News
International Middle East Media Center
Mousa: “Peace Without Full Israeli Withdrawal, Impossible”
IMEMC – 2 Jul 2010 – Arab League Secretary-General, Amro Mousa, stated that all efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East cannot reach a positive outcome without a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab and Palestinian lands.
Netanyahu: “Israel Will Not Apologize To Turkey, Will Not Pay Compensations”
IMEMC – 2 Jul 2010 – Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, held Turkey fully responsible for Israel’s attack against the Turkish ships trying to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza, and stated that Israel will not apologize to the attack, and will not pay compensations to the victims and their families.
Hundreds Participate in Ni’lin Nonviolent Protest Against the Wall
IMEMC – 2 Jul 2010 – Hundreds of residents and international activist conducted on Friday their weekly nonviolent protest against the Annexation Wall and settlement in Ni’lin village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Army Attacks Nonviolent Weekly Protest In Bil’in
IMEMC – 2 Jul 2010 – As local residents accompanied by international peace activists held their nonviolent weekly protest against the Annexation Wall in Bil’in village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, Israeli soldiers fired gas bombs at them leading to dozens of injuries.
UK Methodist Church looks for end to the Occupation
IMEMC – 2 Jul 2010 – The Methodist Church in the United Kingdom has approved of a report in which it formally declares the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel as the primary hurdle to peace in the region.
Obama To Give Netanyahu Warm Welcome In Washington
IMEMC – 2 Jul 2010 – Israeli sources reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will receive a warm welcome from U.S. President Barack Obama during his visit to Washington next week.
PCHR Weekly Report: 3 killed, 8 wounded by Israeli forces this week
IMEMC – 2 Jul 2010 – In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 24-30 June 2010, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that two Palestinian civilians and a resistance fighter were killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. One civilian was wounded in the southern Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu: “Israel Willing to Pay High Price to Release Shalit, But Not Any Price”
IMEMC – 1 Jul 2010 – Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that Israel is willing to pay a high price to secure the release of prisoner-of-war, corporal Gilad Shalit, but will not pay any price that would “endanger Israel’s security”.
Rights group says no change to Gaza siege
7/2/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Maintaining the schedule for Gaza’s crossings, Israeli officials informed their Palestinian counterparts Friday that all terminals would be closed for 48 hours. Terminals will stay closed on Saturday, for the regularly scheduled Israeli weekend.Gaza crossings official Raed Fattouh said he expected terminals to reopen Sunday, and limited shipments…. Related: PCHR Position Paper on the Easing of the Closure of the Gaza Strip
Anti-wall leaders push reconciliation deal
7/2/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian protesters called Friday for their leaders to unify, bringing to an anti-wall protest in the occupied West Bank a large banner showing a picture of the late Fatah leader Yasser Arafat and assassinated Hamas founder Sheikh Yasin together. The popular committee in Bil’in, represented by Iyad Burnat, said there is a need….
Rights groups: Israel violates medical ethics in Gaza
7/2/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Human rights groups have condemned what a new report describes as a consistent Israeli policy of only granting dying patients permits to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment. In a study released Tuesday, three rights organizations from Israel and Palestine said the clear policy violates international law, international human rights law, domestic….
Palestinian woman arrested during visit to jailed son
7/2/2010 – Tubas – Ma’an – Israeli forces arrested the mother of a Palestinian detainee Wednesday morning, as she entered the Gilboa prison to visit her son. Sameh Rafiq Daraghmah, from the West Bank city of Tubas, told lawyers from the Northern West Bank Prisoners Society that his mother, Fathia Ibrahim, had been arrested by police. He said he….
Man arrested in Jerusalem; raids across West Bank
7/2/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian man in Jerusalem and raided homes and villages across the West Bank on Friday, a police report said. In a raid on a home in Biddo, East Jerusalem, the owner was ordered to bring soldiers all his gold jewelry, estimated to be worth 61,000 shekels ($15,700 US dollars….
Independents hope to solve Gaza’s electricity crisis
7/2/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian figures unaffiliated with the two leading factions affirmed Thursday the necessity that all commit to an agreement signed to get Gaza’s power situation back under control. In a letter penned by several independents and signed by the leaders of Palestine’s Islamic and national factions, an agreement was reached on restoring fuel imports….
Israel court postpones Jerusalem demolition order
7/2/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Lawyers with the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights reported a court room victory Thursday, saying attorneys were able to secure a stay on a demolition order for a home in Beit Safafa. Ahmad Elayan was given 30 days to demolish his home last month, or face a 24,000 shekel (US$ 6,175….
UN ’closely following’ case of Jerusalem lawmakers
7/2/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A top UN official expressed concern Thursday over Israel’s plan to expel four Palestinian lawmakers from Jerusalem, saying experts are “closely following” the case. Robery Serry, the UN special coordinator for Middle East peace, expressed concern over the legality of deportation threats, and asked Israel “to respect its obligations under international law,” his….
2 foreigners detained at Bethlehem protest
7/2/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Two foreign nationals were detained Friday in the central West Bank at a protest against Israel’s wall, activists said. Dozens of foreigners participated in the demonstration in Al-Mas’ara, a village near Bethlehem, organizers said. Israeli forces clashed with the demonstrators and dispersed the demonstration. Salah Al-Khawaja, a member in the Nil’in popular committee….
