16 September, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israel To Build 2500 Units in West Bank Settlement
IMEMC – 16 Sep 2010 – Friday September 17, 2010 – 02:44, The Israeli Radio reported Thursday that Israel intends to construct 25000 units in Modi’in Ilit settlements near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Nine PFLP Members Detained By P.A Security Forces In Bethlehem
IMEMC – 16 Sep 2010 – Friday September 17, 2010 – 01:27, Legislator Khalida Jarrar, member of the Political Bureau of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) started Thursday that Palestinian security forces arrested nine PFLP members from the Doheisha refugee camp in Bethlehem.
Army Kidnaps Three In Hebron
IMEMC – 16 Sep 2010 – Thursday September 16, 2010 – 22:10, Israeli soldiers kidnapped on Thursday at dawn three Palestinians from the southern West Bank city of Hebron and took them to unknown destinations.
Three Palestinians Wounded In A Tunnel Accident In Rafah
IMEMC – 16 Sep 2010 – Thursday September 16, 2010 – 21:45, Palestinian medical sources reported that three Palestinians were wounded while working in a tunnel In Rafah along border with Egypt.
Palestinians Demonstrate In Nablus Calling For End Of Talks
IMEMC – 16 Sep 2010 – Thursday September 16, 2010 – 17:57, As the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the latter’s residence in Jerusalem, hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in Nablus and called for halting direct talks with Israel.
Viva Palestina; A Global Lifeline To Gaza To Launch September 18
IMEMC Р16 Sep 2010 РThursday September 16, 2010 Р10:14, A huge land convoy filled with humanitarian aid will be leaving London on Saturday September 18 in conjunction with other convoys from Doha – Qatar, and Casablanca and will be timed to coordinate with more international flotilla aiming to sail to the Gaza Strip at the same time as land convoys attempt to enter Gaza by land.
Netanyahu, Abbas Meet In Jerusalem
IMEMC – 16 Sep 2010 – Thursday September 16, 2010 – 08:10, At his Jerusalem home, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, held his first official meeting with Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas; U.S. secretary of state, Hilary Clinton, and U.S. Middle East Peace Envoy, George Mitchell attended the meeting.
Second airstrike in 24 hours hits Gaza
9/16/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — An agricultural tools warehouse and an open area in the Rafah tunnels district were the sites of two airstrikes by the Israeli army on Gaza Thursday morning, witnesses said. An Israeli military statement on the strikes said the targets were “two weapons storage facilities in the northern and southern Gaza….
Activists: Israel wants 2-year term for wall protester
9/16/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The sentencing phase in the trial of Abdallah Abu Rahme, the coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, began Wednesday at Israel’s Ofer Military Court. Abu Rahme was convicted of organizing illegal marches and of incitement in August, but he was cleared on….
Israel locks down West Bank for Yom Kippur
9/16/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israel’s military announced a total closure of the West Bank starting before midnight Thursday to midnight Sunday for the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday.”Security crossings into Israel will be temporarily closed,” a statement from the military said, “in accordance with security assessments adopted by the defense establishment.” The streets….
Settlers make renewed attempt on Jlem home
9/16/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Jerusalem’s Qeresh family said friends and neighbors helped them resist what witnesses described as an attempted home take over on Wednesday. The event reportedly began in the early morning in the As-Sa’diyah neighborhood in the old city of Jerusalem, as Israeli settlers entered a wing of the….
Aid convoys prepare to head to Gaza
9/16/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Jordanian workers’ union will send 50 truckloads of aid to Gaza as part of the fifth Viva Palestina convoy, a spokesman for the British organization said Thursday. Zahir Berawi said 50 trucks from Algeria would also join the European convoy when it reaches Syria in October. The convoy….
Israeli police reportedly assault 2 Jerusalem residents
9/16/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli police reportedly assaulted two Palestinians from the Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem, a source said. The source said Khaled Walid Sarhan, 50, was transferred to the Hadasah Hospital in Jerusalem for fracture wounds, while his 24-year-old son, Nidal, sustained bruises to his head and back. Nidal was taken to….
No cars to go through Gaza crossings
9/16/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Palestinian crossing liaison officers were notified by Israel on Thursday that an earlier decision to allow cars and car parts into the Gaza Strip had been canceled. Palestinian liaison officer Raed Fattouh said he was informed of the decision when Israeli officials advised him of the number of truckloads of….
UN agencies: Palestinian children denied education
9/16/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The new school year saw 40,000 children turned away from classrooms in Gaza and more than 10,000 children in the West Bank return to school in tents, caravans and tin shacks, UN agencies say. UNRWA, the UN body set up to assist Palestinian refugees, said Wednesday that it has been unable….
Three rescued from Gaza tunnel
9/16/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Three Palestinians were rescued from suffocating while working in a smuggling tunnel under Gaza’s border with Egypt on Thursday, medics said. Medical coordinator Adham Abu Selmia saidcivil defense crews evacuated the men, treating one on the scene. Red Crescent ambulances transferred two of them to Abu Yousef An-Najjar….
