8 August, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israelis hold protests in 15 cities against demolition of Palestinian homes
IMEMC – 8 Aug 2010 – Saturday August 07, 2010 – 20:19, More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered in cities across Israel on Friday (6 August) for a day of solidarity marking the one-year anniversary of the eviction and settler take over of the Ghawi and Hanoun family homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
US Congress allocates record amount for joint US-Israel military effort
IMEMC – 8 Aug 2010 – Saturday August 07, 2010 – 13:45, A committee of the US Congress designated $217.2 million of US tax money to a joint military venture between the US and Israel — this is in addition to the annual $3 billion in direct aid and $3 billion in indirect aid provided by the US to the Israeli government.
Gaza hospitals declare state of emergency
8/8/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza’s hospitals announced a state of emergency Sunday following the shutdown of the Strip’s sole power station a day earlier. Director of ambulance and emergency services Muawiya Hassanein warned of a potential humanitariandisaster as a result of the blackout, resulting from an ongoing fuel shortage. He….
Israeli army confirms firing at Lebanese fishing boat
8/8/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Israeli army confirmed Sunday that a naval vessel opened fire at a Lebanese fishing boat over the weekend, Israeli media reported. An army statement said no damage or injury was caused, Israeli daily Haaretz reported. On Saturday, the Lebanese army issued a statement saying an Israeli gunboat “fired several bursts….
Palestinians rebuild Jordan Valley village
8/8/2010 – TUBAS (Ma’an) — Dozens of Palestinians as well as foreign activists on Sunday began rebuilding areas in a Jordan Valley village that were recently bulldozed by Israel’s Civil Administration. Over the past 10 days, several shacks, homes and agricultural structures were torn down in the Al-Farisiya village by the administration, which has….
Israeli military raids West Bank towns
8/8/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces launched a series of raids Sunday across the West Bank; entering homes, attacking residents, and delivering summonses ordering citizens to report to intelligence services, police said. Two summonses were issued to Ahmad Khaled Shamsneh, 19, and Adham A’hed Shamasneh, 20, during a raid on Jayyous, south of….
Bus damaged by rocks near Nablus
8/8/2010 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli settlers allegedly shattered the windows of a Palestinian bus in the occupied West Bank late Sunday. The settlers, from the illegal settlement of Yizhar south of Nablus, were seen throwing rocks at the vehicle as it drove by, witnesses said. Palestinians who were at the scene told Ma’an….
PNI leader attacked by settlers
8/8/2010 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A Palestinian lawmaker said he was attacked by settlers as he accompanied farmers trying to access their land near Hebron on Saturday. Palestinian National Initiative leader Mustafa Barghouthi said after the attack, Israeli soldiers used force to prevent the group accessing farmland in Al-Buwiera and Al-Baq’a villages. An Israeli….
Hezbollah to implicate Israel in Hariri assassination
8/8/2010 – BETHLEHEM(Ma’an) – Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will reveal “thunderous news” Monday revealing that Israel was behind the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, a party official said Saturday. Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim Mousawi told Ma’an that the evidence would be “comprehensive, revealing conclusive information” implicating Israel in the car bombing that….
Official: Israel lowers water supply to Nablus villages
8/8/2010 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — A Nablus village’s local council has accused Israeli authorities of cutting several villages’ water supply by 50 percent, as the global heatwave continues. Rujeib council head Ahmad Dweikat said the water pumped to his village had been lowered from 5,000 cubic meters to 2,500 cubic meters without prior….
Rights federation ‘concerned’ over UN flotilla probe
8/8/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The International Federation for Human rights says it “concerned” over the composition of members appointed to a UN committee mandated with investigating Israel’s raid of Gaza-bound aid fleet. The federation said it believed the committee would not be able to investigate the 31 May raid, during which Israeli forces….
Flotilla ship ‘painted’ to cover bullet holes
8/8/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Turkish organizers of a Gaza-bound aid boat said Saturday that Israeli authorities painted over “thousands of bullets” in one of their recently returned ships. Huseyin Oruc of the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Aid told Reuters upon the Mavi Marmara’s return that, “When they captured….
Gaza: 1 terminal partially open
8/8/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities will temporarily open one crossing into the Gaza Strip on Sunday for the limited delivery of goods and fuel, a crossings official said. Palestinian goods delivery coordinator Raed Fattouh said between 210 and 220 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial merchandise was scheduled to enter Gaza through the….
Syria-based factions convene in Damascus
8/8/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Palestinian opposition factions including Hamas and Islamic Jihad convened Saturday in Damascus, where the Syria-based movements reiterated their objection to any kind of talks with Israel. Faction leaders, including Hamas leader in exile Khalid Mash’al, warned in a statement the “serious outcomes of these negotiations [with Israel]” and vowed….
