29 July, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Arab League backs direct talks in principle
IMEMC – 29 Jul 2010 – Thursday July 29, 2010 – 18:08, The Arab League has agreed to direct talks in principle but would not endorse them over Abbas’s judgment and without clear guidelines for their progression.
Israel banning protests with out-dated military order
IMEMC – 29 Jul 2010 – Thursday July 29, 2010 – 17:41, Israeli rights group B’Tselem has released a report detailing the use of a military order from 1967 against present-day protests.
Israel controls 6.25% of Gaza
IMEMC – 29 Jul 2010 – Thursday July 29, 2010 – 17:18, Farmers demonstrated against the seizures of usable land for the buffer zone within Gazan territory.
Settlers Take Home In The Old City, East Jerusalem
IMEMC – 29 Jul 2010 – Thursday July 29, 2010 – 14:57, Settlers, with the protection of police, invaded a building in the Old City.
Construction Speed Increased At Al-walajah
IMEMC – 29 Jul 2010 – Thursday July 29, 2010 – 11:15, The construction of the wall at al-Walajah has picked up pace, when it is finished it will surround the village on three sides.
Police, settlers take over Jerusalem home
7/29/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israeli settlers accompanied by police took over a building in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem early Thursday morning, evicting families from three of the building’s apartments. Israeli National Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said two Jewish families entered the Old City home “based on documents claiming that they owned the property.”He….
Farmers march toward site of clash
7/29/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – The Union of Agricultural Work Committees in the northern West Bank village of Aqraba organized a large march Thursday toward lands confiscated by Israeli settlements. The march, organized under the Right to Live banner, was supported by Norwegian People’s Aid and attended by members of the UAWC from villages across the Nablus region….
Israeli soldiers shoot at 2 Palestinians, injure 1, near checkpoint
7/29/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Undercover Israeli soldiers shot at two Palestinians, injuring one, north of the West Bank city of Ramallah, witnesses said. According to the witnesses, the undercover forces blocked a car near Atarah checkpoint, shot at two young Palestinian men, and then arrested them. An Israeli military spokeswoman said that one Palestinian had been lightly….
UN envoy says acts in Jerusalem ’provocative’
7/29/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Robert Serry, the UN special envoy to the Middle East peace process, condemned the takeover by armed settlers of a building in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday. Two Jewish families, protected by Israeli police, entered the building, home to nine Palestinian families, with documents claiming that they owned the property. Israeli National Police….
Roadblocks continue to halt life in West Bank
7/29/2010 – Tubas – IRIN – The road to the 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 in February, positioned at the entrance to Palestinian villages, indicating that chunks of the Jordan Valley have become a….
More tunnels found at Gaza-Egypt border
7/29/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egyptian authorities discovered three new smuggling tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip on Thursday. Security forces noticed a truck loaded with cement while they were sweeping the Al-Sarsouryeh area at the Gaza Strip border, Egyptian security sources said. They confiscated the truck that was apparently destined for Gaza via the smuggling tunnels…. Related: ‘Hundreds’ of tunnels cut through Egyptian border wall
4 detentions reported south of Nablus
7/29/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli troops entered a village south of Nablus at 1 a. m. Thursday and detained four young men from their homes, locals said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said she was unaware of any detentions in Beita village, citing two in the Jenin and Qalqiliya areas. Officials in Beita, south of Nablus, identified the….
Israel opens 2 Gaza crossings for limited goods
7/29/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Two Israeli-controlled crossings into Gaza will open on Thursday, officials said, expecting approximately 130 truckloads of goods to be transported through each terminal. The imports will include 130-140 loads for the commercial and humanitarian sectors delivered via the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, liaison official Raed Fattouh said. According….
Gaza boy wounded in wedding gunfire
7/29/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A Palestinian teenager was hit by a bullet during celebratory fire at a wedding in southern Gaza on Wednesday. Taiseer Dhair, 14, was wounded in his left leg at the Rafah wedding party, and transferred to the European Gaza hospital, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights reported. PCHR attributed these kinds of incidents….
Egypt: Abbas received American assurances
7/29/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – President Mahmoud Abbas has received American assurances over the future of the peace process with Israel, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said Thursday. Speaking to Egyptian TV Thursday morning, Abul Gheit said a series of letters from the American administration were “conveyed to the Palestinian side within the past few days.”He….
Hamas urges Arab states to reject peace talks
7/29/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas has reiterated the party’s categorical rejection of peace negotiations with Israel and says any calls from Arab states to push them forward amount to a “political sin.” Speaking ahead of a planned meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and the Arab Peace Initiative follow-up committee, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told reporters Thursday….
PA detains soldiers who mistakenly entered Nablus
7/29/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority security forces arrested two Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank on Thursday. They were returned to Israeli-controlled territory after coordination between both sides, Palestinian and Israeli officials told Ma’an. The soldiers were driving a white Suzuki east of a Nablus municipal building when they arrived at a PA roadblock and….
Islamic factions warn against renewing talks
7/29/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Islamic Jihad movement warned on Thursday against submitting to US and Israeli pressure to resume direct talks while Israeli continues building settlements and “judiazing” Jerusalem. In a statement, the movement rejected negotiations in all forms noting that those supporting talks with Israel are directly participating in the occupation and the further corrosion….
