28 July, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Palestinians likely to reject direct talks
IMEMC – 28 Jul 2010 – Wednesday July 28, 2010 – 17:37, Abbas is likely to tell the Arab League that he is rejecting direct negotiations at least until the period allotted indirect negotiations formally ends.
Israel won’t pay medical bills of wounded protester
IMEMC – 28 Jul 2010 – Wednesday July 28, 2010 – 16:42, The Israeli government has refused to pay the medical costs of Emily Henochowicz, who lost her eye to an Israeli tear gas canister.
Jerusalem: Accused torturer set to head police- Arab relations
IMEMC – 28 Jul 2010 – Wednesday July 28, 2010 – 15:59, ‘Captain George’ a former military interrogator is head of Arab relations for the police in the tense and divided city of Jerusalem.
Egypt Locates 10 Tunnels In Rafah
IMEMC – 28 Jul 2010 – Wednesday July 28, 2010 – 07:32, Egyptian security sources stated that the Egyptian Security Forces managed to locate 10 tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in the Rafah border area; the Egyptian Authorities also located large amounts of cement in the tunnels.
Netanyahu Visits Amman
IMEMC – 28 Jul 2010 – Wednesday July 28, 2010 – 07:18, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, conducted a short, unannounced, trip to Jordan on Tuesday afternoon, and held a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. The two leaders held talks on the efforts to advance the stalled peace process with the Palestinians, and the bilateral relations between Israel and Jordan.
Volunteers plant on land to avoid confiscation
7/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Planting initiatives in the southern West Bank district of Bethlehem began Tuesday on land threatened with confiscation for Israel’s separation wall, officials said. In the Husan village, west of Bethlehem, volunteers began cultivating 300 dunums of land near the illegal settlement of Betar Illit under a Palestinian Authority Ministry of Agriculture program initiated….
Center alleges medical experiments in Israeli prison
7/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Jerusalem Detainees Center said Tuesday it was in possession of several reports and documents that provide proof of medical experimentation on Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. Ma’an could not independently verify the allegations. Center director Badi’ Al-Masri said the documents show that Israeli Prison Service staff in the Ramle prison prescribed unapproved….
Shocked by the story behind the headline
7/29/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – “It was not at all rational, the way it’s written in the news; it was chaos,” a member of Ma’an’s TV crew said after being caught up in the middle of Tuesday’s settler violence near Nablus.”With the settlers, you just don’t know what they’re going to do, who they’ll target,” she said….
Egypt seizes 10 Gaza tunnels
7/28/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egyptian forces took control of 10 smuggling tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border area of Salah Ad-Din in Rafah on Wednesday and thwarted a cement-smuggling operation, a security source said. Forces seized a tunnel after receiving information on its location, the official told Ma’an. The tunnels were raided and 30 bags of cement were….
Civil society lauds US boycott milestone
7/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A group of Palestinian civil societies described on Tuesday a US grocery store’s decision to remove all Israeli produce from its shelves as “moral and courageous.”On 15 July, the Olympia Food Co-op board of directors decided to boycott Israeli goods at their two locations in Olympia, Wash. , apparently making it the first….
Abu Teir trial delayed until November
7/28/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – An Israeli court deferred until 22 November on Wednesday the trial of a Palestinian lawmaker from Jerusalem who has been remanded in Israeli custody since his detention in May. Mohammad Abu Teir’s trial was postponed because of an Israeli Supreme Court hearing on 9 September to discuss the case, prompting the Magistrate’s Court….
Israeli forces detain 7 in Hebron town
7/28/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained seven Palestinians overnight Tuesday from the town of Yatta in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, locals told Ma’an. Yatta residents said Israeli troops stormed the town, searching and ransacking several homes before seven men were detained. Those detained were identified as: — Iyad Jamil Hushiyya, 34 and his brother….
National Council of Churches in Australia considers boycott
7/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – During its 7th triennial forum in mid-July, the National Council of Churches in Australia asked its members to consider boycotting goods made in illegal Israeli settlements. In a statement from the NCCA, forum organizers said the council overwhelmingly voted to continue support for the Kairos Moment of Truth document, calling for an end…. Related: Kairos Moment of Truth
B’Tselem: Israel uses old military order to ban protests
7/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli rights group B’Tselem released a report saying Israeli crackdowns on protests in the West Bank were legitimized using a 1967 military order prohibiting demonstrations. The report, released on Wednesday, details the military legitimization of two orders delivered to the villages of Ni’lin and Bil’in in the early spring, declaring zones used each…. Related: B’Tselem on right to demonstrate in the Occupied Territories
In photos: Settlers riot in Burin
7/28/2010 – MaanImages / Rami Swidan – Israeli settlers hurl stones toward Palestinians, not seen, during clashes near the West Bank city of Nablus on 26 July 2010. Two settlers and three Palestinians were hurt during the violence that began when settlers, protesting the razing of illegal structures in the nearby Yitzhar settlement, set fire to Palestinian olive trees….
Official: Gaza no-go zone eats up 6.25% of land
7/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza farmers gathered in Beit Hanoun on Wednesday demanding access to arable lands currently under Israeli control as part of a unilaterally imposed no-go zone.”The issue is not a humanitarian case, it is purely political,” said organizer Amjad Al-Shawa of the Palestinian International Campaign To End The Siege On Gaza stressing that….
Bil’in popular committee appeal highlights cost of struggle
7/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – An Israeli court judge agreed to release a Bil’in resident and son of a local activist leader from detention, with the condition of 10,000 shekels ($2,600 US) in bail, members of the village popular committee reported. The popular committee in Bil’in issued an appeal on Wednesday, a document that illustrated the difficulties faced….