Abbas: Ready for direct talks if references are set
8/8/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas said he was ready for direct talks with Israel if references are set, as he inaugurated a Palestinian medical compound in Ramallah on Sunday….
Abbas awaits framework for renewing direct talks
8/8/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated on Sunday that he is ready to resume direct talks with Israel as soon as a framework for negotiations is guaranteed. Speaking at the inauguration of a new medical compound in Ramallah, Abbas said negotiations were at a critical stage and require a road map as well….
PA says not responsible for Gaza crisis
8/8/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority is not responsible for the closure of Gaza’s power plant, PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib said Sunday, adding that the PA has paid 90 percent of its power bill. Speaking with Ma’an radio, Khatib said the PA covered the bills for fuel to run the….
Palestinian photographer exhibits in Scotland
8/8/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — An exhibition of photographs of landscapes in Ramallah by Palestinian photographer Bassam Almohor opened at the Scottish Story Telling Centre on Saturday evening. Almohor is one of five featured photographers, who are all members of Shat Ha (picnic in English) walking group. In October 2009 a group from Edinburgh went to….
5 injured as fight erupts at Hebron swimming pool
8/8/2010 – HEBRON(Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority police have dispersed two fights in the southern West Bank city of Hebron and the nearby Nuba village, detaining 15 suspected of involvement. Police said a fight broke out at a public swimming pool, where suspects used clubs and pelted one another with stones. Five sustained various injuries, and….
Nearly 7,000 travel via Rafah crossing
8/8/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Crossings officials say nearly 7,000 travelers passed through Rafah on the Gaza-Egypt border in the last week. While 3,412 returned to Gaza, 3,380 traveled to Egypt and 182 were refused. The majority were patients referred abroad for treatment. The report added that the Kerem Shalom crossing was opened until Friday….
Scientific police congress held in Gaza City
8/8/2010 – GAZA CITY(Ma’an) — Gaza’s interior minister on Saturday praised the accomplishments of the local police force at the First Gaza Police Scientific Congress in Gaza City. Fathi Hammad said his ministry worked on crime-fighting and protecting the community to achieve political, economic, and tourist security. The Interior Ministry organized the congress….
Fatah official: Cabinet reshuffle within 2 weeks
8/8/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority cabinet reshuffle will take place within two weeks, Fatah’s parliament speaker Azzam Al-Ahmad said Sunday. President Mahmoud Abbas confirmed there would be a reshuffle in May, although reports of a new PA cabinet have been circulating since February. US pressure on Palestinian leadership to move to….
In photos: Palestinian racing in Bethlehem
8/8/2010 – MaanImages / Luay Sababa – Palestinian race car drivers compete in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on 6 August 2010. The race saw 56 participants, including six women, spar for first place….
PA to monitor consumer prices during Ramadan
8/8/2010 – BETHLEHEM(Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority will monitor consumer prices across the West Bank during Ramadan, as traders begin raising prices ahead of the Muslim fasting month in the coming days, an official said Saturday. PA director of consumer protection unit Abdul Hamid Muzhir made the announcement on the Ma’an radio network….
Opposition to Muslims and mosques grow in US racist caldron
Palestine Note 8 Aug 2010 – Americans have always opposed Muslims, but the opposition started to increase in the 1990s as Muslim immigration to the country began to increase. It came out of the closet after Sept. 11, 2001, when Americans blamed…
Suspected torturer gets key police job in Jerusalem
Palestine Note 8 Aug 2010 – Doron Zahavi accused of running Israel’s Abu Ghraib A police officer known as “Major George” who is accused of torturing Arab prisoners in his previous role as chief interrogator in a secret military jail has been…
‘State of emergency’ in Gaza hospitals
Palestine Note 8 Aug 2010 – New York – Health officials in the Gaza Strip have declared a state of emergency as a result of ongoing blackouts in the Palestinian territory. [Photo: Wikimedia Commons] Blackouts have been a worsening problem in Gaza…
Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu released
Palestine Note 8 Aug 2010 – New York – Mordechai Vanunu , the former technician who disclosed to the world Israel’s clandestine nuclear weapons program, was released from prison on Sunday after serving 11 weeks for violating his parole. Mordechai Vanunu [Photo: Wikimedia…
Jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi: Talks harm Palestinians
Palestine Note 8 Aug 2010 – New York – Charismatic imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi said this week that the Palestinian Authority’s negotiations with Israel are counterproductive and unlikely to yield an agreement. Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi [Photo: Ma’an News Agency] Barghouthi,…
‘Israel behind Hariri killing’
