20 August, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Barak:”We Will Intercept Lebanese Ships Heading To Gaza”
IMEMC – 20 Aug 2010 – Saturday August 21, 2010 – 02:37, Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, threatened that Israel will intercept and, if needed, use force against two Lebanese solidarity ships heading to the besieged Gaza Strip.
Clinton:”Direct Talks September 2nd”
IMEMC – 20 Aug 2010 – Saturday August 21, 2010 – 02:22, U.S Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, stated on Friday evening that direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority will be launched on September 2nd.
One Journalist Injured; 2 Activists Arrested During Weekly Protests
IMEMC – 20 Aug 2010 – Friday August 20, 2010 – 19:35, Ramallah — PNN — Two anti wall protests were organized in the central West Bankk villages of Bil’in and Nil’in on Friday.
Fateh, Hamas Leaders To Meet In Gaza Saturday
IMEMC – 20 Aug 2010 – Friday August 20, 2010 – 15:38, Member of the Central Committee of Fateh Movement, Sakher Bseiso, stated that leaders of Fateh and Hamas movements will be holding a meeting in Gaza on Saturday in an attempt to end the internal division and achieve reconciliation.
Israel Likely To Accept U.S Calls For Direct Talks
IMEMC – 20 Aug 2010 – Friday August 20, 2010 – 15:19, Israeli sources reported that the government of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will likely respond positively to U.S calls for starting direct talks with the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israeli Media: Palestinians Attempt To Blow Up The Wall
IMEMC – 20 Aug 2010 – Friday August 20, 2010 – 12:33, Loud explosions and gun shots were been heard near the annexation wall near Qalandia refugee camp near Ramallah, Thursday near Midnight.
Father Charged With ‘Resisting Arrest’ Despite Video Evidence Disproving Charge
IMEMC – 20 Aug 2010 – Thursday August 19, 2010 – 22:43, A man whose arrest was filmed and spread on Youtube, showing his child begging soldiers to leave his father, has been sentenced by an Israeli court to three months and a fine.
UN Report: Israeli restrictions on farming and fishing violate human rights
IMEMC – 20 Aug 2010 – Thursday August 19, 2010 – 19:37, A United nations report released today found that Israeli forces in Gaza have severely restricted access to farmland and fishing zones along the Gaza Coast. The report found that these restrictions have steadily increased over the last ten years, beginning long before the siege imposed in 2007.
Court rules that Israeli soldiers wrongly killed 10-year old girl; family vows justice
IMEMC – 20 Aug 2010 – Thursday August 19, 2010 – 14:15, The family of a 10-year old girl shot and killed by Israeli soldiers in 2007 have vowed to bring the soldiers responsible to trial, after an Israeli court ruled Monday that the shooting was unlawful.
PCHR: Israeli Forces killed One Palestinian And Arrested 14 Others This week
IMEMC – 20 Aug 2010 – Thursday August 19, 2010 – 12:15, This week Israeli military attacks on Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza left one fighter killed and another worker injured. the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said in its weekly report.
Detention in Bil’in; Al-Ma’sara protests photo scandal
8/20/2010 – BIL’IN, Ramallah (Ma’an) — A Norwegian peace activist was reportedly detained from a march organized by Bil’in village residents protesting the construction of the separation wall on Friday. An Israeli military spokeswoman said she was unaware of any arrests made in the village during the protest, and Israeli border police….
Skirmish at Qalandiya overnight
8/20/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion and shots fired near the Israeli separation wall at the Qalandiya refugee camp shortly after 1 a. m. Friday. The Israeli news site Ynet said shortly after 11 p. m. that Palestinians placed a tire and gas container near the wall in approximately the same….
Gaza crossings closed
8/20/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza crossings will be shut until Sunday following an announcement by Israeli officials on Friday morning that the terminal would be shut down for the day. With Saturday a regularly scheduled closure day for the terminals, the Strip will go two days with no commercial or humanitarian aid deliveries, as….
2 September new date for talks?
8/20/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an/Agencies) — Reuters news service quoted diplomatic sources Thursday saying Israeli and Palestinian negotiators would be invited to Washington at the start of September to begin direct peace talks. The decision to set a date was reportedly made by the Middle East Quartet during discussions on a draft statement that was initially….
Haniyeh calls on Fatah to meet in Gaza for talks
8/20/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Two Fatah officials in Gaza offering condolences to the recently deceased former PA intelligence chief should remain in Gaza and talk about Palestinian unity, Hamas government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Thursday. On a visit to the mourning house of Amin Al-Hindi, who died in Jordan on Wednesday, Haniyeh met….
Fatah accepts Haniyeh unity invite
8/20/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Fatah officials, in Gaza to offer condolences to family members of a former PA intelligence chief, will begin meetings with Hamas officials to discuss Palestinian unity, sources confirmed Friday. Fatah Central Committee member Sakher Besisu said details of an imminent meeting were being arranged ahead of an expected Saturday sit….
Minister announces new hospital in Tubas
8/21/2010 – TUBAS (Ma’an) — Construction of a new hospital in the West Bank city of Tubas will begin in 10 days, the Palestinian Authority Health Minister said Friday. Fathi Abu Moghli estimated the building would take 18 months, and thanked the Turkish government for its financial support of the project. The announcement was made during….