Arab League open to direct talks
7/29/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A follow-up committee of the Arab Peace Initiative met with President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo Thursday, and agreed “in principle” to direct talks, but with conditions. Qatari Foreign Affairs Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, heading the meeting, said, “Of course, there is agreement, but agreement over the principles of what will….
Sources: Cabinet shuffle days away
7/29/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A rumored cabinet shuffle in the West Bank will be realized in the days after President Mahmoud Abbas’ return from Cairo, Palestinian sources said Thursday. Despite rumors to the contrary, Ma’an has learned that Salam Fayyad will again be appointed prime minister of the Ramallah-based Palestinian government. Abbas is expected to return to….
Construction cost index decreases in West Bank
7/29/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – All of the West Bank construction indexes decreased during the month of June compared with the previous month, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics found. The overall construction cost index decreased by 0. 73 percent, PCBS found, with road cost decreasing slightly by 0. 37 percent, water network cost decreasing by 0. 80….
Investigating the freedom flotilla attack
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – On June 2, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) approved formation of an international committee (like the Goldstone Commission) to probe the Flotilla attack, saying it will include lawyers and international law and human rights experts,…
ICAHD DENOUNCES ISRAELI DEMOLITIONS (and American enabling)
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – After an unofficial nine-month “moratorium,” the Israeli government has returned with a vengeance to its policy of demolishing Palestinian homes. Yesterday, July 13, six homes were demolished in East Jerusalem. In Jabal Mukaber, the homes of…
Hip hop as global resistance
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – In making my documentary film about electronic music, Modulations (1998), I learned a great deal about rap music. The genius of hip hop emerged first as party sport — the urban poor salvaging musical parts to…
Let us join those who refuse
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – let me be strong as history let me join those who refuse let there be time let it be possible —Melanie Kaye Kantrowitz Those are the words that a small circle of women and men read…
Palestinian architect has refugee style
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Washington — Architect Omar Yousef is building a new space for Palestinian voices in the conflict, making it clear to his Israeli audiences that no design question in Israel and the occupied territories is void of…
Arab League green lights direct talks, with conditions
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Washington – The Arab League committee overseeing Palestinian-Israeli negotiations has given a ” green light ” to direct talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, Al-Jazeera English correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin reported from Cairo Thursday. Arab League…
A bright future for West Bank graduates?
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Washington — As new ranks of West Bank Palestinians are receiving their university sheepskins, the next generation of college graduates are apparently approaching their job prospects with y an unlikely, cautious optimism. Haaretz’ Vikki Miller reported…
‘Build, build despite the occupation’
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Palestine Note’s exclusive interview with PM Salam Fayyad Ramallah — For three years, Salam Fayyad, the Prime Minister in the West Bank Palestinian Authority (PA), has been a focal point for Mideast debate. As an unelected…
Israeli far right to protest outside Islamic Movement’s offices
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Washington — Rightists and settler activists have struck a compromise with Israel’s State Prosecutor, allowing them to protest outside the entrance to Umm Al-Fahm, a predominantly Palestinian town inside Israel and home to the Islamic Movement’s…
‘PA imprisoning Gazans’ with passport embargo
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Washington — The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority has been waging a small and quiet administrative war on Hamas, denying many in Gaza valid Palestinian passports, Haaretz reported last week. Haaretz columnist Amira Hass uncovered the scandal: The…
Israel speeding up WB wall following injunction
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Washington – The Israeli Defense Ministry has “picked up the pace” on its construction of its West Bank separation barrier near Wallaja after the Israeli High Court issued a show cause order earlier this week, Haaretz…
PA detains Israeli soldiers entering Nablus
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Washington — Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces detained several Israeli soldiers Thursday after they mistakenly drove into Nablus in Palestinian-controlled Area A of the West Bank. Ma’an News Agency reported : [The soldiers] were returned to Israeli-controlled…
Netanyahu: Continuing freeze would topple government
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Washington — If Israel were to continue its freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank, it would bring down the government’s ruling coalition, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Thursday. The prime minister’s comments came during…
Arab League ‘green lights’ direct talks
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Committee says PA can determine ‘when and how’ Washington – The Arab League committee overseeing Palestinian-Israeli negotiations has given a “green light” to direct talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, Al-Jazeera English correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin…
East Jerusalem: Settlers seize Palestinian home
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Washington — A group of Israeli settlers, escorted by a police presence, entered and took over a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem, sparking a familiar battle over legal rights in the Old City, AFP News Agency…
Man convicted of ‘rape by deception’ makes appeal
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Washington – A Palestinian man convicted of “rape by deception” after he posed as a Jewish man and had consensual sex with an Israeli woman is not petitioning the Israeli High Court to reduce his sentence….
Night Beat: Machinations of diplomacy
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – By Jared Malsin New York – The machinery of Mideast diplomacy is churning, and the product is likely to be a prolonging of the current impasse. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden share a…
Assad ‘to attend’ summit in Lebanon
AlJazeera 29 Jul 2010 – Syrian president to accompany Saudi king on trip to Beirut aimed at easing tensions.
