News
International Middle East Media Center
Four Residents Wounded By Settler Fire In Silwan
IMEMC – 29 May 2010 – Four Palestinian residents were wounded by settler fire, on Saturday at night, in Silwan neighborhood, in East Jerusalem. Medical sources described their injuries as mild-to-moderate.
Six Killed In Tunnel Explosion In Rafah
IMEMC – 29 May 2010 – Palestinian medical sources reported Saturday that six Palestinians were killed and twelve were wounded in an explosion that took place in a siege-busting tunnel in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Report from the Gaza Flotilla: 8 ships on their way, determined to make it into Gaza
IMEMC – 29 May 2010 – On Saturday morning, eight ships headed out into the Mediterranean Sea, determined to make it into Gaza with thousands of tons of desperately needed humanitarian aid. The following is a report from one of the crew members on the flotilla, just before leaving port in Cyprus.
Israel Dubs Its Planned Attack On Gaza Ships As “Operation Sky Winds”
IMEMC – 29 May 2010 – The Israeli army and navy, under direct supervision and orders from the Israeli government, prepared a plan dubbed “Operation Sky Wind” to attack the Freedom Flotilla” heading to Gaza and kidnap and the activists onboard.
Under Israeli Threats, Freedom Flotilla Prepares To Sail To Gaza
IMEMC – 29 May 2010 – The Freedom Flotilla started gathering in international waters near the coast in Cyprus in preparation to sail to the Gaza Strip while Israel continued its threats to intercept and even attack the flotilla and arrest the participants should they decide to reach the Gaza coast.
Army Carries Out Five Airstrikes In Gaza
IMEMC – 29 May 2010 – The Israeli Air Force carried out on Saturday at dawn five airstrikes targeting Rafah and Gaza City leading to excessive damage.
Egypt Arrests Three Ethiopian Women
IMEMC – 28 May 2010 – The Egyptian authorities arrested on Friday three Ethiopian women near the Egyptian-Israeli border in Sinai.
6 killed, 12 injured in Rafah tunnel blast
5/29/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza medics said six Palestinians were killed and 12 others were injured on Saturday when a gas cylinder exploded inside a southern Gaza tunnel. Chief of Ambulance and Emergency services in Gaza Muawiya Hassanein told Ma’an that the workers were inside the tunnel when the cylinder exploded and that three sustained critical injuries….
J’lem clashes: 11 Palestinians, 5 border guards injured
5/29/2010 – Correction appended – Jerusalem – Ma’an – As clashes continue in the flashpoint neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem, officials reported on Saturday that at least 11 Palestinians and five Israeli border guards sustained injuries, as discord reportedly sparked by settlers sees tensions rise. A spokesman for Israel’s border guards, Moshe Finsi, confirmed the five injuries, which were….
Israeli air strikes hit north, southern Gaza
5/29/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli war planes launched five missiles at the Gaza International Airport near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and one missile at a blacksmith workshop in eastern Gaza City on Saturday morning, witnesses reported. An Israeli military spokesperson told media outlets that the air strikes came in response to a homemade projectile fired….
100 Palestinian boats to greet Freedom Flotilla
5/29/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – One hundred boats will set sail from Gaza’s Fisherman Port on Sunday to greet the Freedom Flotilla before it ways anchor in Gaza City’s port on Sunday, Committee Against the Siege and PLC member Jamal Al-Khudary said. The welcoming convoy will include committee members, organizers, officials and the families of prisoners in Israeli….
Settlers stone car, injure 4
5/29/2010 – Qalqiliya – Ma’an – Israeli settlers pelted a Palestinian car with stones in Bal’a near the West Bank city of Tulkarem on Friday evening, injuring four passengers, medics said. The attack took place near Qarne Shomron settlement east of Qalqiliya, with medics evacuating all four passengers to hospital for treatment of light to moderate wounds. Medics identified….
Israeli tear-gas canister causes 2nd fire
5/29/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Residents of the Nablus-area village Iraq Burin were met with tear-gas and rubber bullets when they marched toward an illegal Israeli settlement built on private land, at noon on Saturday. One teenage protester was injured along with a journalist. The teen, identified as 12 year old Imad Qadus, was hit with a rubber-coated….
Hamas says 450 supporters in PA prisons
5/29/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Gaza government’s Interior Ministry said Saturday that 450 Hamas supporters have been detained and imprisoned by Palestinian Authority security forces across the West Bank. De facto Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab Al-Ghussein told reporters that his government “will not remain silent over the torture inside West Bank prisons,” and called on the media….
Settlers reportedly set fire to Hebron store
5/29/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Palestinian residents living near the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron accused settlers of setting fire to a local Palestinian store and home on Saturday. Muhammad Fattouh Aj-Ja’bari, the store owner’s son, said they were informed of the fire in both the shop and the home above it, which the family also owns….
Algerian NGO to support 100 Palestinian children
5/29/2010 – Algeria – Ma’an – The Palestinian embassy in Algeria and an Algerian NGO signed an agreement on Thursday, providing support for 100 Palestinian children whose parents were victims of Israeli army assaults or imprisoned. Palestinian Ambassador to Algeria Muhammad Al-Hurani said of the Fondation Nationale for la Promotion de la Sant?ɬ© et le D?ɬ©veloppement de la….
In photos: Protesting Sheikh Jarrah settlers
5/29/2010 – Israeli police prepare to quell a demonstration in East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on Friday 28 May 2010. Images five onward show the demonstration in the neighborhood, where Israeli and international activists gather weekly at the site to protest alongside with Palestinian residents, voicing dissent over the occupation of Arab houses by Israeli settlers….
Pharmacist chief calls for Jerusalem HQ
5/29/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – The Council of Pharmacists headquarters should be based in Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine, said the council’s head on Wednesday, during the body’s 28th symposium in Nablus. Dr Fawaz Siam said additionally called for a pharmacist conference to be held in Jerusalem, after discussing a recent delegation to Syria for the Arab Pharmacist….
