News
Taha: Abbas, Mubarak approved plan
6/19/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas leader Ayman Taha affirmed Friday that the Palestinian and Egyptian presidents have agreed on a conciliation proposal. Taha told Ma’an that Mahmoud Abbas and Hosni Mubarak reviewed and approved a proposal that Hamas submitted to the Arab League secretary-general, Amr Moussa, during his visit to the Gaza Strip. The plan, according to….
Toys for Gaza, after three years
Palestine Note 19 Jun 2010 – AFP photo Since Israel’s blockade began, shop owners have had to rely on smugglers and pay up to an extra 40% for the goods. Israel says the siege on Gaza is about security and making sure…
Illinois Congressional candidate builds campaign on vilifying Palestinians
Palestine Note 19 Jun 2010 – Some candidates for public office take on issues. Others, usually who are more desperate, turn towards racism and hatred to fuel their campaigns. In the 2 nd Congressional District, an obscure Republican named “Isaac Hayes” has…
Israel bars German minister from Gaza
Palestine Note 19 Jun 2010 – New York – Israel stopped German Development Aid Minister Dirk Niebel from visiting the Gaza Strip on Saturday, where he hoped to visit a German-funded sewage treatment project. According to Haaretz, talks between German and Israeli…
Human Rights Watch tells Lebanon: End discrimination against Palestinians
Palestine Note 19 Jun 2010 – New York – Human Rights Watch urged Lebanon on Friday to enact legislation extending rights to some 300,000 Palestinian refugees living in the country. After a heated debate on Tuesday, Lebanon’s parliament postponed a vote a…
11 killed as fighters storm Yemen jail
Palestine Note 19 Jun 2010 – New York – Eleven people are dead after suspected Al-Qaeda militants stormed a jail run by Yemen’s government intelligence service in the port city of Aden on Saturday, The Associated Press reported. From AP’s report : In…
Do Israelis want a tighter blockade on Gaza?
Palestine Note 19 Jun 2010 – New York – In spite of international pressure to ease or end the crippling blockade of the Gaza Strip, the Jewish Israeli public largely wants the opposite, Time magazine reports. Time reporter Karl Vick interviews an…
Israel to release former Hamas minister
Palestine Note 19 Jun 2010 – New York – Israel is set to release on Sunday Nayef Rajoub, a senior Hamas leader and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), four years after seizing him and 40 other top Palestinian officials…
Jordan: Muslim Brotherhood threatens France boycott
Palestine Note 19 Jun 2010 – Washington – The Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood is threatening to boycott France for its decision to cease broadcasting Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported Saturday. France recently announced it would stop beaming Al-Aqsa TV, saying its programming…
Turkey assures problem is with Israeli state, not people
Palestine Note 19 Jun 2010 – Washington – Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to press Israel on its internal probe, but he has made assurances that Turkey’s has a problem with Israel, not Israelis, Haaretz reported Saturday. Turkish PM Erdogan addresses…
Mitchell ends region tour with Egypt visit
Palestine Note 19 Jun 2010 – Washington – After meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leadership since Thursday, US Middle East envoy George Mitchell wrapped up his tour of the region with a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. A picture of Egyptian…
Mideast night beat: Pop star edition
Palestine Note 18 Jun 2010 – Today in Palestine, Israel, the broader Middle East, and beyond: Arabic pop star Haifa Wehbe reportedly asked to go on the Lebanese aid flotilla to Gaza, but Hezbollah forbid her to do so, as her “nudity”…
Clinton: $60 million for refugees
Palestine Note 18 Jun 2010 – Washington — Speaking from Washington, DC two days before World Refugee Day, US Secretary of State Clinton announced $60 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), AlertNews reported . “This contribution…
WB official denies reconciliation reports
Palestine Note 18 Jun 2010 – Egyptian FM says no amendments will be made to original unity agreement Washington – In the West Bank, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat denied reports from Friday that Fatah-aligned President Mahmoud Abbas had accepted in principal…
Iran hangs Sunni group leader
AlJazeera 20 Jun 2010 – Court says Abdolmalek Rigi of Jundallah ordered the murders of tens of people.
Israel warns Lebanon aid ships
AlJazeera 19 Jun 2010 – Humanitarian mission to Gaza Strip will be stopped using “all necessary means”.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (10-16 June 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Barak off to US for Iran talks
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – American, Israeli warships reportedly cross Suez.
IDF attracts better combat cadets
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – After a 3-year slump, IDF improves officer quality.
Egypt won’t amend Hamas-Fatah plan
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – Efforts to end the crisis between the groups reached a setback.
UN ambassador resigns
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – Gabriela Shalev has represented Israel since 2008.
