News
International Middle East Media Center
Hezbollah Member Killed in Pakistan
IMEMC – 21 Jun 2010 – A Senior member of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah party was killed Monday by a missile fired by an American Drone in Pakistan. 16 persons were killed in the attack, and dozens of were wounded.
U.S Warns Americans Against Traveling To Gaza
IMEMC – 21 Jun 2010 – The U.S State Department warned its citizens against going to the Gaza Strip, and against what it called “infiltrating” into Gaza by participating in solidarity ships or by any other means. The statement was welcomed by Israel.
Dock Workers In California Refuse To Off-load Israeli Ship
IMEMC – 21 Jun 2010 – In the first such action in the US, the Longshoreman’s Union in Oakland upheld a picket and refused to offload goods imported from Israel into California on Sunday. The picket was organized by a coalition of peace groups in the Oakland area, and was supported by the Longshoremen.
Mitchell Meets Egyptian President 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.
Jerusalem protests as municipality threatens Silwan
6/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Residents and Israeli activists will protest Monday as the Jerusalem Municipality meets to authorize a plan for mass demolitions in the city.Israeli municipality Mayor Nir Barakat’s attempts push through a plan to create a national park and archeological sites in the Silwan neighborhood would see nearly a thousand residents displaced…. Related:Erekat: Israel destroying talks by razing Silwan homesandJerusalem revives plan to raze Palestinian homes
Ground broken for 600 J’lem settler homes
6/21/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israeli construction vehicles and bulldozers began digging in Jerusalem on Monday morning, in what is believed to be ground work for the building of some 600 new settlement units. The homes were announced in late February, and are set to be built near the illegal Pisgat Ze’ev settlement and the Palestinian neighborhood of Shu’fat…. Related:Jerusalem revives plan to raze Palestinian homes
6 homes to be demolished in Tubas
6/21/2010 – Tubas – Ma’an – Two villages in the Jordan Valley, almost completely surrounded by the illegal Roi settlement were targeted by Israeli military planners Monday, when six residents were handed home demolition orders. The villages of Al-Hadidiya and Khirbet Humsa, in the south of the Tubas municipality, are the latest to be targeted, following the delivery of….
Israel threatens to deport J’lem protesters
6/21/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israel is set to take action against Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, sources told Ma’an, as media reports claim municipal officials will soon begin mass demolitions of Al-Bustan homes. Israeli security circles reportedly recommended sanctions on Jerusalemite families whose children partake in protests against Israel, according to Hebrew-language media sources in Israel. Reports….
Israel approves deportation of PLC member
6/21/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – The Israeli High Court in Jerusalem did not overturn a military order for the deportation of a Hamas PLC member from the city, in a Sunday ruling. The court said the deportation order against Mohammad Abu Tier would stand, pending a second hearing on a petition to halt it, which was filed in….
Gaza power plant: Ramallah stalls fuel deliveries
6/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Gaza Energy Authority said Monday that the central Strip fuel station has been receiving some 33% of the necessary amount of industrial diesel, and accused the Ramallah government of curtailing supply. The report renews an argument which first arose in February, one month after the EU handed over control of Gaza fuel….
Erekat: Israel destroying talks by razing Silwan homes
6/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat reportedly said Israel’s decision to demolish 22 homes in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem reveal Israel seeks to destroy indirect talks, Israeli media reported. Erekat called on the international community to “halt these dangerous steps” and said that the move “proves that Israel has decided to destroy the indirect talks…” Related:Jerusalem protests as municipality threatens Silwan
2 terminals open; siege details continue to emerge
6/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israel opened the Gaza Strip’s Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings for limited deliveries on Monday, for entry of aid and commercial goods, along with fuel supplies, officials said. The decision to change, and possibly increase, the operating hours of the Karni crossing marks the sole departure from the siege status quo. In recent….
Lebanon okays Cyprus sail of Gaza-bound ship
6/21/2010 – Gaza/Bethlehem – Ma’an – Lebanese authorities have granted a Gaza-bound ship carrying aid and activists permission to sail to Cyprus as Gaza’s Popular Committee Against the Siege chief said two boats were ready to cast anchor on Monday. Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ghazi Al-Aridi said the Julia is now docked at the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli….
UNRWA spokesman calls for total end to siege
6/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israel must lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip to allow for the full construction of the coastal enclave, an UNRWA spokesman told Reuters on Monday.”We need to have the blockade fully lifted,” said spokesman Christopher Gunness of UNRWA, the United Nations relief agency that looks after Palestinian refugees, speaking to….
2 attacks on Israel reported from Gaza
6/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Resistance brigades appeared to have ramped up efforts against Israeli forces in Gaza, with one miss-fired projectile landing in the north, an attack on a southern patrol, and allegations of Israeli fire in retaliation. Fighters with the An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, said their fighters fired….
Female detainee released after 8 years of detention
6/21/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – The Detainees Center in Jerusalem said a 32-year-old Palestinian woman from a village inside Israel was released from Israeli custody on Monday. After serving eight years in Israel’s HaSharon prison, Wardeh Al-Bakrawi was received by her family and welcomed home, the society said….
PLO rep in Lebanon: We want humanitarian rights
6/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – PLO Ambassador to Lebanon Abdullah Abdullah said proposed civil rights for Palestinians refugees in Lebanon are “purely humanitarian rights relating to daily life, with no relation to politics,” news agencies reported on Monday. Abdullah’s comments follow suggestions put forward by Lebanese MP Walid Jumblatt during an extraordinary parliament session last Tuesday, where….
Hizbullah, Hamas, Iran to meet in Damascus
6/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an -Palestinian opposition factions, Hizbullah officials and a delegation of Iranians, will soon meet in Damascus, the Kuwaiti Al-Anba daily newspaper reported on Monday. The meeting, according to the anonymous source quoted in the paper, will take place in late June, under official Syrian patronage, in an effort to activate resistance in the region….