Egyptian security arrest 4 Palestinian smugglers
5/29/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Egyptian forces announced the arrest of four Palestinians they said were tunnel smugglers, and the simultaniousclosure of 17 tunnels during a large security campaign on Thursday night. The seized tunnels were empty, a security sources told Ma’an, but the Palestinian workers were located on Friday morning attempting to escape the Egyptian Rafah region….
Palestine voted into IFJ
5/29/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate earned a membership spot in the International Federation of Journalists on Friday, when it was voted in along with the Iraq syndicate during the federation’s World Congress in Cadiz, Spain. Head of the Palestinian journalist Syndicate Abed An- Naser An-Najjar will represent the PJS along with two members of….
EU demands ’constructive resolution’ to flotilla debate
5/29/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton urged “restraint and responsibility” from Israel and the Freedom Flotilla, as ships set sail from Cyprus en route to Gaza City on Saturday. Israeli warships are set to intercept the aid fleet, some nine ships loaded with 600 solidarity activists, “with force if necessary,” as the activist….
Haniyeh: World decision began siege, another will end it
5/29/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The blockade on Gaza was an international decision, and will be lifted by a similar decision “by the heroes on board the Freedom Flotilla,” said deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday.”The siege will be circumvented in all cases. If the flotilla arrives in Gaza, that will be a victory for both….
West Bank-Jordan border traffic up
5/29/2010 – Jericho – Ma’an – Some 16,532 individuals traveled through the Allenby Bridge border crossing last week, Palestinian Authority police said, marking a significant increase in numbers ahead of the summer travel season. Of those entering 8,061 were West Bank residents, 213 foreign passport holders, and 33 Israeli ID card holders. Leaving during the week were 6,965, including….
Abbas meets Indonesian president
5/29/2010 – Indonesia – Ma’an – President Mahmoud Abbas met on Saturday with his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, where they discussed Israeli policy in East Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jakarta. Describing the meeting as successful, Abbas told reporters “It was a good opportunity to brief the Indonesian president about the peace process at this stage….
Hamas: Islam guides party diplomacy, resistance
5/29/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas adopts a clear strategy of resistance based on the Islamic project, senior Hamas leader Salah Bardawil told a political panel at the An-Nusseriat refugee camp in Gaza on Friday evening. Hamas’ political philosophy “means deterrence, and consequently Hamas won’t abandon the rifle, neither will the movement bargain or negotiate over a scrap….
Hamas: PA summons dozens of Bethlehem-area supporters
5/29/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian Authority security services distributed dozens of summons to Hamas supporters in the Bethlehem area last week, a party statement announced on Saturday. During the same period, two members were detained from the Nablus area, including Said Yasin, former director of the Prisoners Association, who was detained after appearing before police who….
Fatah: Gaza forces detain party woman
5/29/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Fatah accused Gaza government security forces of detaining a seniorFatah leader in Rafah, and interrogating her for two days while she was under house arrest, a party spokesman said Saturday. The woman, identified as Itaf Hamran, reportedly had her PA ID card and passport seized by Hamas officers during her detention, and was….
Independents talk unity in Gaza
5/29/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza’s independent politicians met in their city headquarters to discuss the means of ending Palestinian division and supporting the Egyptian-sponsored unity deal. The independent politicians said Palestinian unity should be brought about to end fragmentation affecting Palestinians, describing inter-factional rivalry as the “new catastrophe worse than the previous.”Palestinian factions, “born of the….
Inside the Palestinian National Army
Palestine Note 29 May 2010 – Washington – Fox correspondent Dana Lewis went inside Palestinian National Security Force training, Fox News reported Friday. Palestinian security forces carry AK-47 rifles. [Photo: Andydr – Flickr] Lewis was able to follow training at a Security…
Deutsche Bank divests from Israeli company
Palestine Note 29 May 2010 – Washington – Germany’s biggest bank, Deutsche Bank, has divested the bank’s 2% stake in Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms company that supplies the Israeli army, Stopthewall.org reported . “Deutsche Bank is out of Elbit,” said chairman. [ Photo:…
Israel names flotilla assault ‘Operation Sky Winds’
Palestine Note 29 May 2010 – Washington – The Israeli military has named its operation to overtake the soon-to-arrive Gaza aid convoy “Operation Sky Winds,” IMEMC news agency reported Saturday. Activists pose hold up the “Freedom Flotilla” banner before the aid convoy…
Indonesia to build hospital in Gaza
Palestine Note 29 May 2010 – Washington – Indonesia has agreed to allocate US$2.15 million for the construction of a hospital in Gaza, the Jakarta Post reported. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told a joint press conference with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on…
Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza
Palestine Note 29 May 2010 – Washington – The Israeli Air Force hit Gaza Saturday morning, launching five missiles at the defunct Gaza airport near Rafah in the south, and one missile at a blacksmith shop in Gaza City, Ma’an News Agency…
Clashes erupt in Jerusalem
Palestine Note 29 May 2010 – A view of the Jerusalem’s Old City [Photo: Jeff Tynes] Washington – Clashes erupted in the Old City of Jerusalem on Saturday morning after a Palestinian resident described by onlookers as “mentally unstable” shouted at Israeli…
Hamas would ‚Äòwelcome’ Israeli flotilla activists
Palestine Note 29 May 2010 – Gaza gov’t has ‘no problem’ with Israelis religiously By Ashley Bates, special to Palestine Note Gaza City – As a flotilla of 700 western activists carrying 10,000 tons of humanitarian cargo attempts to break through the…
Elections (local) in Palestine again
Palestine Note 29 May 2010 – The Palestinian Authority is going ahead with plans to hold municipal elections on July 17. The elections are taking place despite the fact that the de facto government in Gaza has refused to accommodate them in…
Yediot: Shift in US-Israel policy result of Jewish financial pressure on Democrats ahead of mid-terms
Palestine Note 29 May 2010 – This morning’s Yediot expands on the PMO’s description of how ‘ Netanyahu defeated Obama .’ The headline is a little misleading because the article itself describes Democratic fears of losing Jewish funding, not votes, ahead of…
Standing up to the Bulldozers in Palestine
Palestine Note 29 May 2010 – Earlier this month, as Israeli bulldozers sought to raze olive groves in the forgotten Palestinian village of Al-Walaja, many thoughts raced through my mind. At one point, the best I could muster to a young soldier…
The Iranian Dilemma
Palestine Note 28 May 2010 – The ‘diplomatic coup’ – as Iran’s success in winning over the sponsorship of Turkey and Brazil, two upcoming international players, of its new nuclear offer to the UN nuclear watchdog – has to date seemingly rankled…
The war on Islam is over, but…
Palestine Note 28 May 2010 – In a clear break from former president George Bush’s two national security strategies issued in 2002 and 2006 which endorsed unilateral military action and spoke of the threat posed by “Islamic extremism,” President Obama has unveiled…
The coming Iran war
Palestine Note 28 May 2010 – It’s happening again. The same forces – with a few new additions and minus a few smart defectors – who pushed the United States into a needless and deadly war with Iraq are now organizing for…
Gaza aid flotilla departure delayed
AlJazeera 29 May 2010 – Ships aiming to reach Gaza remain off Cyprus as Israel threatens force to stop them.