US group seeks Gaza flotilla data
7/2/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The US-based Center for Constitutional Rights on Thursday filed eight Freedom of Information Act requests regarding the US government’s knowledge of and actions in relation to the 31 May attack by Israel on a flotilla of six vessels in international waters seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and US policy toward the blockade of Gaza…. Related: Center for Constitutional Rights: Rights Group Files FOIA Requests
Barak extends ban on Sabri Al-Aqsa entry
7/2/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has extended a ban on Islamic Supreme Committee chief Sheikh Ekrima Sabri from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque for another six months, an Israeli lawmaker said. The move came in response to Knesset Member Ibrahim Sarsur, who had requested that Barak reconsider the decision, Sarsur said.”Extending the decision….
Report: Obama to press Netanyahu on extending settlement freeze
7/2/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will get a warm reception from US President Barack Obama on his trip to Washington next week, the Israeli press is predicting. But Obama is expected to question Netanyahu closely on where the peace process is heading, around three months before the freeze on West Bank construction….
Cairo sheikh: Blocking unity deal sinful
7/2/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – The top sheikh at Cairo’s Al-Azhar Mosque branded any person or party blocking Palestinian unity a “sinner,” Egypt’s Middle East News Agency reported Wednesday. Sheikh Ahmed At-Tayeb reportedly declared unity between Palestinians a “religious obligation and a sacred duty,” calling on people “regardless of their affiliations, to rise above their differences.” At-Tayeb….
Lebanon: UNIFIL ends some patrols in the south
7/2/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon halted some patrols of the southern region last week, with Thursday reports saying the decision came from officials in New York. Lebanon’s online news site Nahernet reported that the patrols, with a mandate to ensure the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah following the….
Erekat: Deporting Jerusalem lawmakers violates immunity agreement
7/2/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – As four Palestinian lawmakers face deportation, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat says there is an agreement in place with the Israeli government not to detain, expel or restrict the movement of Palestinian lawmakers in Jerusalem. In a meeting, Erekat informed European peace envoy Mark Otte of the agreement, which he said Abbas is….
Seize the opportunity – Ban Ki-moon
7/2/2010 – By UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon: Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks mediated by the United States continue “” but they are complicated by ongoing crises on the ground. It is essential that all parties refrain from provocations and seize the opportunity presented by the talks. The coming months will be critical in determining whether we can move to….
Franco-Arab film fest brings Jerusalem to the cinema
7/3/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – “Jerusalem, for the last 23 years, we have not had cinemas,” General Manager of the city’s Palestinian National Theater Jamal Ghoseh explained ahead of the launch of the first – Franco-Arab Film Festival – Following in the footsteps of its wildly successful sister festival in Amman, Palestine’s started off slow with organizers from the French….
Under siege, one Gaza horse club remains
7/2/2010 – Ayman Abu Shanab – Gaza- Ma’an – Riding is an authentically Arab sport, particularly for Palestinians, 19-year-old Gaza resident Taher Khaznadar told Ma’an last week, from Gaza’s sole operating horse club. The Al-Faisal Riding Club is open to all, young and old, male and female, as long as they can pay the monthly fee of 250….
In photos: Palestinian students graduate university
7/2/2010 – MaanImages / Luay Sababa – Palestinian students celebrate during a graduation ceremony at Bethlehem University in the central West Bank city of Bethlehem on 1 July 2010….
Palestinian solar car hits Hebron streets
7/2/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – As the world searches for alternative energy sources, a team from a Hebron university built a single-passenger car that runs on solar power. Engineering students from the Palestine Polytechnic University made the 3. 7-by-1. 7-meter vehicle as a graduation project. The car uses hundreds of photovoltaic solar cells to convert….
Are Bibi and the Knesset colluding to block extension of settlement moratorium?