France gives 23 euros million to PA budget
6/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The French government is set to offer 23 million Euros to the Palestinian Authority 2010 budget, after signing an agreement on Monday, a statement read. PA premier Salam Fayyad and French Consul General in Jerusalem Frederic Desagneaux ratified the financial support package, which will be implemented through French-Palestinian framework partnership document signed in….
Hamas: PA actions will result in retaliation
6/21/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas will be forced to retaliate against Fatah’s treatment of its party members and detain officials in Gaza, a party spokesman said, following the arrest of a senior Hamas leader in the West Bank on Sunday. Speaking to Ma’an on Monday, Salah Bardawil said the detention of Khalid Al-Hajj by Palestinian Authority police….
PA appoints former French FIFA chief as sports adviser
6/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian Authority announced the appointment of Jerome Champagne, chief of protocol for the French Local Organizing Committee of the FIFA World Cup, to the position of adviser on sports and football development on Monday, a statement read. The appointment was made by premier Salam Fayyad at his Ramallah office in the presence….
In photos: Designers showcase in Bethlehem
6/21/2010 – On scene and back stage at the Bethlehem Fashion Show on 17 June 2010, where designers from the southern West Bank city displayed their designs. MaanImages / Luay Sababa….
Heatwave causes Qalqiliya crop fires
6/21/2010 – Qalqiliya – Ma’an – The current heatwave has led to several crop fires across the Qalqiliya district on Monday, Palestinian civil defense forces report read. Citrus groves have been the most affected by the outbreak of natural fires, the report read. The unseasonably hot weather led to a fire erupting on 50 dunums of planted olive trees….
Wataniya sponsors World Cup viewings in West Bank
6/21/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Wataniya Mobile is sponsoring the broadcast of live World Cup football matches at venues in Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Al Bireh, Nablus, and Tulkarem, a statement read Monday. In cooperation with BCI, the matches will be screened for free in five locations, and host activities and mobile giveaways. Chief Commercial Officer of Wataniya….
Palestinian women under occupation
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – The Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations is a Beirut, Lebanon-based organization engaged in “strategic and futuristic studies on the Arab and Muslim worlds, (emphasizing) the Palestinian issue. In early 2010, it published the second of…
Flashbacks
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – I suppose I am not unique in that every year around my birthday I start to look back. I consider where I was last year, the year before, 5 years ago, etc and evaluate if I…
Dozens arrested in Khaled Said protest in Cairo
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Dozens of people were beaten and arrested yesterday by Egyptian riot police during an anti-police brutality demonstration in downtown Cairo (who said irony was dead?). The protest was one of many following the murder of Khaled…
Israeli blockade: Pasta YES, people NO
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – What should we make of Israel’s change in strategy towards the Gaza blockade ? It really depends on what you see as the aim – saving face amidst intense international (Turkish and US) pressure or allowing people…
Palestinians already have a homeland
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Palestinians are not desperate for a homeland, they already have one. Palestinians want to go back to their homeland. After his meeting with President Abbas, a meeting meant to difuse calls to punish Israel on its…
Netanyahu: We don’t need no blockade
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Yesterday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu conceded that the Gaza blockade was not about security after all. And, accordingly, he was lifting it. From now on, only weapons and materials that can be used to make weapons…
White house statement on Gaza
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – I’m flying across country today, on my way to Reno, Nevada — where from a dingy hotel according to Jonathan Alter’s fascinating new book, The Promise: President Obama, Year One , then candidate Barack Obama triggered the…
AIPAC gets a bad case of Hasbara derangement syndrome
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – UPDATE Greg Levy basically says that this whole post is a con job, designed to mislead readers into thinking that AIPAC disseminated the Obama hate video. Given the wording of the post, I think that is…
Iran bars UN nuclear inspectors
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington — Iran has barred two UN nuclear inspectors from the country, saying the IAEA officials authored an “untruthful” report on Iran’s nuclear activities, Al-Jazeera English reported Monday. Iranian President Ahmadinejad speaking at Columbia University in…
Israelis arrested for Palestinian MK death threat
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington – Two Jewish religious school students were arrested by Israeli police Monday for admitting to threatening the life of Palestinian Knesset member Ahmed Tibi, Haaretz reported . MK Tibi leads the Arab Ta’al party in the…
US warns Americans against joining Gaza flotillas
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington — The US State Department has revised its warning against travel in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, stressing that Americans avoid travel by sea, Ynet News reported Monday. “Previous attempts to enter Gaza by…
‘Demolitions harm talks’
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – US: Israel’s Jerusalem plans undermine negotiations New York – The US State Department criticized Israel on Monday for taking strides to demolish 22 Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem, saying the plan would undermine trust needed to…
Report: Former FIFA chief to be PA football advisor
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington — The Palestinian Authority has appointed Jerome Champagne, former chief of protocol for the French Local Organizing Committee of the FIFA World Cup, as its new sports and football advisor for the territories. Palestinian football…
Report: Lebanese army-Hezbollah merger considered
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington – The Lebanese government is weighing a potential merger between the state military and Islamist group Hezbollah’s militia, the World Tribune reported Monday. A dummy mans a rocket at a 2005 Hezbollah weapons demonstration in…
Israeli minister pledges to punish pro-boycott academics
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington — Israeli Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a statement issued last week he plans to punish any academics or heads of institutions that have supported boycotts against Israel, Haaretz reported Monday. The Knesset in…
New settlement expansion following Mitchell visit
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington – Days after US Middle East envoy George Mitchell met with Palestinian and Israeli leaders in ongoing negotiations, Israel broke ground on Monday on a reported 600-unit expansion of the illegal settlement of Pisgat Zeev….