Palestine Note 8 Aug 2010 – Hezbollah to implicate Israel in 2005 assassination of Lebanon PM New York – The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah is set to release information they say will implicate Israel in the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister…
Muslim world needs to speak out more against growing anti-Christian incidents
Palestine Note 8 Aug 2010 – When enraged Americans driven by emotion and ignorance spoke out against the building of a Mosque two blocks from Ground Zero, among the people leading the charge were Jewish Americans. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and…
Israel, Turkey name reps to UN flotilla probe
Palestine Note 7 Aug 2010 – New York – Israel has named a former diplomat as its representative on a UN-backed investigation of its deadly assault on a convoy of ships carrying aid to Gaza. Turkey as also named a distinguished diplomat,…
Israeli ship fires at Lebanese boat
Palestine Note 7 Aug 2010 – Lebanese president vows to better equip army Washington – The United Nations has called for calm and restraint on the part of Lebanon and Israel, but both parties continue to bristle after Tuesday’s cross-border skirmish that…
Egypt Reveals Arrest Of Terror Squad On The Sinai
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN — The newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat announced on Sunday that Egypt arrested a possible terror squad on the Sinai five days before the rocket attacks on Eilat and Aqaba last…
Israeli Navy Vessel Fires At Lebanese Fishing Boat
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN — A Lebanese fishing boat was fired at by an Israeli navy vessel early Saturday morning near the border between Lebanon and Israel. A report by the Lebanese Army…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Palestinian Killed and Seven Wounded, Including Three Wounded By Gunshots, During Family Dispute in Gaza City
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Field Update On Thursday, 5 August 2010, Ayman Hajjaj was killed and another seven members of his family were wounded, including three ones who were wounded by gunshots, during a family dispute with al-Dairi family. The dispute took place in al-Zaitoun neighborhood in the southeast of Gaza City. This incident is part of the state of security chaos and misuse
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (29 July — 04 August 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
High Court: Seal illegal West Bank synagogue
Jeruslalem Post 8 Aug 2010 – Upholds June ruling; synagogue located in the El Matan outpost in Samaria.
Officials: Hizbullah running scared
Jeruslalem Post 8 Aug 2010 – Nasrallah to announce evidence tying Israel to Hariri assassination.
Israel denies ‘ridiculous’ Hizbullah claims
Jeruslalem Post 8 Aug 2010 – PM’s Office responds to Rafik Hariri assassination allegations.
Evidence found in Rabbi Elon abuse case
Jeruslalem Post 8 Aug 2010 – Reopened file submitted to J’lem prosecutor’s office.
Police to investigate Galant scandal
Jeruslalem Post 8 Aug 2010 – Weinstein asks Barak to freeze chief of staff appointment.
‘Egypt held 3 rocket attack suspects’
Jeruslalem Post 8 Aug 2010 – Report: Security forces arrested terror squad days before attacks.
Iran offers Lebanon ‘full support’
Jeruslalem Post 8 Aug 2010 – Ahmadinejad to visit Beirut amid Israeli-Lebanese tensions.
Hizbullah: Israel killed Rafiq Hariri
Jeruslalem Post 8 Aug 2010 – Group says they have “comprehensive, revealing, conclusive” evidence.
Hizbullah to implicate Israel in 2005 Hariri killing
Jeruslalem Post 8 Aug 2010 – Evidence will be ‘comprehensive, revealing, conclusive.’
Ashkenazi: IDF to participate in probe
Jeruslalem Post 8 Aug 2010 – Netenyahu asks Weinstein to investigate Galant document scandal.
International Solidarity Movement
VIDEO – Protests across the West Bank
8/8/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – International Solidarity Movement, August 6th – An Nabi Salih: This Friday, August 6th, around 100 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals took part in An Nabi Salih’s weekly nonviolent demonstration against the illegal Halamish settlement’s theft of the village’s land and water supply. Regardless of the illegality of firing tear gas projectiles….
YNet: 1,000 rally for Sheikh Jarrah
8/8/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Ynet, 6 August – Arab, Jewish left-wing activists mark first anniversary of protests against evacuation of Palestinian families from east Jerusalem neighborhood in favor of Jews. Rallies held in Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Haifa as well – More than 1,000 people across Israel on Friday took part in activities marking one year since Jewish residents entered the east…. Related: Source
Minibus driver who crashed into a train killing 7: I’m a safe driver
Ha’aretz – 7 members of same family, who were on their way to a moshav in the south to celebrate the coming Sabbath, were killed in the accident.
Police recommend trying top religious Zionist rabbi for sex crimes
Ha’aretz – Police allege that Mordechai Elon committed sexual offences against young boys that came to him for advice.
Dead patient enters operating room – and exits alive
Ha’aretz – Tikia Hassan’s aorta burst on the way to operating table and she was considered dead. In what doctors are calling a medical miracle, she has fully recovered.
Israeli cop convicted of killing Arab thief escorted to jail by supporters
Ha’aretz – Isareli Arab MK Ahmed Tibi calls Mizrahi ‘a rogue policeman who took a life in cold blood’ and slams his supporters as defiant of court’s ruling.