Turkish officials defend sanctions vote
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – Ankara ambassador says Israel is nearing “global isolation.”
Turkish officials defend vote against sanctions
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – Ankara ambassador that Israel is nearing “global isolation.”
Have tunnels made the siege irrelevant?
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – Tunnels between Gaza and Egypt bring in gas, weapons, livestock and more.
News in Brief – June 19, 2010
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – Israel Philharmonic to play for Schalit; Palestinian sewage plant to be built.
Keren Hayesod bids farewell to world chairman
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – United Israel Appeal Chairman Avi Pazner leaves after 12 years.
Lehi vets celebrate 70th anniversary
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – Former soldiers of the “Stern gang” gather in Jerusalem.
Hamas, Fatah crisis continues
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – Egypt refuses to change its reconciliation plan
Iran: Our missiles are for defense
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – Official:US claims we can rain missiles down on Europe “deception.”
‘Flotilla activists’ credit cards used’
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – Guardian cites activists’ bank statements; Israel: Register a complaint.
Erdogan: Our problem is with Israel’s gov’t, not its people
Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 – Turkish PM says his country will not stay silent in the face of Israeli “piracy,” and will seek solutions “in the framework of international law.”
International Solidarity Movement
Stop the bullets! A call to end the use of live ammunition against unarmed civilians in the Gaza ‚Äòbuffer zone’
6/20/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – The catastrophic Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, which left 9 dead, has rightly horrified the international community. However, lethal force by the Israeli military is nothing new to Palestinians. In the Gaza ‚Äòbuffer zone’, live ammunition is routinely used against unarmed demonstrators and farmers. The ‚Äòbuffer zone’ is illegal – The Israeli military violently….
Israeli violence continues in Gaza ‘Àúbuffer zone’: wheat harvest prevented; three injured by shelling
6/19/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Five female farm-workers returned to the Gaza “Àúbuffer zone’ early Saturday morning, with the intention of continuing the wheat harvest near Khoza’a village, Khan Yunis. The harvesters were forced to abandon their work after just thirty minutes as snipers attacked the unarmed workers with a barrage of live ammunition. Earlier in the month, the same….
State to court: Don’t jail ultra-Orthodox mothers in segregated school row
Ha’aretz – Attorney General advises High Court to refrain from enforcing jail sentences for 22 ultra-Orthodox women who ignored an order to send their daughters to school with girls of Middle Eastern…
Israel bars German minister from Gaza
Ha’aretz – ‘Sometimes the Israeli government does not make it easy for its friends to explain why it behaves the way it does,’ says aid minister Dirk Niebel.
Sarkozy to Medvedev: France ready to start talks with Iran over nuclear program
Ha’aretz – Talks at IAEA to be held on basis of U.S, Russian, French concerns over a proposal for Iran to send 1.2 tons of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in return…
Report: Germany rejects Israeli call to halt probe into Mossad role in Dubai killing
Ha’aretz – German gov’t ignores Israeli requests to block extradition from Poland of Uri Brodsky, alleged Israeli spy suspected of procuring a passport for the assassins of a top Hamas official, according…
Egypt rebuffs Hamas demand to rewrite unity pact with Fatah
Ha’aretz – Egyptian Foreign minister denies bowing to Hamas pressure to amend draft agreement for Palestinian unity government., Egypt opposition angered at government for allowing the fleet of more than 12 ships…
Egyptian police shoot at Palestinian trying to illegally cross Gaza border
Ha’aretz – Since Egypt reopened Rafah crossing for limited purposes, over 13,000 Gazans, mainly students and those in need of medical help, have crossed into Egypt.
Israeli minister hits back: Erdogan is the enemy, not Turkey
Ha’aretz – Turkish PM says ‘Turkey’s problem is with Israel’s government, not its people,’ says the country will continue to fight Israel’s ‘piracy,’ seek solutions to fight Gaza flotilla raid within international…
Poll: Obama’s ranking in Muslim world slides over Mideast
Ha’aretz – According to Pew Research Center global poll, Muslim world support of Obama drops drastically, most countries do not support military action against Iran.
Israel to UN: We reserve the right to stop Lebanon Gaza-bound flotilla
Ha’aretz – Lebanon aid ship Miriam to set sail to Gaza Sunday; Israel’s UN envoy says Israel will use all necessary means to prevent ships from violating the naval blockade on Gaza.
