30 July, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Ashkelon Struck By Missile Fire
IMEMC – 30 Jul 2010 – Friday July 30, 2010 – 11:18, Qatar’s al-Jazeera network are reporting that a missile fired from the Gaza Strip has struck the south of the Israeli city of Ashkelon.
Islamic Jihad Rejects Direct Talks
IMEMC – 30 Jul 2010 – Friday July 30, 2010 – 08:20, The Israeli Jihad Movement expressed its rejection to direct talks with the Israeli occupation and said that it will not accept the outcome of Palestinian Israeli talks.
PCHR Weekly Report: 1 Worker killed, 5 peaceful protesters injured by Israeli forces this week
IMEMC – 30 Jul 2010 – Friday July 30, 2010 – 08:11, In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory for the week of 22-28 July 2010, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian worker in the northern West Bank.
African Immigrant Killed By Egyptian Fire
IMEMC – 30 Jul 2010 – Friday July 30, 2010 – 07:34, Egyptian security sources reported Saturday that an Eritrean man was shot and killed by Egyptian border police fire while trying to infiltrate into Israel.
Youth Wounded At A Military Roadblock Near Ramallah
IMEMC – 30 Jul 2010 – Friday July 30, 2010 – 07:25, Local sources reported on Thursday evening that a Palestinian youth was shot and wounded by Israeli military fire at the Atara Roadblock, north of central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Evicted families spend first night outdoors
7/30/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Nine Palestinian families spent their first night in the open air on Thursday, after being forced out of their homes by Israeli settlers before sunrise the same morning. Sami Qeresh head of a household of six dependents, said women and children “spent a night in the open air waiting for Israeli forces to….
Desmond Tutu endorses US grocery chain boycott decision
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – US-based Olympiya Foods Coop grocery store voted to join the international boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign, in what its board said was a move “to compel Israel to follow international law and respect Palestinian human rights.” The move was endorsed on Tuesday by South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said the coop was….
Anti-wall protestors report injuries, detentions
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Injuries were reported across the West Bank as Israeli soldiers responded to weekly non-violent anti-wall protests with tear gas, sound grenades and detentions on Friday. Clashes erupted in Bil’in, where the wall cuts off agricultural lands from farmers despite a High Court ruling mandating its removal. This week’s rally commemorated the third anniversary….
Jerusalem report documents wave of demolitions
7/30/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – The Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights released a report on Thursday, documenting the demolition of several greenhouses, a car wash and a grocery in the town of Hizma during the two previous days. On Tuesday and Wednesday of the same week, the report said, demolitions were carried out on homes and…. Related: JCSER
Report: Settler violence continues in south Hebron hills
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli settlers destroyed a field of vegetables in a Bedouin village in the southern West Bank on Wednesday night, international peace groups reported. During the night, a report said, a Palestinian farmer from Um Al-Kher village in the south Hebron hills heard noises from his garden, and thought there were animals inside. On….
Settlers attack Burin village, fires spread
7/30/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked a village south of the West Bank city of Nablus and set fire to village land on Friday, reports said. Ghassan Doughlas, a Palestinian Authority settlement affairs officer who monitors the northern West Bank, said residents of the illegal Bracha settlement raided Burin village, broke into a home….
Israel releases ice-cream equipment damaged and unusable
7/30/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – A factory owner in Gaza was shocked to find that equipment he ordered from overseas, which was held in an Israeli port for several years, has been dismantled, with some parts missing and others broken. Mohammad Al-Telbani, owner of Al-Auda ice-cream and biscuit factory, hoped to develop new lines of potato chips and….
Viva Palestina to bring Gaza medical aid
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A British aid convoy will deliver vital medical equipment to Gaza, still banned under Israel’s siege, a statement said. Citing reports from the World Health Organization and the Health Ministry, Viva Palestina said that since easing the siege, Israel has blocked the delivery of essential medical equipment including a CT scanner, defibrillators, monitors….
Mash’al: International parties against conciliation
7/30/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas prefers not to bow to international pressure, it will remain steadfast and work to change the rules of the game, the party’s politburo chief in Damascus Khalid Mash’al told reporters in Qatar on Thursday. Accusing “international parties” of being opposed to Palestinian unity, Mash’al brushed off the Arab League’s decision to support….
Hundreds to protest razing of Arab village
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Residents and supporters of the Al-Araqib village, where 35 homes were demolished on Tuesday, were preparing for demonstrators on Friday, following calls for a mass protest against the demolitions. Residents say 250 men, women and children were left homeless by the move, when Israeli tractors accompanied by an estimated 1,500 police officers entered….
