that the Jordanian markets do not carry any Israeli products. The campaign, For A Jordan Without Israeli Products, was launched as the Palestinians prepare to mark the 62nd anniversary of the Nakba.
Opinion/Analysis: Israel’s tourism ministry is wiping Palestinians off the map
IMEMC – 11 May 2010 – If Israel supports a two-state solution, it can start by redrawing official maps that ignore internationally recognized borders and major Palestinian towns.
Palestinian Man Deported To Gaza
IMEMC – 11 May 2010 – The Waed Society for Detainees reported that the Israeli Authorities deported a resident of Be’er Sheva to the Gaza Strip after claiming that he had no residency papers.
Confrontations erupt in Silwan amidst rightist MK visit
5/11/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – A delegation of right-wing Israeli Knesset members sparked violence on Tuesday morning, as they toured the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, where an Israeli development plan has slated 88 homes for destruction. The Israeli lawmakers visited the ultra-Orthodox settler home Beit Yonatan built without a permit in the Palestinian neighborhood. Hajj Fakhri Abu….
Fatah: Israel planning mall in East Jerusalem
5/11/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israel is planning to build a shopping mall in East Jerusalem on three dunums of land owned by the Palestinian AuthorityMinistry of Endowments, behind the US Consulate, Fatah Jerusalem Affairs official Hatem Abdul Qader said Tuesday. The land’s trustee was handed down administrative orders, including eviction notices, from the director of the Israel….
Warehouse fire caused extensive damage to Gaza goods, officials say
5/11/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Monday’s fire in an Israeli warehouse storing goods imported by Palestinian merchants in Gaza caused considerable damage to merchandise, Gaza-based officiasl said Tuesday. The blaze in the warehouse in the Mashaf Shofa area along the Israel-Gaza border caused the complete destruction of over 20 containers of goods purchased by Gaza merchants and “will….
First cement home since Gaza war unveiled
5/11/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The de facto government in Gaza “will defeat the siege,” officials said at the opening of a new cement apartment complex in the Jabaliya neighborhood of the northern Strip. The building, constructed out of materials banned from entry by Israel, was only one of several development initiatives the de facto government has planned….
2 Gaza terminals open
5/11/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli authorities opened the Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings into Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning, allowing the delivery oflimited quantities of food and fuel. Palestinian crossings official Raed Fattouh said 92-102 truckloads of goods were expected to be transferred in at the southernmost Karni crossing, composed of humanitarian aid and commercial goods….
African migrants detained at Egypt-Israel border
5/11/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – An African migrant was injured by Egyptian border police on Tuesday and 19 others were detained trying to cross the borders to Israel, officials said. Egyptian security sources said Egyptian police thwarted four separate infiltration attempts south of the Kerem Shalom crossing, adding that all those detained told interrogators they were attempting to….
Egypt says weapons caches discovered
5/11/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egyptian security forces said they discovered weapons and explosives on Monday, hidden in the border city of Rafah, prepared for smuggling into Gaza through tunnels. Security sources told Ma’an that Egyptian forces raided a cemetery in Rafah, 3 kilometers from the Gaza border, and found a weapons cache including anti-tank land mines. A….
Egypt: 3rd weapons cache found in 48 hours
5/11/2010 – Al-Arish- Ma’an – Egyptian State Security discovered a third weapons storehouse within 48 hours on Tuesday, security sources said. Egyptian forces were informed that smugglers were attempting to transfer explosives and weapons to a storehouse in the Sinai peninsula, sources told Ma’an. Forces raided the area south of the Al-Arish port city and discovered 65 anti-aircraft….
PA hopes EU projects will help weather economy
5/11/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an -Palestinian Authority officials expressed concern Monday, that the ongoing
instability of the European economy, most recently exposed by Greece’s turmoil, could affect EU financial support to the government. In light of the trillion-dollar aid package Europe unveiled late that day, Minister of the Economy in the Ramallah-based government Hasan Abu Libda told Ma’an….
EU welcomes talks, urges ‘refrain from provocation’
5/11/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton welcomed proximity talks and stressed that they should “lead as soon as possible to the resumption of direct bilateral negotiations,” in a statement released on Monday night. Speaking on behalf of the EU, Ashton reconfirmed support for US mediation, noting regional peace would have to include Syria….
France donates 5.8 million euros for Nablus medical storage facility
5/11/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – French funding will soon furnish the West Bank with a building equipped to stock six months of medical supplies for the entire population of the area, following the signing of a 5. 8 million euro agreement on Tuesday. Palestinian Authority Minister of Planning Ali Jarbawi andFrench Consul General in Jerusalem Fr?ɬ©d?ɬ©ric….
Hamas explains contents of letters to Obama
5/11/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas officials insisted on Tuesday that letters sent to US President Barack Obama contained nothing but the movement’s officialstance on ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Repeating earlier statements by spokesman Mahmoud Az-Zahhar, de facto government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs undersecretary Ahmad Yousef told Ma’an that the letters detailed Hamas’ stance on the return of….
Argentine rep to PA visits Ma’an
5/11/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Argentina’s representative to the Palestinian Authority payed a visit to Ma’an on Tuesday, during which he spoke of strong Argentine-Palestinian relations. Horacio Wamba toured Ma’an’s Bethlehem headquarters with PA Foreign Affairs general director of Latin American affairs Munjed Saleh, meeting with the news agency’s general director Raed Othman and chairman of the board….
Al-Masri: Progress on talks but hopes not to be raised
5/11/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Unity talks are on track between Fatah and Hamas, with a marked improvement in dialogue, Palestinian businessman and independent politician Munib Al-Masri said Tuesday, following a visit to the Gaza Strip. Al-Masri said Egyptian efforts to mediate a reconciliation deal between the two rival factions remain significant, and that he brought answers from….
