10 September, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
P.A. Receives $42 Million From UAE
IMEMC – 10 Sep 2010 – Saturday September 11, 2010 – 01:35, The Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank received $42 Million as a donation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE); the money was donated in an attempt to boost P.A. and save it from its current crisis.
Nabi Saleh Village Holds Protest Against The Wall
IMEMC – 10 Sep 2010 – Saturday September 11, 2010 – 00:54, Dozens of residents and international peace activists held their weekly protest against the Annexation Wall and settlements in Nabi Saleh village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Dozens Wounded As Army Attacked Nonviolent Protest In Bil’in
IMEMC – 10 Sep 2010 – Friday September 10, 2010 – 23:38, Israeli soldiers attacked on Friday afternoon the weekly nonviolent protest against the Annexation Wall in Bil’in village, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah inflicting dozens of injuries.
Sudanese Man Killed By Egyptian Fire In Sinai
IMEMC – 10 Sep 2010 – Friday September 10, 2010 – 22:17, Egyptian sources reported Friday that a Sudanese man was shot and killed by Egyptian Border Police Fire while trying to infiltrate into Israel through the Sinai Peninsula.
Peres Phones Abbas, Tells Him Netanyahu Is “Trustworthy”
IMEMC – 10 Sep 2010 – Friday September 10, 2010 – 10:25, Israeli President, Shimon Peres, phoned Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, Thursday evening and told him that Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, “can be trusted as a partner for peace”.
PCHR Weekly Report: 2 Workers Killed, 2 Wounded, 13 Abducted by Israeli Forces This Week
IMEMC – 10 Sep 2010 – Friday September 10, 2010 – 09:10, In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 02-07 September 2010, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that Israeli forces killed two Palestinian workers in an air strike against a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.
Lieberman Vows To Counter Any Settlement Freeze
IMEMC – 10 Sep 2010 – Friday September 10, 2010 – 08:50, Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, vowed to act against any decision to freeze settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including in occupied East Jerusalem.
Islamic Jihad Calls For Unity
IMEMC – 10 Sep 2010 – Friday September 10, 2010 – 05:09, As Muslims around the world prepare to celebrate the Eid ul-Fitr Feast, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine issued a statement calling on the Palestinian people, and their factions, to use this occasion as step towards comprehensive unity among in order to boost their struggle and steadfastness.
Israeli Forces Carry Out Five Airstrikes In Gaza
IMEMC – 10 Sep 2010 – Friday September 10, 2010 – 04:54, On Thursday at night, the Israeli Air Force carried out five airstrikes targeting a number of areas in different parts of the Gaza Strip inflicting damage a number of injuries.
HRW: “Activist Convicted After Unfair Trial”
IMEMC – 10 Sep 2010 – Friday September 10, 2010 – 04:30, An Israeli military court’s conviction of Abdullah Abu Rahme, an advocate of nonviolent protests against Israel’s de facto confiscation of land from the West Bank village of Bil’in, raises grave due process concerns, Human Rights Watch said.
1 injured at demonstration near Ramallah
9/10/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A Palestinian was injured Friday at a weekly demonstration near Ramallah, witnesses said. Muhammad Ahmad Hamad, 19, was injured by a tear-gas canister that struck him in the back in Bil’in village. In a statement, the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Bil’in praised Human Rights Watch….
British-born Palestinian singer ‘assaulted’ at Tel Aviv airport
9/10/2010 – TEL AVIV (Ma’an) — A British national was tackled by Israeli airport security and kept in a stress position while questioned for at least an hour on Saturday, her publicist said. The woman, British-born Palestinian Hip Hop artist Shadia Mansour, was reportedly subjected to repeated searches and questioning after security agents alleged there was…. Related: British Palestinian rapper conducts a ‘musical intifada’andVideo: Shadia Mansour “el Kofeyye 3arabeyye” 2010 Promo
Mothers of prisoners mark Eid in protest
9/10/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A committee of mothers of Palestinian prisoners met Friday outside the headquarters of the Red Cross in Gaza City, protesting the continued incarceration of their sons and daughters. The mothers read a letter to assembled protesters saying there was “no celebration of Eid without our loved ones in prison,” explaining….
Report: Projectiles hit Negev
9/10/2010 – GAZA CITY/BETHLEHEM (Ma’an/Agencies) — A projectile fired from the Gaza Strip hit the western Negev region on Thursday night, Israeli media reported, and a second hit the same area shortly after an Israeli airstrike on Gaza. The series of strikes were reported by the Israeli media and confirmed by Israeli military spokeswomen….
Hamas: Leader transferred from PA prison to hospital
9/10/2010 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — A Hamas party statement accused PA prison authorities of torturing a senior leader after he was moved from a government prison to hospital on Thursday. Hamas leader Nader Sawafta from Tubas was transferred to from a Palestinain Authority prison to Nablus’ Rafidia hospital in Nablus a statement said. Officials wrote….
