News
International Middle East Media Center
Israeli High Court Rejects Appeal Against Deporting Jerusalem Legislators
IMEMC – 20 Jun 2010 – The Israeli High Court rejected on Sunday an appeal against deportation orders targeting three Palestinian legislators and a former minister from Jerusalem.
Soldiers Attack Nonviolent Protestors in Beit Jala
IMEMC – 20 Jun 2010 – Israeli soldiers attacked, Sunday, a nonviolent protest against settlements and the Annexation Wall in Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, leading to a number of injuries. The soldiers also attacked bystanders and reporters.
Mitchell Meets Mubarak
IMEMC – 20 Jun 2010 – At the end of his Middle East tour, U.S. Middle East Peace Envoy, George Mitchell, held a meeting on Saturday with the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak.
Report: Israel revoking Jerusalem residency of hundreds
6/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Many Palestinians from Jerusalem who choose to study and work abroad are finding out that they have imperiled their right to return to their hometown, an Israeli newspaper reported Saturday. The 1952 Law of Entry into Israel determines that anyone who is not an Israeli citizen or the holder of an immigrant’s….
Israel’s wall nears monastery; response to protest turns violent
6/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Three journalists were among eight injured on Sunday in the town of Beit Jala as locals and internationals gathered to protest the continued construction of Israel’s separation wall. Border guards at the site, near the 18th century Cremisan winery, beat protesters with batons, and fired sound bombs, tear-gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets, witnesses….
Israel opens 1 Gaza crossing; siege remains the same
6/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli authorities will allow limited deliveries of aid, commercial merchandise and fuel into the besieged Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday, Palestinian crossings officials were told. Liaison official Raed Fattouh told Ma’an that he was told to expect between 81 to 91 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial goods via the….
Gaza: Dozens protest outside Karni crossing
6/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinians and foreign peace activists took part in a sit-in in front of Gaza’s northern Karni crossing, demanding its immediate opening on Sunday. Organized by the Popular Committee Against the Siege, protesters gathered outside the restricted-use bulk goods crossing with banners calling for an end to Israel’s blockade. Committee head Jamal Al-Khoudary said….
Hebron’s Youth Against Settlements red card occupation
6/20/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Clashes erupted between protesters demanding free movement in the downtown core of Hebron and Israeli police attempting to enforce a closure of the street confronted each other on Saturday. Blowing vuvuzelas and holding red cards, gathered demonstrators demanded Israel “get off the field” and halt its military occupation of the city, occupied by….
Israel denies German minister entry to Gaza
6/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – German Development Aid Minister Dirk Niebel was denied entry into the Gaza Strip as part of his Middle East tour, German and Israeli news agencies reported on Saturday evening. According to the German-language Spiegel Online Politik, Niebel was heading to Gaza to visit a a wastewater treatment plant, financed with German aid money …. Related:Anti-siege group condemns decision to bar German from Gaza
4.8 million Palestinian refugees worldwide
6/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) released a report on the status of Palestinian refugees around the world, in honor of the International Day of Refugees, marked on 20 June. The current distribution of the 4. 8 million registered Palestinian refugees, according to UNRWA, was 41. 6% in Jordan, 23. 2% in….
Egypt allows medical aid into Gaza
6/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Egyptian authorities permitted the entry of a medical and food convoy into Gaza on Friday, donated by the Union of Arab Doctors, officials said. Mustafa At-Tayeh, head of the union’s relief committee, said the union and Kuwaiti donors delivered the four truckloads of aid, loaded with 25 tons of medicine and 35 generators….
Israel allows Ukrainian mother to visit daughter in custody
6/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A Ukrainian detainee in Israel’s custody was permitted a visit by her mother last Wednesday, a report issued by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs read. Folantina Bakuta, 60, visited her daughter, Irena Sarahna at HaSharon Prison, accompanied by the Ukrainian ambassador to Israel and Sarhana’s daughter Ghazala, the report….
Israel releases Hamas lawmaker Nayef Rujoub
6/20/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Hamas PLC member Nayef Ar-Rajoub, detained in 2006 along with 40 of his colleagues, was released from prison on Sunday, after serving a four year term. The now 51 year old Ar-Rajoub was serving as Minister of Waqf when he was taken from his Ramallah home by Israeli forces, in retaliation for the….
Syria’s Assad slams ’pyromaniac’ Israel government
6/20/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israel’s aggression against the Freedom Flotilla has destroyed all chances for peace, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad said, describing Israel as a “pyromaniac government,” during an interview with the BBC on Thursday.”The Middle East is passing through a stage of change”¬¶ Syria has been working for avoiding the outbreak of a regional….
Mitchell ends regional tour with Mubarak visit
6/20/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell on Saturday met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as he wrapped up a regional tour aimed at advancing Middle East peace efforts, news agencies reported. Mitchell, currently mediating indirect talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials since May, discussed with Mubarak Washington’s drive to broker a….
US contributes $60 million to UNRWA
6/20/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – The US announced Friday that it would be making an additional contribution of 60. 3 million US dollars to UNRWA’s core budget and special projects in the West Bank Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. A statement, issued by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, said the donation would provide critical services, including….