Gaza crossings closed until Sunday
7/30/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli crossings officials told their Palestinian liaison counterparts on Friday morning that all commercial crossings would close for the day and remain shut until Sunday. Palestinian crossings official Raed Fattouh told Ma’an that he was informed early Friday that both the Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings would be sealed, in keeping with Israel’s….
PWA welcomes UN vote on rights to water and sanitation
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian Water Authority welcomed on Friday the UN General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution recognizing access to water and sanitation as a human right. Palestinian Water Minister Shaddad Attili issued a statement after the motion was adopted, saying that Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation gladly received the news. In its decision….
Report: Barak shares vision for two-states
7/30/2010 – i>Barak: Can’t resume negotiations where they left off because Israeli government has no written records – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the current freeze on settlement building will not continue in its present form, Israeli media reported Friday. The temporary, partial moratorium on settlement building declared insufficient by Palestinian officials….
Saudi, Syrian leaders pledge support for Lebanon
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Syrian President Bashar Assad and King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah Ben Abdul-Aziz pledged their support to Lebanon’s president “in the face of outside threats,” Agence-France Presse reported Friday. King Abdullah and Assad visited Lebanese President Michel Sleiman to encourage national unity in light of tension arising from reports of an indictment against….
UN condemns Gaza projectile launches
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Israeli military reported Friday morning that a projectile launched from the Gaza Strip hit the outskirts of the coastal city of Ashkelon. Richard Miron, spokesperson for the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry, issued a statement saying the office “condemn[s] the attack on Ashkelon earlier today….
French Louvre to train new Bethlehem museum
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – France and the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities signed an agreement to build a museum in the city of Bethlehem, under a heritage preservation and promotion project. The agreement, for some 700,000 Euro ($915,460 US), was signed on Wednesday in Bethlehem, and will finance the establishment of a national museum in….
Peres: We must not let extremists block peace
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli President Shimon Peres told Israel Radio on Friday he believed that if President Mahmoud Abbas had rejected the idea of direct talks between Israel and Palestine, the Arab League would never have approved it.” We do not have much time, so Israel and Abbas must not waste it, we must make improvements….
Egyptian security says arms store seized
7/30/2010 – Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egyptian security forces said officers located a weapons storehouse in the northern Sinai south of Al-Arish on Friday, and said they believed the goods were destined for the Gaza Strip. Police uncovered what a report described as a three-meter deep hole near a small warehouse, and said the hole was filled with munitions….
Palestinian refugee appeals to Abbas from Jordan
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – A Palestinian refugee in Jordan in need of heart surgery asked Palestinian leaders to help. Manar Issa Eid wrote to Ma’an from the Al-Hussein Hospital in Amman, where he is waiting for financial support for surgery, appealing to President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the health minister to intervene to save….
Hamas: PA detained 6 affiliates
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority security forces detained six Hamas affiliates in the West Bank, a Hamas statement issued Friday said. The affiliates were from the West Bank cities of Nablus, Hebron and Qalqiliya….
Gaza kids break second world record in week
7/30/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – For the second year in a row, Gaza children at the UNRWA Summer Games smashed a world record, flying 7,202 kites in the sky simultaneously on Thursday. Gathering on Gaza Beach, the children launched their kites one by one with the help of UNRWA staff, breaking their own world record, set the summer….
