154.000 Palestinians OF Jerusalem Isolated From The City / Israel Obstructs Entry Of Medicine, Medical Equipment To Gaza / House okays $200m in Israel arms aid / Israeli settlers attack old Palestinian woman and her grandson / Gaza Cancer Patient Dies Due to the Siege / Persecution of Palestinian citizens recalls S. Africa apartheid repression
News
International Middle East Media Center
154.000 Palestinians OF Jerusalem Isolated From The City
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – The Al Quds International Institution reported that the Israeli Authorities are ongoing with the construction of the Annexation Wall and Jewish settlements leading to the isolation of more than 154.000 Palestinians of the Jerusalem area from the city itself.
Israel Obstructs Entry Of Medicine, Medical Equipment To Gaza
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – Despite Israeli guarantees to the International Community, the Israeli Authorities are still obstructing the entry of medicine and medical equipment to the besieged Gaza Strip. The last time medicine was allowed into Gaza was mid October 2009.
Hamas’ Security Forces Arrest Senior Fateh Leader
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – The Security Forces of the dissolved government of Hamas in the Gaza Strip arrested on Wednesday Dr. Osama Al Farra, member of the Revolutionary Council on Fateh movement, headed by Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel: “Homemade Shell Hits Western Negev”
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – Israeli security sources reported Wednesday that a homemade shell was fired from the Gaza Strip and landed in an open area in the Western Negev.
Palestinian Boy Injured By An Israeli Bomb In Gaza
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – A Palestinian boy was injured on Tuesday night after a bomb left by the Israeli military exploded near him in Khan Younis City, southern Gaza Strip.
Israeli Troops Detain Women And Children In Northern West Bank
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – Six women and their children from the village of Araba, northern West Bank, were detained by Israeli troops on Tuesday evening.
Israeli Tanks Invade Northern Gaza Strip Farm Lands
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – Israeli tanks and bulldozers invaded farm lands, Wednesday morning, that belong to farmers from Beit Lahiya town in the northern part of the Gaza strip.
Israeli Settler Attack A Palestinian Old Woman And Her Grandson In Jerusalem
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – An Israeli settler attacked a Palestinian old woman and her grandson, on Wednesday, in Beit Safafa neighborhood of east Jerusalem.
PA Willing To Have NATO Forces In Future State
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – London based Al-Quds al-Arabi are reporting that Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, is willing to have NATO forces stationed in a future Palestinian state, and intends on informing Special US envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, of this in their Wednesday afternoon meeting in Ramallah.
Silicon Valley Science Prize Awarded to Palestinian School Girls From Nablus
IMEMC – 19 May 2010 – Three school girls from Nablus have been awarded first prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Silicon Valley, California. Their winning entry was a walking cane for the blind, inspired by their relatives struggles with the changing terrain in Aksa Refugee Camp.
Protests against no-go zone dispersed by live fire
5/19/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza residents and international activists marched toward the agricultural areas in Israel’s unilaterally-imposed no-go zone northwest of Beit Lahiya on Tuesday, and were repelled with live fire. Popular Resistance Campaign coordinator Mahmud Az-Ziq called on all the Palestinians to take part in the peaceful marches against the buffer area, which acted as a mechanism to confiscate thousands…. Related:Gaza no-go zone rally dispersed by Israeli fire
Official: Israeli forces destroy pipelines in Hebron village
5/19/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli army bulldozers reportedly destroyed several water pipes as they attempted to block the main road from the Adh-Dhahiriya village to Hebron on Wednesday, effectively cutting off the village’s water supply, an official said. A representative from the Palestinian Authority Water Authority, Nabil Abu Aqel, said the bulldozers were in the process installing….
All Gaza crossings sealed
5/19/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israel sealed off all goods crossings into Gaza on Wednesday as it marks the Jewish festival of Shavuot. The two crossings, Kerem Shalom to the south, and Karni to the north, will be reopened on Thursday as the holiday comes to an end, Raed Fattouh, a Palestinian liaison official, told Ma’an. Gaza’s Sufa….
20 families displaced in Gaza gov’t home demolitions
5/19/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The de facto government began carrying out home demolitions in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Sunday, which has left up to 20 families displaced since, the Palestine Center for Human Rights (PCHR) wrote. The Gaza government told the rights organization that the homes were either built without the required permits or on public land, with police assisting in the demolitions’ process…. Related:PCHR
Fatah official released after 7 years in Israel custody
5/19/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Israel released a member of the Fatah movement on Tuesday afternoon, after serving seven years in Israel’s Negev prison. Mazen Hasan Ad-Danik, 28, was received by friends and family upon his return to Nablus. In January, Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqe called on Israel to shut down the Negev prison camp, in….
2 detainees mark over 21 years in Israeli jails
5/19/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Two Palestinian detainees marked over 21 years in Israeli prisons, the Detainees’ Society said Wednesday. Head of the society’s Nablus branch, Raed Amer, said the two men were from Nablus’ Old City and were detained on 6 March 1989. Amer said both men were in need of medical treatment, with one beginning to….
Imminent threat prompts calls for Friday rally
5/19/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Fatah’s Jerusalem Affairs official Hatem Abdul Qader called on Jerusalemites to attend Friday prayers at the Al-Bustan protest tent in occupied East Jerusalem’s Silwan neighborhood. The prayers, and Jerusalemite presence will double as a protest against the renewed threats to demolish at least 88 homes in the Al-Bustan community, Abdul Qader said. On….
Hamas leader in Nablus arrested by PA, witness says
5/19/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – A witness who preferred to remain unnamed reported the detention of a Nablus-based Hamas leader from outside his home on Wednesday evening. The witness said Dr Muhammad Ghazal, a 56 year old Hamas politburo member living in Nablus city’s Blibous area, was detained when he exited his home by Palestinian Authority police officers….
After Chomsky affair, Gush Shalom considers high court appeal
5/19/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Following the Israeli Interior Ministry’s decision to bar prominent US academic Noam Chomsky from entering the West Bank, Israel peace group Gush Shalom is considering filing a Supreme Court appeal against the ministry. A Tuesday statement from the peace group said it was calling for clear and transparent criteria for denying entry to….
Rafah crossing open for 5th day
5/19/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinians will continue traveling via the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Wednesday, as the terminal remains open for the fifth consecutive day, the de facto Palestinian Border Crossing Corporation (PRCC) said. Residents and those who have previously coordinated their travel with Egyptian authorities will be allowed transit, the PRCC said. The….
Israel to release Hamas lawmaker
5/19/2010 – Jerusalem -Ma’an – Israeli authorities are expected to release Palestinian Legislative Council and Hamas member Mohammad Abu Teir on Thursday following a four-year detention. Abu Teir was detained in June 2006 during a wide-scale detention operation carried out the Israeli army targeting Hamas affiliated PLC members after the Islamist movement won general elections that same year….