German media identify alleged Mossad agent
6/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – An alleged Mossad agent detained in Poland last week used several cover names while in Germany, the Berlin-based Der Spiegel magazine will report in its 21 June edition. Uri Brodsky, an Israeli citizen detained in Poland over allegations he helped Israel’s spy agency assassinate a Hamas leader, used several names in Germany….
Israel ambassador to UN resigns
6/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations has resigned, Israeli media reported Saturday. The Jerusalem Post, quoting an Israel Radio broadcast, reported Saturday evening that Gabriela Shalev signed an agreement to head the Ono Academic College’s academic board next school year, and notified Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman of her resignation. Shalev, a law….
Abbas to Israel: Annul deportation of PLC members
6/20/2010 – Jericho – Ma’an – President Mahmoud Abbas requested on Sunday that Israel rescind its decision to revoke the Jerusalem residency rights and ID cards of four members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The appeal was delivered by chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat to both Israeli officials and US mediators, shuffling between both sides for ongoing proximity talks….
Report: Hizbullah bans Haifa Wehbe from Gaza mission
6/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Hizbullah has reportedly banned Lebanese singer Haifa Wehbe from participating in an all-woman fleet heading to Gaza, scheduled to set sail from Beirut in the coming days, British media reported. According to the British daily The Guardian, Wehbe’s request to join the vessel was vetoed by Hizbullah, the militant Lebanese Shia group….
Hamas worried Rafah talks could harm independence
6/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar expressed concern Sunday over the political effects of current negotiations to re-open the Rafah crossing permanently.” All we want is to have economic independence from the occupation through the opening of some commercial crossings,” Zahhar said, worried that the current discussions over PA, UN and Egyptian control of….
UNIFIL: Israel never asked us to intercept ships
6/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, denied claims that it received warnings from Israel to prevent Lebanese ships sailing to Gaza, news reports said Sunday. The report comes as the Lebanese women’s aid boat, the Miriam, prepares to set sail from Lebanon to Gaza. The boat is one of many planned….
Limited clarifications on new siege policy
6/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli’s cabinet confirmed a non-binding decision made earlier in the week by its security officials, to modify its terms of the siege on Gaza, with reports saying the new plan would allow all items deemed not to have “military uses” to be permitted into the coastal enclave. The conditions Israeli officials set for….
Anti-siege group condemns decision to bar German from Gaza
6/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Eight European parliamentarians, including German Development Aid Minister Dirk Niebel, were denied entry into Gaza by the Israeli army on Sunday.Niebel was scheduled to visit the German-financed wastewater treatment plant in Gaza, the German-language news site Spiegel Online Politik reported. The news site said talks with Israeli officials over Niebel’s visit…. Related:Israel denies German minister entry to Gaza
Poll: Palestinians want elections
6/20/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – An opinion poll carried out by Fafo between February and May reveals Palestinian electoral preferences are changing, the Norwegian-backed research center found. On domestic issues, the poll indicated that Palestinians were split over a unilateral proclamation of a Palestinian state. Respondents were generally more confident in the Fayyad government and less confident in….
Fatah: Hamas officially requested election deferral
6/20/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Local elections in the West Bank were postponed in compliance with an official request put forward by Hamas, Secretary-General of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council Amin Maqboul said Saturday.”We have official documents that were sent by Hamas to the Central Elections Committee, to some Arab countries, and to Turkey requesting a postponement of elections….
PA MoH sends medicine to Gaza
6/20/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – A medical aid convoy worth over 3 million shekels was sent to Gaza on Sunday in nine trucks from the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health’s warehouse in Nablus, Minister Fathi Abu Moghli announced.”The Ministry is doing its best to provide the needed requirements of our people in Gaza in an attempt to….
In photos: Abbas watches World Cup
6/20/2010 – President Mahmoud Abbas watches a World Cup football match between Algeria and England in a coffee shop in the West Bank city of Ramallah on 18 June 2010. MaanImages /Thaer Ganaim, pool….
Haniyeh: Some parties too immature for unity
6/20/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh told his legislative council Sunday that he was committed to national conciliation, but that “there are some parties that are still too immature to end Palestinian division.” Giving the closing comments to assembled members of the Gaza-based PLC, Haniyeh told representatives that he and other officials had….