Medics: 2 critically injured in Gaza blast
7/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Two Palestinians were injured in an explosion in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, medics said. Director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza Muawiya Hassanein said 20-year-olds Fadi Al-Ghimri and Abdullah Al-Abidi were transferred to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Strip. Both are….
Egypt, Jihad sign deal to release 20 affiliates
7/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Egypt and the Islamic Jihad movement have signed an agreement to secure the release of 20 supports in Egyptian custody, officials announced Tuesday. Two Islamic Jihad detainees were released Tuesday, identified asMohammad Al-Masri and Ali Ayyad, who were arrested upon arrival from Syria. Three party affiliates remain in custody but will be released….
EU’s Ashton: Gaza ’needs lasting solution’
7/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton briefed EU foreign ministers Tuesday on her recent trip to the Mideast, focusing on Gaza, where she spent a day in June. After the briefing, the EU Foreign Affairs Council commented in a statement on an “urgent need for a lasting solution to the situation in Gaza….
Israel continues delivery of flotilla cargo into Gaza
7/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli authorities will continue moving aid into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, and it is expected to open one crossing. Twenty-five truckloads of aid will enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza, Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said. The cargo was sequestered at the port of Ashdod following Israel’s raid on….
Israeli army says man arrested carrying knife
7/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Soldiers detained a Palestinian man carrying a knife near Bethlehem on Wednesday, the Israeli army said. According to an Israeli military spokesman,the unidentified individual was found with a knife on his person near the Gush Etzion settlement. Reports in the Israeli press said a man from Tuku village confessed to planning a….
Israeli copter crash black box found
7/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The black box of an Israeli helicopter that crashed Monday in Romania has been located, the Israeli army said Tuesday. The military said examining the box would shed light on the circumstances that the led to the crash, which killed all seven on board….
Gaza govt delivers second report to UN
7/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Gaza government delivered the second part of its follow-up report to the UN on Tuesday, responding to allegations brought forward by justice Richard Goldstone into Operation Cast Lead, officials said. Gaza Minister of Justice Mohammad Farraj Al-Ghoul told reporters that a copy of the report was sent to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon….
Erekat: Jordan backs PA on Israel talks
7/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Jordan’s stance on peace talks mirrors the Palestinian position, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said Wednesday. Speaking by phone from Amman, where he was accompanying President Mahmoud Abbas on a state visit to the country, Erekat told Ma’an radio that the issue of peace talks “was not on the agenda” during Tuesday’s meeting….
Fatah warns PUIC delegation to help, not hurt Gaza
7/28/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Addressing a recent decision of the Parliamentary Union of Islamic States to send a delegation to Gaza, Fatah PLC member Azzam Al-Ahmad expressed alarm over a request by what he called “sides” – indicating Iran and Hizbullah – to oversee the mission. He accused the regional powers of being an “obstacle” in the Palestinian issue….
Gaza: Police ban lingerie displays in stores
7/28/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza police announced Wednesday restrictions on women’s lingerie and dress stores across the Strip. Among the prohibitions include displaying lingerie or pajamas in store windows, having fitting rooms or cubicles inside shops, and using tinted glass for store windows. Security cameras inside women’s stores will also be banned. Gaza police spokesman Brigadier Ayman….
Egypt: Growing protests over water shortages
7/28/2010 – Cairo – IRIN – Tens of thousands of people in Egypt, Africa’s second most populous country, have taken to the streets in recent months to protest against water shortages, a fact which goes some way to explaining the government’s reluctance to relinquish its current share of River Nile water. On 26 July, 600 people from the southern….
Negotiations must be about substance not form
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Among Palestinians, the discussion that has been held in political and media circles in recent weeks about the need to move from indirect to direct talks is perceived as being about Israel trying to escape its…
Former ambassador to Israel on why Obama flip flopped
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Here is Martin Indyk, the former US ambassador to Israel, pointing out what we all know. It is that the Obama administration shifted from the attempt to play Middle East honest broker to Netanyahu champion once…
Nobel-winner Desmond Tutu backs boycotts of Israel
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Washington — Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and champion of the campaign against South African apartheid Archbishop Desmond Tutu issued a statement Wednesday in support of the recent decision American grocers to boycott Israeli products, Haaretz reported ….
