News
International Middle East Media Center
Soldiers, Settlers, Attack A Protest near Hebron
IMEMC – 3 Jul 2010 – Israeli soldiers and a group of armed Jewish settlers attacked on Saturday nonviolent Palestinian and international protestors who held their weekly protest against settlements in Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron
Egypt Resumes Role In Shalit Talks
IMEMC – 3 Jul 2010 – An Egyptian source reported that officials in Cairo confirmed that the country has resumed its role as a mediator in prisoner-swap talks between Israel and resistance factions holding Israeli corporal, Gilad Shalit, captive since June 2006.
White House: “Direct Talks Possible After Progress”
IMEMC – 3 Jul 2010 – A senior White House official stated that although it is early to determine when will direct Israeli-Palestinian talks take place, some progress was made that would likely lead to this outcome.
Netanyahu: “Israel Willing To Release 1000 Detainees, But Not To The West Bank”
IMEMC – 3 Jul 2010 – In an exclusive interview with Israel’s TV, Channel One, conducted by Ella Hason Nesher, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that Israel is willing to free 1000 Palestinian detainees under the condition that they are sent to Gaza or deported.
Overnight army raid sees curfew imposed on village
7/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces entered at least four West Bank towns and villages in the Qalqiliya and Jericho district overnight, imposing a curfew on one town. Thursday night, a Palestinian Authority police report said, Israeli forces entered the Qalqiliya-area town of Jayyus, conducted patrols of the residential neighborhoods and demanded residents stay indoors until the….
Settlers attack Palestinian farm land in Yasuf
7/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers and residents on Thursday night near agricultural lands between the Yasuf and Iskaka villages in the northern West Bank district of Salfit, Palestinian Authority police said. A report said clashes erupted as settlers opened fire at young village locals after they began throwing stones in response to the….
Abu Teir to face trial Sunday
7/3/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Lawmaker Mohammed Abu Teir will return to court Sunday in West Jerusalem to appeal his deportation from the city. Abu Teir’s lawyer said trial was delayed on Thursday as the court did not have sufficient time to hear his defense. In Thursday’s session, Abu Teir rejected a settlement to move to the West….
Man released after 8 years in Israeli custody
7/3/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli authorities released a Nablus man from the Negev prison on Thursday, at the end of an eight-year stretch of incarceration. Hani Abdul Rahman was detained 4 May 2002 when Israeli forces raided his home and destroyed his shop, human rights researcher Ahmad Al-Bitawi said. Rahman had reportedly been under investigation for 75….
Gaza father appeals to Saudi king to save son
7/3/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A father from Gaza appealed Saturday to the king of Saudi Arabia help secure urgent medical treatment for his son, not yet one year old, in need of a kidney transplant. Abu Muhammed told Ma’an that his son needs ten kinds of medication daily, and spends most of his time in hospital, where….
In photos: Children protest settlement expansion
7/3/2010 – Children from the central West Bank village of An-Nabi Saleh participate in a protest against the expansion of the nearby illegal Jewish settlement of Halamish on 2 July 2010. Holding rocks and swimming goggles in anticipation of the launch of tear-gas canisters by Israeli forces sent to quash the demonstration, children watch from afar while….
Hamas leader: Gaza crossings ’Palestinian issue’
7/4/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Senior Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya said control over Gaza’s crossings was “an internal Palestinian issue” on Saturday to be decided on by Palestinian leaders. The leader’s comments follow reports in Israel’s English-language daily The Jerusalem Post, saying Israel’s defense minister was preparing to hand over control of Gaza’s crossings to the Palestinian Authority….
Paris: Donors call on Israel to live up to commitments
7/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – International donors funding projects and services in Palestine gathered in Paris on Thursday, where they called on Israel live up to its promises on the Gaza blockade, and to ease West Bank movement restrictions.”At this decisive time in the peace process,” a statement from the conference released on Friday said, support from….
UN chief warns of ’devastating’ Israel-Lebanon war
7/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned of “a resumption of hostilities” between Israel and Lebanon in a report obtained Friday by French newswire AFP. Ban warned that “Amidst allegations of continued arms transfers to Hizbullah. . . a perceptible increase in tension between the parties was recorded,” in the 13th report on UN resolution 1701….