Al-Aqsa Foundation: New works at holy Jerusalem site
9/16/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Waqf and Heritage issued a statement Thursday saying Israel began work to build a bridge from the Mughrabi gate connecting it to the Al-Aqsa area in Jerusalem….
Report: Israel preps for PA return to Gaza
9/16/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — In an effort to increase the Palestinian Authority’s influence inside Gaza, Israel and the PA are finalizing plans to deploy Palestinian officials at a crossing to the Strip in the coming months, an Israeli newspaper reported Thursday. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. -Gen….
Amnesty condemns ‘lack of accountability’ after Gaza war
9/16/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A year after a UN fact-finding mission concluded that both Israelis and Palestinians committed war crimes, possible crimes against humanity and other violations of international law during the 2008 conflict in Gaza and southern Israel, Amnesty International condemned the “continuing absence of accountability” and warned that hopes for justice hang in….
Rights group demands end to political arrests
9/16/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights has condemned what it termed the continued arbitrary political arrests carried out by Palestinian security services in the West Bank targeting members of Hamas. The group says Hamas members are subjected to detention and maltreatment in violation of the law. The latest arrest wave, which….
Nablus to host Palestine Human Rights Film Festival
9/16/2010 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — The largest university in the northern West Bank will host its first human rights film festival at the end of September, organizers announced on Wednesday. Starting 26 September and running through the end of the month at the Zafr Masri Theater on the university’s old campus, a series of….
Israel detains 7 ‘wanted’ Palestinians overnight
9/16/2010 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Palestinian security officials said five Palestinians were detained overnight by Israeli forces in the Nablus and Hebron areas, while an Israeli military spokeswoman said there were at least seven taken for questioning. Between Wednesday night and Thursday morning three men, identified as Mustafa Kamel Shawer, 48, Sufian Hamhum, 39, and Marwan….
Marking massacre, PLO calls to protect refugees
9/16/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The head of the PLO Refugee Affairs Department on Thursday demanded justice and protection for Palestinian refugees on the 28th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Zakaria Al-Agha called on the UN Security Council to prosecute those responsible for the massacre in the International Court of Justice. He said nearly….
UN flotilla inquiry submits first report to Ban
9/16/2010 – NEW YORK (Ma’an) — The inquiry panel established by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to investigate the lethal Israeli attack on an aid ship bound for Gaza delivered its first report to the official, and said investigations were proceeding smoothly.”[P]roceedings have been conducted in a positive and collegial manner,” a statement from Ban….
Mitchell: Obama seeks Mideast normalization
9/16/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — US envoy to the Mideast peace process George Mitchell said Wednesday that Palestinian and Israeli leaders were tackling the tough issues up front during talks in Jerusalem. Mitchell spoke with reporters following a trilateral meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and….
Allenby border closed Thursday for one hour
9/16/2010 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — Palestinian police at the Al-Karameh border office, the first phase for Palestinians in crossing the Jordan River into the Hashemite Kingdom, said all terminals at the crossing would be closed for one hour on Thursday. Officials said Israeli crews would be performing maintenance on the Israeli-controlled portion of the border, which….
Protests in Nablus against return to talks
9/16/2010 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — More than 100 Palestinians demonstrated in Nablus Wednesday, protesting the return of Palestinian negotiators to talks with Israel. Organized by leftist factions including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Palestine People’s Party and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the protests were the first….
In photos: Leftist factions protest talks in Nablus
9/16/2010 – MaanImages / Rami Swidan – Supporters of leftist factions take part in a protest in the West Bank city of Nablus against direct negotiations, 15 September 2010. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warmly endorsed Israeli and Palestinian leaders Wednesday ahead of negotiations to try to break a deadlock over Jewish settlement building in the occupied West….
Report: US wants 3-month freeze extension
9/16/2010 – LONDON (Ma’an) — The US administration has suggested that Israel extend its West Bank settlement freeze by an additional three months, an Arabic-language newspaper reported Thursday. Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported that President Mahmoud Abbas had agreed to the proposal, designed to keep the PLO negotiating in the first series of peace talks since 2008, but….
Egyptian police: Bombed tunnel for sugar transport
9/16/2010 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian authorities said officers seized three smuggling tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border on Thursday morning, in addition to several tons of sugar prepared for transport into the coastal enclave. One of the three tunnels, Egyptian sources added, was bombed a day earlier by the Israeli airforce. The tunnel opened in….
Allenby to close for Jewish holiday
9/16/2010 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority border crossing officials were informed of closures to the border terminal during the Jewish day of atonement holiday on Saturday. In an announcement Thursday, officials said the crossing would be sealed at 10:30 a. m. Friday and totally closed Saturday. Passengers traveling in both directions will be unable….
Jordan disputes US security threat warning
9/16/2010 – AQABA, Jordan (Ma’an) — The security situation in Jordan is stable and there are no imminent threats anywhere in the country, Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Ali Ayed said Wednesday. The official was responding to a security alert issued earlier in the day by the United States embassy in Amman….
