News
International Middle East Media Center
A UN Fact-finding Mission To Probe Flotilla Attack
IMEMC – 24 Jul 2010 – Saturday July 24, 2010 – 16:56, The United Nations Human Rights Council appointed a team to probe the Israeli deadly attack against the Freedom Flotilla on May 31, which claimed the lives of 9 passengers and wounded dozens.
Prisoners center alleges woman tortured
7/24/2010 – Tulkarem – Ma’an – A 57-year-old woman from Tulkarem was tortured by Israeli detectives while detained in Al-Jalama military prison, the Ahrar Center for prisoners in Tulkarem alleged. Fouad Al-Khafsh, director of the Center, said the woman Fathia Sweis was detained on 19 July, and has since been forced to stand for many hours with her….
Jerusalem official stopped by Israeli intelligence
7/24/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Fatah’s Jerusalem affairs chief Hatem Abdel Qader was stopped by Israeli intelligence after crossing into northern Jerusalem at the Ar-Ram checkpoint on Saturday. Abdel Qader told Ma’an that he was held for further inspection by Israeli intelligence forces, who said he was barred from entering the city. He informed them that he was….
Israeli forces disperse Beit Ummar rally, several injured
7/24/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli soldiers forcibly dispersed a rally against settlement expansion in Beit Ummar village in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, participants said. Palestine Solidarity Project spokesman Muhammad Ayyad Awad said Israeli soldiers and border guards fired tear-gas canisters and stun grenades at demonstrators as they rallied against further construction of the nearby….
Checkpoint scuffle lightly injures toddler
7/24/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The family of a toddler who was taken to hospital early Saturday morning said the boy’s injuries were sustained at the Container checkpoint northeast of Bethlehem during a scuffle with soldiers. The child, identified by Palestinian security sources as two and a half-year-old Bassam Sa’adah, was admitted to the Beit Jala Hospital for….
Israeli forces seize 2 at Iraq Burin checkpoint
7/24/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained two young Palestinian men at a flying checkpoint installed outside a village south of Nablus on Saturday, in what witnesses called an attempt to prevent demonstrators from entering the area. The village, Iraq Burin, hosts weekly anti wall protests, and locals said the checkpoint was set up to prevent Palestinian….
In photos: Hundreds bury unarmed Qalqiliya man shot by soldiers
7/24/2010 – MaanImages / Khaleel Reash – Friends and family carry the body of Bilal Abu Libdeh, 23, during his funeral in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya on 23 July 2010. Several hundred relatives, friends and townsmen came out to accompany the body of the young man to its burial site. Israeli soldiers shot Abu Libdeh near the….
Locals say foreign activists detained at Hebron rally
7/24/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli forces reportedly detained 10 foreign activists during a weekly rally calling for the re-opening of Ash-Shuhada Street to Palestinian movement on Saturday in the Old City of Hebron. Locals described the army’s response to the demonstration as “violent,” saying forces fired sound bombs and tear-gas canisters. They also alleged that Israeli forces….
Carter Center expresses ’deep concern’ over J’lem deportations
7/24/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Carter Center expressed “deep concern” over Israel’s revocation of Jerusalem residency rights for three Palestinian Legislative Council members and former minister on Thursday. A statement issued by the Atlanta-based center said expelling the officials from Jerusalem “is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Expulsion based on political affiliation would set a….
Oxfam calls for compensation from Israel
7/24/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – International aid agency Oxfam demanded that the Israeli government compensate Palestinians in a northern Jordan Valley village, after soldiers destroyed at least $29,000 of aid on Monday. In a statement issued Saturday, the charity said villagers in Al-Farisiya were forced into further impoverishment when soldiers demolished 79 structures in the village, including homes….
UN appoints international team to probe flotilla raid
7/24/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Members were appointed to a fact-finding mission into the Israeli raid of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on 31 May by the UN Human Rights Council on Friday. President of the UNHRC, Sihasak Phuangketkeow of Thailand, appointed three international experts to serve on the mission, which was charged with investigating allegations of Israeli violations….
Report: The economics of occupation
7/24/2010 – The third in a series Narratives Under siege, from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights Gaza – The northern Gaza Strip area of Beit Lahiya is famous for its agriculture. The climate, the sandy clay soil and the fresh water supply create an ideal environment for growing fruit here, and the practice has become a deeply-ingrained…. Related:Narratives Under Siege (3): The Economics of Occupation
UN urges peace by Twitter
7/24/2010 – Lisbon – Ma’an – UN Undersecretary-General for Communication and Public Information Kiyo Akasaka urged journalists from Palestine and Israel to take advantage of new social media to further dialogue. Akasaka, addressed journalists, diplomats and mayors from Mediterranean nations at a conference on The Role of New Media in Conflict Resolution and Dialogue Between Civilizations. Though the conference…. Related:The Role of New Media in Conflict Resolution and Dialogue Between Civilizations.