Netanyahu will not apologize to Turkey for flotilla raid
7/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not apologize to Turkey for the deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship which left nine Turkish citizens dead, Israeli press reported Friday. In an interview broadcast on Israel’s Channel 1, Netanyahu said “Israel cannot apologize for our soldiers being forced to defend themselves against the….
Report: Mash’al ready to talk prisoner swap
7/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Hamas chief Khalid Mash’al said he was ready to return to indirect talks on a deal to swap a captured Israeli soldier for Palestinian prisoners, an interview published Sunday said. Speaking to Jordanian newspaper As-Sabil, the leader-in-exile insisted “if one Israeli soldier is not enough for the release of Palestinian detainees we will….
Over 20,000 travel through Gaza’s Rafah crossing
7/3/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Over 20,000 residents have traveled through the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt since Cairo announced its indefinite opening on 1 June, crossings officials said Friday. According the Gaza crossings authority’s statistics, 10,531 residents left Gaza while 10,172 returned in the month since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak officially declared the Rafah crossing open….
Allenby Bridge traffic up as summer travel starts
7/3/2010 – Jericho – Ma’an – A PA police report on the week’s numbers at Jordan’s Allenby Bridge crossing showed an increased level of travelers as the summer season started, with 19,209 individuals entering the West Bank. The police statement said the numbers, with a total of 39,808 travelers passing through the crossing both ways, was “noticeably higher than….
Erekat denies Abbas put forward final status deal to Israel
7/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat denied reports on Saturday that President Mahmoud Abbas conveyed a list of proposals to Israel through US Middle East envoy George Mitchell on final status agreements. Erekat’s comments follow a report in the London-based Arabic language daily Al-Hayat that Abbas handed Mitchell an agreement that would including handing….
Fatah: 100 affiliates summoned by Gaza govt
7/3/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Fatah has accused the Gaza government of summoning over 100 affiliates and supporters in the northern Strip, a statement issued Saturday read. According to Fatah, affiliates were ordered to appear before de facto government security forces or intelligence services between 25 May and 1 July. Fatah further said “political detainees are being treated….
UN chief Ban says Israel-Lebanon war possible
Palestine Note 3 Jul 2010 – Washington – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon warned Friday of the possibility of a new Israel-Lebanon war, The Canadian Press reported . UN Sec-Gen Ban Ki-Moon [United Nations Development Programme – Flickr] In a Security Council report the…
Flotilla: Obama warns Turkey against int’l probe
Palestine Note 3 Jul 2010 – Washington – According to an Al-Hayat report, US President Barack Obama has warned Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan against continuing to pursue an international investigation of the May 31 flotilla raid, Haaretz said Saturday. Turkish PM…
Int’l donors demand easing WB restrictions, Gaza blockade
Palestine Note 3 Jul 2010 – Washington – International bodies funding development and aid in the Palestinian territories called on Israel to make good on its guarantees to ease the Gaza blockade and ease West Bank restrictions, Ma’an News Agency reported Saturday….
Report: Abbas gives Mitchell peace proposals
Palestine Note 3 Jul 2010 – PA premier reportedly agrees to Israeli control of Jewish holy sites Washington – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly gave US Middle East envoy George Mitchell a list of proposals to move the peace process forward, Arabic-language…
WATCH: Israeli military lied about Nabi Saleh ‘attack’
Palestine Note 3 Jul 2010 – Washington – Israeli forces arrested two protesters at an anti-wall demonstration in Nabi Saleh, West Bank Friday, saying the activists attacked a soldier, but as Journalist Max Blumenthal reported Saturday, the protesters arrested did not attack…
Jerusalem lawmaker faces trial Sunday
Palestine Note 3 Jul 2010 – Washington – Embattled Palestinian lawmaker Muhammad Abu Tir will go to trial Sunday to appeal his deportation from Jerusalem, Ma’an News Agency reported Saturday. Ma’an said of Abu Tir’s indictment Thursday: Abu Teir’s lawyer said trial…
Indyk: US-Israel relations improving
Palestine Note 3 Jul 2010 – Washington – No on in Washington has admitted the strain on US-Israel relations since US Vice President Joe Biden was the subject of some embarrassment after a settlement-expansion announcement during his March visit. From then to…
How does the future look for Arab youth?
Palestine Note 2 Jul 2010 – Arab civil society leaders gathered on the shores of the Dead Sea were quite sure about the future of Arab youth. Leaders from Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Palestine (both West Bank and Gaza) and Jordan were invited…
Munich raid organiser dies in Syria
AlJazeera 3 Jul 2010 – Abu Daoud insisted 1972 attack that killed 11 Israeli athletes was “not a terrorist act”.