Netanyahu puts Israeli archives in vault for 20 more years
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Washington — Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has extended the time requirements for classified documents to remain in the vault, Haaretz reported Wednesday. The new regulations were approved by the prime minister two weeks ago, following…
Turkey launches contest to honor Handala cartoonist
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Washington — A Turkish organization has launched a new cartoon contest to honor the memory of Palestinian cartoonist Naji Al-Ali, the late creator of Handala, the most well known mascot of the Palestinian people, World Bulletin…
Hamas bans lingerie window displays
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Washington — Hamas police have banned lingerie window displays across the Gaza Strip, Ma’an News Agency reported Thursday. Other new restrictions include bans on displaying pajamas in store windows, having fitting rooms inside shops, all security…
WATCH: ‘Ethnic cleansing’ in Israeli Negev
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – New York – Israel sent more than 1,000 riot police to guard bulldozers razing an entire Bedouin village in the Negev desert on Tuesday. An Israeli police officer looks on as a government bulldozer razes a…
Israeli Sephardim claim religious, political racism
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Washington — The 30% minority Sephardic population of Modi’in Illit, an Israeli settlement town in the West Bank, have accused the settlement’s political and religious leadership of blatant racism, giving favor instead to Ashkenazim, Ynet News…
Egypt ‘stonewalls’ Iranian delegation to Gaza
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Washington — An Iranian delegation of four politicians who had been planning to visit the Gaza Strip via the Egyptian border has been blocked entry by Egyptian officials, Emirate daily The National reported Wednesday. Egypt opened…
Spanish FM promises Fayyad EU support for state-building
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Washington — Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos in Ramallah Wednesday to discuss necessary steps towards building a viable Palestinian state and the European Union’s role therein, Palestinian…
Abbas in Cairo to meet with Arab League
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Washington — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Cairo Wednesday for a two-day visit with Arab League leaders, Palestinian state news agency WAFA reported Wednesday. Abbas’ visit will center on a meeting with the Arab Peace…
West Bank Bedouins worse off than Gazans
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Al Hadidiya, West Bank ( IRIN ) – The road to al-Hadidiya village in the northeastern West Bank district of Tubas is dotted with boulders etched with a warning in Hebrew, Arabic and English: “Danger – Open Fire…
Israel refuses to pay medical bills of US woman who lost eye
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – New York – Emily Henochowicz , the American student who who lost an eye when an Israeli soldier fired a tear gas canister at her head during a protest on May 31, is now in a legal…
Hamas releases second response to Goldstone Report
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – Washington — The Hamas government in Gaza has delivered its second response to allegations of war crimes committed by Hamas militants during the three week 2008-2009 Gaza War, Ma’an News Agency reported Wednesday. A pair of…
Abbas to reject direct talks
Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 – PA official: ‘Nothing new’ in Israel negotiations New York – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will reject US calls for direct negotiations with Israel when he meets with Arab League leaders on Thursday, an aide told Reuters…
Night Beat: Denouncements and audits
Palestine Note 27 Jul 2010 – Washington – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denounced World Cup wonder Paul the Octopus Tuesday, accusing the sea creature of “spreading Western propaganda and superstition.” In other Iran news, the Islamic Republic announced it will now pay…
Abdullah starts Arab tour in Egypt
AlJazeera 28 Jul 2010 – Saudi king arrives in Sharm al-Shaikh on the first leg of a four-country trip.
Cameron urges lifting of Gaza siege
AlJazeera 28 Jul 2010 – British prime minister slams current state of Palestinian enclave as a “prison camp”.
Politics before and after the Gaza flotilla
PNN – By Dr Saeb Shaath – Palestinians have refused to surrender. The Collective Punishment unleashed on them by the combined might of Israel and the United States has failed to crush the extraordinary…
Jerusalem’s New Arab Affairs Advisor Is former Interrogator
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – The new advisor, labelled Captain George, was accused of torture and abduction during the Lebanese war The official position he holds currently is ‘advisor on Arab affairs for…
Abbas set to reject move to direct peace talks
PNN – Mahmoud Abbas will tell the Arab League tomorrow that there hasn’t been enough progress in the indirect talks with Israel to justify a move to face to face negotiations. A Palestinian official…
Hamas consider Military Draft
PNN – Hamas’ top military official said on tuesday that he is considering enlarging the Gazan army, first with volunteers but eventually with a military draft system. Currently, Hamas employs around 18,000 security personnel,…
Former U.S. Ambassador Optimistic About Israeli-Palestinian Relations
PNN – USA- PNN – Martin Indyk, U.S. ambassador to Israel from 1995 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2001, shared his optimistic outlook about the future of Israel and Palestine. Indyk acknowledged the…
Netanyahu, Abdullah Break Two Year Silence
PNN – Amman – PNN – Prime Minister Netanyahu and Jordanian King Abdullah II met in Amman on Tuesday to discuss negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu’s unannounced visit to the Jordanian…
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 Hayom equals Yediot in readers
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – TGI survey says free daily may have surpassed Yediot Aharonot.
J’lem to press on with Isawiya demolitions
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – Based on court’s ruling, municipality plans to begin August first.
Wrangling delays EU ministers’ Gaza visit
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – Spanish FM open to Lieberman plan for EU to build infrastructure.
AIAC wants olim to vote in US
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – ‘Americans in Israel should vote in congressional race.’
IDF to fly Romania victims home
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – Army sources: Accident was likely due to human error.
Palestinians in Gaza invest $20m. in new resorts
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – “Investors prefer investing in businesses that are safe and more profitable than the underground tunnels.”
Experts hail ever-versatile olive oil at J’lem conference
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – Israel can become prominent in the industry by developing food, health products, Mediterranean forum participants say.
Fake donkey parade counters gay march
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – Jerusalem police reject deputy mayor’s request for “beastial” march.
Romania: IDF finds all 6 bodies
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – Forensic experts begin identifying remains in Romania
NBA superstar Stoudemire is Jewish
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – Former Rookie of the Year visits Israel.
Basketball star Amar’e Stoudemire Jewish?
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – NBA superstar coming to Israel to ‘learn.’
IDF has retrieved most of the Air Force bodies in Romania
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – Forensics experts and Rabbinical Corps to begin process of identifying the remains; 80 member delegation arrived Wednesday in 3 IAF choppers, including members from elite 669, Oketz units.
Iran encourages population growth
Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 – Ahmadinejad: Family planning an ungodly import.
International Solidarity Movement
Gaza City ceremony honours journalists killed reporting in Gaza
7/28/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Journalists killed by Israel while reporting in Gaza were remembered at an award ceremony in Gaza City yesterday; family members and co-workers received a plaque in their honour. Abu Walid Az-Ziq of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PPSF), the group organising the event — on their 43rd anniversary — presented awards in memory of ten….
