News
International Middle East Media Center
6800 Detainees, Including 300 Children, Currently Imprisoned By Israel
IMEMC – 28 Jun 2010 – Palestinian Researcher specialized in detainees’ affairs, former detainee, Abdul-Nasser Farawna, stated that there are currently 6800 detainees imprisoned by Israel, including 300 children 34 women, and 213 detainees in administrative detention.
Israeli Air Strike Kills One Palestinian, Wounds Another, In Gaza
IMEMC – 28 Jun 2010 – Palestinian sources reported on Monday evening that one resident was killed and another was wounded when the Israeli Air Force bombarded Al Shujaeyya neighborhood east of Gaza City.
Masked Gunmen Torch UNRWA Summer Camp In Central Gaza
IMEMC – 28 Jun 2010 – A group of unknown gunmen attacked on Monday at dawn a summer camp that belongs to the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) in al-Zawayda area, north of Dir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Troops Kidnap Ten Residents In The West Bank
IMEMC – 28 Jun 2010 – Israeli soldiers kidnapped, Monday at dawn, ten Palestinians during a number of invasions targeting several areas in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Government Releases Blueprint For East Jerusalem ‘Master Plan’ Including Expulsion Of Arabs
IMEMC – 28 Jun 2010 – Expanding on the Jerusalem master plans of 2006 and 2008, the Jerusalem Planning Committee of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior has released the text of a new ‘master plan’ which they are scheduled to approve in the coming weeks.
Several Palestinians Wounded In Renewed Clashes in East Jerusalem
IMEMC – 28 Jun 2010 – Palestinian medial sources in occupied East Jerusalem reported that dozens of residents were wounded by Israeli police fire and after being attacked by the police during clashes that took place in several neighborhoods in Silwan, south of al-Aqsa Mosque.
Gaza: 1 killed, 3 injured in Israeli air strike
6/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – One Palestinian was killed and three others were injured in an Israeli air strike along the northern Gaza border on Monday evening, east of a juice factory, medics said. Witnesses said an Israeli drone fired at Palestinian fighters in the north-eastern Ash-Shuja’iyah neighborhood. Medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiyeh said Bassam Badwan, 32….
10 Jordan Valley families given 24 hours to leave homes
6/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Ten families in the Jordan Valley were handed home demolition orders on Sunday and given 24 hours to evacuate their lands. Most of the homes to be demolished belong to the Daraghmah and Al-Makahmreh families, who say they have documents proving their ownership of the land filed with Israel’s Land Registry. The families….
Gaza: No fuel from PA; 7% increase in goods from Israel
6/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Two crossing points into Gaza will be opened by Israeli officials on Monday, liaison officer Raed Fattouh told Ma’an, for food, limited fuel and commercial goods. The Palestinian Authority appeared to be imposing a blockade of its own, with Fattouh noting no industrial diesel would be pumped into Gaza, following a statement from the Ramallah government demanding…. Related:Al-Mezan: Governments must prioritize Palestinians
Knesset orders prison canteen closed, center says
6/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Israel Prison Service told inmates that the Palestinian Authority-funded canteen service will be discontinued as a punishment, the Gaza Center for Prisoners said Monday. Center spokesman Bassam Hassunah said prisoners were told that Israel’s Knesset made the order to shut down the canteens, which operate as small general stores providing basics like….
Gaza fishermen want change to siege
6/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza’s Fishers Union met Sunday at its headquarters in an effort to jointly articulate specific concerns and problems faced by fishermen, and propose solutions. Union leader Saed Zyadeh said the meeting would be a venue to air concerns, and added that the union would do its best to raise those issues with local….
Border guards to carry out mass drill in West Bank
6/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israel’s Border Guard unit will undertake an extensive drill in the West Bank throughout the week, preparing forces for an escalation in Israeli and Palestinian violence, Israeli media reported Monday. According to the English-language Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post, the paramilitary exercise comes ahead of an Israeli government decision on possibly extending….
Masked vandals damage UNRWA summer camp
6/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A second UNRWA summer camp facility was burned Monday morning, with camp officials saying 25 masked men entered the An-Nusseriat camp and assaulted the guards. A statement from UNRWA said the summer camp’s guards were “physically assaulted and handcuffed,” but not injured. Eyewitnesses accounts confirmed the UNRWA report, with locals saying vandals broke….
10 detained by Israeli forces overnight
6/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Overnight raids by Israeli forces on West Bank towns and villages ended with the detention of ten men, with Israeli media outlets claiming Nablus-area apprehensions related to a pipe-bomb incident. Three detentions were recorded in Nablus, four from Ramallah, two from Hebron and one from Bethlehem. In the southern West Bank, Aziz Mahmud….
Al-Mezan: Governments must prioritize Palestinians
6/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Following the Palestinian Authority’s refusal to deliver fuel to Gaza, the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights said Monday that the political division deteriorates the human rights situation and “weakens the Palestinian struggle.” The organization condemned both governments for “involving basic service sectors in the internal disagreement,”… Related:Gaza: No fuel from PA; 7% increase in goods from IsraelandPA: End to electricity crisis requires 25% from company
Protests in Beirut over Palestinian civil rights
6/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Thousands of Palestinian refugees gathered in Beirut Sunday to deliver a petition to parliament calling for their basic rights to be recognized. More than 6,000 refugees, activists and politicians took part in the peaceful protest outside UN headquarters, organizer Maher Shedadeh told French news wire AFP. The protest came after heated discussions….
Israel condemns Al-Aqsa Brigade member to 21 years
6/28/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – An Israeli military court convening at the Salem detention center sentenced a member of the Al-Aqsa Brigades from Nablus to 21 years on Monday, sources said. Louay Taysir Barham, 23, was handed down the sentence for affiliation with the Fatah’s armed wing and for involvement in attacks against Israel, the sources said. Barham….
Resistance: All detainees shall be freed
6/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Freeing Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails is a religious duty, a military wing within the Salah Ad-Din Brigades said Monday. A statement issued by the Resistance Committee said Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit will remain captive until Palestinian prisoners are released, and called on detainees to remain steadfast as factions work toward securing their….
Egypt blames Bedouins for gas line explosion
6/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Egyptian security sources accused a Bedouin community of vandalizing an Egypt-Jordan-Israel gas pipeline south of Al-Arish on Sunday night. Officials said the vandals used explosives planted beneath the line, and detonated them, destroying a large section. The move prompted the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior to dispatch a security crew charged with tracing….