Tulkarem train operates as distant Gaza cousin
9/10/2010 – TULKAREM (Ma’an) — On the first day of Eid Al-Fiter, a ‘train’ wound through the streets of Tulkarem on its inaugural ride, barely a week after an identical project kicked off in Gaza City. Despite once vibrant train networks in both areas, neither the West Bank or Gaza have tracks, and both….
VIDEO – A tour of Jerusalem’s ancient Silwan Pool
9/10/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Abu Moussa was born in Silwan, once a village on a fertile valley, and established before the city of Jerusalem. The village was founded around a spring, which the founding tribe, known as the Yabousites, dug into a stream with a collecting pool. The water from the spring, known as Ayin…. Related:YouTube: Ein Silwan: Living history of Jerusalem – Hay Baladna
Fatah: Settlements deepen occupation
9/10/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — “Settlements deepen the occupation, they steal Palestinian lands and water; with settlements there is no peace,” a statement from the Fatah Central Committee said Thursday. In an effort to clarify the staunch stance of Palestinain negotiators around the settlement issue, a document was released by the committee following a Ramallah meeting….
Florida Quran burning suspended
9/10/2010 – WASHINGTON (Ma’an/Agencies) — Archbishop of Jerusalem calling the plan “detestable crime against the teachings of Jesus Christ, and all of the values of the Church.”- Following condemnations from US and Christian officials, a Florida pastor’s planned burning of the Muslim Holy Book on 11 September was canceled on Thursday. In a….
Abbas sends greetings for Jewish new year
9/10/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas called Israel’s president and prime minister on Thursday night to wish them a happy Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. In separate calls to Shimon Peres and Benjamin Netanyahu, Abbas expressed his wish for peace in the region by next year’s holidays. Netanyahu and….
Jerusalem archbishop greets Muslims on holiday
9/10/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Jerusalem Archbishop Atallah Hanna extended greetings on Friday to all Muslims on Eid Al-Fitr. He expressed his hope that the Palestinian people would unite and regain their rights after liberating their land. The archbishop also condemned a small US church’s now-canceled plan to burn Qurans, which he called illegal….
Obama applauds settlement freeze
9/10/2010 – WASHINGTON (Ma’an) — US President Barack Obama on Thursday applauded Israel’s “substantial” slowdown in settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Obama said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts had convinced the PLO to re-enter direct negotiations. Despite skepticism from the Palestinians, Obama….
Haniyeh slams PA for ‘3 Ramadan sins’
9/10/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh delivered an Eid Al-Fitr address on Friday, accusing the West Bank government and President Mahmoud Abbas of moral laxity and political crimes. Haniyeh categorized the faults of the Palestinian Authority into three “sins,” calling them worse because they were committed during the holy fasting month….
The photo before the storm: Peace talks already failed
Palestine Note 10 Sep 2010 – A picture is not always worth a thousand words. The recently released photographs of Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Washington during their first direct talks in many months certainly don’t say anything new. It was the…
Hamas and settlers launch violence to block peace talks
Palestine Note 10 Sep 2010 – Where are all the voices who championed Hamas as a representative of the Palestinian people now that Hamas has decided to launch a wave of violence to block the peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin…
Palestinian equal rights ‘a matter of human liberty’
Palestine Note 10 Sep 2010 – By Sarah Harlan Washington – The nation’s capital is packed with interest groups, many among them focused on equal rights. Now there is a new name in Washington’s interest pool aimed at equal rights for Palestinians….
US calls for settlement freeze extension
Palestine Note 10 Sep 2010 – Washington – After US President Barack Obama expressed earlier Friday that Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have already ” exceeded expectations ,” President Obama reportedly told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should extend the settlement freeze “as…
America’s first Muslim college greets class of 2014
Palestine Note 10 Sep 2010 – By Sarah Harlan Washington – The Zaytuna Institute in Berkeley, CA has become a well-respected American seat of Islamic learning and known for its rigorous instruction of Arabic. Now the Zaytuna Institute has launched Zaytuna College ,…
Obama praises success of Mideast talks
Palestine Note 10 Sep 2010 – Washington – In an address Friday, US President Barack Obama said Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, re-launched last week, have “exceeded expectations,” AFP news agency reported . US President Barack Obama looks on as PM Netanyahu and President Abbas…
Haniyeh lauds US-Israel ‘retreat,’ accuses PA of Ramadan ‘sins’
Palestine Note 10 Sep 2010 – Washington – De facto prime minister of the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh said Friday that US and Israeli plans for the region are “retreating and the Palestinians will win in the end,” Chinese news service Xinhua…
Report: Lieberman, Obama to meet?