Gaza no-go zone rally dispersed by Israeli fire
5/19/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza residents continued to test Israel’s no-go zone along the coastal enclave’s northern border near Gaza City on Wednesday, with participants reporting being dispersed by live fire. Starting from Baghdad Street east of Ash-Shuja’iyeh neighborhood in the city, the rally marched toward Israel’s imposed buffer zone carrying Palestinian flags, residents said.Saleh Nasser, member of the…. Related:Protests against no-go zone dispersed by live fire
Gaza: No visa, no conference
5/19/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Without permission to leave the Gaza Strip and access a Czech embassy in the coming days, a young student said he will be unable to attend an International Youth Leadership Conference in Prague. Speaking with Ma’an on Wednesday, Rifat Abd Elaal said he was excited to have been accepted to the conference, sponsored….
Egypt finds 2 weapons caches
5/19/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egyptian police patrols located two weapons storehouses in Egyptian Rafah and Sinai on Wednesday, security sources told Ma’an. Patrols received a tip off that smugglers were storing weapons and explosives in a warehouse along the Gaza border, and immediately deployed forces to raid the area with police dogs, the sources said. The second….
Student council calls on peers to support goods boycott
5/19/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – University student councils offered their full support for the Palestinian Authority boycott of settlement goods on Wednesday, vowing to ensure students implement the embargo. Head of the An-Najah University student senate Makram Daraghmeh said all Palestinian universities would organize events and activties in the coming days, aimed at encouraging students to participate in….
Report: US wants to build up Hezbollah moderates
5/19/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – The US administration is looking for ways to prop up moderate members within Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah movement and to diminish the influence of hard-lines, a top White House official said Tuesday, news agencies reported. John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, met with Lebanese leaders during a recent….
Egypt seizes 11 acres of cannabis cropland on border
5/19/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egypt’s anti-narcotics squad seized 11 acres of cannabis cropland along the Israeli border on Wednesday, security sources told Ma’an. During the raid, 1 ton of dried marijuana was confiscated, stored in nearly 500 plastic bags in preparation for smuggling into Israel along the Al-Barth border area south of Rafah, the sources said, with….
Hamas: ’67 border deal doesn’t include recognition of Israel
5/19/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas’ acceptance of 1967 borders, in exchange for a 10-year truce, would not involve the recognition of Israel, senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Haya said Wednesday. The proposal put forward by Hamas would see the acceptance of a Palestinian state “in stages” on the green line, the 1967 armistice line, with East Jerusalem….
Mitchell, Abbas discuss final status issues
5/19/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – President Mahmoud Abbas and US Middle East envoy George Mitchell discussed final status issues during a meeting in Ramallah on Wednesday, news agencies reported. The outlines of a future Palestinian state were on the agenda, as both met as part of the latest round of US-brokered indirect peace talks, chief PLO negotiator….
PA police arrest 35 fugitives in Hebron
5/19/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority police arrested 35 individuals wanted for various charges on Wednesday in the West Bank city of Hebron, a report read. The arrests formed part of a campaign targeting criminals, particularly thieves, the report said. Police further said 10 unlicensed vehicles were impounded off Hebron’s streets and that illegal cars will remain….
Exclusive interview with Gaza’s Army of Islam
5/19/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an Exclusive- “Salafism is not only in Gaza, it is all over Palestine and needs no license to practice in the heart of Tel Aviv or in Washington,” Jaish Al-Islam (Army of Islam) leader Omer Al-Ansari told Ma’an during an exclusive interview on Wednesday.”But enough about the movement, its time to move is….
In photos: Bee keeping in Qalqiliya
5/19/2010 – A Palestinian beekeeper tends his hive near a part of the Israeli separation wall in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya on May 16, 2010. MaanImages / Khaleel Reash….
PSE: Al-Quds Index down 0.15%
5/19/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Al-Quds Index fell at the close of trade on Wednesday, despite a rise on the Palestinian Securities Exchange the previous day. The Al-Quds Index closed at 498. 86, down 0. 75 points – a loss of 0. 15% – with seven company shares in the index falling. The shares in 12 companies out of….
Israel’s exclusion and restriction of goods to Gaza
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – After Hamas was overwhelmingly elected in January 2006, Israel, Washington and the West ended all outside aid, imposed an economic embargo and sanctions, and politically isolated the new government. Stepped up repression followed, including regular IDF…
Analysis: Iran’s nuke deal irritates Washington
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – Washington Push for Iran Sanctions Complicated By Nuclear Fuel Deal A noticeable irritation can be sensed in Washington. After months of investing in a new UN Security Council resolution and an escalation of the conflict -…
Miss USA clouded by Hezbollah and pole-dancing
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – Washington – Lebanese-American Rima Fakih was crowned Miss USA in Las Vegas Sunday night, but her Lebanese-Shia roots and some racy pictures are overshadowing her win. Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih poses in swimsuit [Photo: Bobster855…
Obama reassures Jewish lawmakers on Israel
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – New York – US President Barack Obama met privately with 37 Jewish members of the House and Senate on Tuesday in an apparent attempt to reassure them of his support for Israel and allow them to…
Playing hardball
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – Tuesday’s big announcement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — that the United States had reached agreement with the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to table a new Iran sanctions resolution — was…
Brennan: Finding the “moderate elements” in Hizballah
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – John Brennan, Barack Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, thinks the U.S. government needs to strengthen what he calls “moderate” elements within Hizballah. “Hezbollah is a very interesting organization,” Brennan told a Washington conference. “There is certainly the elements…
House okays $200m in Israel arms aid
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – Resolution in place to fund ‘Iron Dome’ missile shield By Jared Malsin New York – The US House of Representatives passed a measure Tuesday that paves the way for an additional $200 million in military aid…
Palestinian girls win prize at Intel competition
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – Washington – Three girls from the Askar refugee camp in Nablus won the “special award for applied electronics” at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Silicon Valley, CA, the UN News Centre reported Tuesday….
Think tank: UNRWA waging ’employment terrorism’
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – Washington – A comprehensive strike by United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) workers in the West Bank continued for a second day Tuesday, as strikers decried what they called “employment terrorism” being waged against Arab…
Lawyers: Makhoul was likely tortured
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – New York – Israeli security agents likely tortured Palestinian-Israeli community activist Ameer Makhoul during nearly two weeks in prison, his lawyers said on Tuesday after meeting with him for the first time since he was detained…
German FM plans Mideast visit
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – New York – German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will visit four Middle Eastern countries on a trip beginning May 21 to enlist neighboring country’s support for Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, a spokesman said Wednesday, according to the…
Bahrain shuts down Al Jazeera
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – New York – The government of Bahrain ordered the pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera to close its bureau in Manama citing what it called the network’s “breach of media norms,” Al Jazeera said Wednesday. Al Jazeera (…
Saudi woman slams vice officer
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – Washington – A young woman allegedly attacked a member of Saudi Arabia’s religious police when he inquired about the legitimacy of a relationship between the woman and the man with her, the Saudi Gazette reported Wednesday….
