News
International Middle East Media Center
Obama Decides To Transfer M 400 USD To Gaza
IMEMC – 9 Jun 2010 – Following his meeting with Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, U.S President, Barack Obama, announced that his administration has decided to transfer M 400 USD to the Gaza Strip in order to build schools and provide housing.
Extensive Report on Palestinian Detainees In Israeli Prisons
IMEMC – 9 Jun 2010 – Former detainee and the head of the Census Department at the Palestinian Ministry Of Detainees, Abdul-Nasser Farawna, stated that Israel conducted 700.000 arrests since June of 1967, including dozens of thousands of children and more than 10.000 women.
PPS: “Israel To Expel Nine Detainees”
IMEMC – 9 Jun 2010 – A special committee in Israel will be holding a meeting on Wednesday to make a decision on expelling nine Palestinian detainees from the West Bank.
Three Activists Detained in Nonviolent Action Near Bethlehem
IMEMC – 9 Jun 2010 – The Israeli military and police detained three peace activists in the village of Al Walaja Wednesday morning who were trying to stop Israeli bulldozers from uprooting trees
Israel Deports Sudanese Man to Gaza
IMEMC – 9 Jun 2010 – On Tuesday, in the first incident of its kind, the Israeli Authorities deported a Sudanese citizen who had been working in Israel without a visa to the Gaza Strip.
Arab MK Receives Death Threat from New York Extremists
IMEMC – 8 Jun 2010 – An extremist organization in New York, calling itself “The Pulsa Di Nura,” sent a letter to Arab member of Knesset Dr. Ahmad Tibi informing him that he has “180 days to live.” The letter threatened that his death “will be sudden and accompanied by terrible suffering and agony.” Arab MK El-Sane’ also received a death threat.
Lawsuit Filed Against Israel for Flotilla Attack
IMEMC – 8 Jun 2010 – Lillian Glock, a French lawyer, has filed two lawsuits against the State of Israel on the grounds of kidnapping and detention without reason.
Mosque vandalized in northern Israel
6/9/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israeli extremists vandalized a mosque in northern Israel early Wednesday, the Al-Aqsa Foundation reported. Vandals defaced the Omar Bin Khattab Mosque in the village of Ibtin with graffiti calling for the holy site’s destruction, a depiction of the Star of David, and slogans declaring war on “the Arabs and Muslims,” the foundation said….
Gaza fires killed 2, injured 23 in June alone
6/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza’s civil defense reported Wednesday that 29 fires occurred throughout the Strip between 2 and 6 June, as well as seven traffic accidents. The fires led to 23 injures and two deaths from smoke inhalation, the report read, noting that most of the blazes were caused by electrical shortages. The Gaza-based human rights….
In Brief: Gaza aid waiting at border crossing
6/9/2010 – Tel Aviv – IRIN – Forty-eight trucks with humanitarian aid seized from a flotilla bound for Gaza are stuck at the Kerem Shalom crossing and in Israeli Defense Ministry warehouses. A week after the supplies, including medical aid, wheelchairs, toys, and cement seized from the aid flotilla on 1 June were unloaded, the Hamas-run government, which is….
Israeli police detain 25 in Silwan overnight
6/9/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Twenty-five Palestinians were detained by Israeli police at dawn on Wednesday during a detention campaign in the flashpoint East Jerusalem’s Silwan, locals told Ma’an. Locals said the detentions began at around 4pm and lasted until 6am, during which a force of police, border guards, and special forces arrested the Palestinians for their participation….
US tunnel detection system left unfinished
6/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – US military experts installing a network of tunnel detection equipment along the Egypt – Gaza border left the area ahead of schedule following the opening of the Rafah crossing, Egyptian officials said, citing security concerns. Four US army engineers began work in early 2009, supervising the installation of a 13. 5 kilometer long tunnel….
Report: Israel to ease siege for weak flotilla probe
6/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israel was poised to accept a British plan to ease its blockade of Gaza in exchange for international acceptance of a watered-down inquiry into last week’s deadly raid on a Turkish aid ship, The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday. Britain was understood to have taken a leading role in the negotiations and last week circulated a confidential document…. Related:Israel ‘to accept British plan to ease Gaza blockade’
Israel sends Sudanese worker to Gaza
6/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli authorities sent a Sudanese citizen to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening, a prisoners’ rights group said. According to the Gaza-based Wa’ed Society for Detainees and Liberated, Israeli authorities forced Mike Joel into Gaza from Israel. The “deportee” apparently worked in Israel for one year before he was detained by Israeli forces….
Gaza youth forum says under attack by armed groups
6/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Weeks after an UNRWA recreation center in Gaza was set alight by masked gunmen, the Sharek Youth Forum said it has suspended work in the coastal enclave, after its offices were raided several times by armed groups. A statement issued Wednesday said the youth group’s equipment had been confiscated and its staff harassed….
Israel deports Sudanese national to Gaza
6/9/2010 – By Ma’an staff writersGaza – Ma’an – A Sudanese migrant worker who entered Israel illegally was deported to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, as Israel continues implementing two controversial military orders largely aimed at deporting Palestinians from the West Bank into the coastal enclave. Mike Joel, 36, left his wife and daughter in Sudan seven years ago….
Hebron woman released by Israel
6/9/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – A Palestinian woman who was detained at an Israeli military checkpoint last week was released on Wednesday, the Detainees Center said. A lawyer with the center, Munther Abu Ahmad, said Iman Ekhlayel, 32, from Beit Ummar in Hebron, was detained at the Atsion checkpoint on 2 June and transferred to the HaSharon prison….
Salfit locals report crop damage by wild boars
6/9/2010 – Salfit – Ma’an – Salift farmers said a sounder of wild boars destroyed several dunums of Palestinian farm land on Wednesday, prompting accusations of settler involvement. Farmers said considerable damage was done to farm land in the Eid Al-Kabaliyeh area, southern Salfit, and said boar attacks were on the increase, particularly during harvest season. Adjacent to the….
Gaza: Al-Quds Brigades claim blast targeting Israeli tank
6/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, said Wednesday that combatants detonated an explosive device toward an Israeli military tank east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza. A statement issued by the group said the tank was patrolling east of the Abasan area when the blast occurred, with members filming….
Gaza tops agenda as Abbas arrives in US
6/9/2010 – Washington – Ma’an – President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in the United States on Tuesday with two goals, ending the siege on Gaza and moving the peace process forward, PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo said. Abed Rabbo told Palestine TV that the president and his delegation would meet Senator John Kerry and leaders of the American Jewish and….
Report: Netanyahu to meet Obama this month
6/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to meet US President Barack Obama later this month, Agence France-Presse reported Wednesday. Netanyahu abruptly postponed planned White House talks after last week’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which left nine Turkish citizens dead including a dual US national.”Mr Netanyahu is due to….
Report: Obama to offer more Gaza aid
6/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – During White House talks scheduled for Wednesday in Washington, US President Barack Obama is expected to offer President Mahmoud Abbas fresh US aid for Gaza, Reuters reported. Washington, according to Reuters, seeks to contain the fallout over Israel’s raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, which left nine Turkish passengers dead including a dual….
Abbas to meet with Jewish leaders in US
6/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet leaders of several Jewish organizations in the US after finishing an official visit to the White House on Wednesday to hold talks with US President Barack Obama, Israeli media reported. Arrangements were made before Abbas arrived in the US to meet with 30 leaders of pro-Israel….
Arab League chief preparing for visit to Gaza
6/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Arab League secretary-general’s assistant is due to arrive in Gaza on Thursday to prepare for Amr Moussa’s first visit to the coastal enclave, sources said. The assistant, Hisham Yousef, will coordinate Moussa’s visit and organize a number of meetings for the Arab League official. Moussa’s tour is part of the Arab League’s….
