21 August, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
4 British activists acquitted in anti-Ahava action
IMEMC – 21 Aug 2010 – Sunday August 22, 2010 – 02:08, A British court has found 4 activists not guity of ‘aggravated trespass’ for an action in which they shut down a store selling Israeli dead sea beauty products. The court ruled that the company in question, Ahava Beauty, was engaged in illegal activity by selling the products in violation of international law.
Human Rights Watch to Israel: Stop demolishing Bedouin homes
IMEMC – 21 Aug 2010 – Saturday August 21, 2010 – 18:44, The Israeli government should immediately stop demolishing the homes of Bedouin citizens in the Negev desert in southern Israel and should compensate those displaced and allow them to return to their village pending a final agreement that respects their rights under international law, Human Rights Watch said this week.
El-Khoudary: “External Pressures Forced Mariam Ship To Delay Its Sail To Gaza”
IMEMC – 21 Aug 2010 – Saturday August 21, 2010 – 15:10, Independent Palestinian Legislator and head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege, Jamal El-Khoudary, stated Saturday that enormous external pressures on the Lebanese solidarity ship “Mariam” have forced the ship to delay its trip to Gaza.
Foundation: Bulldozers enter cemetery in Beersheba
8/21/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Waqf and Heritage said Friday that Israeli bulldozers entered a Muslim cemetery in Beersheba’s Old City, razing tombstones to make way for a commercial complex, a statement read. The foundation described the demolitions in what residents call the Turkish Cemetery as a violation of sanctity….
Medic: Gaza fisherman shot by Israeli forces
8/21/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A fisherman was shot by Israeli naval forces off the northern Gaza shore on Saturday, moderately injuring the man who was taken in to hospital. Director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza Muawiya Hassanein said the fisherman was 22 years old, and was taken to hospital by peers after….
Report: Cyprus won’t allow Lebanese ship to sail for Gaza
8/21/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Cyprus will not allow a Lebanese ship carrying women activists and aid for Gaza to sail from its ports, the island’s police said Friday, Reuters reported. Organizers said their boat, the Mariam, would set sail from Lebanon for Cyprus on Sunday, despite Israel’s insistence that it would….
Protests threatened over Hebron water crisis
8/21/2010 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Residents in Hebron are threatening to hold sit-ins in front of the city’s water wells and outside the Prime Minister’s office in Ramallah if the water situation does not improve. Locals demanded that Prime Minister Salam Fayyad dismisses Shaddad Al-Attili, head of the Palestinian Water Authority, for….
Canadian court dismisses Bil’in claim
8/21/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A Quebec Court of Appeal dismissed a case brought by Bil’in against Canadian companies involved in illegal settlement construction on the West Bank village’s land, legal rights group Al-Haq reported. The claim was based on Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits an occupying power….
Hamas says Israeli, PA forces detain supporters
8/21/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas accused Israeli and Palestinian Authority forces of detaining supporters across the West Bank overnight, a statement issued Saturday read. The Islamist movement said six affiliates were detained by PA forces in the central Ramallah district and northern Salfit district. while three party supporters were detained by Israeli forces in Surif….
Jerusalem group: City still under fire
8/21/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) —A panel of prominent Muslim and Christian leaders said Saturday that 41 years after an arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem is still under threat. Speaking on the anniversary of the 1969 arson attack in the Old City, Hassan Khater, of Jerusalem’s Islamic-Christian Panel, said today’s fire….
25 detained in brawls across Hebron
8/21/2010 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — At least 13 civilians were injured and 25 were detained by police following the outbreak of several brawls across the southern West Bank district of Hebron, a police report issued Saturday read. Police said fights were reported in the Bab Az-Zawiya and Juneid Mountain neighborhoods in the city of Hebron, as….
PLO accepts US invite to enter direct talks
8/21/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The PLO’s Executive Committee on Friday accepted a US invitation to begin direct peace talks on 2 September by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a statement read.”Based on the Quartet’s statement. . . the PLO announces its approval to resume negotiations aimed at solving all final status….
Report: Israeli officials say no extension to settlement freeze
8/21/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Continuing a 10-month moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank past its September deadline “is not an option,” Israel Radio cited unnamed Israeli officials as reiterating on Saturday. The freeze in building on Israeli-only settlements in the West Bank was due to end on 26 September, weeks after the….
Leftist factions reject invite for direct talks
8/21/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Two leftist Palestinian factions rejected Saturday calls by the Quartet and US to relaunch direct talks with Israel, a day after the PLO endorsed the resumption of negotiations. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian Peoples’ Party released separate communiques slamming the Quartet’s….