Palestinian doctors arrive in Pakistan
8/21/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A team of Palestinian doctors arrived in Pakistan Friday to aid flood relief efforts. Sent by President Mahmoud Abbas, the delegation includes six doctors specializing in gynecology, obstetrics and general medicine, the Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan said. Hazem Abu Shanab added that the group brought aid and medicine, and were treating….
US invites leaders to direct talks
8/20/2010 – WASHINGTON (Ma’an) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas have been invited to begin direct peace talks, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Friday. At a special press briefing in Washington, Clinton invited the two leaders to restart talks in a trilateral session hosted by US President Barack Obama on….
Palestinian factions have mixed feelings over talks
8/20/2010 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — PLO Negotiations Chief Saeb Erekat said Friday that the Palestinian leadership welcomed the decision to go to direct talks following an announcement by US officials in Washington. Erekat said the leadership welcomed the Quartet invitation to resume direct talks with Israel in September, and added that he believed success could be….
Netanyahu welcomes invitation to restart talks without preconditions
8/20/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s invitation Friday to resume direct talks on 2 September. Clinton announced the invitation at a special press briefing in Washington. In a statement, Netanyahu said he was “pleased with the American clarification that the talks would be….
Dozens faint during prayers under Ramadan sun
8/20/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Tens of thousands of Palestinians lined up at West Bank checkpoints early on Friday morning, waiting to be granted access to the holy city of Jerusalem for prayer on the second Friday of Ramadan. Officials at the Islamic Waqf office estimated 150,000 worshipers gathered in the Old City mosque for prayer….
In photos: Markets full of Ramadan sweets
8/20/2010 – MaanImages / Khaleel Reash – Vendors sell Ramadan favorites at market during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya on 17 August 2010….
25 injured as bus collapses
8/20/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Twenty-five passengers were injured Friday when a bus en route to Ramallah collapsed north of Jerusalem. Israeli ambulances took the injured to hospital, Israeli sources said. The bus was en route to Ramallah. Five of the passengers were moderately injured, while 20 sustained light injuries….
West Bank woman farms organic, heads sewing business
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Washington – Israel’s West Bank separation barrier is meant to follow the Green Line Israeli border, but the barrier actually cuts deeply into the West Bank, bisecting arable farmland and surrounding neighborhoods in urban areas, all…
Jordan journalists: New cyber laws gov’t censorship
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Washington — Jordan’s journalists are crying foul at an August 3 temporary law on internet crimes that many see as a cyber-crackdown on dissent, AFP news agency reported Friday. Many government employees will now be blocked…
A little Friday optimism
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Iran Bomb Not Imminent In his book on President Obama’s first year in office, Jonathan Alter wrote that the President felt that he was “jammed by the Pentagon” to deepen the US involvement in Afghanistan. In…
Israel says it will turn back Lebanese aid ship
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Israeli told the UN Friday that will turn back a Lebanese aid-ship – using force if necessary – which is set to take off for the Gaza Strip Sunday, AFP news agency reported . The Mavi Marmara,…
Queer Palestinians call for BDS
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Washington — As the global campaign for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel continues to gain momentum, one group of Palestinian activists are joining the call and fighting to bring an oft-dismissed face to the…
Israeli, Palestinian officials respond to direct talks announcement
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Washington – After Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s announcement that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will convene in Washington, DC Sept. 2 to engage in direct talks, along with a statement of…
Quartet releases statement on direct talks
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Washington – The Middle East Quartet, comprised of representatives from the US, EU, UN, and Russia, released a statement Friday in tandem with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s announcement that Palestinian and Israeli leadership will…
Homeless Gazans take over Hamas building in protest
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Washington — More than 40 Gaza families whose houses were destroyed during the 2008-2009 Israeli offensive in the Strip have taken over a Hamas building to protest the Islamist government’s failure to provide housing. Hundreds and…
Arab countries give to Pakistan flood relief
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Dubai – IRIN – Donations to Pakistan continue to trickle in amid international calls for more contributions. The Organization of the Islamic Conference on 18 August urged the ‚Äúinternational community in general and the Islamic world…
Report: Ireland considered passport recall after Mossad hit
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Washington — As the international scandal surrounding the January assassination of a senior Hamas leader in Dubai continues to unravel, new reports have surfaced showing that Ireland considered reissuing more than 2.5 million passports after eight…
Fatah officilas to meet with Hamas in Gaza
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Washington – Two Fatah officials will begin meeting with their Hamas counterparts to discuss Palestinian political reconciliation, Ma’an News Agency reported Friday. Prime Minister of Hamas-ruled Gaza Ismail Haniyeh invited two Fatah officials to revisit reconciliation…
Clinton announces direct talks
Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 – Direct negotiations will begin in DC Sept. 2, secretary says Washington – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Friday that Palestinian and Israeli leadership will convene in Washington, DC Sept. 2 to begin direct negotiations. Giving…
Iran to power up nuclear reactor
AlJazeera 20 Aug 2010 – Country’s first nuclear power plant to come online after years of delays.