From AIPAC: Anti-Arab video made by a Jerusalem Post editor
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – It seems the Jerusalem Post ‘s Deputy Managing Editor, Caroline Glick, doesn’t have much real work to do, since she has produced her second racist video in two weeks. [The first being ‘We Con the World,’…
Saudi Arabia’s rehab recidivists
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – I don’t want to speculate too much here about the recidivism rate in Saudi Arabia’s terrorist rehabilitation program ; I’m working on a longer reported piece on the subject and I don’t want to get too far…
Oakland dockworkers refuse to unload Israeli ship
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – New York – Dockworkers in Oakland, CA refused to cross a picket line on Sunday morning to unload a ship from Israel, boycott campaigners said. According to organizers, some 500 people, including labor and community activists,…
Freed Hamas leader calls for unity
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – New York – Hamas lawmaker Nayef Rajoub issued a call for Palestinian unity on Sunday after Israeli authorities released him from prison. Elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in 2006, Rajoub was seized by the…
Obama, Netanyhau set to meet July 6
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – New York – US President Barack Obama will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House on July 6. The two leaders had been scheduled to meet in Washington on June first,…
Today’s attack by Israeli forces and more
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – Israeli occupation forces today in Beit Jala engaged in beatings, burning of fields, and attacking peaceful demonstrators, bystanders, and reporters. Two young Palestinians: Mohammed Masalma and Thaer Mahmoud were injured after severe beatings with hands and…
WATCH: Eight injured in Beit Jala anti-wall protest
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – New York – Israeli forces injured eight people on Sunday while breaking up a peaceful demonstration against Israel’s separation wall in the West Bank village of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, according to local news reports . Israeli…
Abbas asks Israel: Don’t ban Hamas MPs from Jerusalem
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – New York – Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is calling on Israel reverse a decision to banish four Hamas-aligned Palestinian lawmakers from Jerusalem. Hamas PLC member Muhammad Abu Tir According to the Palestinian Authority’s news agency, WAFA ,…
Hamas official: Palestinians should fire rockets from West Bank
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – New York – Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar was quoted on Sunday suggesting that Palestinians in the West Bank should fire rockets into Israel. “Are we required to limit the resistance and the firing of rockets…
Israel to alter Gaza siege
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – Navy blockade stays; Rights groups not convinced New York – Israel’s security cabinet voted on Sunday to slightly ease its siege of the Gaza Strip, allowing more types of goods into the territory. The decision, which…
Twin car bombs kill 27 in Baghdad
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – New York – A pair of car bombs killed 27 people in Baghdad on Sunday. The Associated Press reports: Two suicide car bombers struck a crowded area outside a state-run bank Sunday in Baghdad, killing nearly…
AIPAC circulates racist anti-Turk, anti-Arab video
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – The “pro-Israel” lobby is slipping big time. First, earlier this spring, its student activities czar, Jonathan Kessler, openly spoke about how AIPAC muzzles Congress. But this is worse. Yesterday, it’s press liaison circulated a blatantly racist…
Syria: Number of Iraqi refugees revised downwards
Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 – Damascus – IRIN – The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has revised downwards the number of Iraqi refugees it has registered in Syria. Photo: IRIN “In 2010 we issued revised figures for the number of registered Iraqi…
Israel to allow more Gaza goods
AlJazeera 20 Jun 2010 – PM’s office says goods other than “weapons and materials used by Hamas” to be let in.
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
World Refugee Day goes unmarked in Israel
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – UNHCR commissioner: Rising rate of entry is big concern but comprehensive legal framework needed.
Home Front to develop new nonconventional missile siren
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – In face of potential chemical and biological attacks, the IDF Home Front Command is to develop a special siren.
Gaza still off limits to dignitaries
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – Foreign Ministry reiterates policy after barring German minister.
Biking group charges cyclists’ safety is not a priority
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – Following Cheshin’s death Israel Bicycle Association asserts not much can be done to make bicycle riding safer.
Art project tears down borders
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – Artists from ‚ÄòExterritory’ explore alternatives to concept of boundaries that lead to violent conflicts like Gaza flotilla.
BGU scientists sheds light on ancient Egypt
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – Prof. Hendrik Bruins analyzes Oxford radiocarbon dating study on ancient exhibits.
A floating symbol of failure
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – Hopefully, Lebanon will stop the ‘Mariam.’
Al-Qaida warns of new, deadlier attacks
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – Terror organization taunts Obama, threatens to “not show restraint.”
German minister denied entry to Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – Foreign Ministry spokesman: Decision part of standard policy.
Hamas MP released from jail
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – Nayef Rajoub was arrested after Gilad Schalit’s abduction.
‚ÄòYes to coriander, no to Kassams’
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – Jerusalem reverses restrictions on civilian goods entering Gaza.
Gov’t to ease Gaza policy
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – Naval blockade to remain in place; more items to be allowed in.
Zahar: ‘The solution is resistance’
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – Hamas official calls for shooting rockets from the West Bank.
Peres: Terror stops, blockade ends
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jun 2010 – President says he believes Israel’s security is top US priority.
International Solidarity Movement
SF Chronicle: Protesters prevent unloading of Israeli ship
6/20/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – San Francisco Chronicle – Hundreds of demonstrators, gathering at the Port of Oakland before dawn, prevented the unloading of an Israeli cargo ship. The demonstrators, demanding an end to Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, picketed at Berth 58, where a ship from Israel’s Zim shipping line is scheduled to dock later today. The day shift….
Vice Premier: Israeli left has a distorted view of Zionism
Ha’aretz – During celebrations marking 70 years to Lehi underground militia, Moshe Ya’alon praises the group’s founder and his nationalist ideas, slams the Israeli left.
Man who hurled shoes at Supreme Court president convicted of aggravated assault
Ha’aretz – Pini Cohen, 52, has refused to testify on his own behalf in the five months since arrest, told court: Do what you want.