Nablus billionaire to propose unity deal in Gaza
5/11/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Palestinian billionaire Munib Al-Masri, who heads the Palestinian National Coalition of independent figures, will arrive in Gaza Tuesday afternoon armed with new suggestions for Fatah-Hamas reconciliation. Ahead of his departure, Al-Masri told Ma’an the coalition’s draft reconciliation plan had already been well-received by representatives of Fatah and Hamas.”We are already receiving congratulations….
Fatah, PFLP, DFLP talk unity in Jerusalem
5/11/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – As independent figures unveiled a new unity plan in Gaza, leaders of the Fatah, and leftist parties held a consultation meeting in Abu Dis on Tuesday afternoon to talk about political harmony. Representing the leftists were senior officials from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Front for the….
PA ministry to deliver financial aid to Gaza families
5/11/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Over a thousand Palestinian families in Gaza living below the poverty line will receive financial assistance from the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Social Affairs beginning Thursday. Minister Majida Al-Masri made the announcement on Tuesday, explaining that families will receive an urgent financial donation of 100 US dollars. The disbursement will be made through….
Nablus journalist loses car over cucumbers
5/11/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Nablus thieves stole Palestinian Multi Media Service Company (Palmedia)’s new car in broad daylight on Monday, as its driver stepped out for a quick errand. Palmedia Director Hasan Titi told Ma’an that he parked the company car on Faysal Street in the eastern district of Nablus “for two minutes, only to buy….
Turkish politician in sex video scandal (NSFW)
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – The leader of Turkey’s main opposition party was forced to step down on Monday in a sex scandal . A video that apparently shows former foreign minister Deniz Baykal engaging in a variety of sexual acts with…
Koch’s surprising proposal
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – Former New York Mayor Ed Koch has an excellent idea for resolving the issue of Jerusalem. Writing at the Huffington Post , Koch draws on his 12 years of experience as mayor to devise a strategy that…
The struggle to learn
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – A Gaza girl combats siege, poverty and occupation to get an education By Omar Ghraieb, special to Palestine Note Gaza – This is the story of Leila*. Leila has secured her place a Gaza University -…
Obama reiterates support for Palestinian state
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – Washington – In a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, US President Barack Obama underscored his support for the peace process and an independent, viable Palestinian state. The Obama Administration has been a strong supporter…
Israel building a mall in E. Jerusalem, Fatah says
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – Washington – Israel is planning to build a shopping mall on land owned by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in East Jerusalem, Fatah Jerusalem Affairs official Hatem Abdul Qader said in a Ma’an News Agency report Tuesday….
Medvedev meets with Hamas, Syrian leaders
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – Washington – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has jumped into the MidEast agenda with both feet. Monday , he met with Israeli President Shimon Peres (who gave him a terse message for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad), and today…
APN: Clinton must hold Israelis, Palestinians accountable
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – Washington – Americ
ans for Peace Now ( APN ) announced in a press release Tuesday that it has sent a letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging her to get tough with the Palestinian Authority (PA)…
Child reportedly dies of tear-gas inhalation
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – Washington – A toddler from the Hebron area is said to have died Sunday of respiratory complications from tear-gas inhalation, Ma’an News Agency reported Monday. Israeli soldiers fire tear gas canisters in an undated picture [Photo:…
Palfest puts local writers ‘on the map’
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – The Palestinian Festival of Literature ( Palfest ) shed light on new writers and old occupation across the West Bank and Jerusalem, The Guardian reported Tuesday. While it is the Palestinian Festival of Literature, next year’s Palfest is…
Turkish PM endorses Gaza aid convoy
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – Washington – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told backers of the Gaza ” Freedom Flotilla ” that he supports them in “break[ing] the oppressive siege on the Gaza Strip,” Ynet News reported Tuesday. Turkish…
Fayyad goes green
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – Washington – Palestinian Authority PM Salam Fayyad vows to plant 10 million saplings at “Green Qalqilya Week,” Ynet News reported Tuesday. Olive trees, like the one above, can be hundreds of years old and are a…
Egypt: Heart disease hits poor hardest
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – Cairo – IRIN – Ayman Mahdi Saleh, 32, started to feel pain in his chest soon after he was diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD). “I started to experience eye blurring, chest pain and dizziness last…
Nablus philanthropist to broker peace with Hamas
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – Munib al-Masri heads to Gaza with fresh ideas for Hamas-Fatah reconciliation Washington – Palestinian philanthropist, entrepreneur, and occasional politician Munib al-Masri will arrive in Gaza this afternoon armed with a new reconciliation plan for Hamas consideration,…
Video: DAM in DC
Palestine Note 11 May 2010 – Washington – CNN International talked to Palestinian hip hop group DAM at their recent Washington, DC performance. A close up of a performer’s shirt (“Gaza Team”) during a DAM show demonstrates the group’s support for Palestinians […
Jerusalem building ‘will continue’
AlJazeera 10 May 2010 – As indirect peace talks get under way, mayor says there will be no settlement freeze.
OECD approves Israel membership bid
AlJazeera 10 May 2010 – Israeli officials hail the vote as a “stamp of approval” for their economy.
Poverty ‘widespread’ in E Jerusalem
AlJazeera 10 May 2010 – Israeli rights group says most Palestinian children in east of city living in poverty.
Iran to allow visit to US detainees
AlJazeera 11 May 2010 – Mothers of jailed Americans will be issued visas for Iran, foreign minister says.
Court acquits Islamic Movement leader of involvement in Temple Mount riots
Ha’aretz – Four months ago, Sheikh Raed Salah was given a nine-month jail sentence for assaulting a policeman in a 2007 East Jerusalem protest.
Israeli scientists prepare for arrival of deadly fungus
Ha’aretz – The Cryptococcus gatti fungus has caused several deaths in the United States and a report in the U.S. linked its source to an Israeli lab.
State Comptroller to slam police appointments in newest report
Ha’aretz – A scathing report on the procedures of police officers’ appointments and promotions is due to be released on Tuesday.
Jerusalem Day / Number of students visiting Jerusalem more than doubles
Ha’aretz – More than 400,000 students visited J’lem from September through January, double the number for the entire school year two years ago.
