News
International Middle East Media Center
Chomsky Meets A Hezbollah Leader In Lebanon
IMEMC – 21 May 2010 – American Professor Noam Chomsky held a meeting on Friday with a senior official of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah party, and discussed several issues regarding the Middle East conflict, Israel and the United States policies.
Israeli Soldiers Kill A Camel Near Jericho
IMEMC – 21 May 2010 – Palestinian sources reported Friday that Israeli soldiers shot and killed a camel that belongs to a Bedouin resident of northern Jericho in the occupied West Bank.
Abbas Offers Concessions Over Borders
IMEMC – 21 May 2010 – The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, offered Israel concessions regarding the borders of the anticipated Palestinian State.
Two Fighters Killed In Khan Younis
IMEMC – 21 May 2010 – Palestinian sources reported Friday that two fighters were shot and killed during clashes with Israel soldiers east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army confirmed killing two fighters near the border fence separating Gaza from Israel.
Two Civilians Injured As Troops Attack Wall Protest Near Bethlehem
IMEMC – 21 May 2010 – Two Palestinian civilians were injured another two arrested by Israeli soldiers during the weekly anti wall protest in al-Ma’ssara village near Bethlehem, southern West Bank.
Two Children Injured, Three Arrested By Soldiers In Bil’in’s Weekly Wall Protest
IMEMC – 21 May 2010 – On Friday two children were injured, along with three other civilians, as Israeli troops attacked the weekly nonviolent protest in Bil’in village, central West Bank.
Troops Attack Villagers Of Nabi Saleh And Injure One
IMEMC – 21 May 2010 – One civilian was injured, and dozens suffered from the effects oftear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked, on Friday, the villagers of Nabi Saleh’s anti wall protest in central West Bank.
Lebanon Uncovers 22 Spy Networks Working For Israel
IMEMC – 21 May 2010 – A senior Lebanese security source reported that the Lebanese security forces managed to uncover and dismantle 22 spy networks working for Israel.
PCHR Weekly Report: Palestinian child, elderly man killed; 3 Palestinian civilians wounded by Israel
IMEMC – 21 May 2010 – In its Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory for the week of 13 — 19 May 2010, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that a Palestinian child was killed by an Israeli settler in the West Bank and an elderly man was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Air Force Attacks Several Areas In Gaza
IMEMC – 21 May 2010 – Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli Air Force carried out several airstrikes on Thursday night, after midnight, targeting a number of areas in the Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported.
Khan Younis: 2 teens dead, soldier injured
5/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Two teenage Gaza residents were killed by Israeli forces as they snuck out of the Strip allegedly looking for work, Palestinian medics said on Friday. An Israeli military spokeswoman said the two dead were identified as armed by troops, and killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli forces “right next to Nirim….
Protester critical after West Bank demonstration
5/21/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – One protester was critically injured, witnesses in Al-Ma’asara said, after Israeli forces shot tear-gas canisters and sound bombs at a non-violent rally south of Bethlehem on Friday. An Israeli military spokeswoman said forces stepped in to disperse a the rally when it became violent, saying two were detained for “participating in an illegal….
Israel targets Gaza Strip
5/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli warplanes bombed the northern and southern Gaza Strip early Thursday, onlookers and the military said, with no immediate reports of injury. Reports of fires spreading east of Khan Younis following one of the airstrikes, sparked fears of further damages and potential injury, witnesses said. An Israeli military statement said “the Israel Air….
Qusra village farmers driven off fields by settlers
5/21/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Armed Israeli settlers from the illegal community of Migdalim accosted a group of Palestinian farmers from the Qusra village on Friday morning, and demanded that they leave the fields or face injury, farmers reported. Ghassan Doughlas, the official responsible for settlement activity in the northern West Bank, said the farmers were driven away….
Barred by Israel, US, EU delegations enter Gaza at Rafah
5/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Ahead of their visit to Israel and Palestine, 15 members of the European Parliament released a statement saying they “deplored the Israeli authorities’ refusal to grant access to Gaza” for the delegation. A statement from the European parliament said that a portion of the delegates would enter Gaza via the Egyptian border at….
Gaza group reports 2 more deported by Israel
5/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Brothers born in Gaza, one married to a Palestinian citizen of Israel, were detained and deported to the Gaza Strip on Friday, officials at the Wa’ed Society in Gaza said. The men, identified as Imad and Hamed Abu Dawaba both in their twenties, were taken from their Beersheba home by Israeli police and….
10 detained by Israeli forces in West Bank, police say
5/21/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained ten Palestinians including an elderly man and his seven children during arrest campaigns in the West Bank districts of Jenin, Hebron and Jericho on Friday morning. A police report from the Jenin municipal office said forces invaded the town of Kfar Ra’i and entered several homes, which were searched and….
Gaza crossings closed
5/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinnian officials at the Gaza crossing terminals were informed of the closure of all transfer points between Israel and the coastal enclave, liaison officer Raed Fattouh said on Friday. Though crossings are scheduled to be open on Fridays, they have been shut both Friday and Saturday since December 2009, barring one Friday in….
Israel blocks mail between Gaza, West Bank
5/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israel has halted the flow of government sector mail between Gaza and the West Bank, causing a delay in the receipt of official documents, officials said on Thursday. Maher Abu Ouf, Palestinian director for the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel, said Israel shut-down all mail services last Wednesday after forces detained Gaza-based….