Bahar warns Abbas against conceding Palestinian rights
9/16/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Hamas leader said Thursday that the holding of direct peace talks at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence was a “very dangerous” indicator of the nature of negotiations. Deputized PLC speaker Ahmad Bahar said that by agreeing to talks at Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem….
Hamas: Gaza attacks attempt to destroy Palestinian cause
9/16/2010 – GAZA (Ma’an) — Hamas said Thursday that Israeli rhetoric which uses the launching of projectiles from Gaza to “justify targeting civilians” is an attempt to destroy the Palestinian cause. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that strikes on Gaza affirmed the credibility of Hamas’ stance that Palestinians would pay heavily for negotiations, which he….
Report: US envoy’s spokesman quits
9/16/2010 – WASHINGTON (Ma’an) — US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell’s spokesman has quit, a US politics blog reported Thursday. Jonathan Prince, the deputy assistant secretary of state who handled strategic communications for Mitchell’s team, has left for the communications firm of Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates, Politico reported. In a….
Gaza Electric asks PA to modify bill payment scheme
9/16/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Gaza Electricity Company has asked the Palestinian Authority to adjust its automatic payment deduction from civil servant salaries, officials said Thursday. Company spokesman Jamal Ad-Dardasawi told Ma’an that a system put in place a month earlier would automatically deduct 170 shekels ($45) from salaries of 50,000 civil….
Jordan disputes travel warning issued by US embassy
Palestine Note 16 Sep 2010 – Washington – The US Embassy in Jordan issued a warning to Americans against traveling to the Red Sea port of Aqaba for the next 48 hours on Wednesday, Arab News reported Wednesday. The embassy warned of…
Israel purchases twenty F-35 fighter jets
Palestine Note 16 Sep 2010 – Washington – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced Thursday to purchase 20 F-35 fighter jets valued at approximately 2.75 billion dollars, Haaretz reported Thursday. The US military is funding the entire…
Negotiations while ethnic cleansing continues
Palestine Note 16 Sep 2010 – Seven million of the 11 million Palestinians are refugees or displaced people. Israeli war criminals and US officials complicit in ethnic cleansing meet in fancy hotels to claim they are “negotiating” for peace (while in the…
Forget the settlements; focus on the expulsions
Palestine Note 16 Sep 2010 – Israelis only want Palestinians to recognize Israel’s right to exist “as a Jewish state.” Who can argue with wanting just to exist? It’s a clever strategy. It hides the real goal, asking that Palestinian families give…
US and Turkey spearhead comprehensive Middle East peace process
Palestine Note 16 Sep 2010 – Washington – US Middle East peace envoy, George Mitchell, travelled to Damascus on Thursday to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to extend the peace process to Israel and Syria, Haaretz reported Thursday. “Our effort to…
Second round of direct negotiations proceed
Palestine Note 16 Sep 2010 – Washington – Round two of the Palestinian-Israeli direct negotiations were completed this week in the Egyptian resort Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday and in Jerusalem on Wednesday. The issue of the moratorium of the Israeli settlements, however,…
Jewish activists to sail to Gaza to break blockade
Palestine Note 16 Sep 2010 – An organization of European Jews has announced that it wants to sail an aid ship to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The organization refused to disclose its port of departure. Kate Katzenstein-Leiterer, a leader of…
Lebanon summons general on comments
AlJazeera 16 Sep 2010 – Move comes after Jamil Sayyed, who spent four years in jail, launched a harsh attack on Saad Hariri and his government.
Jewish settlements deadlock remains
AlJazeera 15 Sep 2010 – US peace envoy reveals no indication of progress after second day of direct Netanyahu-Abbas talks.
Egyptian party boycotts elections
AlJazeera 15 Sep 2010 – Egypt’s al-Ghad party announces it is going to boycott parliamentary elections amid divisions in the opposition camp.
Clinton Leaves The Region After Meeting Abbas; Palestinian Groups Say No To Talks
PNN – Ramallah ‚Äì PNN ‚Äì the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas praised the U.S efforts to reach a peace deal during these critical times. President Abbas remarks came after he meet the U.S Secretary…
Construction Continue In Central West Bank Settlement
PNN – Ramallah ‚Äì PNN ‚Äì the Israeli Radio announced on Thursday that construction of 2500 new homes in a West Bank settlement have resumed. The Radio announced that Na’ot Hibsagh Construction Company had…
Military Prosecution Demands More Than Two Years Imprisonment for Bil’in’s Abdallah Abu Rahmah
PNN – Ramallah – PNN – Military prosecutor said harsh sentence should serve as a deterrent to other protesters. Despite military orders to the contrary, army officer said 0.22 caliber bullets are considered crowd…
Israeli Settlers Take Over Palestinian Farm Lands Near Nablus
PNN – Nablus ‚Äì PNN ‚Äì a group of Israeli settlers took over on Thursday more Palestinian farm lands near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The 30 Donoms of land ( 7.5 acres )…
Israel’s Air Force Attack A Number Of Targets In Gaza
PNN – Gaza- PNN ‚Äì Israeli jetfighters conducted number of air raids on Thursday morning targeting deferent parts of the Gaza Strip. In Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, jetfighters targeted a Soup Factory, due…
IFJ Welcomes Prime Minister Pledge To Promote Safety Of Journalists In Palestine
PNN – Ramallah ‚Äì PNNIFJ – The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes the assurances given today by Salam Fayyad, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, to bring to an end the…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (08-15 September 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Participate in Mission to 15th Session of UN Human Rights Council
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Ref: 69/2010 From 13-17 September 2010, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) participated in a joint mission to the 15 th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The mission was organized by the Euro-Med Human Rights Network and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, and also included a representative of Al Haq. PCHR was represented
Olmert: Barak begged to join Kadima
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Former prime minister is writing a book in which he calls the defense minister “disappointing.”
