News
International Middle East Media Center
Five Wounded In Hebron
IMEMC – 7 Jul 2010 – Palestinian medical sources in Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, reported that five residents suffered concussions and bruises in two separate attacks carried out by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the city.
PHR – Israel Issues Report on Gaza, Calls For End To Siege
IMEMC – 7 Jul 2010 – Physicians For Human Rights – Israel has released a report, on Wednesday, detailing the progressive degradation of the medical situation in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing siege upon the coastal enclave. The report comes as a response to the Israeli cabinet decision of June 20, 2010, to ease the blockade.
Clashes Reported In Wadi Ara As Israeli Bulldozers Demolish Arab Home
IMEMC – 7 Jul 2010 – Bulldozers belonging to the Israeli Ministry of Interior, supported by dozens of armored military vehicles and police cars, demolished on Wednesday at dawn the home of No’man Abu Salem from Ara village in the Northern Triangle area.
Charges Filed Against Soldier Who Killed Two Women In Gaza
IMEMC – 7 Jul 2010 – The Israeli Military Court filed charges against an Israeli soldier of the Givati Brigade after he was convicted of direct involvement in the killing of two Palestinian women during the Israeli Cast Lead offensive against the Gaza Strip.
Israel To Demolish Two Homes, Workshop, In Nablus
IMEMC – 7 Jul 2010 – Israeli soldiers handed residents of Borqa village, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, military orders informing them that the army intends to demolish their homes under the pretext that they are built in “Area C”.
White House: “Direct Talks To Resume Within Weeks”
IMEMC – 7 Jul 2010 – Following the meeting between U.S. President, Barack Obama, and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said that direct Palestinian-Israeli talks will resume in the coming weeks.
Soldiers, Policemen, Carried Out 50 Attacks In Jerusalem in June
IMEMC – 7 Jul 2010 – The Land Research Center In Jerusalem reported that Israeli soldiers and policemen conducted 50 documented attacks against the Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem, and their property, during the month of June.
J’lem lawmaker says officials did not sign expulsion deal
7/7/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – A Palestinian lawmaker from Jerusalem threatened with deportation by Israel denied reports on Wednesday that he and three other officials signed a deal on their expulsion. In an interview with the Ma’an Radio Network, Khaled Abu Arafah, the former Jerusalem minister, said “Israel has renewed its threats to expel the lawmakers from Jerusalem….
Israel releases Gaza ban list
7/7/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A new status quo was established for the Israeli siege on Gaza, with imports remaining seven percent above 2009 levels, as a comprehensive list of banned goods and a policy statement was released by Israel on Tuesday. The announcement that Israel had made modifications to the land crossings, including “modifications of the infrastructure….
PA minister banned from entering Israel
7/7/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – PA Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqe was denied entry into Israel on Tuesday and stripped of his VIP card permitting him to cross Israeli military checkpoints without harassment. The minister told Ma’an that he was en route to a meeting in Nazareth with a follow-up committee on the cases of Palestinian prisoners….
Family says detainee transferred as punitive measure
7/7/2010 – Tulkarem – Ma’an – The Israeli Prison Services transferred a Tulkarem detainee from the Ber Sheba prison to the Ramon prison, relatives said Wednesday. Yasser Hatem Jayyousi’s brother, Mohammad, said his family received a phone call from the Israeli intelligence services informing them of the transfer, and was told that a scheduled visit on Wednesday was canceled….
Egypt kills African migrant at Israel border
7/7/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Egyptian police shot and killed an Eritrean migrant as he tried to cross the border illegally into Israel, a security official told Agence-France Presse on Wednesday. According to the AFP report, Egyptian border police warned the 36-year-old man to stop and when he refused they fired shots, the official said. He….
Dairy farmers say Israeli ban on goods ’retaliatory’
7/7/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian Dairy Council accused Israel of imposing a political ban on meat and dairy products and preventing West Bank produce from being sold in Jerusalem on Tuesday. Council headMohammad As-Sous said factories received word at the end of June that their produce no longer fit the specifications for entry into Israel, including….
Official says no news on entry of banned newspapers
7/7/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian crossings officials and the Gaza government did not receive official notice on Israel’s decision to lift its ban on Palestinian newspapers entering the Strip, a crossings official said Wednesday. Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said he had yet to receive information on lifting ban on Al-Quds, Al-Ayyam, and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, which was….
Israel’s list of banned goods into Gaza
7/7/2010 – Below is the official statement issued by Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories on 6 July 2010 and a list of goods barred from entry into Gaza.Israel and the PA established joint-teams, as a part of the expansionof the land crossings’ operation, and immediate steps were carried out in order to improve the efficiency of their operation…. Related: Gisha: Unraveling the Closure of Gaza (PDF)
B’Tselem repeats call for Gaza war investigation
7/7/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – As the Israeli military announced it indicted two soldiers for their conduct during its winter assault on Gaza, Israeli organization B’Tselem renewed its call for an independent Israeli investigation. B’Tselem’s own investigations into the attack on Gaza echoed the findings of the UN fact finding mission headed by jurist Richard Goldstone. The UN….
Nearly 2,000 Palestinians travel via Rafah
7/7/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an -A report compiled by the Gaza government revealed Wednesday that nearly 2,000 residents passed through the Rafah crossing on Egypt’s border. According to the report, 969 Palestinians left Gaza between Monday and Tuesday, while 993 returned, as Egypt continues to open its southern crossing with the Strip following a near three-year closure with….
Abbas’ office denies reports on direct talks
7/7/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaineh denied reports in Israeli media on Wednesday that Palestinian officials have put forward suggestions to enter into direct talks with Israel. Speaking on the Ma’an Radio Network, Abu Rudaineh said “the Palestinian president needs to know the basis upon which Israel will negotiate, the borders it will discuss….
Cautious response to Israel’s new list of permitted Gaza imports
7/7/2010 – Gaza City – IRIN – The UN and international relief organizations have cautiously welcomed Israel’s easing of import restrictions on the Gaza Strip, but say only the complete lifting of the blockade can address the humanitarian crisis.” We welcome any steps towards the rapid ending of the blockade. But to be clear, a blockade of any sort….
Polish court orders Mossad spy suspect extradited
7/7/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – A Polish court has ordered the extradition to Germany of an Israeli man suspected of being a Mossad agent involved in the assassination of a high-ranking Hamas official in Dubai in January, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. Warsaw district court Judge Tomasz Calkiewicz on Wednesday ordered that Uri Brodsky be extradited on….
Gaza court issues death sentence
7/7/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza’s Central Court handed down a death sentence on Tuesday morning, following the conviction of an An-Nuseirat refugee camp man for the murder of a child. Nine-year-old Ahmad Mussa Faraj-Allah, also from An-Nuseirat camp, was found dead in a plastic bag in November, with his hands and feet bound. An autopsy revealed that….