Palestine Note 10 Sep 2010 – Washington – According to a Ynet report Friday, members of the Obama administration could meet with Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman to soften his stance on the peace process. Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman has been resistant to…
Gaza: Airstrikes injure 5
Palestine Note 10 Sep 2010 – Militants fire back after shelling Washington – Early Friday morning Israeli warplanes dropped six shells on sites across the Gaza Strip in what is reported to be retaliation for two projectiles launched from Gaza into the…
Iran to release female hiker Saturday
Palestine Note 10 Sep 2010 – Washington – After reports Thursday that one of the three American hikers held in Iran for more than a year on suspicion of espionage, the Iranian government will release the only female in the group, Sarah…
Making a two state solution work
Palestine Note 9 Sep 2010 – Vast cultural differences would assuredly make a one-state solution of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict totally unstable. A two-state solution-perhaps 2 states within a single country-could be viable, particularly if citizens of the country were free to choose…
Obama calls for settlement freeze
AlJazeera 10 Sep 2010 – US president says moratorium on Israeli settlement construction should be extended beyond September 26 expiry date.
Iran cancels release of American
AlJazeera 10 Sep 2010 – Tehran says legal process for detained woman’s planned release has not been completed.
Exchange of fire over Gaza border
AlJazeera 10 Sep 2010 – Palestinians fire rocket into Israel after Hamas targets are hit by Israeli warplanes in rising cross-border violence.
Special Milk Is Formula For Survival
PNN – ANERA — PNN – “When I came to ANERA, my daughter, Aya’s situation was very bad. She had acute diarrhea. I cooked vegetable soup for her, but it was in vain,” said…
Israeli Soldiers uses tear gas to suppress anti wall Protests in the West Bank
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN — on Friday villagers from Al Walajah, southern West Bank, and Bil’in, central West Bank organized their weekly anti wall protests. In other villages who organize weekly nonviolent protest,…
Negotiations for Peace Theme of New Documentary
PNN – By Diane Morrow – Dallas, Texas, USA‚Äî As talk of peace between Israeli and Palestinian leaders continue, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu promises that he will strive for peace within one year according…
Palestinian – British Political Artist Detained And Stripped Searched At Ben Gurion Airport
PNN – By Nancy leigh / London — PNN — on Saturday September 4th British-born Palestinian Political Hip Hop artist, Shadia Mansour, was held at gunpoint airport security and intelligence officers. Ms. Mansour was told…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (02-07 September 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Khamenei: Talks a cover up for crimes against Palestinians
Jeruslalem Post 10 Sep 2010 – Iranian spiritual leader criticizes peace talks between Israel and PA while leading Eid al-Fitr prayers; says Palestinian resistance will pay off and they will dismantle “the phony and fabricated Israeli regime.”
‘French envoy to visit Damascus to push Israel-Syria talks’
Jeruslalem Post 10 Sep 2010 – Lebanese newspaper As-Safir reports French President Nicolas Sarkozy to send special envoy Jean Claude Cousseran to meet with Syrian President Assad next week about the possibility of resuming peace negotiations with Israel.
4th Kassam rocket since Rosh Hashana began strikes Israel
Jeruslalem Post 10 Sep 2010 – No injuries or damage reported in attack on western Negev; latest rocket follows Israeli Air Force striking terror-related targets in Gaza in response to previous rocket attacks; Palestinians report 5 injured.
International Solidarity Movement
A ghost town beckons? Old City in Hebron under threat
9/10/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – During the month of Ramadan the Israeli army used various tactics to repress protest and intimidate the population of the Old City in Hebron, which illegal Israeli settlers are seeking to ethnically cleanse – When, on August 10th 2010, the Israeli Army invaded the Old City in Hebron and closed off three Palestinian owned shops located….
Obama: If Israeli-Palestinian talks break down, we’ll continue trying
Ha’aretz – U.S. President tells reporters that he is encouraging peace talks because the alternative would put both parties and the United States at risk.
Report: French envoy to meet with Assad on renewal of Israel-Syria peace talks
Ha’aretz – France’s Middle East envoy Jean-Claude Cousseran to visit Damascus to assess Syria’s position on restarting peace talks with Israel, Lebanese newspaper Al-Safir reports.
IAF strikes Hamas Gaza training facility in wake of Qassam, mortar attacks
Ha’aretz – Fourth projectile fired from Gaza in three days explodes in western Negev region on Friday morning; Hamas officials report 5 people wounded in IAF air strikes on Thursday night.
Video: How To Kill Goyim And Influence People — Torat Ha’melech
Uruknet September 10, 2010 – Leading fundamentalist rabbis gather in Israel to defend the publication of a book, Torat Ha’Melech, that attempted to provide halakhic justification for the killing of non-Jews, including innocent children and families. The gathering exposed not only the ferocious racism of a swath of Israel’s pro-settlement rabbinate, but the powerlessness of the government to stop them..