Ya’alon: Gaza flotilla raid failed
6/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya’alon admitted Tuesday that last week’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla was a failure, Israeli news reports said. Ya’alon was quoted by the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth as saying that “someone failed to prepare a standard operating procedure.”Speaking during….
Israel grants amnesty to 73 Al-Aqsa fighters
6/9/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Israel has offered a range of amnesty deals to 73 Palestinian fighters from the West Bank, largely affiliated with Fatah’s armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, which it delivered to the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday. The list follows an agreement between Israel and the PA to clear its list of “wanted” Palestinians, in exchange….
Yahoo! and Apple put East Jerusalem on the map
6/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Internet giant Yahoo! and the Apple computer firm have reportedly included East Jerusalem on a weather software application for iPhones, Israeli media reported. According to the far-right Israeli news site Artuz Sheva, the previous program reportedly unified both sides of the city, despite the eastern part falling under territory occupied by Israel….
Obama says Gaza siege ’unsustainable’
6/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – US President Barack Obama told reporters on Wednesday that Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip was unsustainable, after meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House for official talks. Obama said there remained “lots of work” before a peace agreement is reached, the online news site Palestinenote wrote, referring to….
Palestinian unity efforts moving slowly
6/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian businessman Munib Al-Masri, who heads the Palestinian National Coalition of independent figures, met Tuesday with Egyptian officials in Cairo to discuss reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah. The Nablus billionaire neither gave full details of what was said in the meeting, nor did he talk about big expectations despite his optimism. Ma’an has….
Gaza collaborator amnesty period reaches halfway mark
6/9/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The amnesty period given by Gaza’s government to collaborators with Israeli intelligence services has reached its halfway mark, de facto Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab Al-Ghussein said Wednesday. A number of collaborators have already turned themselves in to Gaza authorities and “repented willingly,” Al-Ghussein told reporters in Gaza City, adding that they were treated….
Man arrested for possessing Byzantine antiques
6/9/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority police confiscated several Byzantine antiques and detained the owner on Wednesday in the village of Idhna in Hebron, a report read. PA Tourism and Antiquities police impounded the Byzantine era collection, and transferred the suspect to questioning, the report said. The find is the second since Tuesday, when PA Tourism and….
PA police take 2 week course on criminal investigation
6/9/2010 – Jericho – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority police graduated from a two-training course on criminal investigation on Wednesday at the Jericho Police Academy in the West Bank. The training was provided by the PA Representative Office of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ramallah and EUPOL COPPS, which has provided a number of training courses and exercises for….
Palestinian women racers get British training
6/9/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian Motorsports Federation, in cooperation with the British Council in Jerusalem, will sponsor a two-day training course for women racers in Ramallah at the Beituniya traverse, the federation chief told Ma’an Wednesday. Head of the PMF Khaled Qaddura announced the women racers schedule which will including meeting with Ramallah and Al-Bireh Mayr….
UN imposes Iran sanctions
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – Washington – The UN Security Council approved a new set of economic sanctions against Iran in their meeting Wednesday, Al-Jazeera English reported . Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, pictured above, called the sanctions “pesky flies.” [Photo: Daniella Zalcman…
Helen Thomas & the flotilla
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – Media coverage of two events — both related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — demonstrated why Israel’s image has suffered so grievously in recent years. And there can be little doubt that it has. Not long ago,…
Israeli report says Turkey encourgaged flotilla violence
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – Washington – A report published this week by the privately-funded Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (Malam) said the activists who engaged Israeli naval commandos with clubs and pipes were instructed to do by the Turkish…
Obama: Gaza blockade ‘unsustainable’
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – Obama pledges $400m to Gaza and West Bank at Abbas meeting Washington – US President Barack Obama said Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip was unsustainable after holding talks with Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas at the…
Rafah crossing to remain open indefinitely
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – Washington – Egypt has opened its border crossing with the Gaza Strip indefinitely in the wake of Israel’s deadly high-seas raid of a convoy of aid vessels bound for Gaza May 31. Palestinians wait to cross…
Report: 49% of Americans blame activists for flotilla fiasco
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – Washington – A Rasmssen Reports poll came out Monday announcing that 49% of American voters hold the activists onboard the Gaza-bound aid convoy were responsible for the deaths that resulted from their high-seas encounter with Israeli…
Israel to allow potato chips into Gaza
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – Washington – Ahead of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ meeting with US President Barack Obama, Israel has announced it will ease its closure of Gaza’s borders to allow in snack foods and soft drinks, Reuters reported Wednesday….
Sen. Dianne Feinstein calls for flotilla inquiry
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – By Jared Malsin Washington – in a major departure from her colleagues’ stance on the issue, influential US Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California called Tuesday for an “impartial inquiry” into Israel’s deadly raid last week on…
Israel’s freedom of action
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – In the aftermath of the Flotilla crisis, many U.S. commentators have suggested that the United States needs to make clear to Israel that there are limits to the kinds of behavior that Washington can accept. For…
Former US envoy: Talk to Hezbollah
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – Washington – The US should end its ban on communication with Hezbollah, former US diplomat Ryan Crocker told lawmakers on Tuesday. Crocker, who was US ambassador in Baghdad from 2007 to 2009, said the US should…
Gaza aid waiting at border crossing
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – Tel Aviv – IRIN – Forty-eight trucks with humanitarian aid seized from the aid flotilla bound for Gaza on 1 June are stuck at the Kerem Shalom crossing and in Israeli Defense ministry warehouses. A satellite…
UK denies siege ‘swap’ report
Palestine Note 9 Jun 2010 – Washington – The UK has denied a report claiming the British offered a “quid pro quo” deal to the Israelis, trading approval for an Israeli probe of the flotilla raid in exchange for an easing of…
Peacemaking takes courage, leaders
Palestine Note 8 Jun 2010 – Negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis have resumed after a year and a half of a stalemate that began after Israel launched its devastating military assault against the Gaza Strip in December 2009. The resumption of negotiations…
Obama, Abbas discuss Gaza
Palestine Note 8 Jun 2010 – Report: Obama team to demand direct talks Washington – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his entourage arrived at the White House on Wednesday morning for talks with US President Barack Obama. In a statement on Tuesday…
UN approves new Iran sanctions
AlJazeera 9 Jun 2010 – Security Council overwhelmingly approves resolution; Turkey, Brazil vote ‘no’.
Obama pledges aid to Palestinians
AlJazeera 9 Jun 2010 – US president promises $400m aid package to go to both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Erdogan in Gaza
PNN – Osama Awwad — PNN — Exclusive — Saleh Abu Shamala wife’s delivered a baby boy three days ago. They decided to name the boy Recep Erdogan after the Turkish Prime Minister. Saleh…
What Happened To Us Is Happening In Gaza
PNN – By Iara Lee – In the predawn hours of May 31, I was aboard the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, part of a convoy of humanitarian vessels aiming to deliver aid to besieged…
Possible Easing Of Gaza Blockade As Egypt Crossing Opens
PNN – Gaza – PNN – A British newspaper reported today that Israel may be willing to ease its blockade of Gaza in return for a less vigorous investigation into its attack on the…
Three Activists Detained in Nonviolent Action Near Bethlehem
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN – The Israeli military and police detained three peace activists in the village of Al Walaja Wednesday morning who were trying to stop Israeli bulldozers from uprooting trees. Israeli…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (27 May — 02 June 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Director Delivers Lecture in Paris, France
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Ref: 58/2010 On Tuesday, 8 June 2010, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Raji Sourani delivered a lecture to over 200 members of French civil society. Mr. Sourani was participating at a conference entitled “Make Pressure on Israel to Make Peace”, organised by the Collectif de Citoyens Libanais et Amis du Liban, in Paris.