Barak sends conciliatory signal as Mitchell meets Assad
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Netanyahu ‘ready to enter Syria talks without preconditions’; US envoy meets with Assad in Syria; says US goal is “comprehensive peace.”
Clinton: Peace talks are ‘complicated,’ will ‘take time’
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Gov’t rejects extended freeze, despite US, EU and Egyptian pressure; PA official tells ‘Post’ he has ‘no explanation’ for US optimism; Mubarak: I told PM not to restart building, but he said he had no choice.
Galant announces senior military appointments
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Incoming IDF chief of Staff, Maj.-Gen. Yoav Galant will be replaced in the Southern Command by Maj.-Gen. Tal Russo.
Arab World: Kings and pawns
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – As Israel and the Palestinians negotiate, Ahmadinejad’s reported upcoming visit to Lebanon serves to remind the world of Iran’s opposing strategy of endless war.
Eshkol council head files UN complaint over mortar fire
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Haim Yalin tells UN Sec. Gen. Ban: “Hamas, the neighborhood bully, is not subject to international law.”
Mitchell: Current talks will not derail Israel-Syria deal
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – US Middle East envoy meets with Assad in Syria; says US goal is “comprehensive peace,” not just Israeli-Palestinian deal; will travel to Beirut next.
Gov’t officially approves deal to buy F-35 fighter jets
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Deal worth $3b. will bring 20 of the American made stealth planes to Israel; PMO: The purchase will significantly strengthen Israel’s military.
Clinton: Netanyahu, Abbas trying to seek common ground
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – US secretary of state meets King Abdullah in Jordan; shortly before ending ME trip and returning to US she expresses optimism about talks; also announces $275m. in aid to Jordan to rehabilitate water sector.
EU calls for extension in settlement building moratorium
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – European Union declaration calls settlements illegal under international law, calls end to rocket, terror attacks; Mubarak urges PM to extend freeze for 3 more months.
Hunting for Ariel Sharon
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – From the desert ranches of southern Israel to the hospitals of TA, it took being ignored, dismissed and eventually detained to glimpse former leader.
Turkey to increase trade with Iran despite sanctions
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Erdogan says Ankara hopes to triple trade with Teheran in next 5 years; Iranian VP: We have no better friend than Turkey in today’s world; announcement follows reports that Iran will give Erdogan $25m. towards re-election bid.
Mubarak urges Netanyahu to extend freeze for 3 more months
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – PMO says position on settlement freeze has not changed, rejects report saying US advised expanding moratorium on West Bank construction.
US: Time may come for special nuke probe of Syria
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – At IAEA meeting, Iranian official says reported Israeli strike on Syrian nuclear facility 3 years ago is the “real issue,” claims Damascus has fallen victim to a “vicious circle of endless questions and allegations.”
Officer accused of shooting car thief to receive legal help
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Police chief says F.-Snt. Bora Ratzon, who is being investigated by Justice Ministry for death of east J’lem theif, is to receive assistance.
Barak says peace with Lebanon, Syria is possible
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Defense minister visits Lebanese border, expresses hope that one day volatile area will become peace border; “IDF has every intention to make peace.”
Abbas in Ramallah: There’s no alternative to negotiations
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – PA president offers a positive note during welcoming ceremony for US secretary of state in West Bank; Clinton says US committed to establishment of “sovereign and viable” Palestinian state.
‘Obama administration wants 3-month moratorium extension’
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Arab newspaper says Abbas agrees to US suggestion, Netanyahu yet to respond to offer; comes after second round of peace talks held in Jerusalem.
Mitchell to meet Assad in bid to reopen Israeli-Syrian ties
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Along with ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mitchel’s goal is “a full normalization of relations between Israel and its neighbors in the region.”
Former Spanish PM fights delegitimization of Israel
Jeruslalem Post 16 Sep 2010 – Jos?© Mar??a Aznar warns of a ‘very non-kosher’ relationship between Iran and Venezuela.