Fayyad denies UAE cut aid to PA
8/21/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Premier Salam Fayyad rebuffed reports Saturday that Arab states had cut financial aid the Palestinian Authority, forcing it into a looming cash crisis. Reuters wrote Thursday that it had seen figures reportedly revealing that Saudi Arabia and the UAE, among others, have failed to deliver similar financial assistance in 2010 compared….
More than 20,000 cross Allenby Bridge
8/21/2010 – JERICHO (Ma’an) —During the week, 20,988 travelers crossed the Allenby Bridge between the West Bank and Jordan, Palestinian Authority police said Saturday. Entering the West Bank were 9,537, including 156 foreign nationals and 48 Palestinians with Israeli ID cards, while 10,856 left for Jordan, of whom 236 were foreign nationals and 25 holders….
Former Fatah splinter group says talks a ‘subjugation’
8/21/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) —Hamas-leaning splinter group Al-Ahrar issued a statement Saturday calling the decision to return to talks a “subjugation to American decisions.”The group said it would not be “committed to any of the outcomes” of the talks, and called for “Palestinian organizations to announce their rejection of these talks,” adding that….
PLO: Settlement building will derail talks
8/21/2010 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — The Palestinian leadership will pull out of peace talks if the Israeli government announces additional settlement construction projects inside the 1967 borders, senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat confirmed Saturday. Unnamed sources were cited in the London-based daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat and re-published in the Israeli media, saying that if Israel did not….
King of Jordan confirms invite to talks launch
8/21/2010 – AMMAN (Ma’an) — Jordan’s Royal Court confirmed reports that King Abdullah II was invited to bilateral talks and a dinner with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on 1 September in Washington DC. During a special news conference in Washington to announce the talks invitation, US Secretary General Hillary Clinton said “[US] President [Barack….
Gaza govt to seize all unlicensed weapons
8/21/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Gaza government announced Saturday that security forces will begin confiscating all unlicensed weapons in the Strip in a bid to maintain public security, a spokesman said. In a statement, Gaza police spokesman Major Ayman Al-Batneeji called for compliance with the law, urging residents to refrain from opening fire at….
Iftar held for disabled children
8/21/2010 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — An iftar dinner to break one’s fast during Ramadan was held Friday evening for disabled children and their families in Hebron by USAID and the Sanabel Al-Khair organization at the Independence Media and Development center in Hebron. Palestinian Authority presidential adviser Sabri Saydam attended the dinner, which included a….
Hamas to seize unlicensed weapons
Palestine Note 21 Aug 2010 – Washington – The de facto government of Gaza announced saturday that security forces will be confiscating all unlicensed weapons in an effort to promote public security, Ma’an News Agency reported : A militant carries a rocket. [Zoriah…
Iran ‘powers up’ nuclear plant
AlJazeera 21 Aug 2010 – Loading of uranium fuel into Russian-built Bushehr power station begins despite sanctions.
Gaza Bound Lebanese Ships Postpone Their Departure
PNN – Beirut-PNN-Two ships carrying women activists and aid destined for Gaza have been advised by its organizers, not to set sail from Lebanon on Sunday due to the stance of the Cypriot authorities….
The Quartet Affirms Strong Support For Palestinian-Israeli Direct Negotiations
PNN – Jerusalem ‚Äì PNN – The representatives of the Quartet reaffirm their strong support for direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians to resolve all final status issues. In a press statement…
Erekat: We Well Stop Talks If Israel Resumes Peace Talks
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura ‚Äì PNN – Dr. Sa’eb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, warned that the Palestinians would pull out of the new talks if the Israelis allow a return to settlement building in…
An Entrepreneur In The West Bank
PNN – ANERA ‚Äì PNN – The wall is suffocating the village; it’s a physical and psychological prison that’s prohibiting us from moving and being productive. Most young men here are apathetic and not…
Free Gaza: First Murder, Then Theft And Lies From The World’s Most Moral Army
PNN – London ‚Äì Free Gaza Movement – An investigation revealed by Israeli news sources confirms that an Israeli military officer and soldiers stole and sold laptops belonging to passengers on board the Freedom…
IFJ Calls On Israel To Review Detention Order Against Gambian Journalist
PNN – IFJ – PNN – The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) warned that the continuing crisis for independent journalism in The Gambia adds to the uncertainty facing one of the country’s journalists who…
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
Barak to Clinton: Stop Lebanese flotilla
Jeruslalem Post 21 Aug 2010 – Defense Minister: Attempt to sail for Gaza a “needless provocation.”
Barak resumes selection process for next chief of staff
Jeruslalem Post 21 Aug 2010 – Barak meets with four of the five candidates to replace Ashkenazi.