Ehud Olmert: Proximity talks are not the way to Middle East peace
Ha’aretz – Former PM says real agreement must come with consideration for what the state needs, not what the public wants.
Obama to Abbas: I am committed to creation of Palestinian state
Ha’aretz – U.S. president vows to hold both sides accountable for steps that ‘undermine trust’; Quartet welcomes launch of proximity talks.
Netanyahu: Iran trying to provoke war between Israel and Syria
Ha’aretz – Israel seeks peace and has no intention to attack its neighbors, despite false rumors, the prime minister says.
Medvedev to Hamas: Work quickly for Shalit deal
Ha’aretz – Meshal joins Russian leader at meeting with Assad in Damascus; Russia seeks atomic energy cooperation with Syria., Addressing a conference on air power, Ya’alon said Israel’s experience in carrying out air strikes against militants along its borders could easily be extended to distant sorties in Iran.
Two Israeli Arabs arrested on suspicion of spying, contact with Hezbollah
Ha’aretz – Gag order lifted on news that Omar Said, a member of the Balad movement, and Amir Makhoul, director general of an Arab charity, were detained by the Shin Bet security service.
Peres: Nuclear terror is the world’s greatest threat
Ha’aretz – President receives honorary doctorate in Russia, says that Israel seeks peace with its neighbors.
Palestinian Refugee Message to UK Parliaments
11 May 2010 – Gaza, May 11, (Pal Telegraph – By Hussam Ahmed) Mrs. Mr. UK Parliaments: I cannot describe my feelings, while I am watching your democratic celebration displayed by the media. When I remember our Parliamentarian election in 2006, where your country along with many others refused our election results, I cannot help thinking why you cherish democracy when it is your…
Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian car
11 May 2010 – Bethlehem, May 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli settlers threw stones today at Palestinian car in Taqoua village east of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, no injuries were reported. The car of Abed Al-Menam, a police captain in the Palestinian authority, was stoned by the Israeli settlers from Taqoua settlement while he was driving on the main street which…
Israel detains 3 Palestinians in Hebron and Bethlehem
11 May 2010 – West Bank, May 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces detained yesterday two Palestinians from Dora village in south of the West Bank city of Hebron and another Palestinian today from Hosan village in west of Bethlehem. Israeli force raided the house of the citizen Khalid Hmamrah, searched it and then detained his son Wesam, 20. Israeli occupation forces…
Warnings of clashes if “march of flags” takes place in Jerusalem tomorrow
11 May 2010 – Jerusalem, May 11, (Pal Telegraph) Palestinian, Islamic and national directions in the occupied city of Jerusalem warned today of the seriousness if the implementation of the “March of the flags” took place tomorrow, in the vicinity of Al Aqsa Mosque. Groups of Jewish settlers announced its intention to implement the “march of flags” tomorrow on the occasion of the so-called “…
Israeli Military Order Targets West Bank ‘Infiltrators’
11 May 2010 – World, May 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph,Agencies)—Thousands of Palestinians could be deported under a new and highly controversial order put in place in April by the Israeli army, human rights groups in Israel say. The new rule defines anyone not holding an Israeli-issued permit to reside in the West Bank as an “infiltrator.” Violators could face up to seven years in…
Sheikh Raed Salah found to be “Innocent”
11 May 2010 – Jerusalem, May 11, (Pal Telegraph) The so-called Israeli Magistrate Court assembled today for the final hearing of issuing a verdict against Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic movement inside Palestine accusing him of holding the Syrian flag on the events of 03/07/2007. The proceedings of the Israeli Magistrate’s Court took place today in Jerusalem, during which the court studied…
Israel deports Palestinian from Bair Al-Sabea to Gaza
11 May 2010 – West Bank, May 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation authorities deported Monday Hani Shtiwi from Bair Al-Sabea to the Gaza Strip, Wa’d association for prisoners and the ex-prisoners said. The association added that the deportee entered Gaza via Bait Hanoon (Erez). It sees that the Israeli decision to deport the Palestinians to Gaza as “decision of new Nakba”. It…
75% of Palestinian kids in East Jerusalem live under poverty line
10 May 2010 – Jerusalem, May 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — An Israeli human rights group released a report on Monday saying that almost three-quarters of Palestinian children living in East Jerusalem are poor. Some 95,000 East Jerusalem children (around 74 %) live under the poverty line, compared to about 45 % of children living in Jewish neighborhoods. According to the report, titled Human Rights in…
A day in Jerusalem
Uruknet May 11, 2010 – I always imagined my own version of the book
Israel imposing occupation tactics on its Palestinian citizens
Uruknet May 11, 2010 – Last Thursday, in the early hours of the morning, a Palestinian community leader’s home was raided by Israeli security forces. In front of his family, the wanted man was hauled off to detention without access to a lawyer, while his home and offices were ransacked and property confiscated. While this sounds like an all-too typical occurrence…
Settlers Set Farm Lands On Fire In Northern West Bank
Uruknet May 11, 2010 – A group of Israeli settlers attacked on Monday evening Palestinian farm lands and set it on fire near the village of Jiet near Qalqilia, northern West Bank. Villages said that settlers came from the nearby illegal settlement of Jifoun. Farmers said the settlers attack took place after the military confiscated a bulldozer owned by the settlers…
How do we tackle the alternative homeland conspiracy?
Uruknet May 10, 2010 – Has the Palestinian cause been turned into a project to protect the Palestinian Authority, no matter what the cost? I only ask because it is hard to conceal both shock and fury at the reactions of the Arab states, including the Palestinian Authority, to the Israeli military order through which up to 70,000 Palestinians stand to…
Infant Dies After Inhaling Gas Fired By Israeli Army In Hebron
Uruknet May 10, 2010 – Palestinian medical sources in Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, reported Sunday that an infant died due to inhaling gas fired by the army at protestors in the nearby Beit Ummar town. The infant was identified as Hamza Samar Abu Maria, 18 months. The sources stated that the soldiers fired on Friday evening…
HOW CAN ISRAEL GET RID OF ARABS NOT LIVING IN THE WEST BANK?