UN: Gaza blockade must end completely
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – New York – Israel must bring a complete end to its crippling blockade of the Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees said on Monday. On Sunday Israel said it would…
Israeli report: Facing boycotts, companies leaving settlements
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington — Facing Palestinian and international pressure, a growing number of Israeli companies are abandoning settlements and moving back within the Green Line, Israeli daily Maariv reported Monday. According to a translation by Israeli blogger Didi…
Ameer Makhoul: Letter from Gilboa prison
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – The following text is a letter written by Ameer Makhoul, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who was detained on 23 April by Israeli police on charges of espionage and treason. His lawyers suspect that he has…
Crisis seen within Fatah
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – New York – The Palestinian Authority’s decision last week to cancel planned local elections is a sign of the decline of Fatah, The Associated Press reported this weekend. Fatah’s logo [Wikipedia] AP’s Mohammed Daraghmeh reported the…
PA accused of falling short with Gaza fuel
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington — Authorities in Gaza accused the rival Ramallah government of failing to provide the fuel necessary to generate electricity, Ma’an News Agency reported . The Rutenberg hydroelectric plant was the first power plant built in the…
Rabbi who interviewed Helen Thomas supported ethnic cleansing
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – New York – Rabbi David Nesenoff, the videographer who taped veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas stating that Jews “should get the hell out of Palestine” has himself made comments apparently supporting the ethnic cleansing of…
Hamas: Egypt, Abbas blocked reconciliation
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington — Senior Hamas official Ezzat Al-Resheq, blamed Egypt and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas for an impasse in efforts to achieve Palestinian political unity. Over the weekend Egypt said it would not accept Hamas’ changes to…
Iran: ‘Badly veiled’ women receive warning
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington – Iran’s “clampdown” on women’s dress continues as police issued dress warnings to purportedly immodest women in Qom, Iran’s religious center, AFP news agency reported Monday. An Iranian woman engages with a police officer, most…
Lebanon clears Gaza ship
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – ‘Julia’ boat en route to Gaza New York – The stage is set for another high-seas confrontation after Lebanese authorities granted permission on Monday to a ship that intends to sail to the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip….
Poll: Palestinians divided on 2-state solution
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Washington – A poll by Norwegian democracy development group Fafo has found that Palestinians are divided on the future of Palestinian statehood, Ma’an News Agency reported Sunday. A Fafo poll found Palestinians are “generally more confident”…
Israeli authorities back Jerusalem house demolitions
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – New York – Israeli authorities took bureaucratic strides on Monday toward demolishing 22 Palestinian houses in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Mayor Nir Barkat gained approval for the plans from the city’s Local Planning and…
Mideast night beat: Impunity edition
Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 – Today in Palestine, Israel, the broader Middle East, and beyond. Legendary Haaretz corespondent Amira Hass asks , after the Israeli army’s decision last week to prosecute a soldier who killed two Gazan women who were waving white…
WATCH: 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,…
Israel to loosen Gaza blockade
AlJazeera 21 Jun 2010 – PM’s office to publish list of goods not allowed into the Palestinian territory.
Jerusalem demolition plan approved
AlJazeera 21 Jun 2010 – Proposal to demolish 22 Palestinian homes in Silwan neighbourhood gets initial approval.
Iran bars UN nuclear inspectors
AlJazeera 21 Jun 2010 – Two inspectors declared persona non-grata for authoring “false” report.
ANERA Announces $250,000 For Gaza
PNN – Washington, DC – PNN – American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) is pleased to announce $250,000 in new funding for Gaza development projects. The money, raised by ANERA from private donors, will…
Israeli Nuclear Whistleblower Returned To Solitary Confinement
PNN – Jerusalem — PNN – Amnesty International has accused the Israeli authorities of subjecting jailed nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment by holding him in solitary confinement. The 56-year-old,…
AMERA Spreading The Word About Breast Cancer In Palestine
PNN – Ramallah – PNN – On a pleasant spring morning in Ramallah, Central West Bnak, seven women gathered in the shade of a walnut tree outside Al Nahda Women Association. While discussing the…
I SAW SA’SA’: An American Jew Discovers His Identity
PNN – By Mark Braverman – As Jew born in the U.S.A. in 1948, I was raised in an combination of traditional Judaism and political Zionism — the two are not separated. I was…
UN : Israel’s Systematic And Continuing Human Rights Violations Must Stop
PNN – Damascus — PNN – The UN Special Committee on Israeli Practices in the Occupied Territories* expressed serious concern about the human rights situation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank -including East…
Israel Eases Siege
PNN – Mahmoud Mahmoud – PNN – Israel will publish a list of items that will not be permitted to enter Gaza after their statements following the Israeli Cabinet Meeting. All items not on…
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
13 held in connection with Silwan attacks
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – Shin Bet arrests Jerusalem terror suspects.
Netanyahu to Livni: Unity gov’t?
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – Kadima won’t join without new coalition guidelines.
PM: Easing blockade hurts Hamas’s PR
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – “Iran trying to surround Israel through Hizbullah,Hamas.”
PM: Easing blockade yanks Hamas’s PR teeth
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – “Iran trying to surround Israel through Hizbullah,Hamas.”
Barak to Ban: Give our probe a chance
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – Defense Minister visits UN, warns Lebanon against flotilla.
No need for aid flotillas, says Blair
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – Quartet envoy hails Israel’s eased policy on Gaza.
Oren: Ankara’s new policy historical
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – Envoy to DC praises Rahm Emanuel and improved US tone on Israel.
Hamas: Abbas needs our ok to visit Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – Official: PA trying to help Israel out of flotilla aftermath.
Hamas: Abbas needs our okay to visit Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – “PA president using reconciliation talks to help Israel out of flotilla aftermath.”
‘Waiting for Hamas on Schalit deal’
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – Netanyahu tells FADC “dangerous terrorists” can’t be freed to W. Bank.
‘Gaza decision lets Israel focus on security’
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – PM says move negates Hamas propaganda, warns against next flotillas.