Arab League wants US guarantees
AlJazeera 29 Jul 2010 – Direct talks between Israel and Palestinians “cannot be accepted” without preconditions.
Netanyahu declares further settlement freeze would end the Israeli Government
PNN – Despite claims in the past by Netanyahu that he will make a raft of gestures to the Palestinians, the Israeli Prime Minister and his Foreign Secretary Lieberman have declared the extension to…
Israeli Settlers Take Over A Palestinian House In Jerusalem’s Old City
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – A group of armed Israeli settlers took over on Thursday a Palestinian owned house located in Jerusalem old city. Residents said Israeli police provided protection for the settlers…
Hamas Impose New laws In Gaza
PNN – Rami Al Meghari/Gaza – PNN – The Hamas-led police in Gaza have imposed new restrictions on shops that sell women’s clothing in the coastal territory. The decision is the latest in a…
Ten Years After Camp David, Israel Has Made Peace Even Harder
PNN – By Ben White – In an interview earlier this year with The Jerusalem Post, one of the Jewish settlers in Sheikh Jarrah, an area in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem where Palestinians are being…
Israel Accelerates Building Of The Wall After Court Injunction
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – The Defence Ministry has rapidly increased building of the separation wall around a village south of Jerusalem after a court ruled that the state must provide an answer…
Will Someone Please Pay Attention To The Suffering Of Those Crossing The bridge?
PNN – By Daoud Kuttab – Once again the summer heat is upon us. And once again, people’s anguish, and appeals at the overcrowded King Hussein Bridge are melting as quickly as an ice…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
One Child Wounded from Gunfire In Wedding Party in Rafah
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Field Update On Wednesday, 28 July 2010, Taiseer Dhair was wounded as a result of gunfire during a wedding party in the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. This incident is part of the state of security chaos and misuse of weapons currently plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (22-28 July 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Ministers approve NIS 200m. for periphery
Jeruslalem Post 30 Jul 2010 – Funds slated for development programs in Israel’s outlying regions.
Hariri hit suspect is Hizbullah bigwig
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – UN tribunal to announce “chief suspect” is Mughniyeh’s cousin.
Hariri hit suspect is Hizbullah higher-up
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – UN tribunal to announce “chief suspect” is Mughniyeh’s cousin.
Arab League endorses direct talks between PA and Israel
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – Israeli officials say US pressure bears fruit, Israel ready to negotiate; Hamas rejects League’s conditions as “cover for Zionist occupation.”
Israel welcomes Arab green light for Abbas to enter talks
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – Israeli officials say US pressure bears fruit; Hamas rejects conditions
Forensic teams identify bodies
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – Remains of 6 servicemen being flown back to Israel Thursday night.
Forensic teams identify bodies of six IAF servicemen
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – Remains being flown from Romania to Israel Thursday night.
Gay Pride Parade held in Jerusalem
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – 3,000 from around the country attend annual event; met by protesters.
Annual Gay Pride Parade held in Jerusalem
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – 3,000 from around the country attend event in capital.
Hamas bans women’s underwear from shop windows
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – Prohibition aims to “restore Palestinian morals.”
Israel world’s 8th happiest country
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – Scandinavians top list, Africans end it.
Alarming corruption rates in Egypt
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – Report: 47% small and medium businesses forced to pay gov’t bribes.
Underground youth culture unappreciated in Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – Rappers and breakers often clash with Hamas.
International Solidarity Movement
Jubilation and a symbolic act of resistance to the siege: the Gaza boat race
7/30/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – I call to the whole world to treat us like everybody else, to break the blockade of the sea and of the whole Gaza Strip, so that people will be able to make a living from the sea again”, states the happy winner of the first Gaza boat race, Jamal Baker. On the 26th July….
Israel refuses to pay medical bills for American-Jewish protester who lost eye
7/29/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – 28 July, Ha’aretz – Emily Henochowicz was wounded by a tear gas canister in a demonstration following Israel’s Gaza flotilla raid – The Israeli government is refusing to pay the cost of medical care for an American-Jewish activist who lost an eye when Border Police officers fired a tear gas canister at her during a demonstration. Emily….
More than 200 demonstrate against the buffer-zone near Gaza’s Nahal Oz crossing
7/29/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Five International Solidarity Movement volunteers participated in a demonstration against the bufferzone near Nahal Oz border crossing, east of Gaza City on Wednesday (July 28th). The march had a big turn out of over 200 people and was organised by the Popular Campaign for the Security in the Buffer Zone, an umbrella group which includes….
Multiple drowning incidents leave 2 people dead, two seriously injured
Ha’aretz – 7-year-old boy drowns to death in Lake Kinneret; 62-year-old French man drowns to death while swimming at unguarded beach in Ashdod.
Book condoning murder has another rabbi in hot water
Ha’aretz – Head of yeshiva in West Bank settlement of Yitzhar detained by police over book permitting murder of non-Jews who threaten Israel.
Anti-gay protesters: Sick perverts – get out of Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – Eighth Jerusalem Gay Pride parade marches amid growing tensions with rightist protesters.
