News
International Middle East Media Center
Israeli officials: “Mistakes were made” in attack on humanitarian aid flotilla
IMEMC – 12 Jul 2010 – Israeli officials have admitted that “senior-level mistakes were made” during last month’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla.
Netanyahu To Meet Mubarak
IMEMC – 12 Jul 2010 – Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated Sunday, that he will be holding a meeting with Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, in Cairo this coming Tuesday.
Israel To Expropriate 30 Dunams Near Hebron
IMEMC – 12 Jul 2010 – The Israeli Authorities decided to illegally expropriate 30 Dunams of Palestinian lands that belong to villagers of Beit Ola, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Netanyahu: Peace Agreement Unattainable By 2012
IMEMC – 12 Jul 2010 – The Israeli Prime Minster expressed doubts over negotiations as well as concerns about Iran as the ‘ultimate terrorist threat today.’
Israeli forces attack weekly anti-Wall protest near Bethlehem
IMEMC – 12 Jul 2010 – Local sources reported that six Palestinian protesters sustained bruises when Israeli forces attacked an anti-Wall rally in Beit Jala with clubs and rifle butts.
Qassam Fighter Dies Of Wounds Suffered In 2006
IMEMC – 12 Jul 2010 – The al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas movement, reported that one of its fighters died of wounds suffered four years ago after the army attempted to assassinate him in Ramallah, in the central West Bank.
PCATI and Adalah: “Exposed: The Treatment of Palestinian Detainees During Operation Cast Lead”
IMEMC – 12 Jul 2010 – The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, released, today, a special report “Exposed” which discusses violations of detainee rights during “Cast Lead”.
Report: 32 new settlement homes approved for Jerusalem
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Israeli planning committee for occupied East Jerusalem gave the go-ahead on Monday for the construction of 32 new settlement housing units in the Pisgat Ze’ev settlement, Israeli media reported. According to the Israeli English online edition of Yedioth Ahronoth, committee members said work on the buildings – an initial project for a 220….
Israeli court extends Abu Tier detention
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The detention of Jerusalem lawmaker faced with deportation Mohammed Abu Teir was extended until Wednesday by an Israeli district court, during the PLC member’s afternoon hearing. The official was stripped of his Jerusalem residency rights in late June, and was given until 2 July to leave his native city or be deported. Two….
BDS committee marks 5 years
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee marked its fifth year of action Friday, thanking participants around the globe for supporting the initiative. Reiterating its position to support and encourage BDS against Israel “until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights,” themovement saw “spectacular growth of what is now a truly global movement for accountability.” Related: Global BDS Movement
400 Israeli settlers enter Nablus village
7/12/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – More than 400 Israeli settlers under military guard entered a village near the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday. Israeli forces closed the area for the duration of the event, and Palestinians were unable to leave Orta village between 10 p. m. Sunday and 3 a. m. Monday, village councilman Hasan….
Israeli forces detain 2, settlers attack elderly man in Hebron
7/12/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli authorities detained two Palestinians from villages near Hebron on Monday, while locals reported that Kiryat Arba settlers attacked an elderly man. Israeli forces raided Sa’ir village in the northern West Bank and detained Muhannad Nadi Al-Faroukh, after searching his house. Soldiers also raided nearby village Beit Awwa, detaining Muhammad Yaser Masalmeh. An….
Israeli court hears petition to scrap Turkel Committee
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israel’s High Court of Justice heard an appeal on Sunday, filed by the Israeli peace movement Gush Shalom, requesting the dismissal of the Turkel Committee, appointed by the Netanyahu government to investigate Israel’s raid on an aid flotilla. Gush Shalom said in a statement that it wants an independent judicial commission of inquiry….
Israel army to investigate death of Palestinian protester
7/13/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israel’s military will investigate the 2009 shooting death of an unarmed Palestinian protester in the occupied West Bank, a spokesman confirmed on Monday. Responding to a request for information, a statement from the Israeli military spokesperson’s office said the “Military Advocate General has decided to open a formal investigation conducted by the Military….
Separate sit-ins in Ramallah
7/12/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Two sit-ins demonstrations are scheduled to be held in the central West Bank city of Ramallah in front of the headquarters of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The first is organized by the nongovernmental committee which monitors elections to call on President Mahmoud Abbas to cancel his decision to postpone local elections. The second….
Gaza: 2 crossings partly open
7/12/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Two crossings between Israel and Gaza were temporarily opened Monday for the limited transfer of aid, goods and fuel. Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said he expected 160 truckloads to enter the besieged strip via its southernmost crossing, Kerem Shalom, carrying limited domestic gas and industrial diesel, with two trucks bringing equipment for….
Gaza: Hundreds urge Libyan ship to continue
7/12/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Hundreds of Gaza residents brought Libyan flags and photos of Libyan President Omar Ghadafi to the city’s main square on Monday, urging a Libyan ship to stay its course for the Strip. Following an announcement by Palestinian MK Ahmad Tibi on Sunday, denying Israeli reports that The Hope would be diverted to the….
Detainees mark 18th, 17th year in Israeli custody
7/12/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Gaza prisoners council marked the anniversary of two prisoners on Sunday, lamenting the continued incarceration of Gaza men detained since 1993 and 1994. Eyad Salem Al-Ar’eir, now 37 years old, was born in the Gaza City neighborhood of Ash-Shujayyieh. He was detained on 11 July 1993 and sentenced to a life term….
Former PM Qurei’a: Indirect talks unnecessary
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Former prime minister Ahmed Qurei’a said Sunday that he saw no reason for Palestinians and Israelis to hold indirect peace negotiations after years of direct talks, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. The PLO’s Jerusalem affairs chief spoke after his first meeting in two years with Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni in Jerusalem….
Report: Israel probe to blame navy for flotilla fiasco
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – An Israeli military report to be released Monday on the Israeli navy’s deadly May raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla is expected to accuse the navy of failing to sufficiently consider the possibility that the commandos would encounter violent resistance. . . Israeli media reported. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, the report is also….
Report: Shin Bet chief visits West Bank
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service recently spent a day in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin as a guest of the Palestinian Authority security services, Israeli media reported Sunday. It was Yuval Diskin’s second visit of this kind to PA in recent months, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported….
Report: Hizbullah has list of Israeli targets
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – A senior Hizbullah official said Sunday he has a list of Israeli targets to hit in the event of a war, The Associated Press reported. Hizbullah commander Nabil Quaouk said the Lebanese Shia movement was on “high alert,” following Israel’s recent release of maps and aerial photographs allegedly revealing Hizbullah’s expanding presence….
Netanyahu pushes direct negotiations
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – At his government’s weekly cabinet meeting Sunday in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu elaborated on his talks with US President Barack Obama days earlier in Washington.”I reiterated to the president Israel’s desire to proceed immediately to direct negotiations with the PA, with the goal being to advance the diplomatic process and….
Jordanians hope to deliver Gaza aid
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A Jordanian delegation will leave the capital city of Amman on Tuesday to deliver medicine and clothing to the Gaza Strip, reports said Monday. Wael As-Saqqa of the Jordanian Engineers Association told Agence France-Presse that more than 150 people in 30 vehicles will deliver the aid via the Rafah crossing on the Strip’s….
President set to visit Cairo
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – US President Barack Obama has asked his counterpart Mahmoud Abbas via telephone to move to direct negotiations with Israel, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday. Erekat said Ramallah would await new updates from US envoy George Mitchell, who is visiting the region next Saturday. Speaking to Palestine Radio, Erekat reiterated that….