Israeli singer Harel Skaat eyes European song contest glory
Ha’aretz – With his hit song ‘Words’, 28-year-old aims to be the first Israeli to win Eurovision competition since Dana International in 1998.
Israel opens key West Bank road to Palestinian traffic
Ha’aretz – Route 443 had been closed off by Israel to Palestinian vehicles in 2002 following a series of shooting attacks on Israeli vehicles.
Hebrew University sues GM over topless Einstein ad
Ha’aretz – Ad featuring shirtless Albert Einstein ran in People magazine’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ issue in the fall.
Fire-ravaged Golan nature reserve ‘will take years to recover’
Ha’aretz – IDF to erect investigation committee over allegations that military tank sparked the fire as its metal wheels moved over rocks.
Jerusalem court resumes corruption trial against Olmert
Ha’aretz – Hearing on Wednesday was to deal only with accusations in Rishon Tours case.
Tel Aviv municipal planner attacked at entrance to his office
Ha’aretz – Shoteh Hovel struck in face and body by assailant dressed as police officer, just two weeks after his car was targeted by explosives.
Hezbollah operating Scud missiles from Syria, Netanyahu claims
Ha’aretz – Lebanese militants have long-range missiles at secret base outside Damascus, prime minister tells Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi.
Netanyahu: Israel is not bound by NPT resolution
Ha’aretz – Prime minister’s office dismisses international call for Middle East nuclear talks as ‘deeply flawed and hypocritical’.
East Jerusalem eviction orders threaten new embarrassment for Netanyahu
Ha’aretz – As PM heads to Washington to expunge memories of row with U.S. over Jewish building in the capital, settlers’ push to oust Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah risks reigniting tensions.
Meshal: Israel is the main obstacle to Mideast peace
Ha’aretz – In an interview with Charlie Rose, Hamas leader says that Israel, U.S. are responsible for standstill in talks to release Gilad Shalit., U.S. House of Representatives approves Obama request for…
Hamas: Flotilla shows whole world opposes Gaza siege
Ha’aretz – Delayed Freedom Flotilla expected to set sail towards Gaza on Sunday evening; IDF prepares to intercept convoy as it enters a 20-mile Israeli-controlled zone off Gaza.
Six Palestinians killed, 14 wounded in tunnel blast
29 May 2010 – Rafah, May 30, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Six Palestinians were killed and 14 others injured on Saturday as a smuggling tunnel collapsed after gas canisters exploded, medical sources said. Medics and witnesses said that the accident occurred as the canisters were being smuggled through the tunnel under the Egypt-Gaza border. They said that the tunnel collapsed as a result of…
Palestinian accuse Israeli settlers of burning houses and stores in Hebron
29 May 2010 – Hebron, May 29, (Pal Telegraph) The Palestinian citizens accused Israeli settlers, from the settlement of “Kiryat Arba” east of the city of Hebron, of burning shops and homes which are placed infront of the settlement, today morning. Mohammed Fattouh Al Ja’bari, the son of one of the stores’ owners, said that he had been briefed early today on the outbreak…
Lieberman: Gaza flotilla ‘violent’
29 May 2010 – Jerusalem, May 29, (Pal Telegraph) Hours before its arrival, the foreign minister lashes out at the Gaza flotilla. Avigdor Lieberman said Friday afternoon that “the flotilla is an attempt at violent propaganda against Israel, and Israel will not allow a violation of its sovereignty at sea, in the air, or on land.” Lieberman, who spoke during a visit to the…
Report: Israeli armi abuses Palestinian child prisoners
29 May 2010 – Jerusalem, May 29, (Pal Telegraph) According to a report published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Friday, that the Israeli army harasses Palestinian children that they detain and put in israeli jails and alongside with the Israeli police they threat those children with sexual assault. The report was based on statements the newspaper took last year by the Palestinian children of…
Clashes erupt in Al-Aroub camp
29 May 2010 – Hebron, May 29, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation forces clashed toady with Palestinian youth at the entrance of Al-Aroub refugee camp, in north of Hebron. The clashes erupted after erecting a mobile barrier at the main entrance of the camp where the Israeli soldiers obstructed the movement of the citizen which provoked them. The soldiers opened fire and bomb…
IOF beats and arrests Palestinian after claims of assault
29 May 2010 – Jerusalem, May 29, (Pal Telegraph) A “mentally unstable” Palestinian man, resides in the Old City of Jerusalem, was seriously injured after the Israeli occupation soldiers attacked him severely in the city of Jerusalem today morning, claiming the possession of a knife and seizing a weapon off an Israeli soldier and tried to shoot them.
Four Palestinians injured after being stoned by Israeli settlers
29 May 2010 – Qalqilyah, May 29, (Pal Telegraph) Four Palestinian citizens were injured today morning in the town of “Bal’a” in Tulkarem , their injury was described as ‚Äòmoderate’ and resulted when their vehicle was stoned by the Israeli settlers of Karni Shomron settlement which is located at the east of Qalqilya.
Egypt detains 4 Palestinians and discovers 17 tunnels
29 May 2010 – Rafah, May 29, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Egyptian security forces detained four Palestinians and discovered 17 tunnels during a large security campaign on Thursday night, local sources reported. Local sources reported that the seized tunnels were empty when the Egyptian security forces discovered them.