Israeli air raids injure 10 in Gaza
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Security compound, tunnels hit in apparent escalation New York – At least 10 Palestinians were wounded in a series of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Friday night, medics in Gaza reported. The strikes appeared…
Rights groups to Clinton: Free prisoned Palestinian activist
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Washington ‚Äì An array of legal and human rights groups have sent a joint letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to advocate for American support to release Palestinian human rights activist Ameer Makhoul, Electronic…
ADL takes Sarah Palin stance on NYC community center
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Washington – Former Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin came under fire last week when she beseeched the Cordoba Initiative and the wider Muslim community in the US to ” refudiate ” its decision to build an…
US Rep Baird: US on the side of ‘injustice’ in Palestine
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Washington ‚Äì The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation held its ninth annual National Organizers’ Conference in Kansas City, Missouri last week. Keynote speaker US Representative Brian Baird (D‚ÄìWA) spoke about his own experiences visiting…
Why Muslims should rethink Palestine
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – 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…
Choosing Netanyahu over NATO
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Anyone who wonders what American foreign policy might look like if it was not so utterly ridden with partisan political considerations should take a look at the United Kingdom. This is not to say that politics…
Hamas leader: US doesn’t want reconciliation,
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Washington – Hamas politburo leader Khaled Masha’l told press in Qatar yesterday that the Islamist group has no intentions of yielding to international pressure on recognition and reconciliation, Ma’an News Agency reported Friday. Khaled Mash’al [Wikimedia…
Report: Palestinian-Israelis forced to build illegally
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Washington ‚Äì Palestinians are faced with so many obstacles from the Israeli government that they have no other choice but to build illegally, according to a new report, Haaretz reported Thursday. The study was conducted by…
UK: Gaza blockade breeds radicalism
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Washington – Outgoing UK ambassador to Israel Sir Tom Phillips shared insight into UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s criticism of Israel in a conversation with The Jerusalem Post Friday. British PM David Cameron [World Economic Forum…
Fayyad: ‘Build, build despite the occupation’
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Ramallah ‚Äì For three years, Salam Fayyad, the Prime Minister in the West Bank Palestinian Authority (PA), has been a focal point for Mideast debate. Palestine Note’s exclusive interview with PM Salam Fayyad As an unelected…
Saudi King, Syrian President meet in Beirut to quell regional tensions
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Washington ‚Äì Security was tight in Beirut on Friday, as Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad arrived in Lebanon for a summit to quell tensions in the sectarian country, Al-Jazeera English reported . The…
Barak shares two-state vision
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – DM plans for peace despite disregard for PA conditions Washington – Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak shared his vision for the two-state solution Friday, including his expectation of a delayed peace process and a plan disregarding…
Israel under fire from UN on human rights
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Washington – Experts on a UN panel called Friday for Israel to fall in line with internationally recognized norms for human civil rights, AFP news agency reported. Gaza children stand in the remains of a home…
Coercive diplomacy
Palestine Note 30 Jul 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…
Tuk-tuks take over Gaza’s streets
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Washington ‚Äì The iconic tuk-tuk has made its way from South Asia to the streets of Gaza, the Jordan Times reported Friday. A fleet of tuk-tuk taxis in Bangkok, where the auto-rickshaw’s popularity began. Though the…
Louvre collaborates on new Bethlehem museum
Palestine Note 30 Jul 2010 – Washington ‚Äì The Palestinian Authority (PA) and France signed an agreement this week to establish a new museum in Bethlehem, with the help of French institutions like the world famous Louvre, Ma’an News Agency reported Friday….
Night Beat
Palestine Note 29 Jul 2010 – Washington – Is Gaza aiming for a world record for world records? Gaza youth broke their previous record by flying more than 7,000 kites simultaneously along the Gaza shore Thursday. Their previous record was more than…
Beirut talks call for Lebanon unity
AlJazeera 30 Jul 2010 – Bashar al-Assad and King Abdullah attend talks aimed at reducing al-Hariri probe tensions.
Israel hits Gaza after rocket fire
AlJazeera 30 Jul 2010 – Several injured in air strikes launched after Palestinian rocket hits Israeli city.
Three Injured 2 Arrested As Troops Attack Wall Protests In The West Bank
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura – PNN – Israeli troops attacked on Friday anti wall protests that were organized at a number of locations in the West Bank. Israeli and international supporters joined Palestinian villagers…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (22-28 July 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Barak, Ban Ki-moon ‘discuss flotilla’
Jeruslalem Post 30 Jul 2010 – UN diplomat says meeting focused on international investigation.
IAF strikes Gaza strip; response to Ashkelon missile attack
Jeruslalem Post 30 Jul 2010 – IDF spokesperson says Hamas-linked targets identified; Foreign Ministry issues complaint to UN following Grad missile launched from Gaza into Ashkelon.
Air Force hits targets in Gaza strip
Jeruslalem Post 30 Jul 2010 – Response to Grad missile launched from Gaza into Ashkelon.
Rocket prompts complaint to UN
Jeruslalem Post 30 Jul 2010 – Grad missile launched from Gaza causes damage in central Ashkelon.
China opposes EU’s Iran sanctions
Jeruslalem Post 30 Jul 2010 – The superpower prefers solving nuclear issue diplomatically.
Saudi, Syrian leaders visit Lebanon
Jeruslalem Post 30 Jul 2010 – Assad and Abdullah try to quell tensions over Hariri tribunal.
Fallen airmen arrive in Israel.
Jeruslalem Post 30 Jul 2010 – Six servicemen to be buried Friday at various locations in the country.
Coffee libel in Egypt
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jul 2010 – A prank chain letter set off a wave of protests.
International Solidarity Movement
Desmond Tutu backs U.S food co-op boycott of Israeli products
7/30/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Ha’aretz – South African Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu issues statement of support for boycott announced by food co-op in Rachel Corrie’s hometown of Olympia, Washington South African Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu said on Wednesday that he supports the Olympia Food Co-op’s boycott of Israeli products. Desmond Tutu (centre) with Abdallah Abu Rahmah of Bil’in….