Israel closes Gaza’s commercial crossings yesterday and today
19 Jun 2010 – Gaza, June 19, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation authorities closed yesterday all commercial crossings with the Gaza Strip, at the time the number of goods allowed entry to the Gaza Strip raised up to 200 items, according to a Palestinian official. On the other hand, the Egyptian authorities continue opening the Rafah crossing in both directions, which marks the first time…
In desperate search for recruits, Israeli army targets foreigners
19 Jun 2010 – Jerusalem, June 19, (Pal Telegraph — Independent) It used to be the kibbutz and its images of fruit picking and communal living that attracted streams of Jewish volunteers to Israel. Now many are looking for a different kind of service, one involving pre-dawn starts, a dose of boot camp and the very real possibility of some frontline action.
Israel launches a hate campaign against Arab MKs
19 Jun 2010 – Jerusalem, June 19, (Pal Telegraph) More than a million and a half Palestinians living in the occupied territories of 1948 were happy to spend one calm year with less harassment by the Israeli settlers, the world recognized these settlers’ right to occupy the land and live on it and harass its people.
IOF violently suppresses weakly peaceful protest at Nil’in
19 Jun 2010 – Ni’lin, June 19, (Pal Telegraph — By Olathe Litonya) Yesterday afternoon in Ni’lin, in an act of vandalism and repression, ‚ÄòThe world’s most moral army’ opened fire with tear gas and set olive trees ablaze as a response to the weekly non-violent demonstration by residents and international activists. According to eyewitness reports, IDF soldiers violently beat, up to 6 Palestinian…
Two Gazan workers injured as smuggling tunnels collapses
19 Jun 2010 – Gaza, June 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Two Gazan workers were injured yesterday in a collapse of smuggling tunnel between the borders of southern Gaza Strip and Egypt, local sources reported. Medical sources said that two Gazan workers were injured as a tunnel collapsed while they were working there. They were evacuated to Abu Yousef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah in…
Israel shells Gazan farmers, injuring two
19 Jun 2010 – Gaza, June 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli tanks shelled today agriculture lands in Bait Hanoon which injured two Palestinian farmers, in north of Gaza. Medical sources at Kamal Odwan Hospital in Bait Hanoon said that two farmers were injured as a shell landed on the land where they were working, adding that their health conditions are moderate. The Director…
Video: No barrier to enjoyment
Uruknet June 19, 2010 – Israel’s separation wall, twice the height of the former Berlin Wall and more than 750km-long, is a much hated barrier in the Palestinian West Bank. Now, a restaurant owner in the occupied Palestinian West Bank has come up with unique way to please World Cup fans: he has been showing every match of the tournament…
Arab-Israeli Parliamentarian Fights Death Threats
Uruknet June 19, 2010 – “I stopped counting after I had received 50 death threats. I told my secretary not to tell me about them any more,” Arab-Israeli Knesset (parliament) member, Haneen Zoabi told IPS. “As a result of the death threats I’ve been given personal body guards both within the Knesset and outside,” adds Zoabi. Zoabi, a member of…
Israel Officially Informs UN It Will Intercept Lebanese Solidarity Ship
Uruknet June 19, 2010 – Tel Aviv sent an official letter to the United Nations stating that it will, and “has the right” to intercept the Lebanese solidarity ship, Mariam, carrying humanitarian supplies to Gaza. Israeli TV, Channel 2, reported that Israel’s UN Envoy, Gabriella Shalev, handed the letter to UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, informing him that Israel will use…
Senators introduce bill that would allow US to disconnect the Internet
Uruknet June 19, 2010 – Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), along with one Republican and Democratic senator, introduced a bill late last week that would allow the President to effectively disconnect the internet by emergency decree. The Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act would allow the President to disconnect Internet networks and force private websites to comply with broad cybersecurity…
Beatings, arrests, nighttime raids and dubious indictments
Uruknet June 18, 2010 – M., a Haaretz reader from Zichron Yaakov, was disturbed by reports about the manner in which Palestinian children are arrested in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They are being detained held in the middle of the night, held in conditions of fear and pain before their interrogations, and then finally interrogated without the presence…
Israel threatens to arrest and try passengers of international ships bound for Gaza
Uruknet June 18, 2010 – Israeli authorities have warned that they will arrest any peace activists who participate in international aid convoys bound for the Gaza Strip and put them on trial. According to Maarif Hebrew newspaper, “Israel sent a clear warning to the international community with the announcement that it plans to arrest, conduct a thorough investigation and prosecute…
Obama, the Supreme Court and Maher Arar: No Accountability for Torture
Uruknet June 18, 2010 – On Monday, June 14, the Supreme Court declined to hear Maher Arar’s case, conclusively shutting the door on the Canadian citizen’s effort to obtain redress from US officials who stopped him in September 2002 while he was changing planes on his way home to Canada and shipped him instead to Syria, where he was tortured…
Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe
Uruknet June 18, 2010 – Passengers exchanged satirical remarks when they heard the news in the taxi they were riding Sunday morning; that the Israeli government decided for the first time since imposing a blockade on Gaza to allow the passage of new items. These include mayonnaise, ketchup, shoelaces, buttons, needles, safety pins and sewing thread. Israel’s decision was the…
UN team calls for end to systematic rights violations by Israel in occupied territories
Uruknet June 18, 2010 – A three-member United Nations body has called for an end to human rights violations by Israel in the occupied territories of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the Syrian Golan Heights, after hearing from dozens of witnesses during a recent visit to the region. “The testimonies that we have heard attest to a failure…
The Red Cross and Israeli MPs prevented from knowing location of secret prison
Uruknet June 18, 2010 – It now seems clear that the Red Cross and, indeed, members of Israel’s parliament, are being stopped by Israeli intelligence services from finding out the location of what has been called a “secret prison”. The MP for the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, Dr. Dov Hanin, has filed an enquiry to the Israeli Internal…
Gaza convoy activists claim Israeli soldiers using debit cards stolen in raid
Uruknet June 18, 2010 – Israeli troops have been accused of stealing from activists arrested in the assault on the Gaza flotilla after confiscated debit cards belonging to activists were subsequently used. In their raid of 31 May, the Israeli army stormed the boats on the flotilla and, as well as money and goods destined for the Palestinian relief effort…
Report: Israel has arrested 468 Palestinians in Hebron since the beginning of the year
Uruknet June 18, 2010 – A human rights report published by the Palestinian ‘Prisoner’s Forum’ has reported that since the beginning of 2010, Israeli Occupation Forces have ‘detained approximately 468 Palestinian citizens from the governorate of Hebron in the southern West Bank. The report highlighted the fact that during the first half of this year, the Israeli forces launched a…
EU Considering Aid to Israeli Military
Uruknet June 18, 2010 – A leading Israeli supplier of warplanes used to kill and maim civilians in Gaza is in the running for two new scientific research grants from the European Union. Israel’s attacks on Gaza in late 2008 and 2009 provided its air force with an opportunity to experiment with state-of-the-art pilotless drones such as the Heron. Although…
Israeli occupation plan demolition of tens of Palestinian homes in Jerusaelem
Uruknet June 18, 2010 – The Israeli occupation authority will decide on Monday on the planned demolition of 22 Palestinian homes in the Silwan suburb of occupied Jerusalem according to Haaretz newspaper. The local planning and building committee will discuss the plans of Jerusalem’s mayor Nir Barkat “The Silwan Suburb Development” which will result in the demolition of tens of…
In Damascus, the spirit of the sport scores over politics
The National 19 Jun 2010 – Syria’s football fans love a winner — and their enthusiasm is almost as noisy as Al Jazeera’s Assam al Shamaly.
Palestinian soccer fans 1, Israel’s wall 0
The National 19 Jun 2010 – Bethlehem restaurant owner uses separation wall as giant TV football screen for World Cup matches.
AIC Upgrades Website Infrastructure
Alternative Information Center – The Alternative Information Center (AIC) is currently upgrading its website infrastructure. We will be back online by Tuesday 22 June 2010.
U.S. Will Contribute $60 Million to UNRWA
WAFA – WASHINGTON, June 19, 2010 (WAFA)- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced Friday that the United States will be making an additional contribution of $60.3 million to the United
Gazans See Lifting of Blockade as Only Solution to Dire Conditions, CNS Says
WAFA – JERUSALEM, June 19, 2010 (WAFA)- Only a total lifting of the Israeli-imposed blockade on the Gaza Strip will significantly improve the situation for Gazans, said the Jerusalem regional director
Widowed Father Rebuilds Home, Life with UNRWA
WAFA – HEBRON, June 19, 2010 (WAFA)- After the death of his wife, 38-year-old refugee Hassan and his two young daughters spent eight years living in a home with no entrance door, no plastering, no windows,
Palestinian Registered Refugees Totaled 4.8 Million
WAFA – RAMALLAH, June 19, 2010 (WAFA)- On the eve of the International day of refugees on June 20, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) released a statistical review on the status of
Israel warns UN over Lebanon to Gaza aid bid
Relief Web 19 Jun 2010 – Source: Agence France-Presse
“Stand up‚Ķ and Break the Siege” Initiative continues to challenge closing off of Palestinian roads
Stop The Wall – The villages of northeast Ramallah organized the second mass demonstration in Bittin to open the main road to Ramallah and to expose the Israeli occupation forces’ policy of collective punishment. The campaign is the first of its kind in demanding the opening of closed roads by the occupation forces. [
Bil’in: occupation forces arrest 3 solidarity activists, wound 3 protesters
Stop The Wall – The weekly march headed towards the area of the Wall where the occupation forces were already hiding behind the concrete blocks of the Wall. The demonstrators attempted to cross the gate of the Wall, which was closed with barbed wire. During the ensuing clashes, three demonstrators were injured. [
Top Hamas figure Rajoub to be released from jail after 4-year term
YNet News – Brother of senior Fatah member Jibril Rajoub was arrested in aftermath of Shalit….