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Maariv is reporting today that on Sunday, the Knesset’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation will be taking up a bill that would require the government to bring any decision to freeze settlements – even for a short…
Netanyahu to Turkey: Israel won’t apologize
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Israeli PM says no apology or compensation for flotilla raid Washington – Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu announced Friday that Israel will not bend to Turkey’s demands to repair ties between the two countries, Haaretz reported . Turkish…
Free Shalit, talk to Hamas
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – I have been thinking about the 23 year-old Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who has now spent four years as a captive of Hamas. To their credit, the Israeli people are simply going crazy over this boy (…
Muslim Brotherhood creates Facebook alternative
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Washington — The Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist political opposition party that is still banned in Egypt, has released its own version of Facebook, the Emirati daily The National reported Friday. The alternative IkhwanBook mirrors the popular…
Poll: Majority Israeli Jews fed up with ultra-Orthodox parties
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Washington — A majority of both Orthodox and secular Jewish Israelis are fed up with the ultra-Orthodox (haredi) parties, the Jerusalem Post reported Friday, citing a recent poll. Tensions have sparked recently in Israel over what…
US group demands info on flotilla attack
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Washington – The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) has called for the US government to release information on the May 31 flotilla raid, a CCR press release said Thursday. The Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara was the largest…
NYC: Multi-faith protest held to recognize Muslim holidays
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Washington — Protesters of all faiths gathered outside the New York’s City Hall Wednesday to protest for the addition of two Muslim holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha , to the public school calendar, Emirati daily The…
White House answers questions on Netanyahu meeting
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Washington – Senior White House officials took questions Friday on US President Barack Obama’s upcoming meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu July 6. US President Barack Obama will meet with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington,…
Palestinian PM: Peace talks stalling
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Washington – Salam Fayyad, the politically independent Palestinian Prime Minister, said proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have not progressed enough to consider direct negotiations, Ynet news reported Friday. PM Fayyad met with European…
Rights group: Israel violates medical ethics
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Washington — A number of Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups have denounced Israeli border policy in Gaza, saying it violates medical ethics, Ma’an News Agency reported Friday. A young Gaza man injured by white phosphorus…
PA, Israeli officials exchange demands in ‘direct’ talks
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Washington — During “direct” talks June 25 between Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor and Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erakat, the two discussed and debated the road forward to peace, with stances little changed. Chief Palestinian…
Palestinian mother arrested visiting son
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Washington – Israeli police arrested a Palestinian woman visiting her son detained in Gilboa prison, Ma’an News Agency reported Friday. The Israeli Prison Authority alleges the women was attempting to smuggle a cell phone to her…
Netanyahu, Lieberman make up after Turkey row
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Washington – Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reconciled with his foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman after a secret Israel-Turkey meeting. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said yielding to Turkey’s demands could hurt Israel’s international image. [Wikimedia Commons]…
Report: 1000+ Jerusalem homes to be razed
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Jerusalem watchdog reveals Israeli approval of illegal demolitions Washington – Correspondence from Israel’s Ministry of the Interior has shown government intentions to illegally demolish Palestinian homes in Jerusalem, Palestinian state news agency WAFA reported Friday. Social…
NIght Beat: Delayed trial for Abu Tir
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Today in Palestine, Israel, the broader Middle East, and beyond: Abu Tir An Israeli judge has delayed the trial of East Jerusalem Hamas PLC member Muhammad Abu Tir, who is facing expulsion from Jerusalem a month…
Road to peace: Opportunities and challenges
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Acad?©mie Diplomatique Internationale (ADI) Road to Peace: Opportunities and ChallengesParis, 29 June 2010 Ahmed Qurie (Abu Ala) Member of the Executive Committee – PLO Head of the Jerusalem Affairs Department Allow me at the outset to…
Millennium goals revisited: Noble ideas, and feel-good moments
Palestine Note 1 Jul 2010 – When the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were first declared, they were met with a sense of promise. A decade later, despite all the official insistence that all is on track, it is increasingly clear…
Neocons: Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran
Palestine Note 1 Jul 2010 – One hoped that the neoconservatives would have disappeared after George W. Bush left office and the Iraq War they worked so hard to engineer proved to be a disaster. All those dead, nothing accomplished except the…
Obama signs ‘tough’ Iran sanctions
AlJazeera 2 Jul 2010 – US president signs new bill to further clip Iran’s financial and scientific sectors.
Methodist Church To Boycott Israeli Settlements Goods
PNN – Bethlehem – PNN- The Methodist Church has today voted to boycott all products from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, and to encourage Methodists across Britain to do the same. The decision…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory ( 24-30 June 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Argentinian President meets with Assad
Jeruslalem Post 2 Jul 2010 – Fernandez calls on Israel to return Golan Heights to Syria.
‘Scud reports add to tensions’
Jeruslalem Post 2 Jul 2010 – UN report says it found no proof of allegations of Hizbullah Scuds.
PM calls for direct talks with Abbas
Jeruslalem Post 2 Jul 2010 – Netanyahu says he would travel to Ramallah to discuss building freeze.
PM: Israel and Turkey need each other
Jeruslalem Post 2 Jul 2010 – During Channel 1 interview, PM expresses sympathy with Schalit family but is not willing to pay a price that includes dead Israeli civilians.
Lebanon: Shi’ite sheikh hospitalized
Jeruslalem Post 2 Jul 2010 – Man said to be unofficial Hizbullah religious leader has hemorrhage.
Lebanon: Shiite sheikh hospitalized
Jeruslalem Post 2 Jul 2010 – Man said to be unofficial Hizbullah religious leader suffers hemorrhage.
C’tee: 800 foreign workers’ kids to stay
Jeruslalem Post 2 Jul 2010 – Yishai expected to reject report to keep most of children in Israel.
FM to PM: ‘It was a mistake’
Jeruslalem Post 2 Jul 2010 – Netanyahu and Lieberman meet to discuss Turkish Foreign Minister meeting.
Arab World: An oppressed, forgotten minority
Jeruslalem Post 1 Jul 2010 – The Kurds of Syria always getting a raw deal.
Mitchell meets Abbas in Ramallah
Jeruslalem Post 1 Jul 2010 – Abbas: No direct talks until progress made on borders, security.
Netanyahu, Lieberman reconcile after feud over Turkey talks
Ha’aretz – Prime Minister and Foreign Minister meet for first time since senior cabinet minister held covert talks with Turkish PM.
Israeli leftists: Jerusalem mayor is handing the city to settlers
Ha’aretz – Peace Now and Meretz launch a campaign against Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who recently backed a plan to demolish 22 Palestinian homes in Silwan to make way for a tourist…
German government passes bipartisan bill calling for end to Gaza blockade
Ha’aretz – German parliament: Israel should instead inspect all imports to Gaza to prevent weapons smuggling and stop future missile attacks on Israeli territory.