Uruknet May 10, 2010 – The new Military Order of the IDF deals only with the deportation of Palestinians from the West Bank. Just how is Israel to ‘deal’ with those Palestinians living ‘on the other side’ of the wall? the case of Amir Makhoul, chairman of the Popular Committee for the Defense of Political Freedoms, it started with harassment, then…
West Bank Weekly Protest – VIDEO ROUND UP
Uruknet May 10, 2010 – Up and down the West Bank non-violent protests
took place during the last weekend. Here’s a video round-up of what happened.
Arrested US hikers seen as Iranian bargaining chips
The National 11 May 2010 – Tehran links Americans’ fate to jailed Iranians as move raises speculation that the prisoners are being used as pawns in the nuclear plans.
AIC Hosts Meetings about World Education Forum in Palestine
Alternative Information Center – The Alternative Information Center (AIC) in Beit Sahour hosted two meetings on Tuesday May 4 concerning the World Education Forum (WEF) in Palestine, to be held in October 2010. A skype meeting was conducted…
A Dark Time in Israel
Alternative Information Center – Israeli political culture is changing. It is difficult, in a state that routinely and systematically violates human rights and international law, to pinpoint a time in which things go from bad to worse, and it can…
Troops Arrest Three From The West Bank, Settlers Attack Cars With Paint Bombs
PNN – Bethlehem – Pnn- Israeli troops arrested on Tuesday three Palestinian civilians during predawn invasions targeting West Bank communities. Palestinian sources reported homes raids and invasions at the cities of Hebron and Bethlehem,…
Arab Countries To Boycott Mediterranean Summit
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura — PNN- A number of Arab countries leaders said that they will not attend the Mediterranean Summit in Spain in June if the Israeli Forging Minister Lieberman joins the Israeli…
Military Exercises Damage Lands In The Jordan Valley
PNN – Bethlehem – PNN – The Israeli military started on Monday night a military exercise near Palestinian villagers in the Jordan valley, farmers say military shells damaged vast area of lands. The farmers…
Settlers storm Silwan Town in East Jerusalem, Tension remains High
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura — PNN – Dozens of Israeli settlers and hardliner Jewish supporters marched into the Palestinian town of Silwan on Tuesday in support of a settlement there. Israeli troops closed off…
Made in Palestine: Cars Work On Compressed Air
PNN – Hiba Lama — PNN Exclusive – Imagine that your car will be running of compressed air instead of gas, that is exactly what Immad Hasuna, a Palestinian mechanic have done. Hasuna, 26…
Opinion: Election latest – Zionists hold UK
PNN – By R Ellis – As this article is being written it is still not clear what shade of government will take office in the UK. For the first time since 1974 no…
Medvedev to Mashaal: Free Schalit
Jeruslalem Post 12 May 2010 – Russian president meets Hamas leader, Assad in Damascus.
43rd Jerusalem Day kicks off in capital
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – The capital is Israel’s most populous, densest city.
Obama: Move to direct talks ASAP
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – US president calls Abbas, urges “serious” negotiations with Israel.
Jerusalem first
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – We need to put all our efforts into building in this city.
Clarity on Jerusalem Day
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – Netanyahu’s government needs to formulate a clear policy on east Jerusalem and make sure that his coalition members, Jerusalem’s mayor and other officials understand and follow it.
‘Iran trying to start Israel-Syria war’
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – On northern tour, PM says Teheran spreading lies to up tensions.
‘Iran trying to stir up Israel-Syria war’
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – On northern tour, PM says Teheran spreading lies to up tensions.
Brazil and Turkey offer Iran nuclear fuel deal
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – Iran seeks to avoid sanctions, claims Turkey and Brazil have brokered deal
‘Palestine existed in Syria, Turkey’
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – New finds from dig shed light on 11th, 12th Century BC dynasty.
Assad, Medvedev discuss peace process
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – Syrian president stresses that stolen property must be returned.
Barak: no threat to Dimona
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – During US visit Defense Minister saw no change in US policy regarding Israeli reactor
Crisis between Israel, Russia averted
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – Arkia plane denied permission to fly back to Tel Aviv.
Medvedev in Syria to speak about ME peace
Jeruslalem Post 11 May 2010 – Russian president expected to hand Assad a message from Israel.
Israel’s Tourism Ministry is Wiping Palestinians off the Map
WAFA – TEL AVIV, May 11, 2010(WAFA)- “Israel’s tourism ministry is wiping Palestinians off the map” Daoud Kuttab wrote in Haaretz, today, If Israel supports a two-state solution, it can start by redrawing
France Funds Palestinian Central Medical Store Project by € 5.8 Million
WAFA – RAMALLAH, May 11, 2010(WAFA)- The French Consul General in Jerusalem, Fr?©d?©ric Desagneaux signed to finance agreement of ‚Ǩ 5.8 million for a Central Medical Store project had been with the
France Grants € 15000 to PNGO
WAFA – RAMALLAH, May 11, 2010 ( WAFA)- The French Consul General in Jerusalem, Fr?©d?©ric Desagneaux, handed over a check of 15000 Euros, to the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO), at
Quartet Welcome First Round of Proximity Talks
WAFA – NEW YORK, May 11, 2010 (WAFA)- The Middle East Quartet (United Nations, European Union, Russian Federation, and the United States) welcomed the first round of proximity talks between Israelis and
S&D Group, Fatah Sign Partnership Agreement (Agreement Text Included)
WAFA – BRUSSLES, May 11, 2010 (WAFA)-Dr. Nabil Shaath of the Palestine National Liberation Movement Fatah and Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats (S&D) leader Martin
Presidents Abbas, Obama Agree to Focus on All Final Status Issues
WAFA – AMMAN, May 11, 2010 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas received, today, a phone call from U.S President Barack Obama, in which he affirmed the U.S Administration’s commitment to making Senator George
Israel seeks to silence dissent | Ben White
The Guardian 11 May 2010 – Repressive practices long used in the West Bank and Gaza are now being used to limit civil liberties within Israel Last Thursday, in the early hours of the morning, a Palestinian community leader’s home was raided…
The Palfest book festival puts Palestinian writers on the map
The Guardian 11 May 2010 – Now in its third year, Palfest overcomes the restrictions on movement in the West Bank by sending its writers themselves on tour — and, in the process, gives Palestinians a voice When it comes to literary…
Constructive student dialogue on the Middle East
The Guardian 11 May 2010 – The interfaith work I am involved with at my university is helping to push for peace and coexistence — others should follow suit The “campus conflict” over the problems in the Middle East has been going…
George Galloway is no Michael Moore – he’s the next Demi Moore | Stuart Heritage
The Guardian 11 May 2010 – Ex-MP George Galloway is flying to the US hoping to meet Hollywood producers who will back him to make a documentary about Palestinians in Gaza. But he’d be wasting his talents One of the only absolutes…
OPT: Statement by Middle East Quartet, 11 May 2010
Relief Web 11 May 2010 – Source: Middle East Quartet
Israel hedges on timeframe for Jerusalem projects
Relief Web 10 May 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
Medvedev to Hamas’ Mashaal: Free Shalit
YNet News – During Damascus meeting, Russian president urges Islamist group to ‘resolve….