Jerusalem hosts subdued gay pride march
Ha’aretz – Thousands of Israelis marched in Jerusalem’s longest gay pride parade despite opposition from anti-gay demonstrators.
IAF strikes Gaza targets in response to rocket attack on Ashkelon
Ha’aretz – Local Palestinian witnesses report 4 injured in strike on Hamas-linked targets; earlier Friday a Grad-type rocket exploded near an apartment building in Ashkelon and two mortar shells hit the western…
Israel believes Abbas will bide time on direct talks until settlement freeze nears end
Ha’aretz – Arab League gives green light, but leaves ultimate decision up to Palestinian president; U.S. welcomes approval as encouraging.
IAF airmen killed in Romania crash laid to rest in Israel
Ha’aretz – Speaking at the service of Oren Cohen in Rehovot, a former commander said that a once spectacular Romanian landscape turned ‘into a death trap.’
IAF helicopter pilot recounts pulling friends’ bodies from wreckage of Romania crash
Ha’aretz – Pilot who participated in joint training mission and rescue efforts says that rescue efforts were necessary due to the need ‘to bring our friends home.’
Zionist plot to demolish 60 homes in northern Jerusalem
Uruknet July 30, 2010 — It was revealed that the Israeli occupation municipality of Jerusalem intends to demolish 25 buildings in the Eisaweyya neighbourhood to the north of the holy city at the pretext of lack of planning permit. Ahmad Laban, a researcher at Ir Amim (City of Nations) said in a statement on Thursday that the homes that the…
Report: Settler violence continues in south Hebron hills
Uruknet July 30, 2010 – Israeli settlers destroyed a field of vegetables in a Bedouin village in the southern West Bank on Wednesday night, international peace groups reported. During the night, a report said, a Palestinian farmer from Um Al-Kher village in the south Hebron hills heard noises from his garden, and thought there were animals inside. On inspection, he…
Activists work to stop tax-exempt donations to Israeli settlements
Uruknet July 30, 2010 – As Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise in the occupied West Bank continues to be a strain on US-Israel relations, an unflattering light is being shone on US private donations towards the development of the settlements that are increasingly encroaching on Palestinian land. Most of the construction work in the settlements is in the hands of American,…
Israel controls 6.25% of Gaza
Uruknet Jyly 29, 2010 – Farmers demonstrated against the seizures of usable land for the buffer zone within Gazan territory. Wednesday, farmers in Gaza gathered in Beit Hanoun to protest the ever-expanding internal buffer zone Israel has established inside the Gaza Strip. They were protesting the ‘no-man’s land’ established by Israel as a substantial amount of farmable land is included…
Why Muslims Should Rethink Palestine
Uruknet July 29, 2010 – …At this advanced stage of the solidarity, which shows Palestine once again at the top of international agenda ‚Äì including in civil societies around the world ‚Äì Muslims must redefine their link to Palestine, based on the values and principles reflected in Islam. But they must also present it in universally shared ideal, speaking a…
United States, Iran to Restart Talks
Uruknet July 29, 2010 – …From discussions with US officials, here’s what I’ve gleaned about the administration’s policy on Iran. First, there is no appetite whatsoever, and no serious consideration, being given to a military attack on Iran. Not even Dennis Ross, the hawkish aide at the National Security Council, brings up the possibility of a military strike, US officials…
Book condoning murder has another rabbi in hot water
Uruknet July 29, 2010 – The police’s Unit of International Crime Investigations on Thursday detained rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg, the president of the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar in connection to a book that condoned the killing of non-Jews. Ginsburg was detained for questioning days after the alleged author of the book, rabbi Yitzhak Shapira…
Iran Orders its Iraqi Allies to Accept Al-Maliki as PM or Else
Uruknet July 29, 2010 – An informed source has revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Iran has sent a strongly-worded message to its allies in the Islamic Supreme Council which is led by Ammar al-Hakim and Al-Sadr Trend which is led by Muqtada al-Sadr to the effect that they have no choice but to accept Nuri al-Maliki, the outgoing prime minister…
Thirsty? How about an ice-cold glass of sewage-infested water?