Settlements ‘may halt’ direct talks
AlJazeera 20 Aug 2010 – Palestinians warn negotiations would be threatened if building on occupied land resumes.
Homeless Gazans Seize Hamas Government Building
PNN – Gaza – Reuters- Forty families whose houses were destroyed in conflict with Israel took over a building belonging to Gaza’s Hamas rulers this week in a sign of dissatisfaction with the Islamist…
One Journalist Injured; 2 Activists Arrested During Weekly Protests
PNN – Ramallah — PNN — Two anti wall protests were organized in the central West Bak villages of Bil’in and Nil’in on Friday. The Israeli military attacked the weekly anti wall protest in…
Troops Fire Tear Gas At Anti Wall Protesters Near Bethlehem
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN – Israeli and international supporters joined the villagers of Al Ma’sara, near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem to protest the Israeli wall. Villagers and their supporters marched…
Anti Wall Protest Near Jerusalem Ends Peacefully
PNN – Jerusalem — PNN – Villagers of Al Walaja near Jerusalem protested on Friday the Israeli wall being built on their lands. Israeli and international supporters joined the villagers today. The protest started…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (12 -18 August 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Forger of Galant document abroad
Jeruslalem Post 21 Aug 2010 – Police say Lt.-Col. (res.) Boaz Harpaz will be questioned upon arrival to Israel.
Clinton announces direct talks to resume on Sept. 2
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – PA wants Quartet to press Israel to end ‘provocative acts’; Hamas rejects invitation; Netanyahu welcomes decision saying reaching an agreement is ‘difficult challenge but possible.’
Clinton announces direct to resume on September 2
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – Washington to invite Israel and Palestinians to peace negotiations; Netanyahu welcomes decision saying reaching an agreement is ‘difficult challenge but possible.’
Clinton announces direct talks will resume on Sept. 2
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – Washington to invite Israel and Palestinians to peace negotiations; Netanyahu welcomes decision saying reaching an agreement is ‘difficult challenge but possible.’
Barak: Lebanon must stop flotilla
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – Israel urges Beirut to prevent “provocative” ship heading to Gaza.
US: Direct talks to resume Sept. 2
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – Clinton to invite Israel and Palestinians to peace negotiations.
US says direct talks to resume
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – Clinton to invite Israel and Palestinians to peace negotiations.
‘20,000 children in Israel illegally’
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – Yishai: Kids pose larger threat to Jewish state than perceived.
US: ‘Nuclear Iran at least a year away’
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – Report: Ahmadinejad prepared to begin talks with Security Council.
‘Hizbullah should join Lebanese Army’
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – Beirut politician proposes reinforcing LAF in southern border region.
Galant case: Barak commends police
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – Colonel Siboni claims he leaked the PR document to Channel 2.
‘Al-Qaida prepares for Israel-Iran war’
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – Report: Al-Shehri warns against “the greater state of Israel.”
Peretz: Delay search for new IDF chief
Jeruslalem Post 20 Aug 2010 – Former defense minister asks gov’t to postpone candidate interviews.
The forbidden city
Jeruslalem Post 19 Aug 2010 – To the chagrin of Muslim hard-liners who oppose the normalization of ties with Israel, Jordanian travel agents are offering inexpensive deals to Jerusalem during Ramadan.
‘Palestine’s new bride’
Jeruslalem Post 19 Aug 2010 – Fancy restaurants, five-star hotels, glitzy bars, discotheques, luxury apartments and scores of new construction sites. Welcome to the new Ramallah, the de facto capital of Palestine.
International Solidarity Movement
Successful outcome in Swedish peace activist’s legal appeal against Israeli sentence banning him from Palestine
8/20/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – On Thursday 12 August 2010 Swedish peace activist Marcus Regnander’s legal battle with the Police Department of Hebron ended successfully. His appeal against a sentence which banned him from the West Bank for six months after being convicted — despite the absence of any evidence — of assaulting a soldier, was filed at…. Related: Fabricated charges lead to Swedish activist being banned from West Bank
Police back out of delegation to study Berlin model of tolerance
Ha’aretz – Delegation of Israeli gay youth and Tel Aviv municipal officials to meet with German group to study Berlin model against homophobic crimes.
Police issue arrest warrant in Galant document forgery
Ha’aretz – Suspect is named as Lt. Col. (res.) Boaz Harpaz, who is currently overseas; police say he will be questioned upon return to Israel.
IDF soldiers arrested over alleged mistreatment of Palestinian detainees
Ha’aretz – 5 Nahal Haredi soldiers suspected of taking their photographs alongside bound detainees, as well as two cases of drug use.
Israel, Palestinians accept U.S. invitation to direct peace talks
Ha’aretz – U.S. Secretary of State Clinton said Netanyahu and Abbas will meet with President Obama on Sept. 1, before formally resuming direct negotiations the following day.
ANALYSIS / Netanyahu has won, for now
Ha’aretz – After a year and a half of political stagnation and Israel’s increasing international isolation, Netanyahu can claim his first diplomatic achievement – even if it is a modest one.
Netanyahu welcomes renewal of direct peace talks with Palestinians
Ha’aretz – U.S. announcement of resumption of direct peace talks between Israel, Palestinians lauded by some, met with caution by others.