Israel bombs Gaza’s Airport
29 May 2010 – Gaza, May 29, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli warplane (F16) targeted today Gaza’s former International Airport in Rafah, in southern Gaza Strip, and a blacksmith workshop in eastern Gaza, no injuries were reported. The Israeli warplane bombed the airport with nine missiles targeted the abandoned buildings of the airport. The Israeli warplanes have targeted the airport many times which destroyed…
6 killed, 12 injured in Rafah tunnel blast
Uruknet May 29, 2010 — Gaza medics said six Palestinians were killed and 12 others were injured on Saturday when a gas cylinder exploded inside a southern Gaza tunnel. Chief of Ambulance and Emergency services in Gaza Muawiya Hassanein told Ma’an that the workers were inside the tunnel when the cylinder exploded and that three sustained critical injuries. The six…
Israelis see West Bank as a war ‚Äòrefuge’
Uruknet May 29, 2010 – With most Israelis assuming a new Middle East war is just around the corner, settler leaders are trying to prove to their compatriots that some 120 illegal Jewish colonies in the West Bank will provide an indispensable safe haven in time of emergency. The settlements have drawn up plans to accommodate as many as half…
‚ÄòFreedom flotilla’ back on course for Gaza despite threats of interception
Uruknet May 29, 2010 – A flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid and international activists was expected to try to reach Gaza last night, even as the Israeli navy was on standby to intercept and divert the eight vessels to the nearby port of Ashdod. The flotilla’s organiser at sea said its mission was delayed because their boats were “tampered…
Targeting Civilians: Israel’s Specialty
Uruknet May 29, 2010 – Professor Jeremy Salt teaches political science at Ankara, Turkey’s Bilkent University. He’s also the author of “The Unmaking of the Middle East: A History of Western Disorder in Arab Lands.” On January 9, 2009, during Israel’s war on Gaza, he wrote “A Message to the brave Israeli Airmen,” asking: — “What’s it like, firing missiles…
The Undertaker of Freedom
Uruknet May 29, 2010 – As the Freedom Flotilla approaches ever closer to besieged Gaza, the Hasbara campaign continues full speed ahead. While Gaza continues to suffer the most methodical modern-day asphyxiation of modern history, where the most basic rights of child and adult alike‚Ķthe right to food, to life, to work, to health, to learn, to play‚Ķ are purposefully…
NPT declaration to name Israel
Uruknet May 29, 2010 – The US has agreed to a deal at the United Nations that would put pressure on Israel to join the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), according to Western diplomats. Delegates in New York are concluding a month-long round of talks aimed at updating the NPT. Their final draft reportedly urges Israel to join the treaty and…
We’re on our way!
Uruknet May 29, 2010 – After tremendous pressure from the Greek Cypriots, reneging on their agreement with us, we were forced to take our MPs and activists to Famagusta yesterday, on the Turkish/Cypriot side of Cyprus. We spent all day going from one port to the next, surrounded by helicopters and police. Clearly our deal with Cyprus officials had fallen…
Israel verbally and physically abuses Palestinian children in detention
Uruknet May 29, 2010 – The organization of defense for children international (DCI) stated that the majority of Palestinian children who are detained by the Israeli occupation forces are exposed to different kinds of verbal and physical abuse in varying degrees and for long periods before and after the interrogation. In a report published on Friday, the organization said it…
Settlers reportedly set fire to Hebron store
Uruknet May 29, 2010 — Palestinian residents living near the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron accused settlers of setting fire to a local Palestinian store and home on Saturday. Muhammad Fattouh Aj-Ja’bari, the store owner’s son, said they were informed of the fire in both the shop and the home above it, which the family also owns. The fire…
Israel’s Nuclear Weapons Program: Italy’s Role in the Kidnapping of Whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu
Uruknet May 28, 2010 – Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli whistle-blower who first exposed the military nuclear program of the Zionist government, has been jailed again on May 23rd because of his attempts to contact the foreign media. He had been released in April 2004 after having spent 18 years in prison, from September 1986.”I, M. VANUNU, WAS HIJACKED ON 30.9.86…
Gaza Freedom March Prepares Emergency Response for Freedom Flotilla
Uruknet May 28, 2010 – As the remaining boats of the Freedom Flotilla left for Gaza yesterday, Israel continues to conduct training exercises to stop the convoy “at any cost.” The Freedom Flotilla is expected to arrive at its destination within 48 hours. A violent response from Israel will breathe new life into the Palestine solidarity movement, drawing attention to…
BDS National Committee preps for 2nd conference
Uruknet May 28, 2010 – The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee will hold its second national conference in Nablus startiong on Monday, and preparations for the event were concluded just days before, organizers said. The conference follows up on the 2005 call for a Palestinian national boycott and divestment movement supported by some 170 unions, networks and civil society…
Iran: On the character of the present lull and the tasks of the Marxists
Uruknet May 28, 2010 – The Ashura uprising marked the beginning of a new phase in the movement of the Iranian masses that started last June. At the time we wrote that a point of no return had been crossed and that it was becoming increasingly apparent for vast active layers of the masses that the movement had to first…
Hamas faces rising anger after bulldozing Gaza homes
Uruknet May 28, 2010 ‚Äî Huddled in a tent near the mound of rubble that used to be his home, Eissa al-Sidudi says out loud what many Gazans would only mutter in private: Hamas has gone too far. On May 16 Hamas police dragged his wife and eight children out of their squat cement house and pummelled him with wooden…
“Israel keeps Palestinians a centimeter above the line of starvation”
Uruknet May 28, 2010 – Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank are an attempt to break Palestinians’ resistance, says author and activist Jeff Halper. “It is simply not true that there is no humanitarian crisis. Actually two-thirds of the people of Gaza live in what the World Health Organization calls food insecurity,” Halper said. “More than 10 percent…
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (20— 26 May 2010)
Uruknet May 28, 2010 – Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law has continued in the OPT during the reporting period (20 — 26 May 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed two Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and wounded 12 civilians, including 5 children, one of whom is disabled, in the West Bank and the Gaza…
IDF helps to debunk Israeli claims on Gaza’s economy
Uruknet May 28, 2010 – The Israeli foreign ministry e-mailed a press release to reporters earlier this week insisting that there is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Need proof? The ministry’s e-mail included four photos of well-stocked markets in Gaza City; it also linked to news reports about the opening of Gaza’s first Olympic-size swimming pool and a “…
Freedom flotilla’ back on course for Gaza despite threats of interception
The National 29 May 2010 – Aid mission was delayed after two boats were tampered with’, forcing one to drop out and the other to pull into port in Turkish-held northern Cyprus for repairs.