Egypt extends emergency law despite protests
YNet News – Law giving police broad powers of arrest, indefinite detention without charge….
Netanyahu: Iran inciting to war with lies
YNet News – Prime minister tours Northern Command with IDF chief of staff, accuses Tehran of….
Erdogan backs sail to Gaza
YNet News – Turkish leader tells organizers he supports efforts to ‘break oppressive siege….
Fayyad: We’ll plant 10 million saplings
YNet News – Opening ‘Green Qalqilya Week’, Palestinian prime minister tells crowd of….
Assad: Peace process in danger
YNet News – In joint press conference with Russian counterpart, Syrian President Assad warns….
Dershowitz: Jews initiate legal terror against Israel
YNet News – Addressing Israel’s deteriorating image, prominent American lawyer accuses….
US official cites setbacks for Iran’s nuke program
YNet News – President Barack Obama’s top nuclear adviser said Tuesday that setbacks in Iran’s uranium enrichment program have significantly delayed its progress toward building a …….
Obama asks Abbas to prevent anti-Israel incitement
YNet News – WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama Tuesday asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to prevent anti-Israeli incitement during indirect peace talks and said he would …….
Vanunu refuses community service in west J’lem, sent to jail
YNet News – The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Mordechai Vanunu, found guilty of divulging State nuclear secrets to the British press, will serve a three-month jail sentence …….
Pakistani ambassador to Iran assaulted in Tehran
YNet News – Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran was assaulted in the parking lot of a sauna in northern Tehran on Tuesday, and authorities were questioning the Afghan assailant, the …….
Olmert speaks out against proximity talks
YNet News – While under investigation over his alleged involvement in the Holyland affair, Former Prime Minster Ehud Olmert on Tuesday questioned the effectiveness of proximity talks …….
Medvedev urges US action in ‘very bad’ Mideast situation
Daily Star 11 May 2010 DAMASCUS: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called in Syria on Tuesday for a more active US role in the Middle East peace process, saying the situation in the region was “very bad” and risked worsening further. Medvedev…
Egypt extends emergency law despite protests
Daily Star 11 May 2010 CAIRO: Egypt’s g
overnment on Tuesday extended the country’s controversial emergency law for another two years, saying it would limit its use, a promise dismissed by human-rights activists who warned the law would continue to be used…
Bahrain arrests man suspected of links to Kuwait spy cell
Daily Star 11 May 2010 MANAMA: Bahraini authorities have arrested one of its nationals suspected of having links with an alleged spy cell busted in Kuwait and said to be working for Iran. The man’s name appeared in Kuwait’s investigation of…
Iran’s nuclear chief could meet EU’s Ashton in Ankara
Daily Star 11 May 2010 TEHRAN: Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili could hold talks with European Union Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton in Turkey, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. “Ms Ashton had requested a meeting several times….
Israel sees no discord with US on atomic issue
Daily Star 11 May 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel voiced confidence on Tuesday that US President Barack Obama would not challenge its long-standing policy of neither confirming nor denying it has nuclear weapons. Asked whether Israel was losing US support for its…
Mideast talks ‘significant step’ – Quartet
Daily Star 11 May 2010 BRUSSELS/RIYADH: The Middle East Quartet – EU, US, Russia and the UN – on Tuesday welcomed the start of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians as “a significant step” toward a comprehensive peace, while leaders…
Iraqi forces ‘negligent’ after attacks kill 110
Daily Star 11 May 2010 BAGHDAD: Iraqi security forces faced charges of negligence on Tuesday after a devastating series of attacks blamed on Al-Qaeda killed 110 people a day earlier in the country’s bloodiest violence this year. Around five dozen bombings…
Palestinian Information Center
Barhoum: Accepting Israel at OECD legitimizes settlement
PIC 11 May 2010 – Fawzi Barhoum a Hamas spokesman, described the acceptance of Israel as full member in the OECD as an endorsement of the judaization policy and a legitimization of settlement activity.
Hamdan: Our messages to the USA clarify our positions
PIC 11 May 2010 – Osama Hamdan has affirmed that his movement was concerned with clarifying its views regarding the conflict with the “Zionist enemy” before regional and international concerned parties.
Abu Zuhri: Netanyahu’s statement proves deceitfulness of Ramallah authority
PIC 11 May 2010 – Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that there were no guarantees to freeze settlement building in Jerusalem was a practical response to the claims by the Ramallah authority, Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri said.
IOA renews administrative detention of lecturer for 7th time
PIC 11 May 2010 – The Israeli occupation authority’s intelligence renewed the administrative detention, without charge or trial, of Palestinian university lecturer Ghassan Dhukan for the 7th consecutive time.