Al-Aqsa TV went off French air Thursday
6/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Following calls for a stay, European satellite provider Eutelsat cut Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV from its offered channels on Thursday, Agence-France Presse reported. The broadcaster, which had Al-Aqsa TV channels as part of a package of Middle East stations from Noorsat, had to make a quick deal with the company to remove the….
Iranian aid ship ’blocked by Egypt’
6/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Organizers of an Iranian aid ship said Sunday that they will not set sail to Gaza because Egypt refused permission to enter the Suez Canal. The Iranian Red Crescent said the boat was loaded and ready to depart from the southern port of Bandar Abbas when Egypt refused the boat passage, in….
Fayyad launches latest anti-settlement initiative
6/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Prime Minister Salam Fayyad launched the latest anti-settlement goods campaign aimed at clearing the Palestinian market of settlement produce on Monday. The Shop to Shop campaign focused on clearing Palestinian supermarkets and stores of the produce, Agence France-PressePress reported.”This is a new campaign, and an important part of the efforts, both….
Hamas: Jawwal undermining national plan
6/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The largest Palestinian telecommunications provider, Jawwal, turned down a request to cooperate with the Gaza government plan to dissuade residents from becoming collaborators, a statement from Hamas officials said Sunday. De facto Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab Al-Ghussein said the request was part of a national campaign to “confront Israeli efforts against the people….
Gaza banks to close following forced cash withdrawal
6/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Palestinian Monetary Authority and the Banking Association in Gaza made a joint call to close all financial institutions at 11am on Monday, in anger over a forced withdrawal by Hamas police the day before. The statement said Gaza government police had stolen cash from the Bank of Palestine, though Gaza leaders said….
Hebron police arrest 40 in district
6/28/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority police detained 40 men they said were fugitives and impounded 30 illegal cars in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, a report issued Monday read. Those apprehended, the report detailed, included a suspect involved in the forgery of land tax and property documents, one suspected of theft, and 13 on….
PA opens interior ministry office in Hebron village
6/28/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – An inaugural ceremony was held on Monday for opening of a Palestinian Authority Ministry of Interior office in the southern Hebron village of As-Samou’a, officials said. The new office will be open three days a week to provide services to residents, said Nidal Amr, the assistant deputy minister of interior. Amr said the….
PA: End to electricity crisis requires 25% from company
6/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The solution to the Gaza electricity crisis requires a 25 percent contribution to electricity bills from the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company, the Palestinian Authority cabinet said during its weekly meeting on Monday. Ministers said the PA cabinet “criticized the attempts to exploit the suffering of the people to embarrass and blackmail the Palestinian Authority”…. Related:Al-Mezan: Governments must prioritize Palestinians
Baath Party makes a comeback in Gaza
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – By Mariam Hamed Gaza – “Why refuse a [group] wishing to help me?” Al-Quds University student Hanaa, 19, told me about her decision to join the recently-returned Baath Party in Gaza. Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad appears…
New York Pro-Israeli group says Gazans are too ‘fat’
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – By Jared Malsin New York – A pro-Israeli advocacy organization is throwing a cocktail party in New York Monday night to discuss a phenomenon it says is a crisis in Gaza: Palestinians are too fat. Children…
EU hires firm to train Palestinian forces
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – Washington – The European Union (EU) has hired the elite private security firm Saladin Security to train a new Palestinian security force to be deployed in East Jerusalem, Ynet News reported Monday. A US-Jordanian training session…
Report: Flotilla inquiry will call on Netanyahu
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – Washington – Israel’s internal probe investigating the May 31 raid of Gaza-bound aid vessels in international waters will reportedly call on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as its first witness, Bloomberg news reported Monday. Israeli PM Benjamin…
Beach daytrip lands Israeli editor under investigation
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – Washington – An Israeli editor for Haaretz took three Palestinians girls for an innocent day at the beach, and now Israeli police are investigating her for illegally smuggling persons into Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported Monday….
Erekat says PA could disband
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – New York – The possibility of disbanding the Palestinian Authority (PA) will be on the table soon if no progress is made in negotiations with Israel, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said in remarks published Monday ….
‘Racist’ Israeli minister punishes Arab-run hospital
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – Washington – Israeli Deputy Health Minister Ya’acov Litzman has been accused of racism by the Israeli Medical Association, the Jerusalem Post reported Monday. Ya’acov Litzman, an MK for the Agudat Yisrael party, is accused of financially…
Israeli strike kills Palestinian
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – UAV targets man east of Gaza City New York – A Palestinian was killed by an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, according to medics there. Adham Abu Salmiya, a spokesman for Gaza’s medical services, told…
Gaza summer camp vandalized again
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – Washington – Masked vandals torched a second UNRWA summer camp facility Monday morning, news agencies reported. Kids play at the 2009 UNRWA Summer Games in Gaza. [Begemot – Flickr] According to Ma’an News Agency : A second…
Gaza fishermen foundering due to Israeli blockade
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – Washington – Gaza fishermen met yesterday to air their concerns over a fishing industry that faces continued obstacles from the Israeli siege, Ma’an News Agency reported Monday. Members of the Gaza’s Fishers Union gathered at the…
Will the New York Times retract Israel envoy’s falsehoods?
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – By Jared Malsin New York – In the wake of Israel’s attack on the Gaza “Freedom Flotilla” on May 31, the New York Times published an opinion piece by Israel’s ambassador to the US, Michael Oren….
Iran: Egypt blocked aid ship to Gaza
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – Washington – The Iranian ship that last week canceled its Gaza aid voyage due to “Israeli threats” has now said its departure was also blocked by Egypt. Ma’an News Agency reported Monday: The Iranian Red Crescent…
Inside Egypt’s child labor problem
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – Cairo – IRIN – Ahmed Ramadan, aged 13, works 11 hours a day in a bakery in Cairo’s Kherbet Kheirala slum, where he says he works with hazardous machinery in unpleasantly hot surroundings, and is ill-treated…
Syrian human rights advocate jailed
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – Washington – A Syrian court convicted last week Muhannad al-Hassani – a Syrian lawyer and winner of the 2010 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders – of “weakening national sentiment” and “conveying within Syria false…
Mideast night beat: Crisis in Jerusalem
Palestine Note 28 Jun 2010 – Today in Palestine, Israel, the broader Middle East, and beyond: Graffiti on a blast wall in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank city of Hebron shows right-wing aspirations for “greater Israel.” [Itai via Wikimedia Commons]…
Iran postpones nuclear talks
AlJazeera 28 Jun 2010 – Ahmadinejad says negotiations over nuclear programme will resume only in late August.