Gaza: Mothers of prisoners mark Eid in protest
Uruknet September 10, 2010 – A committee of mothers of Palestinian prisoners met Friday outside the headquarters of the Red Cross in Gaza City, protesting the continued incarceration of their sons and daughters. The mothers read a letter to assembled protesters saying there was “no celebration of Eid without our loved ones in prison,” explaining that families around the world…
Growing Thought Control in Israel
Uruknet September 10, 2010 – Since its 1948 establishment, IDF military censor authority banned or sanitized material potentially damaging to Israel’s security. Thereafter, voluntary media/government agreements prevailed, all domestic and foreign news organizations abiding by censorship rulings. Some are sensible like banning reports beneficial to adversaries. Others aren’t by suppressing information the public has a right to know. For example,…
Israel bombs Gaza on the eve of Eid ul-Fitr — the second attack since peace talks resumed
Uruknet September 10, 2010 – The Israeli military carried out air strikes on three regions of the Gaza Strip late last night, as inhabitants were preparing to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end the holy month of Ramadan that starts today. It constitute the second missile attack by Israel on Gaza since negotiations resumed on 2 September…
On ads, misdirection and the occupation
Uruknet September 9, 2010 – In the run up to the latest round of ‘mirage’ peace talks, the Geneva Initiative created a series of campaign commercials directed at the Israeli public. The commercials attempt to demonstrate the “partners’ that Israel can find in the Palestinian Authority. On first viewing, I thought these ads were a joke or some skit by…
The lucky ones had third degree burns: survivors of Israel’s latest Rafah tunnel bombing tell their story
Uruknet September 9, 2010 – Peace talks started on September 2nd. Following the resumption of negotiations, Israel refrained from attacking Gaza for just 2 days. Then it ordered the bombing of 2 Rafah tunnels, killed 2 workers, and left 2 severely injured. ISM activists filed this report. “Out of the blue, the tunnel was bombed, there was an enormous crash…
The Photo before the Storm: Peace Talks Already Failed
Uruknet September 9, 2010 – A picture is not always worth a thousand words. The recently released photographs of Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Washington during their first direct talks in many months certainly don’t say anything new. It was the status quo at its best, a mere procession of regional and US leaders before hungry cameramen. The leaders promised “…
The Lamentation of Hadja Hassan Mohammed
Uruknet September 9, 2010 – Perhaps it is about time the lamentation of his late grandmother who walked 20 kilometers from South Lebanon to Shatilla is heard in Lebanon and world-wide.. She arrived in Shatilla that September day to find 27 members of her family killed – there is only Mounir and Nabil left. She said:
Video: POLITICS OF PALESTINIAN RESISTANCEEl-Natour: Palestinian resistance more than Fatah and Hamas
Uruknet September 9, 2010 – … Since a long time, a lot of people are considering the situation of the Palestinians as divided only between Fatah and Hamas, while at the beginning of our resistance movement there were no Hamas, there were only organizations of a nationalist, secular, or leftist forces who are joined under the umbrella of PLO. We are,…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (02-07 September 2010)
Uruknet September 9, 2010 – Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (02 — 07 September 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed two Palestinian civilians and wounded 4 others in the Gaza Strip. They also wounded a 5th civilian in the West Bank. In the Gaza Strip, on 04…
Iran delays release of detained female American hiker
The National 10 Sep 2010 – The release today of a detained American woman has been postponed because the legal process has not been completed, Tehran’s prosecutor said.
Rush of openings on West Bank is sign that prosperity is returning
The National 10 Sep 2010 – Mood for many in Ramallah is cautiously optimistic as Eid al Fitr begins, though some still have their fears.
Female hiker charged with spying in Iran set for release
The National 10 Sep 2010 – One of the three American hikers jailed in Iran for more than a year on spying allegations will be released tomorrow, Tehran announces.
U.S. Expands Income Generation Projects to Additional Communities Near Nahr El Bared Camp
WAFA – BEIRUT, September 10, 2010 (WAFA)- In coordination with the Nahr El-Bared Recovery and Reconstruction Unit at the Office of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the United States government
Broad Global Support Needed to Underpin Israeli-Palestinian Direct Talks, Says Ban
WAFA – NEW YORK, September 10, 2010 (WAFA)- Broad international support, including the participation of the United Nations and the diplomatic Quartet, is crucial for the success of the direct negotiations
UAE gives Palestinian Authority $42 million-sources
Relief Web 10 Sep 2010 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
Broad global support needed to underpin Israeli-Palestinian direct talks, says Ban
Relief Web 10 Sep 2010 – Source: UN News Service
Jordan, Japan sign nuclear cooperation pact
YNet News – Kingdom’s Atomic Energy Commission chief says Japan will assist in construction,….
Iran denies building secret nuke facility
YNet News – Islamic Republic’s atomic chief says country has ‘no such installation that….
Iran: Talks cover-up for Zionist crimes
YNet News – Islamic Republic dissatisfied with renewed peace talks: Ayattolah Ali Khamenei….
France working to resume Israel-Syria talks
YNet News – President Sarkozy’s emissary to meet with President Assad in Damascus next week,….
Obama, Lieberman to meet in Washington?
YNet News – After Palestinians refer to foreign minister as ‘major obstacle to peace,’ Ynet….