Oren: Obama to press Netanyahu on transition to direct peace talks
Ha’aretz – Ambassador Michael Oren says Obama could pressure Netanyahu to extend the West Bank settlement building freeze during their upcoming Washington meet.
Shalit march draws 20,000 calling for prisoner swap with Hamas
Ha’aretz – Netanyahu told the Israeli public that Israel is willing to pay a heavy price in the negotiations with Hamas, but not any price.
Palestinian PM: Direct Mideast peace talks are a long way off
Ha’aretz – Egypt says Arab League may go to Security Council if proximity talks don’t bring progress by September., Turkey threatens to ban Israeli commercial flights unless family of Gaza flotilla victims…
Lieberman demands Netanyahu backing in face of global backlash
Ha’aretz – Foreign minister furious after learning of government’s secret meetings with Turkey, arranged with Netanyahu’s blessing.
IDF probe into Gaza flotilla likely to be more critical than expected
Ha’aretz – Still unclear if Gen. (Res.) Giora Eiland plans to recommend disciplinary measures against commanders, though he will probably ask for more time to investigate.
Ancient site near Nablus ‘too problematic’ to open
Ha’aretz – Mount Gerizim is sacred to the Samaritans who regard it, rather than Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, as the location chosen by God for a holy temple.
Turkey FM under fire at home for secret talks with Israeli minister
Ha’aretz – Two ministers tried to hammer out version of the apology Turkey is demanding over Israel deadly flotilla raid, Turkish sources report.
Chocolate and ketchup flow into Gaza, but still no cement
Ha’aretz – Israel is still deciding exactly what it will and will not allow into Gaza under a new approach towards the enclave, which it has blockaded for four years.
Israel conducts limited incursion in Khan Younis
1 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 1, (Pal Telegraph) Several Israeli bulldozers and tanks broke into the Farrahin east of Khan Younis in the northern Gaza Strip, amid heavy firing towards the houses and property of citizens conducting a limited incursion. Witnesses said that Israeli forces reinforced with tanks, two bulldozers and militant trucks broke this morning into Farrahin area east of Khan Younis…
Israel opens one of Gaza’s commercial crossings, lets in fuel
1 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 1, (Pal Telegraph) The Israeli occupation authorities decided today to open the Kerem Abu Salem crossing to let in food, aid and fuel. Engineer Raed Fattouh, the Chairman of Gaza’s Supplies Coordination Committee, confirmed today that the Israeli occupation authorities decided today to insert 160 trucks loaded with aid for the sectors of trade and agriculture through Kerem…
Rethinking Iran-Contra
Uruknet June 2, 2010 – … The secret relationships, born of the 1980 hostage dealings, created the framework for the Reagan administration’s approval of Israel’s clandestine arms shipments to Iran beginning immediately after Reagan took office in 1981, just as the American hostages were finally released. Those initial Israeli arms sales gradually evolved into the Iran-Contra weapons transfers. Thus, when the…
Home demolitions, arrest raids as Israel implements Jerusalem “Master Plan”
Uruknet July 2, 2010 – Israeli police detained residents of Silwan as bulldozers demolished a horse stable in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood on 29 June, while other construction vehicles razed a small warehouse to the ground in nearby Abu Tur. These demolitions came after Israeli courts decided that both of the buildings were built “illegally” and against “building codes.”…
Mavi Marmara Accounts: Violence, Theft, Abuse
Uruknet July 2, 2010 – As Israel continues to present its own account of what happened when its navy commandos raided an aid convoy destined to the besieged Gaza Strip and killed nine humanitarian activists aboard one ship, witness accounts of Westerners are emerging that discredit Tel Aviv’s version of events. Journalists on board the ships said Israeli soldiers confiscated…
Red TeamCENTCOM thinks outside the box on Hamas and Hezbollah
Uruknet July 1, 2010 – While it is anathema to broach the subject of engaging militant groups like Hizballah and Hamas in official Washington circles (to say nothing of Israel), that is exactly what a team of senior intelligence officers at U.S. Central Command—CENTCOM—has been doing. In a “Red Team” report issued on May 7 and entitled “Managing Hizballah and…
Cement Still Banned as Israel ‘Still Deciding’ on Gaza Blockade
Uruknet July 1, 2010 – A month after Israeli troops attacked the ship, killing nine aid workers, the first of the humanitarian aid from the Mavi Marmara is just finally being allowed into the Gaza Strip today in the form of 82 of the electric wheelchairs that were on board. Long banned as a luxury, Israel is allowing ketchup into…
IOF troops demolish tens of Palestinian homes in Jordan Valley
Uruknet July 1, 2001 – The Jerusalem legal aid and human rights center reported that Israel issued demolition orders against dozens of Palestinians homes in the Jordan Valley known as Al-Aghwar region. The center explained in a statement on Tuesday (29/6) that Israel gave the Palestinian families in the area 24 hours to leave their homes before sending bulldozers to…
Rights Group Files FOIA Requests Regarding Israel Attack on Flotilla Delivering Aid to Gaza
Uruknet July 1, 2010 – Yesterday, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed eight Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding the United States government’s knowledge of, and actions in relation to, the May 31, 2010 attack by Israel on a flotilla of six vessels in international waters seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and U.S. policy towards the…
Lebanon wins economically if Palestinians are granted the right to work