Hebron police disperse 4 brawls, arrest 21
7/7/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority police dispersed four fights across the southern West Bank district of Hebron on Wednesday and arrested 21 residents suspected of involvement, a report read. A police force was called to the Halhul village to break up one of the fights, which resulted in the arrest of eight residents, the report said….
Tulkarem police seize all fireworks from markets
7/7/2010 – Tulkarem – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority police in the northern West Bank district of Tulkarem confiscated large quantities of fireworks and toy guns from stores across the district on Wednesday, as part of an anti-fireworks campaign, police said. A report issued by the Tulkarem police said the campaign was launched as the wedding season approaches because of….
Report: Abbas wants Nobel Prize
7/7/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – President Mahmoud Abbas is trying to persuade the Nobel committee to award him the Peace Prize, Israeli media reported Wednesday. Unnamed diplomatic sources in Oslo revealed Abbas has recruited mediators, including the PLO’s Jerusalem affairs chief Ahmed Qrei’a, to convince the committee to grant him the prize, Israeli news site Ynet said….
French surgeons operate in Gaza
7/7/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A French delegation specializing in peripheral neuropathy performed 38 surgeries and 130 examinations in Gaza during its ongoing visit. The delegation is headed by neurosurgeon professor Christopher Oblan, who has visited the Strip several times to train doctors. The surgeon supervised a diploma in specialized surgeries at the Nasser Medical Complex, which 28….
Residents fear snake infestation
7/7/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – West Bank residents have reported an increase in poisonous snakes across districts with the reptiles leaving their burrows and nests as temperatures rise, in search of food. Hussein Al-Tawil, 44, said he was called on by residents in the Al-Hawooz area of Hebron to kill a large, 25-year-old snake. Al-Tawil said the….
CNN fires Mideast editor after Twitter remark
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – New York – CNN on Wednesday fired its senior Middle East editor, Octavia Nasr, after she made a comment on Twitter praising the Lebanese Shiite cleric the Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, who died on Sunday….
The play’s the thing for Bibi and Obama
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – DC theater at its best. That’s what we had today as the much-anticipated photo-op meeting between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took place. Both parties got what they wanted. Obama had…
Goldberg watch: Jeff moves toward call for bombing Iran
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Nice video! Chamberlain. Hitler. The Holocaust. The neocons are ready to march (metaphorically). And the word here in Washington is that Atlantic blogger Jeff Goldberg is about to publish a neocon magnum opus calling for bombing…
Netanyahu 1, Obama 0
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said it best at his joint press conference with President Barack Obama yesterday. Speaking of the urgency of beginning talks with the Palestinians, he said “we need to begin negotiations in…
Lebanon: Right-wing parties want limited Palestinian rights
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Washington – Following progressive MP Walid Jumblatt’s call for improved civil rights for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, some Christian members of parliament are drafting a law of their own to counter the bill, Lebanese newspaper the…
Israel worried about Iraq pullout
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Netanyahu meets Gates, UN chief Ban New York – Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu told US Defense Secretary Robert Gates that Israel is concerned about the consequences of the US’ planned drawdown of troops from Iraq…
Israel to hold Gaza flotilla ships
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Washington – The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday that it will hold the six flotilla vessels seized during the May 31 “Freedom Flotilla” raid, The Associated Press reported. An Israeli fisherman was taped fishing off…
Israel army warns Hezbollah preparing for war
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Washington – The Israeli military presented evidence on Wednesday that it says shows Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon are preparing for a confrontation, Haaretz reported Wednesday. Hezbollah rocket demonstration [Wikimedia Commons] Col. Ronen Merli briefed journalists…
UK Methodist Church criticized for Palestinian support
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Washington – Following the Methodist Church of Great Britain’s decision to boycott Israeli settler goods and sign the Palestine Kairos Document , British Jewish group have come out swinging against the church, Ma’an News Agency reported Wednesday….
Israel bars senior PA official from entry
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Washington — Israel has barred Palestinian Authority Minister of Prisoner Affairs Issa Qaraqe from entering Israel and has stripped him of his VIP card. A checkpoint entering the city of Bethlehem, where PA minister Issa Qaraqe…
Israel barring Palestinians’ products from East Jerusalem
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Washington – The Palestinian Authority’s campaign to boycott settlement-produced goods has been a success so far in the West Bank. Settler operations have smarted from the lack of turn over, and some Israeli companies with branches…
UAE denies supporting Iran attack
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – New York – A senior UAE official denied on Wednesday that his country supports a military strike on Iran after a top diplomat suggested that such an attack would be an option if Iran developed nuclear…
Israeli military demands NIS 55 billion for new budget
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Washington — Israeli military Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi has cried foul at the newly released budget plan, saying it doesn’t give enough to the armed forces and calling for NIS 55 billion, the Jerusalem…
Abbas eyeing Nobel Peace Prize
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Washington — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is reportedly seeking the Nobel Peace Prize, according to diplomatic sources in Oslo quoted by the Israeli news site Ynet. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks at the Brookings Institution in…
Poland to extradite Israeli linked to Dubai killing
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – New York – A Polish court on Wednesday ordered a suspected Israeli spy extradited to Germany over his role in the murder of a Hamas official in Dubai earlier this year. Dubai. [Photo: Christopher Walker, Wikimedia…
Report: Mubarak’s health deteriorating
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Washington — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s health is deteriorating, according to a recent report by Al-Quds Al-Arabi, and his son Gamal seems most likely to carry on his mantle. The report speculated that Mubarak might be…
Report: Meg Ryan, Dustin Hoffman join Israel boycott
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – New York – Hollywood stars Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman have cancelled plans to attend this summer’s Jerusalem Film Festival in an act of protest against Israel’s deadly attack on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May,…
Poll: Palestinians want to renew Gaza ceasefire
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Washington — In a recent poll , a majority of Palestinians support renewing Hamas’ ceasefire with Israel, and Fatah outshines Hamas in public approval. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad received a 62% approval rating among Palestinians…
Cautious response to Israel’s new list of permitted Gaza imports
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – Gaza – IRIN – The UN and international relief organizations have cautiously welcomed Israel’s easing of import restrictions on the Gaza Strip, but say only the complete lifting of the blockade can address the humanitarian crisis….
Erakat: Netanyahu blocking direct talks
Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 – PLO negotiator says Israel cannot have peace and settlements Washington – Despite the Israeli PM’s continued calls for direct peace negotiations, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said Netanyahu is keeping direct talks from becoming a reality…
Night Beat: Mr. Netanyahu goes to Washington, and New York
Palestine Note 6 Jul 2010 – Today in Palestine, Israel, the broader Middle East and Beyond: First Lady Michelle Obama has tea with Mrs. Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House, July…
Attack Iran?