Israel to UN: Lebanon Gaza-bound ship is unnecessary provocation
Ha’aretz – Israel submits formal complaint to United Nations over Lebanese Gaza-bound ship, which is scheduled to sail with female activists and aid on-board on Sunday., Defense Minister says the ship which…
Homeless Gazans seize Hamas government building
Ha’aretz – 40 families whose houses were destroyed in conflict with Israel took over building in sign of dissatisfaction with Hamas’ failure to provide shelter.
Report: Iran ready to begin immediate nuclear fuel swap talks
Ha’aretz – Russia expected to begin loading nuclear fuel into the reactor of Iran’s first atomic power station on August 21, despite U.S. sanctions.
Report: U.S. assures Israel nuclear Iran a year away
Ha’aretz – White House says assessment that it will take at least a year before Iran develops nuclear weapons dims prospects of a preemptive Israeli strike.
U.S.: Direct peace talks to begin on September 2 in Washington
Ha’aretz – Hillary Clinton, George Mitchell say through peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, all final status issues can be resolved in one year.
Organizers: All-woman Lebanese aid ship to set sail for Gaza Sunday
Ha’aretz – Women instructed to carry blood type info in case ‘they need blood transfusions in the event of being attacked by Israeli forces.’
Palestinian Father Charged With ‘Resisting Arrest’ Despite Video Evidence Disproving Charge
Uruknet August 20, 2010 – A man whose arrest was filmed and spread on Youtube, showing his child begging soldiers to leave his father, has been sentenced by an Israeli court to three months and a fine. The video shows Fadil al-Jabari’s four-year old son tugging on his father’s shirt and begging the soldiers not to take his daddy away….
Video: Desecration protest in Jerusalem
Uruknet August 20, 2010 – Dozens of demonstrators in West Jerusalem have protested against the demolition of tombstones in the city’s historic Muslim cemetery. The protesters say hundreds of graves were desecrated. But city officials say they simply did away with fake tombstones, placed there to deter developers…
Israel’s Bogus Construction Moratorium
Uruknet August 20, 2010 – Promises made, then broken. Promise peace. Wage war and daily violence throughout the Territories. Announce a settlement construction halt. Keep building, the promised pause (not a freeze) never observed despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s December 8 announced moratorium saying: “I hope that this decision will help launch meaningful negotiations to reach a historic peace agreement…
Video: Loss of InnocenceExhibition of Gaza Children’s Art
Uruknet August 19, 2010 – Rod Cox gives a tour of his exhibition of Gazan children’s art, Loss of Innocence, which is sponsored by UNESCO. I recorded this video when the exhibition visited Dundee on 16 August 2010. The exhibition comprises about 50 pictures, drawn, painted or crayoned by children in Gaza, some immediately after, or even during the Assault…
Video: Declassified: Massive Israeli manipulation of US media exposed
Uruknet August 19, 2010 – Files declassified in America have revealed covert public relations and lobbying activities of Israel in the U.S. The National Archive made the documents public following a Senate investigation. They suggest Israel has been trying to shape media coverage of issues it regards as important. You can download the files from the web-site of the Institute…
Declassified Senate Investigation Files Reveal Clandestine Israeli PR Campaign in AmericaThe AZC’s internal “Information and Public Relations Department” reports.
Uruknet August 19, 2010 – Between 1962-1963 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee subpoenaed internal reports of the American Zionist Council during its investigation into the activities of registered agents of foreign principals. They discovered that more than $5 million in tax exempt (and possibly overseas donations) had been laundered through the Jewish Agency’s American Section into the American Zionist Council….
Declassified Senate Investigation Files Reveal Clandestine Israeli PR Campaign in America
Uruknet August 19, 2010 – Declassified files from a Senate investigation into Israeli-funded covert public relations and lobbying activity in the United States were released by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on July 23rd, 2010. The subpoenaed documents reveal Israel’s clandestine programs for “cultivation of editors,” the “stimulation and placement of suitable articles in the major consumer magazines”…
West Bank boycott campaign impacting settlement economy
Uruknet August 19, 2010 – Grassroots Palestinian boycott campaigns across the occupied West Bank to take Israeli settlement products off the shelves of local stores have made an impact on the Israeli settlement economy, to the unease of the Israeli government, noted the Israeli daily Haaretz this week (“Palestinians ‘adamant about continuing boycott on settlement goods’,” 8 August 2010). From…
UN report: IDF barring Gazans’ access to farms, fishing zones
Uruknet August 19, 2010 – Over the last ten years, the Israel Defense Forces have increasingly restricted Palestinian access to farmland on the Gazan side of the Israeli-Gaza border as well as to fishing zones along the Gaza beach, a United Nations report revealed Thursday. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) wrote in the report,…
Hamas must rebrand and take the wind out of Israel’s and America’s sails
Uruknet August 19, 2010 – …Fatah have done themselves (and others) irreparable damage. They have shot their bolt. How will they command respect in the foreseeable future? Meanwhile, it is four-and-a-half years since the fateful day Hamas was elected to power. They may have been surprised and unprepared then, but there is no excuse for squandering such a heaven-sent opportunity…
Video: Daily Life in Hebron – Struggle for Water Under Settler Harassment
Uruknet August 19, 2010 – In South Mt. Hebron, At recent weeks, We have encountered again and again provocations of the settlers’ takeover of the water wells in the area, attempts to prevent Palestinians to access them. However, counter to the decisions of the civil administration which state that it is the Palestinians right. The water cisterns are the only…
Report: Israeli navy returns to Dead Sea
Uruknet August 19, 2010 – Until the early 1980s, the Israeli navy was active in the Dead Sea and ready for infiltration by Palestinian groups across the body of water, which separates Israel and the West Bank from Jordan. After 30 years the army is back in the Dead Sea for patrolling and equipped with modern patrol vessels, which they…
Video: Ilan Pappe on “The Nakba of Palestine”
Uruknet August 19, 2010 – Historian Ilan Pappe of Exeter University discusses the people and ideology behind the crimes of the war of 1948, which he describes as the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. This speech was given at the Al-Awda Convention in 2008.