5,000 enter, exit Gaza during Rafah opening
5/21/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an -Some 5,248 Palestinians traveled through the Rafah crossing during its six-day opening, Egyptian security sources said Thursday, short of the predicted 8,000. According to statistics, 4,615 of the travelers entered Egypt and 633 crossed in the opposite direction, returning to the Gaza Strip. Medical staff chief at the border said over 1,000 of….
White House: 2nd round of proximity talks ‘constructive’
5/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell concluded his second round of proximity talks and returned to Washington on Thursday, with White House officials calling the talks “constructive.” White House spokesman JP Crowley described the talks, which continued throughout last week, as “constructive and reflected both parties’ commitments to reach an….
Egyptian officers uncover dozens of acres of pot
5/21/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egyptian security forces operating near the Gaza/Israel border said they took control of a combined 66 acres of marijuana plants on Thursday. One raid in the northern Sinai uncovered a 26-acre plot, along with a warehouse containing three tons of dried product allegedly prepared to be smuggled into Israel. A second….
Borders top Palestinian agenda for talks
5/21/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat called a Washington Post report claiming the offer of massive Palestinian land concessions “irresponsible” and “counterproductive,” after proximity talks concluded their second round on Thursday. American and Israeli reports on the progress of talks, amid an official media blackout, speculated that Palestinian officials had offered a “concessions on….
Rival parties agree on centrality of youth in politics
5/21/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – The Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies hosted Hamas and Fatah officials at a series of workshops for young Palestinian leaders in the West Bank’s de facto capital last week. Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council for Fatah and Hamas, Najah Abu Baker and Mahmud Ar-Rumahi respectively, spoke alongside Director-General of the Arab….
‘Hezbollahland’ tours draw Lebanese youths
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – Washington – the Shia political and paramilitary group Hezbollah “solidly” largely controls southern Lebanon, and they are now giving tours of the territory as a kind of “Hezbollahland,” AFP news agency reported Tuesday. The face of…
Missing the Nuance: Abunimah’s criticism of Noam Chomsky
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – A couple of days ago, Ali Abunimah, a prominent Palestine solidarity activist and co-founder of the Electronic Intifada , said he was ” baffled by Noam Chomsky’s contradictions on Palestine. ” A few months ago, Chomsky had…
Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian’s camel
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – New York – Israeli soldiers shot dead a camel belonging to a Palestinian bedouin man in the occupied West Bank on Friday, according to news reports. The shooting apparently occurred during an argument between three soldiers…
Report: Palestinian protester in critical condition
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – New York – A Palestinian demonstrator was critically wounded when Israeli forces fired tear gas and stun grenades at an anti-occupation demonstration in the West Bank town of Al-Ma’asara on Friday, the Palestinian news agency Ma’an…
Jerusalem settlers defy peace process
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – Washington – Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem are working to stymie a potential compromise over the city, The Associated Press reported Friday. An East Jerusalem settlement sits under heavy guard [Photo: David H – Flickr] Devorah…
South Sudan president sworn in
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – Washington – Leader of former rebel group Sudan People’s Liberation Movement ( SPLM ) Salva Kiir has been sworn in as president of Sudan’s semi-autonomous southern region, BBC reported Friday. Salva Kiir is pictured in his SPLM military…
Erekat calls concessions report ‘irresponsible’
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – Washington – Chief negotiator for the Palestinian Liberation Organization Dr. Saeb Erekat has condemned US and Israeli reports that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas offered Israel considerable Palestinian territory during indirect negotiations this week, Ma’an News Agency…
Miss USA: CNN headline attracts criticism
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – Washington – A CNN headline asking “Miss USA: Muslim trailblazer? Or spy?” has tongues wagging at the Huffington Post . “CNN’s Ridiculous Headline Fail” posted on the Huffington Post Friday morning accused CNN of a lack of…
Report: Lebanon uncovers Israeli spy networks
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – Washington – A high-ranking Lebanese security official has reported that 22 spy networks working for Israel have been uncovered, IMEMC said Friday. The official said Lebanese security forces discovered the spy networks and arrested their members….