‘Israeli Arabs have no choice but to build illegally’
Ha’aretz – Study released by the Dirasat – Arab Center for Law and Policy highlights obstacles faced by Israeli Arabs wishing to build homes; about a quarter of Arab communities have neither…
IDF chief’s former guard gets eight years in prison for sexual assault
Ha’aretz – Erez Efrati was convicted in a plea bargain after admitting to attacking a woman after his bachelor’s party near the Tel Aviv Port last November.
Rights group: Police’s ‘Captain George’ harrassed East J’lem organizer
Ha’aretz – Former army interrogator had been accused of torture.
Hungarian national suspected of pedophilia arrested in Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – The man, 48, immigrated to Israel in 1999 , after being convicted in Hungary and sentenced to four years in prison for the sexual abuse of two 14-year-old girls.
IDF completes identification of Romania crash victims’ bodies
Ha’aretz – Identification process made difficult by logistical problems involving transfer of bodies and their removal.
U.S. ‘encouraged’ by Arab support for direct Israeli-Palestinian talks
Ha’aretz – Arab League announces it would support Palestinian decision to enter direct talks; Hamas rejects Arab League endorsement.
Israeli family ‘breaks into’ Jerusalem home centered in ownership controvery
Ha’aretz – The group of Jews have documents proving they purchased the building and were the rightful owners, but Palestinians claim it is their own.
Abbas resisting direct talks with Israel, despite Obama pressure
Ha’aretz – The Arab League was to set out its position on direct talks on Thursday at a meeting of foreign ministers from 10 key League members in Cairo., Pilot who participated…
Is Peres trying to convince Palestinians to refuse direct talks?
Ha’aretz – Source tells Israel Radio that the president sent former minister Ramon to meet Erekat this month as his emissary, with that message in tow.
IAF unit prepares to fly home with bodies of Romania crash victims
Ha’aretz – Experts complete identification process; Israeli and Romanian armies plan to hold a memorial ceremony this afternoon for the seven victims at the Romanian military base from which the helicopter took…
Report: Israel aiding plot for bloodless coup in Gulf emirate
Ha’aretz – Britain’s Guardian newspaper reports that Israel’s ambassador to the U.K.met with the exiled crown prince of the Ras al-Khaimeh in March; Ras al-Khaimeh is strategically located directly across the Persian…
IOF raids Nablus, arrests 4
29 Jul 2010 – Nablus, July 29, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces arrested today morning four citizens of the town “Bita”, located to the south of Nablus, in the West Bank. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli occupation forces stormed the town in the middle of the night and raided several houses. Witnesses added that Israeli occupation forces arrested Waddah Dweikat (20 years), Jihad Dweikat (…
IOF protect Israeli settlers while attacking Palestinian house
29 Jul 2010 – Jerusalem, July 29, (Pal Telegraph) Nearly 30 Israeli settlers at dawn today tried the acquisition of a Palestinian home that belongs to the family of “Qirsh” in the Old City of Jerusalem, guarded and protected by the Israeli occupation army. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli settlers tried to break into the house owned by Mazen Kamal Qirsh under the Israeli…
IOF raids Hebron, arrests 1
29 Jul 2010 – Hebron, July 29, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces raided at dawn today the town of “Dura” south-west of Hebron in the West Bank, and carried out sweeping operations in many southern areas surrounding it. Witnesses confirmed that the southern villages of “Dura” witnessed heavy presence of Israeli occupation forces, near Hebron Road – Beer Sheva and the surrounding villages. The…
Investigating the Freedom Flotilla Attack
Uruknet July 29, 2010 – On June 2, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) approved formation of an international committee (like the Goldstone Commission) to probe the Flotilla attack, saying it will include lawyers and international law and human rights experts, its findings to be presented in September (during the Council’s three week session in Geneva) after visiting Gaza and…
Secret US spy agency used serial killer and Nazis as sources
Uruknet July 29, 2010 – It was a night in early November during the infancy of the Cold War when the anti-communist dissidents were hustled through a garden and across a gully to a vehicle on a dark, deserted road in Budapest. They hid in four large crates for their perilous journey. Four roadblocks stood between them and freedom. What…
Don’t deny our rights: open letter to Mahmoud Abbas
Uruknet July 29, 2010 – The following open letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose elected mandate expired in July 2009 and who has remained in power under controversial emergency laws, was issued on 22 July 2010: We are Palestinians of diverse perspectives and affiliations — scholars, intellectuals, artists, activists, trade unionists, human rights advocates and civil society leaders,…
Israeli settlers evict Palestinian family from their home of 70 years
Uruknet July 29, 2010 – Israeli settlers took over a Palestinian home in the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City today, evicting about 45 members of an extended family which has occupied the building for more than 70 years. The settlers claimed to have documentation to prove they had purchased the building from the owners. The Palestinian tenants, who have…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (22-28 July 2010)
Uruknet July 29, 2010 – …Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (22 — 28 July 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed a Palestinian worker and wounded three international human rights defenders, including one from Israel, and a Palestinian photojournalist in the West Bank. They also seriously wounded a…
Video: West Bank businesses suffer from Israel trade restrictions
Uruknet July 28, 2010 – Businesses in the West Bank, the Palestinian territory, have long suffered from many costly trade restrictions imposed by Israel under the country’s occupation. Taybeh, the only brewery of beer in the West Bank, and Pharmacare, a pharmaceutical company there that supplies medicine across Europe, are two companies with many grievances about Israel’s restrictions. They say…
Israel, South Africa and the single state non-solution
Uruknet July 28, 2010 – For well over five years, there has been a steady stream of articles in the liberal and radical press‚Äîboth online and in print‚Äîfor a “one state” solution in the Middle East. In contrast to the revolutionary socialist call for a democratic and secular Palestine, this one-state solution grants either implicitly or explicitly the Jewish character…
Aid, Solidarity, and the Search for Accountability
Uruknet July 28, 2010 – For the past two days, in the halls of Birzeit University, against the backdrop of the hills of Ramallah, students from around the world have convened to discuss strategies to hold Israel accountable. On this campus, which was the site of many of the early moments of the first intifada, the conference, run by Right…
Momentum builds to test Israel’s blockade
The National 29 Jul 2010 – A group American activists say they have more than a third of the funds necessary to send an aid ship.