Most items allowed into Gaza by Israel “are food and consumer goods”
Uruknet August 19, 2010 – A special report published on 18th August has warned that the goods now being allowed into Gaza by the Israeli authorities are mostly limited to food and consumer items. Data provided by the border crossings’ follow-up project implemented by the Palestinian Trade Centre — Paltrade – and funded by the World Bank, showed that 48%…
PLO and Israel agree to talks
The National 20 Aug 2010 – September meeting will mark the first time in 20 months that the heads of state will meet face-to-face, with the Egyptian and Jordanian leaders also expected.
Lebanon to proceed with all-female aid trip to Gaza this weekend
The National 20 Aug 2010 – Transport minister says his country “will not respond to the wishes” of the Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, who has warned that Israel would intercept any such vessel.
Israeli soldiers ‘stole laptops from Gaza aid flotilla’
The National 20 Aug 2010 – Five arrests over alleged theft of computers from aid ship after interception by Israeli navy.
PLO Accepts Call for Direct Negotiations
WAFA – RAMALLAH, August 20, 2010 (WAFA)- The PLO Executive Committee accepted Friday night to re-launch the direct negotiations to solve all the final status issues as well US Secretary of State
Statement by Middle East Quartet on Direct Negotiations
WAFA –
Informing UN Palestinian Rights Committee that Quartet Called for Direct Negotiations
WAFA – NEW YORK, August 20, 2010 (WAFA)- The Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations Riyad Mansour informed the Palestinian Rights Committee this morning that the Middle East Quartet had
West Bank Boycott Campaign Impacting Settlement Economy
WAFA – TEL AVIV, August 20, 2010 (WAFA)- Grassroots Palestinian boycott campaigns across the occupied West Bank to take Jewish settlement products off the shelves of local stores have made an impact on the
Direct Negotiations to Be Re-Launched on September 2, Clinton Says
WAFA – WASHINGTON, August 20, 2010 (WAFA)- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Friday that she had invited President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to meet on
Iran hinges enrichment stoppage on nuclear-fuel supplies
Daily Star 20 Aug 2010
Israel, Palestinians to hold direct talks next month
Daily Star 20 Aug 2010
Jordan press furious over new cyber crimes law
Daily Star 20 Aug 2010
US still needs a deal with Tehran
Daily Star 20 Aug 2010
American officials discuss Iran sanctions with Turkey
Daily Star 20 Aug 2010
Barak urges Lebanon not to let Mariam sail
Daily Star 20 Aug 2010
Harb says no need to fear Palestinian work rights, denies ‘naturalization’ claims
Daily Star 20 Aug 2010
Siddiq accuses Hizbullah, Syria of ‘sponsoring false witnesses’
Daily Star 20 Aug 2010
Emily Henochowicz: artist to pro-Palestinian activist
The Guardian 20 Aug 2010 – Jewish-American Emily Henochowicz recalls how she lost an eye at a protest in Israel after the storming of the Gaza aid flotilla As a student artist, Emily Henochowicz has always been fascinated by the way the…
Israel and Palestinians poles apart ahead of direct talks
The Guardian 20 Aug 2010 – The goal of two states living in peace and security sounds more like an aspiration for an ideal world than an agenda for talks, writes Ian Black Agreement to resume direct peace negotiations between Israel and…
Israel and Palestinians to resume peace talks in Washington
The Guardian 20 Aug 2010 – Hillary Clinton hopes a peace agreement can be reached within a year, in first direct negotiations since 2008 Israel and the Palestinians are to resume direct peace talks next month under pressure from Washington to break…
Israel and Palestinians to resume direct peace talks
The Guardian 20 Aug 2010 – Binyamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas will open negotiations on ‘core issues’ in Washington next month Israel and the Palestinians are to resume direct peace talks next month under pressure from Washington to break years of political…
Before we talk to Hamas | Ron Prosor
The Guardian 20 Aug 2010 – No missiles means no blockade. When Israelis feel secure, concessions will follow. It’s that simple Groucho Marx famously quipped: “Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them ‚Ķ well, I have others.” The International…
OPT: Children Coping with Trauma through Music Therapy in Nablus
Relief Web 20 Aug 2010 – Source: US Agency for International Development
USAID West Bank/Gaza Report on Mission Program Achievements – Week of August 2, 2010
Relief Web 20 Aug 2010 – Source: US Agency for International Development
Gaza Strip land crossings weekly status report – August 8-12, 2010
Relief Web 20 Aug 2010 – Source: Government of Israel
Homeless Gazans seize Hamas government building
Relief Web 20 Aug 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
ISRAEL-LEBANON: U.N. Treads Cautiously in Probe of Border Firefight
IPS Three weeks after a fatal exchange of fire between Israel and Lebanon along the U.N.-demarcated Blue Line, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has yet to make recommendations on easing tension at the border.