‘Hamas refuse Gilad deal — cause embargo’
Jeruslalem Post 10 Jun 2010 – Noam Schalit: Humanitarian crisis due to Islamists’ inflexibility.
IDF may give PA forces more control
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jun 2010 – Army waiting to find out who will be next US security coordinator.
Obama: Gaza situation unsustainable
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jun 2010 – US looking to increase flow of goods to Gaza, pledges $400m. PA aid.
Israel: Iran sanctions a good start
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jun 2010 – UNSC votes 12-2 to impose ‚Äòtough, precise’ measures against Teheran.
Iran: Sanctions are trash
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jun 2010 – Ahmedinejad accuses West of abusing Security Council to attack Iran.
‘Flotilla probe after Iran vote’
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jun 2010 – PM says IDF ‘Marmara’ commandos to face internal investigation only.
Banned products allowed into Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jun 2010 – Turkish MP: Gesture does not enable population to “live like humans.”
‘Israel agrees to ease blockade’
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jun 2010 – ‘Telegraph’: Int’l team has drawn up guidelines for passage of aid.
Pedal away!
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jun 2010 – NIS 100 million plan could turn Israel into biking mecca.
Settlement boycott to help Palestinian economy
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jun 2010 – PA minister Abu Libda views act as assisting Palestinian self-sufficiency.
IAF to pick new fighter by end of July
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jun 2010 – Israel will decide whether to buy next version of Joint Strike Fighter.
Erdogan, Putin: Israel won’t get our gas
Jeruslalem Post 8 Jun 2010 – Russia, Turkey denies Israel fuel due to “economic considerations.”
International Solidarity Movement
Demonstrators interrupt illegal wall construction in Al Walaja
6/9/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – A group of over 30 demonstrators came to Al-Walaja today at 7am to obstruct the path of a bulldozer being used to construct the illegal annexation wall. Three demonstrators were arrested during the action; the legitimacy of two of the arrests remains in question. Among the arrested was former Yale Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh. The activists….
Mosque vandalized in Bedouin village near Haifa
Ha’aretz – Graffiti spray-painted on the building’s walls; village resident: Attack is result of anti-Arab incitement in Israel.
Knesset approves revolutionary law allowing domestic ova donations
Ha’aretz –
A third of Israeli women experience sexual harassment at work
Ha’aretz – Some 40% of women feel the workplace is not safe, from the perspective of harassment, according to a survey by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor.
Shin Bet chief Diskin suspends No. 3 in organization
Ha’aretz – Senior Shin Bet official suspected of promoting two female employees that he had personal relationships with.
Probe: Erdogan knew Gaza flotilla would be violent
Ha’aretz – Files found on activists’ laptops pointed to strong ties between the Islamist IHH movement and Turkey’s prime minister.
Netanyahu: UN sanctions on Iran a ‘positive step’
Ha’aretz – Israel, United States hail UN sanctions as a defiant Iran vows to keep enriching uranium.
Iran sanctions vote delayed as Turkey and Lebanon dither
Ha’aretz – Diplomats expected the Security Council to vote on Wednesday morning and it was not clear how long the delay would last.
Netanyahu says Gaza flotilla inquiry will probe activists as well as IDF
Ha’aretz – World has focused too much on Israel and ignored extremist activists’ violent intentions, prime minister says.
Israel eases embargo on food and drink allowed into Gaza
Ha’aretz – Israel announces decision hours before U.S. President Barack Obama due to host Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Washington., U.S. Defense Secretary says European reluctance to boost links with Turkey played…
Obama offers Abbas $400m in extra aid for Gaza in flotilla aftermath
Ha’aretz – U.S. President hosts Palestinian leader at White House, calling on Israel to curb settlement building and Palestinians to tackle incitement.
UN passes new nuclear sanctions resolution against Iran
Ha’aretz – Turkey, Brazil vote against resolution; Lebanon abstains; 12 of the 15-nation council vote in favor of a new sanctions draft resolution.
Eyewitness account: How Emily lost an eye
Ha’aretz – ‘The police fired a tear gas grenade, and then another and another. I remember that what surprised me was the volley of grenade-fire directly aimed directly at the demonstrators, not…
Palestinians and settlers join to fight separation fence route
Ha’aretz – Palestinians demonstrate against bulldozers, environmental groups oppose destruction of natural landscape needed for the fence’s construction.
Britain: No quid pro quo deal on Gaza blockade
Ha’aretz – Britain denies report in the Daily Telegraph that in exchange for decreased world pressure for an international probe into Gaza flotilla events, Israel is expected to ease the Gaza siege.
PCHR Condemns Israeli Expulsion of Members of PLC from Jerusalem
9 Jun 2010 – Jerusalem, June 9, (Pal Telegraph) The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns an Israeli decision to cancel the permanent residence in occupied Jerusalem of four members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), from the Change and Reform Bloc affiliated to Hamas, and to expel them from the city to the West Bank. The four PLC Members are: Mohammed Abu…
Israeli settlers prevent farmers from reaching their lands
9 Jun 2010 – Nablus, June 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation forces and Israeli settlers from Alon Moriah settlment prevented today Palestinian farmers in Nablus from reaching their fields. Monadel Hanani, member of Bait Fourik village council, told SAFA news agency that number of Israeli settlers with the support of Israeli soldiers prevented the farmers from reaching their lands. He added that…
Israel detains 4 Palestinians in WB
9 Jun 2010 – West Bank, June 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation forces detained today four Palestinians in different cities in the West Bank. Local sources reported that Israeli forces raided Jenin and Nablus cities. They searched the citizens’ houses and then detained four citizens. The detainees were taken to unknown place, the sources added. Eight Israeli vehicles raided the eastern neighborhood…
Mosque vandalized in Bedouin village near Haifa
Uruknet June 9, 2010 – A mosque in the Bedouin village of Ibtin, east of Haifa, was vandalized overnight Tuesday with graffiti. The graffiti was discovered by village residents at 4:30 AM. The 3 slogans spray-painted on the building’s walls read: “There will be a war over Judea and Samaria,” “price tag” and “this structure is destined for demolition.” “This…
UN Security Council Passes Iran Sanctions 12-2
Uruknet June 9, 2010 – The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution to impose the fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its suspect nuclear program. The resolution was approved by the 15-member council by a vote of 12 in favor. Brazil and Turkey voted against and Lebanon abstained…The resolution builds on existing UN sanctions imposed since 2006…
Israel’s Cult of Victimhood: ‘Barefoot’ Soldiers on the High Seas
Uruknet June 9, 2010 – Why are Israelis so indignant at the international outrage that has greeted their country’s lethal attack last week on a flotilla of civilian ships taking aid to Gaza? Israelis have not responded in any of the ways we might have expected. There has been little soul-searching about the morality, let alone legality, of soldiers invading…
Extensive Report on Palestinian Detainees In Israeli Prisons