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.
France to Finance Establishing of Museum in Bethlehem
WAFA – BETHLEHEM, July 29, 2010 (WAFA)- The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khouloud Daibes-Abou Dayyeh, and the Consul General of France in Jerusalem, Fr?©d?©ric Desagneaux, signed yesterday, in the
EUPOL COPPS Completes Public Awareness Campaign in Balata Camp
WAFA – NABLUS, July 29, 2010 (WAFA)- The project “Rule of Law — Public Awareness Campaign in Balata” that started last December finished today, 29th July, in the premises of the Yafa Cultural Centre
CCI Decreases by 0.73%, PCBS Says
WAFA – RAMALLAH, July 29, 2010 (WAFA)- Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) reported Thursday that
Easing of Gaza Blockade: Humanitarian Impact Remains Limited
WAFA – GAZA, July 29, 2010 (WAFA)- Since the Israeli decision to ease the Gaza blockade on 20 June, the number of imported truckloads has steadily increased. 927 truckloads of supplies were permitted entry
US diplomats to pressure China on Iran sanctions
Daily Star 29 Jul 2010
Kites fill skies over Gaza as children reach for record
Daily Star 29 Jul 2010
Settlers briefly evict Palestinians from Jerusalem home
Daily Star 29 Jul 2010
Phalange urges broad solution to Palestinian refugee issue
Daily Star 29 Jul 2010
US to boost LAF aid ‘to counter Syria, Hizbullah’
Daily Star 29 Jul 2010
Syria: Ties with Lebanon must go through legal channels
Daily Star 29 Jul 2010
King Abdullah, Assad declare united support for Lebanon’s stability
Daily Star 29 Jul 2010
UN: International community trying to contain Lebanon tensions
Daily Star 29 Jul 2010
Letters: Single-state solution in the Middle East
The Guardian 29 Jul 2010 – The proposal by the Israeli right of a single state ( Jonathan Freedland , 28 July) is not new. Greater Israel has always been the goal of rightwing Israelis and Zionists. This is just as unacceptable to the…
Israeli settlers evict Palestinian family from their home of 70 years
The Guardian 29 Jul 2010 – Takeovers have created dozens of Jewish ‘outposts’ in the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City in recent years Israeli settlers took over a Palestinian home in the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City today, evicting about…
Playing politics: summer camp for Gaza’s children
The Guardian 29 Jul 2010 – UN vies with Islamic Jihad and Hamas to keep hundreds of thousands entertained in summer The boys sitting in the shade of an awning erected on a Gaza beach are only half listening to the man…
UN envoy deplores takeover of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers
Relief Web 29 Jul 2010 – Source: UN News Service
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, 22 – 28 July 2010
Relief Web 29 Jul 2010 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
House arrest for suspect linked to ‘Jewish terrorist’
YNet News – David Sitbon, suspected of stealing IDF weapons and handing them over to….
Bodies of Romania crash victims identified
YNet News – IDF rabbinate completes identification process; bodies to be flown back within….
Egypt: US assurances may boost direct peace talks
YNet News – Presidential spokesman says Obama sent Mubarak letter expressing commitment to….
Hamas: Direct talks will lead to more Palestinian suffering
YNet News – The terrorist Hamas movement issued a statement on Thursday criticizing the Arab nations’ support for the resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations, …….
Report: Mughniyeh’s brother-in-law suspect in Hariri killing
YNet News – Mustafa Badr Aldin, the brother in-law of assassinated Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, is the prime suspect in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister …….
Rally held in memorial of gay youth massacre
YNet News – Nearly a year after the massacre in the Tel Aviv gay youth center, a memorial is held as part of the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade in the Rose Garden adjacent to the Knesset …….
Jerusalem Pride Parade encounters protests, insults
YNet News – Pride in Jerusalemm: A year after the murder at the Tel Aviv gay youth club, about 2,000 participants in the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade have gathered in the city’s …….
Arab League endorses direct Israel-PA talks
YNet News – Arab officials convening in Cairo began crucial talks with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Thursday to decide whether he will begin direct negotiations with Israel …….