Uruknet July 2, 2010 – A main argument that continues to be made by Members of Parliament who oppose granting civil rights to Lebanon’s Palestinians is that allowing them “privileges” (Ed: quotes mine) would lead to their naturalization and settlement (Tawtin). By this is meant that the refugees might get too comfortable in Lebanon and not want to return to…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory ( 24-30 June 2010)
Uruknet July 1, 2010 – Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (24 — 30 June 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed two Palestinian civilians and a resistance activist in the Gaza Strip. They also wounded four civilians, including two children, in the West Bank and the Gaza…
Israel convicts grassroots activist to two years’ imprisonment
Uruknet July 1, 2010 – On 30 June grassroots activist Adeeb Abu Rahmah was sentenced by Israel to two years imprisonment at a military court hearing at the Ofer Military Complex in the occupied West Bank. Abu Rahmah already spent 11 months behind bars and his arrest and detention is part of Israel’s repressive efforts to criminalize the grassroots popular…
The Battle For Al-Walaja
Uruknet July 1, 2010 – Hidden between the ancient cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, lies the village of Al-Walaja. Home to around 2,000 people, mainly agricultural workers, the land is rich in olive trees, summer crops and other natural resources. But the village is at a crossroads. This year has witnessed a surge in Israeli military crackdowns, as Al-Walaja joins…
THE LANCET: Occupied Palestinian Territory Special Press ReleaseHealth in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 2010
Uruknet July 1, 2010 – Following on from The Lancet’s landmark Series on Health in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) in early 2009, a special series of Comments and Abstracts is to be published annually, with the first collection today. This report provides a detailed analysis of current living conditions for people in Gaza and the West Bank. The abstracts…
Zahalka: “Deporting Jerusalem Legislators, Part of Israel’s Ethnic Cleaning of Palestinians”
Uruknet July 1, 2010 – Arab member of Knesset of the National Democratic Assembly party, Dr. Jamal Zahalka, stated that the kidnapping of the Palestinian legislator from Jerusalem, Mohammad Abu Teir, and the Israeli decision to deport him is part of Israeli political and ethnic cleaning of the Palestinian people. Dr. Zahalka added that this move violates international law, that…
Israel’s new master planQuietly, Israel is preparing the biggest illegal land grab in recent memory, all on Obama’s watch
Uruknet July 1, 2010 – A few days before his scheduled visit to Washington on 7 July, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appears as deliberately thwarting American efforts to push forward indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). This week, an Israeli government body was set to approve “an unprecedented master plan” for an all-out expansion of Jewish…
Jerusalemite MPs seek refuge in Red Cross compound to avoid Israeli expulsion
Uruknet July 1, 2010 – Middle East Monitor (MEMO)The Middle East Monitor (MEMO) has been following the story of three members of the Palestinian parliament and one ex-minister in Jerusalem who have been threatened with the choice of forced expulsion from their home city or arrest by the Israeli authorities. Yesterday it was reported that the Israeli Occupation Authorities had…
Palestinian homes under threat
Uruknet July 1, 2010 – In Silwan, a Palestinian neighbourhood near Jerusalem’s Old City, Israeli settlers are increasingly encroaching on Palestinians’ land. Tension there are high after the Jerusalem municipality approved a controversial plan to demolish 22 Palestinian homes to make way for a park and shopping complex. The European Union has warned Israel over its plans to demolish dozens…
UN Follows Reports of Forcible Transfers of Palestinians from East Jerusalem
WAFA – JERUSALEM, July 2, 2010 (WAFA)- The United Nations is closely following reports that four Palestinian legislators have received orders for their forcible transfer from East Jerusalem by the Israeli
UN Conference Highlights Resolution of Status of Jerusalem as Core, Priority Issue
WAFA – RABAT, July 2, 2010 (WAFA)- As the United Nations African Meeting on the Question of Palestine opened Thursday in Rabat, Morocco, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other
Dozens Suffer Tear Gas Inhalation in Bil’in
WAFA – RAMALLAH, July 2, 2010 (WAFA)- Today the people of the West Bank village of Bil’in west of Ramallah were joined by internationals and Israelis in the weekly demonstration against the illegal
Donors’ Conference Welcomes Progress Achieved by PA
WAFA – PARIS, July 2, 2010 (WAFA)- The Chair and Co-Chairs of the Paris Conference for the Palestinian State welcomed the progress achieved in the conduct of reforms by the Palestinian
Obama signs into law US sanctions on Iran
Daily Star 2 Jul 2010 WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama Thursday signed into law the toughest ever US sanctions on Iran, which he said would strike at Tehran’s capacity to finance its nuclear program and deepen its isolation. The measures, on top…
Settlers warn Netanyahu not to extend freeze
Daily Star 2 Jul 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Jewish settlers Friday demanded West Bank construction restart in September when a 10-month moratorium expires, urging Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu not to cave in to pressure at White House talks next week. The Yesha…
Clinton says NATO’s door remains open for Ukraine
Daily Star 2 Jul 2010 KIEV: The door to NATO membership is still open to Ukraine but the strategic ex-Soviet state does not need to choose between Russia and the West, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Kiev Friday….