Galant ‘shocked’ at allegations he plotted scheme to gain IDF chief post
Ha’aretz – AG launches probe into document listing PR strategies aimed at securing chief of staff position for GOC Southern Command Yoav Galant.
Mother accidently hits and kills daughter while backing out of driveway
Ha’aretz – Earlier on Saturday, a motorcyclist was killed in a car accident on Highway 65 between the Megiddo Junction and Afula in northern Israel.
Translators shortage hinders probes into IDF abuses in West Bank
Ha’aretz – Rights group Yesh Din says complainants often travel far to meet investigators, only for meetings to be canceled because no interpreter could be found.
Israeli held in Libyan prison freed in secret deal
Ha’aretz – Rafael Haddad was arrested on suspicion of spying while photographing buildings on behalf of society that seeks to preserve Libyan Jewish history.
Iran: Lebanon has a right to defend itself against Israel’s hostility
Ha’aretz – Speaking at a joint press conference with Lebanon FM, Mottaki slams UNIFIL performance, saying it was not able to deter ‘Zionist regime’s aggressions.’
Israel: U.S. released biased travel warning in wake of Eilat attack
Ha’aretz – Recent update to Israel travel advisory asks Eilat tourists to ensure they are aware of nearby bomb shelters, while failing to cite Jordan’s Aqaba, the site of the rocket attack’s…
Egypt held alleged terror squad prior to Eilat rocket attack, report says
Ha’aretz – Egypt investigating possible connection to rocket volley as al-Sharq al-Awsat says 3 men arrested with materials to construct bombs, improvised explosive devices.
IDF confirms firing at a Lebanon fishing boat
Ha’aretz – Statement comes less than a week after an IDF officer was killed in the most serious cross border incident since Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah.
Lebanese president vows to arm military with advanced weaponry
Ha’aretz – President Suleiman lauds army’s performance during Tuesday’s border clashes with Israel, says ‘it’s necessary to resist Israeli aggression.’
Israel paints Marmara to hide evidence of massacre
8 Aug 2010 – Gaza, August 8, (Pal Telegraph) After the Marmara ship arrived home to Turkey on Monday after the detention of it and other ships since 31 last May, (IHH) Turkish Charity foundation found that Israel painted the whole ship, its not ofcourse a matter of weather factors and in need of maintenance! (IHH) immediately upon receiving “Marmara” ship and found out…
First Arab Parliament convoy moving to Gaza today
8 Aug 2010 – Gaza, August 8, (Pal Telegraph) The first convoy of the Arab Parliament is due today to start moving to the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian capital Cairo, to remain in Gaza until 12 of August. Official Algerian media broadcasted media a press release by the the Algerian popular council saying that the Algerian Parliament will be represented in this convoy,…
Israel releases Mordechai Vanunu after three months in prison
Uruknet August 8, 2010 – Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli whistleblower who spent 18 years in jail for exposing Israel’s nuclear capabilities was released today after completing a further three-month sentence. Vanunu, 56, a former technician at a secret nuclear plant near the desert town of Dimona, was convicted after handing over details of Israel’s nuclear arsenal to a British newspaper…
Throughout Israel, Palestinians are being suffocated
Uruknet August 8, 2010 – Shortly after I had arrived in Palestine last month, I visited the devastated community in the Jordan Valley where the Israeli army had, just days earlier, demolished around 70 “illegal” structures. The same week, I visited Dahmash, an “unrecognised” village between Ramla and Lod, inside Israel, where Palestinian citizens face pending demolition orders. Finally, a…
The prisoners of Middle East: a shortlist
Uruknet August 8, 2010 – …No list about Middle Eastern prisoners would be complete without mentioning Prisoner No 5: The people of Gaza. Under siege for 1152 days. Prisoner No 6: your own KRT. I will be in the Middle East these coming weeks, a prisoner of my love for the region and the shortcomings of this very same region….