Jordanians launch Israeli boycott campaign
PIC 11 May 2010 – The Jordanian trade unions announced on Monday the launch of an extensive campaign to boycott all Israeli goods and products to coincide with the 62nd anniversary of the Nakba (catastrophe).
Palestinians of 1948 protest Israeli arbitrary practices against them
PIC 11 May 2010 – Hundreds of Palestinians in the 1948 occupied lands participated in a protest in Haifa city to condemn the political arrests and the arbitrary actions taking place against Arab national figures.
Jewish settlers set Palestinian homes ablaze in J’lem
PIC 11 May 2010 – Dozens of savage Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian homes in Al-Qurmi neighborhood in the Old City of Jerusalem which led to the outbreak of clashes between the residents and the assailants.
Sheikh Al-Azhar: Visiting J’lem now confers legitimacy on the occupation state
PIC 11 May 2010 – Sheikh Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb reiterated his rejection to visit Jerusalem at the present time, saying such an act means recognizing the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation.
IOA extends solitary confinement of Saadat, Salama for six months
PIC 11 May 2010 – The Beer Sheba court renewed the solitary confinement of Ahmed Saadat, the secretary general of the PFLP, and Hasan Salama, a commander of the Qassam Brigades, for six more months.
Bardawil warns PA of making compromises on J’lem and refugees
PIC 11 May 2010 – Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil called on the Palestinian Authority to stop its frivolous negotiations with Israel and warned it of making any concessions on Jerusalem and the right of return.
Russian President in Landmark Visit to Damascus
The Media Line 10 May 2010 – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has paid a landmark to Syria, the first ever by a Russian head of stat
e. Meeting in Damascus, Medvedev promised his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad to increase bilateral cooperation and to sell…
Two Israeli Arabs Arrested for Allegedly Spying for Hizbullah
The Media Line 10 May 2010 – Two Israeli Arabs, who presumably have virtually no access to secret information, have been arrest on charges of spying for Hizbullah. The Israel Security Agency told The Media Line that the two men, both prominent Arab…
Egypt extends emergency rule
LA Times 12 May 2010 – Parliament extends the 29-year-old system of police powers, though it insists it is now limited to terrorism and drug cases. Dissidents and human rights groups say it will still target the opposition. Egypt’s parliament Tuesday extended the nation’s emergency law, limiting its scope but drawing condemnation from dissidents and human rights groups who say the legislation will not stop police from arresting opposition leaders and democracy activists.
Iran Denies Families Bodies of Executed Kurds
New York Times 11 May 2010 – The government’s refusal to hand over the bodies to the families appears to stem from a fear of antigovernment demonstrations during burial ceremonies in Kurdish areas.
Iran Sentences Newsweek Reporter in Absentia to 13 Years in Prison
New York Times 11 May 2010 – Maziar Behar was sentenced to an extended flogging and more than 13 years in prison for counter-revolutionary acts.
AIC Hosts Meetings about World Education Forum in Palestine
Alternative Information Center 3 – The Alternative Information Center (AIC) in Beit Sahour hosted two meetings on Tuesday May 4 concerning the World Education Forum (WEF) in Palestine, to be held in October 2010. A skype meeting was conducted…
Bds Action Against Israeli Pharmaceutical Company At Cosmofarma Expo in Italy
Palestine Monitor – On Saturday, May 8 a protest organized by the “Rome Palestinian Solidarity Network”(comprised of numerous associations and committees who stand with the Palestinian struggle for freedom) was held at the entrance to Rome’s exhibition center during COSMOFARMA, a pharmaceuticals expo attended by thousands of health professionals….
Wrong Side Of The Wall
Palestine Monitor – Every day, hundreds of Palestinians from the West Bank enter Israel illegally. Their goal is to work, since Palestinians without permits are not allowed to work in Israel. Once they are inside, they lead lives of considerable precarity and danger, often sleeping in the open air…
Palestinian Civil Society Slams OECD Over Israel’s Accession
Palestine Monitor – Occupied Palestine — Palestinian civil society represented by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), a wide coalition of the largest Palestinian mass organizations and trade unions, issued a strong condemnation of OECD’s decision yesterday to welcome Israel as a member of the organization at…
A Dark Time in Israel
Alternative Information Center 1 – Israeli political culture is changing. It is difficult, in a state that routinely and systematically violates human rights and international law, to pinpoint a time in which things go from bad to worse, and it can certainly be argued that Israel had other dark periods in…
Who put charming the Israeli public at the top of Prez’s To-do list?
Mondoweiss – Remember when Obama went off to have dinner with his kids and left Bibi to chill in the Roosevelt Room til he came up with an alternative to “Jerusalem is not a settlement” during the AIPAC fiasco? The Israeli press reported that when Bibi got home…
Candidate Obama was for diplomatic engagement. President Obama spurns Hamas outreach
Mondoweiss – Remember when Barack Obama sparred with Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary race over engaging with countries considered hostile to the United States? This is from a CNN report about a July 2007 debate during the primaries: The question was a simple one but it elicited…
Has he no shame?
Mondoweiss – The good news is that the Goldstone Report is having incredible impact, it won’t go away… After apologizing for calling Richard Goldstone a moser , meaning a Jew who informs on other Jews, Alan Dershowitz has now likened the great judge to Dr. Josef Mengele, the Nazi…
Stop gaywashing the occupation
Mondoweiss – Palestinian gay-rights activist Haneen Maikey, in the great Haaretz (thanks to Angry Arab and Seham), explains the moral order of civilization: “It¬¥s really pathetic that the Israeli state has nothing besides gay rights to promote their liberal image,” says Maikey. …a Palestinian citizen of Israel… a…
Atwood and Ghosh shrug off BDS, saying the sword is mightier than the pen
Mondoweiss – Novelists Margaret Atwood and Amitav Ghosh accepted a prize at Tel Aviv University lately and issued a statement rejecting the calls on them not to do so, including from Palestinian students. At Pulse, Robin Yassin-Kassab goes after them. Ouch. Not only did Atwood and Ghosh choose…
Articles
New weapons experimented in Gaza: population risks genetic mutations
Newweapons Committee5/11/2010
Toxic and carcinogenic metals, able to produce genetic mutations, have been found in the tissues of people wounded in Gaza during Israeli military operations of 2006 and 2009. The research has been carried out on wounds provoked by weapons that did not leave fragments in the bodies of the victims, a peculiarity that was pointed out repeatedly by doctors in Gaza. This shows that experimental weapons, whose effects are still to be assessed, were used.