Palestine Note 6 Jul 2010 – New rounds of both United Nations and United States sanctions have been directed at Iran. Few, however, believe they will deter the Islamic Republic from its nuclear course, once again raising the prospect of a large-scale…
B’Tselem: Settlements occupy 42 percent of West Bank
Palestine Note 6 Jul 2010 – I mentioned this in my Netanyahu visit post, but it’s worth highlighting in more detail: B’Tselem has a new report out which concludes Israeli settlements occupy 42 percent of the total land area in the West…
Me, General Petraeus & the lobby
Palestine Note 6 Jul 2010 – The old adage “politics stops at the water’s edge” does not apply to the Middle East. When it comes to all matters relating to Israel, foreign policy is politics. It is absolutely impossible to imagine US…
Iran admits sanctions could bite
AlJazeera 7 Jul 2010 – Senior Iranian official says latest slew of measures could slow down nuclear programme.
Israel Set to Charge Sniper with Manslaughter
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN — The Israeli military have admitted that a soldier shot dead a man as a he walked through a group waving white flags, during the Israeli offensive of Gaza…
U.N. To Investigate Flotilla Attack
PNN – Israel – PNN – The United Nations Human Rights Council has established a committee to investigate Israel’s attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. The committee is headed by former International Criminal Court…
Meetings Between Obama and Netanyahu Begin
PNN – Washington ‚Äî PNN On Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in the Oval Office for over an hour. The leaders’ aides said Mr. Obama and Mr….
EU Funds Help DWRC Train Gazan Unionists on Advocacy Skills
PNN – Gaza — PNN – The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center (DWRC) organized on Tuesday a training course in Gaza City, an advocacy and campaigning skills for 19 unionists from different unions and…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (01-06 July 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Hamas nabs ‘unrepentant collaborators’
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – Hamas campaign called on suspected collaborators to surrender.
Hamas arrests ‚Äòunrepentant collaborators’
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – Hamas campaign called on suspected collaborators to surrender.
Analysis: The IDF intel
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – Deterring Hizbullah, preparing the world for the next war.
Gaza women can’t study in Ramallah
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – Easing of Gaza blockade doesn’t apply to people, High Court rules.
Hamas stops entry of PA newspapers into Gaza Strip
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – The papers stopped distributing in Gaza after Hamas’s violent takeover three years ago.
Coalition strengthened by Netanyahu-Obama meeting
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – Barak: End of freeze doesn’t mean end of talks.
Restoration team finds purported Ottoman grenade in J’lem
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – Weapons was found nestled in the Old City walls beside Damascus Gate.
IDF reveals Hizbullah positions
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – Watch footage of: IDF maps, footage of group’s bases in South Lebanon.
IDF declassifies evidence of Hizbullah presence in Lebanon
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – Ahead of the anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, army reveals extensive footage, videos, maps of homes taken over, used to establish weapons storage centers.
Erdogan consoles Nasrallah
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – Turkish president offers condolences to Hizbullah chief after cleric dies.
Poll: Most Palestinians want ceasefire
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – Two-thirds think Hamas should not use missiles; half would vote for Fayyad.
‘There is a good chance for direct talks’
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – Barak meets with US Senators McCain, Lieberman and Graham.
Barak: Direct talks before freeze ends
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – “All other obstacles will take on the proper proportion.”
‘IDF relations with Turkish military good’
Jeruslalem Post 7 Jul 2010 – IDF chief says he spoke with Ankara counterpart following flotilla incident.
Three Jaffa men charged with beating, kidnapping transgender brother
Ha’aretz – Three brothers allegedly attacked, kidnapped and imprisoned their younger brother, who is undergoing sex reassignment surgery, in order to save the family’s honor.
Noam Shalit calls Israelis to join last days of march for Gilad
Ha’aretz – Day 11 of march to Jerusalem takes off from Modi’in toward the capital city; Noam Shalit calls march a historic precedence.
How did a Turkish hand grenade get into an ancient Jerusalem wall?
Ha’aretz – A 100-year-old Turkish hand grenade was recently discovered during conservation work being conducted near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Shalit protest heads for Gaza border
Ha’aretz – Thousands turn out for special concert for Gilad Shalit near the border with Gaza.
Netanyahu: The sooner direct peace talks begin, the better
Ha’aretz – PM tells representatives of Jewish groups that future negotiations will be ‘very, very tough’; tells Larry King would sit with Hamas if they recognized Israel.
Hezbollah readying for urban war in southern Lebanon, IDF warns
Ha’aretz – Deployment of UN forces has pushed militants into built-up areas where international troops have no authority, army says.
Iran official: Sanctions might slow nuclear program
Ha’aretz – Senior Iranian government official acknowledges for first time that new sanctions might impact Iran’s nuclear progress.
UN General Assembly cancels session on Gaza flotilla
Ha’aretz – President of General Assembly sends letter to member states announcing cancellation of the planned session; some Arab states had reservations about holding the session., Extradition on less serious forgery charges…
U.A.E. denies backing use of force against Iran
Ha’aretz – Assistant minister says earlier comments by envoy appearing to back a military strike were taken out of context.
Palestinian negotiator: Netanyahu blocking path to direct peace talks
Ha’aretz – Netanyahu says Israel it is prepared to take additional steps to ease Palestinian movement in the West Bank in a bid to coax Abbas into direct negotiations.
ANALYSIS / Obama trying carrot, not stick, on Netanyahu
Ha’aretz – Netanyahu got off easy in Washington: He left strengthened by Obama and without having to make any real concessions.
Report: Secret document affirms U.S.-Israel nuclear partnership
Ha’aretz – According to Army Radio, the U.S. has reportedly pledged to sell Israel materials used to produce electricity, as well as nuclear technology and other supplies.
Hamas arrests alleged collaborators with Israel
Ha’aretz – Hamas official says ‘suspects will go to trial and that no mercy will be shown to those who spy on other Palestinians.’
Top U.A.E. diplomat endorses striking Iran nuclear sites
Ha’aretz – ‘It’s a cost-benefit analysis: There will be economic consequences, as well as protesting and rioting, but we cannot live with a nuclear Iran.’
Suicide rates increase highly among Israeli soldiers
7 Jul 2010 – Jerusalem, July 7, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Suicide rates have recently witnessed a more rapid increase among Israeli soldiers than in the few past years. The famous Israeli magazine, Yediot Ahronot , revealed that the number of the Israeli soldiers who committed suicide has increased to an unprecedented level while the Israeli army forces are trying to implement new strategies so…
Israel raids limited area in Bait Hanoon
7 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 7, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces…
Israel conducts limited incursion in Gaza
7 Jul 2010 – Gaza , July 7, (Pal Telegraph) Several Israeli militant vehicles broke into the farms of citizens east of the town of “Beit Hanoun” in the northern Gaza Strip. According to eyewitnesses, four bulldozers, accompanied by four tanks penetrated a distance of 200 meters near the site of 16 amid heavy smoke to cover their advancement.