Sheikh Jarrah protestors hope to draw attention with vuvuzelas
YNet News – Leftists, Palestinians make noise in east Jerusalem using controversial….
Report: UNIFIL will enforce Resolution 1701, stop flotilla if needed
YNet News – Lebanese newspaper reports New York HQ of Interim Force in Lebanon has warned….
Lebanese official blames Israel of drug trafficking
YNet News – During parliament debate in Beirut president of anti-drug NGO says ‘Israel….
Flotilla activists claim IDF soldiers used their credit cards
YNet News – Guardian newspaper says activists on board Marmara, other ships were charged for….
Ministry of Education: Don’t arrest Emmanuel mothers
YNet News – Taking a step back – Ahead of a High Court hearing on Sunday regarding the arrest of 22 mothers from the West Bank settlement of Emmanuel who refused to turn themselves …….
Hezbollah says Israel ‘terrified’ of women’s flotilla
YNet News – “Israeli threats against women activists and journalists who are organizing new flotillas serve as proof of the immense fear the Zionists are living in,” Hezbollah’s …….
France ready to start Iran talks at IAEA
YNet News – France is ready to start talks with Iran over its nuclear program at the International Atomic Energy Agency “without delay”, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told Russian …….
Burg: Haredim not part of State of Israel
YNet News – Former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg said mass protests in the haredi sector following the Emmanuel affair, in which parents refused to send their daughters to an …….
Report: Berlin to play suspected Israeli agent case by book
YNet News – Germany’s government will not interfere in the case of a suspected Israeli agent thought to have played a role in the Dubai assassination of a Hamas commander, German …….
Palestinian Information Center
IOF troops burn Palestinian cultivated land
PIC 20 Jun 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) burnt ten dunums of Palestinian cultivated land while quelling a peaceful anti wall demonstration in Irak Burin village, Nablus district, on Saturday.
400,000 Jewish-American families warned against visiting Turkey
PIC 20 Jun 2010 – Simon Wiesenthal Center advised hundreds of thousands of Jewish families from America to refrain from visiting Turkey, in protest against its positions after Israel’s attack on the Freedom Flotilla.
Der Spiegel: German courts will decide in the case of the Mossad agent
PIC 20 Jun 2010 – Berlin decided not to intervene and to leave the judiciary to decide in the case of a Zionist Mossad agent arrested in Poland for involvement in the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh.
Prisoners’ committee holds IOA responsible for life of seriously ill detainee
PIC 20 Jun 2010 – The higher national committee on Palestinian prisoners held the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) and the Israeli prisons authority (IPA) fully responsible for the life of detainee Ahmed Asfour, 19.
Activists delay for 24 hours unloading Israeli ship at San Francisco port
PIC 20 Jun 2010 – American labor councils in the city of San Francisco announced plans to stage a union and public sit-in rally on dock 57 of the port of Oakland on Sunday, when an Israeli ship will dock.
Khudari slams Israel’s threat to attack Lebanese aid ships
PIC 20 Jun 2010 – MP Jamal Al-Khudari strongly denounced the Israeli threats to attack the Gaza-bound Lebanese aid ships, saying that such action would be a premeditated crime against unarmed civilians.
Israel to endorse plan to demolish dozens of Palestinian homes in OJ
PIC 20 Jun 2010 – The Haaretz newspaper reported Saturday that the Israeli government will discuss a plan next Monday aimed at demolishing 22 Palestinian homes in Silwan district in occupied Jerusalem.
Obeid: PA receives revenues but not committed to send fuel for Gaza power plant
PIC 20 Jun 2010 – Deputy head of the Palestinian energy authority Kanaan Obeid said the Ramallah government is not committed at all to providing the Gaza power station with its needs of industrial diesel.
“Jerusalemite bond document” launched in J’lem to defend MPs and minister
PIC 20 Jun 2010 – A campaign of signatures on a document known as the “Jerusalemite bond” started in Jerusalem city to defend the city and stand by the lawmakers and the minister Israel decided to expel.
Haneyya demands complete end to Gaza siege
PIC 20 Jun 2010 – Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya has said that the Palestinian people and all free people of the world are demanding a complete end to the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.