EU funding continues for police forces
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A joint training session saw Palestinian criminal defense lawyers trained in forensics by EUPOL COPPS, under the supervision of the Palestinian Bar Association, a statement from the groups said. The three-week rotating location course trained 57 emerging and prominent lawyers in the West Bank, previously selected by a joint committee of organizers. The….
Hamas: Former PM meeting with Livni ’a crime’
7/12/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas’ parliamentary wing on Monday publicly criticized PLO Jerusalem affairs chief Ahmad Qrei’a for participating in a meeting with Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni. In a statement, the Change and Reform Bloc called the Sunday meeting at Jerusalem’s King David Hotel a “crime” undermining the Palestinian national project, coming as Israel continues to….
Hamas slams Shin Bet visit
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The visit to the West Bank by the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service could threaten Palestinian reconciliation efforts, Hamas said Monday. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin’s recent tour of Jenin confirms the PA’s coordination with Israel “to protect the security of the occupation.” Diskin spent a….
Abbas continues tour in Romania
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – President Mahmoud Abbas met with Romanian President Traian Basescu at the presidential headquarters in the nation’s capital Bucharest on Monday. The visit comes as Abbas continues his Africa and East Europe tour, updating nations on the Palestinian situation, and solidifying support for the government program, including the plan of the 13th government to….
Military flotilla probe finds little fault
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Intelligence communications errors and a lack of alternatives were cited as partial faults by an internal Israeli military probe into the attack on the Freedom Flotilla. The Israeli military announced the findings Monday, of its internal examination of the events on 31 March, when the country’s forces killed nine aboard an aid ship….
Independents: No news on unity deal
7/12/2010 – Bethlehem/Gaza – Ma’an – A delegation of independent Palestinian political figures says the state of disunity in the occupied Palestinian territories is unchanged despite recent efforts. Delegate Yaser Al-Wadiya said Egyptian officials affirmed to the delegation that Cairo remains willing to play a role in ending the Fatah-Hamas divide, which has been ongoing for three years….
Hizb Ut-Tahrir: PA security detained 17 supporters
7/12/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Hizb Ut-Tahrir, an international pan-Islamist party seeking the re-establishment of an Islamic Caliphate, accused the Palestinian Authority’s security services of detaining 17 supporters near Hebron on Sunday. A statement from the group, which does participate in Palestinian elections, said the detentions came after a public lecture at Al-Umari Mosque in the southern West….
Jenin group hosts camping trip for blind
7/12/2010 – Jenin- Ma’an – A Jenin charity wrapped up a camping trip for blind residents and their families. Mustafa Al-Johari of the Palestinian Forum for the Blind said 53 families participated in the trip, which included a tour of parks in the northern West Bank district of Tulkarem and a cultural competition. It was the first such….
Palestinian performers tour Europe
7/12/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – An association of performers from the northern West Bank city of Nablus will take Palestinian culture to stages across Europe in a month-long tour that began last week. The cultural delegation, including Nablus band “Torches of Palestine,” and traditional Dabka dancing troupes, have staged symbolic plays about the Palestinian struggle, and already performed….
In photos: Bethlehem souvenirs
7/12/2010 – MaanImages / Luay Sabab – A Palestinian man works at a mother-of-pearl factory south of Bethlehem on 10 July 2010. Nativity scenes, miniatures of the Dome of the Rock, and religious scriptures are crafted out of the iridescent material and sold in souvenir shops….
‘Peace process’ foreign term in Jerusalem, Gaza
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – Over dinner in Bethlehem, this week, I mentioned to my brother in law how Israel has strategically succeeded in cutting off the Gaza Strip from the West Bank. While agreeing with me, he told me of…
Turning no into yes on justice
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – Organizations like Americans for Peace Now and J Street, despite the breath of fresh air they bring to the discussion of the Israel/Palestinian conflict, don’t seem to understand that a 2-state solution is a non-starter. It…
Whose report is unbalanced and incomplete?
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – In an appeal to the Presbyterian Church (USA), David Michaels, Director of United Nations and Intercommunal Affairs at B’nai B’rith International- the world’s oldest Jewish humanitarian, advocacy and social action organization- derides the report of the…
Palestinian responsibility
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – It took over 10 hours to cross from Amman, Jordan to the Ghetto of Bethlehem, a distance of 60 miles. From the first moment on the bridge from Jordan, we begin to be immersed in Palestinian…
Hard questions, tough answers with Yossi Alpher- July 12, 2010
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – Alpher assesses the importance of last week’s Obama-Netanyahu meeting, and reflects on the 10-year anniversary of the Camp David II peace talks. Q. How would you characterize the achievements of last week’s Obama-Netanyahu summit? A. Judging…
Bill Kristol, right-wingers found pro-Israel attack group
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – New York – American right wingers have founded a new organization, the Emergency Committee for Israel , that is attacking lawmakers they see as breaking the pro-Israeli consensus in Washington. Congressman Joe Sestak speaks at an Employee…
New settler homes in East Jerusalem: The story behind the story
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – New York – Israeli authorities approved on Monday an additional 23 homes in the Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev in occupied East Jerusalem, close to Ramallah. The Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev. [Nehemia G via Wikimedia…
In Gaza, deprivation is the mother of invention
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – Washington — Scores of Gazans have gathered at the Rashad Al-Shawa cultural center in Gaza City to show off their latest high-tech inventions, often using found and recycled materials to replace what the blockade refuses import,…
‘It’s not a life, it’s mere existence’: Surviving the siege in Gaza
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – By Ahmed Aldabba Gaza – The markets of Gaza are packed with a new variety of food after Israel decided to relax its four-year-old blockade, but to unemployed resident Saleh Al-Da’ma, 38, this Israeli decision is…
Jordan, State Department officials deny US threatened aid over nuclear program
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – Washington — Senior Jordanian and US officials have denied an Israeli news report that the US threatened to cut financial aid if it refuses to coordinate with Israel in developing its nuclear program. Jordan’s King Abdullah…
Palestinian activist in Jordan uses social media for social justice
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – By Sarah Harlan Washington – Activist Ali Dahmash , who describes himself as “originally Palestinian, Jordanian by nationality,” through his blog Under My Olive Tree , has taken on Jordan’s ills, using social media to raise awareness and…
Yisrael Beiteinu bill discriminates against Palestinians in the workplace
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – Washington — The nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party has introduced a new bill to the Knesset that would give hiring preference to military veterans, effectively disadvantaging Palestinian citizens of Israel, who do not serve in the army,…
Israel investigates protester death
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – New York – Israel’s military announced on Monday that it will launch an investigation into the killing of Bassem Abu Rahma, a Palestinian who was killed when he was struck by an Israeli tear gas canister…
Turkel commission: Israeli court hints at wider powers
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – Washington — The Israeli High Court decided Monday to compromise on a petition to widen the Turkel Commission’s investigatory powers, saying it would not directly give the probe rights to interrogate military personnel, but that it…
‘Mistakes but no failures’
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – No punishable offenses found in Israeli probe of Gaza flotilla raid New York – The results of a military probe made public on Monday found “mistakes” but no wrongdoing with Israel’s deadly May 31 attack on…
Gaddafi son barred from Libyan aid ship to Gaza
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – Washington — The Libyan ship underway to break the Gaza naval blockade will not carry one high-profile passenger – the Libyan president’s son Saif Gaddafi – Arabic-language Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat reported via Ynet News Monday. Saif al-Islam…
Israeli source: Direct talks to launch August 1st
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – Washington – According to the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth, US Middle East envoy George Mitchell will be in the region by week’s end to discuss the move toward direct negotiations, Ma’an News Agency reported Monday. Obama […
Knesset to vote on revoking Palestinian MK’s privileges
Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 – Washington — The Knesset will vote Tuesday whether to deny privileges to Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi for her participation in the late-May Gaza flotilla, Haaretz reported Monday. The Knesset House Committee last week passed the decision…
Mideast night beat: Censorship edition
Palestine Note 11 Jul 2010 – Today in Palestine, Israel, the broader Middle East, and beyond: An ariel photo of the Israeli nuclear base revealed this week. Remember that secret Israeli military base that was disclosed by former soldiers on Facebook last…
Israel: Mistakes over flotilla raid
AlJazeera 12 Jul 2010 – Internal probe faults Israeli navy for poor planning over attack on Gaza-bound convoy.