UN summer camp in Gaza vandalised
AlJazeera 28 Jun 2010 – Equipment set on fire in second attack on a childrens’ camp by armed men.
Committee Investigating Freedom Flotilla Meets In Jerusalem
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – The Turkel Committee’s investigation into Israel’s attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla began on Monday in Jerusalem. Members of the committee met to create guidelines, schedule hearings, and…
Clashes Renew In East Jerusalem; 140 Injured
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura – PNN – At least 140 Palestinian civilians were injured as clashes renewed with settlers in the village of Sliwan near Jerusalem’s Old City. Local sources said that the clashes…
Ambition to Expand Jewish Enclaves Comes at the Cost of Palestinians
PNN – East Jerusalem – PNN – The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee are on their way to approve a plan that will expand Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, which is currently owned…
G-20 Leaders Commit to Deficit Reduction
PNN – Toronto – PNN – The leaders of the Group of Twenty have pledged to decrease their national budget deficits in half by 2013. Serious challenges remain, while growth is returning, the recovery…
Turkey Airspace Closed To Israeli Planes
PNN – Turkey – PNN – Turkish airspace is closed to Israeli airplanes, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a press conference during a meeting of the Group of 20 major industrial…
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
Terkel: PM, Barak, Ashkenazi to be summoned
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jun 2010 – Committee probing flotilla raid holds first public meeting.
Why Netanyahu let Barkat move ahead with Silwan plan
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jun 2010 – PM makes distinction between development in West Bank and Jerusalem.
E J’lem hotel construction begins
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jun 2010 – Sheikh Jarrah construction started despite tensions in Silwan.
Erdogan bars IDF flights over Turkey
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – J’lem officials: Turkish PM not exactly inspiring Israeli efforts to improve ties.
Barak wants initiative to secure US ties
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – Peres praises Russian shift on Iran just before Lavrov visit.
West Bank Palestinians prefer World Cup to rock throwing
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – IDF notes significant drop in violence since tournament began.
Mashaal: More will be kidnapped
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – Hamas leader says price for Schalit will rise if demands not met.
Mashaal warns more soldiers will be kidnapped
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – Hamas leader says price for Schalit will rise if demands not met.
Exclusive: Hamas 4 to stay in J’lem
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – Israel may not deport Hamas officials from city if they renounce ties.
7 arrested in army fraud case
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – 5 non-commissioned officers suspected of stealing millions from IDF.
Israel will not deport J’lem Hamas 4
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – Exclusive: Hamas representatives to remain in city after renouncing ties.
IAF raid hits Gaza,1 killed
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – After mortar lands in Israel, IDF airstrike attacks Gaza City.
“Bibi and Barak are destroying the country”
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – Livni slams gov’t for going from “crisis to crisis.”
Mashaal: ‘The countdown to Israel’s end has begun’
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – Hamas leaders warms that demands for Schalit’s release will grow.
‘Dangerous cell’ of Israeli Arabs nabbed for 2009 cab-driver murder
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – Shin Bet, police say Al-Qaida-inspired terror suspects planned to kidnap IDF soldiers, seize weapons, murder Christians “heretics” for “insulting the prophet Muhammad.”
Peres: Russia is taking Iran seriously
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – President warns of Iranian threat at meeting with Estonian president.
UN summer camp in Gaza vandalized
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – Local UN chief: Vandalism “cowardly and despicable.”
Turkey bans Israel from airspace
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – Erdogan denies Israeli aircraft from using Turkish airspace.
Hamas releases new animated Schalit clip
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jun 2010 – Short video depicts tank explosion, warns “the illusion is shattering.”
The agonizing Schalit debate
Jeruslalem Post 27 Jun 2010 – Concerted US, European pressure on Hamas needed.
International Solidarity Movement
Response to the Israeli Cabinet’s Decision to Ease the Siege on Gaza
6/28/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Bianca Zammit, ISM Gaza – On June 17th 2010, the Israeli Cabinet decided to take steps to ease the Israeli-imposed siege on Gaza by allowing more items to enter. These items include mayonnaise, ketchup, chocolate, sweets and children’s toys, all of which have been prohibted from entering Gaza for the last 3 years. Some other items….
Israeli panel on Gaza flotilla holds first official meeting in Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – ‘I hope that the investigation will make a good contribution to peace in the region,’ said Lord David Trimble, one of the committee’s international observers.
Israeli Arabs ‘inspired by global jihad’ charged with taxi driver murder
Ha’aretz – Yefim Weinstein, a 54-year-old taxi driver from Upper Nazareth, was found dead in November 2009; suspects say police coerced them into confessing.
Thousands call for release of Gilad Shalit in mass rally
Ha’aretz – The protest march by the family and supporters of captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit continues for its second day; Shalit’s grandfather at rally: Why is Netanyahu waiting until we reach…
IDF refuses to give military burial to AWOL soldier killed in traffic accident
Ha’aretz – Soldier’s father says he will bury his son in the living room until the army grants him proper burial in military cemetery.
Israel condemns Egypt press cartoon linking Israel to Nazis
Ha’aretz – Cartoon shows an aid ship apparently bound for Gaza being grabbed by an octopus carrying an Israeli flag with a Nazi swastika in place of the Star of David symbol.
Israeli air strike kills Palestinian militant in northern Gaza Strip
Ha’aretz – IDF: Man killed had earlier fired a a rocket-propelled grenade at soldiers that struck inside Israel.
Barak: It is our duty to bring Gilad Shalit home
Ha’aretz – Defense Minister says negotiations on captured IDF soldier need to further develop, suggests that different courses of action are also available.
Hamas: The price for Gilad Shalit will rise the longer Israel waits
Ha’aretz – Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshal also says he hopes the group’s ‘freedom fighters will succeed in abducting more Israeli soldiers.’, Clip depicts the cross-border raid in which Shalit was abducted,…
Hamas official: Wave of flotillas to sail for Israel after World Cup
Ha’aretz – Israel should expect at least eight more Gaza-bound ships shortly after the tournament, Mahmoud A-Zahar told British daily The Independent.