Gaza hospitals declare state of emergency
Uruknet August 8, 2010 – Gaza’s hospitals announced a state of emergency Sunday following the shutdown of the Strip’s sole power station a day earlier. Director of ambulance and emergency services Muawiya Hassanein warned of a potential humanitarian disaster as a result of the blackout, resulting from an ongoing fuel shortage. He warned of a severe deterioration in heath services,…
Palestinians rebuild Jordan Valley village
Uruknet August 8, 2010 – Dozens of Palestinians as well as foreign activists on Sunday began rebuilding areas in a Jordan Valley village that were recently bulldozed by Israel’s Civil Administration. Over the past 10 days, several shacks, homes and agricultural structures were torn down in the Al-Farisiya village by the administration, which has complete planning and building control over…
Israel Prohibiting the Right to Demonstrate
Uruknet August 8, 2010 – The 1907 Hague Convention’s Article 43 and Fourth Geneva’s Article 64 require that occupied territory penal laws stay in force, applicable to both occupier and occupied. However, since 1967, Israel issued over 2,500 Military Orders, controlling daily life solely for Palestinians, not settlers, the military commander having final authority over institutionalized discrimination, suppressing democratic freedoms,…
US Congress allocates record amount for joint US-Israel military effort
Uruknet August 7, 2010 – A committee of the US Congress designated $217.2 million of US tax money to a joint military venture between the US and Israel — this is in addition to the annual $3 billion in direct aid and $3 billion in indirect aid provided by the US to the Israeli government. The Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of…
Case studies: Child workers in Gaza
Uruknet August 7, 2010 – With Gaza’s economy devastated by years of sanctions and decades of conflict, many families send their children to work in the city’s rubbish dumps, streets and workshops. Although Israel eased its blockade in mid-June – allowing in consumer goods – little has changed for Gaza’s poorest families, who cannot afford the food and clothing in…
Why the left should support the boycott of Israel — a reply to the US Socialist Workers Party
Uruknet August 7, 2010 – When Israeli commandos attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters on May 31, 2010, murdered nine humanitarian aid workers and seized the cargo of badly needed supplies for Gaza, they touched off an international storm of outrage that continues to this day. The widespread anger has galvanised the international movement in solidarity with the…
Media gag in occupied Kashmir
Uruknet August 07, 2010 – In Occupied Kashmir, working on a two-pronged strategy, India has been trying to suppress the freedom movement by unleashing death and destruction and at the same time making every effort to hide the truth from the world. For the latter, it has been muzzling the right to expression and freedom of the press by subjecting…
Wiesenthal Center opposes NYC mosque, supports museum on Palestinian graveyard
Uruknet August 7, 2010 – The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a human rights organization devoted to fighting anti-Semitism, has been accused of hypocrisy for joining the ADL in opposing the Ground Zero mosque, while funding the construction of a “Museum of Tolerance” on top of Palestinian grave sites. Rabbi Meyer May, the center’s executive director, told Crain’s New York that building…
Gaza power plant shuts down citing lack of fuel
Uruknet August 7, 2010 ‚Äî Engineers shut down Gaza City’s sole power plant on Saturday because of a lack of fuel, switching off electricity to some half a million people in the midst of a heat wave. The fuel for the plant is supplied by the rival Palestinian government in the West Bank, which says it has reduced shipments because…
‘Major George’ Accused of Running Israel’s Abu Ghraib
Uruknet August 7, 2010 – A police officer known as ‘Major George’ who is accused of torturing Arab prisoners in his previous role as chief interrogator in a secret military jail has been appointed to oversee relations with Jerusalem’s Palestinian population, it has emerged. The decision has been greeted with stunned disbelief from human rights groups, who say unresolved allegations…
On the Freedom Flight From Gaza, For a While
Uruknet August 7, 2010 – I tasted freedom for the first time in three years. After being stuck in Gaza since 2007 I travelled to Malaysia for a holiday. It was like visiting another planet. Being treated like a human being and being able to experience what many young people around the world take for granted, was a miracle. My…
Rising Military Tensions Between Israel, Lebanon
Alternative Information Center – The Israeli army confirmed Sunday (8 August) that a naval vessel opened fire at a Lebanese fishing boat over the weekend.A few hours later the Iranian foreign minister pledged assistance to Lebanon and Syria in case…
Israeli Demolishes More Homes in West Bank Jordan Valley
Alternative Information Center – On Thursday 5 August, Israeli authorities demolished 37 structures in the Jordan Valley village of Al Farisiye , leaving about 170 people homeless. According to the Israeli Committee against House Demolitions, the army arrived in the village…
Year Anniversary to Sheikh Jarrah Evictions
Alternative Information Center – More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered in cities across Israel on Friday (6 August) for a day of solidarity marking the one-year anniversary of the eviction and settler take over of the Ghawi and Hanoun family homes…
Funding to Stop Palestinians from Renting in Jerusalem Settlement
Alternative Information Center – Jewish couples who move to the East Jerusalem settlement of Pisgat Zeev will receive rent assistance in order to discourage Palestinians from renting flats in the area. “The idea is to halt the plague of Arabs…
Israel Detains 15 in al-Walaja, Including Mayor
Alternative Information Center – Six Palestinians and eight Israeli activists were detained for disrupting the construction of the Separation Wall being built through the Palestinian village of al-Walaja on Wednesday (4 August). The route of the Wall damages ancient agriculture…
Friday, August 6th: Day of Protest in West Bank
WAFA – RAMALLAH, August 8, 2010 (WAFA)- This Friday, August 6th, around 100 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals took part in An Nabi Salih’s weekly nonviolent demonstration against the illegal
UN Announces Israeli, Turkish Members of Flotilla Inquiry Panel
WAFA – NEW YORK, August 8, 2010 (WAFA)- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named, today, the Israeli and Turkish members of the Panel of Inquiry on the flotilla incident of 31 May 2010. “I hope the Panel
PSC: Join Biggest Convoy to Break Siege
WAFA – LONDON, August 8, 2010 (WAFA)- Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) launched a call for getting involved in the biggest ever convoy yet in an attempt to break the siege by land and sea, organized in
Fuel payments dispute forces Gaza Strip power cuts
Relief Web 7 Aug 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
OPT: Week in Review – Unrest on Both Sides of the Border [August 1 — August 7]
Relief Web 7 Aug 2010 – Source: MIFTAH
ISRAEL: Kibbutz Returns With Moneyed Communism
IPS It was an idea that became an institution, and that became the moving spirit behind the creation of the State of Israel. These were people who wanted to change the world. Now, they’re content to live a life of carefree irrelevance. That’s the Kibbutz today.