Iran stoning sentence ‘on hold’
AlJazeera 11 Jul 2010 – Official say woman facing death for adultery has received temporary stay of execution.
Shin Bet Visits West Bank Cities to Boost Security Ties with PA
PNN – Bethlehem – PNN — In their most recent blog post, the MESS Report, Haaretz reporters said the head of Shin Bet, Yuval Diskin, visited Jenin to improve the ties between the Israeli…
Peace Deal by 2012 Unlikely – Netanyahu
PNN – PNN – Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted that a peace deal by 2012 seems unlikely. Speaking to Fox news as part of his trip to America, Netanyahu stressed that…
Gaza Resident Refused Opportunity to Study at University
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – Twenty-nine year-old Gaza resident and lawyer Fatima Sharif was refused permission by the Israeli courts to study in the West Bank. Ms. Sharif hoped to attend Bir Zeit…
Hebron Requests Israel Dance Force to Perform
PNN – Hebron — PNN — On Saturday July 10, the Palestinian weekly protesters in Hebron showed their most creative side. Before the blocked entrance at Shuhada street, they requested the IDF to perform…
Settler Murder Suspect Interviewed, Released After Several Hours
PNN – Mahmoud Mahmoud – PNN – Sixteen-year-old Palestinian resident Ayser a-Zaban was killed by gunfire two months ago by an Israeli settler near Ramallah. After two months of gathering evidence the police have…
Abbas: Starting Negotiations from Zero is Futile and Pointless
PNN – Ramallah – PNN – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is determined not to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unless there will be an internationally mandated settlement freeze on the homes in…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Four Persons, Including a Child, Injured in Rafah Accident
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Field Update During the past three days, four persons, including a child, were injured in four separate incidents related to the misuse of weapons, all of which occurred in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
Israel concerned: Hizbullah tunnels under northern border
Jeruslalem Post 12 Jul 2010 – Tunnels may be used to attack border community or IDF post.
32 houses to be built in East Jerusalem
Jeruslalem Post 12 Jul 2010 – Approval comes days after Netanyahu’s meeting with Obama.
Cartoonist placed on terror hit list
Jeruslalem Post 12 Jul 2010 – Threat responds to ‘Draw Muhammad Day.’
‘There were faults that need correcting’
Jeruslalem Post 12 Jul 2010 – IDF Chief willing to adopt conclusions of military probe.
Police save Palestinian from snake
Jeruslalem Post 12 Jul 2010 – “A human being is a human being, whether Jew or Arab.”
‘July [Lebanon] war is not over’
Jeruslalem Post 12 Jul 2010 – Lebanese newspapers recall July 12, 2006 war on its anniversary.
IDF probe: Army didn’t have ‚ÄòPlan B’ for flotilla op
Jeruslalem Post 12 Jul 2010 – Maj.-Gen Eiland presents Ashkenazi 100-page report detailing findings of internal probe into ‘Mavi Marmara’ interception, says he found “operational mistakes” rather than “failures.”
IDF flotilla probe:
Jeruslalem Post 12 Jul 2010 – Maj.-Gen (res) Giora Eiland presents Ashkenazi with findings of internal military probe into Operation Sea Breeze 7
‘US support is insurance policy’
Jeruslalem Post 12 Jul 2010 – Arad praises Obama’s commitment to Israel’s security.
International Solidarity Movement
IDF to probe death of Palestinian protester at West Bank rally
7/12/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Ha’aretz – The Military Advocate General on Monday ordered the army’s criminal investigations unit to investigate the death of a Palestinian protester who was killed by a tear gas canister at a demonstration in Bil’in in April 2009. The Military Advocate General had refused to open a criminal investigation into the death of Bassem Abu-Rahma, but….
Ben Gurion Airport construction causes overload of air traffic
Ha’aretz – At least 10 flights that arrived at Ben-Gurion International Airport early Friday morning had to circle in the air for some time before being allowed to land.
Tel Aviv landlords now required to renovate buildings every 15 years
Ha’aretz – Renovating an average four-story building costs tens of thousands of shekels, which means thousands of shekels for each home owner.
Bill giving job preferences to IDF graduates faces appeal
Ha’aretz – The Welfare Minister has appealed the decision of the government granting preferential hiring for public positions to IDF ex-soldiers. MK Zoabi: The Supreme Court will not let this law stand.
Omri Sharon lightly hurt chasing after robbers at his parents’ estate
Ha’aretz – Two Bedouin men in their mid-20s got as far as loading the stolen irrigation equipment into their car when the former prime minister’s son began chasing after them in his…
Archaeologists discover oldest letter ever found in Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – Clay fragment emboldened with what is believed to be a letter from the court of Jerusalem to the court of Egypt, 3,300 years ago.
From Haaretz.com intern to the new face of Israeli fashion
Ha’aretz – Golf has picked Danish journalist Morten Berthelsen, 25, as its first non-Israeli model to serve as presenter for the company.
Revealed: Druze man suspected of crimes against Israel was target of Majdal Shams raid
Ha’aretz – Police forces encountered mass resistance on Sunday after they entered the Golan village to carry out a search.
Knesset to vote on rescinding Arab MK Zoabi’s privileges
Ha’aretz – Knesset’s House Committee recommended revoking her privileges after she participated in the Gaza-bound aid flotilla that resulted in an IDF raid.
Netanyahu: Vote on conversion reform won’t be brought to Knesset plenum
Ha’aretz – Knesset panel approves in preliminary reading proposed legislation that would assign authority on matters of conversion in Israel to the Chief Rabbinate; Reform and Conservative Jewish communities protesting the bill.
Police arrest Women of the Wall leader for praying with Torah scroll
Ha’aretz – Anat Hoffman, the women’s prayer group leader, was arrested for holding a Torah scroll in violation of a High Court ruling on prayer at the Western Wall.
Olmert grilled over alleged money transfers to his brother
Ha’aretz – Ex-PM suspected of helping developers promote Holyland residential project in Jerusalem in return for more than NIS 1 million in bribes.
Ministers approve bill to strip Israeli Arab former MK of pension
Ha’aretz – Move comes two years after High Court annuls early Knesset approval of bill to revoke stipends of MKs avoiding trial or investigation of crimes with penalty of at least five…
Clinton urges Turkey: Don’t sever dialogue with Israel
Ha’aretz – U.s. official says Turkish FM agrees to leave Iran nuclear issue to UNSC and IAEA discussions.
Council approves construction of 32 new homes in East Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – Approval is part of plan to build a total of 250 apartment units in Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood, despite Obama administration’s characterization of Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem as settlements.
Russia: Iran moving closer to nuclear weapons, sanctions could work
Ha’aretz – Medvedev’s remarks reveal growing Russian impatience with its longtime ally Iran in its dispute with the international community over its nuclear program.
IDF blames intelligence for Gaza flotilla ‘mistakes’, but defends use of commandos
Ha’aretz – First Israeli probe of deadly May 31 raid, led by Maj. Gen. Eiland, cites intelligence failures but does not single out any officers for rebuke., Military Advocate General back-pedals, orders…
Germany outlaws charity over alleged Hamas links
Ha’aretz – Authorities believe the Internationale Humanitaere Hilfsorganisation (IHH), which is registered in Frankfurt, has been funneling money to Hamas.