Qassam hits southern community; no injuries
YNet News – After IDF planes bomb Gaza targets, rocket fired by Palestinians lands within….
Sources: UAE gives Palestinian Authority $42 million
YNet News – The United Arab Emirates has donated $42 million to the Palestinian Authority, boosting support for President Mahmoud Abbas’ cash-strapped government as it embarks on …….
Egypt police kill Sudanese trying to cross into Israel
YNet News – Egyptian police shot and killed a Sudanese man as he tried to cross the border illegally into Israel on Friday, a security official told AFP. “Police ordered him by …….
Obama urges Israel to extend settlement freeze
YNet News – WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said on Friday he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it makes sense to extend a moratorium on settlement construction …….
Palestinian Information Center
Captives’ mothers hold a sit-in at the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza
PIC 10 Sep 2010 – Dozens of mothers of Palestinian captives in Israeli occupation jails held a sit-in at the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza City on Friday, the first day of Eid al-Fitr.
Hamas captives’ leadership congratulates Palestinian people on the advent of Eid
PIC 10 Sep 2010 – The Leadership of the Hamas captives in Israeli occupation jails sent a message of Eid greetings to the Arab and Islamic nation and the Palestinian people and in particular to captives..
Haneyya: 40,000 memorisers of Quran will graduate in answer to Quran burning
PIC 10 Sep 2010 – The Palestinian PM, Ismail Haneyya, condemned the call by Pastor Terry Jones burn copies of the Quran, adding that his government’s response to this call is to prepare 40,000 memorisers of the Quran.
Habbash closes mosques on Eid day
PIC 10 Sep 2010 – Mahmoud al-Habbash, ordered the closure of hundreds of West Bank mosques on Friday, the first day of Eid, and announced that Eid prayers will be held in designated public squares..
Israeli admits responsibility for Aqaba rocket attack
PIC 10 Sep 2010 – Jordanian reliable government sources revealed that Israel has tacitly admitted responsibility for the rockets fired from the Sinai desert and hit targets in the Jordanian port of Aqaba.
Hamas congratulates people on the advent of Eid
PIC 10 Sep 2010 – The Hamas movement congratulated the Palestinian people and the Arab and the Islamic world on the advent of Eid al-Fitr (the end of Ramadan festivity).
Five Israeli airstrikes against Gaza on the eve of Eid
PIC 10 Sep 2010 – The Israeli occupation has escalated its aggression against the Gaza strip on the eve of Eid al-Fitr as its airforce carried out five airstrikes late Thurday evening against Gaza and Rafah.
Lieberman promises to stand against settlement freeze
PIC 10 Sep 2010 – The Israeli occupation Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman stressed that he will prevent any new partial freeze on settlement expansion in the West Bank, saying that Abbas is weak.
Obama rejects Clinton comment on Mexico
LA Times 10 Sep 2010 – Seeking to calm a diplomatic furor, he disputes the secretary of State’s assertion that Mexico’s drug war has begun to look like the Colombian insurgency. President Obama sought to calm a diplomatic furor, disputing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s assertion that Mexico has begun to look like Colombia at the height of its struggle against a drug-financed insurgency.
Iran says hiker won’t be released Saturday
LA Times 10 Sep 2010 – The Iranian judiciary has blocked the release of Sarah Shourd from Evin Prison, saying the ‘legal procedure’ is not yet complete. The backtracking may reflect political infighting. Iran’s judiciary has blocked the planned release of one of three Americans held in Tehran’s Evin Prison since last year, a news agency quoted a powerful official as saying late Friday.
Obama has urged Netanyahu to extend partial construction freeze
LA Times 10 Sep 2010 – At a news conference, Obama argues the freeze has been ‘significant’ in reducing Israeli construction, which the Palestinians oppose and consider a threat to what they could gain from a peace deal. President Obama said Friday that he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend a partial freeze on Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank because peace talks with the Palestinians “are moving in a constructive way.”
Iran Halts Release of American Held for a Year
New York Times 10 Sep 2010 – The reversal over the fate of Sarah E. Shourd appeared to indicate divisions among officials in Tehran.
Obama Urges Israel to Extend Settlement Moratorium
New York Times 10 Sep 2010 – President Obama asked Israel to extend the moratorium in the West Bank as a good-will gesture to help move forward peace talks with the Palestinians.
HEBRON/AL-KHALIL: Soldiers practice breaking and entering
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine – At 3:30 p.m. on 24 August 2010, thirty-four soldiers gathered at the alley in front of the CPT apartment. Five soldiers stood at the entrance to the alley to keep the onlookers back while the others broke open shop and apartment doors along the street. When…
HEBRON REFLECTION: Shuhada Street: Keeping the quiet (when there’s no peace to be kept)
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine – Honest words between a soldier and peacemakers shed light on the difference between “keeping the peace” and making it.
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?