AIC Upgrades Website Infrastructure
Alternative Information Center 3 – The Alternative Information Center (AIC) is currently upgrading its website infrastructure. We will be back online by Tuesday 22 June 2010.
Fighting Guns With Humor
Palestine Monitor – Stones are not the only strength Palestinians of the popular resistance use against the Israeli army. In places like Nabi Saleh where soldiers respond to weekly demonstrations with tear gas, physical assaults, and rubber-coated steel bullets, villagers face the repression with a sense of humor to…
We are Everywhere!
Palestine Monitor – The old city market in Hebron has turned into a ghost town. Israeli settlers occupying the homes above the market, use the walkways below as their personal trash can and the constant harassment from Israeli soldiers has forced shopkeepers to move. But, there is a light…
Who does Tony Blair work for?
Mondoweiss – “In the conversations I’ve had with the Israeli Prime Minister there is now, in principle, agreement for Israel to allow goods in” Tony Blair told reporters on Monday. And like magic, an official Israeli statement today announced the ‘easing’ of the Gaza blockade. After three years…
More Henochowicz, with spiritual leadership
Mondoweiss – Israel/Palestine transcends its borders as an issue; and I often think the struggle for me and my Jewish generation is a recognition that our way of being in the world (urban, achievement-oriented culture) must come to grips with its shadow, which is the village-and-land-based Palestinian experience…
‚ÄòCSM’ questions Israel’s Iran paranoia, thereby breaking MSM taboo
Mondoweiss – The Christian Science Monitor and reporter Scott Peterson do what the rest of our media ought to do, and examine the obsession with Iran in Israel as an irrational and Holocaust-related phobia, which distracts Israel from the true existential threat, governance over half its population that…
Casual prejudice against Muslims
Mondoweiss – The other day I was driving around listening to public radio, WNYC’s Brian Lehrer show with Hanna Rosin, discussing an article about changing gender roles in the latest Atlantic, with fill-in host Andrea Bernstein, when a caller, clearly a hasbarist, said that they were leaving out…
Our western privilege is the legacy of historical violence
Mondoweiss – For the last week we’ve been running pieces responding to Matthew Taylor’s statement that the Gaza flotilla should have been committed to nonviolent resistance. We’re almost done. Max Ajl is at bat . David Bromwich has responded to my comment about non-violence and violence with a strong,…
Mohamed Khodr — The Final Turkel Commission Report — Submitted To: The Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu
Palestine Think Tank – The Israeli “Independent Public Commission” to investigate the IDF raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla has been formed. The composition of the committee should raise more than a few eyebrows: Shabtai Rosen is on it, he once advised that a massacre in the village of Qibya…
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 –
Iran hangs Sunni militant leader
BBC – Iran hangs the leader of the Jundullah Sunni militant group, Abdolmalek Rigi, who was arrested in February, official reports say.
Arab-Israeli Parliamentarian Fights Death Threats
Antiwar.com – RAMALLAH — “I stopped counting after I had received 50 death threats. I told my secretary not to tell me about them any more,” Arab-Israeli Knesset (parliament) member, Hanan Zoabi told IPS. “As a result of the death threats I’ve been given personal body guards both…
Israel Navigates Between Inquiries
Antiwar.com – JERUSALEM — Israel’s easing of its land blockade of Gaza is unlikely to lessen international pressure for a change in its policies towards the Palestinians. Nor can Israel be expected to give up its battle to undermine Hamas’ control of the Gaza Strip. On Thursday, a…
Israeli Concessions on Gaza Fall Short of a New Policy
Antiwar.com – Israel’s announcement Thursday that it would ease the restrictions on goods entering Gaza has been received by NGOs and the international community as a move in the right direction, but as not going far enough in lifting the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip. Details of…
The Final Turkel Commission Report — Submitted To: The Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu
Sabbah report – The Final Turkel Commission Report July 4, 2010 Submitted To: The Most Honorable Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu By Mohamed Khodr* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz In response to the world’s outrage (except the U.S.) against Israel’s May 31st murderous attack on peace activists aboard…
Mayonnaise, ketchup, buttons, needles, safety pins and sewing thread in Gaza are ‘security threat’ to Israel!
Sabbah report – Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe By Saleh Al-Naami | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Passengers exchanged satirical remarks when they heard the news in the taxi they were riding Sunday morning; that the Israeli government decided for the first time since imposing a blockade on Gaza to allow the…
(en) US, Minesota-St Paul Twin Cities Anarchis Bookfair 11-12 September 2010
A-infos – Greetings! To all Comrades in the Struggle for Freedom, —— The 11th and 12th of this September Anarchists will be having a Bookfair and Festival in the Twin Cities! Filled with radical distros,publishers, artists, music, crafters, workshops, skillshares, speakers and much more! —— We will highlight…
Articles
Getting Out of Palestine?