Testimony: Settler beats Palestinian shepherd
B’tselem 28 Jul 2010 – According to Khaled Najar, 57, on 1 July ’10 he was grazing his flock on private Palestinian land in the southern Hebron Hills when a settler who left the Mitzpeh Ya’ir outpost assaulted him, beating him severely. Najar, who has been assaulted before in tgram FilesQuickTimeQTSystem
Arab League Meets; Will Decide on Green Light for Direct Talks
The Media Line 28 Jul 2010 – At a meeting in Cairo on Thursday, the Arab League will decide whether to green light Palestinian participation in direct talks with Israel under American supervision. President Obama has sent a letter to Egyptian President Hosni…
TOEFL to Resume in Iran Amid Sanctions
New York Times 29 Jul 2010 – The Educational Testing Service had halted registrations two weeks ago after its bank refused to continue processing payments from Iran in light of recent sanctions.
Many Questions About Damaged Japanese Tanker
New York Times 29 Jul 2010 – Officials said that they were examining the hull of an oil tanker that was damaged as it traversed a waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
World Briefing | Middle East: Egypt: Attorney General Addresses Police Abuse Case
New York Times 29 Jul 2010 – Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said during a visit to Cairo that he hoped an investigation into the death of a man in police custody last month would be carried out “in a transparent way.”
Palestine-Israel: Bedouin village demolished
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine – The Bedouin village of Al-Arakib, visited by a CPT delegation on July 25, was demolished just two days later. Having finished their job, the 1500 Israeli police, with their tear gas, water cannon, land and aerial vehicles, left. And the Bedouins began to rebuild.
White Phosphorus Burns
Palestine Monitor – In January, 2009, an 18-year-old man presented to the emergency department after suffering an attack with an incendiary shell. He had many painful patches of full-thickness burns, which were surrounded by sloughed tissue. His wounds covered 30% of his body surface area, and were distributed on…
Israeli police working with settlers to occupy Palestinian home in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City
Mondoweiss – The post below refers to a story included in Seham’s rundown earlier today . The AFP article we linked to indicated that the settlers had left the Kirresh home, this eyewitness account tells a much different story: Yonatan Shapira has sent me the following account of events…
‘a bad country’
Mondoweiss – Adam posted this video last night. It’s the most important thing on this site, and it’s only 2-1/2 minutes long. What else is there to say, besides, Please watch it. And look at the soldiers’ Centurionlike shields, and their black getup… (Video: guardian.co.uk )
‘FT’ author calls on EU to step in, before strangulation of Palestine leads to ‘further disaster’
Mondoweiss – Lord Chris Patten, president of Medical Aid for Palestinians, has an important piece in the Financial Times describing the cruel reality built by the peace process. There’s a firewall/registration at the FT. I’ve excerpted a lot of the piece below . In the West Bank you see…
Bacevich: US and Israel are only democracies that see war as the answer
Mondoweiss – Wonderful piece by Andrew Bacevich at Tom Dispatch , proving that realists and leftists must break bread with one another (realists must learn to talk about human rights, lefties must think about national interests) if we are going to make any progress in fighting the neoconservative/militarist agenda…
Co-op boycott: ‘When our own government encourages conflict it is time for common people to step in’
Mondoweiss – Phan Nguyen, a member of the Olympia Food Co-op, defends of the co-op’s Israeli boycott in the Tacoma, WA News Tribune : When we talk about the Israel/Palestine conflict, we cannot talk about it in the third person. It is our conflict, as it is our taxpayer…
Israeli Police, Settlers Take over Home in Occupied Jerusalem
Al-Manar 29 Jul 2010 – Israeli settlers accompanied by police took over a building in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem early Thursday morning, evicting families from three of the building’s apartments. Israeli National Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said two Israeli families entered the Old City home “based on…
Palestinians Offer Gaza Flotilla Participants Honorary Citizenship
Al-Manar 29 Jul 2010 – Participants in May’s Turkish-sponsored flotilla to Gaza have been offered “Palestinian citizenship” as a gesture of thanks. But after learning that the Palestinian Authority is refusing to issue passports to some Gaza residents, most of them decided to decline the offer. The offer was made…
Facing annexation, the West Bank village of al-Walaja looks to ‘Budrus’ for inspiration
Joseph Dana 29 Jul 2010 – In the cool summer evening air of the Jerusalem hills last Tuesday evening, hundreds of Palestinians and Israelis descended on the small village of al-Walaja for a screening of the critically acclaimed documentary Budrus . The screening was jointly organized by Israelis and Palestinians who are working…
Palestinian prisoners in Jalbo threaten hunger strike
Sabr 29 Jul 2010 – [ 28/07/2010 – 04:04 PM ] OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, ( PIC )— 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. The Palestinian prisoners’ society said in a statement on…
MP Mohammed Abu Teir trial postponed until November
Sabr 29 Jul 2010 – [ 28/07/2010 – 04:00 PM ] OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, ( PIC )— The Israeli court decided during a hearing Wednesday to postpone the trial of Jerusalem MP Mohammed Abu Teir until November 22, 2010. The court gathered at 9:00am Wednesday to prosecute the Palestinian Legislative Council member on charges…
Khatib warns of plotting to kill Sheikh Salah in prison
Sabr 29 Jul 2010 – [ 28/07/2010 – 03:55 PM ] RAMALLAH, ( PIC )— 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, while serving a jail sentence. Khatib in a…
IOF troops detain Palestinian student on returning from the Ukraine
Sabr 29 Jul 2010 – [ 28/07/2010 – 10:49 AM ] NABLUS, ( PIC )— 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. Eyewitnesses said that Baha’a Jaradat was taken into custody by an…
Arab League endorses direct talks
BBC 29 Jul 2010 – The Arab League backs direct Palestinian peace talks with the Israelis, but leaves the timing to the Palestinians, officials say.
