12 August, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israeli forces desecrate 200 graves in Muslim cemetery; injure Sheikh with bulldozer
IMEMC – 12 Aug 2010 – Thursday August 12, 2010 – 18:25, A Jerusalem Sheikh who tried to stand in the way of Israeli bulldozers demolishing a Muslim cemetery was injured Tuesday, as the Israeli government continued the desecration of hundreds of graves. This marks the largest cemetery desecration by Israeli forces since 2009, when 1500 graves were bulldozed to make way for a ‘Museum of Tolerance’ sponsored by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.
Egyptian forces seize control of 17 Gaza smuggling tunnels
IMEMC – 12 Aug 2010 – Thursday August 12, 2010 – 15:31, In two separate operations on Wednesday morning, Egyptian troops stationed along the Gaza-Egypt border raided underground tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, seizing control of 17 of the tunnels and sealing their entrances.
Israeli right-wing activist accused of killing 4 Palestinians released from prison
IMEMC – 12 Aug 2010 – Wednesday August 11, 2010 – 18:57, An Israeli man suspecting of killing four Palestinians in 1998 was released from Israeli prison today and put under house arrest, due to an apparent lack of evidence.
PA: Israeli forces shoot Palestinian man
8/13/2010 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Israeli forces shot at and arrested a Palestinian man east of Qalqilya on Thursday morning, Palestinian security forces reported. Witnesses said Israeli police ordered Imad Dawla, 22, to stop his car and began firing live ammunition at the vehicle when he failed to stop. Dawla was injured, and arrested by police….
17 Palestinian homes, park declared illegal
8/12/2010 – TULKAREM (Ma’an) — Stop-work orders targeting 17 homes, a workshop, factory and municipal park were delivered to Tulkarem-area residents on Wednesday, village officials said, insisting that the construction was in “Area C” and therefore illegal.”The orders said the buildings did not have licenses from Israel,” head of the Far”‚Ñ¢un municipal council Abed….
East Jerusalem home raid sees 3 detained
8/12/2010 – JERUSALEM(Ma”‚Ñ¢an) ““ Israeli police forces detained a young man and two teenagers Thursday morning after entering a family home in the village of Beit Duqqu in occupied East Jerusalem. Two brothers, 21-year-old Hasan Marar and his 15-year-old sibling Tamer, were taken for questioning to an unknown destination along with a friend, 17….
Tubas center appeals for medical intervention for detainee
8/11/2010 – TUBAS (Ma’an) — The head of a Tubas prisoners society appealed for assistance in the case of a long-term prisoner, who is reported to lose consciousness several times a day, and suffers impaired vision. Director of the detainees center Mahmoud Sawaftah said local resident Yehya Hafeth Daraghmeh has been serving a 22-year sentence….
Egypt seizes 17 tunnels along Gaza border
8/12/2010 – AL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian forces took control of 17 tunnels along the Gaza border, a security source told Ma’an on Wednesday. Eight tunnels were seized overnight in the Salah Ad-Din border area, in which iron and cement prepared for smuggling into the Strip were found and confiscated. Two other tunnels were….
US to consult with Quartet over Abbas request
8/12/2010 – WASHINGTON (Ma’an) — US officials said Wednesday that efforts would “press forward” despite that Mideast envoy George Mitchell’s latest visit failed to renew peace talks. Mitchell, who left the region Wednesday, met Israeli and Palestinian leaders and presented a formula for talks laid out by President Mahmoud Abbas to Israeli Prime Minister….
Report: Army bans Israelis from West Bank road
8/12/2010 – TEL AVIV (Ma’an) — Israel’s army has issued a ban on Israelis using Route 443 in the West Bank, Israeli press reported Thursday. Two Supreme Court rulings last year overturned a military order banning Palestinians from using the West Bank road, which cuts through the West Bank and runs into Israel. Last….
Report: Israel to end assistance to planned city
8/12/2010 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israel will stop any assistance offered to the Palestinian Authority to build a new city, Ar-Rawabi, in the West Bank, Israeli press reported Thursday. Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak will inform the PA that assistance will be withdrawn, despite months of cooperation, because the construction does not….
Group: PA rejecting Gaza passport applications
8/12/2010 – GAZA (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority is depriving citizens in Gaza from obtaining passports, a rights group said Thursday. The Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights wrote to Ramallah-based Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in June urging him to comply with Palestinian Basic Law and issue passports to all citizens without discrimination. Since June, the center….
Watch: High schoolers present hardships to community
8/12/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — “I studied in the United States for ten months, with a high school exchange program, and people only knew about one thing,” 15-year-old camper Reina Zeit explained.”They would ask if I was married, if I had kids, if I rode a camel to school,” so Reina signed up for….
Single Gaza crossing open
8/12/2010 – GAZACITY (Ma’an) ““ A single Gaza crossing was open Thursday for the transport of an estimated 165-175 truckloads of goods and limited fuel supplies into the coastal enclave, officials told Ma’an. The southernmost Kerem Shalom crossing was opened for the goods transfer, which appears to be below average for the week….
Army to dismantle barriers near settlement
8/12/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Part of Israel’s separation wall surrounding a settlement in the West Bank district of Bethlehem will soon be dismantled, the Israeli military announced Thursday. The barrier, made of concrete blocks, was erected during the Second Intifada in 2002, following Israel’s decision to construct a separation wall blocking….
Funeral held for Palestinian killed in 1976
8/12/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma”‚Ñ¢an) — A funeral procession for Mashhur Talab Al-A”‚Ñ¢ruri was held in Ramallah on Thursday, 34 years after he was killed by the Israeli army. Al-A”‚Ñ¢ruri was killed during an attack in 1976, but Israeli authorities did not release his body until Monday. A number of senior officials from the Fatah party….
US arrests suspected Palestinian serial killer
8/13/2010 – FLINT, Mich. (Ma’an) — Police in the United States have a Palestinian citizen of Israel in custody in connection with a string of stabbings that left as many as five dead, The Detroit Free Press newspaper reported Thursday. US officials suspect Elias Abuelazam, 33,is responsible for stabbing attacks across three states that left….
EU monitoring may return to Rafah
8/12/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — European monitors will return to their posts at the Rafah crossing at the end of Ramadan, Egyptian security sources said Wednesday, adding that the issue was one of many discussed in relation to the Palestinian file. A spokeswoman for the European Union Border Assistance Mission said she could not confirm….
Ma’an to break local borders with broadcast TV
8/12/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Programs from Haifa will be seen in Bethlehem during Ramadan, and for the first time, several of Ma’an’s programs will air across Israel and the Middle East, via a joint initiative between Ma”‚Ñ¢an and the Mix TV Channel. Mix TV, based in Haifa, broadcasts throughout the….
Report: 50 Gaza traders to get Ramadan travel permits
8/12/2010 – Bethlehem ““ Ma’an ““ Sources at the Erez border crossing told Radio Israel that 50 Gaza traders would be issued permits to exit the Strip and travel to Israel and the West Bank. The official said that during the month of Ramadan daily amounts of goods permitted into the Strip would reach 300 truckloads per….
Netanyahu rejects ’67 borders as basis for talks
8/12/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his request that direct peace talks with Palestinians go ahead without preconditions, during a meeting with US envoy George Mitchell on Wednesday. President Mahmoud Abbas, following his Tuesday meeting with Mitchell, told the press that he emphasized the need to base talks on a March….
Israel says too late to appoint woman to flotilla panel
8/12/2010 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — The Israeli government says it is too late to include a woman on the panel charged with investigating the 31 May flotilla raid, Israeli press reported Thursday. Women”‚Ñ¢s rights groups in Israel appealed to Israel”‚Ñ¢s High Court of Justice to appoint a woman to the all-male commission….
Following complaint, US rescinds Israel travel warning
8/12/2010 – Glenn Kessler and Ma’an staff – AMMAN — The Israeli government was none too pleased when the US State Department issued a notice warning American travelers to learn the location of bomb shelters if they traveled to the Red Sea resort of Eilat, in the wake of a series of rocket launches that hit both….
PA: State-building continues despite occupation
8/12/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — “Despite the occupation, the Palestinian people have made strong progress in building sound institutions within a stable society, on the way to statehood,” the Palestinian Authority declared Thursday. The report, spanning May 2009-May 2010, cataloged what the PA called successes for the year, citing the construction of 34 new schools….
Abbas continues Cairo meetings
8/12/2010 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas sat with Egyptian intelligence chief Omer Suleiman in Cairo on Thursday, following a meeting between the the Palestinian leader and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak is expected to join Abbas again alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah II, as the president continues to brief regional officials on the….
Palestinian, Israeli economy ministers meet
8/12/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority Minister of National Economy Hasan Abu Libdeh held a meeting Thursday with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Ben Eliezer, the Palestinian ministry said. The meeting, called by the Israeli trade and industry minister, was to discuss the PA’s campaign to ban settlement produce in the West Bank.” ?ìThe….