IDC Radio interview with Amnon Rubinstein
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – A chat with the father of Israel’s constitution.
Police crack east J’lem terror cells
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – Multiple arrests made in connection with 3 Silwan attacks.
Tension rises between Hizbullah, Christians
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jun 2010 – Maronite patriarch tours Beqaa, is accused of “insulting” Islamist party.
Two Yeshiva students charged with threatening Arab MK Tibi
Ha’aretz – Tibi received letter saying that he had been cursed and voice message on his cell phone telling him that his ‘days are numbered.’
Israel hit by heatwave as temperatures reach 122 degrees Fahrenheit in Eilat
Ha’aretz – Heaviest heatwave in 3 years hits the southern Israeli city; vacationers and Eilat residents warned to avoid the sun and spend the toasty days in the shade with plenty of…
Noam Shalit slams Netanyahu over ease of Gaza blockade
Ha’aretz – ‘We are asking where Gilad stands in this equation, where is Gilad, our son?’; Netanyahu: I am responsible for the security of all Israeli citizens.
U.S.: East Jerusalem demolitions undermine trust vital for Israel-PA talks
Ha’aretz – Jerusalem municipal planning committee approves plan to demolish 22 Palestinian homes in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem to make room for a tourist center.
Israel: Three East Jerusalem terror cells arrested over string of attacks
Ha’aretz – Shin Bet and police make arrests in connection to a string of attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces in the West Bank, authorities reveal after gag order is lifted.
Ultra-Orthodox activist ready to withdraw claims of discrimination in segregated school row
Ha’aretz – Rabbi Yoav Lalum removes petition due to threats on his life, says spiritual mentor Ya’akov Yosef.
Barak urges UN to shelve plan to probe Gaza flotilla raid
Ha’aretz – Defense Minister: Israel will hold Lebanon accountable for any blockade-busting ships it sends to Gaza, any violence that erupts as a result.
UNRWA: Israel’s Gaza blockade became a blockade against the UN
Ha’aretz – UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees calls on Israel to fully lift the blockade on Gaza.
Quartet of Mideast negotiators: Situation in Gaza still ‘unacceptable’
Ha’aretz – The Quartet – the U.S., EU, Russia, and the UN – welcomes Israel’s decision to ease its blockade of Gaza, but says more must be done to alleviate pressure on…
Brazil drops role in Iran nuclear dispute
Ha’aretz – Brazil’s foreign minister says support of Iran to be scaled back after UN Security Council decided on new Iran sanctions; Iran bars 2 UN inspectors in escalating nuclear row., Prime…
Aluf Benn / Turkey can take credit for ending Israel’s blockade of Gaza
Ha’aretz – It is now clear, even to Israel’s leaders, that the Turkish flotilla – despite activists’ deaths and not having actually reached Gaza – accelerated policy change in Gaza.
Who will be punished for killing civilians 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…
Germany raps Israel for denying minister entry into Gaza
Ha’aretz – German development minister said Israel has made a ‘large foreign policy mistake’ by barring him from visiting the Gaza Strip.
Israel detains 4 Palestinians in WB
21 Jun 2010 – West Bank, June 21, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained four Palestinians on Monday from Hebron and Jerusalem, in the West Bank and erected number of military checkpoints in Hebron. Security sources in Jerusalem said that IOF soldiers detained three youths from Al-Thawri neighborhood, their identities are unknown. In Hebron, IOF soldiers detained Mohammed Al-Jondi while he…
Yesterday marked international refugee day
21 Jun 2010 – Ramallah, June 21, (Pal Telegraph) 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 the Gaza Strip, 16.3% in…
Palestinians launch first women’s radio station
21 Jun 2010 – West Bank, June 21, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Entrepreneurs in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday launched the first-ever Palestinian radio station devoted to women. The new Arabic station, Nisaa (Women) 96 FM, will be run by men and women and aimed at a broad demographic, with programming focused on social issues as well as music and call-in shows with…
Israel raids limited area in Khan Younis
21 Jun 2010 – Gaza, June 21, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces raided today a limited area in Al-Qrara and Absan to east of Khan Younis, in central Gaza Strip. According to local sources, a bulldozer and 12 Israeli vehicles invaded 400 meter in Al-Frahen to the east of Absan, where they razed agricultural lands in the area. The bulldozers which invaded…
A 15-year-old Palestinian boy reports being sexually assaulted during interrogation
Uruknet June 21, 2010 – At around 1:30am, on the morning of 26 May 2010, a 15-year-old boy is arrested by Israeli soldiers from his family home near Hebron, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. ‘I was sleeping when I woke up to banging on the front door,’ recalls 15-year-old A., ‘my father also woke up and went to open the…
Israeli municipality confiscates Jerusalem land, threatens to demolish 22 homes
Uruknet June 21, 2010 – Zionist occupation authorities continue in their schemes of Judaizing Jerusalem and displacing its Palestinian citizens, as the so-called Jerusalem Planning and Construction committee decided to confiscate land from residents of the Bustan neighborhood in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to forcefully demolish the homes of twenty two homeowners in the neighborhood….
Settlers target ‘shared cities’
Uruknet June 21, 2010 – Jewish settlers storming the garden of an elderly Palestinian woman may seem like something you would expect to happen in Hebron, not cosmopolitan Tel Aviv. But that is exactly what happened to Zeinab Rachayel, an Arab resident of Tel Aviv’s mixed suburb, Yafo. Rachayel was in her courtyard on a Sunday afternoon when several buses…
Why Isn’t Anti-Palestinism Condemned as a Hate Crime?