Lebanon vow at Saudi-Syrian talks
BBC 29 Jul 2010 – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia pledge to help stabilise Lebanon.
6,000 Irish shoppers demand supermarket stops stocking Israeli goods
BDS 29 Jul 2010 – Today, Thursday 29th July 2010, at 1pm, the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) delivered a petition to Dunnes Stores signed by 6,000 shoppers across Ireland. The petition demands that Dunnes Stores stop stocking Israeli products, until Israel respects Palestinian rights and international law. read more
Articles
The Palestinian Authority is imprisoning Gazans
Amira Hass, Israeli Occupation Archive7/28/2010
The same government that includes a call to end the blockade on Gaza, in practice aids in imprisoning the Gazans by preventing them from holding valid Palestinian passports
Lies and power go hand in hand. But what is considered outrageous in a sovereign state is catastrophic for a society fighting for its freedom. The Palestinians have two sets of leadership under occupation competing for the dubious title of “government” — and both are generating lies to perpetuate their status. The Hamas government, which won the majority of the vote in democratic Palestinian legislative elections, is not recognized by most countries. Yet these countries warmly accept the Palestinian Authority government, which was appointed by the president and leader of the party that lost the election, Fatah.
This is the government that has explained its decision to postpone the municipal and local elections, originally scheduled for July 17 this year, by its desire to prevent the political rift between Gaza and the West Bank from widening. Parallel elections would not have been possible in the Gaza Strip because of the split between the parties and clashes over authority and legitimacy.
It is possible to argue over the logic of the initial stubbornness to hold elections that would have fortified the double-rule reality (one political experience in Gaza, and a different one in the West Bank ). This is why, indeed, independent circles in Gaza welcomed the decision to postpone. But everyone knows the real reason behind the postponement was internal disputes within Fatah, as well as a possible fear that competing slates would succeed — despite the fact that Hamas announced it would boycott the elections. — See also: Source: Ha’aretz more.. e-mail
Netanyahu’s coercive diplomacy
Abdaljawad Hamayel, Ma’an News Agency7/29/2010
Reports have surfaced of mounting American pressure vis-a-vis the Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas to accept unconditionally the start of direct talks with his Israeli counterparts.
PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, in a recent interview with the The Financial Times, made clear that Palestinians would pay a political price whether they accepted or rejected the American proposal.
“We are in a situation where we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t. There is a cost if we agree [to direct talks] and a cost if we don’t,” he told the American publication.
And so it seems that the US envoy for Middle East peace, George Mitchell, is using a “coercive approach” backed by the Obama administration in its showcase of diplomatic progress over which the US appears adamant at placing both sides across the table.
Palestinian negotiators have repeatedly said that in principle they do not object to holding direct negotiations on the condition that Israelis halt settlements in the entire West Bank including East Jerusalem. The current partial freeze on settlement expansion that expires in September is only placed on settlements within the rest of the West Bank excluding East Jerusalem, which many supporters of the two-state solution see as the future capital of a Palestinian state.
The Palestinian demand of a complete freeze on settlement building is based on the historical failure of the peace process, in which Israel continued the build-up of illegal settlements while simultaneously negotiating with the PA. This has repeatedly undermined the Palestinian leadership among its own constituency and has served as the genesis for the rise of more Islamist and radical elements in politics. more.. e-mail
Allenby needs humanitarian attention
Daoud Kuttab, Ma’an News Agency7/29/2010
Once again the summer heat is upon us. And once again, people’s ordeals, and pleas at the overcrowded Allenby Bridge are melting as quickly as an ice cream cone in the Jordan Valley’s high temperatures.
The Allenby Bridge is the only crossing point available to the 3.5 million Palestinians of the West Bank. It is officially open from 8 a.m. to midnight, but in reality the last bus leaves at 10:00pm and people are often turned back on the Jordanian side after 9 p.m. because of the summer congestion.
More people are leaving the West Bank than visiting it, according to statistics issued by the Palestinian side. The Palestinian Authority reported that the traffic was moderate in first week of June, when 17,473 people departed from Jericho and 9,411 entered the West Bank.
This doesn’t include East Jerusalemites who cross the bridge directly without going to the Jericho crossing. It is estimated around 3,500 Jerusalemites end up at the same terminal on the Jordanian side every week. No statistics have been published by the Jordanian authorities.
Since those statistics were released, the number of Palestinians leaving (for visits, work or travel) has increased considerably, forcing many Palestinian families to spend the night at the border.