A Conversation with Noam Chomsky
Palestine Monitor – Frank Barkat, Coordinator of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine, filmed an interview with Prof Noam Chomky, in cambridge, Massachussets. Topics talked about include: Zionism, One State/Two States, Right of Return, BDS. A Conversation with Noam Chomsky on Palestine/Israel from Frank Barat on Vimeo .
Israel Bombs Gaza On The Eve Of Eid ul-Fitr
Palestine Monitor – The Israeli military carried out air strikes on three regions of the Gaza Strip late last night, as inhabitants were preparing to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, the Mulim holiday marking the end the holy month of Ramadan that starts today. It constitutes the second missile attack by…
TIME on the Corrie trial: ‘it has already validated anew Richard Nixon’s timeless observation that it is the cover-up that does you in’
Mondoweiss – Karl Vick has done it again. A few days after angering the ADL for his reporting on Israeli feelings toward the peace process , Vick reports from the Corrie trial in Haifa . From Israel’s Military on the Spot Over Activist’s Death : Neither thorough nor credible, and every…
Islamaphobia, sexism and American demagoguery in the 21st century
Mondoweiss – Mainstream media are flooding us with sensationalized images of Americans who fear and hate Islam. Ugly as these images are, there is a deeper brutality. The worst ugliness is in what they arenotshowing. There are dangerous blind spots in the media coverage of American Islam. For…
Meeting 3 U.S. officers who are angered by the special relationship
Mondoweiss – I often look around the political rabbithole I went down a few years ago and wonder what I’m doing here and whether I’ll ever get out. I think of all the associations and even interests I had earlier in life that I’ve cut myself off from….
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 2.0
Mondoweiss – Adi Kuntsman and Rebecca L. Stein have an interesting article on the Middle East Report website about the use of the internet and social media in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This is an issue we’ve touched on here on the site , but it’s good to read a…
Massachusetts State Treasurer candidate has anti-Iran agenda
Mondoweiss – Steve Grossman, one of the candidates in next Tuesday’s Democratic primary forMassachusetts State Treasurer, is a past national president of AIPAC (The American-Israel Public Affairs Committee). Grossman, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, has been very coy about publicly admitting his involvement with pro-Israel lobbying….
IAF Strikes Hamas Gaza Training Facility
Al-Manar 10 Sep 2010 – A Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip exploded in the western Negev region on Friday morning, causing no injuries or damage. Late Thursday, Israeli aircraft struck two sites in Gaza in retaliation for rocket and mortar fire from the territory on southern Israel during…
Erekat Denies Apologizing to Israel
Al-Manar 9 Sep 2010 – Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat is denying that he apologized to Israel — as presented in a campaign video promoting the Geneva Initiative. Erekat was criticized by Palestinians for allegedly hinting at regret in a videotaped address. “Unfortunately, my comments were interpreted as an apology…
Gaza Rocket Strikes Occupied Territories
Al-Manar 9 Sep 2010 – A rocket fired by Palestinian resistance fighters from the Gaza Strip struck southern occupied territories on Thursday, as Israelis celebrated the Jewish New Year. “It landed in an open field,” an occupation army spokeswoman told AFP. “Nobody was injured and no damage was caused.” …
Hamas Accuses Fatah of Treason, Vows More Strikes against the Zionist Enemy
Al-Manar 9 Sep 2010 – Hamas spokesman accused on Thursday the Palestinian Authority of “crossing all red lines, directly cooperating with enemy” after arresting members of the resistance organization “in relation” to recent West Bank attacks that left 4 Israeli settlers dead and two others injured. “This criminal campaign has crossed…
Iran ‘delays US hiker’s release’
BBC 10 Sep 2010 – Iran delays the release of Sarah Shourd, one of three US hikers arrested last year on suspicion of espionage, officials say.
Iran denies ‘secret atomic plant’
BBC 10 Sep 2010 – Iran rejects claims by dissident groups that it has almost completed a secret uranium-enrichment facility near Tehran.
Exchange of fire near Gaza border
BBC 10 Sep 2010 – A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip explodes in Israel, hours after Israeli air raids against Hamas targets in the Palestinian territory.
Iran will release US woman hiker
BBC 10 Sep 2010 – Iran is set to release on Saturday Sarah Shourd – one of three detained US hikers held since last July and accused of espionage, officials say.
Khaled Meshaal Interview: Hamas Chief Weighs In on Eve of Peace Talks
Sabbah report 10 Sep 2010 – By Sharmine Narwani* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz With pundits in most capitals already predicting failure for the US-brokered Palestinian-Israeli peace talks to begin on Thursday, it seems only natural to start asking the question: “What’s next?” To get a jumpstart on what surely will be…
Articles
The photo before the storm: Peace talks already failed
Ramzy Baroud, Palestine Note9/10/2010
A picture is not always worth a thousand words. The recently released photographs of Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Washington during their first direct talks in many months certainly don’t say anything new.