Abbas meets Jordan king in Cairo
8/12/2010 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas met with Jordan”‚Ñ¢s King Abdullah II in Egypt on Thursday. The meeting was one of several scheduled to brief regional officials on the latest talks held with US envoy for Middle East peace George Mitchell, who was in Ramallah this week. Earlier, Abbas met Egyptian President Hosni….
PA tourist minister meets with Austrian envoy
8/11/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority Minster of Tourism met with Austria’s outgoing envoy on Wednesday at the ministry’s headquarters in Bethlehem. Khloud Daibesthanked Oscar Voisinger for his role during his time in Palestine and wished him success in his future tasks. For his part, Voisinger expressed gratitude for cooperation….
Abbas, Mubarak, Abdullah to meet in Cairo
8/11/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma”‚Ñ¢an) — President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, will sit for a tripartite meeting in Cairo on Thursday, an aide to Abbas said. In a Wednesday statement published on the governmental news agency WAFA, Abbas”‚Ñ¢ political adviser Nimer Hammad said officials would discuss the US call to start….
Netanyahu delivers Ramadan greeting
8/11/2010 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent Muslim citizens of Israel and “Muslims around the world” Ramadan greetings on Wednesday, the first day of the holy month.”We are marking this month even as we attempt to reach direct negotiations with the Palestinians and advance peace agreements with our Arab….
University of Perugia opens Bethlehem language center
8/11/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fatah, Christian and Sports officials from Bethlehem gathered for the official opening of the John Paul II Building, which will house a new branch of Italy’s University of Perugia. The center will be one with a focus on teaching the Italian language to Palestinians, as well as a small….
Hamas: PA forces continue political arrests
8/12/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority security forces recently detained two Hamas supporters, a statement from the party said Thursday. Officials from the party said the two were detained in Nablus and Qalqiliya for political reasons. The detentions could not be independently verified by Ma’an….
Spoiled dates seized in Dura
8/11/2010 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority Agricultural Department of Dura in cooperation with police seized 16 boxes of spoiled dates in the Hebron village on Wednesday. The expired dates were examined by the PA Ministry of National Economy and the Consumer Protection Association, and were later destroyed, the department said in a statement….
In photos: Hamas releases prisoners.
8/11/2010 – MaanImages. – On 11 August 2010, the Hamas-led government in Gaza announced the release of 100 prisoners from the Ansar prison compound and others on the occasion of Ramadan. At a news conference, Gaza Justice Minister Mohammad Al-Ghoul denied the government was holding political prisoners, as the Palestinian Authority released eight Hamas-affiliated professors….
World’s biggest lantern debuts in Gaza
8/12/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Gaza resident hopes to enter the Guinness Book of Records for making the biggest lantern in the world. Friends and family encouraged Mu”‚Ñ¢men Hejazi to mold the 5. 5 meter lantern, which stands nearly two meters higher than the prior record-holder. Lanterns are associated with Ramadan, the Muslim….
Study: 29% of youth drop out of school early
8/12/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics released a report on young Palestinians on the occasion of International Youth Day. The report revealed several unsettling figures, including statistics indicating that 72. 2 percent of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces are between the age of 15-29. In the same age group, 29….
Palestinian price index continues to rise
8/12/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Consumer Price Index for July rose by 0. 47 percent compared with June, a report issued Thursday by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said. Occupied East Jerusalem saw the strongest growth, experiencing a 0. 94 percent rise in CPI, while in the West Bank the CPI rose by 0….
Israel to cut funding for West Bank planned city
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Washington — After months of cooperation and planning, Israeli authorities have decided to cut all funding to Rawabi, the first planned Palestinian city being built in the West Bank, Ma‚Äôan News Agency reported Thursday. The hills…
PA minister: Boycotts working
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Washington — Palestinian Authority Economy Minister Hassan Abu Libda said Thursday, following a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, that Israeli requests to end the Palestinian boycott of settlement goods proves it is working, Haaretz reported . Israeli…
Jordan organization launches meals-on-wheels program for Ramadan
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Washington — While millions of Muslims across Jordan will abstain from food and water during the holy month of Ramadan, one organization will be zipping across the country to help them break their daylong fasts, the…
Military bans Israelis from villages on WB highway
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Washington – The Israeli military has released a new order barring Israelis from entering Palestinian villages along highway 443, despite the area being under complete Israeli control, Haaretz reported Thursday. Route 443 [Wikimedia Commons] Israel’s GOC…
Israeli army escalates presence along Syrian, Lebanese frontiers
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Washington — The Israeli army has increased its presence in the occupied Golan Heights near the ceasefire line with Syria, carrying out exercises to acclimate soldiers to potential war conditions, the Ynet news site reported Wednesday….
Malaysian medical delegation enters Gaza
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Washington – A team of 39 Malaysian doctors arrived in Cairo this week en route to the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip. Gazans needing medical treatment beyond that which the beleaguered coastal enclave is capable travel to Israel…
Suspected Mossad agent extradited to Germany
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Washington — The suspected Israeli Mossad agent who is accused of collaborating in the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai earlier this year has been extradited to Germany to stand trial, Haaretz reported Thursday….
Gaza celebrates Ramadan under siege
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Washington – Palestinians in Gaza are celebrating yet another Ramadan, a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, under an Israeli-led blockade. Gaza children wait to collect water amid rubble from Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s 22-day assault on the…
US supports Quartet parameters for talks, report
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Washington — Palestinian leadership have received preliminary approval from the US that the defining references for peace talks with Israel will be written by the Middle East Quartet, Xinhua news agency reported Thursday. US peace envoy…
WATCH: Bill Kristol’s pro-Israel group expands attacks
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – New York – The right-wing Emergency Committee for Israel plans to air attack ads against two more Democratic members of congress in close reelection battles. The group, is planning to air ads against Virginia’s Glenn Nye…
Turkey launches flotilla inquiry
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Panel to probe attack and prisoner treatment Washington – Following the creation of two separate UN panels of inquiry into Israel May 31 raid of the Gaza-bound “Freedom Flotilla,” which left nine activists dead, Turkey has…
Study: 29% Palestinian youth high school dropouts
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Washington — In honor of International Youth Day , the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics Thursday released a study on young Palestinians, revealing some sobering findings, Palestinian state news agency WAFA reported . In the age range of…
Report: Abbas to meet with Mubarak, Abdullah II in Cairo
Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 – Washington – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Thursday, and it is possible he will met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, as well. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas [Fernando Lugo APC – Flickr]…
A Saudi school system that once led the way in the Gulf
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Abu Dhabi – What do US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s closest adviser, Qatar’s princesses and I have in common? One would think, almost nothing. But as young girls, we were all students at Saudi Arabia’s…
Despite setbacks, Iraq will survive
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Baghdad – In spite of July temperatures in Baghdad that exceed 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) and are exacerbated by a severe lack of electricity, the daily topic of conversation among Iraqis is still the formation…
UK help for Iraqi refugees can restore trust
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – London – On 20 July Eliza Manningham-Buller, Director General of the UK’s MI5 Security Service from 2002 to 2007, spoke at the Iraq Inquiry, a committee set up by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and…
A Christian response to the Islamic community centre near Ground Zero
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Austin, Texas – Last week New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg stood with representatives of local faith groups and declared that “there is no neighbourhood in this city that is off-limits to God’s love and mercy.”…
Sharing the holy sites
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Manchester Center, Vermont – In Albert Einstein’s Rabbi: A Tale of Science and the Soul we read, “If we understand that God is the ultimate power in the Universe, and if we think we know what…
US arms ‘bonanza’ in Middle East
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Israel and Saudis to buy advanced war planes Two of the United States‚Äô closest allies in the Middle East, Israel and Saudi Arabia, are on the brink of signing large arms deals with the US in…
Gaza aid languishes in warehouses, aid groups pay the price
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Washington — With $140 million in US aid projects on its way to Gaza, warehouses are still struggling to distribute the materials and equipment necessary for the myriad repair projects planned for the Gaza Strip, the…
Israel blames Palestinians for talks stalemate
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Washington – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell in Jerusalem Wednesday, and while both met ” eye-to-eye ” on the need for direct negotiations, the Palestinian and Israeli parties…
30 settlers arrested during protest march in Jericho
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Washington — 30 right-wing settler activists were arrested yesterday when they illegally entered Jericho, which falls in Area A under the Palestinian Authority’ jurisdiction, to pray at a synagogue, Haaretz reported Wednesday. The settlers arrived at…
Lebanon to US: We’ll reject aid if weapons can’t be used against Israel
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Washington – Lebanese Defense Minister Elisa Murr announced Wednesday that Lebanon would reject US military aid if the US decrees the weapons cannot be used to defend against Israel, Haaretz reported : The Israel-Lebanon border – tensions…
WATCH: Jon Stewart takes on New York Islamic center critics
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – New York – Daily Show host John Stewart on Tuesday night once again took on the controversy surrounding Cordoba House , the Islamic community center planned near the former World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan. Stewart…
Settlers to protest Ramallah planned community
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Washington – Israeli settlers are expect to demonstrate on Thursday against the construction of Rawabi , a Palestinian housing development being built outside Ramallah. Israeli marchers appear in an undated photo. [Rusty Stewart – Flickr] Ma’an News…
Suspected murderer of Palestinians moves to house arrest
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Washington — Chaim Pearlman, the Israeli man suspected of murdering four Palestinians and attempting to murder seven others, was released Wednesday from detention and placed under house arrest after an Israeli judge ruled there was insufficient…
UN calls for Hariri murder evidence
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Washington – The UN tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri has called for all “relevant evidence” to be submitted, AFP news agency reported Wednesday. Hezbollah SG Hassan Nasrallah said Israel…
PA, Hamas release prisoners for Ramadan
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Washington — The Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and Gaza’ Hamas government released prisoners Wednesday, calling the discharges a gesture for the holy month of Ramadan, Ma‚Äôan News Agency reported . In a quid pro…
Israel army chief: More force next time
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi defends Gaza flotilla raid New York – The chief of staff of Israel’s military told investigators on Wednesday that his forces should have been more forceful during their deadly takeover of a ship…
Israeli refugee program a ‘stack of lies,’ UNRWA
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Washington — The UN Middle East refugee agency UNRWA has cried foul at the Israel Broadcasting Authority for a recent broadcast about the organization, saying it is filled with false and distorted information, Haaretz reported . The…
Jeffrey Goldberg Probes Israel’s Iran Strike Option: Is Netanyahu a “Bomber Boy”?