Likud: Talks are a huge achievement
Jeruslalem Post 21 Aug 2010 – PM to meet Yishai over issue of Jerusalem; Barak, Livni praise talks resumption.
Iranian engineers begin fueling Bushehr nuclear reactor
Jeruslalem Post 21 Aug 2010 – In next two weeks, 80 tons of uranium will be moved inside; Israel: It’s unacceptable for country that violates UN decisions to enjoy benefits of nuclear power.
Palestinian factions slam PA leadership
Jeruslalem Post 21 Aug 2010 – PA decision to negotiate directly with Israel draws condemnation.
New bid for peace to start on Sept. 2
Jeruslalem Post 21 Aug 2010 – PM to take any PA accord ‘to the people’; Clinton expects resolution in a year.
Lebanese ship postpones trip to Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 21 Aug 2010 – “Mariam” organizers ask Greece to allow passage after Cyprus says no.
‘Barak, you’ve ruined Labor, now you want to ruin the IDF?’
Ha’aretz – Labor Party activists launch campaign attacking Barak, claim that fostering an antagonistic atmosphere is his modus operandi.
Who is the ex-IDF officer suspected of forging Galant document?
Ha’aretz – Boaz Harpaz has been marked by police as the main suspect in an alleged plot to forge a document meant to affect the upcoming choice of a news IDF chief.
Heat wave continues to blanket Israel
Ha’aretz – Thursday was the hottest day of the week, with temperatures nine degrees above average in Jerusalem; temperatures expected to begin downward trend on Saturday.
Israel: World powers must pressure Iran to stop nuclear activity
Ha’aretz – U.S. says Bushehr nuclear power plant bears no ‘proliferation risk’; Iranian officials say it would take up to 3 months before plant starts producing electricity.
UN chief: Direct peace talks ‘must not be wasted’
Ha’aretz – Negotiations are the only way for the parties to resolve all final status issues, Ban says; al-Sharq al-Awsat reports PA will opt out of direct negotiations if settlement freeze not…
Barak to U.S., France: Take steps to stop Lebanese flotilla
Ha’aretz – After announced delay in departure of women’s flotilla, Defense Minister speaks with foreign ministers of U.S. and France, stresses that flotilla is an “unnecessary provocation.”
U.S.: Iran’s nuclear power plant bears no ‘proliferation risk’
Ha’aretz – Iran begins fueling its first nuclear power plant which it refers to as ‘start-up of the largest symbol of Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities.’, Obama invites king Abdullah II to join…
Report: PA to quit direct peace talks if settlement construction continues
Ha’aretz – Meeting between Netanyahu, Abbas, Obama Sept. 1 is to launch direct negotiations, three weeks before settle freeze expires.
Lebanese Gaza-bound flotilla postponed over Cyprus rebuff, organizers say
Ha’aretz – Lebanon revokes Miriam aid ship’s permit to sail after Nicosia authorities prohibit travel between Gaza and Cyprus.
Barak: Lebanon Gaza-bound ship aims to aid terror group
Ha’aretz – Defense Minister says the ship which will carry aid and female activists from Lebanon who hope to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza ‘has nothing to do with humanitarianism.’
Israel raids Hebron, erects military checkpoint
21 Aug 2010 – Hebron, August 21, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) ‚Äì Israeli occupation forces (…
FRAGMENTS OF GAZA LIFE
Uruknet August 21, 2010 – Jamila is worth ten men, affirm her friends. She is 55. Her husband died 15 years ago. Afterwards she sent her only two sons to study abroad. They got married and remained there. Jamila is generous and hospitable. She always smiles despite the difficulties. She lives alone like a number of women in Gaza. She…
Protests threatened over Hebron water crisis
Uruknet August 21, 2010 – Residents in Hebron are threatening to hold sit-ins in front of the city’s water wells and outside the Prime Minister’s office in Ramallah if the water situation does not improve. Locals demanded that Prime Minister Salam Fayyad dismisses Shaddad Al-Attili, head of the Palestinian Water Authority, for failing to commit to pledges he made to…
Israel tells schools not to teach nakba
Uruknet August 21, 2010 – Government officials warned Israeli teachers last week not to cooperate with a civic group that seeks to educate Israelis about how the Palestinians view the loss of their homeland and the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Israel’s education ministry issued the advisory after Zochrot ‚Äì a Jewish group that seeks to raise…
Israeli Academic Freedom at Risk
Uruknet August 21, 2010 – Born in Haifa, the son of German-Jewish immigrants who fled during the Nazi period, noted historian Ilan Pappe left Israel in summer 2007, telling London Guardian writer Chris Arnot he began “feeling for a while like public enemy No. 1” for his anti-Zionist views and supporting a boycott against Israeli universities, saying: “I supported (it)…
Medic: Gaza fisherman shot by Israeli forces