International Solidarity Movement
Military Prosecution Demands More Than Two Years Imprisonment for Bil’in’s Abdallah Abu Rahmah
9/16/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – The sentencing phase in the trial of Abdallah Abu Rahmah, the coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, began yesterday at the Ofer Military Court. Abu Rahmah was convicted of organizing illegal marches and of incitement last month, but cleared of the violence charges he….
B’Tselem: Probe IDF soldiers over deaths of Palestinian civilians
9/16/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Haaretz – New report concludes no IDF soldier has been indicted for such deaths over the last four years – A new report by the human rights group B’tselem concludes that during the past four years not a single IDF soldier was indicted for killing Palestinian civilians in the territories. The report claims that between…. Related: Full Report (PDF)
Facing sentencing, MK Hanegbi says he has already paid heavily
Ha’aretz – Prosecution seeks suspended sentence and to add moral turpitude to conviction, which it says is inherent in the crime of perjury, of which Hanegbi was convicted; Moral turpitude would prevent…
Stock up now: Floods in Asia set to push up price of sesame-based foods
Ha’aretz – ‘After the holidays we’ll be raising prices by 20 to 25 percent,’ says owner of company that processes and markets tehina and halva.
Colleagues slam campaign to save Hanegbi’s political career
Ha’aretz – Members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee lash out at committee chairman Tzachi Hanegbi over letters of support he submitted to the court in an effort to avoid…
Judgment day: Just how guilty is MK Tzachi Hanegbi?
Ha’aretz – A battle will take place in Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court over the issue of moral turpitude in Hanegbi’s conviction, by a majority of the bench. He was convicted of perjury in…
Palestinian sues Israeli firm over 8.7 shekel hourly salary
Ha’aretz – West Bank resident Nazar Fukra says he was paid less than half the minimum wage and no social benefits from Solor Gas Industries.
BGU reprimands two more students over protests
Ha’aretz – Harsh and disproportionate penalty would bar students from political activism, says one student.
High Court: Tax benefits inequitable, discriminate against Arabs
Ha’aretz – High Court decision follows petition alleging that provision of substantial benefits without evident criteria contravenes the right to equality.
Ovadia Yosef atones to Mubarak after declaring Palestinians should die
Ha’aretz – Shas spiritual leader had asked God to deliver a plague to Abbas and the Palestinians and ‘all the evil people’ in this world.
‘Obama wants to restore Lebanon aid Congress feared would be used against Israel’
Ha’aretz – Senior administration and congressional officials say that the president believes it to be in the security interests of both America and the Mideast to lift holds on $100 million in…
IDF’s new senior echelon set to be announced
Ha’aretz – Brigadier-General Aviv Kochavi will take over military intelligence, Major-General Tal Rousso will become GOC Southern Command and Brigadier-General Ya’akov Ayash will assume leadership of operational branch.
Clinton urges Israel: Extend settlement freeze, even for a limited time
Ha’aretz – Secretary of State tells Channel 10 such a move would be ‘extremely useful’; Arab League: No point negotiating if settlements continue., Barak gave his go-ahead last month to purchase the…
U.S. envoy tells Syria: Israel-Palestinian talks could yield comprehensive Mideast peace
Ha’aretz – Mitchell meets Syrian president in Damascus after days of participating in direct negotiations with Palestinian President Abbas and PM Netanyahu.
U.S. urges Arab countries to leave Israel off the agenda at IAEA conference
Ha’aretz – Resolution against Israel could threaten peace process, say U.S. officials.
Abbas: No alternative to peace talks, we will continue efforts
Ha’aretz – Palestinian President speaks at ceremony welcoming U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the West Bank.
Report: U.S. suggests 3-month extension to settlement freeze
Ha’aretz – Asharq Al Awsat: Abbas has agreed to American proposal, 10 days before settlement freeze set to expire; PMO: Netanyahu’s position hasn’t changed.
‘Turkey denies Israel’s request to question Gaza flotilla captain’
Ha’aretz – Ankara says it has already interviewd captain of the Mavi Marmara as part of Turkish probe and submitted testimony to the UN.
Hypocrisy Defined: Another Round of Peace Talks
Uruknet September 16, 2010 – Dealing with Washington and Israel is like swimming with sharks. Get out of the water or be eaten. Achieving an equitable Israeli/Palestinian peace settlement is no more likely now than ever. Both sides know it but pretend otherwise, suggesting perhaps a finessed or arranged resolution – a sham one or capitulation if anything is agreed….