Report: Turkey closes airspace to Israel military following Gaza flotilla raid
Ha’aretz – Turkey withdrew its ambassador and canceled joint military drills with Israel in response to the deadly raid May 31 that left nine dead.
‘Syria wants Brazil to help negotiate Mideast peace’
Ha’aretz – Assad tells Brazil paper he will discuss possibility of Brazil helping bring Israel to the table with other Arab countries to diffuse tensions stemming from its policy on Gaza.
East Jerusalem fracas leads to heavy clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians
Ha’aretz – Six Border Police officers hurt by stone-throwers, Palestinian women suffer gas inhalation after forces allegedly fire tear gas into homes.
Netanyahu’s U.S. trip threatened by disgruntled Foreign Ministry staff
Ha’aretz – Committee representing diplomats demands wages comparable to those received by Defense Ministry and intelligence service employees.
Shalit family, joined by 10,000 supporters: Everyone wants Gilad home
Ha’aretz – Parents of abducted soldier conclude first day of march to Jerusalem, where they plan to protest outside Netanyahu’s residence until they can ‘return home with Gilad’.
U.S. army chief: I always try to see challenges from Israeli perspective
Ha’aretz – Senior military officials, including Israel Navy’s chief and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, meet Mullen during his short visit to Israel.
CIA chief: Iran has enough uranium for two nuclear weapons
Ha’aretz – in ABC interview, Leon Panetta says Iran will need one year to complete enriching uranium, and another to build nuclear weapon launching pad.
Lebanon arrests telecom exec suspected of spying for Israel
Ha’aretz – Man suspected of ‘supplying Israel with sensitive information’; Lebanon last week arrested Palestinian on similar charges.
G-8 ‘fully believes’ Israel will attack Iran, says Italy PM
Ha’aretz – World leaders meet in Ontario for two days of talks, urge Iran to ‘respect rule of law’ and ‘hold transparent dialogue’ over its nuclear program.
A new boycott campaign laucned in West Bank
28 Jun 2010 – Nablus, June 28, (Pal Telegraph) A new campaign to boycott the products of Israeli settlements started in the governorates of the West Bank, targeted this time the shops to encourage them to join the campaign. The Governor of Nablus Jibrin Bakri, assured that official and popular Palestinian efforts will continue to boycott the products of settlements in the local Markets…
IOF arrests Palestinians on claims of belonging to Al Qaeda, Palestinians deny such accusations
28 Jun 2010 – Nazareth, June 28, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces arrested recently seven young Palestinian residents of Nazareth, north of the Palestinian occupied territories of 1948, on charges and claims of belonging to al Qaeda organization. The Israeli police decided today morning to publish more details of the arrest of these young men for the murder of Israeli taxi driver from the…
IOF opens fire at peaceful march in Khan Younis
28 Jun 2010 – Gaza, June 28, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces opened fire today morning on a peaceful march in the area of “Farrahin” east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, while protesting against the establishment of Israeli buffer zone along the border. The peaceful march was called by the Popular Campaign against the buffer zone in Khan Younis, they urged people from…
Israel opens Gaza’s commercial crossings, no fuel for power plant
28 Jun 2010 – Gaza, June 28, (Pal Telegraph) The Israeli occupation authorities decided today to open the commercial crossings leading to the Gaza Strip. The Chairman of Gaza’s supplies, Engineer Raed Fattouh, confirmed that the Israeli side decided to open today the Kerem Abu Salem and Karni commercial crossings partially to let in goods, aid and cooking gas.
Israel raids Hebron, detains Palestinian
28 Jun 2010 – Hebron, June 28, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided today three towns in the city of Hebron and detained Palestinian. Israeli forces raided the towns of Halhoul, Al-Zahria and Bait Awa, Local sources said. In Diar Samet, IOF raided and searched the house of Aisa Al-Hourob and then detained his son Raed who was detained a week…
Israel raids limited area in Rafah
28 Jun 2010 – Rafah, June 28, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces raided today Al-Nahda neighborhood to east of Rafah, in south Gaza Strip. According to local sources, two bulldozers and Israeli vehicle invaded 200 meter to the east of Rafah, where they razed agricultural lands in the area. Israeli occupation forces opened fire intermittently, no injuries were reported, the sources added….
UNRWA summer games camp set on fire
28 Jun 2010 – Gaza, June 28, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – An group attacked Monday a camp set up by the UNRWA for the summer games located along the shores of Al-Zawayda town, central Gaza Strip, local sources said. UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said that unknown group tied up the guards and set fire on the camp, noting that this was the second…
Israel raids Nablus, detains two Palestinians
28 Jun 2010 – Nablus, June 28, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided today Nablus in the West Bank and detained two Palestinians. Eyewitnesses said that Israeli occupation forces raided Al-Balda Al-Kadema and Ras Al-Ain neighborhoods, adding that they searched number of houses. They added that the Israeli forces detained two citizens at Howara military checkpoint when they entered the city…
Power cuts threaten health disaster in Gaza’s health sector
Uruknet June 28, 2010 – The Ministry of Health in Gaza is warning of an impending disaster, one that is inevitable as a result of the increasing number of power outages to affect the area. The siege on the Gaza Strip has resulted in the restriction of access to fuel for the power plants in Gaza and as a result…
From Gaza To Ramallah…Play ’Safe Passage’
Uruknet June 28, 2010 – You are a young Palestinian woman from Gaza: you have been accepted to study at Birzeit University in Ramallah. In order to leave Gaza, you need to apply for a travel permit to the West Bank by submitting a request to Israel via the Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee, which will forward your request to the…
Israeli Government Releases Blueprint For East Jerusalem ‘Master Plan’ Including Expulsion Of Arabs
Uruknet June 28, 2010 – Expanding on the Jerusalem master plans of 2006 and 2008, the Jerusalem Planning Committee of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior has released the text of a new ‘master plan’ which they are scheduled to approve in the coming weeks. Map showing Israeli settlement expansion in East Jerusalem (UN picture) The plan includes the large-scale…
Mr. and Ms. Leverett, You Gotta Be Kiddin’ Me
Uruknet June 27, 2010 – …By the way, did you forget to mention that protests for the anniversary of the June election were not permitted by the authorities? Why did you forget such an important issue, O former agent of “the CIA, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and the National Security…
Lebanese mobile phone technician is Israeli spy’
The National 28 Jun 2010 – A mobile phone technician has been charged with spying for Israel by giving it access to Lebanese telecommunications systems for 14 years.