Gaza anger over house demolitions
AlJazeera 3 Jul 2010 – Families cry foul as Hamas pulls down houses saying they were built on government land.
PCHR: Eased Blockade Measures Are Vague
PNN – Gaza — PNN – One month after the deadly attack on the humanitarian flottilla heading to Gaza, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) releases a new position paper on the illegality…
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
Students seek bloggers to promote Israel
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – Hebrew University pioneer project to improve Israel’s image.
Disabled youth hope to serve in the IDF
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – Conference on integrating handicapped into IDF.
Disabled youth to serve in the IDF
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – Conference deals with integrating handicapped youth into society.
Israel Beiteinu aims to make trouble
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – Despite PM-Lieberman meeting over Turkey, party votes against Netanyahu.
US: Proximity talks narrowed gaps
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – Palestinian Authority plays down reports of progress
Hizbullah trying to stop UNIFIL patrols
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – UN Peacekeepers in southern Lebanon attacked.
‘PA won’t let Israel control Kotel’
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – Erekat denies report Abbas had submitted proposals for land swap.
Report: PA would give Israel Kotel
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – Arab newspaper says Abbas willing to give Israel Jewish Quarter.
Hamas detains Fatah activists in Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – Officials accuse Hamas of torturing, humiliating detainees.
Report: PA would give Israel Western Wall
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – Arab newspaper says Abbas willing to give Israel Jewish Quarter of Old City.
Mashaal: Hamas won’t back down
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – ‚ÄòFreedom March’ stops for Shabbat in front of PM’s Caesarea residence.
Mashaal ready to resume Schalit talks
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – But Hamas leader says group will not back down from its demands.
Aboul Gheit: Proximity talks are going nowhere
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jul 2010 – Egypt’s foreign minister says negotiations in their current form could last another 10 years with no results; White House says gaps betwen the sides have narrowed.
Public security minister: Settlers won’t forcibly evict East Jerusalem Palestinians
Ha’aretz – On eve of Netanyahu visit to Washington, Yitzhak Aharonovitch persuades rightist MKs not to forcibly evict four Palestinian families from building in Silwan.
Girl, 8, critically injured by bullet fired to celebrate World Cup
Ha’aretz – Police suspect the girl was playing at her uncle’s house in Nazareth when anonymous men fired bullets into the air to celebrate the Netherlands’ win over Brazil.
Yishai opposes committee decision on migrant workers’ children
Ha’aretz – Interior Minister wants to legalize 1/3 of children of migrant workers, significantly less than the recommendation of a professional committee of government ministry reps.
Palestinian prisoners’ families to urge Hamas: Don’t surrender to Israel
Ha’aretz – Families of Palestinians jailed in Israel to march in Gaza on Sunday to urge Hamas not to relinquish its demands in prisoner exchange deal with Israel.
Hamas and Hezbollah ‘beginning to embrace non-violent tactics’
Ha’aretz – Wall Street Journal reports that Hamas and Hezbollah see civil disobedience, protest marches, lawsuits and boycotts as productive tactics in their fight against Israel.
Report: Abbas agrees to Israeli control over Jewish holy sites in Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – PA president hands U.S. special envoy Mitchell a list of written proposals for a peace deal with Israel, including suggestions on borders and Jerusalem, Al-Hayat reports.
‘Obama warns Erdogan international Gaza flotilla probe bad for Turkey’
Ha’aretz – Following the Israeli Navy commandos’ raid in May in which nine Turkish activists were killed Turkey has demanded international probe.
Palestinian sources: Egypt renews mediation bid for Shalit swap
Ha’aretz – Israeli diplomat Amos Gilad and head of Egyptian intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman hold successful talks, Palestinian news agencies report.
UN chief warns Israel-Lebanon tension could lead to new conflict
Ha’aretz – Ban accuses countries of violating UN cease-fire resolution after Second Lebanon War in 2006, slams Hezbollah for maintaining military capacity.
Israel can’t be trusted to probe Gaza flotilla raid, say Rachel Corrie’s parents
Ha’aretz – Corrie, a U.S. citizen, was struck and killed in 2003 by a bulldozer as she and other activists tried to prevent the razing of Gaza homes.