Mitchell, Abbas discuss final status issues
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – PLO notes Israeli ‘provocations’ as obstacle to peace process Washington – US Middle East envoy George Mitchell met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah Wednesday in their first official meeting since proximity talks were…
Israel to release Hamas lawmaker
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – New York – Israel is to release on Sunday Hamas-affiliated lawmaker Muhammad Abu Tir, who was detained during a sweep of Palestinian officials after the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, Israeli media reported ….
Israel closes Gaza crossings
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – Washington – Israel closed all goods crossings between Israel and Gaza Wednesday in preparation for the Jewish holiday Shavuot , Ma’an News Agency reported . Trucks cross into Gaza at the Kerem Shalom crossing in an undated photo […
Report: US wants to promote Hezbollah ‘moderates’
Palestine Note 19 May 2010 – New York – A top White House official offered a hint on Tuesday that the US could ease its boycott of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah. John Brennan, an assistant to President Barack Obama for homeland…
Iran dismisses UN sanctions push
AlJazeera 19 May 2010 – Tehran says major powers will “invalidate” themselves if new nuclear resolution passes.
UK singer cancels Israel concerts
AlJazeera 19 May 2010 – Elvis Costello cites “intimidation” and “humiliation’ of Palestinians.
Qassam explodes in open area in western Negev
Ha’aretz – Rocket hits the Eshkol region of the Negev, causes no casualties or damage to the area.
Two weeks after arrest on spying charges, Makhoul allowed access to lawyers
Ha’aretz – Defense attorneys permitted to see detained Israeli-Arab activist after threatening to boycott hearings.
German FM to discuss regional peace on Mideast tour
Ha’aretz – Guido Westerwelle to discuss regional dimensions of Arab-Israeli conflict in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Jordan.
Obama voices support for Iran nuclear sanctions draft
Ha’aretz – UN Security Council sanctions draft targets Iran banks, shipping, arms; Clinton: World powers, including Russia and China, agree on a draft sanctions resolution against Iran.
Mubarak: Terror to spread if Israel continues stalling peace talks
Ha’aretz – Saeb Erekat says following Abbas-Mitchell meeting that the PA hopes to achieve a two-state solution within 4 months.
U.S. adviser: Washington hopes to promote Hezbollah ‘moderates’
Ha’aretz – Hezbollah not ‘purely a terrorist organization’, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism says.
U.S. Jewish lawmakers urge Obama to visit Israel
Ha’aretz – Three dozen Jewish Democratic lawmakers met with Obama for an hour on Tuesday night., Syrian leader says his country is ‘ready for both peace and war’; Israeli president denies using Russian mediation to offer negotiations., Israel to deport Turkish volunteer arrested by Shin Bet for allegedly belonging to outlawed Islamist group organizing aid boat to Gaza.
Former US Army Colonel Joins Freedom Flotilla To Break Gaza’s Siege
19 May 2010 – Gaza, May 19, (Pal Telegraph) Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army Reserve Colonel and former U.S. diplomat who resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to Bush’s war on Iraq, will join the 8-ship Free Gaza boat flotilla that will break the Israeli government naval siege/blockade of Gaza and bring reconstruction materials and humanitarian assistance items to the Palestinians of Gaza.
PA intensifies their boycotting campaign to settlment products
19 May 2010 – Ramallah, May 19, (Pal Telegraph) The Palestinian Authority launched on Tuesday the campaign called “from house to house” for boycotting all settlement products in all governorates of the West Bank within the framework of the national campaign backed by the Palestinian government and all grass-roots levels.
IOF opens fire at peaceful demo in east of Gaza
19 May 2010 – Gaza, May 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened today fire at demonstration against the Israeli buffer zone in Al-Shjaya neighborhood, in east of Gaza, no injuries were reported. Palestinian activists and citizens participated in the demonstration that launched from Al-Shja’ya neighborhood. The demonstrators raised Palestinian flags and slogans that reject the establishment of the buffer zone…
Gaza sight-bites
19 May 2010 – Gaza, May 19, (Pal Telegraph – By Eva Bartlet) it’s hard, in Gaza, to find a taxi, wall, or t-shirt (including men’s) that isn’t adorned with hearts.
Israeli settlers attack old Palestinian woman and her grandson
19 May 2010 – Jerusalem, May 19, (Pal Telegraph) An elderly woman and her grandson were assaulted by Israeli settlers last night in the town of Beit Safafa to the south of Jerusalem city, while she was on her way home holding her grandson, which is located next to a house belonging to a Palestinian family but was seized by Israeli settlers last week,…
IOF cuts waterline in one of Hebron’s villages
19 May 2010 – Hebron, May 19, (Pal Telegraph) The Israeli occupation forces caused, yesterday evening, the interruption of water on the town of “Al Thahereyah” for the second time in two weeks, after having their bulldozers and patrols break the waterline that supplies the town with water which is considered as a basic right and life’s most important necessity, while closing the main…
Egypt opens Rafah crossing for fifth consecutive day
19 May 2010 – Gaza, May 19, (Pal Telegraph) Egypt continues to open the Rafah crossing to traffic in both directions for the fifth consecutive day. The Borders and Crossings Committee issued a statement today, saying that the Rafah crossing is working today to allow the owners of accommodation permits and Egyptian coordination permits to leave the Gaza strip heading to Egypt, Arab countries…
WHO demands immediate end to Gaza siege
19 May 2010 – Gaza, May 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – The World Health Organization commanded Tuesday that Israel end the blockade which it imposes on Gaza, saying that it was causing a shortage of medicines. An annual meeting of the WHO, the World Health Organization, this week in Geneva passed the resolution with 63 member states voting in favour. Eight states voted against,…
IOF detains 3 Palestinian women and their children
19 May 2010 – West Bank, May 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained Tuesday evening three Palestinian women and their children under the pretext of finding them in a land near the settlement of “Mabo Dotan” which locates near the town of Araba, south of Jenin in the northern West Bank. The women were picking up vine leaves while the…
Palestinian Boy Injured By An Israeli Bomb In Gaza
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – A Palestinian boy was injured on Tuesday night after a bomb left by the Israeli military exploded near him in Khan Younis City, southern Gaza Strip. Hassan Abu Farahana, 16, years old, sustained moderate wounds from the explosion, doctors reported. Farahana was playing at farm lands in the Qarrara area near Khan Younis when a…
GAZA GHETTO
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – It took time, but then I finally realized that I was probably writing about places that do not exist in Gaza and about a non-existent people. I compose my articles in English on Gaza in my Hotmail account. On the top bar I click “New” and then “Spell check” hoping that the brain of Hotmail…
International orgs call on Israel to immediately release rights defenders
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – On 6 May 2010, at 03:10am, 16 members of the Israeli General Security Services (GSS) and the Israeli police force raided the family home of Mr. Ameer Makhoul. During the raid Mr. Ameer Makhoul was detained; until Monday night 17 May 2010 he was held in incommunicado detention and denied fundamental due process rights, including…
PFLP: International complicity maintains the continuing Nakba against our people
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine recognizes, on the 62nd anniversary of Al-Nakba, that if Nakba is the usurpation of land; the displacement of our people; violence, carnage and terror; the replacement of the original inhabitants of the land of Palestine with settlers and the theft of their heritage; and the violation of…