Uruknet June 20, 2010 – …Simply put, if international law applied to Palestinians, we would have to restore their rights to live anywhere in their ancestral homeland. But that’s not in the cards ‚Äî because they’re nothing more than Palestinians and anti-Palestinism is the law of the land. If we were of a mind to accord them their legitimate rights,…
Israel prevents official German delegation from entering Gaza
Uruknet June 20, 2010 — Palestinian sources reported that Israeli authorities prevented an official delegation from Germany headed by German minister of development Dirk Niebel along with seven German MPs from entering the Gaza Strip on Sunday. The German government has criticized Israel’s refusal to allow the German minister and his entourage to enter the Gaza Strip. Niebel also criticized…
Palestinian Women under Occupation
Uruknet June 20, 2010 – The Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations is a Beirut, Lebanon-based organization engaged in “strategic and futuristic studies on the Arab and Muslim worlds, (emphasizing) the Palestinian issue. In early 2010, it published the second of its series, “Am I Not a Human,” a report titled, “The Suffering of the Palestinian Woman under the Israeli…
Gaza waits for Israel’s new rules on siege
The National 21 Jun 2010 – As Netanyahu yields to international pressure for a policy change, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza renew calls for a total end to the blockade.
Mahmud Abbas: Israel must lift Gaza blockade
The National 21 Jun 2010 – Western governments hail the move as a step in the right direction but Palestinian leaders say Gaza is still under siege.
Iran bars IAEA inspectors
The National 21 Jun 2010 – Iran has barred two UN inspectors from entering the country after filing a false report about Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Gush Shalom: Israeli Control over Gaza Continuation of Occupation
WAFA – TEL AVIV, June 21, 2010 (WAFA)- ‘It took the killing of nine people at sea and the blackening of Israel’s name throughout the world to make the Israeli government decide to stop interfering with what
Quartet: Gaza Humanitarian Situation Unsustainable
WAFA – BRUSSELS, June 21, 2010 (WAFA) – The Quartet re-affirmed that the current situation in Gaza, including the humanitarian and human rights situation of the civilian population, is unsustainable,
OCHA: Increase of Settlers Violence in May
WAFA – JERUSALEM, June 21, 2010 (WAFA)- Palestinian casualties decrease in May with an increasing trend in Jewish settlers violence, said the OCHA Humanitarian Monitor of May. After three years of
French Financial Support of €23 M to PA
WAFA РRAMALLAH, June 21, 2010 (WAFA)- Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the Consul General of France in Jerusalem Frederic Desagneaux signed on Monday an agreement on a financial support of €23 million
Israel revives plan to raze Palestinian homes in occupied Jerusalem
Daily Star 21 Jun 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: An Israeli planning body in Jerusalem on Monday approved a plan to raze 22 Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem to make room for an Israeli tourist center, a decision that could raise tensions…
62,000 ‘badly veiled’ women warned in Iran holy province
Daily Star 21 Jun 2010 TEHRAN: Iranian police have issued warnings to 62,000 women who were they said were “badly veiled” in the Shiite holy province of Qom as part of a clampdown on dress and behavior, a newspaper said on…
Germany denies Israel ties hurt over minister row
Daily Star 21 Jun 2010 BERLIN: Germany denied Monday that its relations with Israel had been damaged by a decision to bar Development Minister Dirk Niebel from visiting Gaza, where he wanted to see a humanitarian project part-funded by Berlin.Ties have…
Quartet welcome Israel’s shift on Gaza, Palestinians want more
Daily Star 21 Jun 2010 The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators on Monday welcomed Israel’s decision to ease its blockade of Gaza but said the situation in the territory remained “unsustainable and unacceptable.”In a statement agreed during a conference call,…
Video: Israel agrees to ease Gaza blockade
The Guardian 21 Jun 2010 – List of prohibited items will be published as quickly as possible, says Israel, bowing to intense international pressure after its deadly assault on an aid flotilla last month
OPT: Quartet Statement on Israel’s Announcement on Gaza June 21, 2010
Relief Web 21 Jun 2010 – Source: European Union, Middle East Quartet
Human Rights Council concludes fourteenth regular session
Relief Web 21 Jun 2010 – Source: UN Human Rights Council
UN agency calls for full lifting of Gaza blockade
Relief Web 21 Jun 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
OPT: THE HUMANITARIAN MONITOR – MAY 2010
Relief Web 21 Jun 2010 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
UN agency says Israeli easing not enough to rebuild Gaza
YNet News – UNRWA spokesman says, ‘Israeli strategy is to make international community talk….
Prices drop in Gaza as Israel eases blockade
YNet News – No significant change felt in Gaza Strip following relaxation of siege, as….
Brazil dropping role in Iran nuclear dispute
YNet News – South American country scales back active support of Islamic Republic in nuclear….
US warns citizens against participating in Gaza flotillas
YNet News – State Department updates travel advisory to Israel emphasizing travel via the….
Silwan demolitions approved
YNet News – Municipality endorses mayor’s plan to raze 22 homes in east Jerusalem before….
Middle East negotiators welcome Gaza blockade easing
YNet News – Quartet issues statement welcoming Israel’s change of policy towards Gaza, but….
Noam Shalit: PM gave in, what about Gilad?
YNet News – Father of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit slams PM’s decision to ease Gaza….
Barak to Ban: Trust Israeli flotilla probe
YNet News – Defense Minister Ehud Barak asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday to withdraw his call for an international investigation of the deadly raid on the Gaza-bound …….
Jerusalem: Haredim attack vehicle over Electra stickers
YNet News – Dozens of ultra-Orthodox attacked a vehicle traveling through Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim neighborhood Sunday evening because it had “Electra” stickers on it. Pamphlets …….
PA equates Silwan plan with settlement construction
YNet News – Former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia told Ynet Monday that Israel’s construction plans in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan are silent steps meant to …….
Barak: US understands, backs Gaza policy
YNet News – WASHINGTON — Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with the US secretary of defense, Robert gates, at the Pentagon Monday and discussed with him various regional issues, …….