Iran may agree to formal nuclear talks, report says
Ha’aretz – EU official made comment after senior western diplomats met in Brussels to discuss progress on a fourth round of Iran nuclear sanctions.
Netanyahu: No apology, no compensation to Turkey over Gaza flotilla
Ha’aretz – Netanyahu: It’s good for Israeli and Turkish interests to try to stop the deterioration in relations.
Egypt FM: Israel-Palestinian proximity talks could last a decade
Ha’aretz – White House: Transforming proximity talks to direct peace talks will be major focus of upcoming Obama-Netanyahu meet.
Israeli minister denies promising Turkey compensation for Gaza flotilla victims
Ha’aretz – Turkey threatens to ban Israeli commercial flights unless family of Gaza flotilla victims receive an apology and compensation, according to Turkish media.
Egypt bans arab delegation from entering Gaza
3 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 3, (Pal Telegraph) Egyptian authorities have banned an Arab delegation from the Arab popular mobilization from accessing to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing. The delegation includes 15 members of the Arab countries, headed by Assistant Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Lawyers, Abdel-Azim Al Maghribi.
Israel re-erects Bait Forek barrier in Nablus
3 Jul 2010 – Nablus, July 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation forces re-erected today Bait Fourek military checkpoints at the north of Nablus city, in the West Bank. Eyewitnesses said that Israeli soldiers stopped citizens’ cars and searched them carefully and verified their ID cards. Israel opened the barrier in mind of 2009 while kept a watchtower. In addition to, they erected…
Hundreds of Gazans crossed Rafah border, hundreds were stranded
3 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 3, (Pal Telegraph) The Borders and Crossings Committee in the Gaza Strip confirmed that 10531 passengers have left the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing to Egypt during a full month of re-opening the Rafah border, as 3223 others returned. The Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah crossing suddenly over a month ago until further notice by an order…
50 Ships from around the world will set sail to Gaza soon
3 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 3, (Pal Telegraph) The coordinator of the national initiative to break the siege on the Gaza Strip in Damascus, Maan Bashour, , revealed an overall processing of a fleet of at least 40 to 50 ships in the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Australia to go to the Gaza Strip in a huge attempt to break the…
Netanyahu: Israel wont appologize to Turkey
3 Jul 2010 – Jerusalem, July 3, (Pal telegraph) Benjamin Netanyahu, Head of the occupation state of Issrael, said that “Israel” will not apologize to Turkey and will not pay any compensation because of offensive attack of Israeli commandos on the fleet of freedom about a month ago, which was sailing to the Gaza Strip to break the siege. The Israeli attack has resulted…
Israel laucnhes arresting campaigns against WB workers
3 Jul 2010 – Jenin, July 3, (Pal telegraph) The Israeli occupation Police and units of “border guards” arrested last night and at dawn today, dozens of workers from the West Bank working in the occupied territories of 48. Witnesses said that the Israeli police deployed a force in the center area of occupied Palestinian teretories of 48, then raided the workshops in the…
Gazan prisoner suffers from serious illnesses in israeli jail
3 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 3, (Pal Telegraph) The prisoner Abdul Rahman Shehab, a leader of national prisoners movement explained that the health status of prisoner Eyad Roshdi Abu Nasser — Gazan from “Deir Al Balah’-, who is in prison ‚ÄòNafha” since 2003, Eyad’s health is deteriorating in every moment that passes by because of Israel’s disregard for medical assistance shown to Palestinian…
Nocturnal Terror in Silwan
Uruknet July 3, 2010 – Another night sets in on Silwan. Just two days ago, hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian demonstrators marched together along the narrow streets of the neighborhood, to support the local residents, facing the municipality’s plan to demolish 22 houses. But here, as anywhere in east Jerusalem, happenings do not cease for a moment. In previous weeks,…
Silwan: The Untold Story
Uruknet July 3, 2010 – Silwan is home to 50,000 Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem, just south of the old city. Since 1967, no building permits have been approved in the neighbourhood. As families expanded over the years, residents were forced to build without permits making their homes illegal and vulnerable to demolition. Complicating the situation, the ancient remains of…
Britain more interested in saving Israelis from garden shed rockets than British citizens from Israeli pirates
Uruknet July 3, 2010 – Liberal Democrat party leader Nick Clegg is Britain’s deputy prime minister. A month ago, while reports were coming in that Israeli gunboats had “intercepted” the Free Gaza flotilla 90 miles out to sea and told the humanitarian workers they would be boarded and towed to an Israeli port, I emailed Clegg: “Where is the Royal…
Video: Homes in Gaza destroyed by Hamas
Uruknet July 3, 2010 – In Gaza, around 20 families have had their homes demolished as part of a plan to regulate housing in the strip. The deposed government of Hamas says the houses were built illegally on governmen towned land and should be torn down. But the families say they paid for the land. Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnston reports…
Torture Complicity Under the Spotlight in Europe (Part One): The UK
Uruknet July 2, 2010 – Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when the United States ‚Äî the post-World War II driver of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Conventions, prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment ‚Äî went off the rails and introduced a horrendous global program of rendition, torture, arbitrary detention…
Torpedoing the Lebanon Flotilla — Controlling civil disobedience –
Uruknet July 2, 2010 – Ten days ago I left California to join other U.S. citizens on the Lebanese Boat Brigade‚Äîthe first such effort to penetrate Israel’s blockade of Gaza since the deadly attack on the Freedom Flotilla May 31. I joined other Americans‚ÄîJeff K and Noel I from Boston, Ron D from Maui, Bill S from South Carolina, and…
Jerusalem : Assimilating The East
Uruknet July 2, 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…
From Israel to Arizona, boycott racism!