Uruknet July 29, 2010 – On Saturday 31 July, Amnesty International members will be handing out free samples of bottled water to people in Dublin, Cork and Galway.The only trouble is that the water ‚Äì like 90 percent of water available to Palestinians in Gaza, is filthy. (The remains of a destroyed water cistern in a West bank town) On…
Identity of Former IDF Torturer Exposed, ‚ÄòCaptain George’ is Doron Zahavi
Uruknet July 29, 2010 – Yesterday, I reported here on a Haaretz story about the notorious “Captain George,” an IDF military intelligence interrogator accused in 2004 of sodomizing a Lebanese kidnap victim in order to secure information about the location of IDF officer, Ron Arad. Among the things I wrote was my complaint that Haaretz was protecting the real identity…
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 ‚Äì 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…
Beirut summit of regional powers calls for peace
The National 30 Jul 2010 – The leaders of Saudi Arabia and Syria meet with Lebanon’s Michel Suleiman to bolster “Lebanon’s interest above factional ones”.
President Assad and King Abdullah arrive in Beirut
The National 30 Jul 2010 – The Syrian president and Saudi monarch land in Lebanon on a joint mission to defuse political tensions in the country.
Rocket from Gaza strikes Ashkelon
The National 30 Jul 2010 – A rocket is fired into the Israeli city of Ashkelon from the Gaza Strip this morning, the Israeli military says.
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.
UN Panel Slams Israel on Human Rights
WAFA – GENEVA, July 30, 2010 (WAFA)- A United Nations panel of experts has raised concerns about Israeli discrimination against Palestinians, demanding Israel stop targeted killings and torture, Voice of
Kites Fly High over Gaza as Children at UN Summer Camp Soar to New World Record
WAFA – GAZA, July 30, 2010 (WAFA)- More than 6,200 children attending a summer camp in the Gaza Strip run Thursday by the United Nations agency assisting Palestinian refugees have broken their own world
UN Envoy Deplores Takeover of Palestinian Homes by Settlers
WAFA – JERUSALEM, July 30, 2010 (WAFA)- The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process has deplored today’s forcible takeover by armed Israeli settlers of a building in Jerusalem’s
British, Israeli Wounded in Weekly Demo in Bil’in
WAFA – RAMALLAH, July 30, 2010 (WAFA)- A British and an Israeli pacifist were wounded, during the weekly demonstration against the Israeli Apartheid Wall in the West Bank village of Bil’in west of
Settlers Destroy Vegetable Field in Um Al Kher
WAFA – HEBRON, July 30, 2010 (WAFA)- Jewish settlers damaged a Palestinian field of vegetables in Um Al Kher, a Bedouin village located next to Karmel settlement, in the South Hebron Hills, Operation Dove
Iran ‘ready’ for immediate talks, denies bid to stockpile enriched uranium
Daily Star 30 Jul 2010
Obama renews measures to freeze Hizbullah assets
Daily Star 30 Jul 2010
Hamas lashes out at Arab backing for direct peace talks
Daily Star 30 Jul 2010
Clinton renews appeal to Iran to free US hikers
Daily Star 30 Jul 2010
UN human-rights body presses Israel to end Gaza blockade
Daily Star 30 Jul 2010
Qatari emir stresses commitment to stable Lebanon
Daily Star 30 Jul 2010
Abdullah, Assad urge sustained stability
Daily Star 30 Jul 2010
oPt: Gaza Strip – Humanitarian Crisis Persists (as of Jul 2010)
Relief Web 30 Jul 2010 – Source: US DoS HIU
UN urges restraint after rocket from Gaza hits Israeli city
Relief Web 30 Jul 2010 – Source: UN News Service
OPT: Civil Administration to link A’Tawani village to Mekorot water infrastructure
Relief Web 30 Jul 2010 – Source: Government of Israel
OPT: Protection of Civilians Weekly Reports, 21 – 27 July 2010
Relief Web 30 Jul 2010 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
‘Abbas to give negotiations green light by September’
YNet News – Western diplomats estimate Palestinian president to reverse position, agree to….
Crash victims’ coffins arrive in Israel
YNet News – Six soldiers killed in helicopter accident in Romania to be laid to rest Friday….
Obama renews asset freeze of people undermining Lebanon
YNet News – US president tells Congress, ‘Continuing arms transfers to Hezbollah that….
Peres thanks Romania for help in rescue efforts
YNet News – ‘The care your country showed Israel moved us all, and myself in particular,’….
Palestinians: IDF bombs Gaza targets
YNet News – Air Force jets bombed targets in the Gaza Strip Friday night, Palestinian witnesses reported. They added that the airstrikes had caused injuries. On Friday morning …….
Assad, Abdullah stress Lebanese stability
YNet News – The leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia made an unprecedented show of cooperation Friday on a historic visit to Beirut, saying Lebanon’s interests were a top priority in …….
Officials: Grad fire attempt to stall talks
YNet News – State officials postulated Friday that the Grad rocket fire earlier in the day was an attempt by terror groups in Gaza to strike up conflict in the region ahead of …….