Report: Libya blocking Gadhafi’s son from joining Gaza aid ship
Ha’aretz – Israeli sources have said the ship is expected to dock at the Egyptian port of El-Arish and not try to break the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza.
High Court open to widening scope of Gaza flotilla probe
Ha’aretz – The Turkel committee, which currently has a limited mandate, may be able to subpoena naval commanders and IDF officers who planned botched May 31 raid that left nine dead.
Conversions bill sets Netanyahu on collision course with U.S. Jews
Ha’aretz – American communities outraged, claiming PM broke personal promise to ensure bill granting Orthodox rabbis a monopoly on conversion in Israel would not become law.
Palestinians dance to Lady Gaga in Hebron, to counter video made by IDF troops
Ha’aretz – Video created in response to clip posted on YouTube last week by soldiers who performed routine to Kesha’s hit Tik Tok.
Jewish student burns Israeli flag
12 Jul 2010 – Jerusalem, July 12, (Pal Telegraph) A Jewish student burned the Israeli flag in a seminary during a demonstration of the “Memorial Day” in the occupied Jerusalem, adding that the flag burning is an expression of freedom of opinion. Yikhanil Khazan (20 years), was convicted on charges of flag burning and humiliated in front of the Magistrate’s Court in Jerusalem, while…
Gazan prisoner tastes freedom today
12 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 12, (Pal Telegraph) The Israeli occupation authorities today freed a prisoner, Mohammed Ziad Tamer Elabeet, from the Gaza Strip after serving his sentence in the prisons of the Israeli occupation for 8 years. The Supreme Committee of Prisoners pointed out that Elabeet comes from central Gaza, and has been detained since 3/5/2003, and belongs to Hamas . The Israeli…
Israel publishes today results of flotilla investigation
12 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 12, (Pal Telegraph) The Chairman of the Inquiry committee investigating the massacre of the fleet of freedom, which was heading to Gaza more than a month ago, Major General reserve Giora Eiland will declare his committee’s report on Monday in apress conference. Israeli radio said that General Eiland presented last night the report to the Chief of Staff…
CNN fires journalist showed her respect to ‘Fadlallah’
12 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 12, (Pal Telegraph) The Palestinian Media Forum condemned CNN’s decision to force Journalist Octavia Nasr to resign as she expressed her respect for the icon Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, by writing some on the social network of “Twitter” after his death. The forum said in a statement today, that this measure is contrary to Article (19) of the…
Libyan “Hope” aid ship continues sailing to Gaza
12 Jul 2010 – Gaza , July 12, (Pal Telegraph) Libyan aid ship of “Hope” continued sailing to Gaza after their arrival at the island of “Crete”. The arrival of the vessel to the island comes as a plan developed by the organizers from the Gaddafi Charity Foundation, leaded by Saif al-Islam, son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who declared his support for the Palestinians…
IOF raids Hebron, Israeli settlers attack old man
12 Jul 2010 – Hebron, July 12, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces arrested at dawn today three people after raiding homes in the town of Seir, and Beit Awa and the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. Security sources said that the Israeli occupation forces raided a house belonging to Nadi Froukh in the town of Seir, east of Hebron, and searched…
Hundreds of Israeli settlers wreck havoc in Nablus
12 Jul 2010 – Nablus , July 12, (Pal Telegraph) Hundreds of Israeli Settlers broke today morning into “Awarta” village, south of Nablus in the West Bank, and rampaged through a secondary school for boys and performed religious rituals in historic places inside the village.
Israel raids Jenin, arrests 3
12 Jul 2010 – Jenin, July 12, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces arrested at dawn today three people during an incursion in the towns of Qabatiya and Shuhada, eastern city of Jenin, in the West Bank. Local sources said that more than 15 Israeli militant patrols entered the town of Qabatiya after the middle of the night and roamed the streets of the town…
Israel opens Gaza’s commercial crossings
12 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 12, (Pal Telegraph) The Israeli occupation authorities decided to open today Gaza’s commercial crossings (Kerem Abu Salem and Karni) for the entry of food, aid, fuel and industrial diesel to the Gaza Strip.
‘It’s not a life, it’s mere existence’: Surviving the siege in Gaza
Uruknet July 12, 2010 – The markets of Gaza are packed with a new variety of food after Israel decided to relax its four-year-old blockade, but to unemployed resident Saleh Al-Da’ma, 38, this Israeli decision is meaningless, because his pockets are empty. “Relaxing the siege means nothing to me since I can’t even buy a pair of socks for one…
MK Haneen Zoubi: I Joined The Flotilla To Show Israel Is Not A Democracy
Uruknet July 12, 2010 – First she faced bullets on the Mavi Marmara. Then it was death threats and chants of “terrorist” and “traitor” in the Knesset. The campaign to have her immunity and citizenship taken, even public calls for her to be executed. Standing a shade over five feet tall, well dressed and polite, at a glance it’s hard…
Encountering the face of racism masked as radicalism or anti-imperialism
Uruknet July 12, 2010 – … A mutual friend suggested that Neda has been killed by CIA forces. This was my response to him/her— I erased a few parts of my answer for privacy and for not making the case personal: “As you probably know, more than 100 innocent people have been killed in Iran. Some of them in the streets…
Video: Gaza farmers risk being shot
Uruknet July 12, 2010 – As a Libyan backed aid ship sails for the Gaza Strip, another group of international activists has been defying the blockade, but this time on the land. Foreigners acting as human shields have been helping farmers in Gaza harvest their crops. About 30 per cent of Gaza’s arable land is on the border with Israel…
Israel’s Settlement Enterprise: Longstanding, Outrageous and Illegal
Uruknet July 12, 2010 – B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights organization, addressed it in its July 2010 report titled, “By Hook and By Crook: Israel’s Settlement Policy in the West Bank”, ahead of a July 6 meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Obama, their fifth – a shameless love fest endorsing Israeli crimes, Obama saying Israel has “got…
The Political Economy of Israel’s OccupationHever: 18 families control 60% of the equity value of all companies in Israel
Uruknet July 12, 2010 – …Well, the economic reality of Israel, of course, plays a part in every aspect of Israel’s existence‚Äîin the politics, in the society, and, of course, also in identity issues as well. The occupation of the Palestinian territories defines Israel’s economy in a large way. About two-thirds of Israel’s history, it has been occupying power, controlling…
ExposedThe Treatment of Palestinian Detainees during Operation “Cast Lead” (Full Text)
Uruknet July 12, 2010 – The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, released, today, a special report “Exposed” which discusses violations of detainee rights during “Cast Lead”. The report relies on a significant number of testimonies given to PCATI and Adalah attorneys, most of the civilian detainees who were…
Charges Dropped Against Soldier Who Shot Man, Child In East Jerusalem
Uruknet July 11, 2010 – The Israeli prosecution decided to drop all charges against a settler-soldier who shot and wounded a Palestinian man and a child in Wadi Hilwa area, in Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem, and claimed that there is insufficient evidence against the soldier who used weapon against unarmed civilians. The settler-soldier used his M-16 automatic rifle and…
Are You a “Perfect Citizen”? NSA Will Deploy Snooping Sensors on Private Networks
Uruknet July 11, 2010 – With a cover story that this is merely a “research” effort meant to “detect cyber assaults on private companies and government agencies running such critical infrastructure as the electricity grid and nuclear-power plants,” it is also clear that the next phase in pervasive government spying is underway. With “cybersecurity” morphing into a new “public-private” iteration…
Hundreds of Israeli professors protest at ‘McCarthyite’ right-wing education minister
Uruknet July 11, 2010 – Hundreds of Israeli college professors have signed a petition accusing the education minister of endangering academic freedoms after he threatened to “punish” any lecturer or institution that supports a boycott of Israel. The backlash against Gideon Saar, a member of the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, comes after a series of moves suggesting he…
The Charade of Relaxing the Gaza Blockade
Uruknet July 11, 2010 – The Israeli regime has now agreed to lift partially the blockade of Gaza: potato chips, mattresses, washing machines, honey — all of which were banned earlier can now enter Gaza. Predictably, the US and EU Governments have welcomed this Israeli step, without questioning the military significance of the earlier banning potato chips. Nor have these…
I HOPE THIS MAKES YOU SICKHOMELESS, THANKS TO ISAREL
Uruknet July 11, 2010 – …But lets have a dose of reality by remembering that 24,145 Palestinian homes have been demolished by Israel. How many Israeli homes have Palestinians demolished? Answer=Zero! Now let’s look at this in the context of other Israeli aggression, shall we? Like the endless bombings in Gaza, more homes destroyed, along with Hospitals, schools and places…
Palestinian villagers battle plans to wall them in
Uruknet July 11, 2010 ‚Äî Omar Hajaj says he will soon be caged “like a zoo animal,” with an electric fence encircling his house and his village hemmed in by the notorious West Bank barrier. The rumble of bulldozers has become a common sound around this Palestinian village on Jerusalem’s southern outskirts as earthmovers work on a huge trench which…
Israel paves the way for killing by remote control
The National 12 Jul 2010 – With the ‘Spot and Shoot’ system, soldiers aim guns at Palestinians while sitting in an operations room miles away.