Gaza lawmaker: Israel has no right to stop aid ships
7/24/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Under the Law of Maritime Navigation, Israel has no right to intercept aid ships bound for Gaza, head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege Jamal Al-Khudari said Friday. Speaking most immediately about the Lebanese aid ships The Miriam and The Naji Al-Ali, both scheduled to lift anchor and sail toward Gaza within….
Gaza children return from Slovenia with prosthetic limbs
7/24/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Ten children returned to Gaza from Slovenia on Friday, fitted with prosthetic limbs thanks to a rehabilitation project initiated by Slovenia’s president, Danilo Turk. The children, who lost limbs in Israel’s attack on the Strip in December 2008, were treated at Ljubljana’s Institute for Rehabilitation. President Turk visited the West Bank shortly after….
Palestine may become member of global telecom union
7/24/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – The team commissioned to prepare for the next International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference has proposed amending a resolution to enable Palestine to gain full membership, Syrian media reported Friday. During discussions a day earlier with the European group in charge of organizing the conference, head of the Arab team Tareq Al-Awadi told….
45,000 cross Allenby Bridge
7/24/2010 – Jericho- Ma’an – Palestinian Authority police reported that almost 45,000 travelers crossed the Allenby Bridge between the West Bank and Jordan this week. Of the 21,624 travelers entering the West Bank via the bridge, 470 held foreign passports, and 149 had Israeli identity cards. Meanwhile 21,569 left for Jordan, including 278 foreign passport holders and 68….
Fatah: Uruguay will recognize Palestinian state
7/24/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – A delegation of Fatah officials met with the President of Uruguay on Saturday, to request the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel on the 1967 border. The delegation, headed by Central Committee member Nabil Sha’ath, was hosted by President Jos?ɬ© Mujica and Foreign Minister Luis Almagro, who vowed to recognize an independent….
Erekat: End to settlement building key to talks
7/24/2010 – Jericho – Ma’an – Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat reiterated Saturday that Israel’s acceptance of 1967 borders, with approved land swaps, and an end to settlement construction, are preconditions for direct talks to resume. Erekat’s comments were made during meetings with British Consul General Richard Makepeace and German representative to the Palestinian Authority Goetz Lingental. He added….
Turks rally outside Israeli volleyball match in Ankara
7/24/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Dozens of protesters scuffled with police near the venue where Israel is playing Serbia in a volleyball tournament in Ankara on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. The protesters carried posters of Furkan Dogan, the youngest of nine Turkish activists killed in Israel’s 31 May raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. Turkey has….
Gaza police seize ’inappropriate’ clothing
7/24/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – De facto government detectives in the Gaza Strip seized inventory from several shops and vendors on Saturday, which a police report said displayed “immoral words.”The clothing, manufactured in Gaza City, was mostly cotton shirts with the words “Porn Man Clothing” written on them in bold letters. Detectives said the clothing was uncovered….
PA police seize drugs, fireworks
7/24/2010 – Salfit – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority police confiscated fireworks and drugs in the Jerusalem and Jenin districts, a report read Saturday. In the Jerusalem area village of Qatana, police seized 20 marijuana seeds and 377 grams of the drug, police said. Meanwhile, in the Jenin village of Al-Yamoun, 65 fireworks and firecrackers were confiscated during a campaign….
PA to ratify new law on water theft
7/24/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced Saturday the impending ratification of a law that will end water theft in the West Bank, following the questioning of several Hebron-area municipal officials on allegations of tampering with water lines. Speaking to reporters at the Hebron Municipality building, Fayyad said a campaign was launched three weeks ago….
New round of unity talks to begin next week
7/24/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Independent politician Munib Al-Masri said Saturday that a new round of talks on a unity deal tipped to end Fatah-Hamas rivalry will begin next week. Speaking on the Ma’an Radio Network, Al-Masri, who heads the Palestinian National Coalition of independent figures, said meetings will be held with Fatah officials in Ramallah. Talks will….
Second group of pilgrims to leave Gaza
7/24/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A second group of Umrah pilgrims from the Gaza Strip were set to depart for Egypt on Saturday via Rafah, the crossings monitoring department in the coastal enclave reported. Approximately 650 pilgrims were given the okay to travel by Gaza officials, and were lined onto buses ready to depart Saturday, and an additional….