Cabinet Decision on Gaza Siege: Baby Step in Right Direction
B’tselem 20 Jun 2010 – The Israeli Security Cabinet’s decision to relax some of the stringent restrictions on imports is to be welcome. However, it is only a small step toward the resumption of normal trade and traffic that Gaza so desperately needs.
Israel Prepares to Halt Lebanese and Iranian Flotillas while Easing Gaza Land Blockade
The Media Line 20 Jun 2010 – Israel’s security cabinet says it will allow more goods into the Gaza Strip via land crossings. As Israel eases the land blockade on Gaza, it is maintaining the naval blockade on ships sailing to the coastal…
Iran Thwarts U.N. Nuclear Inspectors
The Media Line 20 Jun 2010 – The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, has banned two U.N. nuclear inspectors from entering the country. Tehran announced that the two inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were being kept…
Israeli Prime Minister to Meet Obama July 6
The Media Line 20 Jun 2010 – The White House has announced that Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will meet with President Obama in Washington on July 6. The announcement of the invitation was reportedly held back until Israel decided to ease its…
Congress moves to approve additional Iran sanctions
LA Times 21 Jun 2010 – The measures are in addition to the U.N. and Obama administration penalties. Tehran bars two IAEA nuclear inspectors, accusing them of manipulating data and leaking information to news media. House and Senate negotiators reached agreement Monday on legislation that would impose additional U.S. sanctions against Iran in hopes the economic pressure persuades Tehran to curb its nuclear ambitions. The new penalties would come on top of a fourth round of United Nations Security Council sanctions, and would also be in addition to new sanctions by the Obama administration and the European Union. The legislation gives Congress a new role in the sanctions effort that until now has been largely kept up by the Treasury Department. It would provide money for enforcement, and new rules intended to give added force to the Treasury’s efforts. The legislation would impose sanctions on foreign companies that sell refined petroleum to Iran, banks that finance the Revolutionary Guard, and businesses that provide equipment or services for Iran’s energy sector. Refined petroleum includes products such as gasoline and fuel oil. The agreement was announced Monday by Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), House Foreign Relations Committee chairman, and Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), Senate Banking Committee chairman. It is based on similar bills passed by the House and Senate. It still requires approval by other members of a House-Senate conference committee and by the two chambers. The House and Senate bills passed easily, and congressional aides predicted the latest measure also will have strong support. Administration officials had no immediate comment. The Obama administration failed to persuade the negotiators to provide a blanket exemption for foreign companies from countries that are cooperating with the U.S. efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program. If adopted, as expected, the legislation probably will bring protests from some European and Asian countries. The administration would retain the authority to waive sanctions imposed by the law. Nonetheless, targets of the sanctions still will be “named and shamed” for doing business with Iran, even if they are not otherwise penalized, analysts said. Berman and Dodd said in a statement that “if applied forcefully by the president, this act will bring strong new pressure to bear on Tehran in order to combat its proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, support for international terrorism and gross human rights abuses.” It remains unclear how much damage will be done by the refined-petroleum sanctions. Some analysts argue that Iran has been preparing to buy more fuel off the black market, and that the measures will strengthen the Revolutionary Guard, which has a major role in such sales. U.S. officials and their allies believe Iran is seeking nuclear weapons know-how, while Iran insists its nuclear ambitions are for peaceful civilian purposes. In the midst of the international standoff, Iran on Monday barred two international nuclear inspectors from further examining its facilities, accusing them of manipulating data and leaking information to the news media. Ali Akbar Salehi, chief of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, told state radio that the Iranian government had formally objected to the two inspectors over a “false report” they provided to the International Atomic Energy Agency. “We asked the IAEA not to send these two inspectors to Iran any longer,” he said. “The duo is no longer authorized to enter Iran because of their unrealistic report and divulging the report before its official confirmation.” Iran did not identify the inspectors or give details of what they allegedly did. But most analysts believe the move is linked to a section in the most recent IAEA report that refers to equipment related to possible pyroprocessing experiments, which could be used to perfect the extraction of plutonium from uranium metal. The report says equipment discovered during a January inspection had inexplicably gone missing during a later visit. Iranian officials had earlier singled out that section of the May 31 report, denouncing it as a mistake and demanding the agency retract it. Instead the IAEA reaffirmed the report and stood by the two inspectors in an announcement Monday. “The IAEA has full confidence in the professionalism and impartiality of the inspectors concerned,” the statement says. “The agency confirms that its report on the implementation of safeguards in Iran ‚Ķ is fully accurate.” Iran’s agreement with the agency allows it to expel individual inspectors at any time, as long as it submits to snap inspections, which take place about every other week and involve teams of two to four inspectors who stay for as long as four days. Salehi said inspectors are allowed to make twice-monthly unannounced visits to Iran’s uranium enrichment facility near the town of Natanz.
Jerusalem City Council OKs demolition of 22 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem
LA Times 22 Jun 2010 – The OK, which threatens to renew friction between Israel and the U.S., clears the way for an archaeological park and shopping center. Palestinian Authority officials call the move ‘unacceptable.’ The Jerusalem City Council on Monday approved a divisive redevelopment plan to demolish 22 Palestinian homes in Arab-dominated East Jerusalem, potentially reigniting a debate over Israeli construction on land it seized in 1967.
People in Gaza Await Easing of Israeli Blockade
New York Times 21 Jun 2010 – Many people said that if more goods flowed across the border, their lives would be only marginally improved.
East Jerusalem Building Plan Advances
New York Times 21 Jun 2010 – The decision came a day after Israel won unusual praise from Washington for easing the blockade of Gaza, and amid other signs of progress.
Iran Bars Nuclear Inspectors In Response to Sanctions
New York Times 21 Jun 2010 – The restriction was apparently the first step in what the Iranian government has said will be a series of actions in response to the latest round of Security Council sanctions.