New Report: People versus Oppression
Stop The Wall – One year ago, Stop the Wall and Addameer released a report entitled “Repression Allowed, Resistance Denied”, which detailed the repression of Palestinian human rights defenders active against the Wall since 2002.Today, in the 6th anniversary of the ICJ ruling against the Wall, The campaign publish this new document covering the ongoing repression between March – June 2010. [
Israeli Occupation faces growing resistance in the Bethlehem area
Stop The Wall – The weekly protest in the village of al-Ma’sara commemorated the anniversary of the nuclear bombs dropped by the United States on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. In Irtas a march against the Wall was organized with the involvement of international solidarity activists. [
Iran vows to support Lebanon against Israeli ‘aggression’
YNet News – Foreign Minister Mottaki says Israel reached dead end, ‘Zionist regime’….
Palestinian urges probe into alleged Shin Bet abuse
YNet News – Allah Nasser Salem, 22, petitions High Court demanding investigation against his….
Iran: Man accused of homosexuality to be executed
YNet News – Islamic court convicts 18-year-old of sodomy, issues death sentence without….
Cameron’s Gaza remark ‘shocks’ UK chief rabbi
YNet News – After British PM calls Hamas-ruled territory ‘prison camp,’ Lord Sacks urges him….
Report: Egypt arrests men who planned Sharm terror attacks
YNet News – London-based Arabic newspaper says Sinai Bedouins apprehended three men in….
‘Siemens sent equipment to Iran reactor via Russia’
YNet News – German engineering giant announced cutting relations with Iran but Der Spiegel….
IDF fires at Lebanese fishing boat
YNet News – Army confirms warning shots fired in direction of boat that sailed in restricted….
Galant slams ‘evil conspiracy’ against him
YNet News – GOC Southern Command, Major-General Yoav Galant, sent a letter to the IDF chief of staff Sunday inveighing against claims saying that he solicited a smear campaign …….
Attorney general freezes appointment of IDF chief
YNet News – Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein froze the process of appointing a new IDF chief of staff Sunday after a document allegedly authored for Major-General Yoav Galant in his …….
Shoah survivors: Kids’ deportation inhumane
YNet News – Heads of the umbrella organization of Holocaust survivors in Israel sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in which they demanded that he cancel the …….
Palestinian Information Center
IOF paints over Marmara ship to hide traces of assault
PIC 8 Aug 2010 – The Turkish IHH relief fund announced Sunday findings that the IOF painted over bullet holes on the Turkish Marmara ship, which was attacked by IOF troops while delivering relief aid to Gaza.
Gaza threatened with humanitarian disaster in wake of power failure
PIC 8 Aug 2010 – The Palestinian Ministry of Health warned that ongoing power outages and the shortage of filters, oils and other crucial equipment could lead to a real “humanitarian disaster” in the Gaza Strip.
Agha: We aspire for self-sufficiency
PIC 8 Aug 2010 – Dr. Mohammed Al-Agha has said that his ministry was able to overcome many obstacles and difficulties and started to implement strategic projects to produce vegetables, fruits, and other products.
Abu Zuhri: Ties between Hamas, Islamic Jihad good, strategic
PIC 8 Aug 2010 – Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri denied tensions in relations between the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements, while confirming, in another context, that Hamas respects internal steps by Cairo to maintain security.
International campaign asks European parliament for more pressure on IOA
PIC 8 Aug 2010 – The international campaign asked the European parliament’s president to necessarily act to pressure the IOA into retracting its decision on deporting the Jerusalemite deputies.
QB best strategy is to capture Israeli soldiers to free Palestinian prisoners
PIC 8 Aug 2010 – With the continued detention of more than 11,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, the attempts made by Al-Qassam Brigades remain the optimal and most effective way to extract their freedom.