UN official warns frustration in Gaza has reached ‘bursting point’
Daily Star 2 Jul 2010 TOKYO: Frustration among refugees in Gaza has reached “bursting point” with further unrest likely unless Israel lifts its blockade against them immediately, the head of a UN aid body said Friday.Filippo Grandi, commissioner general of the…
Iranian rights activist freed from jail – website
Daily Star 2 Jul 2010 TEHRAN: A close aide to Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi has been released from jail after three weeks in detention, an opposition website said on Friday.Narges Mohamadi, who works for the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize…
Israel PM seeks to soothe hardline FM over Turkey talks
Daily Star 2 Jul 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met his hardline Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Friday in a bid to mend ties after sidelining him in talks aimed at ending a crisis with Turkey. Israeli Trade…
Turkey not breaking from West over Gaza row – Gul
Daily Star 2 Jul 2010 LONDON: Turkey is not turning its back on the West in its angry response to a deadly Israeli raid on Gaza-bound aid ships and is firmly part of Europe, President Abdullah Gul said in an interview…
Methodists vote for settlements boycott | Karen Burke
The Guardian 2 Jul 2010 – The Methodist conference has voted for a boycott on good produced in illegal Israeli settlements The Methodist Church voted on Wednesday to boycott products from Israeli settlements recognised as illegal under international law at its annual…
Jerusalem, my new home
The Guardian 2 Jul 2010 – The Guardian’s new Jerusalem correspondent gives her first impressions of the bitterly divided yet beautiful city There is a point on a hill looking out over Jerusalem , right on the 1948 armistice line, known as the…
OPT: Protection of Civilians Weekly Reports, 23 – 29 June 2010
Relief Web 2 Jul 2010 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
RPT-Gaza siege damages Palestinians’ health – study
Relief Web 2 Jul 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
UNITED NATIONS AFRICAN MEETING ON QUESTION OF PALESTINE OPENS IN RABAT, MOROCCO, HIGHLIGHTS RESOLUTION OF STATUS OF JERUSALEM AS CORE, PRIORITY ISSUE
Relief Web 2 Jul 2010 – Source: UN General Assembly
UN following reports of forcible transfers of Palestinians from East Jerusalem
Relief Web 1 Jul 2010 – Source: UN News Service
10,000 march for Shalit near Netanya
YNet News – Day after prime minister clarifies he won’t accept Hamas demands, masses….
Fayyad: Indirect talks with Israel not progressing
YNet News – Palestinian prime minister says issue of independent Palestinian state ‘should….
UK: Intruders acquitted for ‘preventing war crimes in Gaza’
YNet News – Israeli ambassador furious after court clears five residents who caused ¬£180,000….
Obama signs toughest-ever US sanctions on Iran
YNet News – New measures aim to choke off Islamic Republic’s access to imports of refined….
US: Mideast talks making progress
YNet News – The White House insisted Friday that US-brokered indirect Middle East talks were making progress, despite Palestinian complaints that the Israelis were stalling. …….
Soldiers attacked at anti-fence protests
YNet News – Four left-wing activists were arrested late Friday afternoon at protests against the separation fence in the West Bank, on suspicion they attacked members of Israel’s …….
PM, FM reconcile following insult
YNet News – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman met Friday morning on the backdrop of the latter’s anger over the covert meeting between …….
Despite Raid, Mostly Business as Usual for Israel and Turkey
New York Times 2 Jul 2010 – The investment and trade that continue beneath the surface are reminders of the deep and interconnected ties that Turkey and Israel have forged over the years.
Obama Signs Into Law Tighter Sanctions on Iran
New York Times 2 Jul 2010 – The unilateral American sanctions go beyond the penalties imposed by the United Nations last month as President Obama tries to escalate the pressure on Tehran.
Deleting The East
Palestine Monitor – Three months ago Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “spat in Obama’s eye” by timing high-level diplomatic visits with the announcement of sweeping development plans in East Jerusalem. Now history repeats itself as Jerusalem announced its intention to implement an even more ambitious master plan, giving Israelis…
New Yorkers protest Tzipi Livni despite hidden location
Mondoweiss – New Yorkers protest Tzipi Livni. (Photo: Bud Korotzer ) About 50 protesters picketed outside the Russian Tea Room yesterday as Tzipi Livni spoke inside. The protest was organized by Jews Say No!, American Jews for a Just Peace, and Adalah-NY: The New York Coalition for the Boycott…
Flotilla fallout: What exactly was the U.S. role?
Mondoweiss – The Center for Constitutional Rights has filed a Freedom of Information Act request regarding the United States government’s knowledge of, and actions related to, Israel’s attack on the freedom flotilla. CCR attorney Katherine Gallagher explains in a press release : One U.S. citizen was killed, others were…
Newspapers waffle on ‘torture’ and ‘occupation’
Mondoweiss – Many people, including me, get exercised about the New York Times’ bias in its coverage of the question of Palestine. An article reporting the findings of a recent Kennedy School study, which showed that American newspapers essentially stopped calling water boarding torture during the War on…
Petraeus emails show general scheming with journalist to get out pro-Israel storyline
Mondoweiss – Last March General David Petraeus, then head of Central Command, sought to undercut his own testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee that was critical of Israel by intriguing with a rightwing writer to put out a different story, in emails obtained by Mondoweiss. The emails…
My beautiful country
Mondoweiss – In a post headlined “My Beautiful Neighborhood,” Norman Finkelstein picks up a superb report by Thomas Tracy of a protest in Brooklyn of a planned mosque in Sheepshead Bay (h/t Saleema): [O]ther organizers claimed that the mosque’s builders, the Muslim American Society, has ties to Hamas…
THE RAPING OF PALESTINE
Irish4Palestine – Israel steals Palestinian gas reserves, no surprise there, it’s what evil rogue states like Israel do, steal, murder, break international law and stick their middle finger up to the civilised world: POSTED BY IRISH4PALESTINE http://irish4palestine.blogspot.com/ [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full…
Thousands on Israel soldier march
BBC – Twenty thousand people join a march through Israel calling for the release of captured soldier Gilad Shalit, organisers say.