Turkey police clash with protestors at Israeli team match
Palestine Note 24 Jul 2010 – Washington – Haaretz newspaper is reporting that dozens of Turkish protesters scuffled with police near the venue where Israel is playing Serbia in a volleyball tournament in the Turkish city of Ankara on Saturday. According to…
Birthrights and wrongs: Desert contemplation
Palestine Note 24 Jul 2010 – I’m currently sitting on a rock in the desert contemplating the universe. It’s quite beautiful in a surreal and overly dramatic way, yet I feel eternally grateful that I, out of all the people in the…
Turkish hackers attack Israeli websites
Palestine Note 24 Jul 2010 – Washington — Arab Crunch is reporting that Turkish hackers have waged a cyber attack against thousands of Israeli websites following the Israeli attack on the flotilla aid shop which left nine Turkish citizens dead. According to…
Former DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe tours Nablus organization
Palestine Note 24 Jul 2010 – Washington – Former chairman of the Democratic National Committee Terry McAuliffe accompanied by his wife visited Tomorrow Youth Organization Center (TYO) on Wednesday. Several participants in TYO’s women entrepreneurship project shared their business plans with McAuliffe…
Soldiers arrest 2 in Nablus at ‘flying checkpoint’
Palestine Note 24 Jul 2010 – Washington – Two residents of Iraq Burin in the Nablus governorate were arrested Saturday morning at a ” flying checkpoint ” outside the village, said a report made available to Palestine Note from An-Najah University’s UNESCO…
Iran announces plan for nuclear fusion reactor
Palestine Note 24 Jul 2010 – Washington – The head of Iran’s nuclear fusion and plasma physics research center, Asghar Sediqzadeh, announced Saturday the Iranian government is pursuing the construction of a nuclear fusion reactor and plant, Iran Students News Agency reported ….
UN aid decision ‘unacceptable,’ Hamas
Palestine Note 24 Jul 2010 – Gaza government blasts ‘aid overland’ declaration Washington – Hamas blasted the UN call Friday for aid to Gaza to be delivered overland, AFP news agency reported Saturday: “The UN call to international organisations to use the…
Hamas congratulates UN flotilla probe
Palestine Note 24 Jul 2010 – Washington – Following the United Nations Human Rights Council decision to appoint a team to investigate the circumstances surrounding the May 31 flotilla raid, Hamas congratulated the move and called for Israel to “honor the decisions…
Iran: Medvedev mouthpiece of enemy
AlJazeera 24 Jul 2010 – President Ahmadinejad criticises Russian counterpart for pursuing the US agenda.
Hamas slams UN over aid deliveries
AlJazeera 24 Jul 2010 – The UN calls to move aid to the Hamas-ruled Gaza by land rather than by sea.
Israeli Army Develops New Military Training Tactics
PNN – Tall Aviv – PNN – New laser firing technology will allow the Israeli army to better assess its military performance. The Israeli Army completed its first training sessions of a new sensor…
Bil’in Non-violent Struggle Faces Up To Israeli Offensive
PNN – Alessandra Bajec — PNN — This Friday over 100 people took part to the weekly demonstration against the wall in the village of Bil’in among whom Israelis and several internationals. Since March…
Watch Video: UN To Investigate The Flotilla Attack
PNN – The President of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Ambassador Sihasak Phuangketkeow on Friday appointed three pre-eminent experts to an independent international fact-finding mission to investigate violations of international law, including…
Israel to Release Flotilla Ships And Prepare For Lawsuit
PNN – Tall Aviv —PNN- Israel agreed to return the Turkish ships it captured during the deadly Gaza Flotilla Raid. Israel killed nine activists in international water on May 31 and will now face…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (15-21 July 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Israel: No talks with Germany over new sub
Jeruslalem Post 25 Jul 2010 – Defense Ministry denies media reports.
Fatah backs PA president
Jeruslalem Post 24 Jul 2010 – Council members support refusal to enter unconditional peace talks.
US: PLO mission can now fly flag
Jeruslalem Post 24 Jul 2010 – Despite decision, no upgrade in diplomatic status.
J’lem unlikely to cooperate with UNHRC
Jeruslalem Post 24 Jul 2010 – Official says the flotilla probe mandate is stacked against Israel.
Israel urges world to stop Lebanese ships
Jeruslalem Post 24 Jul 2010 – Planned flotilla called an ‘unnecessary provocation’.
Can Meron Reuben make the UN stop bashing Israel?
Jeruslalem Post 23 Jul 2010 – Interim envoy talks exclusively with the ‘Post.’
International Solidarity Movement
Fabricated charges lead to Swedish activist being banned from West Bank
7/24/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – ISM Media Team – Bogus charges – As part of Israel’s increased attempt at hindering the work of Palestine solidarity activists, an Israeli court yesterday dealt a further blow. Marcus Rednander, a 26-year-old activist and nursing student from Sweden, was arrested by Israeli forces on the night of Tues. July 20. He was initially accused of….
Lawyer for alleged Jewish terrorist ‘horrified by the physical and mental abuse’
Ha’aretz – After a Supreme Court ruling, Chaim Pearlman and his suspected accomplice are allowed to meet with their lawyer, who claims Pearlman was abused during the investigation.
Hamas urges direct dialogue with EU, Gaza official says
Ha’aretz – France FM Bernard says Paris would be willing to hold direct dialogue with Hamas if the Palestinian Authority requests it.
Gaza militants may be firing a new type of rocket into Israel, police say
Ha’aretz – Police officials investigate the possibility that a rocket fired into Israel over the weekend is of a new, and more precise type.
Protesters, Turkey police scuffle at Israeli team’s volleyball match
Ha’aretz – Protesters use Palestinian flags to pound police shields while carrying posters of activists killed during Israel’s raid on a Gaza aid flotilla.