Assad in Beirut to defuse Lebanon tensions
YNet News – Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Lebanon on Friday for the first time since the murder of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, in a joint mission with Saudi King Abdullah to …….
Chopper crash victims laid to final rest
YNet News – Wrapped in Israeli flags, the coffins of six Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Romania on Monday were carried off a Boeing airplane Friday …….
IDF: Terror groups have improved abilities
YNet News – The explosion sounds which rocked Ashkelon on Friday morning took the southern city’s residents back to the days of fear. Nearly a year and a half after Operation Cast …….
Palestinian Information Center
Peres: I do not need mediators to meet with PA officials
PIC 30 Jul 2010 – The Israeli President Shimon Peres stated that he regularly meets with high ranking officials of the Palestinian Authority without the need for mediators..
Thousands of children participate in a kite festival in Gaza
PIC 30 Jul 2010 – Thousands of Palestinian children on Thursday afternoon participated in the kite festival organised by the UNRWA at the Waha in the northern Gaza Strip by flying 7202 kites.
Settlers took over 75 building overlooking the Aqsa Mosque
PIC 30 Jul 2010 – A human rights organisation revealed that extremist Jewish settlers have so far taken over 75 Palestinian buildings overlooking the Aqsa Mosque..
Zionist plot to demolish 60 homes in northern Jerusalem
PIC 30 Jul 2010 – It was revealed that the Israeli occupation municipality of Jerusalem intends to demolish 25 buildings in the Eisaweyya neighbourhood at the pretext of lack of planning permit.
IOF troops arrest five Palestinian residents of al-Khalil
PIC 30 Jul 2010 – IOF troops arrested on Friday morning five Palestinian citizens from the southern West Bank city of al-Khalil.
Palestinian factions condemn PA plans for direct negotiations with occupation
PIC 30 Jul 2010 – Palestinian factions have condemned the PA plans to enter into direct negotiations with the Israeli occupation at a time when Zionist aggressions are on the increase.
Two Palestinians injured in a Gaza tunnel
PIC 30 Jul 2010 – Two Palestinian tunnel workers were injured on Friday during their work inside the tunnel to smuggle essential goods for the besieged Gaza Strip.
Resheq: Abbas is selling illusions to the Palestinian people
PIC 30 Jul 2010 – Ezzat Al-Resheq warned the Arab peace committee of giving Mahmoud Abbas the green light for his direct talks with Israelis, asserting that Abbas only sells illusions to the Palestinian people.
Guarded Israeli settlers seize new house in Jerusalem neighborhood
PIC 30 Jul 2010 – Palestinian sources said that Israeli settlers escorted by policemen took over a two-story house at an early hour Thursday in Sa’diya neighborhood in the old city of occupied Jerusalem.
Netanyahu refuses to extend settlement freeze
PIC 30 Jul 2010 – Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to extend his government’s decision on freezing settlement building in the West Bank, Hebrew media reported on Thursday.
Saudi, Syrian leaders arrive for talks in Lebanon
LA Times 31 Jul 2010 – The high-profile move is seen as a show of unity to calm fears stoked by a U.N. tribunal’s expected indictment of Hezbollah members in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and Syrian President Bashar Assad visited Beirut on Friday in a show of unity before an international tribunal’s indictments in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia Discuss Hariri Tribunal
New York Times 30 Jul 2010 – The visit, five years after the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister, showed that Syria’s influence over Lebanon was rising again.
Rocket From Gaza Hits Israeli City
New York Times 30 Jul 2010 – There were no injuries, but the explosive damaged buildings and brought panic to the streets of Ashkelon on Friday after more than a year of relative calm.
From Shatila Camp– What does the right of return mean in 2010?