The researchers compared the quantity of 32 elements present in the tissues through ICP/MS (a type of highly sensitive mass spectrometry) . The job, carried out by laboratories of Sapienza University of Rome (Italy), Chalmer University (Sweden) an
d Beirut University (Lebanon), was coordinated by the New Weapons Research Group (Nwrg), an independent committee of scientists and experts based in Italy, who is studying the use of unconventional weapons and their mid-term effects on the population of after-war areas. The relevant presence of toxic and carcinogenic metals found in the wound tissues points to direct risks for survivors, but also to the possibility of environmental contamination.
Biopsies of tissues were performed by doctors of Shifa hospital, in Gaza city, who selected and classified the type of wounds. Research was conducted on 16 tissue samples belonging to 13 victims. Four biopsies were taken in June 2006, during the operation “Summer Rains”, while the others were taken in the first week of January 2009, during the operation “Cast Lead”. All tissues were appropriately preserved and then examined by each of the three universities.
Some of the elements found are carcinogenic (mercury, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, nickel and uranium), others are potentially carcinogenic (cobalt and vanadium), others are also fetotoxic (alluminium, copper, barium, lead and manganese). The first ones can produce genetic mutations; the second ones can have the same effect on animals, but they are not proven to do the same on people; the third ones have toxic effects on people ad can affect either the embryo or the foetus in pregnant women…. — See also:Metals detected in Palestinian children’s hair suggest environmental contaminationandGaza Strip, soil has been contaminated due to bombings: population in dangermore..e-mail
Bending the Rules for Israel
Nadia Hijab, CounterPunch5/11/2010
Welcome to the Club
Israel’s inexorable accession to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development country club — is set to be confirmed this month barring last-minute hitches. Although several OECD members have doubts about Israel’s qualifications both on technical grounds and lack of shared values, no state has dared publicly oppose.
Instead, public opposition has been left to a loose and unusual network of Palestinian and Jewish organizations that have been hard at work lobbying European countries, Turkey, the United States, and other members. It has also provided a rare point for common action between Palestinian official and civil society organizations.
The “technical issues” that worried the OECD include corruption, particularly in the arms industry; intellectual property rights, particularly in the drugs industry; and the occupation.
More specifically about the occupation, Israel included data covering its illegal settlements and annexed territories in its economic report, according to a leaked OECD document cited by 18 Irish parliamentarians who called on their government to oppose Israel’s membership. The OECD has apparently resolved this issue by inserting a disclaimer. It will use Israeli data without prejudice to the status of the occupied territories, as Avi Shlaim and Simon Mohun wrote in their Guardian comment calling for OECD conditions on Israeli membership.
However, prominent legal experts have raised serious problems regarding state obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention if OECD member states pursue this planned course of action. And this may still throw up a last-minute hurdle.more..e-mail
The Last Democratic Primary Worth Watching
Jeffrey Blankfort, CounterPunch5/10/2010
Harman vs. Winograd
What may be the last Democratic primary race worth paying attention to is taking place in the 36th Congressional District along the Southern California coastline where incumbent Jane Harman is facing a serious challenge from Los Angeles school teacher, Marcy Winograd, with the candidates’ widely separated positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict dominating a critical section of the political landscape.
Harman is the second richest member of the House of Representatives with estimated assets between $112 and $377 million dollars. Whether it was her money or her Israeli connections that kept the Southern California Democrat from being indicted as a foreign agent five years ago or a combination of both is something the public is never likely to know.
What is clear is that the Bush administration’s Attorney General Alberto Gonzales neither investigated nor indicted the eight-term congresswoman after she was recorded on a National Security Agency wiretap in 2005 speaking to someone identified as an Israeli agent in which she reportedly agreed to intervene with the Justice Dept. on behalf of two top AIPAC officials, Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman, who were then under indictment for passing classified information to Israel in an FBI-initiated “sting.
Whether or not that phone call will come back to haunt her and be a factor in Harman’s heated race against Winograd, a strong critic of Israel and outspoken advocate for the Palestinians, won’t be known until June 8th, the date of the California primaries, but Harman is clearly running scared.
According to an expose of the wiretapping incident in Congressional Quarterly, in April, 2009, she signed off the conversation with the Israeli agent saying, “This conversation doesn’t exist.”….more..e-mail
Israel imposing occupation tactics on its Palestinian citizens
Electronic Intifada: 11 May 2010 – Several examples, including the arrests of Ameer Makhoul and Omar Said, now point to an uncomfortable reality for the self-proclaimed “only democracy in the Middle East”: practices that have long been routine in the military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza are being used in Israel to suppress dissent and limit civil liberties. The green line is increasingly blurry. Ben White comments.
A day in Jerusalem
Electronic Intifada: 11 May 2010 – Jerusalem is only an hour and a half drive away from where I live in Gaza City. I grew up contemplating the moment I would see Jerusalem, but that day wouldn’t come until I graduated from the American University in Cairo and was promised by my parents that they might be able to make the necessary arrangements (an Israeli-issued permit) for me to visit the holy city. Yasmeen El Khoudary writes from the occupied Gaza Strip.
Israeli settlers attack Palestinian mosques
Electronic Intifada: 11 May 2010 – LUBBAN AL-SHARQIYA, occupied West Bank (IPS) – “There is immense anger as well as a feeling of vulnerability and fear when a place of sanctuary and holiness is subject to indiscriminate violence,” sa
ys Issa Hussein. “Despite living under a brutal military occupation and being subjected to regular attacks by Israeli settlers for decades, normally places of worship were spared.”