M. Shahid Alam, P U L S E6/18/2010
When veteran journalist Helen Thomas was asked recently if she had any comments on Israel, she shot back, “Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.” She apologized for the remark, but, as the campaign against her escalated, she chose to retire from her position as White House correspondent.
Putting aside the edginess in her words, does Helen Thomas’s remark deserve serious consideration?
Over the years, it has been receiving just that from many tens of thousands of Israelis, who have been emigrating from Israel, applying for emigration, or staying in Israel but holding or applying for dual citizenship. According to Arnaud de Borchgrave, half a million Israelis hold dual citizenship.
Although the Israel lobby expressed particular outrage at Helen Thomas’ suggestion that Israelis go back to Germany and Poland, many Israelis have done precisely that. In his book, The Seventh Million, Tom Segev writes that many thousands of Israelis have “requested and received German passports.” According to the Jewish Virtual Library, there were 118,000 Jews living in Germany in 2006. Another 49,700 lived in Hungary and 3,200 in Poland.
Disconcerting as some Zionists may find this, Jews have not stayed away from countries where they faced near extermination under the Nazis. Does this mean that these countries are now safer for Jews than Israel?
At least, that is what the record indicates. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, 22,682 Israelis died in Israeli wars or as a result of terrorist attacks.
Over the same period — that is, since 1948 — how many Jews in Europe have died as a result of anti—Semitic violence?more..e-mail
The EU must show real courage on the Middle East
Chris Patten, The Guardian6/11/2010
Inaction renders Europe complicit in illegal acts in the Middle East. It can no longer play third fiddle
Today’s miserable standoff in the Middle East requires new initiatives. The short-term failure of Israeli policies has concentrated global attention on their blockade of Gaza rather than on Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. The long-term failure has rendered increasingly difficult a two-state solution as Palestine is broken up into barriered Bantustans.
As President Obama’s military commanders have told him, the absence of anything resembling a peace process in the Middle East, and the identification of Washington with a very rightwing Israeli government, has made it more difficult for the US to deal with Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and others.
If politics does not succeed, then humanitarian aid will continue to be necessary. Yet we should never depend on the provision of humanitarian relief as an excuse for diplomatic drift and the failure to confront intransigence. Organisations such as Medical Aid for Palestinians do not exist so that others can duck their moral and political responsibilities.
The EU has a role to play to break this logjam. It is Israel’s biggest trade partner and the largest provider of development assistance to Palestine, yet it has been content to play a quiet third fiddle to the US. There have been exceptions. In 1980, the EU heads of government and foreign ministers agreed the Venice declaration, which noted that “traditional ties and common interests” obliged them to play “a special role … to work in a more concrete way towards peace”. They spelled out their commitment to the right to existence and security of all the states in the region, including Israel, and “justice for all the peoples, which implies recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people”….more..e-mail
Is the U.S.-Israeli ‘Special Relationship’ Beginning to Unravel? Six Views
Six-Article Review, May-June 2010, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs6/19/2010
The Poodle Gets Kicked, by Patrick J. Buchanan – ACTUALLY, Joe set himself up. From the moment he set foot on Israeli soil, our vice president was in full pander mode.First, he headed to Yad Vashem memorial, where he put on a yarmulke and declared Israel “a central bolt in our existence.”….
The Petraeus Briefing: Biden’s Embarrassment Is not the Whole Story, by Mark Perry – On Jan. 16, two days after a killer earthquake hit Haiti, a team of senior military officers from the U.S. Central Command (responsible for overseeing American security interests in the Middle East)….
The Truth About American and Israeli Interests Comes Out, by William Pfaff – The relationship between the United States and Israel has always rested on a number of pretensions, politically useful to politicians on both sides, but because they are untrue, certain eventually to prove destructive to both countries.
A Stark Truth: Israeli Arms, U.S. Dollars. by Glenn Greenwald – One does not normally see this truth stated so starkly in places like Time Magazine‚Äîfrom Michael Scherer’s interesting article on AIPAC’s current strategy to “storm Congress”:…
U.S. Tough Love Is the Kind Israel Needs, by Gideon Levy – Israel‚Äîaddicted to the occupation, and showing symptoms of overdose and accumulated damage‚Äîhas finally found a savior to rescue it from its plight. Israel’s redeemer hasn’t just stood idly by for 40 years, but has even facilitated the habit.