Mondoweiss – I’ve been spending more time in the camps recently. Two days a week, I leave my apartment on my leafy street in my quiet neighborhood and jump in a taxi heading southwest. ‚Äò Ala mafra’ sou’ Shatila, iza t-reed ,’ is what I usually say to…
The disconnect
Mondoweiss – There’s a very important piece in Haaretz today: Pre-state Jewish undergrounds enjoy a renaissance among settlers. In recent years, interest in the pre-state Revisionist underground movements has grown among West Bank settlement youth. By Chaim Levinson Dozens of people crowded into Tel Aviv’s Jabotinsky Museum last…
I’m going back to Gaza
Mondoweiss – The night before my group departed from Gaza in June 2009, I talked about not being ready to leave. And I wasn’t. It took me another two months after I got back to pull out of my “Gaza Haze” and begin to function again. I met…
Some Israelis celebrate what Bernadotte’s murder achieved
Mondoweiss – Larry Derfner has a great piece in the JPost laying out the hypocrisy of Israel’s extolling terrorists while condemning Palestinians when they do the same. It’s a wonderful argument, but for me what leaped out was the Bernadotte bit. Consider, that Count Bernadotte, who saved Jews…
‚ÄòTNR’ calls for more civilian casualties
Mondoweiss – Amitai Etzioni leads The New Republic today with “Unshackle the Troops”. Also headlined: “The Military Cares Too Much About Civilian Casualties.” The subtext: Be more like Israel, Learn to Stop Worrying, and Inflict Civilian Casualties. This goes with Eztioni’s other recent articles urging an attack on…
Hamas: Direct Talks Will Lead to More Palestinian Suffering
Al-Manar 30 Jul 2010 – Hamas movement issued a statement on Thursday criticizing the Arab nations’ support for the resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli “peace” negotiations, maintaining that direct talks would only lead to “to more Palestinian suffering as Israel goes on constructing settlements.” “We reject any cover for the resumption…
Protest against Israeli Razing of Al-Araqib Village as Arabs Support Direct Talk
Al-Manar 30 Jul 2010 – Two days after Israel demolished the Al-Araqib village across the Negev, Arab foreign ministers gave the Palestinians another slap in the face during their meeting on Thursday. Instead of halting the indirect talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, the Arab League declared in its meeting…
Israel Continues to Place Settlers in East Jerusalem
Joseph Dana 30 Jul 2010 – Last night, Israeli settlers took over yet another house in East Jerusalem. This time the house is located in the Arabquarterof the Old City. The facts on the ground simply discredit Israelirhetoric about peace. Thegovernmentcontinuestodemonstrateits willingness to put more and more Jewish settlers in highly contested…
Lebanon urged to resist violence
BBC 30 Jul 2010 – Syria’s president and the Saudi king call on Lebanon’s rival factions to avoid turning to violence amid mounting political tensions in the country.
Israel launches Gaza air strikes
BBC 30 Jul 2010 – Israel launches air strikes into the Gaza Strip, reports say, hours after a Palestinian rocket hit the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.
Canada jails Iran nuclear suspect
BBC 29 Jul 2010 – The Ontario Court of Justice in Canada sentences a Toronto man to four years in prison for trying to export nuclear-related items to Iran.
Articles
The End of (Military) History?: The United States, Israel, and the Failure of the Western Way of War
Andrew J. Bacevich, Antiwar.com7/30/2010
“So even as they professed their devotion to peace, civilian and military elites in the United States and Israel prepared obsessively for war.”
“In watching the flow of events over the past decade or so, it is hard to avoid the feeling that something very fundamental has happened in world history.” This sentiment, introducing the essay that made Francis Fukuyama a household name, commands renewed attention today, albeit from a different perspective.
Developments during the 1980s, above all the winding down of the Cold War, had convinced Fukuyama that the “end of history” was at hand. “The triumph of the West, of the Western idea,” he wrote in 1989, “is evident… in the total exhaustion of viable systematic alternatives to Western liberalism.”
Today the West no longer looks quite so triumphant. Yet events during the first decade of the present century have delivered history to another endpoint of sorts. Although Western liberalism may retain considerable appeal, the Western way of war has run its course.
For Fukuyama, history implied ideological competition, a contest pitting democratic capitalism against fascism and communism. When he wrote his famous essay, that contest was reaching an apparently definitive conclusion.
Yet from start to finish, military might had determined that competition’s course as much as ideology. Throughout much of the twentieth century, great powers had vied with one another to create new, or more effective, instruments of coercion…. more.. e-mail
The Real Aim of Israel’s Bomb Iran Campaign
Gareth Porter, Information Clearing House7/30/2010
Reuel Marc Gerecht’s screed justifying an Israeli bombing attack on Iran coincides with the opening of the new Israel lobby campaign marked by the introduction of House Resolution 1553 expressing full support for such an Israeli attack.
What is important to understand about this campaign is that the aim of Gerecht and of the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu is to support an attack by Israel so that the United States can be drawn into direct, full-scale war with Iran.
That has long been the Israeli strategy for Iran, because Israel cannot fight a war with Iran without full U.S. involvement. Israel needs to know that the United States will finish the war that Israel wants to start.