Israel admits mistakes’ in attack on aid flotilla
The National 12 Jul 2010 – The first official Israeli army investigation into the deadly commando raid on Gaza-bound ship criticises failures in intelligence and planning.
AIC Upgrades Website Infrastructure
Alternative Information Center – The Alternative Information Center (AIC) is currently upgrading its website infrastructure. We will be back online by Tuesday 22 June 2010.
EU, Oxfam Launch Community Development Project to WB Marginalized Villages
WAFA – LONDON, July 12, 2010 (WAFA)- Oxfam GB and the European Union have today officially launched a groundbreaking project in six West Bank communities severely affected and impoverished by the
Israeli Army to Probe Death of Palestinian Protester at W.B Demo
WAFA – TEL AVIV, July 12, 2010 (WAFA)- Israeli Military Advocate General back-pedals, ordered Israeli army’s criminal investigations unit to probe into death of Palestinian protester who was killed by
High Court Opens to Widening Scope of Gaza Flotilla Probe, Haaretz Says
WAFA – TEL AVIV, July 12, 2010 (WAFA)-The Israeli High Court on Monday, opened the door to expanding the authority of the Turkel Commission investigating Israel’s botched raid of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla,
Ashton: E U Working with Its International Partners to End Gaza Closure
WAFA – BRUSSELS, July 12, 2010(WAFA) -“The European Union is working with its international partners and the parties to bring about an end to the policy of closure in Gaza that would allow the people to get
New Yorkers Celebrate 5 Successful Years of Palestinian-Led Boycott Movement against Israel
WAFA – NEW YORK July 12, 2010 (WAFA)- In a joyful celebration of the Palestinian peaceful and creative grassroots resistance, 40 New York human rights activists conducted a musical walking tour of
Israel report blames flawed planning for flotilla raid
Daily Star 12 Jul 2010 Flawed intelligence-gathering and planning led to Israel’s botched and deadly raid on a Gaza-bound protest flotilla, with security forces underestimating the potential for violence, said the official report released Monday. The report, however, praised the commandos…
Four years on, Israeli troops learn from summer war
Daily Star 12 Jul 2010 ELYAKIM TRAINING BASE, Israel: Four years after its devastating war in south Lebanon, Israel says it hopes peace will hold but keeps its troops at the ready, claiming Hizbullah is stockpiling weapons in villages. At the…
Russia warns Iran closer to nuclear weapons potential
Daily Star 12 Jul 2010 MOSCOW: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday Iran was gaining the ability to build a nuclear bomb, remarks welcomed in Washington as a sign of growing international unity behind a tough line toward Tehran. Medvedev’s…
Druze trap Israeli police in Golan Heights building
Daily Star 12 Jul 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Hundreds of Druze residents of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights surrounded a building in the main town of Majdel Shams on Sunday, trapping policemen for several hours.The 10 policemen were searching for “criminals” inside the…
Israel to probe killing of West Bank activist – rights group
Daily Star 12 Jul 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel’s military has launched an investigation into the killing of a Palestinian activist during a West Bank protest more than a year ago, the Israeli rights group B’Tselem said Monday.The group said the army…
Morocco looks to arrest Cast Lead architects
Daily Star 12 Jul 2010 RABAT: A group of lawyers launched a legal bid Monday to have senior Israeli figures arrested if they enter Morocco over Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip 18 months ago, a spokesman said.”The complaint is against…
Jewish conversion bill moves ahead, draws anger from Liberal groups
Daily Star 12 Jul 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Liberal Jewish groups were angered Monday after a parliamentary committee in Israel approved a bill that would give Orthodox rabbis more control over the sensitive issue of conversions to Judaism, one which some say…
Israel blames poor planning and intelligence mistakes for flotilla disaster
The Guardian 12 Jul 2010 – Flawed preparation played key role in tragic outcome of Israel’s assault on Gaza-bound flotilla, says inquiry Serious mistakes in intelligence and planning led to Israel’s disastrous assault on a flotilla of ships attempting to break the…
Met pays £25,000 to twins for injuries at Gaza demo
The Guardian 12 Jul 2010 – Police apologise to brothers for force used during protests outside Israeli embassy in London The Metropolitan police has paid ¬£25,000 to twin brothers who claimed they were attacked by police during demonstrations in London against the…
Gaza flotilla report blames poor Israeli planning and intelligence
The Guardian 12 Jul 2010 – Israeli military investigation points to mistakes before deadly raid on blockade-busting aid ship the Mavi Marmara six weeks ago An Israeli military investigation has concluded that flawed intelligence and poor planning led to the lethal interception…
Lessons of the 2006 Lebanon war | Jeremy Sharon
The Guardian 12 Jul 2010 – The second Lebanon war failed to neuter Hezbollah and is a model of how not to deal with violent factions in the Middle East The second Lebanon war , which broke out four years ago today, was…
By Hook and By Crook: Israel’s Settlement Policy in the West Bank
Relief Web 12 Jul 2010 – Source: Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
Jordanian organizations set for Gaza convoy
Relief Web 12 Jul 2010 – Source: Kuwait News Agency
20 new Jewish homes approved in east Jerusalem
Relief Web 12 Jul 2010 – Source: Agence France-Presse
Will Libya aid ship force more changes to Israel’s Gaza blockade?
Relief Web 12 Jul 2010 – Source: Christian Science Monitor
Rumblings Rise Between Hezbollah and Israel
IPS Israeli intelligence has warned that a new war with Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon cannot be ruled out, following heightened tensions between United Nations peacekeeping forces and Hezbollah supporters in the south of Lebanon.
Eiland report finds ‘mistakes, but no failures’
YNet News – Committee that probed IDF raid on Gaza-bound flotilla ship says high-ranking….
Russia: Iran moving closer to nuclear weapons
YNet News – President Medvedev says Islamic Republic nearing possession of potential to….
Lebanon Press: Israel war far from over
YNet News – Beitur-based al-Akhbar newspaper says both parties ‘look ready to leap back into….
Germany bans group accused of Hamas links
YNet News – Interior minister says organizations that directly or indirectly work against….