Egypt’s President Mubarak cancels trip to African Union summit
Ha’aretz – Egpytian officials had cited the 82-year-old president’s planned attendance at the summit in Uganda as proof of his good health., Israel expresses concern over North Korea’s ballistic missiles, encourages UN…
Israel to release Turkey ships seized during Gaza flotilla raid
Ha’aretz – Turkey has formally asked Israel a number of times to free vessels; Spanish activists aboard Mavi Marmara to sue Israel for crimes against humanity.
IOF closes villages in Nablus, attacks citizens
24 Jul 2010 – Nablus, July 24, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces closed the main entrance to the village of Iraq Burin, in Nablus, in the West Bank and arrested two youths at the entrance. A member of the Village Council, Youssef Hafez, confirmed that the Israeli occupation forces stationed at the entrance to the village detained citizens Adham Kamal Qadus (20 years) and…
IOF attacks weekly peaceful march in Hebron
24 Jul 2010 – Hebron, July 24, (Pal Telegraph) Khader Sabarneh (65 years) was seriously injured and is now in a critical medical condition after the Israeli occupation forces fired gas bombs inside his house in the town of Beit Ameer, located at the northern governorate of Hebron in the West Bank, while a number of citizens and participants marched in the weekly march…
Arabic mosques are a target for Israelis vandalization
24 Jul 2010 – West Bank, July 24, (Pal Telegraph) In Java, every Arabic or Islamic landmark is under siege, sorrounded by the neighborhoods and settlements of Israeli extremists, mosques are also surrounded by the homes of extremist Israelis, who do not hide their hostility to every Arab. After a series of on-going non-stopping attacks since 1948, the Israelis are beginning to target freedom…
IOF detains a bus, injures a child
24 Jul 2010 – Hebron, July 24, (Pal Telegraph) A Palestinian child was injured during the Israeli occupation soldiers inspection and detention to a bus at dawn today, attacking and severely beating the passengers at a checkpoint, located at the entrance to Hebron in the West Bank. Israeli Police said in a statement released to the press today, that the Israeli occupation soldiers stationed…
UN plans to form investigation committee on flotilla attack
24 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 24, (Pal Telegraph) The Human Rights Council of the United Nations announced on Friday the names of the members of the Fact-Finding Committee decided to set up to investigate the Israeli aggression on the fleet of freedom, among an Israeli attack on the Council and accusing it of bias. The Board decided to appoint Sir Desmond da Silva…
Barack threatens “Maryam” women aid ship
24 Jul 2010 – Jerusalem, July 24, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli Minister, Ehud Barak, said to media outlets that the intention of sending a convoy of freedom from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip, “is nothing more than provocative and indispensable.” Barack held the Lebanese government responsible for preventing the convoy from going to Gaza, claiming that “Aid and goods can enter to the Gaza Strip…
IOF critically injures French peace activist in WB
24 Jul 2010 – Bethlehem, July 24, (Pal Telegraph) A French peace activist was seriously injured after being targeted with a sound-bomb in her ear on Friday afternoon, with dozens of suffocation and fainting cases among other peace activists due tear gas bombs thrown by IOF during a weekly march in Bethlehem. Israeli occupation forces that existed in the place detained two journalists then…
Gaza’s pilgrims leave for Mecca
24 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 24, (Pal Telegraph) Gaza’s second group of pilgrims began leaving the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing today morning after postponing their departure for one day. Undersecretary of the Ministry of religious affairs in Gaza, Abdullah Abu Jarbou’, said that three busloads carrying the second group managed to get through the crossing since the morning hours, while…
Israel’s New Land Grab Master Plan
Uruknet July 24, 2010 – …The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) is an Israeli policy research organization, its president Dore Gold, a notorious right-wing extremist, hostile to democratic principles and Palestinian rights. It’s recent report is titled “Demography, Geopolitics, and the Future of Israel’s Capital: Jerusalem’s Proposed Master Plan,” explaining that on October 7, 2008, the District Planning and…
Beyond apartheid
Uruknet July 24, 2010 – Israel’s decision to force all prospective Israeli citizens to declare loyalty to “a Jewish and democratic state” is not only racist, but designed to further institutionalise the dispossession of Palestinians. It is ironic that the oath should include the term democracy as the law itself is a blatant exercise in state coercion. As Adalah, a…
Uncovered: Britain’s secret rendition programme
Uruknet July 23, 2010 – MI5 was directly involved in the rendition of a Moroccan national, illegally taken from a Belgian prison to work for Britain’s Security Services in London, an investigation by The Independent has discovered. The man, now aged 29 and who cannot be named for his own safety, was secretly transferred from a Brussels jail in April…
Tourists Now in Their Land of Birth
Uruknet July 23, 2010 – Beyond the pernicious well-documented aspects of the Israeli Occupation, all sorts of niggling fragments of Israeli control over Palestinian life, and individual petty cases of nastiness leave new Israeli talk of “gestures” towards peace hollow. No more confidence-building measures, no more easing up on the Palestinians until they demonstrate to us that they are genuine…
Stop the Wall: People v. Oppression