110 Types of Medication and 123 Types of Medical Supplies Out of Stock at Health Facilities in the Gaza Strip
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) calls upon the Ministry of Health in Ramallah to promptly intervene in order to ensure the quick supply of medications and medical supplies needed for the health sector in the Gaza Strip, as hundreds of different types of medications and medical supplies have run out of stock. PCHR…
The “Freedom Fleet” insists on access to Gaza despite Israeli blockade decision
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – The President of the Popular Committee Against the Siege has said that the forthcoming Freedom Fleet insists on being allowed to reach the shores of Gaza in its attempt to break the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip. In a statement, MP Jamal Al-Khodary called Israel’s decision to stop vessels from reaching Gaza “an attempt…
Gaza: breaking the isolation
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – “I’ve learned most of what I know about photo editing and graphic design via the Internet,” says Emad, 27-year-old film-maker and editor. In Gaza, this sort of thing has become usual in a different way. “This programme isn’t available here,” he says, smiling triumphantly as he finishes downloading the latest edition of an advanced video…
West Bank health and economy up a bit, Gaza down
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – – With a failing economy, rising unemployment and deteriorating power, sanitation and health facilities, the health of Gaza’s population continues to worsen, according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report. In contrast, modest improvements have been made in the West Bank. As a consequence of Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, 98 percent of…
Gaza: 20 Families Displaced as Palestinian Land Authority Demolishes Homes in Rafah
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – …The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) expresses its grave concern over these demolitions, which constitute a violation of civilians’ right to adequate housing. These violations may affect an additional 180 houses in Rafah in the future. PCHR calls upon the government in Gaza to protect civilians from forced displacement and to put an end…
U.S. wants to build up Hezbollah moderates: adviser
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – The Obama administration is looking for ways to build up “moderate elements” within the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla movement and to diminish the influence of hard-liners, a top White House official said on Tuesday. John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, met with Lebanese leaders during a recent visit. “Hezbollah is a…
Israeli Tanks Invade Northern Gaza Strip Farm Lands
Uruknet May 19, 2010 -Israeli tanks and bulldozers invaded farm lands, Wednesday morning, that belong to farmers from Beit Lahiya town in the northern part of the Gaza strip. While bulldozers uprooted trees and destroyed crops, tanks opened fire at nearby residents homes and those who were working on their lands. Local sources reported damage to homes but no injuries…
Israel’s Exclusion and Restriction of Goods to Gaza
Uruknet May 19, 2010 – …In January 2010, Gisha examined the situation in a report titled, “Restrictions on the transfer of goods to Gaza: Obstruction and Obfuscation,” saying that: “Beginning in September 2007, Israel openly stated that it would restrict the movement of goods into and out of Gaza (not for security), but (to) apply ‘pressure’ or ‘sanctions’ on the…
Noam Chomsky Was Not Prevented From Entering Israel
Uruknet May 18, 2010 – Many reported that Noam Chomsky was recently stopped from entering Israel. This is false. Totally false. He was prevented from going to the Palestinian city of Ramallah by Israeli forces. This important distinction highlights among other things that Israel controls the borders into occupied Palestinian areas, a large part of the problem…Some got the facts…
The Justice of Executions?
Uruknet May 18, 2010 – Medical sources from Gaza confirmed that three Palestinians arrived early today at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza after having been executed. Hamas security sources stated that Amer Jondyye, Rami Juha and Matar Al-Shobaki had been executed for crimes. Jundyye was accused of murdering the money changer Fawzi Jamil Ajjur, aged 40 and from the Al-Rimal area…
Video: Shooting Hope
Uruknet May 18, 2010 – Ain el-Hilweh is the largest camp for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Declining living conditions, political instablity and unemployment in and outside the camp have deepened the mutual mistrust between the Palestinian occupants and the wider Lebanese population.Shooting hope is the story of an extraordinary project bringing together Palestinian and Lebanese teenagers who live their lives…
Challenging Canada’s myths about its role in Palestine
Uruknet May 18, 2010 – At the end of March, the Liberal Party of Canada staged a conference exploring the challenges Canada will face in 2017, the state’s 150th birthday. Robert Fowler, Canada’s longest-serving ambassador to the United Nations and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s former special envoy to Niger, caused a fervor on the final day of the conference by…
Nakba: Words and Pictures
Uruknet May 18, 2010 – A series of images and testimonies to coincide with the 62nd anniversary of the “Nakba”. In 1948, following the UN vote on the Partition Plan in November 1947, Palestinian residents of over 420 villages were expelled from the land would become the state of Israel, creating 750,000 refugees. Nakba is the Arabic word for catastrophe…
The Ongoing Nakba Of Palestinians
Uruknet May 18, 2010 – Demonstrations have been organised this week in all the occupied Palestinian territories, to commemorate the 62nd Anniversary of the Nabka, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their houses and driven out of their homeland. Palestine Monitor interviewed Palestinian singer Rim Banna…
Lebanon and Syria agree to back Hizbollah
The National 19 May 2010 – Lebanese prime minister was once a major US ally, but has shifted his position amid new fears that Israel may launch a summer war.
International Solidarity Movement
Urgent call for equipment
5/19/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – ISM is hard at work in the West Bank and Gaza, and needs your help! The ISM media office was raided two times in the span of four nights in February, when Bridget Chappell and Ariadna Jove Marti were arrested. In the raids, the Israeli military stole all of our computers (three laptops, one desktop) as well as several video cameras. Just a few weeks ago, the Hebron office was broken into while activists were away…. Related:Media office raidedandHebron office broken into
Join the Global Intifada
5/19/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – ISM, 20 May – Join the Global Intifada in Palestine this summer – Global Intifada 2010: Popular Struggle. Steadfastness. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions. Popular resistance to Israel’s apartheid is growing globally! In Palestine, non-violent resistance to land confiscation and settlement expansion is gathering momentum. Weekly non-violent demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza have tripled since January, and….
Palfest: Palestine Festival of Literature
Alternative Information Center – Palfest, the Palestine Festival of Literature, was conducted throughout the Israeli occupied West Bank and Jerusalem from May 1-6. For the third year in a row, Palfest brought Palestinian and international authors and artists from around…
Gaza Cancer Patient Dies Due to the Siege
PNN – Gaza – PNN – A Palestinian man was reported dead on Wednesday after he was unable to leave the Gaza Strip for life saving medical care. Saeed Al Emour, 45 years old,…
Palestinian Boats To Welcome The Fleet of Freedom” In Gaza
PNN – Gaza – PNN – The Popular Committee Against Siege announced its intention to run 100 Palestinian boats at the sea to welcome the Fleet of Freedom” upon arrival to the Gaza strip….