Uruknet August 21, 2010 – A fisherman was shot by Israeli naval forces off the northern Gaza shore on Saturday, moderately injuring the man who was taken in to hospital. Director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza Muawiya Hassanein said the fisherman was 22 years old, and was taken to hospital by peers after he was hit with gunfire…
The Farce of Middle East Peace Talks
Uruknet August 21, 2010 – For those with a keen interest in contemporary Middle East history, there’s a new spectacle coming to a conflict zone near you. On September 2nd, the production company that brought you Oslo, Wye River, Camp David and Annapolis will release a brand new blockbuster sequel to the so-called Middle East Peace Talks. Simply titled Resumption…
Iraqiya member says Sadr, Hakim met in Tehran
Uruknet August 20, 2010 – A member of al-Iraqiya revealed on Friday that a meeting was held in the Iranian capital Tehran on Thursday (Aug. 19) by Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr with the National Coalition leader Ammar to convince him of accepting an alliance with Iyad Allawi’s bloc. “The Sadrist Movement had pledged to play a positive role in trying…
Eden Abergil’sTrophy Photos: The Aberration That Wasn’t
Uruknet August 20, 2010 – …THE Israeli army is investigating claims that its soldiers are circulating “trophy” photographs of themselves posing next to dead and sometimes mutilated Palestinians. The revelation, made by a group of Israeli soldiers last week, has heightened fears that young army recruits are inured to the violence they face routinely as the Palestinian uprising drags on…
BBC under fire for Panorama’s ‘blatant Israeli bias’
Uruknet August 20, 2010 – Palestine solidarity activists outraged at the BBC’s refusal to address the “blatant bias” of Panorama’s Death In The Med programme will descend on the broadcaster’s studios across England this weekend. The BBC claimed it would show viewers “what really happened” when Israeli Defence Force soldiers stormed the Freedom Flotilla’s Mavi Marmara ship and murdered nine…
Israel: New Peak in Arbitrary Razing of Palestinian HomesDiscriminatory Israeli Policies Demolish Village, Forcibly Displace West Bank Residents
Uruknet August 20, 2010 – The Israeli government should immediately stop the arbitrary destruction of Palestinian homes and other property in the West Bank and compensate the people it has displaced, Human Rights Watch said today. Israeli authorities destroyed 141 Palestinian homes and other buildings in July 2010, the largest number in any month since at least 2005, and have…
Building Occupation, Demolishing Peace
Uruknet August 20, 2010 – Ever since announcing the so-called ‘settlement freeze’ nine months ago the Israeli government has not done a very good job abiding by the freeze. Actually, they haven’t abided by it at all. Put aside for a moment the notion that this freeze was an obligation the Israelis agreed to when accepting the Road Map in…
Analysis: talks are anything but straightforward
Uruknet August 20, 2010 – …Failed negotiations could well see the end of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, who has already intimated his intention to quit. This would usher in an uncertain search for a successor. It might lead to an end to the PA, which would struggle to explain its raison d’?™tre. And chances of success hinge, as they…
Israeli decision to establish a new prison “suggests a new wave of mass arrests”
Uruknet August 20, 2010 – Israel’s decision to build a new prison on the occupied West Bank suggests that the Palestinians can expect a wave of mass arrests, according to a prisoners’ support committee. Calling the decision a “reflection of the occupation authority’s arrogance and criminal mentality based on terrorism and repression,” the General Coordinator of the National Committee for…
Israel refuses to lift ban on family unification
Uruknet August 20, 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. Al-Maraghi, who is married to a German citizen, temporarily moved to Berlin to accompany his wife as…
Stitching Together a Living, Somehow
Uruknet August 20, 2010 – 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,…
Palestinians and Israelis sceptical about talks
The National 21 Aug 2010 – In Ramallah and, indeed, in Israel, reaction to the renewal of direct negotiations reflects past failures and present enmities.
Israel tells schools not to teach nakba
The National 21 Aug 2010 – Palestinian catastrophe’ is off limits, education ministry declares, advancing a curricula to present a more strident Zionist agenda.
Palestinians and Israel agree to talks
The National 21 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.
Ban Welcomes Decision to Start Direct Negotiations
WAFA – NEW YORK, August 21, 2010 (WAFA)- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the decision by the Palestinian and Israeli leaders to begin direct negotiations and described the talks on the
Children Coping with Trauma through Music Therapy in Nablus
WAFA – NABLUS, August 21, 2010 (WAFA- While living under occupation in the West Bank, young children are often exposed to violence that can have severe adverse affects on their psychological well-being.