Sentencing begins for convicted grassroots activist
Uruknet September 16, 2010 – In a courtroom packed with foreign diplomats, Palestinian and Israeli human rights workers and political activists, the sentencing phase in the ongoing trial of Palestinian activist Abdallah Abu Rahme began at Israel’s Ofer Military Court on Wednesday, 15 September. Thirty-nine-year-old Abu Rahme, who is the Popular Committee Coordinator in the the occupied West Bank village…
Settlers make renewed attempt on Jlem home
Uruknet September 16, 2010 – Jerusalem’s Qeresh family said friends and neighbors helped them resist what witnesses described as an attempted home take over on Wednesday. The event reportedly began in the early morning in the As-Sa’diyah neighborhood in the old city of Jerusalem, as Israeli settlers entered a wing of the family home and allegedly began removing furniture. Family…
The Nation: Docs Reveals Blackwater-Linked Companies Provided Intel & Security to Multinationals Like Monsanto, Chevron
Uruknet September 16, 2010 – “Blackwater’s Black Ops”‚Äîthat’s the title of an explosive new article in The Nation magazine that reveals how entities closely linked with the private security firm Blackwater have provided security and intelligence services to a range of powerful corporations over the past several years. The companies include Monsanto, Chevron, Deutsche Bank and others. Blackwater has also…
Sabra and ShatilaOn massacres, atrocities and holocausts
Uruknet September 16, 2010 – It happened twenty-eight years ago ‚Äì 16 September 1982. A massacre so awful that people who know about it cannot forget it. The photos are gruesome reminders ‚Äì charred, decapitated, indecently violated corpses, the smell of rotting flesh, still as foul to those who remember it as when they were recoiling from it all those…
Israeli Court Says Criminal Probe Into Fatal Shooting Of Two Palestinians “Unnecessary”
Uruknet September 16, 2010 – The Israeli High Court Of Justice had decided that a petition demanding a full investigation into the fatal shooting of two Palestinians in Awarta village near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, is “unnecessary” as the Israeli army had already ordered an investigation. Last month, representing the families of the victims, Israeli attorney, Michael…
Palestinian expert warns about repeating Oslo’s mistakes as direct talks are launched
Uruknet September 15, 2010 – A Palestinian expert has warned of the danger of repeating the mistakes made by the Palestinian negotiators, especially concerning Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, in signing the Oslo Accords in 1993. The second round of direct talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians is now under way in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh. Abdel Nasser Ferwana,…
Negotiations while ethnic cleansing continues‚Äè‚Äè
Uruknet September 15, 2010 – Seven million of the 11 million Palestinians are refugees or displaced people. Israeli war criminals and US officials complicit in ethnic cleansing meet in fancy hotels to claim they are “negotiating” for peace (while in the meantime giving green light to further ethnic cleansing and destruction of Palestinian lives to strengthen the apartheid system‚Ķ. Israeli…
Palestinian children deprived of basic rights to education
Uruknet September 15, 2010 – The Minister of Education and Higher Education, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warn that educational standards have plummeted to an unacceptable level, despite the efforts of the Palestinian Authority and the support of the international community. Today, as over a million children return to school…
Two Sides of the Same CoinIran: War Talk, Peace Talk
Uruknet September 15, 2010 – It is difficult to avoid bumping into Jeffrey Goldberg these days. The Atlantic commentator’s prediction that there is a good chance Israel will strike Iran by next July to destroy its alleged nuclear weapons program has got everyone talking, and writing, and then talking some more. This discussion has been going on for years now….
Start again with a clean sheet, Palestinians
Uruknet September 15, 2010 – So criminal within itself, it flinches from upholding the rule of international law. So corrupt, it happily outsources its foreign policy to terrorists in Tel Aviv. The idea that America acts as an honest broker for peace between its fellow cut-throat Israel and their victim, Palestine, on whose neck the Zionist jackboot is firmly planted,…
Gaza deaths protest comes under heavy live fire from Israeli snipers
Uruknet September 15, 2010 – Over 100 rounds of live ammunition were fired at peaceful protesters in a Tuesday demonstration in the Gaza strip. The protest at the Erez border area near Beit Hanoun yesterday included Palestinian activists from the Local Initiative group, local residents and 4 members of the International Solidarity Movement who marched into the site of the…
Campaigns of Political Arrests Continue in the West Bank; Detainees Include a Woman and Two Human Rights Defenders
Uruknet September 15, 2010 – The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the continued arbitrary political arrests carried out by Palestinian security services in the West Bank targeting members of Hamas, who are subjected to detention and maltreatment in violation of the law. The latest arrest wave, which is part of an arbitrary arrest campaign against members of Hamas…
Lebanon’s former head of security accused of slander over Hariri killing claims
The National 16 Sep 2010 – Brigadier General Jamil Sayyed claims the prime minister conspired to frame him for the murder of the former leader Rafiq Hariri
Middle East peace is within our reach, says Clinton
The National 16 Sep 2010 – US envoy seeks fresh talks between Tel Aviv and Damascus as pressure grows on Israel to extend freeze on illegal settlements.
Gaza violence fuels scepticism about talks
The National 16 Sep 2010 – A day after Israeli and Palestinian leaders dealt with core issues , the Israeli military bombs two weapons storage facilities in Gaza from which they claim rockets were fired earlier.