Hezbollah mobilizes fighters
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – New York – Hezbollah mobilized thousands of armed men in southern Lebanon Friday in response to an Israeli defense exercise, a official in the Shia organization told AFP . “The Hezbollah fighters have [been instructed] to be…
Report: Abbas offers big concessions to Israel
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – New York – Palestinian negotiators offered surprisingly large land conce
ssions to Israel during ongoing indirect peace talks, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. According to the report , in the first weeks of the US-mediated talks, Palestinian…
Southern Sudan: Unity vs. succession
Palestine Note 21 May 2010 – Juba – IRIN – Southern Sudan will in early 2011 hold a referendum to determine whether to remain part of a united Sudan or become a separate state. The referendum was a core component of the…
Thirty-six years after Ma’alot
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – AMMAN – In the month of May many people celebrate Israeli Independence and grieve al Nakba; they lament ongoing violence and fear the next strike. In this sense, times have not changed much since the sad…
Main obstacle to peace is psychological
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – TEL AVIV – Last week, Professor John Mearsheimer presented an analysis of the chances of Israel surviving in the long term. Every Israeli who is concerned about the future of the state should grapple with this…
The Arab League’s new opportunity
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – NEW YORK – Recently the Arab League’s Arab Peace Initiative follow-up committee endorsed the launch of proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) for the second time in as many months. While the increasing…
The burden of collective identities
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – JERUSALEM – The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, like every conflict between ethnic or national groups, is rooted in national and religious narratives. Cases in point are Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, Bosnia, Kosovo and more. Each side in the…
What to do with Jerusalem
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – WASHINGTON, DC – Ever since Israeli-Palestinian talks began nearly two decades ago, it’s been clear that Jerusalem would be the thorniest problem of all. Because of this, the prevailing assumption has been that Jerusalem would come…
Arab funding could be a game changer
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – There is an urgent need to counter the Israeli propaganda that prevails in the West The Israeli narrative – thanks to Israel’s wealthy and well-connected supporters and the many politicians who, in turn, are desperately in…
Israeli forces kill 2 on Gaza border
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – Israeli soldier wounded; Warplanes strike overnight New York – The Israeli military said its troops shot dead two Palestinians who crossed the Gaza-Israel border on Friday. They entered Israel near Nirim, a small farming community, after…
We can’t make peace but we can sure make up terms
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – An Israeli-Palestinian phrasebook could be made for all the terms coined over the years: Proximity talks, The road map for peace; Martyrdom operation. Palestinians and Israelis haven’t been able to come up with a workable peace…
Karazai’s Washington visit: The war awaiting Kandahar
Palestine Note 20 May 2010 – Clad in his usual attire of a colorful, striped robe, Afghan President Hamid Karazai appeared more like an emperor as he began his fourth day in Washington. Accompanying him on a somber visit to the Arlington…
Iran nuclear deadline looms
AlJazeera 21 May 2010 – Tehran has less than 24 hours to sign deal that could derail US plans for sanctions.
IDF soldier shoots camel belonging to Bedouin
Ha’aretz – Shooting occurs after dispute between three IDF soldiers from the Nahal Haredi battalion and a Bedouin in the northern Jordan Valley.
A day in the life of Jews in East Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – At least 2,000 Jews reside in predominantly Arab neighborhoods in the heart of East Jerusalem.
Pagan altar unearthed at Ashkelon hospital construction site
Ha’aretz – Archeologists say discovery proves hotly contested cemetery at site slated for hospital ER is pagan, not Jewish.
Is Bar Refaeli set to replace Megan Fox in Transformers 3?
Ha’aretz – Israeli model’s name mentioned as possible star of upcoming blockbuster, alongside models Miranda Kerr and Brooklyn Decker and actresses Gemma Arterton and Ashley Greene.
U.S.: We have ‘grave concerns’ about arming of Hezbollah
Ha’aretz – U.S. President Obama and Lebanese PM Hariri to meet Monday, discuss ‘broad range of mutual goals’ relating to Lebanon’s sovereignty and regional peace.
Hezbollah inaugurates museum highlighting its ‘resistance’ against Israel
Ha’aretz – Group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah tells crowd via video link: One of our most important responsibilities is to foster the history of the resistance.
Wall Street Journal: Palestinians make surprisingly large land offer to Israel
Ha’aretz – In framework of proximity talks, Palestinian negotiators have reportedly proposed giving up twice the West Bank territory Abbas offered Olmert.
IDF soldier wounded by Palestinian sniper fire on Gaza border
Ha’aretz – Soldier from Givati Brigade in moderate condition; incident occurs after IDF kills two Palestinian infiltrators near Kibbutz Nirim; Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for infiltration attempt.
Iran: We’ll reveal details of uranium swap deal on Monday
Ha’aretz – Tehran will hand IAEA an official letter on agreement announced by Iran, Brazil and Turkey this week; UN chief hopes the deal leads to negotiated settlement of Iran’s nuclear row with the West., Hezbollah official warns the organization will be prepared to attack if Israel launches offensive on Lebanon, AFP reports., Lawmakers voted to give Israel $205 million for its production of the short-range rocket defense system, Iron Dome defense, by 410-4 margin.
Russia: UN sanctions talks won’t affect arms contracts with Iran
Ha’aretz – Statement comes after some diplomats had said that the sanctions under discussion would prevent Russia from delivering S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran under an existing contract.
Russia said to be seeking consensus on Iran nuclear sanctions
Ha’aretz – Obama tells Turkish PM: We’ll keep pushing for Iran sanctions; Ahmadinejad dismisses UN sanctions draft, says it lacks legitimacy.