Israeli armed boats open fire at fishing boats in Rafah
7 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 7, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli armed boats shelled and opened fire today at Palestinian fishing boats in Rafah waters, local sources reported. Local sources reported that Israeli boats were chasing Palestinian boats and opened fire at them, no injuries were reported. Two days ago, Israeli armed boats opened fire at Gazan fishermen which injured Alam Baker while…
Israel takes off Qaraqe’s VIP
7 Jul 2010 – The West Bank, July 7, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- The Israeli occupation forces took off last night the VIP card from the Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs in the West Bank, Issa Qaraqe. Wafa agency released that the Israeli forces stopped Qaraqe in Beit Jala at the Nafaq checkpoint leading to Jerusalem and prevented him from crossing the point to arrive at…
Israel to demolish 3 houses in Nablus
7 Jul 2010 – Nablus, July 7, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli authorities delivered demolition warrants to Palestinian residents in Barqa village north of Hebron in the West Bank, notifying them of their intention to demolish their homes. “Israeli forces notified the Palestinian citizens of demolishing their homes under the pretext of building without permission” Ghasan Diglis, the Palestinian official of settlement file in…
“A promise is a promise, a date is a date and on September 26 we start building again.”
Uruknet July 7, 2010 – US President Barack Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday (6 July) to discuss, among other things, ways of brokering direct peace talks with the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu has continued to insist on direct talks, despite his refusal to meet the basic Palestinian demand for a complete freeze on illegal settlement construction. The…
Gaza: the bombs that remain
Uruknet July 7, 2010 – At precisely 12 noon on a Thursday afternoon, among the rolling sandy hills in southern Gaza, a controlled explosion destroys another round of white phosphorous shells left in Gaza following the 2008-2009 Israeli war on Gaza. Explosives experts from the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and the United Nations Mine Action Team (UNMAT) are working together…
Report: Secret document affirms U.S.-Israel nuclear partnership
Uruknet July 7, 2010 – Israel’s Army Radio reported on Wednesday that the United States has sent Israel a secret document committing to nuclear cooperation between the two countries. According to Army Radio, the U.S. has reportedly pledged to sell Israel materials used to produce electricity, as well as nuclear technology and other supplies, despite the fact that Israel is…
Exposed: The truth about Israel’s land grab in the West Bank
Uruknet July 7, 2010 – Jewish settlers, who claim a divine right to the whole of Israel, now control more than 42 per cent of the occupied West Bank, representing a powerful obstacle to the creation of a Palestinian state, a new report has revealed. The jurisdiction of some 200 settlements, illegal under international law, cover much more of the…
Israel releases Gaza ban list
Uruknet July 7, 2010 – A new status quo was established for the Israeli siege on Gaza, with imports remaining seven percent above 2009 levels, as a comprehensive list of banned goods and a policy statement was released by Israel on Tuesday. The announcement that Israel had made modifications to the land crossings, including “modifications of the infrastructure on both…
The ‚ÄòTimes’ finally covers settler funding in the US, but there is still much to tell
Uruknet July 6, 2010 – The New York Times has finally covered a story that has been sitting under its nose for years — the tax-exempt fund raising Israeli settlers are doing in the U.S. In an expansive article in today’s paper, three reporters combine to tell a familiar story of how nonprofit organizations are raising money in the US…
A trip from Gaza to Eilat and back —
Uruknet July 6, 2010 – Under the hardships of living that camp in the small space of his modest bungalow, and hindered from providing a somewhat decent living to his seven little kids who depend on him like all children do on their fathers, M.K. -who is at in his mid thirties- decided to take off on the adventure of…
Direct or Indirect Talks, what is the Difference?
Uruknet July 6, 2010 – The Obama administration, which seems to have completely surrendered to Israeli insolence and rejectionism, is pressuring the weak and disoriented Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership to switch from proximity or indirect talks with the Netanyahu regime to direct talks. For the uninitiated, the American pressure might give the impression that once direct talks between the Israeli…
IDF chief: Israel’s military ties with Turkey still strong
Uruknet July 6, 2010 – Military ties between Israel and Turkey remain strong, despite recent high-profile diplomatic tensions, Israel’s army chief said on Tuesday. Revealing that he had spoken with his Turkish counterpart following Israel’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla a month ago, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said that despite a near-collapse in government…
PFLP denounces Fayyad-Barak meeting as dangerous cover for occupation crimes
Uruknet July 6, 2010 – The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine condemned the meeting between Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad and occupation defense minister Ehud Barak on July 5, 2010, noting that such a meeting with this criminal racist has no justification whatsoever, and takes place amid ongoing occupation, attacks on our people in Jerusalem and the…
Committee: Attack on minors in captivity evidence of Israel’s brutality
Uruknet July 6, 2010 – The supreme national committee for support of prisoners stated that the Israeli prison authorities’ raid against Palestinian minors in the Megiddo prison is clear evidence of Israel’s “barbarism and aggressive policies towards prisoners, and its lack of respect for international and humanitarian law”. Riad Ashkar, the committee’s Media Director, clarified in a press statement on…
Mada: Israel uses journalists as human shields
Uruknet July 6, 2010 – The Palestinian center for development and media freedoms (Mada) reported Tuesday that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) last June used journalists as human shields during their attack on a peaceful anti-wall march in a village in northern West Bank. Mada center stated in its report that the IOF troops continued their violations against journalists in…
Obama backs Israel on nuclear conference
Uruknet July 6, 2010 – US President Barack Obama warned Tuesday that attempts to single out Israel over its undeclared nuclear program could scupper a Middle East regional nuclear conference planned for 2012. Obama delivered the warning in a statement about his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he gave Israel a veiled, but public assurance over…
The deceptive rhetoric of “Invest for Peace”
Uruknet July 6, 2010 – The boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement is gaining significant momentum cross the United States and Europe, including at US campuses. In response, opposition to the movement is devising new ways to divert attention from efforts to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law and flagrant abuses of Palestinian human rights. At Stanford…
Settlements Cover 42 Percent Of West Bank
Uruknet July 6, 2010 ‚Äî The Israeli military indicted a soldier Tuesday on a charge of manslaughter during last year’s war in the Gaza Strip — the most serious criminal charge to come out of an internal investigation into the devastating offensive in the Hamas-ruled territory. The soldier was among three troops, including a field commander, to face new disciplinary…
Brand names back on Gaza’s shelves
The National 7 Jul 2010 – Israeli and foreign goods brought through the crossings from Israel are again flooding Gaza’s markets but economic hardship endures.