Without Addressing Remaining Obstacles to Private Sector Development, PA will Remain Donor Dependent, World Bank Says
WAFA – WASHINGTON, September 16, 2010 (WAFA) – “Unless action is taken in the near future to address the remaining obstacles to private sector development and sustainable growth, the PA will remain donor
World Bank Approves $40M to Support PA Reform, Institution Building
WAFA РWASHINGTON, September 17, 2010 – Economic growth in the West Bank and Gaza is likely to reach 8% this year but largely thanks to external financial aid while the critical private sector investment
UK Trade Union Federation to Continue Boycott Support
WAFA – LONDON, September 16, 2010 (WAFA)- Britain’s trade union federation voted at its annual conference in Manchester to continue its boycott of Israeli goods and services from West Bank settlements
EU Urges Israel to Extend Settlement Freeze
WAFA – BRUSSELS, September 16, 2010 (WAFA)- The European Union urged Israel on Thursday to extend its moratorium on settlement building, a key demand made by Palestinians to keep renewed peace talks
PCHR Weekly Report: Israel Killed 5 Civilians
WAFA – GAZA, September 16, 2010 (WAFA)- Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), PCHR said in its
Clinton says Middle East peace ‘within reach’
Daily Star 16 Sep 2010
US envoy: Time may come for special nuclear probe of Syria
Daily Star 16 Sep 2010
Hundreds of Syrians begin visit from occupied Golan
Daily Star 16 Sep 2010
Iran security agents ‘raid’ office of opposition leader Mousavi
Daily Star 16 Sep 2010
Hizbullah denies producing ‘target’ card deck
Daily Star 16 Sep 2010
Hold on $100m US military aid to Lebanon to be lifted after extensive review
Daily Star 16 Sep 2010
Sun, sea and grit: Israeli and West Bank women risk jail for day at the beach
The Guardian 16 Sep 2010 – Illegal day trips challenge laws governing the movement of Palestinians The day starts early, at a petrol station alongside a roaring Jerusalem road. The mood among the 15 Israeli women is a little tense, but it’s…
Gaza left out in the cold | Laila el-Haddad
The Guardian 16 Sep 2010 – The US-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and Israeli policy seek to exclude residents of the Gaza Strip Ask any resident of Gaza what their thoughts are on the US-sponsored ” direct talks ” between Israel and Mahmoud Abbas’s Ramallah…
UNRWA head makes plea to Arab League on behalf of Palestine refugees
Relief Web 16 Sep 2010 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (08-15 September 2010)
Relief Web 16 Sep 2010 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka: Newsletter ACTED #65 Septembre 2010
Relief Web 16 Sep 2010 – Source: Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development
Progress made in the implementation of the recommendations of the Fact-Finding Mission by all concerned parties, including United Nations bodies, in accordance with paragraph 3 of section B of Human Rights Council resolution S-12/1: Report of the Secretary-General (A/HRC/15/51)
Relief Web 16 Sep 2010 – Source: UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Council
MIDEAST: Dreaming of Fish, and Flowers
IPS As the many colours of the fish and flowers slowly disappear from the Gaza landscape, the already grim prospects of the besieged residents begins to look even bleaker.
Barak: Peace with Lebanon, Syria possible
YNet News – Defense minister tours IDF post on Israel-Lebanon border, says ‘alongside….
8 US universities launch study programs in Israel
YNet News – Top American universities to offer students one semester study-abroad programs…..
Former Spanish PM: Israel vital for Europe
YNet News – In an interview with Ynet, Jose Mar??a Aznar, who heads Friends of Israel….
West concerned anew over Iran’s nuclear program
YNet News – UN Security Council worried Iran has upped its pursuit of ballistic missiles….
Rocket fire prompts IDF strike on Gaza
YNet News – IAF targets two weapon caches in northern, southern Strip following ongoing….
Clinton: Political capital needed to extend freeze
YNet News – WASHINGTON ‚Äì US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday it would be “extremely helpful” for Israel to extend its moratorium on West Bank settlement building, …….
US: Selling arms to Israel national interest
YNet News – The US State Department on Thursday justified selling arms to Israel and Saudi Arabia after a ministerial committee headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and …….
Israel: Hamas fired phosphorous to harm peace
YNet News – WASHINGTON ‚Äì Israel’s new ambassador to the UN, Meron Reuben, sent a letter of complaint to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon regarding the white phosphorous rockets …….
Mitchell: US committed to Israel-Syria peace effort
YNet News – US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Thursday and stressed the United States’ commitment to …….
Israeli girl to undergo eye surgery in Syria?
YNet News – Mariana Alkush, a 14-year-old girl from the village of Buqata in the Golan Heights is slated to cross the border into Syria Thursday in order to undergo surgery which may …….
‘We used phosphorus fired in Gaza war’
YNet News – A member of the one of the Palestinian militant groups in Gaza admitted to Ynet on Thursday that the phosphorus used in the rockets fired on Israel Wednesday contained …….
Palestinian Information Center
Haneyya government warns of further Israeli military escalation
PIC 16 Sep 2010 – The Palestinian government of Ismail Haneyya has condemned the Israeli military attacks against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, warning of further escalation.