Israel partially opens Gaza’s commercial crossings today
20 May 2010 – Gaza, May 20, (Pal Telegraph) The Israeli occupation authorities decided to partially open Kerem Abu Salem and Carney commercial crossings to insert food, aid and fuel. Raed Fattouh, the Chairman of the goods entry into Gaza Committee, confirmed that the Israeli occupation authorities has decided to open the Kerem Abu Salem crossing, which is located southeast of the Gaza Strip,…
[uruknet.info] Rampant employment discrimination against Palestinian workers in Israel
Uruknet May 21, 2010 – Unemployed computer engineer Morad Lashin would like to work in Israel’s Electricity Company, a large state utility, but admits his chances of being recruited are slim. The reasons were set out in graphic form this month when a parliamentary committee revealed that only 1.3 percent of the company’s 12,000 workers are Arab, despite the Palestinian Arab…
[uruknet.info] Things that Make Me Want to Tell People to Shut the Hell Up
Uruknet May 21, 2010 – …In case you didn’t follow the above link concerning Hillary Clinton, I want to highlight her statement. I consider it among the most deeply immoral, horrifying and repellent statements offered by any leading politician in recent years. Here is what she said: Our troops did the job they were asked to do. They got rid of…
[uruknet.info] Palestinian children tortured in Israeli occupation jails
Uruknet May 21, 2010 – Hiba Masalha, a Palestinian lawyer who visited child-prisoners at the Majedo and Rimonim prisons said that a number of them were subjected to barbaric torture before being questioned or charged. Masalha said on Thursday that she met with 17-year-old Ahmad Farouq Jaara from Nablus who was arrested on 14 January 2010 at the Za’tara roadblock. He…
[uruknet.info] DCI – Palestine submits 14 cases of sexual assault and threats to the UN for investigation
Uruknet On 18 May 2010, DCI-Palestine submitted 14 cases to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture for investigation. The submission relates to the sexual assault, or threat of sexual assault, of Palestinian children at the hands of Israeli soldiers, interogators and police between January 2009 and April 2010. The ages of the children range from 13 to 16 years. DCI-Palestine is…
[uruknet.info] “Treat Our Passengers and Cargo with Respect” says Senator Mark Dearey
Uruknet May 21, 2010 – The Free Gaza Movement welcomes statements by the Irish Government to ensure the safety of the passengers and cargo currently making their way to the besieged Gaza Strip. His Excellency Mr. Breifne O’Reilly, Irish ambassador in Tel Aviv, traveled to the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem this week “to ensure a peaceful outcome which will enable…
[uruknet.info] Israel blocks mail between Gaza, West Bank
Uruknet May 21, 2010 – Israel has halted the flow of government sector mail between Gaza and the West Bank, causing a delay in the receipt of official documents, officials said on Thursday. Maher Abu Ouf, Palestinian director for the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel, said Israel shut-down all mail services last Wednesday after forces detained Gaza-based postal service official…
[uruknet.info] Ahmed Abu Ali: Guilty of Being Muslim in America at the Wrong Time
Uruknet May 20, 2010 – Writing on May 12 in Alternet.org, Mariam Abu Ali headlined, “My Brother Faces a Lifetime of Solitary Confinement on a Spurious Terror Conviction,” saying: He “spent the past five years in solitary confinement, under 23-hour lockdown, in a 7 x 12 cell,” and overall has been treated horrifically “in a dungeon, over 20 meters beneath the…
[uruknet.info] Israeli Air Force Attacks Several Areas In Gaza
Uruknet Friday May 21, 2010 – Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli Air Force carried out several airstrikes on Thursday night, after midnight, targeting a number of areas in the Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported. One of the attacks targeted al-Faraheen area in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The explosions set several farmlands ablaze. Also,…
[uruknet.info] Bank Cornered over Financing Israeli Settlements
Uruknet May 20, 2010 – New evidence has been uncovered to show that Dexia, a major Belgian-French bank, is still financing Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories despite official assurances that such loans have ceased. Jean-Luc Dehaene, a former Belgian prime minister and now Dexia’s chairman, announced last year that the bank had not approved any new loans to authorities…
[uruknet.info] Palestinian Economic Boycott Hits Israeli Settlers
Uruknet May 20, 2010 – Israeli settlers are beginning to feel the bite of an economic boycott campaign launched by the Palestinian Authority (PA) against goods produced in the illegal Israeli settlements dotting the occupied West Bank. “This is economic terrorism,” complained the Yesha Council (YC), an umbrella organisation of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Several international…
[uruknet.info] I will mourn on Nakba Day
Uruknet May 20, 2010 – I will mourn on Nakba Day. I will mourn for vanished Palestine most of which I never knew. I will mourn for the holy land that is losing its humanity, its landscape, its beauty and its children on the altar of racism and evil. I will mourn for the Jewish youngsters who invade and desecrate the…
[uruknet.info] Uncertain Education
Uruknet May 20, 2010 – Since September 2009, seventy children of the Bedouin community Jahalin in al-Khan al-
Ahmar have been going to school close to their homes, between Jericho and Jerusalem. But it is unclear whether these children will be able to attend their necessary lessons next year. By the end of the current school year in July, the Israeli Civil…
Music stars’ boycott rocks Israel
The National 21 May 2010 – British singer Elvis Costello says intimidation’ and humiliation’ of Palestinians spurred his decision as groups push for cultural boycott.
Hizbollah mobilises forces in South Lebanon
The National 21 May 2010 – Hizbollah mobilises thousands of militants in southern Lebanon in response to week-long Israeli defence exercises due to kick off on Sunday.
International Solidarity Movement
Gaza youth learn music and challenge the occupation
5/21/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Electronic Intifada, Eva Bartlett – GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) — “Why are you rushing? Isn’t it nicer like this? “Mohammed Omer, oud (an oud is similar to a lute) teacher at the Gaza Music School, asks his student. Omer takes the oud and demonstrates, playing the song slowly, gracefully, with the ornamentations that are….