Uruknet July 23, 2010 – Stop the Wall.org (STW) is a “Palestinian movement against the (Separation) Wall and the settlements under Israeli repression,” calling for it to be stopped, portions built dismantled, all confiscated lands returned, and compensation paid for losses. On July 9, it released a report titled, “People versus Oppression,” a March – June 2010 account of Israeli…
Human Rights Watch flotilla stance mirrors that of US, Israel
Uruknet July 23, 2010 – Supporters of Israel often accuse Human Rights Watch (HRW), one of the most prominent human rights organizations in the world, of having an anti-Israel bias or even being anti-Semitic. For instance, a recent lengthy article in The New Republic accused the group of paying “disproportionate attention to Israeli misdeeds.” Similarly, Harvard Law School Professor Alan…
Gaza hospitals left in the dark
Uruknet July 23, 2010 – Constant power cuts in the Gaza Strip has left hospital patients relying on electricity generators that produce ten minutes worth of electricity every now and again. Hospital units have had to manage surgery and emergency aid in dire conditions. Patients on dialysis are also suffering from lack of electricity meaning they are unable to have…
Vietnam’s forgotten war victims
Uruknet July 23, 2010 – When Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, visited Vietnam on Thursday she extolled the country’s “unlimited potential” and strong trade relations with the US. But the words must have rung hollow for Ngyuen Ngoc Phuong, who has seen his potential destroyed by American chemical poisoning. Phuong, 19, was born long after the US cut…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (15-21 July 2010)
Uruknet July 23, 2010 – Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (15 — 21 July 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed two activists of the Palestinian resistance and wounded eight civilians, including five children and a woman, in the Gaza Strip. In the Gaza Strip, on 21 July…
Direct Israel-Palestine talks no closer
The National 24 Jul 2010 – Palestine Liberation Organisation demand specific commitments from Israel before it agrees to face-to-face meeting.
Poachers who steal half the catch threaten Lake Nasser’s fish stocks
The National 24 Jul 2010 – Mismanagement over decades is preventing Egypt from controlling fishing on Lake Nasser.
Egypt road accidents kill 16
The National 24 Jul 2010 – Two road accidents kill 16 people and injure 22 south of the Egyptian capital, according to authorities.
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.
USM Student to Join Ramadan March for Freedom in Gaza
WAFA – GEORGE TOWN, July 24, 2010 (WAFA) — A Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) student, Mohd Nur Hadi Hamsar, has been selected as the sole representative of Malaysian students to join the convoy themed
UN Panel to Investigate Israeli Raid on Gaza Flotilla Established
WAFA – GENEVA, July 24, 2010 (WAFA)- The President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Ambassador Sihasak Phuangketkeow, has appointed three preeminent experts to an independent international
Sri Lanka for Two-State Solution
WAFA – TEL AVIV, July 24, 2010 (WAFA)- Sri Lankan Ambassador in Israel Donald Perera refuted in a letter to Editor of Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, an erroneous news item published in that newspapers’
Anger Rises Over U.S. Tax Dollars for Settlements
IPS Anger has arisen in Palestinian areas over reports that millions of tax-exempt dollars from the U.S. are being funneled towards Israel’s illegal settlement building in the Palestinian West Bank — in flagrant violation of international law.
Ni’lin: Popular resistance will continue!
Stop The Wall – The protestors held the Friday prayer on land close to the Wall. The speeches underlined the importance of upholding the national and popular resistance as well as the need for political unity in order to be able to confront the occupation policies. [
4 rockets fall in south; none injured
YNet News – Police are working to figure out the origin of the rocket that was fired from the Gaza Strip Saturday evening and exploded near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, without causing damage …….
Hamas: UN favors occupation
YNet News – Hamas accusing UN of favoring Israel. The organization’s spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum on Saturday criticized the United Nation’s call to refrain from initiating future …….
Iran plans to build nuclear fusion reactor
YNet News – Iran said on Saturday it planned to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor, state television reported, at a time when the West is demanding that Tehran suspend …….
Hamas welcomes flotilla probe
YNet News – Hamas welcomed a decision by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate the circumstances of the calamitous IDF raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May. Hamas …….
Palestinian Information Center
Four wounded in northern Al-Khalil during clashes with Israeli troops
PIC 24 Jul 2010 – An elderly Palestinian, along with two foreign activists and a journalist were left injured during an attack by IOF soldiers on a weekly anti-settlement march in the town of Beit Ummar.
Rezqa: Israel’s refusal of int’l committee an attempt to escape punishment
PIC 24 Jul 2010 – Dr. Yousef Rezqa has emphasized that the Palestinian government is following up with great interest the UNHRC decision to appoint a committee to probe Israel’s May 31 attack on the Freedom Flotilla.
Barhoum: Hamas welcomes dialog with the West
PIC 24 Jul 2010 – Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, has said that his movement welcomes dialog with any western country, specifically with France, in a bid to rally international support for the just Palestine cause.