Uruknet June 9, 2010 – Former detainee and the head of the Census Department at the Palestinian Ministry Of Detainees, Abdul-Nasser Farawna, stated that Israel conducted 700.000 arrests since June of 1967, including dozens of thousands of children and more than 10.000 women. Farawna also stated that 198 Palestinians died due to torture, medical negligence, while some of them were…
Ships, Lies and Videotapes
Uruknet June 9, 2010 – As much as Israel may pride itself on its mighty PR machine, from what I’ve seen so far, they have done a lousy job trying to cover up their latest atrocity of attacking the Freedom Flotilla last week. By now everyone knows what happened in terms of the piracy and the subsequent murder of nine…
Iran to face new UN sanctions vote
Uruknet June 9, 2010 – The United Nations Security Council is hours away from a scheduled vote on a new package of economic sanctions against Iran. The vote, presumed to take place at 10am local time (1400 GMT) on Wednesday, is expected to target more than three dozen companies and individuals subject to a travel ban and an asset freeze…The…
US urges Israel to accept flotilla inquiry
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – The White House has warned Israel against continuing to balk at the appointment of an international commission to look into a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last week, Israeli news media reported. According to the website of Israeli daily Maariv, the Obama administration urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday evening to agree…
Senior Israeli Army Commander: Turkish Attempt To Break The Siege Would Be “Act of War”
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – A senior commander in the the Israeli military has stated that he believes that action taken by the Turkish government in protecting an upcoming flotilla to Gaza would be considered an act of war. Major General (Res.) Uzi Dayan stated, whilst speaking with the army radio station that, “If he [Prime Minister Erdogan] comes here…
Israel asked U.S. to increase weapons supply, Haaretz learns
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – Israel recently approached the United States with new requests for security-related purchases, Haaretz has learned. The requests included Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM ) bombs for the Israel Air Force, as well as a significant expansion of the emergency stores held by the U.S. army in Israel. The Israeli requests were brought up during recent visits…
Pundits in Denial on Gaza Plight’No humanitarian crisis,’ some media figures claim
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – The May 31 Israeli attack on the Free Gaza humanitarian flotilla has returned some media attention to the humanitarian crisis faced by 1.5 million Palestinians living under Israeli blockade in the Gaza Strip. But some media figures have sought to deny the existence of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza at all. The Gaza Strip remains…
Video: Rachel Corrie Passengers Press Conference
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday arrested a Palestinian young man while escorting his sick mother in an ambulance vehicle from Bethlehem to occupied Jerusalem. Local sources said that the IOF soldiers stopped the vehicle and searched it before taking away Mohammed Al-Talahme, 20, who is originally from Burj village, south of Al-Khalil. Elsewhere in…
IOF soldiers arrest Palestinian from an ambulance, bulldoze land
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday arrested a Palestinian young man while escorting his sick mother in an ambulance vehicle from Bethlehem to occupied Jerusalem. Local sources said that the IOF soldiers stopped the vehicle and searched it before taking away Mohammed Al-Talahme, 20, who is originally from Burj village, south of Al-Khalil. Elsewhere in…
You’re talking bollox, Mr RegevA short primer on Israeli propaganda for media dummies*
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – What were Israel’s excuses for hijacking the Free Gaza ships in international waters and imprisoning their passengers after gunning down nine of them and wounding several more? * There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and * Israel already allows sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza so the flotilla was “an armada of hate and violence”, said Israel’s…
Israel Doctored the Evidence: The Gaza Freedom Flotilla and Al QaedaIsraeli Propaganda Exposed
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – The attack and murder of international humanitarian activists, aid workers and a journalist by the Israeli military on the Mavi Maramara on May 31, 2010 in international waters is an unjustifiable act of aggression. It can be interpreted as either an act of piracy or as an act of war. Nor is this type of…
Gaza Blockade Legal? Hardly.
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – Much debate about the legality of Israel’s naval blockade and siege of Gaza has occurred in the U.S. media with little serious analysis of the laws. Pro-Israel spokesmen and Israeli officials like the Israeli Prime Minister’s spokesman Mark Regev have claimed their blockade and siege is legal in accordance with the “San Remo Manual on…
Forsaken: The USS LIBERTY, Gaza, The Rachel Corrie and You
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – It is June 6th, 2010, a Sunday morning. The MV Rachel Corrie was illegally seized yesterday by the Israelis and forcibly hauled to Ashdod. Today’s Washington Post made no mention of this event whatsoever. It didn’t happen. This is why that loathsome organ is called the Jerusalem Washington New York Times Post on this blog….
Israel steps up operations in Gaza
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – Israeli naval commandos killed four Palestinian militants off the coast of Gaza yesterday morning in an operation designed by the Israeli government to send a signal to the Palestinian people and the world‚Äîthat its illegal blockade of the territory will continue despite mounting criticism following the May 31 massacre of nine Turkish activists. The latest…
107 Israeli Crimes Against Palestinian Journalists
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – “Israel perpetrated 107 attacks and violations against Palestinian journalist’s rights since the start of 2010” said the secretary general and president of the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate (PJS), Professor Abed Al-Nasser Al-Najjar. He stated that the Israeli attacks included beating the journalists, breaking their cameras, preventing them from covering events, shooting at them deliberately, arresting and…
Nailed Again: IDF Description of Suspicious Photo It Distributed Is Retracted
Uruknet June 8, 2010 – On May 31, the IDF Spokesman’s Office distributed a photo of a bearded Muslim man with a knife surrounded by reporters. Daylight was pouring in from a window or door behind the reporters. Offered without context or explanation, the photo played up a classic Orientalist stereotype of violent, fanatical, and even suicidal Muslims determined to…
Israel eases up on blockade of Gaza
The National 9 Jun 2010 – Britain denies reports of a trade-off in which Israel would increase access in return for being allowed an internal investigation of flotilla raid.
Obama vows to help with day-to-day lives’
The National 9 Jun 2010 – The US president has called the situation in Gaza inherently unstable and said he will work with allies in the Middle East and Europe to improve conditions for the 1.5 million Palestinians who live in the impoverished coastal strip.
UN chief seeks legal advice on flotilla interception
The National 9 Jun 2010 – Ban Ki-moon has been provided with a confidential assessment that Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla was “problematic” under global maritime rules.