Khalifa Foundation Provides Relief to Poorest in Gaza, West Bank
WAFA – GAZA, August 21, 2010 (WAFA) – On the occasion of Ramadan, the Khalifa Bin Zayed Charity Foundation has funded two projects in Gaza and the West Bank to assist poor Palestinian refugees through the
Ashton Welcomes Decision to Resume Direct Negotiations
WAFA – BRUSSELS, August 21, 2010 (WAFA)- The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, Catherine Ashton, welcomed the decision by
MidEast peace in our time | Poll
The Guardian 21 Aug 2010 – The US-led resumption of Middle East peace talks between Israel and Palestinians promises a ‘final status’ agreement in a year. Is a two-state solution deliverable by September 2011?
Dejected Palestinians see no hope in peace talks
Relief Web 21 Aug 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
Bethlehem district: anger against dispossession and humiliation
Stop The Wall – Al-Masara weekly protest started today under the slogan “together to unmask the crimes of the occupation and its soldiers abusing the Palestinians prisoners”, while in al-Walajeh children had created a large paper mache Palestinian who could be seen climbing the Wall. [
Palestinian journalist injured and Norwegian activist detained at Bil’in’s weekly anti-Wall protest
Stop The Wall – This Friday’s protest was focused on the demand to release the prisoners and strongly condemn the ill-treatment and humiliation of Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli occupation forces. A group of protesters had blindfolded and handcuffed themselves and posed in front of the soldiers to underline the constant abuse of Palestinian detainees by the IOF. [
Iran begins fueling first nuclear reactor
YNet News – Iranian, Russian engineers begin loading fuel into Islamic Republic’s first….
Lebanon ship will not head for Gaza on Sunday
YNet News – Organizers of women’s Gaza-bound flotilla say they are working to find another….
‘We’ll quit talks if building resumes’
YNet News – Hours after Hillary Clinton announces launch of direct negotiations with no….
PA says direct talks doomed to fail
YNet News – The Palestinian Authority said the direct peace negotiations will collapse if Israel resumes construction in the West Bank’s settlements. Palestinian sources told …….
Israel says Iranian reactor use ‘totally unacceptable’
YNet News – Israel on Saturday denounced Iran’s fueling up of its first nuclear power plant as “totally unacceptable” and called for more international pressure to force Tehran to …….
UN chief: Mideast talks should not be ‘wasted’
YNet News – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday said the upcoming talks in Washington between Israel and the Palestinians are a chance for peace that “must not be wasted.” …….
Barak seeks foreign help in stopping Gaza flotilla
YNet News – Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Saturday he had spoken via telephone with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US National Security Advisor Jim Jones and French …….
Ahmadinejad vows global response if Iran attacked
YNet News – As Iranian and Russian engineers began loading fuel into Iran’s first nuclear power plant on Saturday, Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promised a global …….
Bahrain says won’t allow US strike from its territory
YNet News – After Iranian and Russian engineers began loading fuel into Iran’s first nuclear power plant on Saturday, Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al Khalifa …….
UK reiterates concerns over Iran’s nuclear progam
YNet News – Britain acknowledged Iran’s right to build nuclear power stations Saturday as it began loading fuel into the first plant, but warned that concerns remain about the …….
Palestinian Information Center
Resheq: The int’l quartet’s statement a fig leaf covering PA’s impotence
PIC 21 Aug 2010 – Ezzat Al-Resheq condemned the international quartet’s statement as a fig leaf covering the political impotence of Fatah’s authority.
Israeli firm desecrates Beersheba cemetery to build shopping mall
PIC 21 Aug 2010 – The Aqsa foundation denounced in a statement Friday extensive excavations by an Israeli company to erect a commercial center over an Islamic cemetery in Beersheba known as the Turkish Cemetery.
OCHA report reveals growing Israeli aggression
PIC 21 Aug 2010 – The weekly report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed an escalation of Israeli attacks in the occupied Palestinian lands over the week 11-17 August.
Abu Shaar calls for Islamic support for holy shrines
PIC 21 Aug 2010 – Palestinian minister of religious affairs called on all Arab and Islamic organizations to move and take active and serious decision to protect the holy Aqsa Mosque and other holy shrines in Jerusalem.
Fatah, Hamas scheduled to meet on Saturday in Gaza
PIC 21 Aug 2010 – Ismail Haneyya has invited a delegation from the Fatah movement located in the Gaza Strip to meet with Hamas leaders to discuss matters related to inter-Palestinian reconciliation.