Palestine Note 11 Aug 2010 – Originally featured on The Washington Note In an important article titled “The Point of No Return” to be published in The Atlantic tomorrow, national correspondent Jeffrey Goldberg recounts something many people didn’t realize at the time…
Iran stoning woman ‘confesses’
AlJazeera 12 Aug 2010 – Woman sentenced to death for adultery appears on TV to “admit” role in husband’s murder.
Lebanon defiant over US aid freeze
AlJazeera 12 Aug 2010 – Defence minister says will not take US aid if weapons cannot be used against Israel.
Army chief defends flotilla raid
AlJazeera 11 Aug 2010 – Israeli army offiocial tell inquiry that troops were right to use live ammunition.
Brazil will back Iran sanctions
AlJazeera 11 Aug 2010 – President Lula da Silva signs decree despite pushing nuclear fuel swap proposal.
Peace Process Or Real Peace?
PNN – By Daoud Kuttab – Direct talks between Palestinian and Israeli leaders are the most obvious way to achieve peace in the Middle East conflict. But history has shown time and again that…
The Jewish Response
PNN – By Mark Baraverman – There were two groups of Jewish attendees at the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Minneapolis early this month. One was composed of several members…
The Rise of Palestine’s Tourism Sector
PNN – By Mahmoud Mahmud – PNN – USAID is responsible for being the number one provider of monetary funds to Israel. It funds Israel over ten billion dollars a year and a third…
Hope Equals Rebuild Home Destroyed by Israeli Army in Jerusalem Village
PNN – Mahmoud Mahmoud – PNN -The Abo Ahmed house that has been already destroyed twice in the Wallaja village of Jerusalem is now being built for a third time, although this time with…
Palestinian Man Served In The Othman Army Lives In Jerusalem
PNN – Mayssa Abu Ghazala-PNN —Shuhada Suliman, is a 118 year old Palestinian man from Jerusalem, spends most of his days in his room. Suliman was born in Nablus city, in the northern west…
Oxfam Gaza Weekly Update-1 to 7 August 2010
PNN – The international NGO Oxfam released on Wednesday its weekly report on the Gaza Strip. The following is the summary of the report. Mortars/rockets/casualties/incursions: According to reports, 2 rockets and 2 mortar shells…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
8 Civilians Wounded, One of Whom Seriously, in Familial Dispute in Sheikh Radwan Neighborhood in Gaza City, Including a Serious One
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Field Update Eight civilians were wounded yesterday evening by bullets and white arms in a familial dispute in al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in the northwest of Gaza city . One of the wounded sustained serious wounds by a bullet into the abdomen. This incident is part of the state of security chaos and misuse of weapons plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (05 -11 August 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Israel first in soliciting organ donations
Jeruslalem Post 13 Aug 2010 – Donor Action Foundation praises Israeli hospitals.
Traveling pizzeria is local hit — near West Bank outpost
Jeruslalem Post 12 Aug 2010 – The dusty, parking lot by a West Bank outpost bears little resemblance to Rome, but when it came to selling a taste of Italy it seemed to Ahuvi-el Nizri like the ideal spot.
Ex-Pixar animator moves Up to Jerusalem
Jeruslalem Post 12 Aug 2010 РTim Crawfurd sees ‘lots of potential’ among Bezalel students.
Israel aims to be space superpower
Jeruslalem Post 12 Aug 2010 – Exclusive: PM set to okay R&D program with planned $8 b. annual sales.
‘Palestinians were freed for Israeli’
Jeruslalem Post 12 Aug 2010 – Gaddafi’s son says Israel traded security prisoners to get Hadad back.
Turkey will probe IDF raid on Marmara
Jeruslalem Post 12 Aug 2010 – Investigation findings will be presented to int’l UN inquiry.
IDF removing shelters in Gilo
Jeruslalem Post 12 Aug 2010 – Work is a result of stable situation in the area.
‘Iran to give Hizbullah weapons’
Jeruslalem Post 12 Aug 2010 – Report: Turkey will also “send weapons, rockets, guns” to Lebanon.
‘Turkey to give Hizbullah weapons’
Jeruslalem Post 12 Aug 2010 – Report: Iran to help Ankara ‘send weapons, rockets and guns’ to Lebanon.
IDF may equip soldiers with IAI’ precise rifle grenade
Jeruslalem Post 12 Aug 2010 РLaser rangefinders put infantry soldier ‘on a new level’
‘We’re in the money’
Jeruslalem Post 12 Aug 2010 – Heaviest gold coin ever found in Israel.
PA releases 8 university staffers accused of Hamas ties
Jeruslalem Post 12 Aug 2010 – Attempt by detainees to establish new university in West Bank seen as part of effort to expand Hamas’ influence beyond Gaza.
‘We don’t want US aid with conditions’
Jeruslalem Post 11 Aug 2010 – Lebanese minister rejects constraint that arms not be fired at Israel.
Hamas burns drugs and booze in Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 11 Aug 2010 – Police hold public bonfire as part of anti-drug campaign.
International Solidarity Movement
Israeli army close down shops opposite Shuhada street in Hebron
8/11/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – 11 August 2010 | ISM – Yesterday, August 10th, between 3:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon, in response to peaceful Palestinian resistance to the military occupation of Hebron — and ongoing settler violence — the Israeli army decided to collectively punish Palestinian shopkeepers in the Old City. They had been threatening for weeks to close….
BDS court victory in London: ‚ÄòAhava four’ found not guilty of trespass in Israeli store
8/11/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – 11 August 2010 – ISM London – Four campaigners against Israeli apartheid were acquitted yesterday (August 10th) of all charges related to two direct action protests against the Israeli cosmetics retailer Ahava in Covent Garden, London. The campaigners locked themselves onto concrete-filled oil drums inside the shop, closing it down for two days in September and December….
Sephardi Chief Rabbi: Reform Jews are digging their claws into Israel
Ha’aretz – Amar wrote a letter to other Israeli rabbis in honor of the start of the Jewish month of Elul, saying, “We have reached our spiritual low point.”
Suspected Jewish terrorist: I was abused and humiliated in prison
Ha’aretz – Chaim Pearlman, who is suspected of fatally stabbing at least three Palestinians more than a decade ago, was released to house arrest.
Netanyahu wishes world’s Muslims ‘easy’ month of Ramadan
Ha’aretz – Muslims mark first day of month-long fast; U.S. Jews decline Obama’s invitation to join White House Eid al-Fitr dinner as it falls on a Friday.
Israeli archaeologists discover rare 2,200-year-old gold coin
Ha’aretz – Seleucid empire coin is six times the weight of previous finds from the same era and may bare image of Cleopatra.
Court releases suspected Jewish terrorist to house arrest
Ha’aretz – Chaim Pearlman was arrested last month for allegedly murdering 4 Palestinians, wounding several more; released due to lack of evidence.
Security forces clash with right-wing activists near Jericho
Ha’aretz – Soldiers and police officers arrest 30 activists while beating them after they storm an ancient synagogue in West Bank town.