Gerecht openly expresses the hope that any Iranian response to the Israeli attack would trigger full-scale U.S. war against Iran. “If Khamenei has a death-wish, he’ll let the Revolutionary Guards mine the strait, the entrance to the Persian Gulf,” writes Gerecht. “It might be the only thing that would push President Obama to strike Iran militarily….” Gerecht suggest that the same logic would apply to any Iranian “terrorism against the United States after an Israeli strike,” by which we really means any attack on a U.S. target in the Middle East. Gerecht writes that Obama might be “obliged” to threaten major retaliation “immediately after an Israeli surprise attack.”
That’s the key sentence in this very long Gerecht argument. Obama is not going to be “obliged” to join Israeli aggression against Iran unless he feels that domestic political pressures to do so are too strong to resist. That’s why the Israelis are determined to line up a strong majority in Congress and public opinion for war to foreclose Obama’s options. more.. e-mail
The Other Neglected Conflict
Mercedes San Roman Ruiz, This Week in Palestine7/29/2010
It is Saturday morning. After a long week of work, it’s time to tour around and see a little more of the reality of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and enjoy the time here. It is June, not too hot, perfect day for tourism. We decide to go first to Auja Spring, located in Al-Auja, a Palestinian town in the Jericho Governorate in the eastern West Bank, ten kilometres north of Jericho. This spring below sea level is one of the largest water sources in the Jordan Valley. After hiking, we are received by Bedouin families. Where is the water? We see very little. What is happening? The water from Al-Auja Spring is used to irrigate the surrounding lands; due to the over extraction of water taken from the nearby settlement, water is not flowing as before anymore. This is affecting the agriculture and means of living in the area. In the settlement, an average of 280 litres per capita per day is used. The Palestinians have access to only 75 litres per capita per day, which is far below the acceptable WHO standards (150 l/c/d).
Our day continues; we want to go to see the Jordan River as we pass through the West Bank. Enormous is our surprise when we see that Israel has declared West Bank land adjacent to the Jordan River a “closed military zone,” to which only Israeli settler farmers have been permitted access. Due to the extraction of water from the north-western portion of Lake Tiberias, very little is left to flow downstream. And even that cannot be used! Farmers and the environment are being affected, livelihoods are being diminished. The lack of control over resources, in this case water, makes it very complicated to adapt to the effects that climate change is bringing. More droughts, less water, more difficult to have a prosperous life. Moreover, desertification and loss of biodiversity take place on a large scale in this area.
Let’s have lunch in Ramallah. Solid waste can be seen around the city. Not a pleasant view, especially during summer, when it is accompanied by an unpleasant smell. Our attention is drawn to all the illegal solid waste dumping sites…. more.. e-mail
Activists work to stop tax-exempt donations to Israeli settlements
Electronic Intifada: 30 Jul 2010 – As Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise in the occupied West Bank continues to be a strain on US-Israel relations, an unflattering light is being shone on US private donations towards the development of the settlements that are increasingly encroaching on Palestinian land. Alice Speri reports for The Electronic Intifada. more
US tax-exempt donations fund Israeli settlements
Electronic Intifada: 30 Jul 2010 – RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) – Anger has arisen in Palestinian areas over reports that millions of tax-exempt dollars from the US are being funneled towards Israel’s illegal settlement building in the occupied Palestinian West Bank — in flagrant violation of international law. more
Book review: history lesson on the left’s Palestine blind spot
Electronic Intifada: 30 Jul 2010 – If I am Not For Myself provides fascinating critical insight into Zionism, and amounts to a crucial warning from history on Palestine for the liberal left of today. Asa Winstanley reviews for The Electronic Intifada.more
Don’t Deny Our Rights: Open Letter to Mahmoud Abbas
Palestine Chronicle: 30 Jul 2010 – By Various Undersigned (29 July 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, inside historic Palestine and in exile — who are united in our commitment to the fulfillment of the fundamental rights of all Palestinians, particularly our inalienable right to self-determination. This universally sanctioned right encompasses, at a minimum, freedom from occupation and colonization in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem; full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel; and the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants. During a 9 June meeting with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, you reportedly said: “I would never deny…” more
Israeli Criticism of Zionism and the Treatment of Palestinians: The Politicians
Dissident Voice: 30 Jul 2010 – Critically analyzing the political ideology of Zionism, or criticizing Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians, almost invariably leads to attacks from the defenders of Israel. This is especially true in North America, but far less true in most other countries in the World. As a result most North American politicians have learned to be very careful with their words when it comes to the subject of Israel and the Palestinians. Here is what noted financier, George Soros, writing in The New York Review of Books , on April 12, 2007, had to say on this the lack of debate in the United States and how open the political debate on the Palestinian issue is in Israel: The current policy is not even questioned in the United States. While other problem areas of the Middle East are freely discussed, criticism of our policies toward Israel is very muted indeed. The debate in Israel…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