IFJ condemns Israeli assaults on journalists
PIC 24 Jul 2010 – The IFJ called on Israel to investigate acts of violence committed by its occupation forces in the West Bank during their attack last week against a group of Palestinian journalists.
Abu Zuhri: UN call real scandal, collusion with occupation
PIC 24 Jul 2010 – Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, has expressed absolute dismay at the UN call on international solidarity activists to trek land route to reach Gaza Strip rather than the sea route.
Spanish activists sue Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders
PIC 24 Jul 2010 – Three activists from Spain filed a lawsuit in Madrid against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders over the May 31 Freedom Flotilla massacre.
Abbas forces kidnap two sons of Hamas legislator in the W. Bank
PIC 24 Jul 2010 – The PA security forces in the West Bank have stormed the town of Shoyoukh, east of Al-Khalil city, and arrested nine Palestinian citizens, including two sons of Hamas legislator MP Samira Al-Halaika.
IOF quells peaceful anti-wall demonstrations in the West Bank
PIC 24 Jul 2010 – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have savagely quelled peaceful demonstrations in the West Bank on Friday against the apartheid wall the Israeli occupation is building.
Israeli court endorses jail term against Salah
PIC 24 Jul 2010 – The Israeli supreme court has rejected a petition of appeal filed by lawyers of Sheikh Raed Salah to cancel an earlier verdict issued by the Israeli central court against Salah.
Khudari: Int’l law does not allow Israel to block Lebanon’s aid ships
PIC 24 Jul 2010 – MP Dr. Jamal Al-Khudari has charged that Israel is not entitled to block the arrival of Lebanese aid ships “Mariam” and “Naji Al-Ali” to the Gaza Strip.
News Analysis: Hezbollah Makes Its Case on Hariri Killing
New York Times 24 Jul 2010 – The possibility that an international tribunal will soon indict Hezbollah members for playing a role in the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is raising tensions in Lebanon.
Palestine: The Forgotten Childhood
Palestine Monitor – In 1991 Israel ratified The Convention of the Rights of a Child. The 54 articles of the Convention focus on the human rights of a child which include civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Despite Israel’s ratification of the Convention, Palestinian children are still victims…
The new mixed-Jewish establishment
Mondoweiss – From Mike Allen’s Politico Playbook for this weekend : —PEOPLE magazine: “Clinton is Methodist and Mezvinsky is Jewish, but it’s unlikely either will convert, says a source, adding, ‚ÄòIt will be an interfaith ceremony.’ ‚Ķ WEDDINGS: —Anne Kornblut and Jon Cohen, in Napa. Campbell Brown is a…
Couldn’t ‚ÄòCommentary’ go with the non-Zionist flow?
Mondoweiss – Scott McConnell at The American Conservative , on Commentary Magazine’s flirtation with non-Zionism. I love the Sam Francis quote about neocons’ hidden agenda to embroil the U.S. in perpetual war. Of course the neocons would say there’s no difference in national interests, a useful self-delusion: Commentary had…
Israel destroyed the USS Liberty, OK. But what was the motive?
Mondoweiss – The USS Liberty is in the news. A former Navy signalman on the spy ship bombed to hell by the Israelis in 1967 was on the Gaza freedom flotilla , and John Mearsheimer has argued that the Liberty case shows that when the Israelis kill Americans, nothing…
Smear tactics show that lobby is losing power in discourse
Mondoweiss – Yesterday Jeffrey Goldberg reached a fresh low, blaming Stephen Walt for the anti-Semitic email s that Goldberg gets. He titled his post, “Stephen Walt’s Mailbag,” then quoted a bunch of scabrous and anti-semitic emails that were actually in Goldberg’s inbox . Crazy. Andrew Sullivan points out that…
Today, no problem
Mondoweiss – From Daniel Schorr’s obit in the Times : The Times offered him a job [in 1952] but suggested he return to the Netherlands for a few weeks while details were worked out. In early February 1953, that country was devastated by a severe storm, and Mr. Schorr’s…
Iran launches nuclear fusion bid
BBC 24 Jul 2010 – Iran begins research aimed at developing a nuclear fusion reactor – an ambition that has proved elusive to physicists for decades.
Egypt leader will miss AU summit
BBC 24 Jul 2010 – Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will not attend the AU summit in Uganda, amid fresh speculation over his health.
Israel Gets Brutal With Media
Antiwar.com 24 Jul 2010 – NABI SALAH, West Bank — Palestinian activists are being jailed, Israeli activists are under surveillance, and the Israeli military is increasingly targeting journalists who cover West Bank protests. The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel issued a statement recently condemning what it sees as a change…
Action Alert: Support the Olympia Food Co-op Now! We Need Your Support Urgently!
BDS 24 Jul 2010 – Just last week the Board of Directors of the Olympia Food Co-op took thecourageous step of instituting a boycott of Israeli goods, the firstgrocery boycott of Israel in the US. Already, there is a movement afoot tocondemn the Co-op for taking this important stand. Board and…
Articles
Rosemary’s baby
Uri Avnery, Media Monitors Network7/24/2010
The attractive leftist vision of the one-state solution may grow up into a rightist monster.