Symphony of Incitement in Israel Part II: Hit Where it is Least Expected
Alternative Information Center – This article is a continuation of Symphony of Incitement in Israel in which I analysed the reasons behind the Israeli establishment’s frontal attack on civil space, democracy and the progressive…
Israel Issues Demolition, Evacuation Orders to Three Palestinian Families in Jordan Valley
Alternative Information Center – At 12.30 pm on Sunday 6 June, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders to 3 families in the Jordan Valley village of Khirbet Ar Ras Ahmar in the Tubas Governorate. The families were given orders instructing…
Abbas Thanks Obama for Granting Palestinians $400m in Extra Aid
WAFA – WASHINGTON, June 9, 2010 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas thanked U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday in granting the Palestinians $400 million to the west Bank and Gaza Strip. In remarks
As Turkish Photographer is Buried, other Journalists aboard Flotilla Speak out
WAFA – PARIS, June 9, 2010 (WAFA- Journalists who were aboard the humanitarian flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli naval commandoes on May 31 have been recounting their experiences. Reporters without
EUPOL COPPS Ends Course on Criminal Investigation Issues for 31 PCP Officers
WAFA – JERICHO, June 9, 2010 (WAFA)-Two-week course on Criminal Investigation issues for 31 officers of the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP) ended today, with graduation ceremony took place in the
UNASUR Condemns Killings on Ships Carrying Aid to Gaza
WAFA – BUENOS AIRES, June9, 2010 (WAFA) —UNASUR condemned the use of Israeli forces against merchant ships in international waters, which resulted in killing and wounding many civilians while they were
OXFAM: Flotilla Attack Triggers Tragedy
WAFA – JERUSALEM, June 9, 2010 (WAFA)- “Tragedy struck as the international community failed to put enough pressure on Israel to put an end to the policy of blockade, this flotilla would not have been
Israel Discusses Probe Committee in Flotilla Crime
WAFA – TEL AVIV, June 9, 2010 (WAFA)- The Israeli Forum of Seven Senior Ministers discussed, today, the work plan and committee members who will probe into the Israeli attack against the Freedom
Extremist Jews Write “To be Destroyed” on Mosque
WAFA – , June 9, 2010 (WAFA)- As the villagers of
President Abbas Meets Obama at 6:00 pm Jerusalem Time
WAFA – WASHINGTON, June 9, 2010 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas is to meet, today, with the U.S President Obama, at 6:00 pm Jerusalem time, to discuss the latest developments in the middle east, and the
Security Council approves new sanctions against Iran
Daily Star 9 Jun 2010 UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Wednesday approved new sanctions against Iran over its suspect nuclear program that target Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, ballistic missiles and nuclear-related investments. The resolution imposing a fourth round of…
Washington concerned over Turkey’s policy shift – Gates
Daily Star 9 Jun 2010 LONDON: The United States is concerned at a breakdown in Turkey’s relations with Israel and fears Europe’s rebuff of Ankara’s EU aspirations is pushing the country “eastward,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday. As NATO’s…
Abdullah warns Jordan won’t become home for Palestinians
Daily Star 9 Jun 2010 BEIRUT: Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned against any suggestion that his country would become a homeland for the Palestinians . “You should be sure that we will not accept, under whatever circumstances, a solution for the Palestinian…
Iranian entities or individuals targeted for new UN sanctions
Daily Star 9 Jun 2010 UNITED NATIONS: The following is a list of new Iranian entities or individual targeted for an assets freeze or a travel ban under the UN Security Council sanctions resolution that was adopted Wednesday. Individuals involved in…
Obama: Peace ‘progress’ possible this year
Daily Star 9 Jun 2010 WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced a $400-million aid package for the occupied West Bank and Gaza, saying it demonstrated America’s commitment to improving the lives of Palestinians. “We think it’s important for us to…
Israel allows junk food into Gaza but keeps ban on construction materials
Daily Star 9 Jun 2010 GAZA: Israel is easing its Gaza embargo to allow snack food and drinks into the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian officials said on Wednesday, following an international outcry over Israel’s raid on an aid flotilla. Hamas, the Islamist…
Former US envoy favors talking to Lebanese resistance
Daily Star 9 Jun 2010 WASHINGTON: The United States should talk to the Lebanese Hizbullah movement, former US diplomat Ryan Crocker said on Tuesday. But current US officials rejected dealing with the group listed as a terrorist group by Washington. Crocker,…
Barack Obama announces $400m aid package to Gaza
The Guardian 9 Jun 2010 – UK has promised increase in aid to troubled area as well President Barack Obama said today the US would send $400m of aid to the Palestinian territories following 10 days of international focus on Gaza, which…
Madrid gay pride march bans Israelis over Gaza flotilla raids
The Guardian 9 Jun 2010 – Organisers say it would be ‘barbaric’ to allow group to take part, but Israelis say Islamists would try and ‘cure’ them all A delegation of gay residents of Tel Aviv has been banned from joining a…
Assembly President and Turkish leader discuss Gaza flotilla incident
Relief Web 9 Jun 2010 – Source: UN News Service
OPT: Israel eases Gaza embargo, allows snack food in
Relief Web 9 Jun 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
In Brief: Gaza aid waiting at border crossing
Relief Web 9 Jun 2010 – Source: Integrated Regional Information Networks
Innovation Spreads from Cape Town to Haiti: Fair Uses Crowdsourcing to Find Solutions to Conflict
Relief Web 8 Jun 2010 – Source: World Bank
Q&A: ‘We’ll be Back – With Bigger Flotillas’
IPS RAMALLAH, Jun 8 (IPS) – In an exclusive interview with IPS Huwaida Arraf, the chairwoman of the Free Gaza (FG) movement, which tried to break Israel’s crippling blockade on Gaza, explains what happened on the night of May 31 when Israeli commandos raided the FG humanitarian flotilla, shooting nine people…
Apartheid-Era Docs Shed Light on Israel’s Worst-Kept Secret
IPS NEW YORK, Jun 8 (IPS) – A U.S. author is standing by claims that Israel offered to sell nuclear warheads to South Africa during the apartheid regime, despite denials by Israel’s then-defence minister, now-president Shimon Peres, that the accusation has “no basis in reality”.
Obama: Gaza situation unsustainable
YNet News – US president pledges more aid for Palestinians, urges Israel to find solution….
UN approves Iran sanctions
YNet News – Twelve Security Council members endorse fourth round of sanctions against….
Shalit’s father: Deal to end blockade
YNet News – Gilad Shalit’s captivity a grave war crime, son’s release would end Gaza siege,….
UK appoints envoy for post-Holocaust Issues
YNet News – Former Ambassador to Israel Sir Andrew Burns will be responsible for leading….
Gates: Turkey ‘pushed eastward’ by Europe
YNet News – Rift with Israel ‘concern’ for US, threat to regional stability, defense….
Israel allows some once-banned products into Gaza
YNet News – Soda, juice, spices, cookies, sweets and more allowed into Strip, according to….
Turkish official says Iran sanctions will hurt region
YNet News – Ankara’s ambassador to Cairo says international community must draw lessons from….
Abbas tells Obama Israel not serious about talks
YNet News – Palestinian officials told Ynet Wednesday night they were satisfied with US President Barack Obama’s statements following his meeting with Palestinian Authority President …….
Netanyahu lauds Iran sanctions
YNet News – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the Security Council’s decision Wednesday to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran. “The United States enlisted …….
Hezbollah lauds Helen Thomas
YNet News – Hezbollah on Wednesday saluted veteran US reporter Helen Thomas’s “courage” for her controversial comments against Israel, which sparked a furor and forced her to …….
Egypt shuns Israeli professor
YNet News – University of Haifa Rector, Professor Yossi Ben-Artzi, will have to forego an academic convention to be held in Alexandria this weekend after Egypt denied his visa …….
MKs offer response to PA boycott
YNet News – Will Palestinian soon pay price for boycott? A new bill submitted by 25 Knesset members Wednesday would see money slated for transfer to the Palestinian Authority used to …….
Iran: UN decision worthless
YNet News – Iran says Wednesday’s Security Council decision to impose further sanctions on Tehran is worthless, stressing that it will not be abandoning its nuclear program. The …….
Tel Aviv Exchange Seeks Israeli Arab Companies
The Media Line 8 Jun 2010 – The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange lays out plans to list more foreign and Israeli-Arab companies. The head of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange plans to recruit more foreign and Israeli Arab countries to trade on the…
Obama Will Give Aid to Gaza in Gesture to ‘Abbas
The Media Line 8 Jun 2010 – President Barack Obama is expected to announce new American aid for the Gaza Strip when Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas visits the White House on Wednesday. The president has labored to distance himself from last week’s…
Governmental Infighting Escalates in Post-Raid Israel
The Media Line 8 Jun 2010 – Israeli media is filled with stories of intra-governmental wrangling as the post-mortem for last week’s raid on the Gaza flotilla continues. Media is reporting on Wednesday that the navy itself, army intelligence and the army spokesman’s…
Egypt Makes Opening of Rafah (Gaza) Crossing Indefinite
The Media Line 8 Jun 2010 – Egypt announced on Tuesday that the opening of the Rafah crossing to the Gaza Strip that was announced following last week’s Israeli raid on the flotilla, is indefinite, but limited. Access to Egypt is reserved for…
Iran is hit with new set of U.N. sanctions
LA Times 10 Jun 2010 – The Security Council resolution is a victory for Obama, but the two ‘no’ votes ‚Äî from Turkey and Brazil ‚Äî underscore international divisions. A divided U.N. Security Council tightened sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program Wednesday, but left widespread doubt that the new strictures would slow the regime’s nuclear program or force it to the negotiating table.