‘IAF ranks among world’s top forces in terms of flight safety’
Ha’aretz – Two days after helicopter crash in Romania, Israel Air Force commander Ido Nehushtan says IAF has broadened its training and its pilots fly increasingly complex routes during exercises.
‘Rightist protest in Umm al-Fahm could lead to violence’
Ha’aretz – State Prosecutor rejects a petition from right-wing activists to protest opposite Islamic National Movement offices in the Arab city, saying police believe it could lead to loss of life.
Court: Father suspected of killing his three children is fit to await trial in jail
Ha’aretz – Itai Ben Dror to be held in solitary confinement, under 24-hour camera surveillance, until the trial for the murders of his three children.
18 years’ jail for freed prisoner who murdered soldier
Ha’aretz – Court sentences Woodga Menelik for killing 20-year-old Golani Brigade soldier Uri Chen during a violent argument 10 months ago.
Joy to the world: Israelis among the world’s happiest people
Ha’aretz – Poll for business website Forbes has Israelis tied for eighth place in the world, the second-happiest nation in Asia.
Israeli airmen in Romania crash were the pride of their families and hometowns
Ha’aretz – Six Israeli servicemen and a Romanian Air Force officer were on board the Yasur helicopter when it crashed during joint drill in Carpathian Mountains.
Egypt: Obama has ‘committed to exerting efforts toward direct peace talks’
Ha’aretz – Egypt says it has received U.S. assurances that may help restart direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
When was PM Netanyahu informed about the helicopter crash in Romania?
Ha’aretz – Prime Minister’s spokesman says Netanyahu learned of the crash after 6 p.m, when his son Yair’s birthday party had already begun.
Israel: Palestinians have set ‘impossible’ conditions for direct peace talks
Ha’aretz – Vice PM Shalom slams Palestinian terms for direct talks, AFP reports; Abbas expected to tell Arab League that indirect talks have not progressed enough to justify face-to-face negotiations.
Lieberman rejects link between direct talks, settlement halt
Ha’aretz – Foreign Minister rules out extension of building freeze after conclusion of 10-month moratorium.
Berlin denies reports of German who spied for Israel in Lebanon
Ha’aretz – Denial follows news that Lebanese security questioned dairy plant engineer about sophisticated transmitters in his possession.
Israel refuses to pay medical bills for American-Jewish protester who lost eye
Ha’aretz – Emily Henochowicz was wounded by a tear gas canister in a demonstration following Israel’s Gaza flotilla raid.
Report: IDF prepares to demolish yeshiva at West Bank settlement Yitzhar
Ha’aretz – Military sources say army prosecutors have turned down an appeal against plans to raze the yeshiva.
Iran: U.S. will likely attack 2 Mideast countries within 3 months
Ha’aretz – Speaking on state television, Iranian President Ahmadinejad also list of demands before Iran will resume nuclear talks.
Gaza’s government puts new laws for women’s clothing shops
28 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 28, (Pal Telegraph) Hamas’s De facto government in Gaza decided to issue some regulations related to Women’s clothing shops to make the Gazan street more appropriate and comfortable for the regular citizen, as they described. The regulations are: 1- No manikin should be placed outside the store. 2- No outrageous clothes should be promoted at the shop’s glassy…
Israel causes 2 injuries in Gaza
28 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 28, (Pal Telegraph) A Palestinian female was severely injured by the explosion of ‘an unidentified explosive body’, remnants of the Israeli occupation’s perimeter of Gaza International Airport, east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. According to local sources, Masuda Rabah Abu Shalouf (21 years) has been seriously injured, she was immediately transferred to Abu Yousef Najjar Hospital…
Who is responsible behind Gaza’s new cars ordeal?
28 Jul 2010 – Gaza, July 28, (Pal Telegraph) Israel claims that they decided to ease the siege more by not only letting more goods into the besieged Gaza for four years now, but also to let in cars and trucks into Gaza also. An official of the Transportation ministry in Gaza’s De facto government said that the ministry is studying this decision and…
IOF raids Hebron, arrests seven
28 Jul 2010 – Hebron, July 28, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces arrested early today seven Palestinians after raiding their homes and inspected them in the city of Yatta south of Hebron in the West Bank. The public relations officer in Yatta’s Municipality, Abdul Aziz Abu Fanar, said that the Israeli occupation forces detained today the following people: Mohammed Issa Al Jundi, Murad Jabour (…
Israeli bulldozers demolish a towwn in Negev area
28 Jul 2010 – West Bank, July 28, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli bulldozers demolished 35 homes in the unrecognized village of “Al Araqeeb”, located at the south of ‘Rahat’ city in the Negev south of the occupied territories of 1948. Local sources said that the Israeli bulldozers was supported by a large force of Israeli police and demolished houses after kicking their owners by force,…
West bank witnesses high activity of IOF