MIDEAST: Stitching Together a Living, Somehow
IPS Just off Omar Al-Mukhtar Street, Gaza City’s main thoroughfare, in a narrow, sandy alley way is a little second-hand clothing shop. In the dimly lit store, with only intermittent electricity for some hours a day at best, sits a single battered and aging sewing machine.
Awarta land reclamation attacked by armed settlers and military
Stop The Wall – On Thursday morning, Palestinian farmers and international supporters were barred from irrigating the olive trees they had planted on Land Day (March 30) in the valley east of Awarta. For a month now, on every Thursday, people gather to reclaim the threatened lands. [
Shalit slams PM, Barak over ‘Galant document’
YNet News – Father of kidnapped soldier harshly criticizes defense minister for fixation….
US assures Israel on Iran’s bomb plans
YNet News – (Video) New York Times says Washington has persuaded Jerusalem that Tehran would….
Iran readies to start up first nuclear reactor
YNet News – Iranian and Russian nuclear technicians made final preparations to start up Iran’s first reactor on Saturday after years of delays, an operation that will mark a …….
US: Israel, PA to resume direct talks
YNet News – WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Friday that Israel and the Palestinian Authority have agreed to return to the negotiating table, under US …….
Netanyahu welcomes direct peace talks
YNet News – VIDEO – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday welcomed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s invitation for a peace summit with the Palestinians in Washington, in …….
‘Lebanon flotilla may be linked to Hezbollah’
YNet News – WASHINGTON — Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Friday, expressing Jerusalem’s “concern” that the Gaza-bound …….
Barak: Lebanon must stop Gaza sail
YNet News – Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged Beirut Friday to stop the Lebanese ship carrying women activists who announced they will try and reach the Gaza Strip, in an attempt to …….
Yishai: 20,000 foreign kids living in Israel illegally
YNet News – According to figures released by the Interior Ministry on Friday, 20,000 children of foreign workers are residing in Israel illegally — 6,000 under the age of five, and …….
Palestinian Information Center
Hamas rejects call for direct negotiations
PIC 20 Aug 2010 – Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, said on Friday that his movement rejects the U.S. call for direct negotiations between the Oslo team in Ramallah and the Israeli occupation.
Hamas: PA in W.B. wages war on religion, values, and culture
PIC 20 Aug 2010 – Hamas Movement has plainly accused the PA authority in the West Bank of waging war against Islam, and the values and culture of the Palestinian people, and of spreading mischief in the region.
Hamas calls on media to support issue of Jerusalem
PIC 20 Aug 2010 – The Hamas Movement has urged on Thursday all media outlets to focus on the issue of the city of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque amidst the accelerated Israeli attempts to Judaize them.
Maryam sails to Gaza on Sunday despite Israeli threats
PIC 20 Aug 2010 – Organizers of the Lebanese humanitarian Maryam vessel have announced Thursday that the boat loaded with aid to the besieged people in the Gaza Strip would set sail to the costal Strip on Sunday.
IOF former soldier happy to kill, even slaughter Arabs
PIC 20 Aug 2010 – An Israeli former soldier reportedly wrote on her page on Thursday that she would “gladly kill Arabs — even slaughter them,” according to Haaretz newspaper.
Occupation plans to increase settlers in West Bank settlements
PIC 20 Aug 2010 – The Israeli Peace Now movement said on Thursday that the Israeli occupation continues to expand settlements and increase the number of settlers in those settlements.
Occupation will build new prison
PIC 20 Aug 2010 – The SNCSC said that the plans of the Israeli occupation to build a new prison could only emphasise the “arrogance of the occupation and its criminal mentality of repression and terrorism.”
Iran and Syria to Sign Free Trade Agreement
The Media Line 19 Aug 2010 – Normal”> Iran and Syria are set to sign a free trade agreement, Iran’s commerce minister announced Monday. The news follows the success of a 2009 free trade agreement between Syria and Turkey which saw trade rise…
Israeli, Palestinian leaders agree to meet in Washington
LA Times 20 Aug 2010 – The two Mideast sides will attend a dinner at the White House and hold talks. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton acknowledges difficulties ahead in the bid for a final peace settlement. The Obama administration said Friday that it has invited the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to Washington early next month to resume long-stalled direct peace talks, recognizing “there will be difficulties ahead” in the latest effort to achieve a final settlement of the conflict.
Palestinians Resuming Talks Under Pressure
New York Times 20 Aug 2010 – The Palestinians agreed to negotiations with Israel only after intense pressure, diplomats said, but the issue of pre-1967 borders has not been mentioned.