Israel eases Gaza embargo on food, other goods
LA Times 9 Jun 2010 – The items permitted include jam, potato chips, cookies and coriander. But Palestinians are not impressed. ‘We don’t need jam and chips,’ one says. ‘We need jobs. We need houses. We need … freedom.’ Let them eat cake ‚Äî well, at least cookies, potato chips and jam.
U.N. Adopts New Sanctions on Iran
New York Times 9 Jun 2010 – A new measure takes aim at the military in another attempt to pressure Iran over its nuclear program.
Artists’ Boycott Strikes a Dissonant Note Inside Israel
New York Times 9 Jun 2010 – The cancellation of concerts has mobilized the Israeli pop world and its supporters against the threat of a widening cultural boycott.
Iran Reported to Shut Factory Making ‚ÄòNeda’ Figurines
New York Times 9 Jun 2010 – An Iranian factory was attempting to mass-produce statuettes of Neda Agha-Soltan, who became an icon of the opposition when a video of her shooting was broadcast.
Symphony of Incitement in Israel Part II: Hit Where it is Least Expected
Alternative Information Center 3 – This article is a continuation of Symphony of Incitement in Israel in which I analysed the reasons behind the Israeli establishment’s frontal attack on civil space, democracy and the progressive…
Former US Professor Arrested in Al-Walaja
Palestine Monitor – Former Yale Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh was among three demonstrators arrested this morning, as Israeli soldiers brutally stopped a demonstration in Al-Walaja. Aaron Dearborn reports from the field.All images by Kara Newhouse. Dr Qumsiyeh was allegedly arrested and taken for interrogation as soldiers believed he was a “…
Rachel Corrie’s Alma Mater Calls for College Divestment
Palestine Monitor – The student body of the Evergreen State College‚Äîthe alma mater of slain U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie‚Äîpassed two resolutions supporting the international BDS campaign last week. The first resolution “calls for The Evergreen State College Foundation to divest from companies that profit from Israel’s illegal occupation…
Israel Issues Demolition, Evacuation Orders to Three Palestinian Families in Jordan Valley
Alternative Information Center 1 – At 12.30 pm on Sunday 6 June, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders to 3 families in the Jordan Valley village of Khirbet Ar Ras Ahmar in the Tubas Governorate. The families were given orders instructing them to leave the area, and remove homes, animal shelters,…
Obama’s refusal to jettison the special relationship is an abrogation of his responsibility
Mondoweiss – Guilt by association is weak adjudicatory framework, but that’s not true of guilt by active association. America is rightly experiencing some of the Flotilla Massacre fallout. As Israel’s patron, protector and enabler, Israeli actions mean American responsibility. I’m beginning to think that the Israeli-perpetrated Flotilla Massacre…
Israel’s cult of victimhood: ‚ÄòBarefoot’ soldiers on the high seas
Mondoweiss – Why are Israelis so indignant at the international outrage that has greeted their country’s lethal attack last week on a flotilla of civilian ships taking aid to Gaza? Israelis have not responded in any of the ways we might have expected. There has been little soul-searching…
Farewell Helen Thomas
Mondoweiss – It’s good that Helen Thomas will no longer be in White House press briefings. Not because she sullied the reputation of the Washington press corps with a few undiplomatic remarks, but because those who lack her boldness and bluntness will no longer be able to use…
All Palestine is divided into four parts
Mondoweiss – The Free Gaza Movement and the Freedom Flotilla have succeeded in drawing attention to Israel’s siege on Gaza, which has turned the Strip into a giant prison. There is another aspect to the Gaza prison however, highlighted by Amira Hass in her column today , and that…
Let them eat chips
Mondoweiss – From the Reuters article ” Israel eases Gaza embargo to allow snack food “: Israel is easing its Gaza embargo to allow snack food and drinks into the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian officials said Wednesday, following an international outcry over Israel’s raid on an aid flotilla. Hamas,…
Gaza Internal Security Break into Offices of Five NGOs; Confiscate Belongings:Al Mezan Condemns the Assaults, Calls for Respecting the Law
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights –
Flotilla Activists Detained in Israel without Access to Lawyers, Al Mezan Calls for Investigation, Accountability, and End of the Siege of Gaza
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights –
Israel Violently Attacks the Freedom Fleet in International Waters; Al Mezan Calls on International Community to Investigate and Protect Solidarity Activists
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights –
FLOTILLA TAKE ACTION NOW!!!!
Irish4Palestine – TAKE ACTION! Please TAKE ACTION and DEMAND that the United Nations launch an independent investigation into the Israeli attack against unarmed relief ships in the Freedom Flotilla. DEMAND that the international community stop simply condemning Israel’s brutal and illegal blockade of Gaza – and start doing…
TODAY’S NEWS RUNDOWN
Irish4Palestine – Perusing the news on Israel today,so much to choose from, it’s like a giant pu pu platter, alas have to pick, so here are my favourites to poke fun at: Israel decides to investigate itself: The Israeli military said Tuesday it has set up an internal…
GOOD NEWS~TRISTAN ANDERSON COMES HOME
Irish4Palestine – BEFORE: AFTER After more than a year in a Tel Aviv hospital, Bay Area activist and photo-journalist Tristan Anderson has returned home to California. Tristan was critically injured when he was shot in the head at close range with a metal high-velocity tear gas canister at…
Frequently Asked Questions: Restrictions on passage of goods into and out of Gaza
Gisha –
Iran dismisses new UN sanctions
BBC – Iran’s President Ahmadinejad dismisses new UN sanctions on Tehran over its refusal to halt a nuclear programme.
Obama says Gaza ‘unsustainable’
BBC – US President Barack Obama says the situation in Gaza is “unsustainable” and promises millions of dollars in new aid.
EU blamed for Israel Turkey rift
BBC – Turkey’s growing hostility to Israel could be partly caused by its effective rejection by the EU, the US defence secretary says.
Israeli MP Who Joined Flotilla Faces Witch Hunt
Antiwar.com – An Israeli parliamentary committee recommended stripping an Arab MP of her privileges yesterday in a move to prepare the ground for putting her on trial for participating last week in the Gaza-bound aid flotilla attacked by Israeli commandos. Haneen Zoubi, who has become a national hate…
Free Gaza Leader: ‚ÄòWe’ll Be Back — With Bigger Flotillas’
Antiwar.com – RAMALLAH — In an exclusive interview with IPS, Huwaida Arraf, the chairwoman of the Free Gaza (FG) movement, which tried to break Israel’s crippling blockade on Gaza, explains what happened on the night of May 31 when Israeli commandos raided the FG humanitarian flotilla, shooting nine…
You’re talking bollox, Mr Regev — A short primer on Israeli propaganda for media dummies
Sabbah report – By Stuart Littlewood * | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz What were Israel’s excuses for hi-jacking the Free Gaza ships in international waters and imprisoning their passengers after gunning down 9 of them and wounding several more? There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and Israel already allows sufficient humanitarian…
Gaza Blockade Legal? Hardly.