It was the status quo at its best, a mere procession of regional and US leaders before hungry cameramen. The leaders promised “not to spare any effort” and praised the undeniable altruism embedded in the very concept of “peace”. Israeli Prime Minister repeated the martyr-like emphasis of past Israeli leaders regarding the “painful” compromises and sacrifices required to defeat the many obstacles standing before them. Mahmoud Abbas – with his expired presidency over a corrupt Palestinian Authority – smiled, shook hands and spoke unconvincingly about his hopes and expectations.
Jordanian and Egyptian leaders also attended. Their presence was purely an endeavor to mark a difference between this event and the last failed attempt at reaching a peace agreement. When late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israel’s Ehud Barak were herded into Camp David under the auspices of then President Bill Clinton, Arafat was left to fend for himself without any Arab backing. This left Barak, fully backed by the US, with all the cards. The process was a mockery then, as it is now.
Today’s badly staged talks are actually much less promising than the ones of July 2000. Barak had a considerably serious mandate, while Netanyahu runs a discontented coalition of largely rightwing fanatics. Arafat, although his popularity had dwindled, also represented a moral authority and a unifying figure among all Palestinian factions, including Hamas. Abbas, on the other hand, sits on the helm of hugely discredited and ineffectual band of contractors and self-serving politicians. More, Abbas operates with an expired mandate, and his cabinet members are handpicked to replace the democratically elected government of Hamas, whose members are either under siege in Gaza or held in Israeli prisons.more..e-mail
Hope, but not with talks
Mya Guarnieri, Ma’an News Agency9/10/2010
Peace talks and the Israeli school year began at approximately the same time this September. Which is more worthy of your attention?
The school year.
Peace talks are doomed to fail. Hamas, a key player, is being excluded. “We will never divide Jerusalem,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed just four months before he sat down to negotiate the fate of the city. The settlement freeze‚Äîwhich saw construction began on hundreds of new homes on Wednesday as settlers protested West Bank shootings claimed by Hams‚Äîis set to expire at the end of the month. When breakneck building resumes in the West Bank on 26 September when the freeze officially ends, peace talks are likely to screech to a halt.
And the list goes on.
The Israeli educational system, however, is slightly more promising. Slightly.
The start of the school year saw the introduction of a pilot program that will make Arabic classes mandatory for students in 170 schools in the north of Israel. Speaking to the Israeli news site Walla, Dr Shlomo Alon, Head of Arabic and Islamic Education in the Ministry of Education, remarked: “We live in a country that has two official languages ‚Ķ Studying Arabic will promote tolerance and convey a message of acceptance.”
Alon continued, “The state aspires to complete equality of citizenship. We will not deal with conflicts based on cultural identity.”
The rhetoric is great but the reality of the pilot program is a bit dimmer….more..e-mail
Europe’s Absence from the Palestinian-Israeli Negotiations
Randa Takieddine, Dar Al Hayat9/8/2010
French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed a high degree of resentment of the fact that the European Union was not invited to the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, during his meeting with President Hosni Mubarak at the Elysee Palace on his way to Washington. Meanwhile, the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was the only European minister who sent a letter to Catherine Ashton, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, to say that the absence of the European Union (EU) from the these talks is unacceptable.
In truth, Sarkozy was dissatisfied with the fact that the EU is the largest contributor when it comes to economic ties with Israel, and also at the level of building the institutions of the Palestinian state. As far as Russia is concerned, meanwhile, its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Paris yesterday that his country’s absence is not important because it is only a small detail, but that what matters is making progress in difficult negotiations and working on pushing them forward. However, this begs the following question: who benefits from such absence? The fact that key members of the Quartet are absent from these talks prompts the skeptics of their progress and their outcome to have more doubts that the American sponsor that is totally biased in favor of Israel, may abandon the principles of the Quartet, which were announced in Moscow last March. These principles had been endorsed by the U.S administration which was represented in Moscow, where some points mentioned in the statement of the European Summit in Brussels (December 2009) were reiterated, including the illegality of settlements, the borders of the Palestinian state and the position on the issue of Jerusalem.