IDF to probe Palestinian’s death during anti-fence rally
YNet News – (Video) Military advocate general changes his mind, orders investigation into….
Head of Egypt’s Jewish community faces jail time
YNet News – Carmen Weinstein convicted of defrauding local businessman, sentenced to three….
Netanyahu: Jerusalem dispute should not delay direct talks
YNet News – Ynet learns PM told forum of seven senior ministers direct negotiations with….
Haredim block Jerusalem road
YNet News – More than 100 haredim blocked Bar Ilan road in Jerusalem on Monday with a large garbage container in protest of the construction on Andromeda Hill in Jaffa, which they …….
Report: US threatens to cut Jordan’s aid
YNet News – The United States has threatened to cut financial aid to Jordan, if the Hashemite Kingdom continues to develop its nuclear program without coordinating with Israel, the …….
32 homes approved in Pisgat Ze’ev
YNet News – The Jerusalem district planning and construction committee approved the construction of 32 housing units in the eastern neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev, on land captured by …….
Palestinian Information Center
Resheq: Reaching understandings is a good way out of the reconciliation crisis
PIC 12 Jul 2010 – Ezzat Al-Resheq stated that the idea of developing inter-Palestinian understandings containing an explanation of the contentious points is a reasonable way out of the internal reconciliation crisis.
Palestinians exiled to Gaza demand pressure on Israel to return to their homes
PIC 12 Jul 2010 – A number of deportees to the Gaza Strip called on various international community organizations to take action in prosecuting Israel and ensuring their return to their homes.
Bardawil affirms consent to Clinton’s mediation in prisoner trade-off
PIC 12 Jul 2010 – Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil confirmed in a press release on Sunday that Hamas has no opposition in using former U.S. President Bill Clinton as a mediator to achieve the prisoner trade-off.
Military report criticizes planners’ failure to deal with Freedom Flotilla
PIC 12 Jul 2010 – News reports said that the Israeli military probe into the deadly attack on the Freedom Flotilla convoy stated that the operation’s planners failed to make proper preparations to deal with the convoy.
Israeli police release settler charged with murdering Palestinian child
PIC 12 Jul 2010 – The Israeli police released an Israeli settler on Sunday only two hours after detaining him on charges of killing a 15-year-old Palestinian child two months ago.
Hundreds of settlers storm Nablus village, beat up old man
PIC 12 Jul 2010 – Hundreds of Zionist settlers stormed the village of Awarta, east of Nablus, at dawn Monday under protection of a large number of Zionist occupation soldiers, sources in Nablus city said.
The Aqsa Foundation warns against march for daily raids on the Aqsa Mosque
PIC 12 Jul 2010 – The Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage warned of the announcement by several Israeli groups that they would march off the Aqsa Mosque’s western and northern entrances.
IOF troops arrest son, brother of Hamas detained leader
PIC 12 Jul 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested on Monday the son and the brother of detained Hamas leader Sheikh Ibrahim Jabr, 50, at a military roadblock near Al-Khalil city.
Hamas: Diskin’s visit to Jenin aimed at boosting security ties with PA
PIC 12 Jul 2010 – Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the visit of head of Shin Bet Yuval Diskin to Jenin, is aimed at enhancing the security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Ahrar center holds Israel fully responsible for death of ex-detainee Rabea Harb
PIC 12 Jul 2010 – Al-Ahrar center held the Israeli prisons authority fully responsible for the death of ex-detainee in its jails Rabea Harb, who was completely paralyzed from the waist down.
Military audit clears soldiers in Gaza flotilla raid
LA Times 12 Jul 2010 – An Israeli commission finds ‘no failure, but mistakes’ in the deadly May 31 raid of an aid ship and does not recommend disciplinary action. The report comes as another ship is sailing toward Israel. As Israel faces the prospect of another aid-supply ship trying to break its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, a military audit released Monday into the deadly raid of a previous flotilla found mistakes but no negligence on the part of soldiers and commanders.
German trade with Iran has life of its own
LA Times 13 Jul 2010 – Germany’s emerging status as a global political power shines a light on its substantial dealings with Iran, putting its aspiration to be a diplomatic heavyweight at odds with its economic interests. Chancellor Angela Merkel can warn companies all she wants to stop doing business with Iran. Yet commerce between German firms and the Islamic Republic keeps expanding, as businesses here continue longstanding relationships with Tehran.
After Killing At a Bazaar, Iran Declares 2 Days Off
New York Times 12 Jul 2010 – The sudden announcement came after a long-simmering dispute between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Tehran bazaar over taxes erupted last week, leaving one merchant dead.
Iran to Send Clerics Into Tehran’s Schools
New York Times 11 Jul 2010 – A reported plan to send 1,000 clerics to schools in Iran’s capital appears to be part of a wider social and cultural crackdown on the nation’s youth.
Politicus: Clinton Asks if Obama Is ‘Winning’
New York Times 12 Jul 2010 – Bill Clinton was talking recently about the mood in America, and whether President Obama was handling the BP oil spill.
MK Haneen Zoubi: I Joined The Flotilla To Show Israel Is Not A Democracy
Palestine Monitor – First she faced bullets on the Mavi Marmara. Then it was death threats and chants of “terrorist” and “traitor” in the Knesset. The campaign to have her immunity and citizenship taken, even public calls for her to be executed. Standing a shade over five feet tall,…
Barghouthi: Resistance our strategic choice
Palestine Monitor – Palestinian National Initiative leader Mustafa Barghouthi said Saturday that talks with Israel have failed, speaking at a rally calling for the reopening of Ash-Shuhada Street in Hebron. ” We are here in Hebron to stress that resistance is our strategic choice as negotiations with the right-wing Israeli…
In ‚ÄòNYT,’ commenters brand Israel ‚Äòfascist’
Mondoweiss – Ethan Bronner got the scoop today on Israel’s investigation of the flotilla raid concluding that the 9 killings were justified. The piece included one line at odds with the Israeli narrative, the last line: “Passengers aboard the flotilla have mostly told a very different story, with…
NYT’s Mackey questions whether Partition is possible
Mondoweiss – (Alex Kane picked this up .) Robert Mackey of the Times is using his noggin. In light of the continuing effort by negotiators to settle on a map that satisfies both Israelis and Palestinians, it is interesting that what Gandhi and Buber apparently did agree on was…
U.S. gov’t record label offers IDF album and many other hymns to Zionism
Mondoweiss – Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, which is a U.S. Gov’t cocnern. My friend Bob Feldman writes: “If you do an advanced search on the Smithsonian music site by ‘country,’ you’ll find that for ‘Palestine Territory’ there apparently are just 5…
‚ÄòCNN’ gives platform to latest neocon astroturf war-with-Iran group
Mondoweiss – Important post from Eli Clifton on the neoconservative echo chamber pushing for war with Iran. Why isn’t Chris Matthews or Rachel Maddow putting Clifton on air? Do we really want another disastrous American war in the Middle East? Excerpts: No sooner did I write about the…
It just gets worse
Mondoweiss – Haaretz reports that Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s settlement in the occupied Jordan Valley is barring non-Jewish Russian Israelis from buying houses there: The Nokdim secretariat ruled two weeks ago to bar non-Jewish Russian-Israelis from buying homes in the small Bethlehem-area settlement where Foreign Minister Avigdor…
Israel admits flotilla ‘mistakes’
BBC – An Israeli military probe into the naval raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla says mistakes were made at a senior level.
Russia says Iran ‘nearing bombs’
BBC – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says Iran is “moving close” to having the potential to create nuclear weapons.
Iranian woman’s stoning ‘on hold’
BBC – Iran’s judicial chief has temporarily halted the stoning of a woman convicted of adultery, the official news agency says.