Jerusalem, Like Heaven or closer
Alternative Information Center – Jerusalem: Like the Heavens or Closer: is being held with the assistance of a Ayuntamiento de Xixon funded project through the SpanishAssociationPaz con Dignidad. “This exhibition…
Free Gaza Flotilla
Alternative Information Center – On Wednesday May 12th News from Within interviewed Lubna Masarwa of the Free Gaza Movement on the upcoming Freedom Flotilla. Lubna discussed the work of the Free Gaza Movement, an international group attempting to break the…
Two Fighters Killed In Clashes Near The Southern Gaza Borders
PNN – Gaza — PNN – Two Palestinian fighters were killed on Friday midday during clashes with Israeli troops near the southern borders of the Gaza Strip and Israel. Al Quds brigades, the armed…
Two Civilians Injured As Troops Attack Wall Protest Near Bethlehem
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura — PNN – Two Palestinian civilians were injured another two arrested by Israeli soldiers during the weekly anti wall protest in Al Ma’ssara village near Bethlehem, southern West Bank. Villagers…
Two Injured, Three Arrested By Soldiers In Bil’in’s Weekly Wall Protest
PNN – Ramallah — PNN- on Friday two children were injured, three other civilians injured as Israeli troops attacked the weekly nonviolent protest in Bil’in village, central West Bank. This week’s demonstration in Bil’in…
Troops Attack Villagers Of Nabi Saleh And Injure One
PNN – Ramallah- PNN- one civilian were injured dozens suffered tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked on Friday the villagers of Nabi Saleh anti wall protest in central West Bank. Villagers along with…
PCHR: 2 Civilians killed 3 injured This Week
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura — PNN- This week a Palestinian child was killed by an Israeli settler in the West Bank, and an elderly man was killed by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip;…
Israeli Jetfighters Conduct 4 Air Raids Targeting The Gaza
PNN – Gaza – PNN – Israeli jetfighters bombarded on Friday at dawn four separate areas in the southern Gaza Strip region. Two Jetfighters raids targeted farm lands near the towns of Khaza’a and…
EGYPT: Historically Apolitical, Sufis Now Side With the State
IPS CAIRO, May 21 (IPS) – Although Egypt’s many Sufi orders have traditionally been known for keeping a safe distance from politics, recent events suggest they are now closer than ever to the ruling regime.
MIDEAST: Where Commemorations Are Split
IPS JERUSALEM, May 21 (IPS) – In Israel and Palestine memory is a split matter, depending on which side of the map you come from. Especially this May, as Israeli and Palestinian leaders restart negotiating a border acceptable to their peoples.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (13 — 19 May 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Iran to officially accept nuke deal
Jeruslalem Post 22 May 2010 – UN chief hopes move will open door to “settlement” with West.
US lifts sanctions on Russian firms
Jeruslalem Post 21 May 2010 – Groups previously accused of giving illicit assistance to Iran, Syria.
IAF strikes Gaza terrorist tunnels
Jeruslalem Post 21 May 2010 – Successful precision strikes come in response to Kassam rocket fire.
IDF scout moderately hurt near Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 21 May 2010 – Injury follows killing of Islamic Jihad members who crossed border.
Israel ranked 17th-most competitive economy
Jeruslalem Post 21 May 2010 – No. 1 for resilience, research expenditure
.
Despair and defiance in Bangkok
Jeruslalem Post 21 May 2010 – Exclusive to ‘The Jerusalem Post.’
IDF kills 2 terrorist infiltrators
Jeruslalem Post 21 May 2010 – As firefight still underway between IDF and Palestinian forces on Gaza border, no injuries to IDF.
Hizbullah prepares for IDF drill
Jeruslalem Post 21 May 2010 – Kaouk: If Lebanon is attacked Israelis “will find no place to hide.”
Rocket hits near Ashkelon
Jeruslalem Post 21 May 2010 – IAF responds, attacking 3 Gaza tunnels.
Former J’lem mayor decries service cutoff
Jeruslalem Post 20 May 2010 – Miller condemned city’s decision to cut services to haredim.
International Meeting in Support of Peace Process to Be Held Monday in Istanbul
WAFA – NEW YORK, May 21, 2010 (WAFA)- The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will convene the United Nations International Meeting in Support of the
RSF Dismayed by Israeli Denial Entry of Noam Chomsky to West Bank
WAFA – PARIS, May 21, 2010 (WAFA)- Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it is dismayed by the Israeli government’s refusal to allow Canadian intellectual Noam Chomsky to enter the West Bank from Jordan.
Two Children Injured, Three Arrested, in Bil’in’s Demonstration
WAFA – RAMALLAH, May 21, 2010 (WAFA)- Today’s weekly demonstration in the West Bank village of Bil’in west of Ramallah was conducted in solidarity with the settlement boycott movement. Palestinians,
Palestinian nonviolence relies on global non-silence | Yousef Munayyer
The Guardian 21 May 2010 – The world cannot expect Palestinians to abandon violence while remaining silent on Israel’s repression of nonviolent activists When will there be a Palestinian Gandhi? I’m often asked this question by people who sympathise with Palestinian suffering…
Syria: UNRWA Opens US-Funded Community Centre in Yarmouk
Relief Web 21 May 2010 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process to Be Held in Istanbul, Turkey, 25—26 May
Relief Web 21 May 2010 – Source: UN General Assembly
Les enfants et les conflits arm?©s : Rapport du Secr?©taire g?©n?©ral (A/64/742—S/2010/181)
Relief Web 21 May 2010 – Source: UN General Assembly, UN Security Council
Children and armed conflict: Report of the Secretary-General (A/64/742—S/2010/181)
Relief Web 21 May 2010 – Source: UN General Assembly, UN Security Council
Hamas threatens Israel over Abu Tir expulsion
YNet News – Islamic group upset over decision to expel Hamas leader from Jerusalem….
Report: Abbas may double territory offered to Israel in peace deal
YNet News – Wall Street Journal quotes officials briefed on proximity talks between Israel,….
2 gunmen killed after infiltrating Israel
YNet News – IDF soldiers spot Palestinian cell crossing fence near Kibbutz Nirim; two gunmen….