Israeli PM admits ‘insult’ error
BBC – Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu admits making a “mistake” by leaving his foreign minister out of secret talks with Turkish officials.
Egypt police ‘brutality’ charges
BBC – The Egyptian authorities charge two plain-clothed police officers over the death of a 28-year-old man in Alexandria last month.
One West Bank Town’s ‘Unarmed Courage’
Antiwar.com – Ayed Morrar is just one man. A quiet man, of small stature, whose kind but intense eyes look out from behind wire-rimmed glasses. But he is a man who has become the face of the Palestinian non-violent resistance movement. Morrar is the central figure in the…
Lebanon wins economically if Palestinians are granted the right to work — by Franklin Lamb
Sabbah report – By Franklin Lamb* (Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp, Beirut) | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz “These are humanitarian, social and ethical duties, and the Lebanese state must assume the responsibility of providing them to our Palestinian brothers and sisters. Lebanon will not dodge these duties, which must be…
(en) Britain, Anarchist Class War Cambridgeshire trouble-making rag FEN TIGER page 15 – Some more from Magic Phil
A-infos – TOP POLITICAL WEBSITES —— Ian Bone – ianbone.wordpress.com The infamous founder of Class War?¢s wickedly humourous blog about all things subversive. —— Paul Stott – paulstott.wordpress.com Thoughtful and sharp analysis of politics, sport and culture by the Class War/Anti-Fascist Action veteran. — Occupied London – www.occupiedlondon.org.uk…
Bristol Council approves Motion for Sanctions against Israel
BDS – Wed 30 June 2010 – Late yesterday evening, after a long debate, a motion condemning Israeli aggression and its blockade of Gaza, was carried at the full Council Meeting in Bristol. The motion read:- 9. MOTIONS [CPR 2.1(2)(xi)] A COUNCILLOR J KIELY TO MOVE: read more…
Swedish Civil Society Launch “IKEA, Don’t buy into occupation!” Campaign
BDS – Click here to visit the Campaign page on facebook Open Letter from Palestine Solidarity Association of Sweden read more
Swedish Dockworkers Block more than 500 Tons of goods to and from Israel
BDS – The Swedish Dockworkers’ Union blockade of goods to and from Israel has ended. Altogether more than 500 tons of import and export goods were blocked. read more
Articles
Israel still ignores human toll of Gaza siege
Mya Guarnieri, Ma’an News Agency7/2/2010
While additional trucks might be trickling in, Palestinians like Hijjy still aren’t getting out.
The death of 19-year-old Fidaa Talal Hijjy stands as a stark reminder of the needs of the people of Gaza; needs that continue to be unmet amidst Israel’s empty face-saving promises to ease its siege.
A resident of the Gaza Strip, Hijjy was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease in 2007—the same year Israel’s blockade of Gaza tightened to the level that prompted 600 activists to board six ships bound for the coastal enclave in May.
As her health deteriorated, so did Gaza’s medical system. By 2009, the UN World Health Organization reported, Hijjy was in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant, a procedure unavailable in the Strip. So Hijjy tried to leave for treatment.
She secured an appointment in Israel. Her transplant would take place on 23 September 2009. But the date came and went as Israeli authorities, who continue to control the flow of people in and out of Gaza, ignored Hijjy’s request to exit.
Hijjy rescheduled the procedure, this time for October, and again sought permission from Israel to exit. She did not receive a response.
She made a third appointment and submitted an urgent request. At last, Hijjy’s exit permit was granted. But it came too late—she’d died from Hodgkin’s the day before, three days after the bone marrow transplant that could have prolonged, or even saved, her life.
Israel’s decision to ease the siege on Gaza would not have helped Hijjy, and will not help those like her. more.. e-mail
Barred from J’lem over ’security concerns’
Yossi Melman, Ma’an News Agency7/2/2010
The latest gimmick of the Israeli occupation under the guise of “security considerations” has emerged. The test subject: Nasser Laham, a Palestinian journalist from Bethlehem who is close with President Mahmoud Abbas and who advocates peace with Israel.
Some two weeks ago, Laham sought to join Abbas on his visit to Europe and the United States, where he met with President Barack Obama. He contacted the PA’s coordination and liaison office to obtain a permit to enter Jerusalem for two to three hours, so he could get to the American consulate and obtain a visa to visit the United States. His request was denied.
Abbas’ office tried to intervene and a few days later Laham was told that he could enter Jerusalem provided he hire security escorts to accompany him the entire way to and from the consulate and that he pay for them. But when he asked who he should hire to accompany him, he was not given any answers. In the end, the red tape did him in and he did not accompany his president.