Obama, Free at Last on Health Reform, by Robert Parry РThe long-delayed passage of health-care reform may indeed be an historic moment for the United States, but it also marks something else—the moment when President Barack Obama has been freed, finally, to pursue a more innovative foreign policy, including a more aggressive approach to Middle East peace.more..e-mail
Book review: Victor Kattan’s legal history of the colonization of Palestine
Electronic Intifada: 19 Jun 2010 – In order to understand how the law works, one needs to situate it in its political and historical context, otherwise it loses its relevance. That’s what Victor Kattan’s new book From Coexistence to Conquest does. It is a novel attempt to examine the legal history of the Israeli-Arab conflict, describing law as one factor among many that shaped the development of events. Mazen Masri reviews.
Fighting Guns With Humor
Palestine Monitor: 19 Jun 2010 – Stones are not the only strength Palestinians of the popular resistance use against the Israeli army. In places like Nabi Saleh where soldiers respond to weekly demonstrations with tear gas, physical assaults, and rubber-coated steel bullets, villagers face the repression with a sense of humor to balance their unrelenting demands for justice. Article and photos by Kara Newhouse On Friday about 15 women young and old rushed after soldiers taking 28-year-old Khaled Tamimi from his home near the entrance to Nabi Saleh. “I will work with Ahmadinejad if you don’t give him back!” Khaled’s mother, Kheetam, shouted amidst the horde of family members demanding his release. Khaled, a security officer for the Palestinian Authority, had been watching Germany play Serbia in a World Cup match on television when nine soldiers entered his house to use the balcony as a launch pad for tear gas at villagers demonstrating against impending…
We are Everywhere!
Palestine Monitor: 19 Jun 2010 – The old city market in Hebron has turned into a ghost town. Israeli settlers occupying the homes above the market, use the walkways below as their personal trash can and the constant harassment from Israeli soldiers has forced shopkeepers to move. But, there is a light of life in the old city market. It is here where you can find the Palestinian Women’s Embroidery Co-operative. Most shops are closed in the old city. A net has been placed above the walkway to collect the garbage thrown down by Israeli settlers. The PWEC was created by Nawal Slemiah just over 6 years ago. Nawal started her embroidery business in the small village of Idna but struggled due to a lack of customers. One day, she heard on television that internationals frequently visited the Ibrahimi Mosque. With a mind for business, she left Idna to seek out the promising, new, international market….
Israel’s World is Changing, Quietly
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Jun 2010 – By Uri Avnery Night. Utter darkness. Heavy rain. Visibility close to nil. And suddenly — a flash of lightning. For a fraction of a second, the landscape is lit up. For this split second, the terrain surrounding us can be seen. It is not the way it used to be. Our government’s action against the Gaza aid flotilla was such a lightning flash. Israelis normally live in darkness as far as seeing the world is concerned. But for that instant, the real landscape around us could be seen, and it looked frightening. Then the darkness settled down over us, Israel returned to its bubble, the world disappeared from view. This split second was enough to reveal a dismal scene. On almost all fronts, the situation of the State of Israel has worsened since the last flash of lightning. The flotilla and the attack on it did not create this landscape….more
Getting Out of Palestine?
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Jun 2010 – By M. Shahid Alam When veteran journalist Helen Thomas was asked recently if she had any comments on Israel, she shot back, ‘Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.’ She apologized for the remark, but, as the campaign against her escalated, she chose to retire from her position as White House correspondent. Putting aside the edginess in her words, does Helen Thomas’s remark deserve serious consideration? Over the years, it has been receiving just that from many tens of thousands of Israelis, who have been emigrating from Israel, applying for emigration, or staying in Israel but holding or applying for dual citizenship. According to Arnaud de Borchgrave, half a million Israelis hold dual citizenship. Although the Israel lobby expressed particular outrage at Helen Thomas’ suggestion that Israelis go back to Germany and Poland, many Israelis have done precisely that. In his book, The Seventh Million, Tom Segev writes…more
A Mother’s Message from Gaza: We Embrace Hope
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Jun 2010 – (The following is an edited and translated version of a speech that was prepared to be delivered at an UNRWA event in Gaza, but was rejected by the UN organizer for being ‘too political’.) By Dr. Suma Baroud – Gaza The Israeli siege on Gaza, which was intended to weaken us, in fact made us stronger. It was meant to break our will, it deepened our resolve. It was intended to humiliate us, but made us even prouder. In fact, Israel’s foolishness and sheer arrogance has enlivened our cause in world consciousness as if the Nakba (the Catastrophe of 1947-48) happened just yesterday. Israel’s conceit has blinded its leaders from reading our history and learning its lessons; for if they have, they would’ve discovered the simple truth: 62 years have passed since the Nakba, and yet, every day our determination grows by one day worth of resistance, as well as…more
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The New Dark Age 
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