Israel’s war crime response ridiculous’
The National 7 Jul 2010 – Government indicts officer and soldier but activists criticise cosmetic’ response to the 22-day Gaza attack that killed about 1,400.
Iran backs down on tax rise after bazaaris protest
The National 7 Jul 2010 – After a meeting with the bazaaris — merchants in Tehran’s main bazaar — the Iranian government has held off on lifting taxes to as much as 25 per cent.
Cautious Response to Israel’s New List of Permitted Gaza Imports
WAFA – GAZA, July 7, 2010 (WAFA) – The UN and international relief organizations have cautiously welcomed Israel’s easing of import restrictions on the Gaza Strip, but say only the complete lifting of the
Wall Main Obstacle to Movement within West Bank
WAFA – JERUSALEM, July 7, 2010 (WAFA)- The Israeli Wall in the West Bank, in conjunction with its gate and permit regime, continues to be the single largest obstacle to Palestinian movement within the West
Seven European Ships to Join 2nd Gaza Aid Flotilla
WAFA – BRUSSELS, July 7.2010 (WAFA) — The European Campaign to Lift Gaza Siege announced recently that seven European vessels will join the second Gaza aid Freedom Flotilla to break the Israeli
Haaretz : Israeli Soldier Charged with Killing Women during Gaza Operation
WAFA – TEL AVIV, July 7, 2010 (WAFA)- A reserve staff sergeant was indicted yesterday in the military court of the IDF’s Central Command for the manslaughter of two Palestinian women during Operation Cast
Oxfam: Blockade of Poverty
WAFA – JERUSALEM, July 7, 2010 (WAFA)- Despite the Israeli government decision to “ease the siege” of Gaza, Mnauwar Al Ra’i and her family will remain dependent on food vouchers distributed by Oxfam and the
Abbas wants more progress before direct peace talks
Daily Star 7 Jul 2010 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gave a cool response Tuesday to a call from US President Barack Obama for direct peace talks with the Israelis, while Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he saw the negotiations starting “…
Algerian troops kill 3 Islamists in shoot-out
Daily Star 7 Jul 2010 ALGIERS: Algerian security forces on Tuesday killed three Islamist militants in a shoot-out southeast of the capital Algiers, security sources told the APS news agency. The troops engaged a group of Islamists near Msila, around 250…
UAE says envoy in US ‘misquoted’ on attacking Iran’s nuclear program
Daily Star 7 Jul 2010 DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) dismissed as “inaccurate” on Wednesday statements attributed to its ambassador in Washington backing possible military action over Iran’s nuclear program. “The statements attributed by the Washington Times to the UAE…
No easing of travel ban for Gazans – Israel
Daily Star 7 Jul 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel said on Wednesday that its moves to ease its blockade on Gaza do not include relaxing regulations on Palestinians looking to travel out of the enclave, court documents showed. The new rules governing…
Poland to extradite alleged Israeli Mossad agent to Germany
Daily Star 7 Jul 2010 WARSAW: A Polish court decided Wednesday to extradite an alleged Israeli Mossad agent to Germany over claims he is linked to the January killing of a Hamas chief, despite Israel’s calls for him to go home. “…
Iran summons Swiss envoy over scientist ‘abduction’
Daily Star 7 Jul 2010 TEHRAN: Iran has summoned the Swiss charge d’affaires in Tehran to protest the “abduction” of an Iranian nuclear scientist by US intelligence agents, state television’s website reported on Wednesday. The Swiss mission in Tehran handles US…
Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims defy Iraq bombs, security measures
Daily Star 7 Jul 2010 BAGHDAD: Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims streamed through the streets of Baghdad on Wednesday to commemorate the death of a medieval Shiite holy man, defying bombs and mortars that killed six pilgrims and wounded dozens….
The ‘trick’ of Camp David | Rachel Shabi
The Guardian 7 Jul 2010 – Palestinians feel they were deceived by a PR exercise. Now aid carries disruptive caveats and the peace process is just a circus If there are Palestinian textbooks on the failure of the Camp David talks with…
Gaza and Middle East peace among issues discussed by Ban and Israeli leader
Relief Web 7 Jul 2010 – Source: UN News Service
SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL REAL CIVILIAN PROTECTION MEANS ADDRESSING BROADER CHALLENGES OF GOVERNANCE, RESOURCE SCARCITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, LAND DISPUTES
Relief Web 7 Jul 2010 – Source: UN Secretary-General
CONSEIL DE S?âCURIT?â : UNE PROTECTION EFFICACE DES CIVILS EN P?âRIODE DE CONFLIT ARM?â PASSE PAR LA LUTTE CONTRE L’IMPUNIT?â, SOULIGNENT DE NOMBREUSES D?âL?âGATIONS
Relief Web 7 Jul 2010 – Source: UN Security Council
OPT: Tough living conditions in Susya village, West Bank
Relief Web 7 Jul 2010 – Source: Save the Children
MIDEAST: These Explosions Are Saviours
IPS At precisely 12 noon on a Thursday afternoon, among the rolling sandy hills in southern Gaza, a controlled explosion destroys another round of white phosphorous shells left in Gaza following the 2008-2009 Israeli war on Gaza.
IDF reveals Hezbollah’s deployment
YNet News – Information obtained by IDF exposes Hezbollah’s immense scope of activity in….
Erekat: Direct talks only after complete freeze
YNet News – Palestinians insist on keeping Israel at arm’s length until it makes certain….
US senators: Netanyahu-Obama meeting encouraging
YNet News – Senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman, Lindsey Graham arrive in Israel after visit….
Abbas eyes Nobel Peace Prize
YNet News – Diplomatic sources in Oslo say Palestinian president’s associates trying to….
UAE ambassador to US supports Iran strike
YNet News – Yousef al-Otaiba quoted as saying benefits of bombing Islamic Republic’s nuclear….
Erdogan consoles Nasrallah over Fadlallah’s death
YNet News – Turkish prime minister calls Hezbollah leader to offer condolences over death of….
Poll: 2/3 of Palestinians against rocket attacks
YNet News – Survey conducted in West Bank and Gaza finds most Palestinian want Barghouti as….
Hamas arrests alleged collaborators with Israel
YNet News – Security source in Strip says no mercy will be shown to those who spy on other….
Rise in IDF suicides
YNet News – Since start of year, 19 soldiers put end to own lives after decline in suicide….
PM to Ban: Ready to take risks for peace
YNet News – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed his support of a move to direct peace talks between Israel and the …….