Israelis see West Bank as a war refuge’
The National 29 May 2010 – Settlers say that their outposts will provide a safe haven if Israel comes under attack from Hizbollah’s long-range rockets.
Steps taken to rid region of major weapons
The National 29 May 2010 – Arab leaders have advanced plans to rid the Middle East of the most destructive weapons and highlighted Israel’s suspected atomic arsenal at global anti-nuclear arms talks.
International Solidarity Movement
FGM: We’re on the way to Gaza
5/29/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Greta Berlin, Free Gaza Movement – After tremendous pressure from the Greek Cypriots, reneging on their agreement with us, we were forced to take our MPs and activists to Famagusta yesterday, on the Turkish/Cypriot side of Cyprus. We spent all day going from one port to the next, surrounded by helicopters and police. Clearly our….
Jerusalem: Troops Attacks Street Venders And Injure One Man
PNN – Israel police officers attacked street venders in Jerusalem old city. Police officers were providing protection for the Israeli municipality workers who were trying to force Palestinian street venders out of the old…
Gaza Flotilla to PNN: We Will Sail To Gaza In Two Waves
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura-PNN- The flowing is a phone interview with Audrey Bomse, the legal Advisor of the Free Gaza flotilla, giving PNN the latest updates from the group media office in the Greek…
Israel To Demolish The Tent Of Nation
PNN – PNN – Bethlehem – The Nassar Family Farm/Tent of Nations project, located near Bethlehem city, southern West Bank, received a demolition order this week by the Israeli military. The Tent of Nations…
Israeli Jets Bombard Areas In Gaza
PNN – Gaza — PNN – Israeli jetfighters bombarded on Friday night and Saturday at dawn several targets in the Gaza Strip. In Rafah city, southern Gaza Strip, jetfighters targeted the Gaza international airport….
And Not a Drop to Drink for Palestinians
IPS HADERA, Israel, May 29 (IPS) – A new desalination facility has come up here on Israel’s Mediterranean seashore, to soothe Israel’s chronic fresh water shortage. An elaborate network of pipes beneath the beach reaches westward far into the sea. Eastward, it links up with the national water system.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (20— 26 May 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
My Word: Out but not over
Jeruslalem Post 30 May 2010 – Israel left Lebanon 10 years ago, but can the Lebanese experience truly be removed from the Israeli psyche?
‚ÄòStrike may halt Iran’s nuke program’
Jeruslalem Post 30 May 2010 – American-Israeli sociologist calls for a “different military option.”
Abbas: We deal with US, not Israel
Jeruslalem Post 30 May 2010 – Mashaal says US ‚Äòa great state’ but Israel is ‚Äòthe obstacle to peace.’
Obama slams NPT’s Israel focus
Jeruslalem Post 30 May 2010 – Israel calls agreement “deeply flawed and hypocritical.”
Rights groups petition against West Bank deportation policy
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – Petition also calls the army to update the Palestinian population registry.
Border Police officers stoned by east Jerusalem Arabs
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – 9 policement lightly wounded by masked, stone-throwing Arab youths.
PA President: We are negotiating with the US, not Israel
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – Mashaal says US ‚Äòa great state’ but Israel is ‚Äòthe obstacle to peace.’
‚ÄòMilitary strike may lead Iran to halt nuke program’
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – American-Israeli sociologist calls for a “different military option.”
Gov’t, Obama slam NPT states for singling out Israel
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 –
‚ÄòNuke-free ME resolution hypocritical’
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – PMO: Singling out Israel, ignoring Iran sets regional security back.
‘Hizbullah has missile base in Syria’
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – ‘Times of London’: Satellite photos show terrorists with Scuds.
‘Netanyahu is not a real peace partner’
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – Abbas: We are negotiating with the US, not Israel.
Silwan: 5 border police wounded by rocks
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – Patrol pelted in e. J’lem, reinforcements also assailed by stones.
Haniyeh: Gaza flotilla a victory
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – Convoy a triumph whether delivers aid or “terrorized by the Zionists.”
‘Israel is obstacle to peace’
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – Mashaal calls on US to speak directly with Hamas, pressure Israel.
IAF strikes targets in Gaza Strip
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – IDF: Strikes on tunnel, weapons facility a response to recent attacks.
Obama: Singling out Israel wrong
Jeruslalem Post 29 May 2010 – But US president otherwise praises “balanced” NPT accord reached Friday.
President Abbas Meets With Indonesian President
WAFA – JAKARTA, May 29, 2010 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas said, today in a press conference that the talks he conducted with the Indonesian president were “very successful,” and that he reiterated the
N.Y. activists: Siege on Gaza isn’t Sweet, Boycott Max Brenner
WAFA – TEL AVIV, May 29, 2010 (WAGFA)- Six activists on Friday hoisted a banner from the Max Brenner chocolate store in Manhattan’s Union Square, calling on New Yorkers to boycott the Israeli—owned business
East Jerusalem Eviction Orders Threaten New Embarrassment for Netanyahu, Haaretz Says
WAFA – TEL AVIV, May 29, 2010 (WAFA)- As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington in a much-feted effort to restore damaged ties with the United States, new tensions in East Jerusalem
Ashton: EU Remains Concerned by Humanitarian Situation in Gaza
WAFA – BRUSSELS, May 29, 2010 (WAFA)- Commenting on the flotilla sailing to Gaza, High Representative Catherine Ashton urged all involved act with a sense of restraint and responsibility and work for a
OPT: Egypt welcomes Gaza-bound convoys via Arish
Relief Web 29 May 2010 – Source: Government of Egypt
Israeli air strikes target factory, tunnel in Gaza
Relief Web 29 May 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
OPT: Aid flotilla set for Gaza blockade-busting bid
Relief Web 29 May 2010 – Source: Agence France-Presse
OPT: Indonesia to build hospital in Gaza
Relief Web 29 May 2010 – Source: Jakarta Post
9 officers hurt in east Jerusalem riots
YNet News – Palestinians in Silwan throw stones at security forces as revenge for wave of….