Settlers: Our life has become a wreck
YNet News – Five years after Sasson Report, not even one of 24 outposts defined illegal has….
Negev kibbutz promises return to collective Zionist ideals
YNet News – Small kibbutz near Gaza and Egypt is home to some 60 people who are trying to….
Hezbollah on high alert ahead of IDF drill
YNet News – Shiite group’s representative in southern Lebanon meets with Jewish American….
Lieberman seeks 3rd World’s support
YNet News – Foreign minister plans to send hundreds of Israeli experts to underdeveloped….
Chilean citizen deported instead of reuniting with soldier son
YNet News – Decade after being deported for first time, Chilean citizen lands in Israel to….
IDF attacks 3 Gaza tunnels
YNet News – Air Force bombs targets in southern, northern Strip in response to rocket which….
US, Egypt seek Mideast nuclear arms ban deal
YNet News – The United States and Egypt are working to bridge differences on a proposed Middle East nuclear arms ban, an idea that could one day force Israel to scrap any atom bombs …….
Soldiers kill Bedouin’s camel
YNet News – Three IDF soldiers belonging to the Nahal Haredi battalion shot and killed a camel in the Jordan Rift Valley Friday following a dispute with a local Bedouin. The …….
IDF soldier hurt on Gaza border
YNet News – Escalation in Gaza: An IDF soldier sustained moderate wounds Friday evening after a Palestinian sniper fired at him from within the Gaza Strip. The soldier, a …….
Nasrallah questions Shoah
YNet News – Another Shoah-denier? Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah urged followers Friday to impart the legacy of Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon similarly to “what …….
Turkish PM urges Obama not to reject Iran deal
YNet News – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged US President Barack Obama not to dismiss a nuclear fuel swap deal sealed with Iran and to give diplomacy a chance, his …….
Police launch ‘beer war’
YNet News – Several youngsters at Tel Aviv’s Jerusalem Beach were in for a surprise Friday when riot police forces arrived at the site and ordered them to spill their beers, as part …….
Russia: We’ll sell advanced missile system to Iran
YNet News – Harsher sanctions on Iran will not prevent Russia from fulfilling its obligation and selling the S-300 missile system to Tehran, a senior Russian parliamentarian said …….
Gaza gunmen infiltrate Israel, die in firefight
Daily Star 21 May 2010 Israeli troops killed two Palestinian militants who had infiltrated Israel from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Friday, the military said.The firefight between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants took place across the border from the southern Gaza…
Washington, Cairo strive for Mideast nuclear arms ban agreement
Daily Star 21 May 2010 UNITED NATIONS: The United States and Egypt are working to bridge differences on a proposed Middle East nuclear arms ban, an idea that could one day force Israel to scrap any atom bombs it has, UN…
New Nile River treaty comes as wake-up call for Egypt
Daily Star 21 May 2010 CAIRO: A new agreement by five African states on Nile water sharing has been a wake-up call for Egypt, which has long considered the river its own, analysts say.Until now, Cairo had distanced itself from any…
Moms of Americans held in Iran return home without children
Daily Star 21 May 2010 TEHRAN: The mothers of three Americans jailed in Iran for 10 months were returning home Friday without securing an immediate release for their children, witnesses said. The mothers had more time with their children on Friday…
Pro-reform former Iran VP assaulted in Tehran – reports
Daily Star 21 May 2010 TEHRAN: A former Iranian vice president, who was among scores of pro-reform figures arrested after disputed presidential elections last June, said he was assaulted Thursday by attackers who smashed his car window, a website reported. “This…
Sanctions ‘won’t hit’ Russia’s missile sales to Iran
Daily Star 21 May 2010 Two key Russian Parliament members said on Friday proposed UN sanctions on Iran would not affect Russia’s controversial sale of S-300 missiles to Tehran, the Interfax news agency reported. The possible sanctions would not hurt “current…
Qatar Reigns Supreme in MidEast Competitiveness
The Media Line 20 May 2010 – Qatar has remained the Middle East’s economic kingpin and Israel is showing great signs of improvement, an annual study of economic competitiveness has found. The 2010 World Competitiveness Yearbook, issued by the International Institute for Management…
EU Crisis Begins to Affect the Middle East
The Media Line 20 May 2010 – The European Union is struggling with what some argue is the region’s worst economic crisis since the Second World War. But how is the EU’s crisis affecting the trade flow with the Middle East? According to…
Brazil’s diplomacy on Iran points to larger ambitions
LA Times 22 May 2010 – Brazil has long felt it doesn’t get the respect it deserves as a prominent emerging nation and under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, it has gone all out to garner attention as a global player.
Jerusalem, Like Heaven or closer
Alternative Information Center 3 – Jerusalem: Like the Heavens or Closer: is being held with the assistance of a Ayuntamiento de Xixon funded project through the SpanishAssociationPaz con Dignidad. “This exhibition…
Free Gaza Flotilla
Alternative Information Center 1 – On Wednesday May 12th News from Within interviewed Lubna Masarwa of the Free Gaza Movement on the upcoming Freedom Flotilla. Lubna discussed the work of the Free Gaza Movement, an international group attempting to break the Israeli siege of Gaza by shipping humanitarian goods and activists….