Damian Karlik testifies for the first time: I didn’t admit to the Osherenko murders
Ha’aretz – Karlik, who has been charged with the murder of six members of the Osherenko family, had previously confessed to the crime five months ago.
Higher than ever: Israel’s stoners despair as marijuana prices soar
Ha’aretz – As water levels hit record lows, marijuana prices have hit record highs, leaving Israel’s potheads peddling more conspiracy theories than drugs.
Who will be punished for killing civilans in the Gaza war?
Ha’aretz – The decision to indict Staff Sgt. S. for killing two women during last year’s war in Gaza has caused a stir. But his lawyer will rightly ask, why him, and…
Hamas leader freed from Israeli jail calls for Palestinian unity
Ha’aretz – Sheikh Naif Rajoub was arrested after Shalit’s capture, and Israel had been hoping to use him as bargaining chip in prisoner swap.
Obama welcomes ease of Gaza blockade, reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense
Ha’aretz – White House calls on aid groups to ensure weapons not enter Gaza, urges Hamas to free Gilad Shalit.
Obama sets date for Netanyahu meeting after talks delayed by Gaza flotilla
Ha’aretz – U.S. president to host PM at the White House on July 6, to discuss Israel’s easing of Gaza blockade., German development minister said Israel has made a ‘large foreign policy…
Gates sees ‘real potential’ in targeted economic sanctions on Iran
Ha’aretz – U.S. Defense Secretary: There is a reasonable chance of getting the Iranian regime to realize that their security is probably more in danger by going forward.
Netanyahu: Security blockade on Gaza will only get stronger
Ha’aretz – As Israel unveils steps to ease flow of civilian goods to Gaza, PM vows to tighten security controls to prevent weapons reaching the Hamas-ruled territory.
Hamas official: Palestinians should fire at Israel from West Bank
Ha’aretz – Army Radio quotes Mahmoud Zahar as saying that Hamas would never change its policy of ‘resistance’ against Israel.
Israel Navy probe of Gaza flotilla raid finds ‘planning and intel flaws’
Ha’aretz – Investigation concludes that commando reaction was appropriate as the soldiers did not expect a mass offensive, lacked sufficient intelligence.
Israel would lift blockade if Gaza turned to peace, Peres says
Ha’aretz – The Israeli president says does not understand, why after evacuating Gaza, its rulers chose to fire thousands of missiles against Israeli civilians.
Poll: Most Palestinians want peace with Israel
Ha’aretz – Fafo poll conducted in West Bank and Gaza finds that 89% Palestinians support PA legislative elections this year, 84 % believe Fatah will win.
Report: Lebanon forbids launch of Gaza-bound flotilla
Ha’aretz – Lebanese sources tell Al-Hayat that flotilla organizers had not filed for the necessary permits, adding that travel to an Israel-controlled port is illegal.
Gazan family sends plea for their daughter’s health condition
20 Jun 2010 – Gaza, June 20, (Pal Telegraph) The family of Reem Riad Abdel-Gawad (14 years), appealed to President Mahmoud Abbas and every other concerned direction to provide the necessary treatment for their daughter suffering from an abnormality of the left hand that grows while she grows up. Reem’s mother said that her daughter suffers from inflation in the bones of her left…
Israel opens one of Gaza’s commercial crossings
20 Jun 2010 – Gaza, June 20, (Pal Telegraph) The Israeli occupation authorities decided to open today the Kerem Abu Salem crossing partially to let in food, aid and fuel. Engineer Raed Fattouh, the Chairman of the coordination Committee on the goods entry into the Gaza strip, said that its scheduled to let in today via the Kerem Abu Salem commercial crossing 81 to…
IOF raids Nablus, arrests 5
20 Jun 2010 – Nablus, June 20, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces arrested five young men from several districts of the city of Nablus early today, after a number of Israeli militant vehicles raided a number of houses in the city. Palestinian security sources said that more than 10 Israeli militant vehicles stormed the city at the third hour of dawn Today, raided several…
A Mother’s Message from Gaza: We Embrace Hope
Uruknet Juen 20, 2010 – 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…
Netanyahu: Security blockade on Gaza will only get stronger
Uruknet June 20, 2010 – Senior cabinet ministers on Sunday approved steps toward easing Israel’s land blockade of the Gaza Strip, days after Jerusalem had issued a non-binding declaration supporting such a move. “There will be no civilian closure of Gaza but there will be a security closure,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the meeting. “That security closure will…
Bay Area picket line stops Israeli ship from unloading
Uruknet June 20, 2010 – Hundreds of demonstrators, gathering at the Port of Oakland before dawn, prevented the unloading of an Israeli cargo ship. The demonstrators, demanding an end to Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, picketed at Berth 58, where a ship from Israel’s Zim shipping line is scheduled to dock later today. The day shift of longshoremen agreed…
The ugliest propaganda: injustice happens in country A so it’s not a big deal for people of country B to get killed and tortured
Uruknet June 20, 2010 – During the Socialist Conference in Chicago, at the end of one of yesterday’s talks which was unrelated to Iran, I went to the speaker to ask him a question about how his theories would apply to Iran. A lady, American, was listening to my conversation with the speaker. All of a sudden she interrupted us…
A Widow Mourns, An Army Lies
Uruknet Last week Palestine Monitor reported that Israeli police shot and killed Shu’fat resident 39-year-old Ziad Jilani in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Wadi Joz. Now his widow, a U.S. citizen, reflects on her husband’s life and death, and the journey he’s taken her on. Moira Jilani remembers her experience vividly, “I felt happy that day. We were going to…
Report: Israel revoking Jerusalem residency of hundreds