The Palestinian President Meets U.S Envoy Mitchell In Ramallah, Central West Bank
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura – PNN – The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas met on Wednesday afternoon the U.S George Mitchell at the Presidential compound in the central West Bank city of Ramallah. President Abbas…
Israeli Settler Attack An Old Woman And Her Grandson In Jerusalem
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – An Israeli settler attacked on Wednesday a Palestinian old woman and her grandson in Beit Safafa neighborhood of east Jerusalem. Isaac Herkovic, an Israeli settler, who took over…
Palestinian Boy Injured By An Israeli Bomb In Gaza
PNN – Gaza – PNN – A Palestinian boy was injured on Tuesday night after a bomb left by the Israeli military exploded near him in Khan Younis city, southern Gaza Strip. Hassan Abu…
Report: 62 Years On And Jaffa Residents Still Face Expulsion
PNN – Fadi Yacoub – PNN – once again the Palestinian community in the coastal city of Jaffa in Israel is under threats of expulsion. The story begins with Rashad Qadriyah, a young Palestinian…
MIDEAST: These Virtual Connections Are for Real
IPS GAZA CITY, May 19 (IPS) – “I’ve learned most of what I know about photo editing and graphic design via the Internet,” says Emad, 27-year-old film-maker and editor. In Gaza, this sort of thing has become usual in a different way.
ISRAEL: The Only Democracy in the Middle East?
IPS JERUSALEM, May 19 (IPS) – Noam Chomsky, a fierce espouser of left-wing causes, is widely admired in countries which parade themselves as “democracies”. Apparently, the admiration does not extend to Israel.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory ( 06-12 May 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Director Delivers Lectures in Japan on Human Rights Situation in the OPT
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Ref: 53/2010 Upon invitation from the Japanese organization Human Rights Now (HRN), Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), embarked on a visit to Japan today, 19 May 2010. In the course of this visit, Sourani will participate as a special speaker in several lectures organized by HRN at a number of Japanese universities.
Abbas warns of Israeli ‚Äòprovocations’
Jeruslalem Post 19 May 2010 – J’lem hopes PA isn’t looking for excuses to scuttle the peace process.
Israel preparing for protest flotilla
Jeruslalem Post 19 May 2010 – 9 ships carrying hundreds of activists will attempt to break the Gaza Strip blockade next week.
PA declares ‚Äòeconomic war’ on settlements
Jeruslalem Post 19 May 2010 – Campaign goal is to “Shake off the effects of settlement contamination in our Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps”.
PA: Israel endangers talks
Jeruslalem Post 19 May 2010 – Report: PA mulls inviting NATO presence to protect a future Palestinian state from Israel.
Report: PA seeks NATO presence
Jeruslalem Post 19 May 2010 – Al-Quds al-Arabi: Abbas to ask NATO keep future Palestine demilitarized and defend it.
Fayyad Meets Merkel in Berlin
WAFA – BERLIN, May 19, 2010 (WAFA)- Prime Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad met, today, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in the German capital Berlin. During the meeting was an agreement on a
Palestinian Messages on Israeli Violations
WAFA – RAMALLAH, May 19, 2010 (WAFA)- The Palestinian side, submitted to the American side, during a meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas, the U.S. envoy to the peace process, Senator George Mitchell,
President Abbas Returns Russian Church in Hebron
WAFA – RAMALLAH, May 19, 2010 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas sent, today, a letter to Russian President Medvedev,
Belgium Donates 25 Cars to Palestinian Civil Police
WAFA – RAMALLAH, May 19, 2010 (WAFA)- The Belgian Government handed over 25 Volkswagen Jettas to the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP). This donation of vehicles was made possible through the coordination of
EU Extends Mandate of EUBAM Rafah
WAFA – BRUSSELS, May 19, 2010 (WAFA)- The Council of the European Union adopted a joint action further extending the mandate of the EU Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point until May 24,
“Future for Palestine” – German support for the development of Palestinian state structures
Relief Web 19 May 2010 – Source: Government of Germany
Gaza-Jordan: mother and daughter reunited after ten years of pain
Relief Web 19 May 2010 – Source: ICRC
110 Types of Medication and 123 Types of Medical Supplies Out of Stock at Health Facilities in the Gaza Strip
Relief Web 19 May 2010 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
20 Families Displaced as Palestinian Land Authority Demolishes Homes in Rafah
Relief Web 19 May 2010 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
IDF colonel commits suicide
YNet News – Cyclist riding trails near northern kibbutz of Mishmar HaEmek discovered….
PA official: Israel jeopardizing peace talks
YNet News – Following meeting with special US Mideast envoy, Chief Palestinian Negotiator….
Israel to release Hamas’ Abu Tir Sunday
YNet News – Mahmoud Abu Tir, who was arrested after Gilad Shalit’s abduction, will be….
Hezbollah less than impressed by Miss USA
YNet News – Newly-crowned Arab-American Miss USA Rima Fakih’s native Lebanese town hails her….
Iran: New sanctions draft barbaric
YNet News – Tehran slams six powers’ draft resolution calling for harsher punitive actions….
Report: PA willing to have NATO forces in future state
YNet News – London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi says Palestinian….
Congressmen urge Obama to take personal interest in Israel
YNet News – Some 37 Jewish members of the Democratic caucuses meet with US president, urge….
Official: US wants to build up Hezbollah moderates
YNet News – White House adviser says Washington aims to diminish influence of hardliners….
Israel upgrades Thailand travel advisory
YNet News – The Foreign Ministry issued an upgraded travel warning to Thailand Wednesday, urging Israelis to stay away from Bangkok and other districts where the government declared …….
Obama hails Iran sanctions draft
YNet News – US President Barack Obama on Wednesday hailed a UN draft plan to impose tougher sanctions on Iran and again called on the country to live up to its international …….
Mubarak: Only God knows my successor
YNet News – Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s 82-year-old president, dodged a question on Wednesday on who his successor might be, saying only God could decide who would lead the Arab world’s …….
Settlers slam IDF over Shabbat desecration, violence
YNet News – Right-wing activists who spent last Saturday in the former settlement of Homesh claim that IDF and Border Guard forces evicted them in an “abusive and violent way.” …….
French cabinet approves law banning face veil in public
Daily Star 19 May 2010 PARIS: The French cabinet approved a draft law to ban the Muslim full-face veil from public spaces on Wednesday, opening the way for the text to go before parliament in July. “In this matter the government…
US hikers held in Iran are spies – minister
Daily Star 19 May 2010 TEHRAN: Iran’s intelligence minister on Wednesday accused three US hikers in custody for the past 10 months of being spies, just hours before their mothers were expected in the Iranian capital, ISNA news agency reported. “Iran…
Egypt’s president sidesteps question on successor
Daily Star 19 May 2010 ROME: Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s 82-year-old president, dodged a question on Wednesday on who his successor might be, saying only God could decide who would lead the Arab world’s most populous nation following his 29-year rule. Uncertainty…
Egypt launches diplomatic flurry to contain Nile crisis
Daily Star 19 May 2010 CAIRO: Top Egyptian officials left for Khartoum on Wednesday amid a diplomatic flurry that will see several African leaders in Cairo in the coming weeks seeking to contain the region’s water-sharing crisis. Mohammad Nasredine Allam, Egypt’s…
US Mideast envoy, Abbas discuss final-status issues
Daily Star 19 May 2010 US President Barack Obama’s Middle East envoy and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed possible outlines of a future Palestinian state on Wednesday, a Palestinian official said. “We are focusing on final-status issues like borders and security,”…
Palestinian Information Center
Zionist settler beats 90-year-old Palestinian woman, her grandson
PIC 19 May 2010 – Zionist settler Yitzhak Hircovich assaulted 90-year-old Palestinian woman Sheeha Ali in the tent she has pitched after he took her own house in Beit Safafa village south of occupied Jerusalem.