Friday in Bil’in
Mondoweiss – From the Friends of Freedom and Justice in Bil’in: Despite the intense heat and high temperature, on the second Friday in Ramadan, a sizable march organized by the Popular Committee commenced from the center of the village right after the Friday prayers. The protesters, consisting of…
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon do not only have Israel to blame for their plight
Mondoweiss – A news report from before the Lebanese Parliament reformed laws regarding Palestinian work permits. The Lebanese Parliament on Tuesday approved a law permitting Palestinians residing in Lebanon the same work opportunities as foreigners; the proposal amending the Lebanese Labor Law will grant Palestinian refugees in Lebanon…
Settlers gone wild
Mondoweiss – And other news from Today in Palestine: Land and Property Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing Palestinian Negotiator Says New Settlement Building Would End Peace Talks Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said an anticipated new round of peace talks will fall apart if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…
J Street and Oren patch up
Mondoweiss – The Forward has a piece on Israeli Ambassado r Michael Oren that discusses his rapprochement with J Street. Note that while the piece refers to elements of the American Jewish community that are alienated from Israel, to explain the fact that many at Brandeis were not…
‘NPR’ gives ‘Wardrums’ Goldberg a stage
Mondoweiss – NPR has given Jeffrey Goldberg a platform for his argument that Israel is going to strike Iran and that the U.S. better help out because Israel can’t do it on its own. Tom Ashbrook’s program On Point . You will see that the piece was preceded by…
UN Gets over 100 Complaints of Israeli Abuse of W. Bank Teenagers This Year
Al-Manar 20 Aug 2010 – The way the Israeli army and police treat Palestinian minors arrested in the occupied West Bank is the focus of complaints filed recently with both Israeli legal authorities and the United Nations. The Palestinian branch of Defense for Children International (DCI ) has taken affidavits from…
Revenge Of The Nerds: Partying With The Boys Of Im Tirtzu
Joseph Dana 20 Aug 2010 – This piece was co-authored by Max Blumenthal Tamir Kafri, Ben Gurion University campus coordinator for Im Tirtzu Fresh off a campaign of nationwide intimidation against the New Israel Fund, countless damaging personal attacks against leftists and professors condemned as insufficiently Zionist, and an endorsement from Israeli…
Iran to start up nuclear reactor
BBC 20 Aug 2010 – Iran is poised to declare its first nuclear power station operational in a ceremony marked by national celebrations.
Middle East peace talks to resume
BBC 20 Aug 2010 – Israel and the Palestinians agree to resume direct negotiations for the first time in 20 months, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says.
UN criticises Gaza restrictions‚Äé
BBC 19 Aug 2010 – A UN report says the Israeli army has increasingly restricted Palestinian access to farmland in the Gaza Strip and fishing zones along its shore.
Will fuelling Bushehr give Iran the bomb?
BBC 20 Aug 2010 – Why is Iran being allowed to fuel a nuclear reactor when the West has tried to stop it getting a nuclear weapon? The BBC’s Jonathan Marcus reports.
Gazans Stitching Together a Living, Somehow
Antiwar.com 21 Aug 2010 – GAZA CITY — Just off Omar Al-Mukhtar Street, Gaza City’s main thoroughfare, in a narrow, sandy alley way is a little second-hand clothing shop. In the dimly lit store, with only intermittent electricity for some hours a day at best, sits a single battered and aging…
Canada’s Postal Workers are on Board: Send your Gaza mail on the Canadian Boat to Gaza!
Sabbah report 21 Aug 2010 – (Toronto and Montreal, Aug 19, 2010) — Canada’s Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) got the message across last week that cutting off mail delivery to Gaza is another abusive measure intended to heighten the suffering and hardship of the besieged residents of the occupied strip. The…
The secrets in Israel’s archives: Evidence of ethnic cleansing kept under lock and key — by Jonathan Cook
Sabbah report 21 Aug 2010 – By Jonathan Cook* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz History may be written by the victors, as Winston Churchill is said to have observed, but the opening up of archives can threaten a nation every bit as much as the unearthing of mass graves. That danger explains…
Israel: Second-Class Citizens
Sabbah report 21 Aug 2010 – By George Bisharat And Nimer Sultany* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Should Israel be encouraged to enact legislation guaranteeing equal rights for all of its citizens as part of any peace agreement with the Palestinians? Israel’s systematic discrimination against Arabs was highlighted recently when Donna Shalala,…
Articles
Peace talks in the shadow of demolitions
The Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, Ma’an News Agency8/20/2010
While President Barack Obama pressures Palestinians to re-engage in direct peace talks, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu loftily counsels President Mahmoud Abbas not to miss the opportunity, recent demolitions within the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel continue unabated and unaddressed.
According to the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, July and August have marked the highest number of demolitions this year. As of the end of July, OCHA reported that Israeli forces destroyed over 230 structures effectively displacing and/or affecting over 1,100 Palestinians, including 400 children since the beginning of 2010. Over 50 percent of that destruction took place in July.