Israeli ad looks for help sabotaging upcoming flotilla
Mondoweiss – The following ad appeared in the Yediot Aharonot ad section – The ad is translated as: Security Organiztion Needs WOMEN with great physical strength & motivation to evacuate women from the aid flotilla [sent by] the Hezbollah to Gaza. The activity is on a volunteer basis…
Volunteer in Palestine
Mondoweiss – Since 2002, the International Women’s Peace Service in Palestine (IWPS-Palestine) has been documenting and non-violently intervening in human rights abuses carried out by the Israeli military and Israeli settlers in the Occupied West Bank against the Palestinian civilian population. We are the only all women team…
‘Renowned philosopher’ says Jews invented democracy (OK, but what about hummus?)
Mondoweiss – More proof that the occupation has made some intellectuals stupid and their ethnocentrism visible and risible to all, Bernard Henri Levy in Ynet : “I’ve covered many wars, and I’ve never seen an army that asks itself so many questions related to morals.” As for Israel’s status…
The settlers’ one-state argument, or ploy
Mondoweiss – Apart from the small point that all Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories are illegal according to international law and every single settler living there is ipso facto a law breaker—something the author conveniently omits to mention— this piece by Hagai Segal at Ynet is actually…
Liberal Zionists excommunicate anti-Zionists
Mondoweiss – It is interesting that when push comes to shove, liberal Zionists will side with rightwingers (Jeremy Ben-Ami will fall into the arms of Jeffrey Goldberg) rather than break bread with non-Zionists and anti-Zionists and Palestinian solidarity types and realists. In the end, their concern for the…
Yediot’s Shaked: Israel can’t turn into a fascist state ‚Äî it lacks a dictator ‚Äî but that won’t stop it from trying
Coteret – Raanan Shaked, a Yediot Magazine columnist, usually sticks to bitter-sweet satires of middle class Israeli family life. The past few weeks seem to have pushed him over the edge: When do you realize that fascism ‚Äî an overused word, so let’s use it ‚Äî has already…
A sign of the times on Route 443
Coteret – Col. (Res.) Shaul Arieli sent around this photo today. It was taken on the infamous Route 443 , just off the exit to Hirbet al-Masbah. The sign reads Israeli, watch out, if you’ve come this far, you’ve lost your way!
AIPAC gets a bad case of Hasbara Derangement Syndrome
Coteret – UPDATE Greg Levy basically says that this whole post is a con job, designed to mislead readers into thinking that AIPACdisseminatedthe Obama hate video. Given the wording of the post, I think that is an insult to most of my readers’ intelligence, but for the record:…
Maariv: Targeted boycott and divestment pushing companies out of the settlements
Coteret – The cover story of this morning’s (June 21 2010) Maariv business section reports that targeted boycott and divestment actions ‚Äî Israeli, Palestinian and international ‚Äî are pushing an increasing number of Israeli companies out of the West Bank settlements and into Israeli proper: He [Yaakov Malach,…
Rich Forer — Cutting Through the Confusion about Israel/Palestine
Palestine Think Tank – Israel has a National Information Directorate whose purpose is to coordinate the various sectors of the government apparatus into disseminating self-serving messages (propaganda) to the public. I do not trust the Israeli government to publicly admit to their crimes. To do so would hurt their image…
VIDEOS “the Anti-Semite trick”, “Meet the Settlers”, ” by Mozafar Najafzadeh & “Occupation, Inc.”
Palestine Think Tank – Former Israeli Education Minister, in a radio interview states precisely what “the trick we always use” is when dealing with critics of Israel and Zionism. She should know. Then, Mozahafar Najafzadeh presents a slideshow on the Settlers. It’s not only robbing Palestinian and Arab land and…
Adib S Kawar — Aznar: “If Israel goes down, we all go down” Why not?! This is for you, Se?±ior
Palestine Think Tank – Is risking the security of a colonialist racist entity that requires the enslavement, occupation and at last the annihilation of the indigenous population part of your idea of an “ideal world”? This is a land that is promoted as having been promised by a private God…
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 –
ANOTHER ISRAELI PROPAGANDA FAIL
Irish4Palestine – ANOTHER ISRAELI FAIL PROPAGANDA MISSION We have a good one for you today. Anyone remember the major propaganda mission where Israel used the Haiti disaster to try and deflect away from Gaza? how quickly they mobilised and shot into gear then proclaimed themselves humanitarian hero’s to…
THE SAGA CONTINUES AND WE ARE WINNING
Irish4Palestine – AWESOME:LINK Victory as protesters and union block Israeli ship unloading at Oakland Port June 20, 2010 In a historic action and unprecedented action today, more 800 worker and community activists blocked the gates of the Oakland docks in the early morning hours, prompting longshore workers to…
Iran bars UN nuclear inspectors
BBC – Iran tells the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency it will not allow two of its inspectors to enter the country.
Ancient Egypt city found by radar
BBC – An ancient Egyptian city believed to be Avaris, the capital of the Hyksos who ruled 3,500 years ago, has been located by radar.
Kill the ‘Kill Switch’
Antiwar.com – Who else but Joe Lieberman would introduce a bill to give the President the power to shut down the Internet with the flick of a switch? I’m afraid of the answer to that question, and you should be, too. However, it’s hardly surprising America’s premier authoritarian…
A Flash of Lightning
Antiwar.com – 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…
(en) Palestine-Israel, The joint straggle persist in the “Tsumud” mood of “we will never let go”
A-infos – The “Tsumud” (persistence) is the long continuance non violence stubbornness of refusal to yield to the Zionist settler colonialist efforts to transfer the Palestinians – intensified after 1948 establishment of Israel. It was the mode of the Palestinians Israel failed to transfer out in 1947/8 atrocities…
Articles
Activists prevent Israeli ship from unloading at US port
Report, Electronic Intifada6/21/2010
For the first time in US history, a peaceful protest was able to stop workers from unloading an Israeli cargo ship on Sunday, 20 June, in the San Francisco Bay area. From 5:30am until 7pm, social justice activists and labor union organizers blocked and picketed several entrances at the Port of Oakland, preventing two shifts of longshoremen with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) to come to work and unload the Israeli Zim Lines cargo ship.