Assad: Syria doesn’t back Hamas, Hezbollah out of love
YNet News – Syrian president tells Charlie Rose his regime supports Islamist movements to….
Haniyeh: Flotilla is Palestinian victory
YNet News – Navy ships to be placed off Gazan shore to intercept flotilla, which was further….
Ayalon: Abbas’s wellbeing depends on IDF
YNet News – Deputy foreign minister says army keeping PA safe by preventing Hamas takeover….
Israel: NPT deal hypocritical
YNet News – Jerusalem sources wonder why Israel only state mentioned in Non-Proliferation….
IDF bombs targets in Gaza
YNet News – Army says strike on tunnel, weapons-production sites response to foiled terror….
Obama rejects ‘singling out’ of Israel in NPT deal
YNet News – US president says agreement reached at Non-Proliferation Treaty conference….
NPT nations: Israel must submit to inspection
YNet News – Declaration proposing 2012 conference to discuss banning weapons of mass….
‘Countdown to sail has begun’
YNet News – The international “blockade-breaking” aid flotilla aimed to set sail from Cyprus to Gaza Strip has been postponed again, and will apparently arrive at Gaza’s shores on …….
Netanyahu: Hezbollah operating Scuds from Syria
YNet News – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed reports of a Hezbollah base on Syrian territory, Ynet reported. According to media reports, during a meeting with his …….
Israeli hiker killed in Slovenian Alps
YNet News – A 27-year-old Israeli hiker was killed during a trek in the Slovenian Alps, Ynet reported Saturday. The man, who resided in central Israel, has been missing for two …….
PM’s Office: Israel won’t comply with NPT resolution
YNet News – The Prime Minister’s Office commented on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation conference’s decision to note Israel as a country’s whose facilities must be regulated as …….
6 Palestinians killed in Gaza smuggling tunnel
YNet News – Six Palestinians were killed and 12 others injured on Saturday in a Gaza smuggling tunnel when contraband gas canisters exploded, medics in the coastal enclave said. …….
Gaza sail activists: Israel has no reason to stop us
YNet News – The Israel Navy is gearing to meet the small group of ships sailing towards Gaza, but the flotilla is sailing at a snail’s pace. After overcoming numerous technical …….
Palestinian Information Center
IOF troops wound 4 citizens in Nablus, detain Jerusalemite
PIC 29 May 2010 – IOF used rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse a peaceful Palestinian march in Irak Burin village against Israeli settlement activity wounding four Palestinians, local sources said.
Six Palestinians killed in tunnel blast
PIC 29 May 2010 – Six Palestinian citizens were killed on Saturday when a gas cylinder exploded in one of the tunnels dug under the Egyptian-Palestinian borders in Rafah area, medical sources reported.
Ghussain: Fatah’s crimes in WB crossed all red lines
PIC 29 May 2010 – The Palestinian interior ministry in Gaza has charged that what Fatah’s controlled security militias were doing in the West Bank had crossed all red lines.
Barhoum: Obama initiatives boost Israeli violence, terrorism
PIC 29 May 2010 – Barack Obama’s initiatives to enhance the Israeli military potentials would only boost Israel’s violence, terrorism, and violations against the Palestinian people, land, and holy shrines.
Haneyya: The siege must be broken by an international resolution
PIC 29 May 2010 – Ismail Haneyya said the Freedom Flotilla convoy is carrying a strong message that this blockade which was imposed unjustly by an international resolution must be broken by another just resolution.
DCI: Israel verbally and physically abuses Palestinian children in detention
PIC 29 May 2010 – Defense for children international stated that the majority of Palestinian children detained by the Israeli occupation forces are exposed to different kinds of verbal and physical abuse.
European campaign: Freedom Flotilla to arrive in Gaza tomorrow morning
PIC 29 May 2010 – The European campaign said that the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy will start its journey from the agreed point on Saturday morning to arrive on the morning of the next day in the Gaza Strip.
IOF soldiers attack anti-wall marches in W. Bank villages, protestors in J’lem
PIC 29 May 2010 – The Israeli troops attacked on Friday several peaceful weekly protests against the segregation wall in different West Bank cities, and one march against the policy of Judaization in Jerusalem.
Qaddoumi planning to form new PLO executive committee
PIC 29 May 2010 – Farouq Al-Qaddoumi has described his faction’s sixth general conference as “illegitimate”, adding that he was preparing for another conference outside occupied Palestine.
Greek minister hails Gaza people steadfastness, 15 European MPs visit Gaza
PIC 29 May 2010 – The Greek minister of national economy has expressed admiration at the legendary steadfastness of the Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip during a meeting with visiting mayor of Khan Younis..
Gaza aid flotilla anticipates high-seas standoff with Israel
LA Times 29 May 2010 – ‘We are determined to reach Gaza,’ says an activist on one of the vessels gathered in international waters off Cyprus. Israel vows to intercept the boats and deport or arrest those aboard. A flotilla packed with hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists, food and other humanitarian supplies was headed for a high-seas standoff Sunday as it attempts to break Israel’s longstanding blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Israel Partly Reopens West Bank Road to Palestinians
New York Times 28 May 2010 – The highway that runs through the West Bank has become a symbol for many Palestinians of the injustices of Israeli occupation.
World Briefing | Middle East: Gaza Flotilla Organizers Protest Israeli Response to Their Mission
New York Times 28 May 2010 – Israel vowed to stop the boats from reaching Gaza, and insists that there is no humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian coastal enclave.