Uruknet June 20, 2010 – Many Palestinians from Jerusalem who choose to study and work abroad are finding out that they have imperiled their right to return to their hometown, an Israeli newspaper reported Saturday. The 1952 Law of Entry into Israel determines that anyone who is not an Israeli citizen or the holder of an immigrant’s permit or immigrant’s…
IOF troops burn Palestinian cultivated land
Uruknet June 19, 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. Local sources said that the IOF troops attacked the march only minutes after it started heading to the Palestinian land threatened with confiscation. They said that the excessive use…
Stop the bullets! A call to end the use of live ammunition against unarmed civilians in the Gaza ‚Äòbuffer zone’
Uruknet June 19, 2010 – 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 ‘buffer zone’, live ammunition is routinely used against unarmed demonstrators and farmers. * The ‘buffer zone’ is illegal: The Israeli military violently…
Easing Gaza’s Siege: Bogus and Unacceptable
Uruknet June 19, 2010 – …What’s needed is unconditional free in and out movement, and world community censure of Israeli policy, economic warfare, and its ploy about fearing weapons imports and other security concerns. Under international law, Israel, as an occupying power, is responsible for the population’s welfare, including the free passage of food, medical supplies, clothing, and other essential…
Capitalism’s Legacy, the Auschwitz of Palestine, and the Attack on the Free Gaza Flotilla
Uruknet June 19, 2010 – Israel’s government claims its military was defending Israel against “terrorists” aboard the Freedom Flotilla that was bound for Gaza with humanitarian aid for Palestinian refugees in Gaza. The coalition of international human rights volunteers had no guns. The IDF was heavily armed. Israel controls all entry points to Palestinian territory in Gaza ‚Äî which is…
Israeli Municipal Planning Committee Threatens Silwan’s Bustan
WAFA – TEL AVIV, June 20, 2010 (WAFA)- Tomorrow, at 10.00 a.m. a planning committee will meet at the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem, Safra Square, to progress the plan of Mayor Nir Barkat which allows
Gush Shalom: Settler Company ‘Achva’ Deceives Consumers
WAFA – TEL AVIV, June 20, 2010 (WAFA)- Gush Shalom (Peace Bloc) said Sunday the settler company ‘Achva’ deceives consumers, falsely representing itself as located in Tel Aviv. In a press release Gush
Blair Announces Agreement for Easing Gaza Blockade
WAFA – JERUSALEM, June 20, 2010 (WAFA)- Quartet Representative Tony Blair announced Sunday principles of implementation of Israel’s announcement, to liberalize its Gaza Policy. In a statement Blair said
Ram Cohen to Face Knesset Committee over Views against Occupation
WAFA –
Dr. Erakat Condemns Israel’s Decision to Deport 4 Legislators from Jerusalem
WAFA – RAMALLAH, June 20, 2010 (WAFA)- Head of the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department Dr Saeb Erakat condemned the announcement of Israel’s revocation of residency and expulsion of four Palestinian
PRC: Palestinian Refugees Represent Longest Unresolved Refugee Crises
WAFA – LONDON, June 20, 2010 (WAFA)- The Palestinian Return Center (PRC) stated on the international refugee day, that t the Palestinian refugees represent the longest and largest unresolved
Shaath: Saramago Showed Universality of Palestinian Cause
WAFA – RAMALLAH, June 20, 2010 (WAFA)- “Comrade Saramago showed the world that the Palestinian cause is universal”, Nabeel Shaath said in mourning , today, Portuguese writer and Nobel Prize of Literature
Israel to allow more ‘civilian’ goods into Gaza
Daily Star 20 Jun 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel announced on Sunday it will allow all strictly “civilian” goods into Gaza while preventing certain weapons and dual-use items from entering the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave.The new policy is a response to mounting calls…
US’ Gates sees potential in Iran economic sanctions
Daily Star 20 Jun 2010 United States’ Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday that targeted economic sanctions on Iran had “real potential” to pressure Tehran to halt its nuclear program.The UN Security Council passed a resolution this month to impose…
Baghdad suicide bombers kill 26 in crowded street
Daily Star 20 Jun 2010 BAGHDAD: Suicide bombers in two cars killed 26 people and wounded 53 in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Sunday when they drove down a crowded street and blew themselves up simultaneously, security officials said. The bombers…
Iran opposition leader vows to keep vote protest going
Daily Star 20 Jun 2010 TEHRAN: Opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi on Sunday vowed to continue fighting the presidential “vote scandal” which rocked Iran, a year to the day after the death of a young woman at a Tehran protest rally.Karroubi’s latest…
25 Saudi ex-inmates return to militancy after Guantanamo
Daily Star 20 Jun 2010 RIYADH: Around 25 former detainees from Guantanamo Bay camp returned to militancy after going through a rehabilitation program for Al-Qaeda members in Saudi Arabia, a Saudi security official said on Saturday. The United States has sent…
Israel bows to pressure and agrees to ease Gaza blockade
The Guardian 20 Jun 2010 – Tony Blair warns real test will be ‘not what is said, but what is done’, while UN calls again for siege to end Israel agreed tonight to a significant easing of its blockade of Gaza, under…
Israel agrees to ease Gaza blockade
The Guardian 20 Jun 2010 – Government says steps to allow civilian goods to cross border will be implemented ‘as quickly as possible’ Israel today agreed to a significant easing of its blockade of Gaza following pressure from the international community in…
OPT: Prime Minister’s Office statement following the Israeli Security Cabinet meeting
Relief Web 20 Jun 2010 – Source: Government of Israel
Embattled Israel reverses rules on Gaza blockade
Relief Web 20 Jun 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
Q&A-What has changed in Israel’s blockade of Gaza?