EU: Abbas close to accepting direct Mideast peace talks
Ha’aretz – Letter by EU FM Ashton indicates planned Quartet proposal will demand Israel to halt settlement building, reach peace deal within 24 months.
Libya: Palestinian prisoners freed in deal for Israeli photographer
Ha’aretz – In exchange for Rafael Haddad’s release, Israel allowed Libyan-sponsored cargo aid ship into Gaza and for Libya to construct 20 buildings for Gaza residents.
Palestinians ‘adamant about continuing boycott on settlement goods’
Ha’aretz – PA economy minister says after meeting with Ben-Eliezer that Israel’s request to end the campaign proves that it is working.
Romania says it will stand by Israel in event of conflict with Iran
Ha’aretz – Romanian President Traian Basescu tells President Shimon Peres his country will stand by Israel if it attacks Iran., Saad Hariri suggests evidence presented by Hezbollah could point to Israeli involvement…
Turkey sets up own Gaza flotilla inquiry
Ha’aretz – Probe will work under the office of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and present findings to UN, AFP news agency reports.
Turkel refused to add woman to Gaza flotilla probe, state claims
Ha’aretz – State says it will not add a woman to the Gaza flotilla probe panel, citing Jacob Turkel’s view that expanding it at this point might hurt its work.
IDF chief: Future Gaza flotillas will be blocked by Israel’s defensive shield
Ha’aretz – Ashkenazi tells Turkel committee IDF troops were not ready for violent resistance they met when they boarded a Gaza-bound aid ship, killing nine pro-Palestinian activists in May.
Hariri tribunal court requests evidence from Hezbollah leader
Ha’aretz – Court asks Hezbollah leader Nasrallah to prove Israel was involved in murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Lebanon: We’ll reject U.S. military aid if weapons can’t be used against Israel
Ha’aretz – U.S. says nothing it does is condition-free and that it places similar conditions on Israel in terms of assistance it provides.
Netanyahu and Mitchell call for direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
Ha’aretz – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to drop his objections and move from indirect talks to face-to-face negotiations.
Court to State: Why are there no women on Gaza probe panel?
Ha’aretz – High Court hints it may order inclusion of a woman on the Turkel committee, even at the expense of a sitting panel member.
New Gaza flotilla footage casts doubt on MK’s version of events aboard protest ship
Ha’aretz – MK Hanin Zuabi calls on Attorney General to compel IDF to release video footage filmed during the raid on the Mavi Marmara.
IDF chief to Gaza flotilla probe: Raid quickly became ‘chaotic’
Ha’aretz – Ashkenazi tells Turkel Committee that circumstances were unprecedented, and claimed soldiers did not use excessive force in operation that killed nine civilians.
U.S. revises Israel travel warning after complaint
Ha’aretz – U.S. State Department eliminates references to Eilat in travel warning it issued last week in wake of rocket attack that killed a Jordanian man in Aqaba; Israel said that the…
Israel directs new accusations to Haneen Zoubi
12 Aug 2010 – Jerusalem, August 12, (Pal Telegraph) Member of the Israeli Knesset, MP Haneen Zoubi, said in a statement that some Israeli directions seek to accuse her of knowing of “pre-armed militants” on board of the fleet of freedom, in a move aimed at taking revenge from her. Zoubi’ Comments came after a video presented by Israeli Army Radio claiming that Zoubi…
Israel gives Palestinian merchants more access
12 Aug 2010 – Gaza, August 12, (Pal Telegraph) Sources in Beit Hanoun “Erez” confirmed that the Israeli occupation authorities granted 50 Palestinian merchant from the Gaza Strip special permits to travel between the Gaza Strip and “Israel” in order to get more commercial goods. Israeli Radio quoted Israeli sources saying that they would allow the entry of additional facilities soon on commercial traffic…
Israel demands addition to Turkel Commission
12 Aug 2010 – Jerusalem, August 12, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli Supreme Court demanded that the Israeli government consider joining one woman at least one to the Turkel Commission to investigate the massacre of Marmara vessel, no later than 19 of August. According to the Israeli Hebrew newspaper “Ha’aretz”, Israeli Government attempts to circumvent this issue, and been avoiding it for several weeks now, fearing…
Three medical delegations enter Gaza
12 Aug 2010 – Gaza, August 12, (Pal Telegraph) Three medical delegations from Britain, Canada and Scotland Arrived in the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing today. The delegation includes 6 British people and 4 Canadians, its scheduled to spend a short visit in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza welcomed the Scottish medical delegation headed by Dr. Dennis Rotovic, Director of Edinburgh…
Egypt discovers 17 smuggling tunnels to Gaza
12 Aug 2010 – Gaza, August 12, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Egyptian security forces discovered 17 tunnels during a large security campaign on Thursday, local sources reported. Local sources reported that the seized tunnels were empty when the Egyptian security forces discovered them. Sources said that 15 out of the 17 tunnels are used to smuggle construction materials of cement and steel. The tunnels…
Israel detains 2 Palestinian boys in Hebron
12 Aug 2010 – Hebron , August 12, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained today two Palestinian boys in the Old City area, in Hebron city, in the West Bank. Local sources reported that IOF detained Adel Al-Slaima, 17, from the Old City in Hebron and then transferred him to Keriat Arba settlement The sources added that they detained Majd Al-Jabari, 14,…
Gaza’s never ending electricity crisis, what now?
11 Aug 2010 – Gaza , August 11, (Pal Telegraph) Deputy Chairman of the Energy Authority in Gaza, Kanaan Obeid, warned from the complete shut down of Gaza’ only power plant once again in case adequate amounts of industrial fuel aren‚Äôt pumped to the only working generator. Obaid said that Gaza’ only power plant will shut down completely on Friday morning if the needed…
Libya provides Gaza with iftar meals
11 Aug 2010 – Gaza, August 11, (Pal Telegraph) The Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity and development signed an agreement with the UN agency for refugees “UNRWA”, the institution which support poor families in Gaza. The agreement included providing food and hot meals to about 110,000 Gazans in the Gaza Strip who are fasting during the month of Ramadan. The Gaddafi foundation…
Ashkenazi takes responsibility of Marmara’s massacre
11 Aug 2010 – Jerusalem, August 11, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, said that as commander of the Army he is responsible for the fleet of freedom massacre that took place two months ago in international waters. He said in the context of his testimony Thursday before the Turkel Commission that is investigating the events of the Israeli…
Qatar plans to support Gaza with 13.5 million dollars
11 Aug 2010 – Gaza, August 11, (Pal Telegraph) Qatar Red Crescent declared a new strategy to support the Gaza Strip by funds estimated to be worth 13.5 million dollars. Dean of the Faculty of Sharia at Qatar University and a member of the Arab Parliament, Aisha Al Mana‚Äôee, said that the approved projects of the new strategy are to train and equip…
Israeli forces desecrate 200 graves in Muslim cemetery; injure Sheikh with bulldozer
Uruknet August 12, 2010 – A Jerusalem Sheikh who tried to stand in the way of Israeli bulldozers demolishing a Muslim cemetery was injured Tuesday, as the Israeli government continued the desecration of hundreds of graves. This marks the largest cemetery desecration by Israeli forces since 2009, when 1500 graves were bulldozed to make way for a ‘Museum of Tolerance’…
Besieging Israel’s siegeIn just a few years the Palestinian campaign to boycott Israeli goods has become truly global
Uruknet August 12, 2010 – Despite Israel’s siege of Gaza, and the escalating displacement in the Negev and East Jerusalem, Palestinians have some reason to celebrate. In Washington a food co-op has passed a resolution calling for a boycott of Israeli products, confirming that the boycott movement — five years old last month — has finally crossed the Atlantic. Support…
Gaza reflections
Uruknet August 12, 2010 – …Reconciliation, of course, would mean a united Palestine, not just united factions, and it must be kept in mind that Gaza and the West Bank cannot and should not be considered in isolation of each other. With Western complicity, Israel is trying to create a Palestinian Authority on a rump West Bank shredded into non-contiguous…
Israeli authorities destroy over 200 tombs in Jerusalem’ Ma‚Äôman Allah cemeteryEXCLUSIVE PICTURES
Uruknet August 11, 2010 – The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Heritage and Endowments has revealed that after midnight on 10 August, bulldozers of the Israeli Occupation dug up and completely removed more than 200 tombs from the Ma‚Äôman Allah cemetery in Jerusalem, which is the oldest and largest Islamic burial site in the city. Ma‚Äôman Allah is also the burial ground…
Another insult to Christianity: meet the Methodist Friends of Israel
Uruknet August 11, 2010 – A few weeks ago the Methodist Church’s annual conference did a very courageous and praiseworthy thing. It voted to boycott products from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine, regarded as illegal under international law, and to encourage Methodists across Britain to do the same. “The decision is a response to a call from a group of…
Palestinian Prisoners: A Symbol of Resistance, Steadfastness and Pride
Uruknet August 11, 2010 – A couple of days ago I read the following tweet on twitter:
Disemboweling the Right of Return