Uruknet July 2, 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. SB1070 calls for police officers to require documentation from people to establish resident status. The law essentially requires police to engage in racial…
IDF mistakenly summons 7-year-old Palestinian boy to Shin Bet interrogation
Uruknet July 2, 2010 – Israel Defense Forces soldiers summoned a 7-year-old Palestinian boy to a Shin Bet investigation, without checking whether the order was mistaken, Haaretz has learned. On June 10, the Za’akik family from the West Bank village of Beit Omar awoke to loud knocks at the door. The father of the family opened, and three Israeli soldiers…
Rights groups: Israel violates medical ethics in Gaza
Uruknet July 2, 2010 – 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 Israeli law,…
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…
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
Villagers disarm UN patrol in south Lebanon
YNet News – Residents of Tuline pelt UNIFIL troops with rocks, eggs, briefly take over….
Planner of Munich Olympics attack dies in Syria
YNet News – Daughter says Mohammed Oudeh, mastermind behind 1972 attack that killed 11….
‘Saudi king says Israel, Iran don’t deserve to exist’
YNet News – Le Figaro says King Abdullah told French defense minister days after Gaza….
US official: Iran moves radar to Syria
YNet News – Anonymous American official confirms sophisticated radar that could provide….
UN warns of renewed violence between Hezbollah and Israel
YNet News – Ban Ki-moon says allegations of Scud missile transfer to Shiite group causing….
Argentina backs ‘return of Golan to Syria’
YNet News – After Assad expresses support of Argentina’s territorial claims on Falkland….
Jewish-Arab clash averted
YNet News – A confrontation between right-wing activists and east Jerusalem Arabs was averted for the time being, in an effort not to undermine Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s …….
Gaza prisoners’ families talk tough on Shalit deal
YNet News – Palestinian response to Shalit March: The parents of Palestinian prisoners will be holding a protest Sunday outside the home of senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Zahar, …….
Hamas: Ships do more than rockets
YNet News – The two terror groups responsible for most Israeli casualties in recent years, Hamas and Hezbollah, are increasingly towing the line with Fatah’s non-violent approach …….
Ahmadinejad: Sanctions pathetic
YNet News – The latest sanctions against Iran are pathetic, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday, warning world powers they would regret their bullying. In his first …….
Report: Abbas says Israel can keep Kotel
YNet News – Are the Palestinians easing up on their demands on one of the places Israel has no plans of relinquishing? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recently gave US special …….
Security forces suspected of abusing 4 Palestinians in recent months
B’tselem 29 Jun 2010 – B’Tselem has documented three cases in recent months in which Palestinians suspected of being in Israel without a permit report severe abuse by the Israeli security forces. After B’Tselem submitted a complaint, the Military Police Investigation Unit and tgram FilesQuickTimeQTSystem
Palestinian Information Center
Egyptian Delegation: Life of the people of Gaza intolerable
PIC 3 Jul 2010 – Members of a visiting Egyptian solidarity delegation said in Gaza on Saturday that the situation in the besieged Gaza Strip is “very difficult”, stating, “It’s an unbearable life”.