Sabbah report – By Yousef Munayyer * | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Much debate about the legality of Israel’s naval blockade and siege of Gaza has occurred in the U.S. media with little serious analysis of the laws. Pro-Israel spokesmen and Israeli officials like the Israeli Prime Minister’s spokesman Mark Regev have…
Israel’s Crimes Against Humanity
Sabbah report – By Dr. Elias Akleh * | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz One more time, within less than one week, and despite all the international condemnations and mass protests all over the entire globe, Israelis had, with their snobby noses and raised middle fingers towards the world, broke the international laws…
(en) Palestine-Issrael, The Real Threat Aboard the Freedom Flotilla By Noam Chomsky
A-infos – “The Freedom Flotilla defied Israel’s policy of blocking solutions to the Arab-Israeli conflict based on international decisions, and so it had to be crushed.” —- Israel’s violent attack on the Freedom Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza shocked the world. —- Hijacking boats in international waters…
(en) Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation – For peace and freedom in Palestine
A-infos – The Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation (CSAF) joined an action organized by the Czech branch of International Solidarity Movement (ISM) on the 5th of June to denounce the Israeli attack on the humanitarian flotilla, and the occupation of Palestine as well. The anarchists brought a banner stating “Anarchists…
(en) Ireland, Castlebar Locals hold vigil for murdered Freedom Flotilla to Gaza activists
A-infos – Almost one hundred Castlebar locals and members of local political groups including anarchist activists of the Workers Solidarity Movement took to the streets holding a vigil in solidarity with the people of Gaza and the activists murdered by IDF forces. A strong message of outrage at…
Labor for Palestine Condemns Gaza Freedom Flotilla Massacre, Supports Worker Action to Boycott Israel
BDS – http://www.laborforpalestine.net/wp/2010/06/07/gaza-flotilla-massacre/ To endorse this statement, click here: http://www.laborforpalestine.net/wp/2010/06/07/gaza-flotilla-massacre/#s… To donate to Labor for Palestine, click here: http://laborforpalestine.net/wp/2009/12/trumka-letter/#donate read more
Articles
Headshot: Propaganda, State Religion, and the Attack on the Gaza Peace Flotilla
MediaLens, Dissident Voice6/9/2010
The most potent propaganda relies on language loaded with hidden implications. In a recent speech, journalist Robert Fisk noted:
“When we westerners find that ‚Äòour’ enemies ‚Äî al-Qaeda, for example, or the Taliban ‚Äî have set off more bombs and staged more attacks than usual, we call it ‚Äòa spike in violence’. Ah yes, a ‚Äòspike’!
“A ‚Äòspike’ in violence, ladies and gentlemen is a word first used, according to my files, by a brigadier general in the Baghdad Green Zone in 2004. Yet now we use that phrase, we extemporise on it, we relay it on the air as our phrase.”
It seems reasonable to assert that violence has ‚Äòspiked’ in, say, Afghanistan because violence +has+ increased. But having accepted this reasonable, open implication, we will likely also accept the hidden prediction — that the rise in violence will be followed by a rapid decline. This is important because if we believed the violence might be long-lasting, perhaps worsening, then we might become concerned, outraged — we might even feel prompted to take action. A ‚Äòspike’ suggests that, by the time we get round to doing something, the problem may already have gone away.
Similarly, on June 25, 2006, an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, was captured by Palestinian militants at an army post near Gaza. The BBC and ITV news, the Guardian and the Independent all described the action as a “kidnapping”. Guardian journalist David Fickling wrote:
“Israeli troops arrested dozens of Hamas ministers and parliamentarians today as they stepped up their campaign to free a soldier kidnapped by militants in Gaza at the weekend.”
We wrote to Fickling and asked him why Israeli militants “detain” and “arrest” while Palestinian militants “kidnap”. Fickling replied….more..e-mail
Obama’s Doublespeak on Iran
Esam Al-amin, CounterPunch6/9/2010
Extending Hands or Clenching Fists?
On April 12, 2010, President Barack Obama hosted a forty-seven nation Nuclear Security Summit in Washington. He met with dozens of heads of state making his case for a fourth set of crippling sanctions on Iran because of its intransigence on the nuclear issue. His main argument was the refusal of Iran to accept the proposal by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of transferring the bulk of Iran’s low enriched uranium outside the country in exchange for medical nuclear isotopes.
The following day Obama met with President Luiz Lula Da Silva of Brazil and Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan of Turkey. Both countries are currently members of the UN Security Council, considered friends of the US and are emerging economic and regional powers.
Lula and Erdogan emphasized to the US president the importance of a diplomatic resolution to Iran’s nuclear issue in an effort to diffuse the crisis and build confidence-building measures for further negotiations. During the meeting Obama not only encouraged them to pursue a diplomatic breakthrough, but he also vowed to be constructive and flexible, as well as promising to send them in writing the parameters of any deal deemed acceptable to the US.
Encouraged by the American response, the Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davuto?lu flew to Brazil on April 16 to meet with its president in order to coordinate their diplomatic efforts in a last ditch effort to persuade Iran to accept the IAEA proposal. By April 20, the Turkish foreign minister was in Tehran testing the waters regarding a possible resolution to the crisis.
As promised, Obama sent two separate letters on April 20 to Lula and Erdogan detailing the US parameters of a possible deal. He wrote that his proposal represented “a detailed explanation” of his perspective and offered “a suggestion of a way ahead.” He said that his offer was based on the proposal put forth by former IAEA Director General Mohammad ElBaradei, which he characterized in the letter as “fair and balanced,” and would enable “both sides to gain trust and confidence.”more..e-mail
Israel’s cult of victimhood
Jonathan Cook, Ma’an News Agency6/9/2010
Why are Israelis so indignant at the international outrage that has greeted their country’s lethal attack last week on a flotilla of civilian ships taking aid to Gaza?
Israelis have not responded in any of the ways we might have expected. There has been little soul-searching about the morality, let alone legality, of soldiers invading ships in international waters and killing civilians. In the main, Israelis have not been interested in asking tough questions of their political and military leaders about why the incident was handled so badly. And only a few commentators appear concerned about the diplomatic fall-out.
Instead, Israelis are engaged in a Kafkaesque conversation in which the military attack on the civilian ships is characterized as a legitimate “act of self-defense,” as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it, and the killing of nine aid activists is transformed into an attempted “lynching of our soldiers” by terrorists.
Benny Begin, a government minister whose famous father, Menachem, became an Israeli prime minister after being what today would be called a terrorist as the leader of the notorious Irgun militia, told BBC World TV that the commandos had been viciously assaulted after “arriving almost barefoot.” Ynet, Israel’s most popular news website, meanwhile, reported that the commandos had been “ambushed.”
This strange discourse can only be deciphered if we understand the two apparently contradictory themes that have come to dominate the emotional landscape of Israel. The first is a trenchant belief that Israel exists to realize Jewish power; the second is an equally strong sense that Israel embodies the Jewish people’s collective experience as the eternal victims of history.
Israelis are not entirely unaware of this paradoxical state of mind, sometimes referring to it as the “shooting and crying” syndrome.more..e-mail
Israel’s military support of apartheid S. Africa exposed in new book
Electronic Intifada: 9 Jun 2010 – NEW YORK (IPS) – A US author is standing by claims that Israel offered to sell nuclear warheads to South Africa during the apartheid regime, despite denials by Israel’s then-defense minister, now-president Shimon Peres, that the accusation has “no basis in reality.”
“We’ll be back — with bigger flotillas”
Electronic Intifada: 9 Jun 2010 – RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) – In an exclusive interview, Huwaida Arraf, the chairwoman of the Free Gaza (FG) movement, which tried to break Israel’s crippling blockade on Gaza, explains what happened on 31 May when Israeli commandos raided the “Freedom Flotilla,” shooting nine people dead and injuring dozens more.
After the Flotilla, will Turkey emerge as a force for Palestinian rights?