Uruknet August 11, 2010 – For months, as Lebanon’s historic debate over basic civil rights for Palestinian refugees has unfolded, the Obama administration has watched idly along the sidelines. As hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees cough and slow-bake while inhaling rancid camp air in Lebanon’ sweltering breezeless heat, the White House has now sent Lebanon’ Parliament a message. The…
Anti-siege committee: Israeli naval siege targets Gaza fishermen
Uruknet August 11, 2010 – Speakers at a conference organized by the Popular Committee Against the Siege agreed that the Israeli naval siege on Gaza fishermen is aimed at dissuading them from practicing their profession and displacing them from the sea, where they have worked for decades. The meeting was attended by the committee’s president MP Jamal al-Khudari, Palestinian Center…
Israel army chief: More force next timeLt. Gen. Ashkenazi defends Gaza flotilla raid
Uruknet August 11, 2010 – The chief of staff of Israel’s military told investigators on Wednesday that his forces should have been more forceful during their deadly takeover of a ship carrying aid to the besieged Gaza Strip on May 31. Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi was speaking to an internal Israeli commission investigating the attack on the Turkish ship…
FAQ on Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions
Uruknet August 11, 2010 – What is BDS? BDS stands for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. On July 9, 2005, one year after the historic Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which found Israel’s Wall built on occupied Palestinian territory to be illegal, an overwhelming majority of Palestinian civil society called upon international civil society organizations and people…
Children of Gaza remember their loved onesEXCLUSIVE PICTURES
Uruknet August 11, 2010 – As the Muslim world welcomes the holy month of Ramadan, orphans in Gaza remember their parents and loved ones who were killed during Operation Cast Lead. Children gathered together to paint murals to depict what they had witnessed during Israel’s rampage through the besieged Strip, many of whom had seen their fathers, mothers or both…
Palestine’s students call on PLO envoy to boycott South African Zionists
Uruknet August 11, 2010 – We address you from occupied Palestine urging you to cancel your participation in an event hosted by the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) entitled “Towards Peace in the Middle East — The Status of Current Democracy” at the University of the Witwatersrand on Thursday, 12 August 2010. SAUJS is a Zionist body known…
PCHR Condemns Police’s Attack on Public Sit-in Organized by PFLP in Gaza City
Uruknet August 11, 2010 – The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the attack carried out by the Palestinian police on a public sit-in organized by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the Unknown Soldier Square in the center of Gaza City. The sit-in was organized yesterday in protest to the continued electricity crisis. PCHR…
There’ Something in the Water: The Poisoning of Life in the Gaza Strip
Uruknet August 11, 2010 – The signs which dot the beach along the Gaza City waterfront are clear: “THIS BEACH IS POLLUTED,” they read, and yet they seem to serve only as obstacles for children running to the sea rather than warnings to be heeded of the serious health risks associated with swimming here. For those who care to doubt…
The Tears of Gaza Must Be Our Tears
Uruknet August 10, 2010 – Let me close tonight with one last name. Let me name those who send these tanks and fighter jets to bomb the concrete hovels in Gaza with families crouching, helpless, inside, let me name those who deny children the right to a childhood and the sick a right to care, those who torture, those who…
The concept of Israeli security and the illusion of peace
Uruknet August 10, 2010 – The Arab Initiative’s mandate to hold direct negotiations with Israel which was the result of its Committee meeting on July 29th 2010 is bound to remain confused given its extreme gravity, and the fact that the Arab world is not convinced of this nihilistic approach which seeks to lure Israel into a closure of the…
U.N. Chief May Be Heading for Showdown with Israel
Uruknet August 10, 2010 – When the Israeli government gave its blessings to a U.N. panel of inquiry probing the military attack on a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza last May, there was widespread speculation that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon may have struck a backdoor deal over its mandate. Asked at a press conference Monday whether he agreed…
Ethnic cleansing continues: Bedouin village Al Araqib demolished for the third time
Uruknet August 10, 2010 – The Bedouin village of Al Araqib in Southern Israel was destroyed for the third time in two weeks this morning, Tuesday August 10th, by Israeli civil administration forces. At approximately 5.45 this morning around 50 Israeli police and 15 border police arrived in jeeps to guard 3 caterpillar bulldozers who razed the Palestinian Bedouin village…
Egypt begins unifying call to prayer
The National 12 Aug 2010 – Ministry says duty should be carried out only by “qualified” muezzins, many of whom complain they will lose a traditional vocation.
Syria silences the voices of dissent
The National 11 Aug 2010 – Damascus has arrested dozens for criticising the regime, leaving opponents isolated.
Netanyahu keen for full-scale peace talks
The National 11 Aug 2010 – The Israeli prime minister said today that he wanted to get down quickly to full-scale peace talks, as he met US envoy George Mitchell to hear the latest from the Palestinian side.
Cultural Sensitivity in the Negev
Alternative Information Center – In the pages of Israel’ law book, and more precisely in the Criminal Code S176, I discovered the sanction imposed for having multiple wives. Yes, this is a criminal violation! The sanction determined in law is…
Ongoing Debate on Deporting Migrant Kids
Alternative Information Center – A debate erupted in the Knesset on Monday, 8 August, over the decision to deport children of migrant workers currently in Israel. Interior Minister Eli Yishai, an outspoken critic of foreign workers and their children, addressed…
Israeli Army Attempts to Close Shops in Hebron’ Old City
Alternative Information Center – On 10 August, Israeli soldiers controlling the area of Beit Romano —one of the Jewish settlements in the old city of Hebron— ordered the closure of a Palestinian shop located in front of the settlement’ Midrash…
Palestinian on Hunger Strike Outside of Israeli Embassy in Berlin
Alternative Information Center – Firas Maraghy, a Jerusalem native andcurrent Berlin resident, has been on hunger strike in front of the Israeli Embassy in Berlin since 26 July, demanding Jerusalem residency rights for his baby daughter and the right to…
Tel Aviv University Discriminates in Dorm Allocation
Alternative Information Center – A secretary in the dean’s office at Tel Aviv University has told dozens of Israeli Palestinian students that they were denied spots in college dormitories for the coming academic year, due to preference given to students…
International Independent Fact-Finding Mission Opens in Geneva
WAFA – GENEVA, August 12, 2010 (WAFA)- The international independent fact-finding mission of high-level experts appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council to inquire into the Gaza flotilla
Hamas Forcefully Disperses Peaceful Protest against Electricity Cut-Offs
WAFA – GAZA, August 12, 2010 (WAFA)- Al Mezan Center for Human Rights regreted the high number of victims injured as Hamas forcefully oppresses peaceful protest organized by the Popular Front for the
PCBS: CPI Increases by 0.47% in July
WAFA – RAMALLAH, August 12, 2010 (WAFA)- The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said, today that the Palestinian Consumer Price Index Increased by 0.47‚Äé% in July 2010. The Overall Consumer
PCBS: 29.4% of Palestinian Population are Youth
WAFA –
Ban Meets with Flotilla Incident Inquiry Panel members
WAFA – NEW YORK, August 11, 2010 (WAFA)- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met, yesterday, with the four-member
Japan Sponsors Maternal, Child Health Handbook for Refugees
WAFA – BEIRUT, August 11, 2010 (WAFA)- The Embassy of Japan and UNRWA launched on Wednesday August, 4 a new Maternal and Child Health (MCH) handbook which will be distributed free-of-charge to Palestine
Bedouin village of Al Araqib Demolished for 3rd Time
WAFA – AL ARAQIB, NEGEV, August 11, 2010 (WAFA)- The Bedouin village of Al Araqib in Southern Israel was destroyed for the third time in two weeks this morning, Tuesday August 10th, by Israeli civil
Morgantini: Silent Displacement Carried Out By Israel in Jordan Valley
WAFA – JORDAN VALLEY, August 11, 2010 (WAFA)- Former Vice President of the European Parliament Luisa Morantini, upon her return from a tour of the Jordan Valley and the West Bank in which she led an Italian
Besieging Israel’s siege | Omar Barghouti
The Guardian 12 Aug 2010 – In just a few years the Palestinian campaign to boycott Israeli goods has become truly global Despite Israel’s siege of Gaza, and the escalating displacement in the Negev and East Jerusalem, Palestinians have some reason to…
World Bank Grants Palestinian Authority US$5 Million for Training of Primary School Teachers
Relief Web 12 Aug 2010 – Source: World Bank
OPT: Civil Administration demolishes Bedouin village of al-Farsiya, in the Jordan Valley
Relief Web 12 Aug 2010 – Source: Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
UN panel of inquiry into Gaza flotilla incident maps out plans for conducting its work
Relief Web 12 Aug 2010 – Source: UN News Service
OPT: Three new agreements between the Gaddafi Foundation and UNRWA
Relief Web 12 Aug 2010 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
White House Questions Suspension of Military Aid to Lebanon
IPS Several powerful members of Congress have worked to suspend U.S. military aid to Lebanon’s military after a deadly skirmish on the Lebanese-Israeli border last week which left two Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist and one Israeli officer dead.