Israel condemned for expelling Palestinian politicians
The National 28 Jun 2010 – Human-rights groups and the president of the Palestinian Authority condemned a decision by Israel to expel four Palestinian politicians from East Jerusalem.
Egypt beefs up security after gas pipeline explosion
The National 28 Jun 2010 – The Egyptian government strengthens its security presence on the Sinai Peninsula after the alleged bombing on Sunday of a natural gas pipeline connecting Egypt with Jordan and Syria.
Abu Rdeina Warns of Jewish Neighborhood Expansion Plan in Jerusalem
WAFA – RAMALLAH, June 28, 2010 (WAFA)- Presidency Spokesperson Nabil Abu Rdeina warned, today, of the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee, approving a plan to expand Jewish neighborhoods in
Master Expansion Plan of Jewish Enclaves across East Jerusalem
WAFA – TEL AVIV, June 28, 2010 (WAFA)- The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee is set to approve a master plan that calls for the expansion of Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, daily
Abbas: Waiting for Responses from U.S. Administration
WAFA – RAMALLAH, June 28, 2010 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas said, today, that the Palestinian leadership waiting for responses from the U.S. administration on the eve tour of George Mitchell to the
Israeli Court Criticizes State Not Enforcing Waste Facility Demolition
WAFA – TEL AVIV, June 28, 2010 (WAFA)- Palestinian residents of Ein Yabroud petitioned the Israeli High Court, assisted by human rights group Yesh Din, against the construction of a waste purification
New Phase of Struggle is Born, Eyewitness on Flotilla Raid Says
WAFA – CHICAGO, June 28, 2010(WAFA)-“A new phase of struggle is born, but at a terrible, almost unbearable price: Nine of our brothers taken from us…. Their blood now laps on the shores of Gaza.” Kevin
UNRWA Condemns Second Attack on Summer Games Locations
WAFA – GAZA, June 28, 2010 (WAFA)- At 0230 on Monday, a group of approximately 25 armed and masked men attacked and set fire to and destroyed an UNRWA Summer Games recreation facility on the beach in
Iran ready to resume nuclear talks with West
Daily Star 28 Jun 2010 TEHRAN: Iran is prepared to return to talks on its nuclear program but insists that the West drop its “bullying” stance and include friendlier countries in the talks, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday. In his…
Turkey bars Israeli plane from using airspace
Daily Star 28 Jun 2010 ANKARA: Turkey barred an Israeli military plane from using its airspace after last month’s raid on Gaza-bound aid ships killed nine activists, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday. The most recent sign of heightened tensions…
Israel arrests seven Arabs wanted for planning attacks’ against Christians, Jews
Daily Star 28 Jun 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel has arrested seven Arab citizens on suspicion of planning attacks against Jews and Christians that were inspired by the speeches of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, officials said Monday. According to documents released…
Palestinians ‘cleanse’ shops of goods made in settlements
Daily Star 28 Jun 2010 RAMALLAH, Occupied West Bank: Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad launched on Monday a new door-to-door campaign aimed at “cleansing” shops in the occupied West Bank of goods produced in Israeli settlements. The so-called “Shop-to-Shop” campaign is…
International observers praise Kyrgyz referendum
Daily Star 28 Jun 2010 BISHKEK: International observers on Monday praised Kyrgyzstan’s constitutional referendum, saying the vote was conducted in a transparent and remarkably peaceful manner despite a lingering climate of fear after ethnic purges. While the Organization for Security and…
A Tel Aviv day-trip shouldn’t be a crime | Seth Freedman
The Guardian 28 Jun 2010 – Prosecuting Ilana Hammerman for taking three Palestinian girls to Tel Aviv will foment discord and do little to protect Israelis Despite government claims to the contrary, Israel’s borders are far from impenetrable to residents of the…
OPT: EAST JERUSALEM: TENSIONS AS DEMOLITION RESUMES AND MORE EXPANSION PLANS
Relief Web 28 Jun 2010 – Source: Missionary International Service News Agency
United Nations African Meeting on Question of Palestine to Consider Boosting African Support for Just, Lasting Solution, in Rabat, Morocco, 1–2 July
Relief Web 28 Jun 2010 – Source: UN General Assembly
OPT: UNRWA strongly condemns second attack on Summer Games locations
Relief Web 28 Jun 2010 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Al Mezan Condemns Attack on UNRWA Summer Camp Site on Gaza Beach and Calls on the Gaza Government to Uphold its Responsibility to Bring Perpetrators to Justice
Relief Web 28 Jun 2010 – Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Jerusalem construction plan thwarted
YNet News – Jerusalem Planning and Construction Committee fails to issue permit for….
IDF kills Gaza terrorist
YNet News – Member of Popular Front’s military wing killed by army after firing mortar….
Livni: Netanyahu, Barak ruining Israel
YNet News – Opposition leader issues unusually scathing attack against government leaders;….
Hezbollah: We don’t want dialogue with US
YNet News – Shiite group won’t talk to Washington until it changes pro-Israel policy,….
Indictment: Settlers attacked Arabs in Tel Aviv
YNet News – Two youths from West Bank settlements charged with attacking Arab brothers with….
Barak: Our duty to bring Shalit home
YNet News – Defense minister tells Labor members negotiations still need to develop before….
IDF refuses to bury soldier who went AWOL
YNet News – Family of soldier killed in motorcycle accident says he deserted base due to….
Mashaal: Demands in exchange for Shalit will grow
YNet News – While Shalit family marches on, Hamas’ politburo chief contiunes to blame Prime….
Hundreds stage anti-France demo outside Iran embassy
YNet News – Crowd chants, ‘Shame on Sarkozy! Death to France!’ in protest against rally held….
IDF investigator: Preparations for flotilla’s arrival insufficient
YNet News – The IDF did not prepare well enough for the arrival of the Turkish Gaza-bound flotilla, the head of the military committee charged with probing the lethal raid on the …….
Israel pipeline threatened; Egypt beefs up security
YNet News – Egyptian police beefed up security around a Sinai Peninsula pipeline that supplies Israel with natural gas after a group of wanted Bedouins threatened to sabotage it, …….