HRW: Israel’s policy of demolition reached record levels
PIC 21 Aug 2010 – HRW said that Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and the eastern part of occupied Jerusalem reached unprecedented levels compared to five years ago.
Ahrar holds IOA responsible for life of sick detainee
PIC 21 Aug 2010 – The Ahrar center has held the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) fully responsible for the life of the Palestinian woman Kifah Jibril, who is held in IOA detention without trial or charge.
Israel determined to bar all ships from landing in Gaza
PIC 21 Aug 2010 – As the aid ship “Mariam” is preparing to set sail from Lebanon, the Israeli ambassador to the UN has announced that her government reserves the right to use “all necessary means” to block aid ships.
PLO accepts US invitation for direct talks with Israelis
PIC 21 Aug 2010 – The PLO declared its acceptance of the US invitation for face-to-face talks with Israelis, although the majority of the Palestinian factions rejected these talks a few days ago.
Anti wall marches met with violent quelling
PIC 21 Aug 2010 – IOF soldiers used rubber bullets and teargas canisters to disperse the weekly peaceful anti wall marches in Bilin and Ma’sara villages on Friday, local sources reported.
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…
Iran loads fuel to power up Bushehr nuclear reactor
LA Times 21 Aug 2010 – The measure puts the Russian-built plant within weeks of producing electricity. The long-delayed reactor has taken on added significance amid sanctions aimed at reining in Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Engineers began loading fuel rods into a nuclear reactor on Iran’s southern coast Saturday, a milestone that puts the long-delayed plant within a few weeks of operation, Iranian state television reported.
News Analysis: U.S. Weighs Tough Choice Over Aid for Lebanon
New York Times 21 Aug 2010 – Washington aims to help its Middle Eastern friends while insisting that they cut off militants like Hezbollah, but in Lebanon compromises are vital.
Iran Opens Its First Nuclear Power Plant
New York Times 21 Aug 2010 – Russia, which helped build the plant, emphasized that it could not be used for nonpeaceful purposes.
Gaza-Bound Aid Ship Is Delayed
New York Times 21 Aug 2010 – A Lebanese aid ship destined for Gaza delayed its departure on Saturday after Cyprus refused to allow the ship to sail through its waters or to use its ports, organizers and Lebanese officials said.
HEBRON: Israeli Military and Policemen Shut Three Palestinian Shops
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine – Israeli soldiers and police weld shut three Palestinian shops near a regular “Open Shuhada Street” demonstration site, leaving one injured, one expelled, four imprisoned (and thousands still under military occupation).
Palestinian factions have mixed feelings over talks
Palestine Monitor – Mustafa Barghouthi, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, described Clinton’s statement that there would be no “pre-conditions” to talks as effectively acquiescing to Israel’s demands, a move he described as “shameful.” Clinton said she believed all issues could be resolved within one year, seemingly offering…
U.S. support for Israel is decreasing, new poll shows
Palestine Monitor – American support for Israel is waning, a poll presented to senior Israeli officials in Jerusalem last week revealed. The survey was carried out by pollster and strategist Stanley Greenberg and sponsored by the American Jewish organization the Israel Project, which organizes and executes pro-Israel public relations…
Ayaan Hirsi Ali misuses Samuel Huntington
Mondoweiss – This WSJ piece by Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the late Harvard political Scientist Samuel Huntington and his widely discussed “Clash of Civilizations” thesis get’s Sam only half right: She is correct that Huntington thought that the future of world politics would be defined by the interaction…
The ‘oil curse’ explains Iraq power struggle better than Sunni-Shiite divide
Mondoweiss – I’ve wasted too much time over the past couple of decades trying to figure out Iraq by reading about the theological differences between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. I should have paid even more attention to the growing body of fascinating research into the peculiar ‚Äì and…
Now is the time to discuss the one-state solution
Mondoweiss – Noam Sheizaf is an Israeli journalist. This post originally appeared on his blog Promised Land . Lara Friedman, director of policy and government relations for Americans for Peace Now ( APN ), writes in the Forward against even talking about the one-state solution: Anti-Zionists and some post-Zionists imagine a…
Bayoumi and Arraf discuss Midnight on the Mavi Marmara with GRITtv
Mondoweiss – Buy Midnight on the Mavi Marmara here .