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. [
Poland extradites ‘Uri Brodsky’ to Germany
YNet News – Alleged Israeli spy linked to assassination of Hamas man in Dubai faces charges….
Peres in Romania for air crash memorial
YNet News – Air Force Commander Ido Nehushtan tours place of IDF helicopter accident on….
Rabbis fail to report sexual harassment
YNet News – Jerusalem resident, 45, arrested two years after allegedly sodomizing 10 minors….
Iran woman facing stoning death ‘confesses’ on state TV
YNet News – In televised interview, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani describes how she struck up….
Turkey sets up its own inquiry into IDF raid
YNet News – Commission, which will work under Prime Minister Erdogan’s office, will….
Powers drawing up framework for Mideast talks
YNet News – Major powers are working on a statement to set the basis for direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the European Union’s foreign policy chief told EU …….
Israel to free Palestinians in ‘swap,’ says Gaddafi son
YNet News – The son of Libya’s leader hinted on Thursday that his country’s release of an Israeli reportedly held as a spy was linked to a deal to free Palestinian prisoners held by …….
UN chief: Flotilla probe won’t summon witnesses
YNet News – WASHINGTON – Following the many concerns raised in Israel that the UN team investigating the Gaza flotilla raid may attempt to summon soldiers to give their testimonies, …….
Israel demolishes Bedouin village in Jordan Valley
B’tselem 11 Aug 2010 – Last month, the Civil Administration demolished all the structures in al-Farsiya and in other Bedouin farming communities in the northern Jordan Valley, delivered dozens of demolition and eviction orders in additional communities, and confiscated water purogr
Palestinian Information Center
Human rights group rejects trial of civilians at military courts
PIC 12 Aug 2010 – The independent authority for human rights (Ombudsman office) has demanded a halt to the Ramallah authority’s practice of forcing civilians to stand trial at military courts.
Abbas’ ambassador to South Africa takes part in Israeli activities
PIC 12 Aug 2010 – A Palestinian students union demands that the ambassador of the Abbas authority in South Africa cancels his scheduled appearance at an event organized by an Israeli students union to be held Thursday.
Youth commission refuses Israeli offer to decorate Old City
PIC 12 Aug 2010 – The youth commission of the Old City in Jerusalem refused an Israeli offer to assume all expenses of adorning the city on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
Sabri: Muslims should support OJ rather than visit it
PIC 12 Aug 2010 – Sheikh Ikrima Sabri warned the Arabs and Muslims of visiting Jerusalem as long as it is under occupation and said that such visits would confer legitimacy on the Israeli occupation.
Abu Sha’ar urges Arabs and Muslims to act against Israel’s violations in J’lem
PIC 12 Aug 2010 – Taleb Abu Sha’ar appealed to his counterparts in the Arab and Muslim countries to file complaints with international courts over Israel’s crimes and violations against Jerusalem and its people.
Palestinian premier receives two Malaysian delegations in Gaza
PIC 12 Aug 2010 – Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya received on Wednesday two Malaysian delegations in his office and highly appreciated their government’s efforts to break Gaza siege and help its people.
Turkey establishes its own investigation committee
PIC 12 Aug 2010 – Turkey announced the formation of its own investigation committee to probe the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla that killed nine Turkish nationals and wounded dozens others late last May.
IOF soldiers deliver demolition notices, round up 8 Palestinians
PIC 12 Aug 2010 – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Wednesday informed two brothers in Tobas district that their houses in the Jordan Valley should be evacuated within two days.
Israeli suspect in murder of four Palestinians released on house arrest
PIC 12 Aug 2010 – An Israeli court decided to release an Israeli suspect in the murder of four Palestinians to house arrest, despite Israeli intelligence presenting a report about his involvement in murder.
Scottish medical delegation arrives in Gaza via Rafah crossing
PIC 12 Aug 2010 – A delegation of Scottish medical experts Wednesday stepped foot in the Gaza Strip though the Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border.
Hamas Targets Disloyal Public Workers in New Decision
The Media Line 12 Aug 2010 – Gaza’s de facto government is barring civil employees from membership in outside organizations. A new decree by the Hamas government in Gaza is severely harming civil society in the Gaza strip, warns a Palestinian human rights…
From Torturer to Liaison with Arab Residents
The Media Line 12 Aug 2010 – Service as interrogator earned him experience in communicating with Arabs. The man holding the sensitive position of adviser on Arab affairs for Jerusalem’s police chief has found himself in hot water after it was revealed he…
‚ÄòIsrael’ not welcome in Egypt
The Media Line 10 Aug 2010 – A political candidate opts to hide her problematic middle name . An Egyptian political candidate is opting to omit “Israel” from her name, due to the negative connotation the Jewish state bears in the minds of Egyptians.Dr….
Israeli Military Chief Tells Panel How It “Should Have Been”
The Media Line 11 Aug 2010 – Israeli army Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told the panel investigating the May 31 Gaza flotilla raid that his troops erred by not having marksmen off to the side neutralizing those attacking the commandos who were…
Top Israel military figure cites Gaza flotilla intelligence faults
LA Times 12 Aug 2010 – Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi gives the most cohesive, vivid and sequential account so far of Israel’s storming of a ship carrying aid to Gaza. Nine activists were killed, including a Turkish American. In the most gripping testimony yet before a commission investigating the deadly commando raid on a Gaza Strip-bound humanitarian aid flotilla, Israel’s chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Wednesday that the military mission was hurt by intelligence failures.
Iran Shows What It Says Is Murder Confession
New York Times 12 Aug 2010 – State television broadcast what it portrayed as a murder confession by a woman who had been sentenced to death by stoning on adultery charges.
Helwan Journal: Egyptians Look for a Heavenly Sign to Start Ramadan
New York Times 12 Aug 2010 – Astronomers have their technology, but in Egypt, the naked eye is just as influential in pinpointing the exact start to the lunar month of Ramadan.
World Briefing | MIDDLE EAST: Lebanon: Tribunal Turns to Hezbollah
New York Times 12 Aug 2010 – The international tribunal investigating the 2005 killing of a former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, requested Wednesday that Hezbollah turn over evidence that the militant group says implicates Israel in the assassination.
AL BWEIREH, PALESTINE: Settlers “heat up the air”; outpost dismantled
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine – Roadblocks are emblematic of a decade of military and settler harassment of Palestinians in Al Bweireh. Will the new one be more than a bump in the road for the Hill 86 settlement outpost?
PALESTINE: Ongoing action alert: Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine – CPT-Palestine invites you to join people from all over the world in boycotting Israeli goods and cultural events, divesting from all companies that profit from the occupation of Palestine, and pushing for international sanctions on Israel.