Arab MPs urge UNICEF to probe Israel’s violations against Palestinian children
PIC 8 Aug 2010 – The Arab Knesset members called in a letter sent to the UNICEF and the child safety council for investigating the incarceration conditions of Palestinian children in Israeli jails.
West Bank families appeal for releasing their sons from jails
PIC 8 Aug 2010 – The Palestinian families of political prisoners in the West Bank appealed to the Palestinian authority (PA) to release their sons from its jails on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
Female prisoners: Damon prison should be shut down
PIC 8 Aug 2010 – Palestinian female prisoners in Israel’s Damon prison are appealing to the Red Cross to make an immediate visit to the prison to see the tragic conditions, and to pressure the IPA to close it down.
Palestinian security discovers attempts to smuggle drugs into Gaza
PIC 8 Aug 2010 – The Palestinian security apparatuses in Gaza discovered attempts by some people who fled to Israel and Egypt to dump large amounts of drugs in the Strip in coordination with the Shabak.
Lessons and legacies of Israel’s Gaza withdrawal
LA Times 8 Aug 2010 – Five years later, the pullout continues to dominate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Five years after then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon embarked on a landmark withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the disengagement continues to dominate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Iranian Lawyer Says He Fled to Norway
New York Times 8 Aug 2010 – A lawyer who defended a woman facing death by stoning in Iran said he fled to seek protection from his country’s authorities.
Slater: rightwing Jewish support for Israel risks anti-Semitic backlash when U.S. wakes up
Mondoweiss – Great piece by Jerry Slater on How bad can the Jewish Rightwing get ? in which he responds to the Tablet attack on critics of Israel and argues that rightwing Jewish complicity in the occupation and the Israel lobby poses a danger to the Jewish status in…
Shalala is doubly humiliated
Mondoweiss – A brilliant post by MJ Rosenberg at TPM does what Senator Sam Ervin or Woodward and Bernstein instructed my generation to do in our youth, but that no mainstream journalist is allowed to do when it comes to the Israel lobby, and follow the money . Rosenberg…
Levy: ‘Defining Israel as a Jewish state condemns us to living in a racist state’
Mondoweiss – I just heard Brooke Gladstone of On the Media, NPR, grill Wadah Khanfar, an Al Jazeera executive , about how the network is hurting the peace process by running stories suggesting that Mahmoud Abbas was wrong to attempt to cashier the Goldstone Report. O hallowed peace process….
Bromwich: Passionless Obama is letting ideologues push ‘fantasy’ of Iran war
Mondoweiss – David Bromwich has a devastating essay up on Huffpo , called “One More War, Please” that begins with the question, “Will the summer of 2010 be remembered as the time when we turned into a nation of sleepwalkers?” and then goes through the devastations of America’s wars…
Hedges’s 2001 account of attack on Gaza boys anticipated Goldstone Report
Mondoweiss – Many people have sent me raves about Chris Hedges’s appearance the other night at the Gaza boat fundraiser. They have praised his work on the issue, in particular his 2001 Harper’s piece, A Gaza Diary . It included the stunning scene below. We will make no progress…
Ni’ilin Marks the Killing of a Seventeen Year Old Boy by Israeli Soldiers with a Protest against the Separation Wall
Joseph Dana 8 Aug 2010 – The West Bank village of Ni’ilin has been struggling against the creation of the Israeli separation wall on its lands for two years. During the time of their struggle, five people have been killed by Israeli army forces. This past Friday marked the second anniversary of…
Iran lawyer in Norway asylum bid
BBC 8 Aug 2010 – Iranian lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei, who has been defending a woman facing death by stoning in Iran, arrives in Norway to seek asylum.
Being a taxi driver in Jerusalem
BBC 8 Aug 2010 – The BBC follows two taxi drivers, an Israeli and a Palestinian, and investigates whether the daily experiences of life differ in the divided city of Jerusalem.
Suspected Torturer Gets Key Police Job in Jerusalem
Antiwar.com 8 Aug 2010 – A police officer known as “Major George” who is accused of torturing Arab prisoners in his previous role as chief interrogator in a secret military jail has been appointed to oversee relations with Jerusalem’s Palestinian population, it has emerged. The decision has been greeted with stunned…
Israel’s siege on freedoms — By Laila El-Haddad
Sabbah report 8 Aug 2010 – By Laila El-Haddad* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz It’s three years since I’ve been back to Gaza. Much has happened since my last visit. Fatah waged a failed coup and now rules only the West Bank, while Hamas is in charge of Gaza. Israel launched its…
Articles
Eight Palestinian youths and the crime they didn’t commit
Amira Hass, Haaretz, International Solidarity Movement8/8/2010
After two years, a case against Palestinian teenagers accused of throwing stones was overturned when the military prosecution backed out. The suspects pleaded innocent all along, saying they’d been in school.