French oil giant shuns Iran
YNet News – Total joined on Monday a growing list of oil companies that have stopped gasoline sales to Iran amid a US drive to isolate Tehran and international efforts to curb the …….
2 Israelis attacked in Berlin nightclub
YNet News – Berlin police are investigating whether a brawl at a nightclub in the German capital involving two Israeli tourists and a man of Palestinian descent was provoked by …….
‘Arab commandos’ in Jerusalem?
YNet News – A security firm that employs the veterans of elite British units will provide instruction to 80 Palestinian security guards to be deployed in east Jerusalem. The new …….
Israel protests Nazi cartoon
YNet News – The Israeli embassy has sent a complaint to the newspaper of Egypt’s ruling party about a cartoon that linked Israel and Nazis, an unusual step from a mission that tends …….
Palestinian Information Center
Cairo bars entry of Jordanian unionists into Gaza for 3rd day running
PIC 28 Jun 2010 – Jordanian trade union sources informed a PIC reporter in Amman on Monday that Egyptian authorities continue to prevent the trade union delegation from entering Gaza for the third consecutive day.
Israeli army bombing kills Palestinian, wounds others
PIC 28 Jun 2010 – A Palestinian was killed and at least another was injured in Israeli artillery shelling of eastern Gaza on Monday evening, medical sources reported.
Turkey closes its airspace to Israeli planes
PIC 28 Jun 2010 – Ankara closed Turkish airspace to Israeli planes, reinstating demands for Israel to apologize to Turkey, form an international committee to investigate the Flotilla massacre, and end Gaza siege.
Israeli forces storm Ramleh prison hospital
PIC 28 Jun 2010 – An elite Israeli special forces unit called Masada stormed the Ramleh hospital prison and assaulted sick prisoners and damaged their property, the Ahrar Center said.
IOF troops damage cultivated land in southern Gaza, detain 10 West Bankers
PIC 28 Jun 2010 – IOF backed by army tanks and military bulldozers advanced hundreds of meters into Nahda suburb at the eastern outskirts of Rafah city, south of the Gaza Strip, and damaged cultivated land lots.
Hamas warns of the new IOA scheme in OJ
PIC 28 Jun 2010 – Hamas warned the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) of expanding its schemes to judaize occupied Jerusalem and annex its eastern part to the “Zionist entity”.
Galloway: Lifeline 4 will participate in the world’s largest aid convoy to Gaza
PIC 28 Jun 2010 – Head of Viva Palestina George Galloway stated that his Lifeline 4 would join other convoys to form the world’s largest ever aid convoy that would head for the besieged Gaza Strip in mid-September.
Mishaal demands Moussa to tell who thwarts reconciliation efforts
PIC 28 Jun 2010 – Khaled Mishaal called on secretary-general of the Arab League Amr Moussa to tell the truth and disclose the party that aborted all efforts for the inter-Palestinian reconciliation.
Palestinian security in Gaza discovers woman working for Israeli intelligence
PIC 28 Jun 2010 – The Palestinian security apparatuses in the Gaza Strip managed to find out about a woman who worked for the Israeli intelligence for almost five years.
Israel to approve master plan to expand Jewish zones in east J’lem
PIC 28 Jun 2010 – The Israeli ministry of interior’s planning and construction committee intends to approve an unprecedented master plan to expand what it called the Jewish neighborhoods in occupied east Jerusalem
Vandals Set Fire to U.N. Children’s Camp in Gaza
New York Times 28 Jun 2010 – It was the second attack in the last month. Islamic extremist groups in Gaza have said in the past that the agency that runs the camp is a corrupting influence on local children.
From Gaza To Ramallah…Play ‘Safe Passage’
Palestine Monitor – You are a young Palestinian woman from Gaza: you have been accepted to study at Birzeit University in Ramallah. In order to leave Gaza, you need to apply for a travel permit to the West Bank by submitting a request to Israel via the Palestinian Civil…
Greenwald wounded him. The pack moves in
Mondoweiss – Check out all the trashings of Jeffrey Goldberg: http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2010/06/25/jeffrey-goldberg-shows-a-profound-moral-compass/ http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/06/a_little_message_to_jeffrey_go.html http://trueslant.com/level/2010/06/25/jeffrey-goldbergs-mean-spirited-dave-weigel-schadenfreude/ http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2010/06/jeffrey-goldberg-on-toilet-training-vs-ta-nehisi-coates.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BradDelongsSemi-dailyJournal+(Brad+DeLong’s+Semi-Daily+Journal ) http://www.balloon-juice.com/2010/06/25/jeff-golberg-is-a-worthless-sociopathic-sack-of-shit/ http://themoderatevoice.com/77964/the-medias-game-of-lets-pretend/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+themoderatevoice+(The+Moderate+Voice )
Israel’s Iranian Opposition?
Mondoweiss – Two days ago, I found it curious to learn of a large rally held in Paris by the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI, also known as MEK or MKO) by reading the headlines on Ynet and on Ha’aretz . I usually follow Iranian opposition events via various…
Mearsheimer says ‘apartheid is despicable system at odds with American values’
Mondoweiss – I love it when realists make moral arguments. At the American Conservative, John Mearsheimer declares the two-state solution dead, and Israel headed for apartheid, with the U.S. backing it to the hilt and losing credibility around the world. This situation is very dangerous for the lobby….
‘Terrorism’ is the primary bulwark through which Zionism defends itself from scrutiny
Mondoweiss – On September 11, 2001, George Bush changed the way Americans look at the world and the success with which he accomplished this feat is evident in the fact that his perspective largely remains unchallenged ‚Äî even among many of his most outspoken critics. Bush’s simplistic for-us-or-against-us…
After the World Cup, a big flotilla to set out for the land of burning olive trees
Mondoweiss – And other news from Today in Palestine: Land theft and destruction/Ethnic cleansing IOF burns large areas of olive trees to suppress Ni’lin protest June 26th, 2010— the Occupation Forces, who were stationed behind the Wall’s cement blocks, fired tear gas at the demonstrators and opened the…
[Video] Channel Ten News: Construction starts at Shepherd Hotel settlement compound in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem
Coteret – Transcript follows video. This comes on the day of the publication of the JerusalemMunicipalityMasterPlan, with plans for expansion of settlement enclaves across the city. Last night, riots broke out in the East Jerusalemneighborhoodof Silwan as settlers, backed by Border Police, moved to evict Palestinians from a…
Al Mezan Condemns Attack on UNRWA Summer Camp Site on Gaza Beach and Calls on the Gaza Government to Uphold its Responsibility to Bring Perpetrators to Justice
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights –
Al Mezan calls on the Ramallah and Gaza Governments to Prioritize the Palestinian Interests and Work to Solve the Electricity Cuts
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights –
IOF Continues to Attack Palestinians; Two Persons Killed and One Injured, Al Mezan Calls on the International Community to Intervene
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights –
Israeli plane barred from Turkey
BBC – Turkey blocked an Israeli military flight from Turkish airspace, in apparent retaliation for Israel’s raid on a Gaza aid convoy.