28 Jul 2010 – West Bank, July 28, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces arrested Today a citizen near the Ibrahimi Mosque claiming that they found a knife in his possession, while the Israeli soldiers attacked the Palestinian workers en route to their workplace in the occupied territories. Security sources said that the Israeli occupation forces arrested Fatiha Suleiman Al Razem (30) near the Ibrahimi…
Settler violence flares in West Bank
Uruknet July 28, 2010 – Settler violence in occupied territory has resurfaced in recent days, even as pressure is growing on Palestinians to start direct negotiations, regardless of any extension to a partial Israeli settlement construction freeze currently in force. On Monday, settlers from the far-right Yitzhar settlement near Nablus ran amok in Burin, a Palestinian village in the area,…
Video: Israel cracks down on dissent
Uruknet July 28, 2010 – The Israeli parliament is considering several new laws that could seriously impact the ability of citizens to criticise the government, according to rights groups. Human Rights Watch is reporting a crackdown on political activists who criticise Israeli’s treatment of the Palestinians. In what rights groups consider part of an alarming pattern, Shin Bet, Israel’s internal…
US hopes for Iran nuclear talks
Uruknet July 28, 2010 – The United States has said it hopes to hold talks with Iran soon and would be prepared to follow up on a plan to provide fuel for Iran’s research reactor in exchange for low-enriched uranium. The plan was mooted in Geneva last October at a meeting between Iranian officials and senior diplomats from the five…
West Bank Bedouins worse off than Gazans
Uruknet July 28, 2010 – The road to al-Hadidiya village in the northeastern West Bank district of Tubas is dotted with boulders etched with a warning in Hebrew, Arabic and English: “Danger – Open Fire Area”. The boulders arrived about six months ago, and are positioned at the entrance to Palestinian villages, indicating that chunks of the Jordan Valley have…
Hungry Like the Wolf: Obama’s Legacy of Hope and Change in Honduras
Uruknet July 28, 2010 – In the first year of his presidency, the first year of the “hope and change” he promised to bring to the conduct of American affairs, Barack Obama countenanced — and abetted — a coup in Honduras that ousted a mildly reformist, democratically elected president and replaced him with a clique of thuggish elites who now…
Palestinian prisoners protest inhumane Israeli punishment
Uruknet July 28, 2010 – Palestinian prisoners protest inhumane Israeli punishmentThe Ministry of Prisoner Affairs for the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah has warned of an ‘explosion’ of the situation within Israeli prisons, given the systemic conduct of collective punishment of detainees exercised in most Israeli jails. In a press release issued on Monday (26.07.2010), the ministry stated that the management…
Sacked IDF Torturer to Direct Police Relations With East Jerusalem Arabs
Uruknet July 27, 2010 – In 1994, the IDF kidnapped the alleged chief of security for Amal because he was believed to have held captured IDF Capt. Ran Arad for two years. They spirited Dirani to Israel for questioning. He was held for eight years. Mustafa Dirani afterward alleged that he was continuously tortured for one month by soldiers under…
Israel’s secret police exposed: Settlers wage vendetta on Shin Bet
Uruknet July 27, 2010 – The arrest by Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, of an Israeli Jew accused of killing at least four Palestinians has thrown a rare light on the secret police, including attempts by one of its agents to enlist the accused to assassinate a Palestinian spiritual leader. Chaim Pearlman, who was arrested a fortnight ago,…
Settlers riot in Burin, shooting and setting fire to olive trees
Uruknet July 27, 2010 – At 11:30 yesterday, 26th July 2010, settlers from the Berakha Shomronim settlement began shooting at Palestinians in the village of Burin and setting fire to crops on their land. Trouble flared when Israeli authorities ordered the demolition of a structure in an illegal settler outpost because of the freeze on settlement construction. Israeli police failed…
Israel destroys a whole Negev Village — 200 Children left Homeless
Uruknet July 27, 2010 – Early this morning police raided the unrecognized Bedouin village of al-Arakib in the Negev, destroyed all 40 of its houses, and evicted more than 300 residents. The residents, mostly children, were left homeless. The unprecedented raid began at about 4:30 in the morning, residents were surprised to wake up surrounded by a huge force of…
Saudi king starts tour of region with Egypt
The National 28 Jul 2010 – Observers say the Abdullah’s unity tour’ is aimed at consolidating Arab power amid rising threats from Iran and political groups such as Hizbollah.
Settler violence flares in West Bank
The National 28 Jul 2010 – Jewish settlers terrorise Palestinian village after Israeli army demolishes illegal structures, with more attacks likely if the partial freeze on construction is extended.
Palestinian groups urge Abbas to reject direct peace talks
The National 28 Jul 2010 – Arab foreign ministers are set to meet on Thursday to debate giving their backing to the Palestinian Authority president for the higher level talks with Israel.
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.