Palestinian trade unions call for immediate action to end electricity crisis
PIC 3 Jul 2010 – The Palestinian trade unions called on all free people to intervene and take urgent action to lift the siege on Gaza and fulfill their responsibilities in putting an end to the electricity crisis.
Mishaal: West Bank to restore resistance program
PIC 3 Jul 2010 – Hamas political bureau chairman Khaled Mishaal has affirmed that the West Bank would restore its resistance program and that the siege on Gaza Strip would end soon.
Foundation reveals Israeli plans to increase demolitions of homes in OJ
PIC 3 Jul 2010 – The Makdesi Foundation confirmed IOA intention to soon resume demolition of hundreds of Palestinian homes in Occupied Jerusalem, on allegations that the houses are “illegal”.
IOF soldiers quell anti settlement march, settlers burn Palestinian cars
PIC 3 Jul 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and Zionist settlers attacked a Palestinian weekly peaceful march that was organized by activists and farmers in Beit Ummar, north of Al-Khalil, on Saturday.
UN officials meet with Jerusalemite officials Israel wants to exile
PIC 3 Jul 2010 – The Palestinian officials, threatened with expulsion from occupied Jerusalem, received Friday evening senior UN officials at the sit-in location inside the courtyards of the Red Cross headquarters.
Resheq: Hamas ready to resume swap deal talks
PIC 3 Jul 2010 – Ezzat Al-Resheq expressed his Movement’s willingness to resume the swap deal talks at the point where they stopped if there were an honest mediator and safeguards protecting what would be agreed upon.
Sit-in in protest at decision to exile officials from J’lem continues
PIC 3 Jul 2010 – The sit-in which started at the Red Cross headquarters in solidarity with the four Palestinian officials threatened with exile from Jerusalem is still taking place for the second consecutive day.
Netanyahu refuses to apologize to Turkey over flotilla massacre
PIC 3 Jul 2010 – “Israel won’t apologize to Turkey over the Gaza aid flotilla clashes and the possibility of giving compensation to those injured in the incident is not up for discussion,” Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Hamas slams Egypt for barring Arab delegation from visiting Gaza
PIC 3 Jul 2010 – Hamas strongly denounced the Egyptian authorities for preventing the delegation of the Arab grassroots mobilization committee against the siege from crossing into the Gaza Strip.
Diplomatic Memo: Nudge on Arms Further Divides U.S. and Israel
New York Times 4 Jul 2010 – The United States has urged Israel to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, yielding to demands by Arab nations.
Silwan: The Untold Story
Palestine Monitor – Silwan is home to 50,000 Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem, just south of the old city. Since 1967, no building permits have been approved in the neighbourhood. As families expanded over the years, residents were forced to build without permits making their homes illegal and vulnerable…
“We Are The Accusers, Not The Accused”
Palestine Monitor – On 16th January 2009 seven U.K. peace activists broke into the premises of EDO MBM, suppliers of weapons components and in the words of one of them, Elijah Smith ‘set out to smash it up to the best of our abilities’. It was an entirely accountable…
Assimilating 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…
Interview with Haithem El-Zabri at the U.S. Social Forum, re: Palestine Online Store
Palestine Think Tank – I distinctly remember a friend in Birzeit pleading with me “when you go back, tell the Americans what you saw and what is really happening here.” And that immediately became my mission in life. I tear up every time I think about it, because the Palestinian…
Munich Olympics massacre man dies
BBC – The Palestinian mastermind of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre that killed 11 Israeli athletes, Mohammed Oudeh, dies.