Relief Web 20 Jun 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
OPT: Week in Review – Easing of Blockade ‘Not Enough’ [June 13 — June 19]
Relief Web 20 Jun 2010 – Source: MIFTAH
Top Hamas figure Rajoub released from prison
YNet News – Former minister for waqf affairs in first Hamas government was detained by….
Germany condemns Israel’s refusal to allow minister into Gaza
YNet News – Israel’s decision to block entry to German development aid minister into Gaza….
Gates sees potential in Iran economic sanctions
YNet News – US defense secretary tells Fox News there is ‘reasonable chance of getting….
Lebanon: Blast in Christian town kills 1
YNet News – Explosion in industrial neighborhood of predominantly Christian Zahle occurs few….
Al-Zahar: Let Hamas fire rockets from West Bank
YNet News – Hamas official urges Fatah leaders to order security apparatus to allow….
Separate alarms for chemical, conventional weapons by 2012
YNet News – IDF seeks to provide citizens with preliminary information on type of required….
PM on Gaza: Security, not civilian blockade
YNet News – Just hours after the dramatic decision to ease the Gaza Strip blockade and lift various restrictions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained the significance of the …….
Thousands of items left off list of items permitted into Gaza
YNet News – Just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the list of goods and products that will be allowed into the Gaza Strip, international attention continues to …….
J’lem to authorize al-Bustan demolition
YNet News – The Jerusalem municipality is slated to authorized on Monday the “King’s Garden” plan, in which 22 houses in east Jerusalem’s al-Bustan neighborhood will be demolished. …….
Al-Qaeda warns of new attacks deadlier than before
YNet News – Al-Qaeda’s US-born spokesman warned President Barack Obama Sunday that the terror group may launch new attacks that would kill more Americans than previous ones. In …….
Israel willing to increase transfer of goods to Gaza by 30%
YNet News – Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, has informed Palestinian representatives that Israel is prepared to increase the …….
Cabinet: All non-military items can enter Gaza freely
YNet News – Israel is easing the blockade of Gaza by replacing a list of allowed items with a list of banned goods limited to weapons and materials deemed to have military uses. …….
Have the Tunnels Made the Blockade Irrelevant?
The Media Line 19 Jun 2010 – From tunnel workers to supermarket owners and Hamas officials, Gazans show a diversity of opinion. [Gaza] The interdiction of a Gaza-bound flotilla by Israeli forces thrust the issue of the humanitarian situation facing Gaza’s citizens into…
Barak’s “Ultimatum” or Just Advice to Netanyahu
The Media Line 19 Jun 2010 – Israel’s Labor Party leader and current Minister of Defense Ehud Barak set out for Washington on Sunday for meetings with intelligence and defense officials. Barak, who last week issued a so-called ultimatum to Prime Minister Binyamin…
Egypt Getting Nervous Over Open Border with Gaza
The Media Line 19 Jun 2010 – After over 13,000 Palestinians flooded into Egypt in the three weeks since it opened its border to the Gaza Strip, Egyptian police are starting to use a firmer hand to control the flow. Egyptian border guards…
Israel takes small step toward easing Gaza blockade
LA Times 20 Jun 2010 – All goods except those on a list of specifically banned items will be allowed. What’s unclear is how the new policy will treat cement and construction materials, which Israel says can be used for military purposes. Israel took another small step Sunday toward easing its land blockade of the Gaza Strip, announcing it plans to permit all goods into the seaside territory except those on a list of items specifically banned. But the government has yet to specify what items will be banned or when the changes will take effect.
Iran hangs leader of outlawed Sunni militant group
LA Times 20 Jun 2010 – Abdulmalak Rigi, head of the Jundallah militant group comprising minority ethnic Baluchis, was convicted in a number of bombings and attacks and found guilty of heresy and corruption on Earth. Iran hanged the leader of an outlawed Islamic militant group Sunday after convicting him on charges of terrorism, murder and collaborating with Western intelligence services, including the CIA, state television reported.