European campaign calls for practical steps to end the siege on Gaza
PIC 19 May 2010 – The European campaign to end the siege on Gaza Strip has hailed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) call on Israel to end its siege on Gaza immediately.
PCHR: Health condition in Gaza on the brink of collapse
PIC 19 May 2010 – The Palestinian center for human rights (PCHR) has expressed utmost concern over the health conditions in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Ramallah authority’s obstruction of medical consignments.
Palestinian cancer patient dies after repeated failure to travel abroad
PIC 19 May 2010 – A 45-year-old Palestinian man was proclaimed dead in Gaza Strip on Wednesday after two years of developing cancer, medical sources said.
Int’l campaign: All Israeli trials against Palestinian MPs violate int’l law
PIC 19 May 2010 – The international campaign for the release of prisoners stated Wednesday that all trials held by Israel against Palestinian lawmakers are null and void and violate international law.
Aloul warns of possible Israeli piracy against Freedom Flotilla in Gaza waters
PIC 19 May 2010 – Spokesman for the Turkish IHH relief foundation Ziyad Al-Aloul called on the international community to move to end the Israeli threats to attack the Freedom Flotilla convoy.
Abbas’s militias in Nablus transfer prisoner to hospital after torturing him
PIC 19 May 2010 – Palestinian local sources reported Tuesday that prisoner Zaher Moussa was transferred to hospital after his exposure to excruciating torture at the hand of Mahmoud Abbas’s security militias.
Explosion of IOF ordnance chops off the hand of Palestinian boy
PIC 19 May 2010 – The explosion of ordnance left over by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) east of KhanYounis district, south of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday night seriously injured a Palestinian boy.
IOF troops assault Palestinian women and children
PIC 19 May 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) assaulted a group of Palestinian women and children in Arrabe village, Jenin district, while in their cultivated land, eyewitnesses reported.
Egyptian officer: The Palestinian detainees subjected to exceptional torture
PIC 19 May 2010 – An Egyptian state security officer said that the Palestinian prisoners in Egyptian jails are exposed to unprecedented special torture compared to other detainees.
Sanctions Effort May Open Door to Press Iran Central Bank
New York Times 19 May 2010 – American and European officials said there could be a legal basis in the future for choking off financial transactions between Iran and banking centers in Europe and elsewhere.
World Briefing | Middle East: Israel: Medieval Remains Said to Be Damaged in Excavation
New York Times 18 May 2010 – More than 1,000 skeletons from a medieval Muslim cemetery were exhumed to clear ground for a museum in Jerusalem.
Palfest: Palestine Festival of Literature
Alternative Information Center 3 – Palfest, the Palestine Festival of Literature, was conducted throughout the Israeli occupied West Bank and Jerusalem from May 1-6. For the third year in a row, Palfest brought Palestinian and international authors and artists from around the world to Palestinian audiences.
Al-Walaja village is gradually disappearing
Palestine Monitor – Al-Walaja village, south of Bethlehem, is gradually disappearing. In 1967, approximately half of it was annexed by Israel and absorbed into the Jerusalem municipality. This hillside village lies nearby the Israeli Jewish settlement of Gilo. The settlement is expanding and Israeli authorities are seizing more land….
Charting The Road To Middle East Peace
Palestine Monitor – In 2003, the Bush administration proclaimed that attacking Iraq would usher in an era of democracy in the Middle East. Yet after years of “birth pangs” leading up to what was supposed to be a new and improved Middle East, it is clear that the whole…
Speaking to Israelis about the Nakba
Mondoweiss –
Which side are you on? Which side were you on?
Mondoweiss – Above, Jerusalem 2010, photo by Ahmad Gharabli/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images, from the Wall Street Journal . Below, Little Rock Central High School, 1957
The Wiesel industry
Mondoweiss – Today’s Washington Post reports that a Jewish theater company in Washington allowed Elie Wiesel to put the kibosh on a play that treated his role in the Bernie Madoff scandal. Norman Finkelstein responds: What the Washington Post left out: Wiesel was reportedly miffed because the play…
This is how the world now sees Jews
Mondoweiss – Photo is apparently of Israeli settlers, and accompanies a report from IMEMC , on another attack on a Palestinian woman in East Jerusalem.
So much for bringing democracy to the Middle East
Mondoweiss – Peter Beinart once published a pro-Iraq war book called The Good Fight: Why Liberals—and Only Liberals—Can Win the War on Terror and Make America Great Again . Well there is a lien on Beinart’s liberalism. Here he is reflecting on his late splash, his piece on American…
Elvis Costello’s press release on his cancelled Israeli dates
Palestine Think Tank – BDS is going to work, as long as there are persons of conscience who give the opportunity to air the reasons for their wise decisions. I’m overjoyed at the decision of one of the absolutely best musicians in the world (and my record collection boasts perhaps…
The Justice of Executions?
Palestine Think Tank – Tuesday – May 18 2010 – Kawther Salam – Medical sources from Gaza confirmed that three Palestinians arrived early today at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza after having been executed. Hamas security sources stated that Amer Jondyye, Rami Juha and Matar Al-Shobaki had been executed for crimes….
Massive Strike VS UNRWA Repression Policies
Palestine Think Tank – Tuesday – May 18 2010 – Kawther Salam – For the second consecutive day, a comprehensive general strike has paralyzed all facilities of the international relief agency UNRWA in southern and northern cities towns, villages and refugee camps in the West Bank. The strike is in…
Gaza Government Executes Three Men in Defiance of the Law; Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council Call for an End to the Death Penalty
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights –
News Release, For Immediate Release, Thursday, May 13, 2010 Palestinian and Israeli Human Rights Groups Call for End to Israeli Military West Bank Deportation Policy
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights –
Following Intervention by Al Mezan and Partners, Israeli National Insurance Institute Agrees to Resume Transferring Allowances to Gazan Disabled Persons
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights –
RAHM AND RICHARD
Irish4Palestine – What do Rahm Emanuel and Richard Goldstone have in common? Plenty when it comes to their sons Bar Mitzvah! So, Rahm Emanuel, whose father was an Israeli terrorist, Rahm Emanuel, who went to Israel and fought for them, wants to take his kids to Israel for…
THE FOOD CHAIN STORY
Irish4Palestine – This is the story of the “food chain” with regards to the so called “Palestine/Israeli/Obama” peace fake process. First you have the wee tiny Abbas-Plankton, just floating about the ocean floor trying to become a tiny fish. I like to call them “The Moron Abbas-Plankton” And…
IRELAND TELLS ISRAEL “DON’T ATTACK OUR BOAT”
Irish4Palestine – link IRELAND’S AMBASSADOR to Israel has urged the Israeli authorities to take every precaution to ensure the safety of Irish citizens travelling aboard aid boats heading for Gaza. The plea from ambassador Briefne O’Reilly came during a meeting at the foreign ministry in Jerusalem on Monday…
Obama ‘to pursue Iran sanctions’
BBC – US President Barack Obama vows to pursue UN sanctions against Iran despite Tehran’s nuclear deal with Brazil and Turkey.