‘Horror years’
BBC – Why Iran’s Bahai minority fears new persecution
Outgoing UN Nuclear Inspector Pushed Dubious Iran Nuclear Weapons Intel
Antiwar.com – Olli Heinonen, the Finnish nuclear engineer who resigned Thursday after five years as deputy director for safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was the driving force in turning that agency into a mechanism to support U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran. Heinonen was instrumental…
Britain more interested in saving Israelis from garden shed rockets than British citizens from Israeli pirates — by Stuart Littlewood
Sabbah report – By Stuart Littlewood* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Liberal Democrat party leader Nick Clegg is Britain’s deputy prime minister. A month ago, while reports were coming in that Israeli gunboats had “intercepted” the Free Gaza flotilla 90 miles out to sea and told the humanitarian workers…
To end the occupation, cripple Israeli banks — by Terry Crawford-Browne
Sabbah report – By Terry Crawford-Browne* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz The international banking sanctions campaign in New York against apartheid South Africa during the 1980s is regarded as the most effective strategy in bringing about a nonviolent end to the country’s apartheid system. The campaign culminated in President…
Protesters picket speech by Israel’s Tzipi Livni at New York City’s Russian Tea Room
Sabbah report – Chanting “Tzipi Livni, you can’t hide ‚Äî we charge you with genocide” and calling for Livni to be prosecuted for Israeli war crimes in Gaza, a group of 50 protesters picketed on West 57th Street outside New York’s venerable Russian Tea Room on Thursday evening in…
(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…
Articles
Dr. Strangelove, Made in Israel
Philip Giraldi, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs7/1/2010
July 2010
ONE would expect the Air Force’s top civilian adviser to be someone who has spent some time in the U.S. military or who has a very particular education, or skill set that brings something special to what is, after all, a very senior and sensitive position. Not so. Dr. Lani Kass, senior special assistant to the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, was born, raised, and educated in Israel and then served in that country’s military, where she reached the rank of major. She has a Ph.D. in Russian studies but advises Air Force generals on cyberwarfare, terrorism, and the Middle East.
Dr. Lani Kass is married to Norman Kass, a former Pentagon deputy assistant secretary of defense, and resides in McLean, Virginia. She has been naturalized as a U.S. citizen and is presumably a dual national who now holds both American and Israeli passports. Her three children were all born in Israel. While it is perhaps not unusual for American citizens to volunteer with the Israel Defense Forces, as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel did in 1991, it would have to be considered unprecedented for a senior Israeli military officer to obtain a high level position at the Pentagon. In fact, it is hard to imagine that anyone carrying out a security background investigation would approve such a transition under any circumstances, suggesting the possibility that Kass’ ascent to high office might have been aided or even godfathered by friends in key positions who were able to override or circumvent normal procedures.
Indeed, Kass appears to have close and continuing ties to her country of birth, frequently spicing her public statements with comments about life in Israel while parroting simplistic views of the nature of the Islamic threat that might have been scripted in Tel Aviv’s Foreign Ministry.
Information has come to light on Kass that heightens my concern about her high position in the United States government’s defense and security establishment…. more.. e-mail
Co-Author of Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Flotillaa Assault and BDS
St?©phane Hessel, Huffington Post, Global BDS Movement6/15/2010
Israel’s illegal and immoral attack on the Freedom Flotilla humanitarian aid convoy, which left at least nine dead and dozens injured, has rightfully stunned the world.
The all-civilian convoy of 6 ships carried over 10,000 tons of critically-needed humanitarian aid and nearly 700 citizens from 40 countries. The Flotilla was an ambitious attempt to break the siege imposed by Israel on the 1.5 million Palestinians of the occupied Gaza strip, since 2007. Carrying distinguished parliamentarians, religious leaders, authors, journalists, a Nobel Peace Laureate, and a Holocaust survivor, the relief convoy aimed not only to provide relief supplies to Gaza; it sought to direct the international spotlight towards the humanitarian crisis imposed on Gaza’s residents and the imperative to end it. There is no denying that the latter objective has succeeded, albeit with tragic consequences.
The Israeli attack on the unarmed aid convoy in international waters was “[a clear] violation of international humanitarian law, international law of the seas, and [by most interpretations] international criminal law,” to use the words of Richard Falk, Professor of International Law and UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It is a sad reality that world governments have for too long become either complicit or apathetic to Israel’s crimes and fostered its culture of impunity, under a shield of unquestionable backing by the US. Its initial condemnation notwithstanding, the US government has pressured the UN Security Council members, again, to adopt ambiguous language which relieves Israel of responsibility and creates parity between aggressor and victim.
Characteristically, the Israeli government has blamed the victims of its raid for attacking the Israeli soldiers, claiming “self-defense.” Prominent legal expert and Director of the Sydney Centre for International Law at Sydney Law School, Professor Ben Saul, squarely refutes Israel’s claim arguing: “Legally speaking, government military forces rappelling onto a ship to illegally capture it are treated no differently than other criminals…. — See also: Source more.. e-mail
A broomstick can shoot
Uri Avnery, Ma’an News Agency7/3/2010
A victory is a victory. A big victory is better than a small one, but a small victory is better than a defeat.
This week we won.