Israeli Easing of Blockade of Gaza Draws Praise of U.S.
New York Times 20 Jun 2010 – While Israel’s announcement did not signal an end to the naval blockade of Gaza, it earned some unusual praise from the Obama administration.
Iran Executes Sunni Rebel Leader
New York Times 20 Jun 2010 – Abdul-Malik Rigi was hanged on Sunday morning after a revolutionary court found him guilty of 79 criminal charges, the ISNA news agency reported.
Alexandria Journal: A Draft of the Past Remains on Tap in Egypt
New York Times 20 Jun 2010 – A neighborhood bar, an outpost of the diversity and tolerance of cosmopolitan old Alexandria, has resisted the conservative social forces of modern Egypt.
A Widow Mourns, An Army Lies
Palestine Monitor – Last week Palestine Monitor reported that Israeli police shot and killed Shu’fat resident 39-year-old Ziad Jilani in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Wadi Joz. Now his widow, a U.S. citizen, reflects on her husband’s life and death, and the journey he’s taken her on. Reporting from…
“I Will Work With Ahmedinijad If You Don’t Give Him Back!”
Palestine Monitor – On Friday, 28-year old Khaled Tamimi was watching the Germany match in his Nabi Saleh home. Before Miroslav Klose had been controversially sent off, nine IDF soldiers had burst into his home and dragged him out of the village, with 15 women in hot pursuit. Kara…
We Are Everywhere: Sew Far Sew Good
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…
a tale of 3 headlines
Mondoweiss – let some ketchup into Gaza… No Gaza optimism over easing blockade BBC: “I don’t need ketchup or mayonnaise from Israel. I need my business back,” says Nasser al-Helo standing on a busy street in Gaza City. steal some more Palestinian land… Netanyahu drops opposition to Likud…
Turkish officials blow AIPAC claims out of the, uh, sea
Mondoweiss – This is a crosspost from Cobban’s site, Just World News Several strongly pro-Israeli members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have stepped up their campaigns against NATO ally Turkey over the past week, in a campaign that has been quietly orchestrated by the big…
Daybreak outpouring of Bay Area picketers stops unloading of Israeli ship
Mondoweiss – If anyone had any doubts that the movement for justice in Palestine is growing by leaps and bounds, in numbers, breadth, and determination, check out what happened this morning in Oakland, CA: ‚Ä¢ somewhere between 700 and 1,000 demonstrators from all over the San Francisco Bay…
Sister Rosanne asks, How can I keep my soul and be a Jew when Israel is blockading Gaza?
Mondoweiss – I didn’t know Rosanne Barr is a Kabbalist. That’s cool. Here she is talking to Kathleen Wells about the outrage of the Gaza blockade. In excerpts below, I’ve tried to elide religious ideas b/c I’m some kind of pantheist myself, and go to the spiritual importuning…
Movements take years to build… to Freedom Summer
Mondoweiss – Like everyone else, I’ve been closely following the events regarding the flotilla massacre; as well as the upcoming boats. It’s been a very exciting time to be a Palestine solidarity activist. I literally got the chills when I read about two boats of German Jews coming…
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 –
SIRAELI SHIP BLOCKED AT CALIFORNIA DOCKS
Irish4Palestine – Three Gates Blocked to Israeli Ship NOW @ Oakland Docks; Live Webcam Updates Update 1 – Now 500 people blocking 3 gates. Update 2 – Longshoreworkers meeting with arbitrator Update 3 – Longshore workers going home for the 1st shift. Comment: The alliance of organizations was much…
MUST SEE AMERICA BECOMES FACIST STATE
Irish4Palestine – When peaceful protesting against Israel becomes a threat to the state.The Joint Terrorism Task Force Division of the FBI Visits an Austin Peace Activist to Question About Pre-Crimes! On April 21, 2010, two agents of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) came to my house…
Israel details plan on Gaza goods
BBC – Israel gives details of how it is to ease the Gaza blockade, with all civilian goods now expected to be let into the territory, officials say.
‘Not enough’
BBC – Israel’s pledge to ease blockade fails to impress Gazans
Meeting Assad
BBC – A Syrian leader pivotal to regional war and peace
Articles
A flash of lightning
Uri Avnery, Ma’an News Agency6/20/2010
For two generations, our foreign policy used the Holocaust as its main instrument.
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.
The Israeli 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. It has been there since our present government was set up. But the deterioration did not start even then. It began a long time before.
The action of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak & Co. only lit up the situation as it is now, and gave it yet another push in the wrong direction.
How does the new landscape look in the light of Barak’s barak? (barak means lightning in Hebrew.)
The list is headed by a fact that nobody seems to have noticed until now: the death of the Holocaust.more..e-mail
Why Isn’t Anti-Palestinism Condemned as a Hate Crime?