Mousavi lashes out at Ahmadinejad over Iran sanctions
YNet News – Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi lashed out at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday for dismissing UN sanctions and urged the government to brief …….
Yishai to join Shalit march
YNet News – While the prime minister makes his way back to Jerusalem from Washington, Interior Minister Eli Yishai will be traveling to the capital by foot — along with the Shalit …….
‘Military has no sense of humanity’
YNet News – The relatives of the Abu Hajaj women from the Gaza Strip who were shot dead during Operation Cast Lead welcomed news of the decision to indict the soldier that caused …….
Netanyahu, Gates discuss eastern front against Israel
YNet News – WASHINGTON – Israel fears the rise of the eastern front amidst changes occurring in the region, Iran’s strengthening and the American forces’ scheduled withdrawal from …….
Palestinian Information Center
International Campaign asks Red Cross to protect of J’lem MPs
PIC 7 Jul 2010 – The international campaign for the release of abducted MPs appealed to president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Jakob Kellenberger, to protect the Jerusalem parliament members.
Poland hands over Mossad agent involved in Mabhouh assassination
PIC 7 Jul 2010 – Taher Nunu accused the PA in Ramallah of depriving the people of Gaza of passports and corresponding with some countries to urge them not to accept passports issued or renewed inn the Gaza Strip.
Nunu holds Abbas responsible for Umrah cancellation
PIC 7 Jul 2010 – Taher Nunu accused the PA in Ramallah of depriving the people of Gaza of passports and corresponding with some countries to urge them not to accept passports issued or renewed inn the Gaza Strip.
IOF troops raid northern Gaza, beat up children & women in WB
PIC 7 Jul 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) mounting a number of armored vehicles advanced into eastern Beit Hanun town in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, eyewitnesses reported.
Abu Zuhri affirms Hamas’s rejection of resuming direct negotiations with Israel
PIC 7 Jul 2010 – Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri publicly rejected Barack Obama’s invitation for the Fatah authority in Ramallah to resume direct negotiations, advising the Fatah movement not to get involved in any negotiations.
Palestinian prisoners in Shata jail attacked by Masada unit
PIC 7 Jul 2010 – Al-Ahrar center said that an Israeli special unit attacked without prior notice after midnight the Palestinian prisoners in Shata jail and went on the rampage in its sections.
Demolition of home in Arara village trigger clashes between citizens and troops
PIC 7 Jul 2010 – A number of Palestinians were wounded and arrested during clashes that broke out in Arara village, north of the 1948 occupied lands, following the demolition of a Palestinian home.
Palestinian gov’t slams Israel’s attempt to manage Gaza siege rather than end it
PIC 7 Jul 2010 – The Palestinian government in Gaza condemned Israel’s decision to ban the entry of many vital items to the Gaza Strip and said it is a blatant attempt to handle the blockade instead of lifting it.
Jerusalemite officials facing eviction to escalate if their issue not resolved
PIC 7 Jul 2010 – Two Jerusalemite lawmakers and one former minister threatened with expulsion from the occupied city of Jerusalem warned they would take further protest steps if their issue was not resolved soon.
Bahar denounces IOF detention of Al-Ahmed, champions national unity
PIC 7 Jul 2010 – Dr. Ahmed Bahar has denounced the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) for detaining the head of Fatah’s parliamentary bloc Azzam Al-Ahmed along with two other Fatah officials for a short period of time.
Cases against soldiers have Israel wondering
LA Times 7 Jul 2010 – Indictments and disciplinary actions stemming from Israel’s Gaza offensive are raising a prospect many might find unsettling: the controversial Goldstone report may have been on the right track. A short but growing list of criminal indictments and disciplinary actions stemming from Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip 18 months ago is raising a prospect that many Israelis are likely to find unsettling: that the controversial Goldstone report might have been on the right track after all.
CNN Fires Editor After Hezbollah Twitter Message
New York Times 7 Jul 2010 – Octavia Nasr, senior editor of Middle East affairs, was fired for saying she respected a Hezbollah leader.
U.S. and Israel Shift Attention to Peace Process
New York Times 7 Jul 2010 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel told President Obama he would take “concrete steps” on talks with the Palestinians.
‘Times’ prints call for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians
Mondoweiss – Can we agree that calls for a government to violate international law are not a helpful contribution to the public debate? That’s what the New York Times offered when it published a call for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land in a letter from…
Viral IDF dancing video unwittingly reveals reality in Hebron
Mondoweiss – The above video has been an internet sensation. Originally called “Rock the Casbah in HEBRON,” it’s been viewed over 1.6 million times, and was featured today on Yahoo’s homepage. It has also drawn the wrath of IDF officials who say the soldiers involved could face disciplinary…
Obama’s confused identity
Mondoweiss – Robert Dreyfuss reports: Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu set up another illegal Jewish settlement, this time on the White House lawn. And, it appears, President Obama has agreed to serve as its armed guard. So complete was Obama’s identification with Israel yesterday that he actually referred…
Meg Ryan & Dustin Hoffman pass on Israeli film fest after flotilla attack
Mondoweiss – From the Jerusalem Post article ” Holywood stars snub film festival ” (the spelling mistake in the title is theirs): Hollywood actors Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman backed out of attending this year’s annual Jerusalem Film Festival, which is set to kick off this coming Thursday,…
Big push begins for war on Iran
Mondoweiss – Does this sound familiar? Here’s neoconservative Eli Lake, writing in the Washington Times : The United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States said Tuesday that the benefits of bombing Iran ‘s nuclear program outweigh the short-term costs such an attack would impose. The UAE has denied…
A trip from Gaza to Eilat and back — by Omar Ghraieb
Palestine Think Tank – By Omar Ghraieb* in Gaza nder the hardships of living that camp in the small space of his modest bungalow, and hindered from providing a somewhat decent living to his seven little kids who depend on him like all children do on their fathers, M.K. -who…
Family says detainee transferred as punitive measure
Sabr – Tulkarem – Ma’an – The Israeli Prison Services transferred a Tulkarem detainee from the Ber Sheba prison to the Ramon prison, relatives said Wednesday. Yasser Hatem Jayyousi’s brother, Mohammad, said his family received a phone call from the Israeli intelligence services informing them of the transfer,…
Rights groups: Israel used ‘human shields’ in Gaza
Sabr – Bethlehem – Ma’an /Agencies – Israeli rights groups found that Israeli forces used “human shields” during the war on Gaza which began December 2008, a report said. The study, by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and the Adalah legal rights organization, was obtained by…
Palestinian prisoners in Shata jail attacked by Masada unit
Sabr – [ 07/07/2010 – 02:20 PM ] RAMALLAH, ( PIC )— Al-Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies and human rights said that an Israeli special unit attacked without prior notice after midnight Tuesday the Palestinian prisoners in Shata jail and went on the rampage in its sections. Director of the…
International Campaign asks Red Cross to protect of J’lem MPs
Sabr – [ 07/07/2010 – 06:34 PM ] GAZA, ( PIC )— The international campaign for the release of abducted MPs appealed to president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Jakob Kellenberger, to protect the Jerusalem parliament members sitting-in at the Red Cross headquarters in Jerusalem, and…
Poles to extradite Mossad ‘agent’
BBC – An Israeli allegedly linked to the killing of a Hamas operative in Dubai can be extradited to Germany, a Polish court rules.