Since I witnessed the rise of the Nazis during my childhood in Germany, my nose always tickles when it smells something fascist, even when the odor is still faint.
When the debate about the “one-state solution” began, my nose tickled.
Have you gone mad, I told my nose, this time you are dead wrong. This is a plan of the Left. It is being put forward by leftists of undoubted credentials, the greatest idealists in Israel and abroad, even certified Marxists.
But my nose insisted. It continued to tickle.
Now it appears that the nose was right, after all.
This is not the first time that a kosher leftist plan leads towards extreme rightist consequences.
That happened, for example, to the ugliest symbol of the occupation: the separation wall. It was invented by the Left.
When the “terrorist” attacks multiplied, leftist politicians, headed by Haim Ramon, offered a miracle-solution to the problem: an impassable obstacle between Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. They argued that it would stop the attacks without recourse to brutal actions in the West Bank.
The Right opposed the idea vehemently. To them it was a conspiracy to fix the borders of the state and promote the two-state solution, which they saw (and still see) as an existential threat to their designs….more..e-mail
Jewish musicians unite for Palestine
Sahar Habib Ghazi, Dawn7/12/2010
HOUSTON: Deep in downtown, the teasing strum of a guitar, hypnotic beat of percussions, and the wooing echo of horns bounce off lime-green soundproof walls in a dimly-lit rented studio.
It is close to midnight on a weekday, and the Free Radicals are rehearsing a song inspired by a centuries-old Jewish music genre called Klezmer.
In its historic form, the purely instrumental compositions were structured to facilitate expressive celebrations and dancing at traditional Jewish weddings in Eastern Europe. But the Free Radicals are anything but traditional.
By day, the band members are activists, volunteers and teachers and by night, they gather in a rented studio to practice. They often play pro bono at protests and peace benefits.
“Outside the political sphere, we take radicalism in our approach to music,” says percussionist Chris Howard.
The Free Radicals have taken the high energy and exotic scale of Klezmer and turned it into something verging on punk rock. Since they formed in 1996, the band has experimented with diverse international instrumental styles and have collaborated with over 50 other musicians.
But in Klezmer, folk music inherited from some of their Jewish ancestors, the Free Radicals saw potential beyond bar mitzvahs and weddings.
The drummer and founder of the band, Nick Cooper thought it could be a powerful voice to gather support to “boycott Israel.” Cooper’s own band, the Free Radicals abides by the call from Palestinian academics….more..e-mail
Who’s aiding Judaisation?
Nicola Nasser, Media Monitors Network7/22/2010
Since 1860, when the American Jewish tycoon Judah Touro donated $60,000 — a fortune for that time — towards the construction of the first Jewish settlement outside the old walls of Jerusalem, public and private American funds have aided the creation and territorial expansion of Israel. Israel today is the foremost recipient of US aid. According to a USAID green paper, between 1946 and 2008 Israel has received more aid than Russia, India, Egypt and Iraq. In fact, the US has poured more money into Israel than it did into the Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Europe after World War II. However, a recent New York Times article adds a new dimension to the story. On 5 July, the Times reported that, over the last decade more than 40 American groups have collected more than $200 million in tax-deductible gifts for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, indicating that the US Treasury is effectively aiding and abetting illegal settlement expansion and the Judaisation of Jerusalem.
While the New York Times honed in on the irony of how a US government organ was facilitating the funnelling of private funds into activities and goals that ran counter to official US policy, and as significant as this is, the article failed to mention that the amount of private tax-exempt “donations” pales in comparison to the public funds that Washington has steadily poured into the Zionist project. For example, the US federal budget for 2011 has earmarked $3 billion in aid for Israel, or 42 per cent of the total amount of aid to be allocated to the so-called Near East for that year. It is also interesting to observe that the policies of USAID, an instrument that the State Department uses to pursue the US’s objectives overseas, also conflict with Washington’s official stances. USAID programmes for the Palestinians effectively exclude East Jerusalem. Its green papers and other official reports and statements make frequent mention of “the West Bank and Gaza” as headings for its activities, but rare are references to East Jerusalem. It is as though, for USAID, East Jerusalem is not an indivisible part of the occupied territories, in spite of Washington’s official acknowledgement that it is….more..e-mail
Palestinians break records to reclaim culture
Electronic Intifada: 24 Jul 2010 – RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) — Nasser Abdulhadi is a mild-mannered man who runs a restaurant. He was always known as the jovial sort. One day, his friends say, he stopped being jovial. He chose instead to fight for a world title for one of his country’s national dishes, and through that to gain worldwide recognition for Palestine.more
Palestine: The Forgotten Childhood