Mothers of US hikers arrive in Iran
BBC – The mothers of three US hikers held in Iran on espionage accusations arrive in Tehran to visit their children.
Iran director ‘on hunger strike’
BBC – Acclaimed Iranian film director Jafar Panahi announces he has gone on hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin prison.
Shaping the Story on Iran
Antiwar.com – Philip Giraldi warns we’re being fed the same old lies
Chomsky the Latest Jewish Thinker Targeted by Israel
Antiwar.com – RAMALLAH – When internationally renowned linguist, philosopher, and political analyst Noam Chomsky was barred from entering the West Bank, he joined a chorus of Jewish intellectuals savaged by the Israeli government for outspoken criticism. Chomsky, a strong proponent of Palestinian rights, tried to cross into the…
Not Another War, Mr. President!
Antiwar.com – Nothing, but nothing, is going to get in the way of this administration’s path to war with Iran. This was brought home in a dramatic way when the Brazilians and the Turks announced Iran had agreed to implement the nuclear exchange deal proposed by the US…
Elvis Costello cancels Israel Tour
Sabbah report – It Is After Considerable Contemplation… It is after considerable contemplation that I have lately arrived at the decision that I must withdraw from the two performances scheduled in Israel on the 30th of June and the 1st of July. One lives in hope that music is…
Israeli elite army unit duped into revealing secrets by fake Facebook beauty
Sabbah report – SABBAH REPORT NOTE : (This is a Der Spiegel story in German, picked up from an Israeli Internet portal…. The google translation is all over the place but I have a German speaking friend who has provided me with a more coherent translation of the opening paragraphs:)…
Nakba Day is a reminder that George Mitchell can’t ignore Palestinian refugees
Sabbah report – By Yousef Munayyer * | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Proximity talks signaling the restart of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, which have been on hold for years, are beginning amidst an important reminder of the root cause of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Saturday, May 15, marked Nakba Day. The Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,”…
(en) Australia, Sydney, Solidarity intervention and public speaking for strikers in Greece
A-infos – On the afternoon of Sunday 16/5/2010 took place a solidarity intervention and public speaking for the strikers and our comrades in Greece. For several hours we occupied Newtown square, banners were hung around, displayed many anarchist flags, distributed texts, scattered flyers throughout the area, and played…
Articles
Boycotting the boycotters
Gideon Levy, Ha’aretz5/16/2010
Most people here are appalled at the notion that anybody beyond Israel’s borders would think to boycott their country, products or universities. Boycotts, after all, are viewed in Israel as illegitimate. Anyone who calls for such a step is perceived as an anti-Semite and Israel-hater who is undermining the state’s very right to exist. In Israel itself, those who call for a boycott are branded as traitors and heretics. The notion that a boycott, limited as it may be, is likely to convince Israel to change its ways – and for its own benefit – is not tolerated here.
Even an obvious, logical step – like the Palestinian Authority’s boycott of products made in the settlements – is viewed by hypocritical Israeli eyes as provocative. Moreover, while the international boycott against apartheid South Africa is credited with leading to the regime’s downfall, here it is considered irrelevant and unworthy of comparison.
It would be possible to identify with these intolerant reactions were it not for the fact that Israel itself is one of the world’s prolific boycotters. Not only does it boycott, it preaches to others, at times even forces others, to follow in tow. Israel has imposed a cultural, academic, political, economic and military boycott on the territories. At the same time, almost no one here utters a dissenting word questioning the legitimacy of these boycotts. Yet the thought of boycotting the boycotter? Now that’s inconceivable.
The most brutal, naked boycott is, of course, the siege on Gaza and the boycott of Hamas. At Israel’s behest, nearly all Western countries signed onto the boycott with inexplicable alacrity. This is not just a siege that has left Gaza in a state of shortage for three years. Nor is it just a complete (and foolish ) boycott of Hamas, save for the discussions over abducted soldier Gilad Shalit. It’s a series of cultural, academic, humanitarian and economic boycotts. Israel threatens nearly every diplomat who seeks to enter Gaza to see firsthand the unbearable sights.more..e-mail
Nakba Day is a Reminder That George Mitchell Can Not Ignore Palestinian Refugees
Yousef Munayyer, Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development5/19/2010
Proximity talks signaling the restart of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, which have been on hold for years, are beginning amidst an important reminder of the root cause of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Saturday, May 15, marked Nakba Day. The Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,” was the depopulation of Palestine of its native inhabitants which took place around the emergence of the state of Israel from 1947-1949. Little known to most Americans is the massacre of Palestinians at Deir Yassin, which left dozens of women and children slaughtered. It is marked on April 9, a date which highlights the fact that Palestinians were being ethnically cleansed even before the Arab armies declared war on Israel in May of 1948. The Dahmash mosque massacre, marked on July 12, witnessed the gunning down of Palestinian civilians seeking refuge in a mosque. It was one of the worst massacres of the period.
Yet the day on which the Jewish state was established, is the day Palestinians mark their suffering. This is not, as some would suggest, because Palestinians oppose the existence of a safe haven for Jews. Rather it is because the existence of this state means that hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees could not return to their homes – and still cannot to this day.
Some will say that Palestinians and Israelis have two irreconcilable narratives and for this reason ought to avoid talk about history. Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in other countries have, however, played a key role in helping victims of terrible injustices to understand in more detail what was done to them and by whom. The facts known today tell of the reality that befell Palestinians and tragically and terribly altered the trajectory of their individual and collective existence. Yet there is much more that will surely come to light as Israeli archives are examined and as aging conquerors examine their consciences.more..e-mail
Letter to the Editor; USA, apartheid and road construction
Dr. Ghassan Khatib, Ma’an News Agency5/19/2010
In his article US funds Israel’s ‘apartheid’ roads plan Jonathan Cook levels a number of serious accusations against the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
While his disdain for Israel’s occupation is to be applauded, his criticisms of the PNA ignore some fundamental facts with regards to road construction in the occupied Palestinian Territory. After studying the map referred to in the article (which compares a 2004 Israeli proposal with USAID funded roads), it is clear that all of the “22%” of the roads identified are not new roads, but are roads that already exist and are being rehabilitated to ensure both safety and easiness of travel for West Bank residents.
In the light of previous reports, including the article in The Nation and Jonathan Cook’s article published in several outlets, a review meeting with concerned civil society organizations and representatives of relevant Ministries was conducted. After deliberation and discussions, the meeting concluded that what was presented in the article is simply not true.