‘NYT’ finally lets its readers know that 2SS is all but over
Mondoweiss – In a story about the resumption of direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis today , the Times’ Ethan Bronner glumly concedes that the two-state solution is likely DOA: Most Palestinians — and many on the Israeli left — argue that there are now too many Israeli settlements…
Documentary Film Maker Arrested in Bil’in for Filming the Demonstration
Joseph Dana 21 Aug 2010 – David Reeb, a long time documentary film maker who joins various weekly protests through the West Bank was arrested yesterday in Bil’in as he was filming the non violent protest. Despite the intense heat and high temperature, on the second Friday in Ramadan, a sizable march…
Maariv: Emanuel told Dermer “don’t fuck with me” [expletive not deleted]
Coteret 21 Aug 2010 – In this Friday’s Maariv, senior diplomatic columnist Ben Caspit speculates on where the diplomatic process, and US-Israeli relations, are headed [full translation ofsectionat bottom of post]. For color, he gives us this: Rahm Emanuel In any case, the real US attitude towards the Netanyahu government hasn’t…
Iran fuels first nuclear reactor
BBC 21 Aug 2010 – Iran begins fuelling its first nuclear power station amid national celebrations, despite Western unease over its ambitions.
Iran
BBC 21 Aug 2010 – Key facts, figures and dates
Economic emptiness in Palestine and Israel – by Sam Bahour
Sabbah report 21 Aug 2010 – By Sam Bahour* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Israelis and Palestinians have agreed to enter direct negotiations (yet again) in Washington on September 2. The Obama administration is sure to hail this as a significant breakthrough. Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, and borders will all be on the…
Declassified: Massive Israeli Manipulation of US Media Exposed
Sabbah report 21 Aug 2010 – Russia Today interviews Grant F. Smith, Director of Institute for Research on Middle Eastern Policy. Files declassified in America reveal 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…
Cnn Coverup; Is Facebook “Sex Toy” Idf “Kapo Queen?” ‚Äì by Gordon Duff
Sabbah report 21 Aug 2010 – By Gordon Duff* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Whistleblower Or “Kapo Queen,” American Censorship In High Gear “I am in favor of the Zionist state. I would gladly kill Arabs, even slaughter them. I can’t allow Arab lovers to ruin the perfect life I lead.”….Eden Abergil…
Articles
Resisting Temptation
Curtis Doebbler, Ma’an News Agency8/21/2010
The agreement of the Ramallah-based Fatah leadership to resume direct talks with Israel on US terms is a capitulation to the illusions of wealth and security that are being offered.
The US has enhanced its financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority in recent months. It has offered to pay salaries, to turn a blind eye on PA abuses against Palestinian prisoners, and even reportedly to finance an American studies center at An-Najah National University in Nablus.
None of these enticements have come without implicit expectations from the US. The most immediately thing the US expects—sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly—is that the Palestinians will start direct negotiations with Israel; the US has now gotten its way.
The Fatah leadership in Ramallah has obliged. After first arresting or driving its critics out of Palestine and trying to silence them, it has now agreed to resume direct negotiations with Israel. Moreover, it has agreed to do so on the terms prescribed by the US and Israel in Washington, in the shadow of the US capitol building. This building is home to the US Congress which pumps billions of dollars into Israel each year; money that is used to acquire weapons to kill Palestinians.
The weapons that killed more than a thousand civilians in Gaza last year and more recently unarmed activists on a boat trying to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to Gaza are paid for with American money.
The settlements that Israel continues to support and build are paid for by American money and with contributions from America’s European allies.
The attacks that Israeli soldiers carry out daily in Gaza and the West Bank are paid for with American money. more.. e-mail
Declassified Senate Investigation Files Reveal Clandestine Israeli PR Campaign in America
Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy8/18/2010
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” as well as U.S. reporting about sensitive subjects such as the Dimona nuclear weapons facility.
Documents are now available for download from http://IRmep.org/ila/azc include:
Dimona (excerpt): “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.” http://www.irmep.org/11-121960AZC.pdf
Content placement and promotion (excerpt): “The Atlantic Monthly in its October issue carried the outstanding Martha Gellhorn piece on the Arab refugees, which made quite an impact around the country. We arranged for the distribution of 10,000 reprints to public opinion molders in all categories… Interested friends are making arrangements with the Atlantic for another reprint of the Gellhorn article to be sent to all 53,000 persons whose names appear in Who’s Who in America…Our Committee is now planning articles for the women’s magazines for the trade and business publications.”
Pressure campaigns (excerpt): “It can be said that the press of the nation…has by and large shown sympathy and understanding of Israel’s position. There are, of course, exceptions, notably the Scripps-Howard chain where we still need to achieve a ‘break-through,’ the Pulliam chain (where some progress has been made) and some locally-owned papers.” — See also: The AZC’s internal “Information and Public Relations Department” reports more.. e-mail
Behind a Shabak squeeze
Mya Guarnieri, Ma’an News Agency8/20/2010
Alarms sounded through Israel’s leftist camps when Jewish-Israeli activist Yonatan Shapira was summoned for an interview with the country’s General Security Services, known by the Hebrew acronym Shabak.