Total stops petrol sales to Iran
BBC – French company Total says it has stopped petrol deliveries to Iran, amid growing pressure over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Gaza gunmen ‘set UN camp on fire’
BBC – Masked gunmen attack a summer camp being set up for children in the Gaza Strip, UN officials say, burning tents and equipment.
Gaza aid ship ‘barred from Suez’
BBC – Iran’s Red Crescent says it has put off an aid shipment to Gaza after being told it could not use the Suez Canal.
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 2009 Annual Report – by Stephen Lendman
Sabbah report – By Stephen Lendman* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Each year, PCHR publishes its annual report on Occupied Palestine, this year’s a detailed 250 page (PDF file) review of the past year, including the first days of Israel’s war on Gaza, Operation Cast Lead, “the major issue…
Kenneth O’Keefe – Countering Israeli Propaganda (Must Watch Video Interview)
Sabbah report – Gaza Freedom Flotilla Eyewitness Report HARDtalk with Kenneth O’Keefe talks about the attack on the MV Mavi Marmara that was trying to run the blockade on Gaza. Part 1/3:Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb7XOGJoCkgPart 2/3:Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1T6uTkvU0c Part 3/3:Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uA8ttjAMlc [[This is content summary only. Visit Sabbah Report…
(en) Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle in east Jerusalem resurrect the Israeli radicals
A-infos – It seems that the increased number (already 10) of locations of persistent joint struggles reported in the Israeli media, and especially the struggle in Sheikh Jarrah, resurrect the Israeli radical left. The Friday joint demonstration of about 500 participants in Silwan against home demolitions was the…
Articles
How to Break the Siege of Gaza?
Lev Luis Grinberg, Real Instituto Elcano, Israeli Occupation Archive6/25/2010
International Cooperation with the Siege of Gaza
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently criticised the countries demanding an international commission of inquiry into the killing of civilians on the Mavi Marmara, calling their demands ‘hypocritical’.[1] Actually, many people agree, although not for the same reasons. What is there to inquire? Which soldier shot which civilian? Whether the civilian passengers’ resistance was deliberately designed to kill the soldiers or whether they were reasonably defending themselves? The problem did not arise once the commandos took over the ship, but with the Israeli government’s decision to blockade Gaza. If the issue is the legality of that blockade, why is a commission of inquiry now being appointed? The issue is political rather than legal, and it must be discussed and resolved in the political arena, rather than through a commission of inquiry, international or otherwise.
The very concept of a commission of inquiry is designed to cover the fact that the international community has accepted and cooperated, whether actively or passively, with the Israeli siege of Gaza ever since the unilateral withdrawal of its troops in the summer of 2005. The cooperators include Egypt and the EU, which has stationed inspectors on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, the donating countries which continue to subsidise the de facto Israeli occupation of Gaza, those who supply humanitarian aid through Israel, as well as the Arab countries and representatives from the entire world who convened after the Israeli bombing of Gaza (Operation Cast Lead), and decided to finance its rebuilding without conditioning the funding on Israel ending the siege.
The main facts about Israel’s conduct are well known, the international cooperation with its government is no secret. It is therefore indeed hypocritical to focus on the violent incident on board the Mavi Marmara, regrettable as it is, as though either the Israeli commandos or the civilian passengers can be considered guilty in any deep sense of the word. The guilt lies first and foremost with the Israeli government, followed by all countries who accept the blockade as a legitimate consequence of Israel’s ‘right to self-defence’…. — See also:Sourcemore..e-mail
How I wish I was wrong
Fidel Castro, Granma6/25/2010
Since June 20, U.S. and Israeli military vessels have been navigating toward Iranian coasts.
WHEN these lines are published tomorrow, Friday, in Granma newspaper, the 26th of July, a date on which we always recall with pride the honor of having resisted the onslaughts of the empire, will still be in the distance, despite it being only 32 days away.
Those who determine every step of the worst enemy of humanity – United States imperialism, a mixture of ignoble material interests, disdain and underestimation for other people inhabiting the planet – have calculated everything with mathematical precision.
In the Reflection of June 16 I wrote: “Diabolical news is filtering little by little between games and games in the World Cup, in a way that nobody is paying much attention to it.”
The famous sports event has entered its most emotional moments. For 14 days, the teams made up of the best footballers from 32 countries have been competing to advance toward the second round; afterward the phases of quarter finals, semifinals and the final of the event come in successive stages.
Fanaticism for sport is growing incessantly, captivating hundreds or millions and possibly billions of people all over the planet.
On the other hand, one would have to ask how many of them know that, since June 20, U.S. military vessels, including the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, escorted by one or more nuclear submarines and other warships with missiles and cannons that are more powerful that those of the old battleships utilized in the last world war from 1939 to 1945, have been navigating toward Iranian coasts via the Suez Canal.
The yanki naval forces are accompanied by Israeli military boats, with equally sophisticated armaments….more..e-mail
Apartheid and Ethnic Cleansing as Diversion
Kim Petersen, Dissident Voice3/1/2010
Apartheid
Although apartheid must be opposed by social justice activists, does the focus on apartheid serve the exigencies of social justice?
First, it must be stated that, given its obviousness, a discussion of whether apartheid is practiced by Israel is nugatory. Still, why the focus on Israel as an apartheid state? Others target Israel for its ethnic cleansing. Others declare that Israel is guilty of genocide, usually prefixed withe words “slow motion.”