Laham, 44, is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Ma’an news agency, which has influence and stature not only in the PA but also in the Arab world as a whole. Israeli journalists read its reports with great interest as well. So why is he actually refused entry into Israel? This is not very clear. The Shin Bet security service refuses to explain, due to “security considerations.”
True, Laham served time in an Israeli jail from 1985 to 1991 because of his membership in a terrorist organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and his involvement in demonstrations and stone-throwing at IDF soldiers during the first intifada. Furthermore, he and a group of friends planned to strike a Palestinian policeman who had been provoking them. — See also: Source: Ha’aretz more.. e-mail
Israel Eyes Lebanon’s Offshore Gas Reserves
Rannie Amiri, CounterPunch7/2/2010
“We are not obliged to state the limits of our State.” — David Ben Gurion, 14 May 1948
In all regional disputes, big or small, Israel will invariably threaten or implement violence. It is the preferred method of conflict resolution. The recent discovery of natural gas reserves in Lebanese territorial waters, and Israel’s claim to them, is no exception.
It didn’t take long for Israeli infrastructure minister Uzi Landau to raise the prospect of war. That is, if Lebanon attempts to prevent his country from exercising full control over the field despite portions apparently falling within Lebanon’s exclusive economic zone.
“We will not hesitate to use our force and strength to protect not only the rule of law but the international maritime law,” he said. It was an absurd statement, of course, in light of the utter contempt Israel held for maritime law in the attack (in international waters) on the Turkish relief flotilla.
The Tamar natural gas field, 50 miles off Israel’s northern coast, is run by a consortium of American and Israeli companies, including U.S.-based Noble Energy. The latter announced that Tamar may contain up to 8.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and a second, Leviathan, 16 trillion. The deposits in these fields, both found in the last 18 months, are more than twice the size of Great Britain’s proven reserves.
Because Tamar appears to extend into Lebanese waters, and in full recognition of Israel’s history of stealing precious water resources from its neighbors, there have been urgent calls for Lebanon to ratify an energy bill…. more.. e-mail
From Israel to Arizona, boycott racism!
Electronic Intifada: 2 Jul 2010 – The US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI) endorses and supports the call for Boycott of Arizona on account of its manifestly racist laws, HB1070 and SB 2281.
Home demolitions, arrest raids as Israel implements Jerusalem “Master Plan”
Electronic Intifada: 2 Jul 2010 – Israeli police detained residents of Silwan as bulldozers demolished a horse stable in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood on 29 June, while other construction vehicles razed a small warehouse to the ground in nearby Abu Tur. These demolitions came after Israeli courts decided that both of the buildings were built “illegally” and against “building codes.”
Deleting The East
Palestine Monitor: 2 Jul 2010 – Three months ago Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “spat in Obama’s eye” by timing high-level diplomatic visits with the announcement of sweeping development plans in East Jerusalem. Now history repeats itself as Jerusalem announced its intention to implement an even more ambitious master plan, giving Israelis unprecedented residency rights in the prospective Palestinian capital. And once again, Bibi is off to Washington. Written by Michael Carpenter. Construction began this past weekend on the hotly contested grounds of the Shepherd Hotel. The compound lies in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, east of the green line, just north of the old city. The hotel itself was considered property of the Jordanian authority (having passed from the ownership of the Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini) until it was purchased in 1985 by Irving Moskowitz, a wealthy American Jew and a major financier of the Israeli settler movement. In the wake of dramatic…
Attack on Gaza Relief Flotilla Jeopardizes Israel Itself
Palestine Chronicle: 2 Jul 2010 – By John J. Mearsheimer Israel’s botched raid against the Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla on May 31 is the latest sign that Israel is on a disastrous course that it seems incapable of reversing. The attack also highlights the extent to which Israel has become a strategic liability for the United States. This situation is likely to get worse over time, which will cause major problems for Americans who have a deep attachment to the Jewish state. The bungled assault on the Mavi Marmara, the lead ship in the flotilla, shows once again that Israel is addicted to using military force yet unable to do so effectively. One would think that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would improve over time from all the practice. Instead, it has become the gang that cannot shoot straight. The IDF last scored a clear-cut victory in the Six Day War in 1967; the record since then…more
Mavi Marmara Accounts: Violence, Theft, Abuse
Palestine Chronicle: 2 Jul 2010 – By Mamoon Alabbasi — London As Israel continues to present its own account of what happened when its navy commandos raided an aid convoy destined to the besieged Gaza Strip and killed nine humanitarian activists aboard one ship, witness accounts of Westerners are emerging that discredit Tel Aviv’s version of events. Journalists on board the ships said Israeli soldiers confiscated all cameras, computers and telephones they found, accusing Tel Aviv of editing the images to suit its own take on events. The Foreign Press Association had strongly condemned Israeli military’s use of photos and video material confiscated from foreign journalists. Sarah Colborne, director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said “it was like a horror movie. There was a massacre going on. There was live ammunition being shot,” adding that Israel had blocked an SOS satellite transmission before raiding the ship. Srdjan Stojiljkovic, a New York-based Serbian cameraman, said Arab activists suffered…more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
To subscribe, please write to OccupationNews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OccupationNews/join
The New Dark Age 
Leave a comment