First, there are no new roads being built, second, the PNA and not USAID makes the ultimate decisions regarding proposed roads. Third, all the roads being worked on are part of the Palestinian map of 2004, which, in certain areas intersects with the Israeli map.
In 2004, under the Israel’s government lead by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, there were moves on the part of the Israelis to separate and limit contact between Palestinians and Israelis and establish more segregated roads in the West Bank. At that time the Israelis produced a map that included already existing West Bank roads in order to divide them between Palestinians and Israelis. We never accepted such plans for segregating roads and the PNA is adamant in perusing Palestinian right to use any road in the West Bank and any road within the entire Palestinian Territory.more..e-mail
International orgs call on Israel to immediately release rights defenders
Electronic Intifada: 19 May 2010 – On 6 May 2010, at 03:10am, 16 members of the Israeli General Security Services (GSS) and the Israeli police force raided the family home of Mr. Ameer Makhoul. After meeting him last night, Mr. Makhoul’s lawyers confirmed that he was suffering from exhaustion — as a result of sleep deprivation — and that he had been subjected to various forms of intensive interrogation, raising fears of possible torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
The return of the colonial: Laor’s “The Myths of Liberal Zionism” reviewed
Electronic Intifada: 19 May 2010 – Israeli new mandarins have to try to sell settler-colonialism to Western states with populations that increasingly regard Zionism’s spiritual core and physical reality as somewhere on the spectrum between mildly embarrassing and overtly revolting. It is those mandarins that anti-Zionist Israeli poet Yitzhak Laor meticulously vivisects in The Myths of Liberal Zionism .
Gaza crisis “far beyond humanitarian”
Electronic Intifada: 19 May 2010 – DUBAI (IRIN) – With a failing economy, rising unemployment and deteriorating power, sanitation and health facilities, the health of Gaza’s population continues to worsen, according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report. In contrast, modest improvements have been made in the West Bank.
Chomsky denied entry as Goldstone remains under attack
Electronic Intifada: 19 May 2010 – RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) – When internationally renowned linguist, philosopher and political analyst Noam Chomsky was barred from entering the occupied West Bank, he joined a chorus of Jewish intellectuals savaged by the Israeli government for outspoken criticism.
Persecution of Palestinian citizens recalls S. Africa apartheid repression
Electronic Intifada: 19 May 2010 – Two weeks after Israel imposed a travel ban on him, Ameer Makhoul, a well-respected Palestinian leader holding Israeli citizenship, was kidnapped from his home on 6 May in the middle of the night. The persecution of Makhoul brings back memories of the South Africa apartheid regime; during the South Africa anti-apartheid movement, similar tactics were used against those advocating for freedom and equal rights, who were accused of terrorism and having links with the Soviet Union. Adri Nieuwhof and Bangani Ngeleza comment for The Electronic Intifada.
breaking the isolation
In Gaza: 19 May 2010 – * photo: Emad Badwan IPS “I’ve learned most of what I know about photo editing and graphic design via the Internet,” says Emad, 27-year-old film-maker and editor. In Gaza, this sort of thing has become usual in a different way. “This programme isn’t available here,” he says, smiling triumphantly as he finishes downloading the latest edition of an advanced video editing programme. “Even if it was, I can’t afford to pay 600 dollars for it, not even if I worked for two months. But I need this for my work, so I looked for a free online version.” Isolated under a siege which began shortly after Hamas was elected in 2006 and heightened severely in mid-2007, Palestinians in Gaza have suffered the effects of such alienation in all aspects of their lives. The economy has been destroyed both by the prolonged and choking siege and the 2008-2009 Israeli war on…
Al-Walaja village is gradually disappearing
Palestine Monitor: 19 May 2010 – Al-Walaja village, south of Bethlehem, is gradually disappearing. In 1967, approximately half of it was annexed by Israel and absorbed into the Jerusalem municipality. This hillside village lies nearby the Israeli Jewish settlement of Gilo. The settlement is expanding and Israeli authorities are seizing more land. According to a military confiscation order handed to the villagers, the path of the Apartheid Wall will stretch over 4,890 meters between Beit Jala and al-Wallaja, affecting 35 families, whose homes may now be slated for demolition. Palestine Monitor visited the village during one of the protests organised by the local residents. Last Thursday a group of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists marched on the construction site of the Wall. They succeeded in temporarily stopping the bulldozers. However, security guards and Israeli border police eventually arrived on the scene and violently removed the protestors. There were four arrests. All pictures by Julian.
Charting The Road To Middle East Peace
Palestine Monitor: 19 May 2010 – In 2003, the Bush administration proclaimed that attacking Iraq would usher in an era of democracy in the Middle East. Yet after years of “birth pangs” leading up to what was supposed to be a new and improved Middle East, it is clear that the whole notion was inaccurate and destructive, both to the U.S. and the region itself. Today, however, there does exist a plausible way to advance peace, democracy, and prosperity in the Middle East; and one that does not involve fighting protracted wars in the Muslim world: Solve the Palestine Question. The real catalyst for peace and democracy in the region is not to be found on the rocky road through Tehran or Baghdad, but rather on the road through Jerusalem. Were the U.S. to once and for all apply its full weight on Palestine-Israel, peace in the region as a whole would become more attainable. It’s…
Israel’s Exclusion and Restriction of Goods to Gaza
Palestine Chronicle: 19 May 2010 – By Stephen Lendman After Hamas was overwhelmingly elected in January 2006, Israel, Washington and the West ended all outside aid, imposed an economic embargo and sanctions, and politically isolated the new government. Stepped up repression followed, including regular IDF incursions, bombings, killings, targeted assassinations, arrests, property destruction, and Israeli-instigated internal conflict that left Fatah usurping authority in the West Bank, leaving Gaza alone under Hamas. In June 2007, conditions worsened after Israel imposed its siege, medieval-like, according to some, for its harshness. Now, nearing its third anniversary, it’s still in place, slowly suffocating and strangling 1.5 million people, trapped by closed borders, regular incursions and attacks, and shortages of everything needed to function and survive. A humanitarian crisis resulted and continues. The West and most regional states are culpable, complicit or indifferent to a real time catastrophe. Israel’s Policy of Exclusion and Restrictions The Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of…more
Arab Funding Could Be a Game Changer
Palestine Chronicle: 19 May 2010 – By George S. Hishmeh – Washington The Israeli narrative, thanks to Israel’s wealthy and well-connected supporters and the many politicians who, in turn, are desperately in need of their financial backing and votes, is prevalent in the West, especially in the United States. This is evident daily – in the halls of U.S. Congress, the American media and at mushrooming think-tanks in key cities, particularly Washington, and, needless to say, among some senior U.S. officials who are sensitive to their pull. In the U.S. media, for example, the country’s two leading dailies have correspondents in Israel, one of them an Israeli citizen and the other has a son serving in the Israeli army. The tendency is for them to sometimes disregard the facts and use the term “disputed” rather than “occupied” areas when reporting on clashes between Arabs and Israelis inside Arab East Jerusalem. Israel had illegally annexed the Arab…more
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The New Dark Age 
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