Moratinos: I Miss My Friend Yasser Arafat in This Day
WAFA – JERUSALEM, July 28, 2010(WAFA) – ‘I miss my friend, the late President Yasser Arafat in this day’, said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Miguel Angel Moratinos at a ceremony of receiving an
Al-Quds University Awarded Honorable Doctorate to Moratinos
WAFA –
High Judicial Council Finishes Training on Forensics for Judges
WAFA – RAMALLAH, July 28, 2010 (WAFA)- EUPOL COPPS’ second seminar on the judicial evaluation of forensics evidence for Palestinian judges finished today in Ramallah, under the auspices of the High Judicial
Gush Shalom Warns of Offering Released Soldiers Free Schooling in Settlements
WAFA – TEL AVIV, July 28, 2010 (WAFA)- In a letter to the Committee of University Heads in Israel, the Gush Shalom movement warned of the potential danger of the law enacted by the Knesset last week, which
Archbishop Desmond Tutu Endorses of Olympia Food Co-op’s Boycott of Israeli Goods
WAFA – OLYMPIA, WA — July 28, 2010 (WAFA)- The Olympia Food Co-op’s decision to honor the international call for boycott of Israeli goods has inspired an inundation of phone calls, e-mails, and
Israel Refuses to Pay Medical Bills for American-Jewish Protestor Who Lost Eye
WAFA – TEL AVIV, July 28, 2010 (WAFA)- The Israeli government is refusing to pay the cost of medical care for an American-Jewish activist who lost her eye when Border Guards fired a tear gas canister at her
Clean Water for Gaza: Maryam’s Story
WAFA – GAZA, July 28, 2010 (WAFA)- Early last year, Israel destroyed much of Gaza’s rudimentary water infrastructure in a protracted bombing campaign. Since then, an ongoing economic blockade has prevented
Iran ready to curb enrichment if swap deal pans out
Daily Star 28 Jul 2010
Jordanian prime minister reshuffles Cabinet posts
Daily Star 28 Jul 2010
Hamas’ ‘public morality’ campaign takes aim at Gaza lingerie shops
Daily Star 28 Jul 2010
Tehran accuses US of paying opposition to topple regime
Daily Star 28 Jul 2010
Fatah denies Ain al-Hilweh infiltrated by Al-Qaeda
Daily Star 28 Jul 2010
Cabinet calls for unity in face of Israeli threat
Daily Star 28 Jul 2010
King Abdullah kicks off Arab tour in Egypt
Daily Star 28 Jul 2010
Video: Ethnic cleansing in the Israeli Negev
The Guardian 28 Jul 2010 – Around 300 Bedouins living in Israel’s Negev desert are homeless after police raided their village and razed their homes Mustafa Khalili
David Cameron draws fire over Gaza comments
The Guardian 28 Jul 2010 – No 10 denies it has raised rhetoric as row heats up over ‘prison camp’ comparison David Cameron was embroiled in an angry diplomatic row with Israel tonight after describing the Gaza Strip as a prison camp…
OPT: West Bank Bedouins worse off than Gazans
Relief Web 28 Jul 2010 – Source: Integrated Regional Information Networks
Life Partners Commit to Feed Thousands of Families in Gaza and Haiti During Ramadan
Relief Web 28 Jul 2010 – Source: Life for Relief and Development
Tracking External Donor Funding to Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations In the West Bank and Gaza 1999-2008
Relief Web 28 Jul 2010 – Source: NGO Development Center
FEATURE-Gazans want “Marshall Plan”, Israel policy falls short
Relief Web 28 Jul 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
Iran to pay for new babies to boost population
YNet News – New policy rolls back decades of family planning in Islamic Republic on grounds….
Victims of past air disaster: Don’t send chief rabbi to Romania
YNet News – Parents petition against appointment of Rafi Peretz as IDF chief rabbi due to….
US in ‘full court press’ to restart direct Mideast talks
YNet News – State Department spokesman says Clinton spoke with Israeli PM, Arab counterparts….
Donkeys to protest Gay Pride Parade?
YNet News – Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Itzhak Pindrus (United Torah Judaism) has asked police to enable him to hold a donkey parade at the same time as the Gay Pride Parade scheduled for …….
IDF: All bodies recovered from crash site
YNet News – ROMANIA — An IDF official announced Wednesday evening that the army’s search team had finished evacuating the bodies of six Air Force men killed in Monday’s helicopter …….
IDF punishes Yair Netanyahu for tardiness
YNet News – Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister’s son, was recently handed a 10-day detention sentence after failing to show up at the IDF Spokesperson’s Office headquarters, where he …….
Turkey: Iran offers terms to halt 20% enrichment
YNet News – Iran has given an assurance that it would stop enriching uranium to 20% purity if world powers agreed to a proposed nuclear fuel swap, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet …….
Palestinian Information Center
Mansi warns of dangerous plans to build hundreds of new settlement units in OJ
PIC 28 Jul 2010 – Dr. Yousef Mahmoud al-Mansi warned of the seriousness of recently revealed bids to build hundreds of settlement units in occupied Jerusalem for new Israeli projects in northern Jerusalem.
Palestinian woman seriously injured in explosion of object left by IOF
PIC 28 Jul 2010 – A Palestinian woman was seriously injured Wednesday morning in the explosion of ordnance left by Israeli forces in the vicinity of the Gaza International Airport, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Barhoum: Cameron’s position on the siege a step in the right direction
PIC 28 Jul 2010 – Hamas said Wednesday that comments by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who recently described the Gaza Strip as a “prison camp”, are “a step in the right direction.”
Palestinian prisoners in Jalbo threaten hunger strike
PIC 28 Jul 2010 – Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jail of Jalbo have threatened to go on hunger strike in the event the prison administration continued to impose penal measures against them.
MP Mohammed Abu Teir trial postponed until November
PIC 28 Jul 2010 – The Israeli court decided during a hearing Wednesday to postpone the trial of Jerusalem MP Mohammed Abu Teir until November 22, 2010.
Khatib warns of plotting to kill Sheikh Salah in prison
PIC 28 Jul 2010 – Sheikh Kamal Al-Khatib, the deputy leader of the Islamic movement in 1948 occupied Palestine, has warned of an Israeli plot to kill Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the movement, in jail.
Israel plans to house thousands of settlers in place of destroyed Arab villages
PIC 28 Jul 2010 – Israel is planning to house thousands of Israeli families in the Negev and the Galilee in place of the Arab villages and houses demolished in those two areas, Hebrew media sources revealed.
IOF troops detain Palestinian student on returning from the Ukraine
PIC 28 Jul 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) manning the King Hussein Bridge crossing point with Jordan detained a Palestinian student on returning from the Ukraine where he was studying medicine.
Gaza deportees demand return to their homes
PIC 28 Jul 2010 – Deportees from the West Bank and 1948 occupied Palestine to the Gaza Strip have asked the world community and the ICRC to pressure Israel into allowing them back to their homes.