OCHA further commented in its latest report that the Israeli Civil Administration would be stepping up demolitions in the West Bank as per orders by the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
In the Jordan Valley, Israeli forces have demolished the village of Al-Farisiya twice within the span of 10 days; first on 19 July and again on 5 August.
The demolitions resulted in the destruction of 116 structures and the displacement of 129 people, 63 of whom were children. In the second round of demolitions, 10 structures not previously harmed were demolished along with 27 structures and materials provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Israel has flagrantly disavowed its peace rhetoric by issuing additional demolition orders to be meted out on 15-16 August. — See also: UN OCHA Report (PDF) more.. e-mail
Gazans Stitching Together a Living, Somehow
Mel Frykberg, Antiwar.com8/21/2010
GAZA CITY — Just off Omar Al-Mukhtar Street, Gaza City’s main thoroughfare, in a narrow, sandy alley way is a little second-hand clothing shop. In the dimly lit store, with only intermittent electricity for some hours a day at best, sits a single battered and aging sewing machine.
This is where Khaled Nassan, a father of four children, tries in vain to eke out a living repairing and selling second-hand clothing. Nassan charges the equivalent of 25 cents on average to repair an item. Gazans can’t afford to pay the dollar it used to cost. Nassan is lucky if he takes home 20 dollars a day.
“There is almost no business. I’m surviving on about 500 dollars a month, and I have several children at university. My family is dependent on aid from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Without them we would not survive,” Nassan tells IPS.
Prior to Israel’s systematic strangulation of the coastal territory (which began during the outbreak of the second Palestinian Intifada or uprising in 2000 but peaked with its hermetic sealing in 2007 when Hamas took over) Nassan had a clothing factory which employed 250 Gazans who in turn supported nearly 3,000 dependents.
“I used to travel to Israel regularly for business to meet my Israeli business partners and visit stores where my clothing was sold. I would also purchase material there to bring back to Gaza but now I can’t import any material,” says Nassan.
“Previously my profits ranged around 20,000 dollars monthly. I used to give my kids five dollars daily pocket money; now they are lucky if they get 50 cents….” more.. e-mail
The Israel Lobby Swims The Atlantic
Grant Smith, Antiwar.com8/18/2010
Jeffrey Goldberg’s current cover story in The Atlantic,”The Point of No Return,” achieved massive distribution across a broad spectrum of old and new media in the United States. Some observers — including Glenn Greenwald in”How Propagandists Function” — noted how well the methodology and message of Goldberg’s piece serves the Israeli government’s efforts to push U.S. military action against Iran. Gareth Porter views it as part of an overarching strategy to keep the U.S. from restoring productive relations with Iran. A huge trove of newly declassified documents subpoenaed during a Senate investigation reveals how Israel’s lobby pitched, promoted, and paid to have content placed in America’s top news magazines with overseas funding. The Atlantic (and others) received hefty rewards for trumpeting Israel’s most vital — but damaging — PR initiatives across America.
Unlike today, back in the 1960s Israel and its lobby were battling mightily to draw American attention away from the entire subject of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. A secret executive report [.pdf] subpoenaed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee investigation into the American Zionist Council, or AZC (AIPAC’s parent organization), reveals the lobby’s careful tracking of and satisfaction with most mainstream U.S. media coverage about the Dimona nuclear weapons facility:
“The nuclear reactor story inspired comment from many sources: editorial writers, columnists, science writers and cartoonists. Most of the press seemed finally to accept the thesis that the reactor was being built for peaceful purposes and not for bombs. Some columnists felt that the U.S. should have awaited more information before ‘ventilating its suspicions’. Drew Pearson’s syndicated column justified Israel’s secrecy; William Laurence in the New York Times stressed Israel’s peaceful intent, in contrast to Arthur Krock who wanted the reactor placed under international safeguards. Arab protagonists in this country — including those in the State Department who raised all the fuss initially — used the occasion to try to cast doubt on Israel’s friendship toward the U.S.” — See also:Declassified Senate Investigation Files Reveal Clandestine Israeli PR Campaign in America more.. e-mail
Israel refuses to lift ban on family unification
Electronic Intifada: 20 Aug 2010 – Jerusalem-born Firas al-Maraghi has been holding a hunger strike outside the Israeli embassy in Berlin, Germany, since 26 July, protesting a decision by the Israeli government to prevent his newborn daughter from being registered as a Jerusalem resident.more
Youth re-imagine life through short films
Electronic Intifada: 20 Aug 2010 – Palestinian youth premiered nine short films at public screenings in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip last week. Forty youths worked in small groups during two parallel three-week workshops conducted in the al-Aroub and Jabaliya refugee camps during the month of July. Palestinian and international trainers facilitated the workshops through the participatory media program Voices Beyond Walls, in partnership with local youth community organizations.more
Palestinians face movement restrictions during Ramadan
Electronic Intifada: 20 Aug 2010 – AZZUN ATMA, occupied northern West Bank (IPS) – For seven years Majda Abdul Qader Sheikh, 38, has not been allowed to visit the home of her parents, just a few hundred meters from her house. “I tried to get a special visitor’s permit for a quick visit during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but I was refused,” says Sheikh, mother of seven children. “I have had no problems with the Israeli authorities, nor am I considered a security threat,” she added.more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
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