Approximately 700 protesters and labor organizers launched the action in direct response to the ongoing blockade in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli attacks on humanitarian aid activists aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla last month. Nine persons, including a 19-year-old American citizen, were killed in the attacks, and at least thirty were wounded as activists attempted to sail to the beleaguered Gaza Strip with thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies prevented from normal import by Israel.
The picket at the Port of Oakland comes on the heels of a similar actions around the world in protest of Israeli policies. Dockworkers in Sweden announced on 2 June that no Israeli ships would be unloaded or processed between 15-24 June in protest of the Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.
A coalition of Palestinian trade unions issued a call for the labor-led action, stating that “Gaza today has become the test of our universal morality and our common humanity.” Bay Area members of the Labor for Palestine group, heeding the call, issued a press release saying that the ILWU Local 10 joins with dockworkers in South Africa, western Australia, Sweden and Norway, who have all launched similar actions.
A press release from Labor for Palestine stated: “this action stands in the proud tradition of West Coast dockworkers who refused to handle cargo for Nazi Germany (1934) and fascist Italy (1935); those in Denmark and Sweden (1963), the San Francisco Bay Area (1984) and Liverpool (1988), who refused shipping for apartheid South Africa….more..e-mail
Does Israel suffer from ’Iranophobia’?
Scott Peterson, Tel Aviv, Christian Science Monitor6/18/2010
Some Israelis argue that an ’Iranophobia’ holds unnecessary sway over Israeli thinking about a wide range of problems, from rearming of Hezbollah to the ’terrorist’ activists aboard the Gaza flotilla. Should Israel see less of a threat in Iran?
Barely a day goes by without a strident warning from a top Israeli official, politician, or general about the nature of the “threat” Iran poses to the Jewish state. It’s unprecedented. Or it’s imminent. Or it’s existential. And it is declared to be behind every Israeli problem, from the rearming of Hezbollah in Lebanon to the “terrorist” humanitarian activists aboard the Gaza flotilla.
How powerful is that anti-Iran mindset in Israel? How is fear of an Iranian nuclear weapon heightened by the blasts of anti-Israel invective from the neoconservative government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran?
“We are making them stronger than they are,” says David Menashri, the director of the Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University. “To refer to Iran as an ‘existential threat’ — I refuse to use this term — you give Iran greater credit than they deserve…. What signal does it send to our own people, that the day Iran should have nuclear weapons you should leave the country, because your existence is threatened?”
IN PICTURES: Who has nukes?
Dr. Menashri says Israeli politicians should “speak less” about Iran, and not make exaggerated historical comparisons. He points to a conference in 2006, at which then-opposition leader and current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned repeatedly: “It’s 1938 and Iran is Germany. And Iran is racing to arm itself with atomic bombs.”
Menashri says the analogy is a mistake. “Because if Ahmadinejad is Hitler, if Nasser was Hitler, Saddam was Hitler, Arafat was Hitler — what can I tell my children about the unique character of the Holocaust?…”more..e-mail
Letter from Gilboa Prison
Ameer Makhoul, Ma’an News Agency6/21/2010
The following text is a letter written by Ameer Makhoul, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who was detained on 23 April by Israeli police on charges of espionage and treason.
The letter, in Makhoul’s hand writing, was received by mail by his family and postmarked from Israel’s Gilboa Prison. His wife Janan confirmed to Ma’an that the letter was in fact from her husband. It was received one week ago.
Makhoul is a leader in the Palestinian community of Haifa. He was detained along with his colleague Omar Said.
May 30, 2010
After being allowed to get a pen and a piece of paper, which has been banned for the last three weeks, and after being allowed to get out of my total isolation, it’s a moment to write a short letter from my jail.
It’s a great opportunity for me to express my sincere thanks, greetings and appreciation to all the colleagues, friends and solidarity groups, organizations and persons, internationals, Arabs in the region, Israelis and Palestinians in the homeland and in the Diaspora. A very special salute to all those who visited my family and supported them after the trauma they passed in May 6 and since that late night.
It’s a moment to express my great appreciation to all the international and local human rights organizations which raised their voices loudly.
Also to Ittijah partner organizations all around the world which supported my/our struggle for justice and for a fair trial in order to get to prove my innocence.more..e-mail
“What solidarity means”: a letter from Gilboa Prison
Electronic Intifada: 21 Jun 2010 – After being allowed to get a pen and a piece of paper, which has been banned for the last three weeks, and after being allowed to get out of my total isolation, it’s a moment to write a short letter from my jail (Gilboa). Political prisoner Ameer Makhoul writes from Israeli detention.
EU rubber-stamping grants for Israeli war industry
Electronic Intifada: 21 Jun 2010 – BRUSSELS (IPS) – 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.
Who Says We Can’t Criticize Israel?
Palestine Chronicle: 21 Jun 2010 – By Peter Ewart Like a postage stamp that has been licked too often, a word can lose its power and authority if it is used indiscriminately. So it is with the word “terrorist” that is now routinely applied by governments all over the world to demonize and marginalize political opposition. And likewise with the word “anti-semitic” which is a label stuck on just about anyone who is not in total support of the state of Israel and its treatment of the Palestinians. Indeed, Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States, was given precisely that label after calling Israel an “apartheid state”. Even South African Judge Richard Goldstone, himself Jewish, who led a UN authorized fact-finding mission into Israel’s invasion of Gaza last year has been called anti-semitic for his findings which have been labeled as “anti-Israel” by the Israeli government. Closer to home, Canada, the aid organization Kairos had…more
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The New Dark Age 