Palestine Monitor: 24 Jul 2010 – In 1991 Israel ratified The Convention of the Rights of a Child. The 54 articles of the Convention focus on the human rights of a child which include civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Despite Israel’s ratification of the Convention, Palestinian children are still victims of human rights abuses in all of these categories. The occupied Palestinian territories have one of the highest birthrates in the region. Over 50 % of the population is under the age of 18. Thirty percent of the population in Palestine falls below the poverty line. Of the poor, 54 % are children. / Ezara, 3, South Hebron Hills / Ishmael, age 10, South Hebron Hills / In 2009, more that 300 children lost their homes after they were demolished from order of the Israeli authorities. / Ali and Innan Qanabi, 3 and 5, Sheikh Jarrah. Their family received evictions notices on May 29th, 2010. / Not including Operation Cast Lead,…more
Israel’s New Land Grab Master Plan
Dissident Voice: 24 Jul 2010 – The new plan updates older ones, going back to the first, what Israeli historian Ilan Pappe documented in his 2006 book, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine , on David Ben-Gurion’s Plan D (Dalet in Hebrew), his final master plan following Plans A, B and C, what Palestinians call the Nakba, the catastrophe, commemorated annually to never forget. By bombarding and besieging villages and population centers, destroying communities, and expelling or killing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, it planned an exclusive Jewish state, excluding Arabs by any means, including mass-murder, dispossession, and persecution, ongoing to this day, what Palestinians heroically resist. It took six months to complete, expelling or slaughtering about 800,000 people, and destroying 531 villages and 11 urban neighborhoods in Tel-Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem and other cities. It was barbarous ethnic cleansing, Palestinians shown no mercy, including women and children, yet it was just the beginning, much more yet to come,…more
Israel’s Friends at Westminster Legislate to Protect Criminals
Dissident Voice: 24 Jul 2010 – Israelis wanted for war crimes can sleep easier thanks to their friends and admirers in the British Establishment. Yes, our brand-new coalition government intends providing a safe haven for the vilest of criminals. When Israel’s ex-foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, and other architects of the terror campaign against Palestinian civilians, recently cancelled trips to the UK for fear of being arrested under universal jurisdiction laws on charges of war crimes, it sparked a diplomatic row. Britain’s then foreign secretary-in-waiting, William Hague, an avid Friend of Israel since boyhood, said: “We cannot have a position where Israeli politicians feel they cannot visit this country. The situation is unsatisfactory [and] indefensible. It is absolutely my intention to act speedily.” He found it “completely unacceptable” that someone like Livni felt she could not visit the UK. He didn’t explain how welcoming Livni with open arms was possible “without weakening our commitment to hold accountable…more
The atomic mirror house: Iran, Brazil, Turkey and other emerging powers vs. the nuclear power
MyCatBirdSeat.com: 24 Jul 2010 – By Tom?°s Rosa Bueno ( Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran) I n international politics, if an action seems reckless or callous and the ones taking it are not certified loonies, usually it’s because it was made to look that way, on purpose. To send a message. Take Israel’s attack in international waters on a civilian flotilla that resulted in the death of nine Turkish passengers. There were many ways that flotilla could have been prevented from reaching a Gaza port that did not imply resorting to violence; and then again, if they didn’t care about killing a couple of passengers to send a first-level warning to all would-be humanitarian Gaza friends, they could have waited until the flotilla had actually breached the blockade and reached the territorial waters where they arguably have a right to patrol and control, making whatever harm that befell the blockade-breachers their own “fault”…more
Bill Kristol’s ‚ÄòEmergency Committee?’ Give me a break
MyCatBirdSeat.com: 24 Jul 2010 – By Stephen M. Walt — Foreign Policy Via Ben Smith at Politico , we learn that the usual suspects have started yet another organization whose objective is to promote a hard-right, Likudnik agenda in the Middle East. The new group apparently intends to go after anyone who thinks U.S. Middle East policy has been less than totally successful in recent years, and who is willing to think for themselves (and U.S. interests), instead of reflexively echoing the positions favored by AIPAC and other groups in the “status quo” lobby. To be more specific, Smith reports that hardline neoconservatives such as William Kristol, Michael Goldfarb, Noah Pollak, and Rachel Abrams have joined forces (again) with rightwing Christian evangelical Gary Bauer to establish a new group: the “Emergency Committee for Israel.” The group says it is going to target candidates in key Senate and Congressional races, along with the Obama administration. It is…more
Israel Hiding Behind The “Iranian Threat”
MyCatBirdSeat.com: 24 Jul 2010 – By Steven Zhou — “The Canadian Charger “W ith the recent formation of The Emergency Committee for Israel, the neoconservative and Likudnik characters on the American right have stepped up their anti-Iranian lobbying efforts. Among other things, they have again brought up how a nuclear Iran would pose an “imminent threat” that would tear the region apart. This renewed exaggeration of an Iranian threat to Israel comes at a time when Israel is clearly being shown to be a strategic liability to the U.S., a fact the Israel Lobby has so far concealed with great success. Israel’s obsession with Iran, though, is two-sided. While some perceive a nuclear Iran to be a major existential threat, others on Israel’s far right cite pragmatic, if not cynical, reasons for this rancid rhetoric. The government of Benjamin Netanyahu is undoubtedly using the threat of Iran to create a climate of fear…more
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The New Dark Age 
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