Release Mordechai Vanunu
Palestine Monitor – Many hundreds of people from around the World have signed an International Petition (http://humanrights.change.org/peti… , calling on President Obama, Prime Ministers Netanyahu and Cameron, and other world leaders, to ‚Äòdo all they can’ to gain the release from Israel of Mordechai Vanunu (the Israeli nuclear whistleblower). Vanunu…
Activists Charged With Blockading Israeli-Owned Beauty Shop Acquitted In Court
Palestine Monitor – Four activists charged with aggravated trespass for blockading the Israeli-owned cosmetics shop, Ahava, in Covent Garden, London, in 2009, were today acquitted of all charges against them. The four —Bruce Levy, Tom Ellis, Jo Crouch and Tahir Alam Hussein, all from London — had locked themselves…
Updated comments policy
Mondoweiss – We’ve hit a couple of impasses on comments policy at this site in the last two years. Now we’re at another. As the site has grown more popular, we’ve gotten more enthusiastic debate, but also more invective, profanity, and racism and anti-Semitism, all of which drive…
The borders of the Palestinian ’tate‚Äô come into focus
Mondoweiss – An article this week in The Jerusalem Post suggested that “when the construction freeze in Judea and Samaria ends on September 26”, Israeli PM Netanyahu intends to build mainly in the so-called settlement blocs “Israel will likely keep under an agreement with the Palestinians”. Further down,…
The hasbarapocalypse hits YouTube
Mondoweiss – As first reported on Mondoweiss :
Giving some love to the cultural boycott
Mondoweiss – On Monday evening, Jethro Tull performed in Jerusalem with Shlomo Gronich as guest keyboardist. Gronich played riffs from Israel’s national anthem , the Hatikvah. Front man, Ian Anderson’s decision to play in the apartheid state was taken in spite of urgent calls for him heed the boycott…
Israeli blackmail: You must do what we can’t, because if you don’t, we will
Mondoweiss – There are those who would have us believe that : [O]ne day next spring, the Israeli national-security adviser, Uzi Arad, and the Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, will simultaneously telephone their counterparts at the White House and the Pentagon, to inform them that their prime minister, Benjamin…
US Fails on Direct Talks
Al-Manar 13 Aug 2010 – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and US envoy George Mitchell on Tuesday failed to reach agreement on the issue of direct talks between the PA and the Israeli enemy. The two men met in Ramallah to discuss the latest developments surrounding the so-called peace process…
The “banality of evil” and Israel’ destruction of al-Araqib (with Video)
Joseph Dana 11 Aug 2010 – In the early hours of 10 August, Israeli forces destroyed — for the third time — the Bedouin village of al-Araqib in the northern Negev desert. Israel had first destroyed the village on 27 July as EI reported , and each time the villagers have attempted to…
Student from Gaza tells story of his torture by Egyptian officers
Sabr 11 Aug 2010 – [ 11/08/2010 – 12:12 PM ] GAZA, ( PIC )— A Palestinian young man who used the name Talal as his pseudonym revealed shocking details of his detention in Egyptian jails and his exposure to severe torture at the hands of officers in order to extract information from…
Israel releases Palestinian man’ corpse after 35 years
Sabr 11 Aug 2010 – [ 10/08/2010 – 05:56 PM ] RAMALLAH, ( PIC )— The Israeli army released Tuesday morning the body of Palestinian martyr Mashour Talab al-Arouri to his family after holding him for 35 years in the Arqam (numbers) cemetery, Palestinian sources in Ramallah said. The body was wrapped in…
Tonge asks British premier to step in and halt deportation of Jerusalemite MPs
Sabr 11 Aug 2010 – [ 10/08/2010 – 05:46 PM ] LONDON, ( PIC )— The head of the European campaign to release detained Palestinian MPs in Israeli jails Baroness Jennifer Tonge has asked British premier David Cameron to step in and demand reversal of the Israeli decision to deport Palestinian MPs from…
Israel releases Arab man convicted of ‘rape by deception’ from house arrest
Sabr 11 Aug 2010 – Court orders delay in deciding jail term for Saber Kushour, who had consensual sex with woman who thought he was Jewish Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem guardian.co.uk , Wednesday 4 August 2010 09.35 BST Article history Saber Kushour is appealing against his 18-month jail term. Photograph: Emil Salman/Haaretz…
Israeli ‘agent’ sent to Germany
BBC 12 Aug 2010 – Poland extradites to Germany a suspected Israeli agent wanted in connection with the killing in Dubai of a Hamas commander, officials say.
Iran stoning woman ‘confesses’
BBC 12 Aug 2010 – Iranian television broadcasts what it says is a confession by Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who is under threat of being stoned to death.
Israeli held over US serial stabbings
BBC 12 Aug 2010 – Atlanta police arrest a man as he tries to board a flight to Israel, after some 20 stabbings leave five people dead across three states.
Israeli army chief defends raid
BBC 11 Aug 2010 – The head of Israel’s military defends its use of live ammunition during a deadly raid on an aid flotilla sailing to Gaza in May.
US Arms ‘Bonanza’ in Middle East
Antiwar.com 12 Aug 2010 – Two of the United States‚Äô closest allies in the Middle East, Israel and Saudi Arabia, are on the brink of signing large arms deals with the US in a move designed to ratchet up the pressure on Iran, according to defense analysts. America has agreed to…
Homeless Bedouins Take On Israeli Forces
Antiwar.com 11 Aug 2010 – RAMALLAH — A bruising battle of will is taking place between Israeli security forces and Palestinians recently made homeless after two Palestinian villages were razed and hundreds left homeless. During the last few weeks over a thousand heavily armed Israeli riot police, soldiers and police, at…
UN Chief May Be Heading for Showdown with Israel
Antiwar.com 11 Aug 2010 – When the Israeli government gave its blessings to a U.N. panel of inquiry probing the military attack on a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza last May, there was widespread speculation that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon may have struck a backdoor deal over its mandate….
(en) France, Georges Fontenis: passing away of an international figure in libertarian communism [fr]
A-infos 11 Aug 2010 – One of the last personalities of the anarchist movement from the 1940s and ’50s has left us with the death of Georges Fontenis in Tours on 9th August 2010 at the age of 90. He will remain in the memory of the workers’ movement as an…
Articles
Peace process or real peace?
Daoud Kuttab, Ma’an News Agency8/11/2010
Direct talks between Palestinian and Israeli leaders are the most obvious way to achieve peace in the Middle East conflict. But history has shown time and again that a high-profile peace process alone is no recipe for success.
The Arab League is set to meet later this month to advise the Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership whether or not to engage in direct talks with Israel. Palestinian officials say that there is no use in holding direct talks that are nothing more than a photo opportunity intended to create the impression of a peace process while avoiding any substantive commitments.
For Palestinians, the first step in real peace talks must include some accord on the basic issues of borders and security. The Palestinians have presented to their Israeli counterparts (through the Americans) a written offer that includes giving up lands occupied by Israel in 1967 and now populated by Israeli settlers. These lands would be swapped for other lands equal in size and importance. Israel has yet to produce a single written document outlining its position on the territory that will become a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Israel insists that any serious progress will happen only if both sides can sit at the negotiating table face to face. According to this view, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’ right-wing coalition might be persuaded to accept the continuation of the partial settlement freeze, but only if the Israeli public sees President Mahmoud Abbas and Netanyahu publicly engaged in negotiations. But the history of such negotiations tells a much different story.
All successful efforts in the Middle East conflict have not occurred in front of cameras and through publicly declared direct talks. The visit to Jerusalem of Egypt’ then-President Anwar Sadat, and the ensuing Egypt-Israel breakthrough at Camp David, took place only after successful behind-the-scenes understandings…. more.. e-mail
Is Israel singled out — and why?
Adam Keller, The Other Israel, Israeli Occupation Archive8/1/2010
Googling for “Israel singled out” + “anti-Semitism” would immediately get you many thousands of results. All over the world, supporters of the policies enacted by the government of Israel are busily churning out article after article, repeating with minor variations the same message — Israel is being unfairly singled out, harshly criticized for the kind of acts which others are allowed to get away with, and the motive is anti-Semitism.
In a way, this is a second line of defense. There had been a time when this kind of people took the line that Israel can do no wrong. That it is an utterly wonderful place, little short of an utopia, a vibrant democracy and the only one in the Middle East, the home of tireless and dauntless pioneers who made the desert bloom. But this way of looking at things had become increasingly difficult to sustain. There has been too much unsavory TV footage of Israeli soldiers broadcast into every home around the globe, too many nasty revelations, quite a few of them by Israel’ own dissident citizens…
It is far easier to freely admit that Israel is not blameless, that some of its actions and policies do deserve criticism — but as a matter of fact, “everybody does it”. Many others all over the world also violate human rights and/or international law, others discriminate against ethnic or religious minorities, others launch military offensives which claim the lives of innocent civilians. Muslims, it is quite true, have been killed by other Muslims as well as by Israel. So, why pick on Israel, specifically? Why, if not out of anti-Semitism? “Anti-Israelism is the New anti-Semitism”, period.