Freedom Flotilla Update: Passenger Ship Will Be Attacked First
Palestine Monitor – As the Freedom Flotilla steams toward the exclusion zone, the 800 passengers are guaranteed a hot reception. The nine boats carrying 10,000 tonnes of emergency aid will arrive in Gaza tomorrow, but statements from Israeli officials indicate the EU’s stated desire for a “constructive resolution” is…
BDS Is Vital For Palestine’s Freedom
Palestine Monitor – 2010 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Mustafa Barghouthi, tells PSC that an international campaign of boycott, sanctions and divestment on Israel is vital if Palestine is ever to be free of occupation. Dr Barghouthi, who heads the Palestinian National Initiative, also describes how the movement of non-violent…
IDF’s Abuses On Minors
Palestine Monitor – Over 100 Palestinian minors report being abused in IDF, police custody in 2009 69 minors complained of being beaten, four minors reported being sexually assaulted, and 12 said they were threatened with sexual assault. Most Palestinian children arrested by the Israel Defense Forces and police are…
Global flotilla hits NY chocolate shop
Mondoweiss – As the “Freedom Flotilla” steams toward Gaza City in an attempt to break Israel’s crippling blockade of the Gaza Strip, activists in New York City continue to stage protests calling attention to the fleet of ships and the situation in Gaza. In New York, six Palestine…
EU calls for immediate end to Israel’s siege of Gaza
Mondoweiss – AFP reports : EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Friday called for an immediate end to Israel’s Gaza blockade, as an aid flotilla prepared to set sail for the enclave despite the embargo. “The continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically counterproductive,” she said in…
Eviction notices for two more Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah!
Mondoweiss – As Netanyahu heads to Washington, as reported in Haaretz . Oh and as Rahm Emanuel cavorts in the occupied territories.
Live stream of the flotilla—
Mondoweiss – Here it is, with the wine-dark sea sparkling on the world’s hopes of freeing the people of Gaza.
In NPT, US sacrifices its own policy goals to serve as Israel’s lawyer
Mondoweiss – Obama administration officials complained repeatedly that Israel was ‘singled out’ in the new Mid East NPT document, but it turns out that it was the U.S. itself that put Israel front and center. In addition to Israel, Pakistan and India were also called out by name…
ISRAEL MAKES ANOTHER MISTAKE ON FLOTILLA
Irish4Palestine – It’s not us, it’s you‚Ķ‚Ķ‚Ķ. So, the burning question that Israel and Israelis ALL want to know “Why do people hate us and hate Israel” The Answer? Because you taught us to hate you…. If I were Israel, I’d fire my PR Propaganda team!! Israel is…
FLOTILLA ECESG PRESS RELEASE
Irish4Palestine – ECESG (European Campaign to End the Seige on Gaza) Press Release Brussels, May 29, The “European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza,” said that some freed fleet’s vessels are experiencing every now and then Israeli attempts to disrupt the communication process between them, as part…
BEWARE THE WAR HAS BEGUN
Irish4Palestine – HEADS UP WARNING: The Zionist propaganda war against the Flotilla has begun. As we know, Israeli announced recently it will attempt to battle the PR war over the flotilla to Gaza by using Government approved hasbara messages and media stunts, along with their armies of online…
Israel rejects nuclear talks plan
BBC – Israel denounces plans for a major conference on a nuclear-arms free Middle East, and says it will not take part.
Gaza hopes for flotilla arrival
BBC – Preparations are under way in Gaza to receive a convoy of ships that is trying to break Israel’s economic blockade.
Why is Israel afraid of a few boats?
Sabbah report – By Yousef Munayyer * | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Hundreds of activists are on their way to the blockaded Gaza strip via a “flotilla” of boats carrying humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, which are badly lacking in the impoverished Palestinian territory. Israel has promised to intercept the good-willed boats and…
(en) France, Alternative Libertaire monthly February 2010 – The persistent Palestinian left on Between Fatah and Hamas [machine translation]
A-infos – The Palestinian left was relegated to the background so strong in the 1970-1980 and failed to take advantage of the second Intifada to reposition. Converted into a secondary force in the armed struggle, could revive relying on civil society? —— The first of January 2009, the…
Articles
Israel’s Most Illicit Affair
Glenn Frankel, Foreign Policy5/24/2010
A new book reveals that Israel’s secret relationship with apartheid South Africa went far deeper than previously understood.
History is a great teacher, but sometimes it packs a nasty sense of irony. A case in point: South African Prime Minister John Vorster’s visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem in April 1976, where he laid a wreath to the victims of the German Reich he once extolled.
It’s bad enough that a former Nazi sympathizer was treated like an honored guest by the Jewish state. Even worse was the purpose behind Vorster’s trip to Israel: to cement the extensive military relationship between Israel and the apartheid regime, a partnership that violated international law and illicitly provided the white-minority government with the weaponry and technology to help sustain its grip on power and its oppression of the black majority over two decades.
Like many illicit love affairs, the back-door relationship between Israel and the apartheid regime was secret, duplicitous, thrilling for the parties involved — and ultimately damaging to both. Each insisted at the time that theirs was just a minor flirtation, with few regrets or expressions of remorse. Inevitably it ended badly, tainting everyone it touched, including leaders of American Jewish organizations who shredded their credibility by endorsing and parroting the blatant falsehoods they were fed by Israeli officials. And it still hovers like a toxic cloud over Israel’s international reputation, providing ammunition to those who use the comparison between Israel’s 43-year military rule over Palestinians and the now-defunct system of white domination known as apartheid to seek to delegitimize the Jewish state.
As bureau chief for the Washington Post in Southern Africa and Jerusalem in the 1980s, I squandered a lot of hours trying to pierce the iron curtain that the two countries carefully drew around their strategic partnership….more..e-mail
Forget dialogue
Mary Rizzo, Ma’an News Agency5/28/2010
Dialogue is merely the failed peace process with a new name. It is no less dangerous, and like the peace process it has the potential to sap Palestinian energies and distract the best and brightest from real issues.
To be able to engage in dialogue requires a minimum of conditions; a common argument and at least two interlocutors.
The participants may be aligned anywhere on the scale, and can even agree on nothing. That is, nothing except the rules. Yes, there are rules to follow, as is required in any social contract, from the family to the state. And, in the dialogue contract, the goal is simply dialogue itself, to show it can be done.