Mubarak to ask Peres to extend settlement freeze
PIC 28 Jul 2010 – Hosni Mubarak is to ask Shimon Peres to extend the Israeli moratorium on settlement building in the West Bank during a meeting between them in Cairo next Sunday, Hebrew media reported.
Alarming Government Corruption Rates in Egypt Exposed in Recent Survey
The Media Line 28 Jul 2010 – 47% of small and medium businesses in Egypt are forced to pay government bribes according to a recent Egyptian report. A nation-wide survey conducted in mid-2009 by the Cairo-based Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies…
Israel Pushing for More Solar Power
The Media Line 27 Jul 2010 – Despite being at the forefront of solar technology, solar power is not yet widespread in Israel. A new initiative aims to change that. Israel’s Public Utilities Authority has announced a new initiative aimed at boosting the…
U.S. Notches Up Heat for Direct Israeli-Palestinian Talks
The Media Line 27 Jul 2010 – The Obama administration continues to turn up the heat on Mahmoud ‘Abbas and the Palestinian leadership in an effort to move talks with Israel to the direct level. ‘Abbas has apparently still not budged following a…
Israel’s Elite Rescue Unit in Romania to Recover Bodies of Crash Victims
The Media Line 27 Jul 2010 – Israel’s army dispatched members of its elite Unit 699 to recover the bodies of its soldiers who died in the helicopter crash in Romania on Monday. Six members of the Israeli air force and a Romanian…
British PM Cameron Trashes Israel during Turkey Visit
The Media Line 27 Jul 2010 – British Prime Minister David Cameron used his visit to Turkey to deliver a scathing attack on Israel and to place his nation at odds with European allies. In Ankara, Cameron told an audience of businessmen that “…
Catalonia is first region in Spain to ban bullfighting
LA Times 29 Jul 2010 – Advocates of the ban called the practice barbaric, but opponents say it is part of Spain’s cultural heritage and see the move as an assertion of Catalan independence. The independence-minded region of Catalonia on Wednesday became the first on the Spanish mainland to outlaw bullfighting, a move some say is as much about nationalist politics as animal rights.
Ahmadinejad Unveils Plan to Swell Iran Population
New York Times 28 Jul 2010 – The new policy dismisses decades of internationally acclaimed family planning in Iran as ungodly and a Western import.
Student Injury at Protest Leads to Battle in Israel
New York Times 28 Jul 2010 – Emily Henochowicz was injured after she was struck by a tear gas canister fired by an Israeli border police officer.
The ethnic cleansing of Palestine
Mondoweiss – (Video: guardian.co.uk ) Neve Gordon writes in The Guardian about arriving in the Bedouin village of al-Arakib as Israeli bulldozers finish razing it to the ground: The signs of destruction were immediately evident. I first noticed the chickens and geese running loose near a bulldozed house, and…
Birthright travel diary: ‘Outing’ myself on a kibbutz
Mondoweiss – Earlier this month, activist Rachel Marcuse spent 10 days in Israel as part of the Taglit-Birthright program — a fully sponsored trip for young North American Jews to learn more about the country. She went to bear witness and ask questions about the Israeli state’s treatment…
Penn State Prez punts on Palestine petition
Mondoweiss – Penn State President Graham Spanier has refused to sign a Students for Justice in Palestine petition condemning the Israeli flotilla attack citing a policy against signing petitions. Somehow this wasn’t an issue for an anti-boycott American Jewish Committee petition he signed in 2007. SJP thinks there…
Oxfam: Palestinian village & nearly $30,000 of aid destroyed by Israeli military
Mondoweiss – And more news from Today in Palestine: Land and Property Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing Daniel Dukarevich: Eyewitness Account of the Razing of Al-Araqeeb: ‘You Will Not Erase It’ http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/07/daniel-dukarevich-eyewitness-account-of-the-razing-of-al-araqeeb-%e2%80%98you-will-not-erase-it%e2%80%99/ Hundreds homeless as Israeli police raze village Around 300 Palestinian bedouin living in Israel’s Negev desert were…
Treason, loyalty oaths, Nakba and film bans— counting down the hits in the Knesset
Mondoweiss – Simply astonishing. The continuing crisis. Here is a list of the 14 worst—most undemocratic— bills in the Knesset, compiled and commented upon by ACRI, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel: 1) Knesset Members Declaration of Allegiance Bill (MK David Rotem, Yisrael Beitenu): Members of Knesset…
Hamas Official Says Group Considering Military Draft in Gaza
Al-Manar 28 Jul 2010 – The top security official in Gaza said Tuesday he was considering setting up a bigger military force, first with volunteers and eventually with a mandatory draft. Such a step could further tighten Hamas’ control of Gaza and deepen the rift with the group’s Western-backed rivals…
Israeli Police Destroy Dozens of Buildings in Bedouin Village in Negev
Al-Manar 28 Jul 2010 – Juma al-Turi and his family sat for hours Tuesday looking with disbelief at the ruins of their village of al-Arakib, north of Be’er Sheva. The houses, the storage building and the bird cage were all destroyed, and the olive trees uprooted. The village was destroyed…
Iran stoning lawyer ‘is missing’
BBC 28 Jul 2010 – Rights group Amnesty International accuses Iran of persecuting a lawyer involved in the high profile case of a woman sentenced to death by stoning.
Hamas bans Gaza lingerie displays
BBC 28 Jul 2010 – Mannequins and pictures of underwear models will be removed from women’s clothes shops under new rules announced by Hamas.
Rape, Deception, or Racism?