True, as far as formal international diplomacy is concerned, it is easy to show that — if Israel is singled out at all — it is singled out for a rather lenient treatment. — See also: Source more.. e-mail
Poisoning of Gaza water puts population at risk
Electronic Intifada: 11 Aug 2010 – Beyond tarnishing Gaza’s once pristine shores, the noxious consequences of the deterioration of the wastewater treatment operation in Gaza resulting from the closure hold much more grave implications: the Gaza Strip is, quite literally, being poisoned.more
Interview with “Salt of This Sea” star before nationwide premiere in NYC
Electronic Intifada: 11 Aug 2010 – Salt of This Sea (2008), Annemarie Jacir’s groundbreaking feature film, premieres in the US this week after two years on the road and winning over 20 awards in countless international film festivals. Nora Barrows-Friedman interviewed the film’s star, Suheir Hammad, for The Electronic Intifada.more
Palestine’s students call on PLO envoy to boycott South African Zionists
Electronic Intifada: 11 Aug 2010 – We address you from occupied Palestine urging you to cancel your participation in an event hosted by the South African Union of Jewish Students entitled “Towards Peace in the Middle East — The Status of Current Democracy” at the University of the Witwatersrand on Thursday, 12 August 2010.more
Release Mordechai Vanunu
Palestine Monitor: 12 Aug 2010 – Many hundreds of people from around the World have signed an International Petition (http://humanrights.change.org/peti… , calling on President Obama, Prime Ministers Netanyahu and Cameron, and other world leaders, to ‚Äòdo all they can’ to gain the release from Israel of Mordechai Vanunu (the Israeli nuclear whistleblower). Vanunu was released from Ramle Israeli Prison, on Sunday 8th August, 2010, after serving almost 3 months in solitary confinement under cruel, inhuman and degrading conditions. This further sentence was imposed on Vanunu for speaking to foreign media. Although now out of prison he is still not allowed to leave Israel. The draconian restrictions remain on him, and he is unable to speak to foreigners, foreign media, or move freely within Israel without Government permission. Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate, who together with Gerry Grehan, Chair of the Peace People, launched the International Appeal for Vanunu’s release, said today: “It is unacceptable that Vanunu continues…more
Activists Charged With Blockading Israeli-Owned Beauty Shop Acquitted In Court
Palestine Monitor: 11 Aug 2010 – Four activists charged with aggravated trespass for blockading the Israeli-owned cosmetics shop, Ahava, in Covent Garden, London, in 2009, were today acquitted of all charges against them. The four —Bruce Levy, Tom Ellis, Jo Crouch and Tahir Alam Hussein, all from London — had locked themselves to concrete-filled oil drums inside the shop, closing it down for a day each time in September and December 2009. They appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court, London, this week, and were acquitted this afternoon when the primary witness for the prosecution, Ahava’s store manager, refused to attend court to testify, despite courts summons and threats of an arrest warrant. Activists have held fortnightly demonstrations outside the Covent Garden store throughout 2010, in protest at its complicity in the occupation of Palestinian territory. The Ahava factory, which uses mud from the Dead Sea to make beauty products, is based in the illegal Israeli settlement…more
Israel Lacking Allies and Friends
Palestine Chronicle: 12 Aug 2010 – By George S. Hishmeh — Washington, D.C. Oftentimes, Israelis and their supporters bury their heads in the sand, ignoring all that goes around them. Take the case, for one example, of a university professor who joyously lauded in a commentary in a leading American newspaper, The New York Times (which in turn was remiss in not checking) an “opinion poll” that claimed that 71 percent of Arab respondents have “no interest” in the Palestinian-Israeli “peace process.” Probably sharing his enthusiasm, the paper headlined the column, “The Palestinians, Alone.” It turned out that the shady poll that was cited by Efraim Karsh, who teaches at King’s College, London and is author of “Palestine Betrayed,” was nothing more than a tally of readers responding to another reader’s query on the website of an Arabic television network. Moreover, one would have thought that Karsh should have known better. His puerile analysis failed to…more
Meet the Methodist Friends of Israel
Palestine Chronicle: 12 Aug 2010 – By Stuart Littlewood — London A few weeks ago the Methodist Church’s annual conference did a very courageous and praiseworthy thing. It voted to boycott products from Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestine, regarded as illegal under international law, and to encourage Methodists across Britain to do the same. “The decision is a response to a call from a group of Palestinian Christians, a growing number of Jewish organisations, both inside Israel and worldwide, and the World Council of Churches,” said the press release. Christine Elliott, Secretary for External Relationships, remarked: “This decision has not been taken lightly, but after months of research, careful consideration and finally, today’ debate at the Conference. The goal of the boycott is to put an end to the existing injustice. It reflects the challenge that settlements present to a lasting peace in the region.” Predictably the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which calls itself…more
Groundhog Day: The Neocon Version
Palestine Chronicle: 12 Aug 2010 – By Ron Forthofer The 1993 movie Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, strikes a chord when I consider the latest neocons’ effort to push the U.S. into attacking Iran or supporting an Israeli attack. Similar to Bill Murray who lived the same day over and over, we are being forced to essentially relive late 2002 and early 2003. Then the neocons and the White House made false claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and the threat Iraq supposedly posed. The situation is similar now except Iran has replaced Iraq as the target. Evidently the neocons’ contempt for the U.S. public knows no bounds. They seem to think that we have already forgotten the role they played in building support for the attack on Iraq. Remember that this illegal attack and occupation have turned into what recently deceased General William Odom had said would be the “greatest strategic…more
Bourj el-Barajneh: Searching for Meaning in a Refugee Camp
Palestine Chronicle: 12 Aug 2010 – By Ramzy Baroud — Beirut, Lebanon Two young girls stood, as if frozen, starting below them at an ever vibrant Beirut. Their balcony, like the rest of their house and most of their refugee camp was of an indistinct color. It was dirty, as were their clothes. They, on the other hand, looked beautiful and bright, although their future didn‚Äôt. Here in Bourj el-Barajneh, one of a dozen Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, time seems to have stood still for years. Generation after generation, children grow up in the same desperate reality, punished for crimes they did not commit, injured by a history not of their making. They stand on dirty balconies, cracked beyond repair, watching Beirut and the world go by. The city is abuzz with life, politics, rumors, anticipation and intrigue. It remains perpetually divided between many worlds and contradictions, in a way that seems almost impossible to…more
The Occupation is Corrupt – Olmert and the Jackals
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Aug 2010 – By Uri Avnery I cannot say that I ever liked Ehud Olmert. But now I almost feel sorry for him. It is not pleasant to see how they pounce on him, like jackals and hyenas fighting over a carcass. And that also raises some questions. Was Olmert the only fallible human being in this paradise? Not at all. The stories about the envelopes stuffed with cash, the cigars and the luxury suites in posh hotels fire the imagination, but the hedonism of Olmert is no different from that of Binjamin Netanyahu or Ehud Barak. When Barak accuses Olmert it is like the kettle calling the pot black. Netanyahu lived like a king in expensive hotels paid for by kind donors who, of course, ask for nothing in return, whose sole purpose in life is to allow him to revel in luxury. As for Barak – after decades of service as…more
FARC to Join Global Jihad
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Aug 2010 – By Belen Fernandez The four-member United Nations panel appointed to investigate the May 31 Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara which killed 9 people is scheduled to have its first meeting today. An August 3 AFP article noting the “surprising U-turn from the Israelis” in deciding to support the flotilla probe—a rare instance of Israeli cooperation with the U.N.—fails to note that the U-turn is perhaps not so surprising given the appointment as panel Vice Chairman of outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, whose expertise in the realm of security will thus not be lost with the end of his presidential term. Israel and Colombia have been plagued with similar security challenges for decades, such as how to portray victims as aggressors in order to acquire land—although Colombian territorial entitlement admittedly lacks biblical endorsement. Past Israeli training of Colombian death squads may have contributed to current Colombian creativity in retroactively justifying…more
Meet the Methodist Friends of Israel
Dissident Voice: 12 Aug 2010 – A few weeks ago the Methodist Church’ annual conference did a very courageous and praiseworthy thing. It voted to boycott products from Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestine, regarded as illegal under international law, and to encourage Methodists across Britain to do the same. “The decision is a response to a call from a group of Palestinian Christians, a growing number of Jewish organisations, both inside Israel and worldwide, and the World Council of Churches,” said the press release. Christine Elliott, Secretary for External Relationships, remarked: “This decision has not been taken lightly, but after months of research, careful consideration and finally, today’ debate at the Conference. The goal of the boycott is to put an end to the existing injustice. It reflects the challenge that settlements present to a lasting peace in the region.” Predictably the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which calls itself “the chief voice of British…more
Double Vendetta: The Insanity of the Iran Confrontation
Dissident Voice: 11 Aug 2010 – How long can we allow the maniacs who are driving us to the brink of World War Three to stay in power? We‚Äôd better do something soon, or we will all be done for. My special thanks to Gilad Atzmon, whose reading of the “Israeli Peace Manifesto” helps to point up the gulf between what they say and what they do. Gilad’ rather more honest writing can be found here . He’ a pretty cool saxophone player, too. Any copyrighted material in this video has been used in the interests of the survival of humanity, and anyone who objects to its use is one sick individual. We have allowed the sociopaths with their wealth, greed and selfishness to rule us for too long, only by making an effort, ourselves, will anything ever change. My thanks to those whose videos and still pictures have made my job just a little bit easier…more
US Arms “Bonanza” in Middle East
Dissident Voice: 11 Aug 2010 – Two of the United States‚Äô closest allies in the Middle East, Israel and Saudi Arabia, are on the brink of signing large arms deals with the US in a move designed to ratchet up the pressure on Iran, according to defence analysts. America has agreed to sell Saudi Arabia 84 of the latest model of the F-15 jet and dozens of Black Hawk helicopters. The deal also includes refurbishing many of the kingdom’ older F-15s, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Israel is believed to have opposed the $30 billion deal. However, in a concession to Israel, the new F-15s, made by the Boeing Company, will not be equipped with the latest weapons and avionics systems available to the US military. The last such major arms sale by the US to Saudi Arabia was in 1992, when the kingdom received 72 F-15s. On that occasion, Israel tried to block…more
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The New Dark Age 
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