Yet, if you set the rules, you actually control the dialogue. In these days of proximity talks, as US mediators are searching for ways to take talks to the next level, we must ask: who is setting the rules?
Pre-dialogue, when supporters focused on peace rather than strained agreements, they eventually learned that the idea of peace had been strictly defined by parties in Israel. Indeed, it was quite a singular definition meaning only an actual cessation of evident hostilities with exception made for Israeli war needs.
The Palestinian goal for peace was to realize human rights and halt occupation. None of this was ever on the table in the peace movement, as long as there was a state that was not required to fulfill its requirements as per the peace agreements.
As Israel set the agenda for the peace process, so too is it setting the parameters for dialogue. If Palestinians accept the Israeli terms, it would be tantamount to a capitulation, since the terms of discourse dictate the outcome.
During the first rounds of proximity talks Israel set its condition for moving forward: security. The word was the same one used to quash the peace process.more..e-mail
Watching Israel Delegitimize the U.S.
Jeff Gates, Dissident Voice5/27/2010
The U.S.-Israeli relationship has long been America’s Achilles heel. Our first president warned against “entangled alliances” particularly when, as here, there’s a “passionate attachment.”
Our “special relationship” with this rogue state has placed the U.S. outside the same system of international law that we now seek to impose on others, including Iran.
Our handling of the current crisis on the Korean peninsula could restore our tattered reputation.
What’s the first issue that needs to be addressed?
Here’s where you the reader may well ask: “Do you mean the issue concerning the collapse of Building 7 of the World Trade Center?” No, but nor is that question irrelevant to this latest crisis.
Here’s the second issue that must be addressed: to which nations has Israel transferred nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons technology? Is North Korea on the list?
That issue became relevant with the release of The Unspoken Alliance: Israel’s Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa. Archival research by author, Sasha Polakowsky-Suransky, uncovered “top secret” minutes of a military agreement signed in April 1975 between Shimon Peres, now president of Israel, and South Africa’s defense minister, P.W. Botha.
Though Israel denies the conclusions reached by reporters for The Guardian (U.K.), the agreement suggests an offer of nuclear weapons while its Apartheid regime was under international sanctions.more..e-mail
Freedom Flotilla Update: Passenger Ship Will Be Attacked First
Palestine Monitor: 29 May 2010 – As the Freedom Flotilla steams toward the exclusion zone, the 800 passengers are guaranteed a hot reception. The nine boats carrying 10,000 tonnes of emergency aid will arrive in Gaza tomorrow, but statements from Israeli officials indicate the EU’s stated desire for a “constructive resolution” is wishful thinking. Image courtesy of Freedom Gaza It is expected that navy ships will converge on the flotilla once it has breached the exclusion zone 20 miles from the coast. Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza Movement, one of the principle organisations behind the flotilla, believes the plan of attack is well under way and that a Turkish passenger ship has been designated the first target. “They’re going to try to pick us off one by one”, she claimed, going on to report the ships’ communications have already been sabotaged. A special detention centre has been constructed in Ashdod, south of Tel Aviv, where…
BDS Is Vital For Palestine’s Freedom
Palestine Monitor: 29 May 2010 – 2010 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Mustafa Barghouthi, tells PSC that an international campaign of boycott, sanctions and divestment on Israel is vital if Palestine is ever to be free of occupation. Dr Barghouthi, who heads the Palestinian National Initiative, also describes how the movement of non-violent resistance in the West Bank is challenging Israel’s occupation. PSC Exclusive Interview: Find more: http://palestinecampaign.org
IDF’s Abuses On Minors
Palestine Monitor: 29 May 2010 – Over 100 Palestinian minors report being abused in IDF, police custody in 2009 69 minors complained of being beaten, four minors reported being sexually assaulted, and 12 said they were threatened with sexual assault. Most Palestinian children arrested by the Israel Defense Forces and police are intimidated, abused and maltreated in custody, according to the sworn testimonies of minors who were arrested last year. This happens both before and during interrogation, and several minors have been sexually assaulted. The Palestinian branch of the non-governmental organization Defense for Children International has asked the United Nations to probe complaints of sexual assaults. The organization has collected 100 detailed depositions from minors aged 12 to 17 who were arrested last year, immediately after their release. Most of the findings were not a surprise to DCI activists, apart from verbal or physical attacks of a sexual nature committed by soldiers. Sixty-nine minors complained of…
USS Liberty: American Servicemen Expendable; Don’t Embarrass Israel
Palestine Chronicle: 29 May 2010 – By Tammy Obeidallah Within the United States, there has been a growing awareness of Palestinian suffering. This has been manifested in the many demonstrations held during Israel’s assault on Gaza from December 2008-January 2009. The boycott of Israeli goods is gaining speed, as well as the campaign to recognize the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians as apartheid. Yet there is one tragic and shameful event in particular which serves to discourage Palestinian rights activists. If so-called “patriotic” Americans viciously suppress the concerns of veterans and their families by covering up the murder of their own sailors, what hope is there to recognize the voices of oft-maligned Arabs half a world away? June 8 will mark the 43rd anniversary of the heaviest attack on an American ship that inflicted the highest number of casualties since World War II. The USS Liberty was an intelligence vessel, patrolling international waters in the Eastern…more
New US National Security Strategy
Palestine Chronicle: 29 May 2010 – By Ali Younes — Washington, D.C. The Obama administration released its National Security Strategy Thursday (May 27) which is consistent with president Obama’s approach on issues of international cooperation, terrorism, and nuclear policy. The document is largely an internationalist approach by an internationalist president who seeks cooperation with the world’s economic powers and international institutions in order to ensure continuity of American economic prosperity and its position as the world’s only superpower. On the issue of terrorism the document did not make any significant changes from those of the Bush administration. Terrorism is still dealt with as an issue of “war” as oppose to “criminal” matter. Obama’s terrorism policies are a continuation of the same policies under Bush; that said, however, the new strategy no longer uses the words “Islam” or “Jihad” in the same sentences as “terrorism, so as to deny terrorist groups the claim that the United States…more
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The New Dark Age 
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