Apartheid depicts racism against a people, while genocide denotes murder of a people. There is a whopping difference in between being denounced as a racist and a genocidaire. Gary Zatzman analyzed this in his article “The Notion of the ‘Jewish State’ as an ‘Apartheid Regime’ is a Liberal-Zionist One”:
However, whereas the solution in South Africa always turned upon finding some new form of state in which majority rule would prevail and white-racist privilege be finally extirpated, the cause of Palestine entails eliminating the Zionist junta’s so-called “Jewish state” of European-American colonialist privilege and restoring to the Palestinians what the Zionists stole. How does disabling the racist provisions of the laws and regulations of the State of Israel, and reforming the “Jewish-only” element to become fully inclusive of the entire population, bring the Palestinians any closer to restoring what the Zionists stole? …
For all its serious and undoubted evils and the numerous crimes against humanity committed in its name, including physical slaughters, South African white-racist apartheid was not premised on committing genocide. Zionism, on the other hand, has been committed to dissolving the social, cultural, political and economic integrity of the Palestinian people, i.e., genocide, from the outset….more..e-mail
Blockade “eased” as Gaza starves more slowly
Electronic Intifada: 28 Jun 2010 – As Israel last week declared the “easing” of the four-year blockade of Gaza, an official explained the new guiding principle: “Civilian goods for civilian people.” The severe and apparently arbitrary restrictions on foodstuffs entering the enclave — coriander bad, cinnamon good — will finally end, while a “security” blockade will remain. But in truth, Israel’s “security” blockade is, in both its old and new incarnations, every bit a “civilian” blockade. Jonathan Cook comments.
control
In Gaza: 27 Jun 2010 – The process of entering and leaving Gaza is incomparable to anywhere else. All borders are closed by Israel and Egypt to all but a small number of the students and ill who need to leave the Strip. And now, while the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing is temporarily open, unless you have connections, supreme luck, or money to bribe the Egyptian authorities, you’re not getting out. This includes most students and the ill holding the necessary paperwork. Gaza’s health care system has been decimated by the siege imposed since Hamas was elected in 2006, and from the various Israeli bombings and attacks. As a result, there is a chronic depletion of 141 types of vital medicines and shortage of 116 types of medical supplies, says Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The lack of specialized equipment and expertise means those with certain health problems go untreated , and those with chronic diseases suffer slow deaths–at…
From Gaza To Ramallah…Play ‘Safe Passage’
Palestine Monitor: 28 Jun 2010 – You are a young Palestinian woman from Gaza: you have been accepted to study at Birzeit University in Ramallah. In order to leave Gaza, you need to apply for a travel permit to the West Bank by submitting a request to Israel via the Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee, which will forward your request to the DCO. You discover that applications waiting for an answer number in the hundreds and hundreds, piled up in a dusty room. You succeed in having your application examined by the DCO, but the answer is always the same: Permit Denied, “because students do not meet the criteria for crossing from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank.” You are undaunted, however, and appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court, which answers that “the information available to security officials indicates that Universities in the West Bank area serve as ‘hothouses’ for breeding terrorists.” No way to study…
Lieberman’s ‘Peace’ Plan: Strip Palestinians of Citizenship
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Jun 2010 – By Jonathan Cook – Nazareth Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s far-right foreign minister, set out last week what he called a ‘blueprint for a resolution to the conflict’ with the Palestinians that demands most of the country’s large Palestinian minority be stripped of citizenship and relocated outside Israel’s future borders. Warning Israel faced growing diplomatic pressure for a full withdrawal to the Green Line, the pre-1967 border, Mr Lieberman said that, if such a partition were implemented, “the conflict will inevitably pass beyond those borders and into Israel”. He accused many of Israel’s 1.3 million Palestinian citizens of acting against Israel while their leaders “actively assist those who want to destroy the Jewish state”. Mr Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party campaigned in last year’s elections on a platform of “No loyalty, no citizenship” and has proposed a raft of loyalty laws over the past year targeted at the Palestinian minority. True peace, the…more
Lives Lived and Lost in Time: Remembering Shatilla
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Jun 2010 – By William A. Cook [Note: This is the second in a series as I wait for the Boat Brigade to leave from Tripoli, an event that may or may not happen as politics and legalities intertwine. This is not intended to be news reportage, but rather a reaction to the broader issues revolving around the boat flotillas attempting to breech the siege of Gaza.] “It was the flies that told us. There were millions of them, their hum almost as eloquent as the smell. Big as bluebottles, they covered us, unaware at first of the difference between the living and the dead.” — ( Robert Fisk, Pity the Nation, 359 ) This quote opens Robert Fisk’s account of his encounter with the massacre at the Shatilla refugee camp in 1982, a massacre controlled by the invading Israeli army here in Beirut. This blatant act of horrific barbarity occurred roughly 30 years ago,…more
Gaza Siege: Catastrophic, Not ‘Unsustainable’
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Jun 2010 – By Miko Peled There is still doubt in the minds of serious people about Israel’s attack on the Free Gaza flotilla and the events that lead to the death of 9 of the activists aboard. There can be little surprise of course because the commander of the Israeli Navy, Admiral Eliezer Marom, claims the mission was a success. According to him, thanks to the restraint shown by the Israeli soldiers no innocent activists were hurt, the soldiers returned safely to their base and “9 terrorists were killed.” So there are people, perhaps you event know them, who feel that we should “cut Israel some slack.” Well, I say no! The people aboard Free Gaza flotilla were brave peace activists and were it not for a work commitment I would have been on that flotilla with them. The claims that they were connected to terrorist organizations are utter nonsense. They had…more
Letters from Palestine – Book Review
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Jun 2010 – By Stuart Littlewood Letters from Palestine: Palestinians Speak Out about Their Lives, Their Country, and the Power of Nonviolence. Kenneth Ring and Ghassan Abdullah. Wheatmark, 2010. (Order Here ) I seldom read books from cover to cover. But when Kenneth Ring sent me his Letters from Palestine with a note saying “Here’s my baby,” I couldn’t put it down. Ken presents a collection of personal stories from Palestinians, inside and outside the occupied territories, that provide penetrating insights – sometimes harrowing, sometimes funny, always fascinating – into their daily lives and thoughts. It would not surprise me if, in time, these accounts became inscribed in Palestinian folklore. They reveal the Palestinians’ strength of character so well. For these are among the world’s most civilised and sophisticated people. They have withstood 90 years of betrayal and humiliation, and still they bubble with humour and friendship, thanks to their resilience and a gritty…more
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The New Dark Age 