Immediately after the Turkel Commission was set up to investigate the raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship which left nine civilians dead, Israeli peace organization Gush Shalom filed a petition with Israel’s Supreme Court of Justice against its appointment. We demanded its replacement by a full-fledged State Commission of Inquiry.
The court hearing was fixed for Wednesday. But on Tuesday afternoon, the attorney-general’s office called our lawyer, Gabi Lasky: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had decided at the last moment to increase the powers of the commission, and the government was about to confirm the change. Therefore, the attorney-general asked us to agree to a postponement of the hearing for ten days.
Not a single Israeli newspaper had published a word about our application — something unthinkable if it had been the initiative of a right-wing organization. But after the change, it became impossible to ignore it anymore: almost all papers pointed out that our application had played an important role in Netanyahu’s decision.
Israeli justice Jacob Turkel and his friend, Jacob Neeman, the Minister of Justice who appointed him, had come to the conclusion that they would be defeated in court. That’s why Turkel demanded an increase in the number of the commission members as well as its powers.
At the beginning, the commission had not been accorded any legal standing at all. Netanyahu just asked three nice people to find out if the government’s actions were consistent with international law, nothing more. more.. e-mail
Silwan: The Untold Story
Palestine Monitor: 3 Jul 2010 – Silwan is home to 50,000 Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem, just south of the old city. Since 1967, no building permits have been approved in the neighbourhood. As families expanded over the years, residents were forced to build without permits making their homes illegal and vulnerable to demolition. Complicating the situation, the ancient remains of the City of David lie below the heart of the neighbourhood. In the 1990’s ELAD, a private settler organisation, took over management and promotion of the site. Since then, they have closed off public areas and been accused of invasive archaeology. Recently the Planning and Building Committee of Jerusalem approved a plan to demolish 22 Palestinian homes to make way for Israeli settlement growth as well as the construction of a tourist centre, the King’s Garden which will include restaurant and boutiques. Rebecca Fudala visited the neighbourhood. / Silwan, in East Jerusalem / Entrance to the City…
“We Are The Accusers, Not The Accused”
Palestine Monitor: 3 Jul 2010 – On 16th January 2009 seven U.K. peace activists broke into the premises of EDO MBM, suppliers of weapons components and in the words of one of them, Elijah Smith ‘set out to smash it up to the best of our abilities’. It was an entirely accountable action which was always intended to end in a trial and each decommissioner had pre-recorded a video in which they stated the reasons for their participation —to help dismantle the war machine from the factory floor. Once inside the building, they barricaded themselves in and set to work. Equipment used to make weapon components were trashed and computers, filing cabinets and office furnishings were thrown out of the windows. Once they were done they calmly waited for the police to arrest them. Two activists who supported them outside the factory gates were also on trial. All of the defendants have argued that what they…
Assimilating 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…
A Broomstick Can Shoot
Palestine Chronicle: 3 Jul 2010 – By Uri Avnery — Israel A victory is a victory. A big victory is better than a small one, but a small victory is better than a defeat. This week we won. Immediately after the Turkel Commission was set up to investigate the flotilla incident, Gush Shalom filed a petition to the Supreme Court of Justice against its appointment. We demanded its replacement by a full-fledged State Commission of Inquiry. The court hearing was fixed for last Wednesday. But on Tuesday afternoon, the Attorney General’s office called our lawyer, Gabi Lasky: the Prime Minister had decided at the last moment to increase the powers of the commission, and the government was about to confirm the change. Therefore, the Attorney General asked us to agree to a postponement of the hearing for ten days. Not a single Israeli newspaper had published a word about our application — something unthinkable if it…more
Faltering Clegg Won’t Walk the Walk
Palestine Chronicle: 3 Jul 2010 – By Stuart Littlewood — London A month ago, while reports were coming in that Israeli gunboats had ‘intercepted’ the Free Gaza flotilla 90 miles out to sea and told the humanitarian workers they would be boarded and towed to an Israeli port, I emailed Clegg: ‘Where is the Royal Navy when it’s needed to protect life and limb of the 30-odd British nationals?’ Ministers received advanced warning of Israel’s threats to stop the flotilla “by any means”. What was needed was firm intervention. Just for a change the British people wanted their government to do them proud on the international stage and protect those brave souls on their peaceful mission to bring relief to Palestinians whose lives have been made a living hell by the bully-boys of the Middle East. They were, after all, only doing the right thing… doing what the West’s cowardly governments wet their pants at the…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