CNN sacks Mid-East editor over tweet
BBC – CNN sacks a Middle East editor after she wrote on Twitter that she “respected” a late Lebanese cleric said to have inspired Hezbollah.
Iran ‘adulterer’ facing stoning
BBC – Human Rights Watch calls on Iran to stop the execution by stoning of a woman convicted of adultery.
Gaza car smuggling tunnel raided
BBC – Egyptian police break up a ring smuggling new and stolen cars through secret tunnels into Gaza, officials say.
Obama and Netanyahu All Smiles
Antiwar.com – Insisting that the bond between their two nations was “unbreakable,” U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged all smiles from their long-awaited White House meeting Tuesday. Speaking before reporters, the two men, whose last encounter in March appeared to confirm a crisis…
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…
(en) Canada, Resisting the G20 – Free our comrades – Solidarity is not a crime – stayement of Union Communist Libertair UCL (fr)
A-infos – The UCL wishes to salute the courage of all those people, radical or not, who dared to challenge the climate of terror created by the State and who took part in the protests against the G20 Summit in Toronto. —— The UCL calls for solidarity in…
Belgian Trade Union Federation Adopts Boycott!
BDS – [Motion passed by FGTB Centrale Generale/ABVV Algemene Centrale on 3 June 2010] Decent work is impossible under military occupation read more
India’s Cochin Port Union Boycotts Israeli Ships and Cargo
BDS – [ CPI (Marxist) ] 4 July 2010 – THE trade unions in Cochin Port have reached an understanding amongst themselves to boycott Israeli ships and cargo arriving at Cochin Port in protest against the siege of Gaza by Israeli forces. read more
Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman Cancel Participation in Israeli Film Festival
BDS – Ruth Eglash [ Jerusalem Post ] 7 July 2010 read more
Articles
Despite Rift, Israel Gets More U.S. Aid Than Iraq
Danielle Kurtzleben, U.S. News and World Report7/6/2010
Israel tops Iraq in overall U.S. Aid
It was the most orchestrated photo op of the year. And even if Tuesday’s White House meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was more show than action, it did reinforce what Capitol Hill and America’s taxpayers already know: Israel is America’s best buddy in the Middle East, and the dollars Washington sends Jerusalem proves that. More than any other nation, including war-torn Iraq, Israel gets the most U.S. aid, according to the Feds. Click here to find out more!
The relationship between the United States and Israel has historically been characterized by generosity. Data from the U.S. Agency for International Development and from State Department budgets show that Israel has, since 1946, been the top recipient of U.S. aid, and continues to play a big part in the United States foreign assistance budget.
According to the USAID Greenbook, which quantifies all U.S. overseas loans and grants from 1946 through 2008, Israel has received over $34 billion from the United States, since 1951. This puts it ahead of other top recipients Iraq ($31.4 billion), Egypt ($29.6 billion), India ($15.5 billion), and Russia ($13.9). Meanwhile, aid to the West Bank/Gaza region, which began in 1988, has totaled $2.7 billion. This puts the West Bank and Gaza at 41 on the list of 202 countries and regions that have received U.S. aid since 1946.
In addition, State Department budgets show that since 2008, Israel’s place in U.S. foreign spending has remained undiminished. The fiscal year 2011 budget contains a proposed $3 billion for Israel. All of this money is appropriated for foreign military financing, a program that helps foreign countries to purchase weapons and defense equipment produced in the United States, as well as military training. This $3 billion comprises 42 percent of the total assistance to the Near East region. — See also: Who in Congress gets the most traceable funding from pro-Israel groups more.. e-mail
Israeli Supreme Court: No relaxation of Gaza travel restrictions
Gisha, Gisha7/7/2010
In court petition by human rights lawyer in Gaza seeking to reach studies in West Bank Israel Announces: No Easing for Travel of People Into and Out of Gaza In a Supreme Court hearing today on behalf of a student in Gaza prevented from reaching her studies in the West Bank, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced that even under its “new” Gaza policy, there would be no relaxation of the policy preventing travel of persons into and out of Gaza in all but exceptional humanitarian cases. The Defense Ministry’s written statement was submitted to the court in response to a petition filed by Adv. Nomi Heger of Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, on behalf of Fatma Sharif, a 29-year old human rights lawyer seeking to reach her Master’s studies in democracy and human rights at Birzeit University. The Israeli authorities denied her request on the grounds that it did not meet the criteria set by Israel for the exit of people from the Gaza Strip in “humanitarian and exceptional cases” only. The court has yet to rule. Ms. Sharif, who studied law in Gaza, currently works as a lawyer at the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza, a non-partisan organization whose goal is to promote human rights and democracy in the Gaza Strip. Ms. Sharif has worked for the last five years to defend human rights, including in a project to defend women against violence at the Center for Women’s Legal Research and Consulting. Since there is no relevant academic program in Gaza, Ms. Sharif enrolled in studies at Birzeit University, with the intention of returning to Gaza at the end of her studies, where she has a job waiting for her at Al Mezan. Ms. Fatma Sharif: “Exchange of knowledge and expertise is critical to the self-fulfillment of people, in order to develop civil society in Gaza, especially where the subject is democracy and human rights. There will be no real improvement in Gaza until all persons — including students, families, workers, and patients — are able to travel freely”. more.. e-mail
Ring Around the Borders, Pocket Full of Visas, Until We’re All Allowed In!
The Right to Enter Campaign, This Week in Palestine7/3/2010
The most common topic of conversation amongst internationals living in, working in, or even visiting the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), used to be, without a doubt, airport security-check stories – mostly related to departing from the country through Israeli-controlled borders. In recent years, only one topic has surpassed this: entering the oPt and the ever-consuming task of figuring out how to stay.
This applies to actual foreigners or – predominantly – Palestinians who hold foreign passports and have not been granted an Israeli-issued Palestinian identity card.
Ask internationals about their status in the oPt and you’d best be prepared for long-winded and complicated explanations of their oft-shifting, convoluted, and all but impossible to follow strategies. Why? Because, in violation of its obligations under international humanitarian law, Israel continues to control all points of entry and exit into the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip in an arbitrary, non-transparent manner.