Bds Action Against Israeli Pharmaceutical Company At Cosmofarma Expo in Italy
Palestine Monitor: 11 May 2010 – On Saturday, May 8 a protest organized by the “Rome Palestinian Solidarity Network”(comprised of numerous associations and committees who stand with the Palestinian struggle for freedom) was held at the entrance to Rome’s exhibition center during COSMOFARMA, a pharmaceuticals expo attended by thousands of health professionals. The Rome Palestinian Solidarity Network, which endorses the international campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) on the Israeli economy, aimed at raising awareness of the BDS campaign, calling on physicians, pharmacists and health workers not to purchase or prescribe products from the Israeli pharmaceutical company TEVA, the leading global manufacturer of generic drugs, or from L’Oreal, which through its substantial investments in Israel is helping to strengthen the Israeli war economy. It is this economy, as denounced by the activists present at the Expo with Palestinian flags, banners and flyers, which continues to enrich itself through the occupation policies of the West Bank,…
Wrong Side Of The Wall
Palestine Monitor: 11 May 2010 – Every day, hundreds of Palestinians from the West Bank enter Israel illegally. Their goal is to work, since Palestinians without permits are not allowed to work in Israel. Once they are inside, they lead lives of considerable precarity and danger, often sleeping in the open air and continually having to evading capture. In addition, they give fuel to a deep-rooted Israeli fear of Palestinian infiltration. The exact number of illegal workers within Israel varies according to the source of the statistics. Figures from Shin Bet, the Israeli Security Agency, put the number at 20,000. A Charles Enderlin report for France 2 in December 2009 estimated that the true number is around double that. Trade union figures used by workers’ association Kav LaOved estimate the number to be around 10,000. But by its very nature this is information that is impossible to ascertain, and some experts therefore suggest that the number…
Palestinian Civil Society Slams OECD Over Israel’s Accession
Palestine Monitor: 11 May 2010 – Occupied Palestine — Palestinian civil society represented by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), a wide coalition of the largest Palestinian mass organizations and trade unions, issued a strong condemnation of OECD’s decision yesterday to welcome Israel as a member of the organization at its ministerial meeting to take place on May 27-28. A BNC spokesperson commented,” By accepting Israel, OECD member countries show a blatant complicity with Israeli war crimes, destroying the very foundations of international law. Rewarding Israel entrenches its impunity and dashes any realistic hope for achieving a just peace in the region.” The OECD’s decision is the culmination of a process that began in 2007 whereby Israel had to pass a number of technical tests and implement reforms to be eligible for accession. According to the “Road Map for the accession of Israel to the OECD Convention”, it was required to demonstrate commitment to…
Israel Negotiates Only to Extort Concessions
Palestine Chronicle: 11 May 2010 – By Hasan Afif El-Hasan Palestinians, let down by the betrayed promises of peace, are at a loss on how to achieve liberation without using violence against the tyranny of a state that has been subjecting them to violence, repression and racism. Since they refuse to buy into the Zionists narrative, the Palestinians view the Zionist enterprise in many forms but none suggests it was a peaceful movement. The Zionist project to colonize Palestine is just another European colonialist expedition whose white settlers used the power imbalance to overwhelm the indigenous population, carried out the ethnic cleansing of North and South America, Africa, New Zealand and Australia, and routinely committed unspeakable crimes. Israel has committed crimes against the Palestinians, casting aside all the principles enshrined in the international laws and with help from the West successfully evaded justice and probably would never be brought to pay for what it has done….more
Howard Berman: Lead Singer for Israel-is-always-right Chorus
Palestine Chronicle: 11 May 2010 – By William James Martin On January 26, Israeli’s Ha’aretz reported that US Congressman and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee: “Howard Berman, the influential California congressman and staunch Israel ally, praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for making ‘difficult decisions’ since returning to office.” “‘Prime Minister Netanyahu and his colleagues are the ones who have taken the difficult decisions, and for this they deserve more credit than they get,’ Berman said of the premier, whom the Palestinians blame for derailing peace talks. ‘I believe [Netanyahu] well understands intellectually what peace requires, and he wants to be a peacemaker.'” Of course, Mr. Berman does not tell us exactly what “difficult decisions” the Prime Minister has made, nor why anyone should believe Netanyahu “wants to be a peacemaker”, except for a peace made that leaves the Palestinians totally subjugated, expelled from Jerusalem, living in ghettoized disconnected Bantustans with Israel in control of…more
Zionists and UK Elections
Palestine Chronicle: 11 May 2010 – By R. Ellis — The West Bank As this article is being written it is still not clear what shade of government will take office in the UK. For the first time since 1974 no party has a clear majority in the House of Commons – the main legislative body. Four days of behind -the-scenes talks between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have yet to produce a deal. After the most exciting election in years an exhausted public waits anxiously to know its fate. But following the drama of the last few days from afar, in occupied Palestine, has in truth been the usual disappointment. Debate on Israel/Palestine has once again been conspicuous by its absence. No mention of Israel’s continuing illegal occupation, of its flouting of international law, of its flagrant breaches of human rights, of its never-ending theft of Palestinian land. Not a word about how British…more
The Invention of the Jewish People — Book Review
Palestine Chronicle: 11 May 2010 – By Jim Miles The Invention of the Jewish People. Shlomo Sand. Verso, New York, 2009. Historians living within their own nations develop within the mythology peculiar to their nation, in which “various spheres of memory coalesced into an imagined universe representing the past.” The historian is a combination of his own personal experiences and the larger societal “instilled memories.” Recognizing that, Shlomo Sand very capably steps away from the created mythology of Israel, of the national myth of the wandering people for two thousand years before finding home again, in a land that belonged only to tha
t people even though others had lived there during the same two thousand years. The Invention of the Jewish People is his groundbreaking historical study of the nature of the Jewish “nation” and its created mythologies. This powerful and provocative work is broadly divided into five main sections of critique. Sand first examines the…more
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The New Dark Age 