Beinart has pushed the reset button on Israel
Mondoweiss – The Beinart piece is huge. I have to admit it. I resisted; I didn’t see anything new in it, and it bugged me because it is the effort of a religious Jew to revive Zionism among young Jews, but it is huge. It has brought the…
Did Specter’s blind support for Israel help end his career? Just wondering
Mondoweiss – This long political obit for Arlen Specter in the Jewish Exponent of Philadelphia emphasizes that he always worked for Israel, sometimes “behind the scenes.” Morton Klein of the Zionist Organization of America, which has helped destroy the two-state solution by urging on the colonization of Jerusalem,…
Qumsiyeh: we’re reaching the ‚Äòendgame’ of an anti-colonialist struggle
Mondoweiss – The view from the West Bank: “Looking out from my window,” Mazin Qumsiyeh, a Palestinian professor and activist, said on a press call hosted by the Institute for Middle East Understanding yesterday, “I’m seeing the settlement of Har Homa, the largest Jewish settlement between Bethlehem and…
It’s hard to blame your uncle when you’re 62
Mondoweiss – Yonatan Touval, one of the Israelis behind the Geneva Initiative, clearly articulates the degree and ways in which Israel has suffered as a result of its special relationship with the United States. His hope is that Obama might correct the imbalance in the relationship and make…
I drove four hours to hear about the Gaza flotilla
Mondoweiss – Tuesday night, Sacramento-area activists Donna and Darlene Wallach spoke about their experiences working with the Free Gaza Movement at an event organized by Sacramento Area Peace Action. They traveled to Gaza by boat as part of FGM’s first voyage in 2008, and stayed for several months…
ABBAS IS AN AGENT
Irish4Palestine – I tell you I cannot imagine how horrible it must be for Palestinians to watch Abbas giving any and everything away to the US and Israel. This from a man who has not legally held the office of President for a long time now, due to…
LIES, LIBERTY AND AID TO GAZA
Irish4Palestine – Hey good people, do we all remember the stunning announcement by the ZOF last week? Here is a reminder:link Over 14,000 tons of humanitarian aid were transferred from Israel into the Gaza Strip last week, the IDF announced on Tuesday in its weekly summary of COGAT…
TIME FOR FRANCE TO PAY UP
Irish4Palestine – It just never ends does it. Israel wants to sue France because some of the trains that transported Jews to the camps were from a French company. But a law prohibits the company from being sued, never mind, America to the rescue. The Zionist owned politicians…
IOA releases Abu Tir, IOF soldiers round up 7 citizens
Sabr – [ 20/05/2010 – 09:25 AM ] OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, ( PIC )— The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) released Jerusalemite MP Mohammed Abu Tir after 43 months of incarceration during which he was moved from one IOA jail to another. Abu Tir, 59, has spent almost 30 years in aggregate…
Israeli army kills infiltrators
BBC – Israeli forces shoot dead two Palestinian gunmen who entered Israel, the Israeli military says.
Mid-East talks show no progress
BBC – US envoy ends a second round of indirect talks between Palestinians and Israeli without any outward sign of progress.
Take the Deal, Mr. President
Antiwar.com – Take Iran seriously, says Pat Buchanan
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,”…
Articles
What Justice Goldstone Learned the Hard Way
Neve Gordon, CounterPunch5/21/2010
Richard Goldstone has learned a lesson or two in the past year. Ever since Goldstone, a self-proclaimed Jewish Zionist South African judge, authored a UN report charging Israel (and Hamas) with war crimes, he has been subjected to a well-orchestrated delegitimization campaign. Two weeks ago, new “revealing information” was disseminated to the press, accusing Goldstone of sending 28 black South Africans to their deaths for criminal offences while serving as a judge during the apartheid years. “The judge who sentenced black people to death …” Israeli Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin proclaimed, “should not be allowed to lecture a democratic state defending itself against terrorists.”
This is just the latest episode in an ongoing character assassination campaign. While many commentators have noted that the attempt to kill the messenger is being deployed in order to evade the truth, it should also be stressed that the hatchet job against Goldstone is just one small piece of Israel’s state branding machine. It is therefore vital to look at the larger picture.
In 2004, the Israeli Foreign Ministry hired international PR firms to plan and coordinate a campaign to improve Israel’s global reputation, which was rapidly deteriorating. They hired Ido Aharoni to head of the ministry’s brand management team, who carried out, in turn, several studies on the issue. This is what he found:
Every place has a brand…every place has a DNA like a human being, a personality. Brazil is about fun, Paris is about romance and Las Vegas is about sin… What is Israel about?… Universally, Israel’s DNA is about the conflict, and the context in which Israel is perceived is all about bad news, whether you agree with Israel or not.
In order to counter this image, the Foreign Ministry decided to draw attention away from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by emphasizing Israeli stem-cell research and young computer experts who have given the world instant messaging…. more.. e-mail
Middle East Plan B
Sasha Polakow-Suransky, The Boston Globe, Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development5/17/2010
“I think this is a very big deal,” President Clinton declared to a group of American Jews and Arabs after the legions of photographers left the White House grounds on Sept. 13, 1993. However, Clinton wa
rned, it would take commitment and hard work to guarantee that the historic Israeli-Palestinian Accord signed that day would “truly be a turning point.”
It has been almost 17 years since Yasir Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin shook hands in the White House Rose Garden, setting in motion a process that was supposed to end the conflict for good. The agreement Clinton envisioned was relatively simple: Two states for two peoples. Israel would largely withdraw from the territories it has occupied since 1967, while retaining a few large settlement blocs within the West Bank and compensating the Palestinians with a similar amount of land from Israel proper. This two-state solution respects the fundamental tenets of Zionism — by allowing Israel to remain a Jewish-majority state — and satisfies moderate Palestinians’ nationalist ambitions by creating a national home for 4 million stateless Palestinians. It has guided western policy ever since.