Two Sit-Ins
Antiwar.com – At this moment, two sit-ins are taking place in Jerusalem, two kilometers apart. In West Jerusalem, the Shalit family is sitting in a protest tent in front of the prime minister’s residence, swearing to remain there until the return of their son. In East Jerusalem, three…
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) Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle continue and the Israel radical left adopt the style of the AAtW
A-infos – The joint struggle include now 12 regular localities of struggle and nearly half with other targets than the separation fence. Beit Jalla, Beit Ummar, Bil’in, Dahmsh, Hebron and the region south of it, Ma’asara, Nebi Saleh, Ni’ilin, Sheikh Jarrah, Wadi Rahal, Wallage… The state forces harass…
Articles
Decades of Palestinian Displacement in East Jerusalem
Stephen Lendman, Dissident Voice7/9/2010
The UN General Assembly’s 1947 Resolution 181 internationalized Jerusalem as a separate body (a corpus separatum), administered by a UN Trustee Council, a policy still binding but not followed. Nor have other resolutions or international law provisions Israel rejects, ones interfering with its military occupation, affecting E. Jerusalem Palestinians repressively since June 1967, more still after passage of the July 30, 1980 Basic Law, declaring “Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel.”
Yet on June 30, 1980, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 476 (America abstaining), declaring “all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, which purport to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant (Fourth Geneva) violation.”
Following Israel’s non-compliance, the SC unanimously passed Resolution 478 (America again abstaining), “censur(ing Israel) in the strongest term” for enacting the Jerusalem Basic Law, calling it a violation of international law, saying the Council doesn’t recognize it, and telling member states to withdraw their diplomatic missions from the city.
The Security Council and General Assembly reaffirmed their positions that East Jerusalem is occupied territory, that expropriating its land is illegal, and that all Israeli legislative and administrative measures, altering the city’s character and status, are null and void and must be rescinded forthwith. To this day, Israel never complied, continuing its relentless policies of land seizures, home demolitions, and dispossessions, flagrantly flouting its obligations under international law.
Also its illegal occupation in defiance of Hague Regulation 43, stating…. more.. e-mail
Israeli academics hit back over bid to pass law that would criminalise them
Rachel Shabi in Jerusalem and Peter Beaumont, The Observer, The Guardian7/11/2010
Backlash over threat to outlaw supporters of boycott movement aimed at ending the continued occupation of the West Bank
Palestinian protest against the expansion of the Israeli settlements A Palestinian woman shouts at an Israeli soldier as clashes erupted with Palestinian protesters on Friday during a demonstration against the expansion of the Israeli settlements at Nabi Salih village near the West Bank City of Ramallah. Photograph: Alaa Badarneh/EPA
An academic backlash has erupted in Israel over proposed new laws, backed by the government of Binyamin Netanyahu, to criminalise a handful of Israeli professors who openly support a campaign against the continuing occupation of the West Bank.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel has gained rapid international support since Israeli troops stormed a Gaza-bound flotilla of aid ships in May, killing nine activists. Israeli attention has focused on the small number of activists, particularly in the country’s universities, who have openly supported an academic boycott of Israeli institutions.
A protest petition has been signed by 500 academics, including two former education ministers, following recent comments by Israel’s education minister, Gideon Saar, that the government intends to take action against the boycott’s supporters. A proposed bill introduced into the Israeli parliament — the Knesset — would outlaw boycotts and penalise their supporters. Individuals who initiated, encouraged or provided support or information for any boycott or divestment action would be made to pay damages to the companies affected. Foreign nationals involved in boycott activity would be banned from entering Israel for 10 years, and any “foreign state entity” engaged in such activity would be liable to pay damages. more.. e-mail
’Peace process’ foreign term in Jerusalem, Gaza
Daoud Kuttab, Ma’an News Agency7/10/2010
Israel’s behavior has not reflected a country interested in peace
Over dinner in Bethlehem, this week, I mentioned to my brother in law how Israel has strategically succeeded in cutting off the Gaza Strip from the West Bank. While agreeing with me, he told me of what a senior Israeli officer once told him shortly after the beginning of the Oslo process. The Israeli official said that Palestinians shouldn’t celebrate too much the withdrawal of Israel from Bethlehem. Before too long, Palestinians in Bethlehem will need to have a visa to enter Jerusalem.
I thought of this statement a few hours later. After enjoying the world cup semi final game at the renovated Orthodox Club in Beit Jala, I drove to my apartment in east Jerusalem, using the Rachel’s Tomb checkpoint. Upon reaching the checkpoint I noticed that the large metal gate that is part of the checkpoint was partially closed. A few cars were ahead of me and so I waited to see what the problem was. For some time they didn’t move and finally when the person in the first car inquired he was told that the checkpoint was closed. No explanation was given. The only thing left was turn back into Bethlehem. Somehow the visa we had, namely our Jerusalem ID cards would not even work this night.
As I was driving back from the checkpoint, the BBC was broadcasting a sound clip from US President Barack Obama. The US president, who was hosting the Israeli leader in front of clicking cameras and videos claimed that the easing of the Gaza blockade was the result of the peace process. What rubbish, I said to myself. The easing of the blockade was a demand for years by the moderate Ramallah based leadership with no result. Only when the Turkish led multi-ship flotilla had challenged the blockade and embarrassed the Israelis who were blocking jam and coriander (among other things) did the blockade ease on food items, and not on any other materials needed for the conduct of a normal life. more.. e-mail
Despite Israeli blockade, innovation thrives in Gaza
Electronic Intifada: 12 Jul 2010 – The relentless Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has squeezed many things, but it hasn’t robbed people of their ability and desire to innovate and invent. At the Rashad al-Shawa cultural center in heart of Gaza City, dozens of local companies and individuals recently demonstrated hi-tech products and inventions at an exhibition sponsored by government and nongovernmental bodies. Rami Almeghari reports from the occupied Gaza Strip.
Israeli colonization means life of poverty for W. Bank children
Electronic Intifada: 12 Jul 2010 – Israel’s policies of land confiscation, expanding settlement colonies, and discriminatory building permit restrictions are forcing more Palestinians — especially children — into a desperate economic and humanitarian crisis in the occupied West Bank, according to a report by Save the Children UK (STCUK).
“Life for Palestinians in Israel is complicated in every respect”
Electronic Intifada: 12 Jul 2010 – Basma Fahoum — an activist with the organization Who Profits from the Occupation? — recently sat with The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof and discussed what it means to be a Palestinian in Israel and her the ongoing efforts for her community to realize their rights.
Division on Unity Street: two books on Hamas reviewed
Electronic Intifada: 12 Jul 2010 – Objective information is urgently required in order to further a more nuanced awareness of what Hamas is all about. Raymond Deane determines whether two new books on the group that has caused an earthquake in Middle East politics stand up to the test.