Antiwar.com 28 Jul 2010 – JERUSALEM — “It was consensual, I owe an apology to no one other than my wife and two children. They’re the ones who’ve suffered from this. And myself.” Sabbar Kashur, 30, is a Palestinian Arab resident of the Shuafat neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. He’s just…
Articles
Ethnic cleansing in the Israeli Negev
Neve Gordon, Redress 7/29/2010
Neve Gordon recounts his experience of visiting the Israeli Arab village of Al-Arakib moments after it had been razed to the ground by the Israeli authorities, in the latest example of ethnic cleansing in the Negev desert.
A menacing convoy of bulldozers was heading back to Be’er Sheva as I drove towards al-Arakib, a Bedouin village located not more than 10 minutes from the city. Once I entered the dirt road leading to the village I saw scores of vans with heavily armed policemen getting ready to leave. Their mission, it seems, had been accomplished.
The signs of destruction were immediately evident. I first noticed the chickens and geese running loose near a bulldozed house, and then saw another house and then another one, all of them in rubble. A few children were trying to find a shaded spot to hide from the scorching desert sun, while behind them a stream of black smoke rose from the burning hay. The sheep, goats and the cattle were nowhere to be seen — perhaps because the police had confiscated them. “A whole village comprising between 40 and 45 houses had been completely razed in less than three hours.”
Scores of Bedouin men were standing on a yellow hill, sharing their experiences from the early morning hours, while all around them uprooted olive trees lay on the ground. A whole village comprising between 40 and 45 houses had been completely razed in less than three hours.
I suddenly experienced deja vu: an image of myself walking in the rubbles of a destroyed village somewhere on the outskirts of the Lebanese city of Sidon emerged. It was over 25 years ago, during my service in the Israeli paratroopers. But in Lebanon the residents had all fled long before my platoon came, and we simply walked in the debris…. — See also: VIDEO – Israel police raze ‘illegal’ Bedouin village in Negev and YouTube: Live Video of Ethnic cleansing in the Israeli?? Negev more.. e-mail
VIDEO – Israel police raze ‘illegal’ Bedouin village in Negev
Israeli Occupation Archive 7/27/2010
Around 300 Bedouins living in Israel’s Negev desert have been made homeless after police raided their village and razed their homes.
Israeli activists said 1,500 police arrived in Al-Arakib village at dawn.
They destroyed 30 to 40 makeshift homes and uprooted hundreds of olive trees belonging to the villagers, they said.
Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said the homes had been “illegally built” and were destroyed in line with a court ruling issued 11 years ago.
“Several hundred people were taken back to the Rahat area where they originally came from,” he told the AFP news agency, referring to a nearby Bedouin town in Israel’s arid south.
More than 150,000 Bedouin live in Israel, mostly in and around the Negev desert.
Around half live in villages that are not recognised by the state, and have no access to municipal services like water and electricity.
Many live in extreme poverty.
At dawn on Tuesday, women and children in Al-Arakib watched as Land Administration bulldozers demolished their houses, Israeli press reports said. — See also: YouTube: Live Video of Ethnic cleansing in the Israeli?? Negev and Ethnic cleansing in the Israeli Negev more.. e-mail
Settlers wage vendetta on Shin Bet
Jonathan Cook, Ma’an News Agency 7/27/2010
Nazareth – The arrest by Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, of an Israeli Jew accused of killing at least four Palestinians threw a rare light on the secret police, including bringing to the fore attempts by one of the police agents to enlist the accused in a plot to assassinate a Palestinian spiritual leader.
Chaim Pearlman, arrested a in early July, was charged with murdering four Palestinians in Jerusalem and injuring at least seven others in a series of knife attacks that began in the late 1990s. Police investigations are ongoing, and officials say there could be further attacks linked to the man.
Although Pearlman was denied access to a lawyer for the first week of his incarceration, far-right groups rapidly come to his aid, waging what Shin Bet officials have described as “psychological warfare” by revealing damaging details about the case.
Pearlman released tape recordings he secretly made of recent conversations with an undercover Shin Bet agent who tried to get Pearlman to incriminate himself.
The agent, who befriended Pearlman and was known to him as “Dada,” can be heard exhorting him both to go to an “Arab village” to “turn it into a fireworks display” and to execute Sheikh Raed Salah, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel and a participant in the aid flotilla to Gaza on 31 May that was attacked by Israeli commandos. The religious leader was thought to have been killed or injured in the incident as media reports struggled to gain information from the ships.
In another blow to the Shin Bet, Pearlman’s supporters released a video secretly filmed of the head of the Shin Bet’s Jewish division, which arrested Pearlman, both naming him and identifying where he lives. more.. e-mail
Bedouin village razed in Negev as Israelis cheer on
Electronic Intifada: 28 Jul 2010 – Early morning on 27 July, Israeli bulldozers, flanked by helicopters and throngs of police, demolished the entire Bedouin village of al-Araqib in the northern Negev desert. Despite their land rights cases still pending in the court system, hundreds of al-Araqib villagers were instantly made homeless a month after Israeli police posted demolition orders.more
Dutch Christian Zionists enjoy political clout
Electronic Intifada: 28 Jul 2010 – Even though they are supporting settlement activities that the Dutch government officially considers to be illegal, Christians for Israel and the Christian Friends of Israeli Communities enjoy a cordial relationship with some of the most powerful politicians in the Netherlands.more
Israel’s Shin Bet encouraged accused killer to assassinate Raed Salah
Electronic Intifada: 28 Jul 2010 – The arrest by Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, of an Israeli Jew accused of killing at least four Palestinians has thrown a rare light on the secret police, including attempts by one of its agents to enlist the accused to assassinate a Palestinian leader. Jonathan Cook reports.more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
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