Eight Palestinian teenagers were tried in the court of military judge Lt. Col. Menashe Vahnish on November 11, 2008. Referring to a soldier from the Kfir Brigade, Vahnish said, “at this stage, there is no reason to cast any doubt on the witness.” According to his police testimony, on October 30, 2008 the soldier, T.M., and some of his comrades apprehended stone-throwing Palestinian 16-year-olds on a road that runs between the al-Aroub refugee camp south of Bethlehem and an agricultural school across the way.
Vahnish also saw no reason to doubt the accounts given by two other soldiers from the Kfir Brigade company, L.G. and G.D., whose statements to the Etzion police formed the basis of indictments submitted by the army prosecutor against the Palestinians. Under the indictment, the eight teenagers hurled rocks “from a distance of about 20 meters at Israeli cars traveling on Route 60, with the intention of harming the vehicles or their passengers.”
Following their apprehension, the judge ordered that the teenagers, all of whom are students at the al-Aroub agricultural school, remain in custody until the end of their trial. Extending remands (i.e., keeping suspects in jail until the end of legal proceedings ) is almost always a default option favored by the Israeli military court in the West Bank, whose sole defendants are Palestinians. When detainees are suspected of minor offenses (such as stone throwing or demonstrating ), and especially when they are minors, the length of time they are held in custody often exceeds the maximum possible prison term. Therefore, defendants often feel pressured to reach a deal with the prosecution and plead guilty, even when they are not or when the evidence is weak. But this time, the pressure evidently did not work. — See also: Source more.. e-mail
Keeping the Record Straight
Assaf Kfoury, ZNet7/31/2010
About Noam Chomsky’s Trip to the Middle East in May 2010
Much has been said and written about Noam Chomsky’s May 2010 trip to the Middle East. Factual errors, omissions, and out-of-context quotations in media reports were frequent during the trip itself. They were repeated and amplified by others later, often tailored to fit preconceptions of what Chomsky says or believes.
I was involved in the organization of the trip from beginning to end, in consultation with the local hosts in Amman, Beirut, and Ramallah. The original plan was to start in Ramallah in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT) on May 16 and finish in Beirut on May 27. We flew in from the US to Amman in the late afternoon of May 15, then drove to the Allenby Bridge in the morning of May 16. As it happened, Noam Chomsky was denied entry into the OPT at the Allenby Bridge and, with him, the three others in his company: his daughter Avi, Irene Gendzier, and myself. Our half-day transit through Jordan into the OPT was thus extended into an impromptu three-day stay in Amman, and then two days were also added to the original Lebanon portion of the trip.
We organized the trip in response to two separate invitations, one from Birzeit University in the OPT and one from al-Leqaa Association in Beirut. Chomsky was scheduled to give a series of lectures in both places. Beyond the lectures, we planned to make side trips and meet people, all with a political dimension and in the company of the local hosts. For guidance and suggestions in the OPT, we mostly relied on the Mubadara (the Palestinian National Initiative) headed by Mustafa Barghouti, and in Lebanon, again on al-Leqaa Association. Relying on the Mubadara and al-Leqaa was a deliberate decision reflecting our political affinities. The late Edward Said was a founding member of the Mubadara in 2002. Writer and historian Fawwaz Traboulsi, a founding member of al-Leqaa, was an old friend and political comrade. more.. e-mail
An open letter from the International Federation for Human Rights
Ma’an News Agency8/8/2010
Below is an edited open letter from the International Federation for Human Rights to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Saturday over the UN Panel of Inquiry set up to investigate Israel’s raid of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on 31 May, which killed nine Turkish civilians.
Your Excellency,
As the President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), I take note of your announcement of the creation of a Panel of Inquiry into Israel’s actions on 31 May 2010 in international waters against a six-ship humanitarian flotilla heading to Gaza and resulting in the killing of eight Turkish nationals and one Turkish-American. FIDH wishes to express to you its serious concerns with regards to the composition and mandate of this UN investigation.
In its presidential statement released on 1 June 2010, the UN Security Council called for “a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards” into the flotilla attack. According to your statement delivered on 2 August, the Panel should fulfill its mandate in accordance with the Security Council statement. However, we do not think that the Panel, as currently composed, is capable of meeting such standards. We are concerned that in failing to do so, while being the highest-level inquiry to date into these acts, it will not only shadow, but possibly hinder or discredit other efforts towards independent investigation, including the probe launched by the UN Human Rights Council. In failing to meet the standards of an effective investigation, this probe risks contributing to a culture of impunity.
As of now, the Panel’s mandate has not been clearly defined and seems to be limited to simply assessing national investigation reports. This would clearly not be sufficient to bring to light the circumstances of this tragedy and bring those responsible to account, in an independent and impartial manner…. more.. e-mail
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