Ahmed Amr, Dissident Voice6/19/2010
I bet you’ve never heard of anti-Palestinism. In Israel and the United States, defaming and delegitimizing the Palestinians is a national sport; but have you ever heard anybody complain about it? Why didn’t Americans get worked up when 1,400 Palestinians were incinerated with Israeli phosphorous bombs? Why did the murder of 300 children in last year’s assault not touch a nerve? Why did it take three long years and the slaughter of eight Turks and a Turkish-American citizen to notice that Israel has incarcerated 1.5 million Palestinians in a concentration camp?
What if you were a Palestinian shell-shocked by decades of the world’s collective indifference? What would you tell your children? Is there any way to explain to a child why his people were ethnically cleansed to make room for a State as Jewish as England is English?
Why do pundits and politicians in the West get away with denying that the Palestinians are the indigenous people of the Holy Land? Why do we allow Israelis and their supporters to denigrate the historic rights of the Palestinians to live in the only homeland they’ve ever known? How is it that we don’t notice that, even today, half the population of historic Palestine is of native stock?
Why do the treasonous intellectuals of the West routinely allow Zionists to unabashedly declare their ‚Äòright’ to settle in the Holy Land? Are they really that ignorant of the ethnic cleansing that dispossessed the Palestinians in 1948 or have they been afflicted by the epidemic of anti-Palestinism? With or without a state, should we accord the Palestinians the right to exist and what kind of existence are they entitled to?
It’s one thing to talk about the facts on the ground and despair at the remote possibilities of a just solution for the Palestinian problem….more..e-mail
The patriot
Gideon Levy, Ha’aretz6/20/2010
What does the Israeli patriot want? What state exactly does he dream of before falling asleep at night? What society does he hope for while immersed in his morning routine?
What does the Israeli patriot want? What state exactly does he dream of before falling asleep at night? What society does he hope for while immersed in his morning routine? Incitement, slander and boycott campaigns have recently been launched here against Turkey, Sweden, the High Court of Justice, B’Tselem, the New Israel Fund, the media, Richard Goldstone, Noam Chomsky, Elvis Costello, the Pixies, Ahmed Tibi, Hanin Zuabi, Tali Fahima, Barack Obama, Anat Kamm and the rest of the world, and also a bit against yours truly. A hypocritical, fallacious and depressing worldview emerges from these campaigns.
No, he is not a villain, the Israeli patriot — he is merely brainwashed and blind.
He would like to live in a democracy — of course he wants democracy; after all, he was taught in school that it is a good thing, and he boasts to the world that Israel is “the only democracy in the Middle East.” But it’s a democracy without most of its mechanisms. He is satisfied with elections and majority rule: The majority will make the decisions, and to hell with the minority.
The Israeli patriot wants to open a newspaper and turn on the television and see what’s going on in the world — but only a world in which everything is good. Well, if not the entire world, then at least Israel, as long as it’s all good. He wants to take in lots of World Cup soccer, entertainment programs, loads of gossip, and most importantly — only good news. He wants only commentators who “smash” the Arabs and “bash” the left-wingers and other Israel haters, and who call for strikes on Gaza, Hezbollah, Iran and Istanbul again and again.
He is a man of peace, the patriot, but he also wants a war once every two to three years and he wants the media to say so, too…..more..e-mail
A Widow Mourns, An Army Lies
Palestine Monitor: 20 Jun 2010 – Last week Palestine Monitor reported that Israeli police shot and killed Shu’fat resident 39-year-old Ziad Jilani in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Wadi Joz. Now his widow, a U.S. citizen, reflects on her husband’s life and death, and the journey he’s taken her on. Reporting from Kara Newhouse. Moira Jilani, wife of slain East Jerusalem native, Ziad Jilani, with their daughters, Mirage (15), Hannah (17), and Yasmeen (7) Moira Jilani remembers her experience vividly, “I felt happy that day. We were going to go out and celebrate, because the children finished exams the day before,” she tells me from her brother-in-law’s house, where she’s spent her days since Ziad’s death on June 11. “We were cleaning, getting rid of the winter clothes. We had the music loud, the girls were dancing. We were ready to leave.” “When Aya [her niece] came knocking at the door, she was crying, her whole…
“I Will Work With Ahmedinijad If You Don’t Give Him Back!”
Palestine Monitor: 19 Jun 2010 – On Friday, 28-year old Khaled Tamimi was watching the Germany match in his Nabi Saleh home. Before Miroslav Klose had been controversially sent off, nine IDF soldiers had burst into his home and dragged him out of the village, with 15 women in hot pursuit. Kara Newhouse captured the drama. “ 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. The soldiers took him inside one of their jeeps and fended off the shouting women by shoving them and detonating sound grenades. Israeli soldiers force villagers away from the jeep where they took Khaled Zeinab Tamimi (middle) cries after soldiers took her husband Soldiers drove down the road to their guard tower, and according to Khaled, “The captain said to me that I must stop the guys who throw the stones.” Cheers erupted from…
We Are Everywhere: Sew Far Sew Good
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….
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
To subscribe, please write to OccupationNews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OccupationNews/join
The New Dark Age 
One thought on “VTJP Palestine/Israel Newslinks 20 June, 2010: Israel opens 1 Gaza crossing; siege remains the same”