Shapira’s questioning followed the summoning of a middle-aged Arabic teacher, a religious leader, and a high school drop-out—none of whom were involved in political activities, and all seem unlikely candidates for security interviews.
Though it was the detention of a Jewish activist which raised eyebrows, it was the last in a long trail of signs that Israel’s security apparatus was clamping down, and some say marching the country away from the democratic process.
The string of summonses, targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel and the Israeli left in general, was preceded by a landmark case: the May detention and arrest of Ameer Makhoul, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and director of Ittijah—a platform for local Arab NGOs and an organization dedicated to empowering Palestinians in the country.
Mahkoul and respected political activist and businessman Omar Said were detained at the same time and accused of spying for the Lebanese political party and militant group Hezbollah. The two were indicted for espionage, amongst other crimes—charges both deny.
Palestinians in Israel decried the arrests as political persecution, and the Israeli left tuned in, realizing a trend of silencing dissent following the interrogation of Shapira.
Analyzing a trend
Abeer Baker, an attorney with Adalah, an organization dedicated to defending and promoting the human rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel, noted the Shabak squeeze on persons identified as ‘dissenters’ was not uncommon. more.. e-mail
Palestinian factions have mixed feelings over talks
Palestine Monitor: 21 Aug 2010 – Mustafa Barghouthi, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, described Clinton’s statement that there would be no “pre-conditions” to talks as effectively acquiescing to Israel’s demands, a move he described as “shameful.” Clinton said she believed all issues could be resolved within one year, seemingly offering some reassurance to Abbas, however Barghouthi noted that even this was not given as a deadline. Predicting that the talks would be a “bigger failure” than Camp David, Barghouthi told Ma’an that negotiations would provide a cover for Israeli violations on the ground. The independent lawmaker said Palestinians need an “immediate alternative strategy” to build their own “facts on the ground” by unilaterally declaring a state on all occupied Territories, including East Jerusalem. An earlier statement by the official said “going to direct talks with Israel without halting settlement and setting references will lead to a larger and more dangerous failure than the Camp…more
U.S. support for Israel is decreasing, new poll shows
Palestine Monitor: 21 Aug 2010 – American support for Israel is waning, a poll presented to senior Israeli officials in Jerusalem last week revealed. The survey was carried out by pollster and strategist Stanley Greenberg and sponsored by the American Jewish organization the Israel Project, which organizes and executes pro-Israel public relations campaigns with a focus on North America. Greenberg, along with Israel Project heads, presented the poll’s findings to senior Israeli officials, including President Shimon Peres, Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor, as well as officials from the Prime Minister’s office. One of the questions that the poll presented was “Does the U.S. need to support Israel?” In August of 2009, 63% of Americans polled said that the U.S. does need to support Israel. In June of this year, 58% of respondents shared the same view; by July only 51% of respondents said the U.S. needed to support Israel. Another question posed by the pole was “…more
Israel’s Bogus Construction Moratorium
Dissident Voice: 21 Aug 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 that would finally end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians,” what he relentlessly pursues, spurning resolution for an equitable, just peace, wanting surrender, not conciliation on equal terms, what he’ll never agree to or accept. Despite announcing “a suspension of new permits and new construction in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) for a period of ten months,” construction never stopped. Israel’s land grab continues. Thousands of new units have been approved, New York Times writer Ethan Bronner, on July 14, headlining, “Despite Settlement Freeze, Buildings Rise,” saying: … an examination of the freeze…more
United Against Knowledge
Dissident Voice: 21 Aug 2010 – The Guardian reported that two Israeli groups have set up training courses in subversive Wikipedia editing aiming to ‘show the other side’ of the Jewish State. Those who lend their pen to the Palestinian cause know about Wikipedia Jews , a term that was coined a few years ago. It refers to a bunch of rabid and crypto Zionists who constantly vandalise encyclopaedia entries to do with Palestine, Palestinian activists and Israeli atrocities. According to the Guardian two Israeli groups seeking to gain the upper hand in the online debate have launched a course in “Zionist editing”. Yesha Council, representing the Jewish settler movement ran their first workshop this week in Jerusalem, teaching participants how to ‘rewrite’ and ‘revise’ some of the most “hotly disputed pages of the online reference site.” The Wikipedia project is a phenomenal humanist and universalist initiative. Hence, it should not take us by surprise that its…more
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The New Dark Age 
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