French President Sarkozy, who has a close relationship with Netanyahu, had previously presented the traditional French position before the Israeli Knesset, and went even further than his predecessors Jacques Chirac and Francois Mitterrand in stressing that Jerusalem must be the capital of two states.more..e-mail
A Conversation with Noam Chomsky
Palestine Monitor: 10 Sep 2010 – Frank Barkat, Coordinator of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine, filmed an interview with Prof Noam Chomky, in cambridge, Massachussets. Topics talked about include: Zionism, One State/Two States, Right of Return, BDS. A Conversation with Noam Chomsky on Palestine/Israel from Frank Barat on Vimeo .more
Israel Bombs Gaza On The Eve Of Eid ul-Fitr
Palestine Monitor: 10 Sep 2010 – The Israeli military carried out air strikes on three regions of the Gaza Strip late last night, as inhabitants were preparing to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, the Mulim holiday marking the end the holy month of Ramadan that starts today. It constitutes the second missile attack by Israel on Gaza since negotiations resumed on 2 September 2010. Just before 11PM (midnight Israeli time) last night (9 Sept. 2010) Israel dropped two missiles on Gaza City, three on Rafah, one on Beit Hanoun and a further missile on Deir Al Balah, a second central Gaza location. Following the Gaza City bombing, which witnesses on the scene said landed inches from the spot of a previous missile attack near Arafat’s Compound one month ago, only two slight injuries have been reported so far. However in Rafah, in south Gaza, it is feared that there may be casualties as there are currently reports of…more
Canadian Boat to Gaza: Get Behind the Flotilla
Palestine Chronicle: 10 Sep 2010 – By Yves Engler A specter is haunting the Harper government and its pro-Israel allies. It’s been dubbed CBG and it stands for Canadian Boat to Gaza. Pro-Palestinian activists recently began raising $300,000 to send a Canadian registered ship to help break Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza. The plan is to fill the ship with various supplies, a couple dozen prominent activists and to return with Palestinian exports. Collecting $300,000 is not easy but it’s important that Canada be represented in the next international Free Gaza flotilla, which is expected to include boats from the U.S., India and many European countries. The Harper government continues to adopt an extreme pro-Israel position and the flotilla is an opportunity to demonstrate that there is a countervailing force supporting Palestinian rights. The CBG could also be used to embarrass the Conservative government. Presumably, the Prime Minister would like to maintain his ‘Israel no matter…more
Censored: On Thought Control in Israel
Palestine Chronicle: 10 Sep 2010 – By Stephen Lendman Since its 1948 establishment, IDF military censor authority banned or sanitized material potentially damaging to Israel’s security. Thereafter, voluntary media/government agreements prevailed, all domestic and foreign news organizations abiding by censorship rulings. Some are sensible like banning reports beneficial to adversaries. Others aren’t by suppressing information the public has a right to know. For example, whatever affects their welfare and when officials commit crimes. In addition, various Supreme Court decisions limit content suppression to “tangible (or) near certain” instances of public endangerment. Of course, interpretations are crucial, authorities increasingly hardline to get their way. It shows up in prohibited protests, free expression erosion against government policies, a booklet about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because freedom of religion and asylum-seeker protection is included, suppressing nonviolent resistance, promoting patriotism over truth, attacking academic freedom, and sanitizing history among other ways, the latter issue addressed in an August…more
The Photo before the Storm: Peace Talks Already Failed
Palestine Chronicle: 9 Sep 2010 – By Ramzy Baroud A picture is not always worth a thousand words. The recently released photographs of Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Washington during their first direct talks in many months certainly don’t say anything new. It was the status quo at its best, a mere procession of regional and US leaders before hungry cameramen. The leaders promised “not to spare any effort” and praised the undeniable altruism embedded in the very concept of “peace”. Israeli Prime Minister repeated the martyr-like emphasis of past Israeli leaders regarding the “painful” compromises and sacrifices required to defeat the many obstacles standing before them. Mahmoud Abbas — with his expired presidency over a corrupt Palestinian Authority – smiled, shook hands and spoke unconvincingly about his hopes and expectations. Jordanian and Egyptian leaders also attended. Their presence was purely an endeavor to mark a difference between this event and the last failed attempt at…more
Apropos “Peace Talks”
Dissident Voice: 10 Sep 2010 – Needless to mention, I don’t hold my breath for the outcome of the current ‘peace talks’. As I mentioned many times before, Israelis are not interested in peace as they fail to grasp what peace is all about or what it stands for. Shalom , the Hebrew word for peace, is interpreted by Israelis and most Jews as ‘security for the Jews’. Shalom therefore has nothing to do with reconciliation or living amongst others. Shalom is a judeo-centric concept, it conveys an image of hope to one people only. The Israeli Palestinian conflict can never be resolved by a ‘shalom initiative’. Shalom is there to split the land and separate the people. It is there to deny the Palestinians of their elementary rights such as the Right of Return. But let us assume for a second that I am completely wrong in my reading of the Israelis and their cultural and…more
Growing Thought Control in Israel
Dissident Voice: 10 Sep 2010 – Since its 1948 establishment, IDF military censor authority banned or sanitized material potentially damaging to Israel’s security. Thereafter, voluntary media/government agreements prevailed, all domestic and foreign news organizations abiding by censorship rulings. Some are sensible like banning reports beneficial to adversaries. Others aren’t by suppressing information the public has a right to know. For example, whatever affects their welfare and when officials commit crimes. In addition, various Supreme Court decisions limit content suppression to “tangible (or) near certain” instances of public endangerment. Of course, interpretations are crucial, authorities increasingly hardline to get their way. It shows up in prohibited protests, free expression erosion against government policies, a booklet about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because freedom of religion and asylum-seeker protection is included, suppressing nonviolent resistance, promoting patriotism over truth, attacking academic freedom, and sanitizing history among other ways, the latter issue addressed in an August 31 Haaretz editorial…more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel –www.vtjp.org
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The New Dark Age 