Electronic Intifada: 9 Jun 2010 – After years of disappointment with successive Arab regimes, Turkey appears to be taking a regional leadership role. While better and closer relations between Turkey and the Arab world are welcome developments, and there is hope for a momentum building up for the Palestinian cause, the ambiguities of the Turkish stance are apparent and raise important questions. Should the current crisis with Israel be interpreted as a singular event in which Turkey gave a strong response or as the inevitable culmination of a completely new foreign policy orientation? Murat Dagli comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Obama’s Cairo speech one year later
Electronic Intifada: 9 Jun 2010 – We’re told that US President Barack Obama’s Cairo Speech a year ago was a harbinger of peace, magnanimity, truth and justice. Hark, herald the new dawn. Islam is not a terrorist religion: peace; fist clench; hand open; “assalaamu alaykum.” Celestial choirs punctuated every sentence with a rising crescendo of harmonious hymning. And at the climax, we climaxed. We’re Arabs, and Barack is the New America, and we like one another. Ahmed Moor comments for EI.
Former US Professor Arrested in Al-Walaja
Palestine Monitor: 9 Jun 2010 – Former Yale Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh was among three demonstrators arrested this morning, as Israeli soldiers brutally stopped a demonstration in Al-Walaja. Aaron Dearborn reports from the field.All images by Kara Newhouse. Dr Qumsiyeh was allegedly arrested and taken for interrogation as soldiers believed he was a “security threat”, however they did not provide specific details. Also arrested under similar circumstances was an Israeli activist, Shay Chalatzi of Tel Aviv, allegedly for insulting the military unit as he protested the arrest of Dr Qumsiyeh. Both arrests occurred after the demonstration was over and activists were attempting to leave the area. Soldiers followed the demonstrators as they walked away from the construction site to make the arrests. At around 7am this morning, approximately 25-30 demonstrators marched on the scene of the wall construction, with two activists chaining themselves to bulldozers. Yotam Wolfe of Jerusalem was arrested immediately as the military arrived; forcibly…
Rachel Corrie’s Alma Mater Calls for College Divestment
Palestine Monitor: 9 Jun 2010 – The student body of the Evergreen State College‚Äîthe alma mater of slain U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie‚Äîpassed two resolutions supporting the international BDS campaign last week. The first resolution “calls for The Evergreen State College Foundation to divest from companies that profit from Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, as part of instituting a socially responsible investment policy,” according to a TESC Divest press release. The second resolution demands that all Caterpillar, Inc. equipment be banned from campus use. Around 80 percent and 70 percent of participating students voted in favour of the resolutions, respectively. TESC Divest organiser Nathan Schuur reported that out of Evergreen’s 4321 students, 1531 voted on the resolutions as part of the annual student government elections, a record turnout for the college. The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural in Olympia, Washington Photo Courtesy of the Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project / “Rachel Corrie’s story is very important to many of us…
Israel’s Cult of Victimhood: ‘Barefoot’ Soldiers on the High Seas
Palestine Chronicle: 9 Jun 2010 – By Jonathan Cook Why are Israelis so indignant at the international outrage that has greeted their country’s lethal attack last week on a flotilla of civilian ships taking aid to Gaza? Israelis have not responded in any of the ways we might have expected. There has been little soul-searching about the morality, let alone legality, of soldiers invading ships in international waters and killing civilians. In the main, Israelis have not been interested in asking tough questions of their political and military leaders about why the incident was handled so badly. And only a few commentators appear concerned about the diplomatic fall-out. Instead, Israelis are engaged in a Kafkaesque conversation in which the military attack on the civilian ships is characterised as a legitimate “act of self-defence”, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it, and the killing of nine aid activists is transformed into an attempted “lynching of our soldiers”…more
Where is the American Freedom Flotilla?
Palestine Chronicle: 9 Jun 2010 – By Sama Adnan While world leaders condemned Israel’s attack on the Freedom Flotilla and eight European governments summoned their Israeli ambassadors, the response of the Obama administration was painfully muted and embarrassingly awkward, regretting the loss of life without assigning neither blame nor responsibility. Increasingly, the United States’ government looks lost at sea when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, unsuccessfully pressuring Israel on freezing settlements or lifting the Gaza siege, even as it concedes that a swift end to the conflict is in America’s national interests. General Petraeus goes further by coupling troop safety to progress in the Middle East. However, Israel’s continued defiance in the face of American pressure is even more worrying than American inaction. Given that Israel obtains billions of aid dollars, military technology, and diplomatic cover at the UN from the United States, how can Israel display blatant contempt for American security needs and foreign…more
JNF e-Book Volume 2: Challenging the JNF
Palestine Chronicle: 9 Jun 2010 – By Pete Jones JNF eBook (Volume II, May 2010): Preparing for Legal Action – Focus: Canada Park. Editor: Uri Davis. Forward: Salman Abu Sitta. (To view the book, click here ) The project to de-mask the sinister origins and workings of the Jewish National Fund (JNF), an organisation that, perversely, enjoys worldwide charitable status, has continued with the release of a second volume that, like the first, is to be published online as an e-book. The first volume provided a broad overview of the birth of the JNF and its functional role as the colonialising arm of the World Zionist Organisation (WZO). The second volume does not skimp on explanatory background but, simultaneously, takes up a more direct challenge to the JNF’s legitimacy, analysing its work through the prism of the organisation’s status in Canada. This is largely undertaken in the context of the construction of the controversial Canada Park in…more
The West’s Unexamined Problem with Itself
Palestine Chronicle: 9 Jun 2010 – By Jeremy Salt – Ankara … but first, does it really exist? As an oppositional force to the ‘east’, the political ‘west’ arose in the wake of the Second World War, when the ‘east’ was the Soviet Union and its satellite states. The ‘west’ provided governments opposed to the Soviet Union for ideological purposes or strategic reasons a blanket, all purpose identity that would deflect attention from their individual state interests. In the name of the ‘west’ or ‘western interests’, or common defence against color-coded threats (the red menace and the yellow peril) any act of aggression could be justified. The package was wrapped and sold by the mainstream media. The origins of the ‘west’ as a concept go back to the discovery of what has passed into history as the ‘New World’. Of course, it was a very old world, but ‚Äònew’ and ‘discovery’ gave the conquerors of these…more
Palestine as Sport
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Jun 2010 – By Basil Abdelkarim I am convinced that I am watching a sporting event. This thought occurred to me as I reflected on the global fallout from Israel’s bungled interception of the Gaza aid flotilla. How else to excuse the callous disregard for human life, the willful violation of international and maritime law, that accompanied Israel’s assault on the Mavi Marmara last week? How else to justify the absurdly blind support for Israel among its most ardent of true believers in the face of the never-ending parade of atrocities — atrocities committed by the Middle East’s self-declared “sole democracy”? How else to explain the public vitriol, the rabid flag waving, the knee-jerk, “my side, right or wrong” and “Us vs. Them” mentality that permeates each and every brazen defense of Israel’s latest indefensible act? Indeed, Israel’s public enablers rejoice in its outlandish behavior, showering it with all the adulation accorded a…more
Heroism aboard the Gaza Flotilla
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Jun 2010 – By Miko Peled Is it possible to be shocked and yet not be surprised? Israel’s stupidity and disregard for human life is nothing new. It is a recurring theme in the life of the Jewish state from its very inception. Surely as the destruction in Gaza remains untouched18 months after the murderous attacks that began on December 27, 2008 there can be no surprise at Israeli brutality. Yet as the news unfolded and the images of the Israeli assault on the flotilla to Gaza began to unravel a sense of shock was expressed everywhere. Israel too is shock stricken. Not by the sheer brutality of its forces, or by the injustice of the siege on Gaza but by the PR blunder and fact that this “military mission” was a failure. Once again Israeli commandos are shown to be weak and helpless. How could the decision makers not see that this…more
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The New Dark Age 
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