MK Haneen Zoubi: I Joined The Flotilla To Show Israel Is Not A Democracy
Palestine Monitor: 12 Jul 2010 – First she faced bullets on the Mavi Marmara. Then it was death threats and chants of “terrorist” and “traitor” in the Knesset. The campaign to have her immunity and citizenship taken, even public calls for her to be executed. Standing a shade over five feet tall, well dressed and polite, at a glance it’s hard to understand why Knesset Member (MK) Haneen Zoubi, the first female Palestinian to hold a seat in the parliament, has attracted such loathing. “When I talk about equality, the response in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) is always ‘You want to throw us in the sea.’ I don’t. I want to live beside you, that’s why you are racist and I am not,” she tells us. Zoubi has represented the Palestinian-Arab Balad National Democrat party since 2009. She has become well versed in the double standards and biases of the Israeli government. “Israel has never been…
Barghouthi: Resistance our strategic choice
Palestine Monitor: 12 Jul 2010 – Palestinian National Initiative leader Mustafa Barghouthi said Saturday that talks with Israel have failed, speaking at a rally calling for the reopening of Ash-Shuhada Street in Hebron. ” We are here in Hebron to stress that resistance is our strategic choice as negotiations with the right-wing Israeli government have failed ,” Barghouthi told party members, residents, and international peace activists gathered for the demonstration. The former information minister said that while Israeli forces tried to stop the rally, it ” succeed in its goal ” in showing solidarity with Palestinian residents in Hebron’s Old City who are barred from accessing Ash-Shuhada Street, which is manned by an Israeli checkpoint. Barghouthi praised the resilience of Hebron’s residents, who organize and participate in the weekly demonstrations. The street falls under the H2 category of the Hebron Accord between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and is controlled fully by the Israeli army. Palestinians are prevented from accessing…
Witch-hunt Begins in Israeli Schools and Colleges
Palestine Chronicle: 12 Jul 2010 – By Jonathan Cook – Nazareth Hundreds of Israeli college professors have signed a petition accusing the education minister of endangering academic freedoms after he threatened to “punish” any lecturer or institution that supports a boycott of Israel. The backlash against Gideon Saar, a member of the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, comes after a series of moves suggesting he is trying to stamp a more stridently right-wing agenda on the Israeli education system. The education minister has outraged the 540 professors who signed the petition by his open backing of a nationalist youth movement, Im Tirtzu, which demands that teachers be required to prove their commitment to right-wing Zionism. Two of Mr Saar’s predecessors, Yossi Sarid and Yuli Tamir, are among those who signed the petition, which calls on the minister to “come to your senses … before it’s too late to save higher education in Israel”. Mr Saar’s…more
What’s Normal under Occupation?
Palestine Chronicle: 12 Jul 2010 – By Kara Newhouse — The West Bank, Palestine ‘For 122 days I heard the voices of tortured people, the shouting of tortured people, the crying of tortured people. The first days in that time, I could not sleep. I could not do anything, because I could not stop hearing the voices of tortured people. But after maybe 100 days, I got used to that situation, so I could sleep very well, and I started thinking there is nothing that can bother me. I started laughing a lot with my mate in my horrible cell and my family when they came to visit me.’ I heard these words from Mahmoud, who has been locked up by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority eight times over the last nine years. He is a former student government leader and politically-minded artist, and I met him only days after I completed an article on…more
Israel’s Outrageous Settlement Enterprise
Palestine Chronicle: 12 Jul 2010 – By Stephen Lendman B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights organization, addressed it in its July 2010 report titled, ‘By Hook and By Crook: Israel’s Settlement Policy in the West Bank’, ahead of a July 6 meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Obama, their fifth – a shameless love fest endorsing Israeli crimes, Obama saying Israel has “got to be able to respond to threats or any combination of threats in the region,” ones it manufactures to pursue ruthless, lawless policies, nonviolent civilians the victims. On July 5, Israeli National News.com writer Hillel Fendel headlined, “Timed to Sabotage,” quoting Yesha Council (YC) head Danny Dayan calling B’Tselem “an anti-Zionist tool for the destruction of Israel,” citing the report and its report release date as one example. YC (the Hebrew acronym for Judea, Samaria, and Gaza) is the successor to Gush Emunim (“Block of the Faithful”), the militant pro-settlement movement committed…more
BDS Campaign Wants Israel to Abide by International Law
Dissident Voice: 12 Jul 2010 – There is a considerable amount of misunderstanding about the BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions). As John Berger explained a while back, BDS is not a principle but a strategy; it is not against Israel but against Israeli policy; when the policy changes BDS will end. BDS is also not about a particular solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but rather the demand that Israel abide by international law and UN resolutions. It is accordingly something that you can support if you are for a two state solution or a one state solution. You can even support it as a Zionist. It arises from the realization, following years of experience, that the Occupation will not end unless Israelis understand that it has a price. In a sense, the fact that a boycott is required is a sign of weakness following the polaristaion and marginalisation of the left in Israel. On the one…
Witch-hunt Begins in Israeli Schools and Colleges
Dissident Voice: 12 Jul 2010 – Hundreds of Israeli college professors have signed a petition accusing the education minister of endangering academic freedoms after he threatened to “punish” any lecturer or institution that supports a boycott of Israel. The backlash against Gideon Saar, a member of the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, comes after a series of moves suggesting he is trying to stamp a more stridently right-wing agenda on the Israeli education system. The education minister has outraged the 540 professors who signed the petition by his open backing of a nationalist youth movement, Im Tirtzu, which demands that teachers be required to prove their commitment to right-wing Zionism. Two of Mr Saar’s predecessors, Yossi Sarid and Yuli Tamir, are among those who signed the petition, which calls on the minister to “come to your senses … before it’s too late to save higher education in Israel”. Mr Saar’s campaign to “re-Zionise” the education…
Are You a “Perfect Citizen”? NSA Will Deploy Snooping Sensors on Private Networks
Dissident Voice: 12 Jul 2010 – Rather than addressing an impending social catastrophe, Western governments, which serve the interests of the economic elites, have installed a “Big Brother” police state with a mandate to confront and repress all forms of opposition and social dissent. — Michel Chossudovsky and Andrew Gavin Marshall, Preface, The Global Economic Crisis: The Great Depression of the XXI Century , Montreal: Global Research, 2010, p. xx. In a sign that illegal surveillance programs launched by the Bush administration are accelerating under President Obama, The Wall Street Journal revealed last week that a National Security Agency (NSA) program, PERFECT CITIZEN, is under development. With a cover story that this is merely a “research” effort meant to “detect cyber assaults on private companies and government agencies running such critical infrastructure as the electricity grid and nuclear-power plants,” it is also clear that the next phase in pervasive government spying is underway. With “cybersecurity” morphing into…
Toy Israeli Houses for Italian Kids, Destroyed Homes for Palestinian Children
Intifada-Palestine: 12 Jul 2010 – by Rome Palestinian Solidarity Network “Barkan, the second largest Israeli settlement discharges 810,000 cubic meters of industrial waste water per year, which ends up in rivers and lands near the Palestinian village of Salfit.” That was the heading on the leaflet distributed at the Iper Coop in Rome, Italy on July 9, 2010, marking the fifth anniversary of the launch campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. While the systematic demolition of Palestinian homes by Israel continues, the Italian hypermarket instead sells colorful and cheerful plastic toy houses, in addition to children’s chairs, tables and slides, produced by the Israeli company Keter and marketed in Italy by Giochi Preziosi and Grand Soleil. The Keter Group, a leading worldwide producer of plastics, has some of its factories located in Israeli settlements built illegally in the occupied Palestinian territories, in particular, the infamous industrial zone of Barkan outside the Ariel…more
Israel: a Failing Colonial Project?
Intifada-Palestine: 12 Jul 2010 – Running Out of Solutions M. Shahid Alam By M. SHAHID ALAM Increasingly, despite its early military and political successes, Israel cannot for long endure as a colonial project. It must choose between wars — and destruction — or transition to a state for all its peoples. In order to firmly secure its existence — as firmly as that is possible for any state — a settler state has to overcome three challenges. It has to solve the native problem; break away from its mother country; and gain the recognition of neighboring states and peoples. It can be shown that Israel has not met any of these conditions. Consider Israel’s native problem. In 1948, in the months before and after its creation, Israel appeared to have solved its native problem in one fell swoop. It had expelled 80 percent of the Palestinians from the territories it had conquered. In addition, with…more
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The New Dark Age 
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