With the exception of diplomats and a privileged few who secure work permits and residency, primarily through international NGOs registered with the Israeli authorities, foreign nationals spend endless hours, energy, and ultimately financial resources second-guessing how best to ensure that Israeli border authorities will not deny them entry next time they attempt to enter the Israeli-controlled ports of entry. All for naught, given that the arbitrary nature of Israel’s exercise over the borders is at the heart of its power – there is no best strategy because there is no consistency. Uncertainty is the only certainty. Arbitrariness is Israel’s weapon of choice.
Bottom line: for those who wish to stay in the oPt for any length of time, uncertainty becomes a way of life…. — See also: The Right to Enter Campaign more.. e-mail
Protesters greet Netanyahu in Washington as Israel expands settlements
Electronic Intifada: 7 Jul 2010 – Hundreds of activists in Washington, DC demonstrated outside the White House to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit on Tuesday, 6 July. As protesters held signs calling on the US government to end military aid to Israel, Netanhayu met with US President Barack Obama in a meeting characterized by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as “empty theatrics.”
Activists found not guilty for decommissioning weapons factory
Electronic Intifada: 7 Jul 2010 – Seven anti-war activists on trial for entering a Brighton weapons factory and “decommissioning” it were found unanimously “not guilty” last week. On 16 January 2009 six of the defendants broke into the premises of EDO MBM, a supplier of weapons components. According to one of the defendants, Elijah Smith, they “set out to smash it up to the best of our abilities.” Chloe Marsh writes for The Electronic Intifada.
Water in Gaza: “it’s not a simple problem”
Electronic Intifada: 7 Jul 2010 – For the last year Mark Buttle has been the coordinator for the “WASH cluster,” the group of aid organizations working on water, sanitation and hygiene in the Gaza Strip. Sarah Irving interviews for The Electronic Intifada.
Palestinian students, teachers condemn Italian university’s normalization project
Electronic Intifada: 7 Jul 2010 – The Italian Development Cooperation (DGCS), with the support of UNESCO, has engineered the partnership of three Israeli universities with that of Al-Quds University in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in a masters program that allows 20 Israeli and Palestinian students to participate in learning about “cooperation, humanitarianism, peace and cultural preservation.” This act of normalization aims to blur the boundaries between oppressor and oppressed, colonizer and colonized, occupier and occupied, executioner and victim, and ultimately aims at whitewashing Israel’s war crimes.
Boycott the International Geographical Union’s regional conference in Tel Aviv!
Electronic Intifada: 6 Jul 2010 – Today, a month after the massacre of nine human rights activists in international waters aboard a flotilla carrying aid and supplies sailing to break the four-year closure of the Gaza Strip, we call once again upon the International Geographical Union to take a courageous and principled stand and cancel its Tel Aviv conference.
Book review: pocket-sized volume deflates Canada’s “peacemaker” myth
Electronic Intifada: 6 Jul 2010 – In his latest book, Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid , Yves Engler contends that Canada’s lopsided support for Israel is neither a shift nor the product of current government policy but goes as far back as Zionism itself. Hicham Safieddine reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
the bombs that remain
In Gaza: 7 Jul 2010 – GAZA CITY, Jul 7, 2010 (IPS) — At precisely 12 noon on a Thursday afternoon, among the rolling sandy hills in southern Gaza, a controlled explosion destroys another round of white phosphorous shells left in Gaza following the 2008-2009 Israeli war on Gaza. Explosives experts from the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and the United Nations Mine Action Team (UNMAT) are working together to eliminate the remainders of a deadly Israeli attack. The Israeli bombings from land, sea and air left behind large amounts of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in civilian areas. In a precise, technical routine which takes into account all possible dangers to the MAG and UNMAT workers as well as Palestinian residents living in Gaza, the explosives experts are, detonation by detonation ridding Gaza of the remaining white phosphorous shells. In order to deprive them of oxygen, shells are first sealed in plaster casts, then moved into large sand-filled…
Human Rights Volunteers Needed in Palestine
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Jul 2010 – By International Women’s Peace Service – Palestine Since 2002, the International Women’s Peace Service in Palestine (IWPS-Palestine) has been documenting and non-violently intervening in human rights abuses carried out by the Israeli military and Israeli settlers in the Occupied West Bank against the Palestinian civilian population. We are the only all women team of internationals working in the Occupied West Bank and we are currently looking for new volunteers to join us on the ground in Palestine. (See here .) IWPS – Palestine is located in the Salfit district, a rural area located close to Nablus. The district, as well as the nearby Nablus and Qalqilya districts, are affected by more than 20 illegal Israeli settlements located in the “Ariel settlement bloc”. We were established at the height of the Al Aqsa Intifada in response to a call from the village of Hares for an international presence in their village. Hares,…more
The Book That Obama and Netanyahu Must Read
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Jul 2010 – By George S. Hishmeh — Washington, D.C. It was my intention while cruising the Danube River, which is disappointingly muddy and not blue as Mozart claimed, for two weeks last month aboard a comfortable Viking boat with my wife that my attention would be mainly focused on the World Soccer Cup and the beautiful countryside and its rich history. Regrettably my over 100 fellow passengers, mostly American and a few New Zealanders and Canadians, hardly watched the matches except for the two engaging Maltese couples who were eager for me to unearth the Arabic roots of their vocabulary which has been abundantly influenced by the rise of Islam and the Ottoman empire hundreds of years ago. I was also glad that the few news channels on the boat did not have much to report on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict which has occupied my long career in journalism. But on the third…more
Judaizing Jerusalem
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Jul 2010 – By Stephen Lendman The Middle East Monitor (MEM) covers significant regional issues and events through its weekly newspaper and reports like Samira Quraishy’s September 2009 Briefing Paper titled, ‘The Judaization of Jerusalem,’ discussing Israel’s “escalating campaign of land seizures, house demolitions and eviction(s) of Palestinians.” Israeli scholars agree, including Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Professor Oren Yiftachel, in a 1999 paper titled “Ethnocracy: the Politics of Judaizing Israel/Palestine,” saying Israel is an ethnocratic regime “enhanc(ing) a rule by, and for, a specific ethnos, and a dominance of ethnicity over citizenship (by) facilitat(ing) the expansion of one ethnic group over contested territory or polity.” It evolved around “the central Zionist (uni-ethnic) project of Judaizing and de-Arabising Israel/Palestine, (and as a consequence undermining) equal citizenship and popular sovereignty,” reserving it solely for Jews, exposing the myth of a democratic nation. Hebrew University Professor Moshe Ma’oz, Ankara’s Bilkent University Professor Jeremy Salt, Professor…more
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The New Dark Age 
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