But the two-state solution has not worked, and there is a growing fear that it never will, despite the resumption last week of indirect talks. Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 only to see the Islamic fundamentalist party Hamas take control of it, sending rockets into Israeli cities across the border. Meanwhile, Israel has continued to expand settlements in the West Bank, making the possibility of a territorially contiguous Palestine seem more remote than ever. With over 300,000 settlers in the West Bank today — compared to just over 100,000 in 1993 — many analysts on both sides believe that the settlements have become too entrenched and inextricably tied to Israel proper for the government to realistically evacuate all or most of its citizens, even if Israeli forces withdraw. Still, because negotiators on both sides and officials in Washington are so well-versed in two-state diplomacy and have been working for years to bring such a solution about, it remains the default option even as logistics conspire to make it impossible.
“Everyone agrees that we are very likely reaching a point where the two-state solution finally becomes impossible,” says Israeli journalist Dmitry Reider. “But they simultaneously refuse to discuss any ideas about what to do once we get there.” — See also: Source more.. e-mail
Mamilla Cemetery — What to do with the graves?
Nir Hasson, Haaertz, Israeli Occupation Archive5/20/2010
Skeletons should not be sanctified — but replacing Muslim graves with an ostentatious building dedicated to tolerance will only serve as a provocation
Haaretz’s investigative reporting on the eve of Shavuot about the removal of skeletons from the Mamilla Muslim cemetery so the Museum of Tolerance can be built there rightly prompted questions from the people at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which had initiated the museum project. The questions went something like this: “So what now? Let’s assume we drop the project. Will we reestablish the cemetery on a site that served as a parking lot for 40 years? After all, if we start putting back cemeteries that have disappeared, the country will quickly fill up with gravestones and there will be no space for the living. So it’s patently absurd.”
It’s no small wonder, however, that a similar case exists not far from Mamilla. Just as the large, important, ancient Muslim cemetery in Mamilla is in the heart of Jewish-Israeli Jerusalem, the large, important, ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives is in the heart of the Muslim-Palestinian city. The two cemeteries can be seen as mirror images of each other.
Each of them passed into the hands of opposing sides during the War of Independence. In the 1960s, Israel destroyed part of the Mamilla cemetery and built a parking lot on it. During those same years, the Jordanians destroyed part of the Jewish cemetery to build a gas station. Over the past decade, workmen have returned to both sites. On the Mount of Olives, a major project is underway to restore the part of the cemetery that was destroyed. At Mamilla, excavations have been undertaken to remove skeletons to make room for the Museum of Tolerance. Both moves are a mistake.
The gravestones on the Mount of Olives are a fiction. They are actually a theater set of a cemetery because no one really knows where the people are buried; fragments of their headstones lay in piles left by the Jordanian bulldozers….. — See also: Sourcemore.. e-mail
PACBI: UNICEF should quit Jerusalem conference
Electronic Intifada: 21 May 2010 – The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) is shocked and greatly concerned that UNICEF as well as one Palestinian and several international academics intend to participate in a conference organized by the Minerva Centre for Human Rights at the Hebrew University, jointly with the Van Leer Institute.
Rampant employment discrimination against Palestinian workers in Israel
Electronic Intifada: 21 May 2010 – Unemployed computer engineer Morad Lashin would like to work in Israel’s Electricity Company, a large state utility, but admits his chances of being recruited are slim. The reasons were set out in graphic form this month when a parliamentary committee revealed that only 1.3 percent of the company’s 12,000 workers are Arab, despite the Palestinian Arab minority constituting nearly 20 percent of the population. Jonathan Cook reports.
Truth, Non-Violence and the Palestinian Hills
Palestine Chronicle: 21 May 2010 – By Samah Sabawi (Based on a presentation given at Melbourne University Australia on April 30, 2010. The event was sponsored by Students for Palestine. ) Where is the Palestinian Gandhi? I get this question at the end of almost every presentation I’ve given on Palestine. This fascination with finding a Palestinian Gandhi has been reflected time and again in newspapers commentary, and political discourse. Obama has promised in his Cairo speech [1] that should Palestinians renounce violence peace will find its way. Singer Bono wished with all his heart for Palestinians to find their Gandhi or their King [2]. A slew of bleeding hearts said it, wrote it, preached it and insisted on it. The search for the Palestinian Gandhi even manifested itself in well-intentioned projects that end up being incredibly patronizing and condescending to the Palestinians. Take the Gandhi Project [3] for example; an initiative by the Skoll foundation that…more
OECD Rewards Israel’s Occupation
Palestine Chronicle: 21 May 2010 – By Brian Napoletano — Paris The governments of the 31 member states of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) all agreed on May 10 that Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, its institutionalized discrimination against non-Jewish citizens, and its multiple alleged war crimes will not disqualify the state from joining the ranks of the world’s strongest economic powers. The only reservations these issues raised among the member countries were those expressed by Switzerland, Ireland and Norway—who pointed out that some of Israel’s economic data was misleading because it aggregated statistics in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with its internal statistics. Once Israel agreed to provide disaggregated statistics, to allow the OECD to add a footnote to its reports “stating that the data are supplied by and under the responsibility of the Israeli authorities and that their use by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the…more
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The New Dark Age 