Pilgrims seeking to perform Umra (the lesser pilgrimage) are adding to the growing numbers at the already overstretched terminals on Sundays and Wednesdays, causing even greater chaos and delays. — See also: Madness at the Allenby Bridge more.. e-mail
What’s in a name? In a racist society, everything
Electronic Intifada: 29 Jul 2010 – A young Jewish Israeli woman and a young Palestinian Jerusalemite had consensual sex. Afterwards, the Jewish woman discovered that her partner was in fact not Jewish at all, but horror of horror, a Palestinian. But there was more, the Palestinian had called himself “Dudu,” his nickname, but one most often used by Israeli Jews, and from this the young woman concluded she had been deliberately deceived and in fact raped. Richard Irvine comments for The Electronic Intifada.more
Don’t deny our rights: open letter to Mahmoud Abbas
Electronic Intifada: 29 Jul 2010 – No Palestinian institution or leader has ever accepted an exclusive Jewish claim to Palestine, which is irreconcilable with the internationally recognized rights of the Palestinian people. Our rights inhere in us as a people; they are not yours to do with as you please.more
Blair’s undisclosed business dealings conflict with Quartet role
Electronic Intifada: 29 Jul 2010 – Tony Blair’s relationship with one of the world’s richest men poses a clear and significant conflict of interest with his duties as Quartet envoy. Adri Nieuwhof reports.more
Groups urge Clinton to intervene in case of jailed rights defender
Electronic Intifada: 29 Jul 2010 – Madame Secretary, we respectfully request that your office investigate the arrest, unlawful treatment, and detention of Mr. Makhoul and use its considerable diplomatic influence to bring an end to his arbitrary detention and to ensure that Israel, a leading recipient of US military and economic aid, comply with its commitment under US law and international legal norms.more
White Phosphorus Burns
Palestine Monitor: 29 Jul 2010 – In January, 2009, an 18-year-old man presented to the emergency department after suffering an attack with an incendiary shell. He had many painful patches of full-thickness burns, which were surrounded by sloughed tissue. His wounds covered 30% of his body surface area, and were distributed on both upper and lower limbs, and his right shoulder. There were no signs of inhalation burns. After a clinical diagnosis of white phosphorus burns was made, the airway was secured, resuscitation fluid was initiated, and wounds were irrigated with diluted sodium bicarbonate solution before wet dressing. 1 day after admission to the burns unit, white smoke was noticed emanating from the wounds, which now contained extensive necrotic tissue and had extended into the underlying tissue. He was urgently transferred to the operating room for debridement and excision of necrotic tissue, and removal of white phosphorus particles. During debridement, a white phosphorus particle was accidentally…more
Why Muslims Should Rethink Palestine
Palestine Chronicle: 29 Jul 2010 – By Ramzy Baroud Thousands of faithful assiduously listened as I outlined the challenges facing Palestine and its people. Cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’ — God is Great — occasionally resounded from a corner of the giant South African mosque. Many whimpered as I described the tragedy that had befallen Gaza as a result of the Israeli siege. They cheered, smiled and nodded as I emphasized how the will of the Palestinian people would not be defeated. A few older people at the front simply wept throughout my talk, which preceded a Friday sermon in Durban a few months ago. If passion and kindness were powerful in and of themselves, then the compassion that poured from those Muslim faithful could surely better the world in a myriad ways. The sheer love and concern displayed by men and women of different races, age groups, class affiliation and languages was most uplifting and validating….more
Investigating the Freedom Flotilla Attack
Palestine Chronicle: 29 Jul 2010 – ByStephen Lendman On June 2, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) approved formation of an international committee (like the Goldstone Commission) to probe the Flotilla attack, saying it will include lawyers and international law and human rights experts, its findings to be presented in September (during the Council’s three week session in Geneva) after visiting Gaza and contacting Israel, Turkey, Greece, and the Freedom Flotilla coalition. HRC’s panel includes: — Desmond de Silva, a UK lawyer and former chief prosecutor for the Sierra Leone Special Court investigation into widespread killings there; — Karl Hudson-Phillips, a former International Criminal Court (ICC) judge and former Trinidad and Tobago attorney general and parliament member; and — Malaysia’s Mary Shanthi Dairiam, active in gender equality issues, including on the UN Development Program’s gender equity task force. In emergency session, the HCR criticized Israel’s “outrageous attack on aid ships attempting to breach a blockade on…more
Ethnic Cleansing in the Negev
Palestine Chronicle: 29 Jul 2010 – By Neve Gordon 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. Scores of Bedouin men were standing…more
BP’s Waste Management Plan Raises Environmental Justice Concerns
Dissident Voice: 29 Jul 2010 – Much attention the past three months has been focused on the British Petroleum ( BP ) oil spill disaster and clean up efforts. Government officials estimate that the ruptured well leaked between 94 million and 184 million gallons of oil into the Gulf. However, not much attention has been given to which communities were selected as the final resting place for BP’s oil-spill garbage. A large segment of the African American community was skeptical of BP, the oil and gas industry, and the government long before the disastrous Gulf oil disaster, since black communities too often have been on the receiving end of polluting industries without the benefit of jobs and have been used as a repository for other people’s rubbish. Given the sad history of waste disposal in the southern United States, it should be no surprise to anyone that the BP waste disposal plan looks a lot like “Dumping…more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
To subscribe, please write to OccupationNews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OccupationNews/join
The New Dark Age 
Leave a comment