Natshe: Solitary confinement a tomb for the living
PIC 16 Sep 2010 – MP Mohammed Jamal Al-Natshe, who was released a few days ago from Israeli jails, said that he spent half his 8-year sentence in solitary confinement, which he described as a “tomb for the living”.
Hamas: Israeli media reports attempt to justify attacks
PIC 16 Sep 2010 – Hamas denies that it launched phosphorous missiles at the west Negev region, calling statements in that regard an apparent attempt to justify Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip.
Viva Palestina initiates new convoy to Gaza next Saturday
PIC 16 Sep 2010 – Viva Palestine organization said it would launch next Saturday a new Lifeline for Gaza convoy, while European delegations started to flock into London to participate in this trip.
Settlers take more Palestinian land in Nablus
PIC 16 Sep 2010 – Israeli settlers continue to seize land owned by Palestinians in the West Bank in light of the cover-up provided by Palestine’s de facto president Mahmoud Abbas for Israeli settlement activity.
IOF arrests MP’s brother five days after released from PA prison
PIC 16 Sep 2010 – Israeli troops raided Thursday morning the south Al-Khalil neighborhood of Wadi al-Hurriya and arrested Subhi Kafisha, 46, the brother of MP Hatem Kafisha.
Hamas denies Israel’s claims about firing phosphorous shells at Negev region
PIC 16 Sep 2010 – Hamas categorically denied claims about firing phosphorus shells or any rockets at Negev region, warning that Israel fabricates such lies in order to justify a new military action against Gaza.
PCHR speaks against PA militia political arrests
PIC 16 Sep 2010 – The PCHR condemned the latest PA security militia’s arrest campaign against Hamas supporters in the West Bank in the wake of Al-Khalil operation carried out by Hamas affiliates.
Palestinian gov’t issues semiannual report on its achievements in Gaza
PIC 16 Sep 2010 – The Palestinian government issued its semiannual report on the achievements it has made since the beginning of this year at many levels, especially in the fields of security, economy and education.
Nafha prisoners suspected of smuggling phones placed in solitary confinement
PIC 16 Sep 2010 – The supreme national committee said Nafha prisoners have been exposed to a “vengeful suppression” operation after guards claimed mobile phones were smuggled into the prison through family visits.
Israeli-Palestinian Talks: Netanyahu Reportedly Says Building to Resume
The Media Line 15 Sep 2010 – [News and Analysis] Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reportedly told Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Obama Mideast envoy George Mitchell that there will be no extension to the moratorium…
Israel’s Air Force Responds to Increased Rocket, Mortar Attacks
The Media Line 15 Sep 2010 – Israel’s air force carried out two sorties against Palestinian targets Wednesday night after Gaza-based terrorists stepped up rocket and mortar attacks. The army reports two weapons storage facilities were hit: one in the north and one…
New American Ambassador Arrives in Beirut
The Media Line 15 Sep 2010 – A new American ambassador to Lebanon has taken up residence in Beirut. Maura Connelly presented her credentials to President Michel Sleiman at the Baabda Presidential Palace on Wednesday. Connelly, a career diplomat, is faced with an…
Abbas sees ‘no alternative’ to peace talks, boosting hopes they’ll continue
LA Times 16 Sep 2010 – Aides to the Palestinian leader stress that opposition to Israel’s housing construction remains. But Abbas’ comments are a change in tone from threats to walk out unless Israel extends its moratorium. A declaration by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday that there was “no alternative” to U.S.-brokered peace talks offered new hope that negotiations would not break down because of a standoff over Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
U.S. envoy Mitchell to meet with Syrian president
LA Times 17 Sep 2010 – Mideast envoy George J. Mitchell’s visit to Damascus is aimed at persuading Syrian President Bashar Assad to back Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Syria, however, is said to be skeptical. U.S. Middle East envoy George J. Mitchell traveled to Damascus on Thursday in a bid to persuade Syrian President Bashar Assad to support Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Abbas Says Israel Talks Will Continue
New York Times 16 Sep 2010 – The settlement issue looms, but the Palestinian leader said that he saw no alternative but to keep talking.
Iran Raids Office of Opposition Leader, Moussavi
New York Times 16 Sep 2010 – Security forces seized the computers of Mir Hussein Moussavi, an opposition leader, and a prosecutor said he and another opposition figure would be put on trial.
HEBRON REFLECTION: “Captain, Where Is Your Sense of Decency?”
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine – I wondered what was going on in your heart. I had often encountered you on the streets before this day, and most often I observed you as a decent policeman trying to do your job. This day I saw something so different in you.
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).
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.
Seven Million Back Biggest British Boycott
Palestine Monitor – At their annual conference this week the TUC, Britain’s all-encompassing trade union coalition, announced their most comprehensive boycott policy yet. It targets settlement goods as well as companies profiting from the illegal occupation of Palestinian land. The motion to boycott and disinvest from these companies passed…
Feeling the loyalty to the Jewish state
Mondoweiss – The Israeli Knesset is debating a bill proposed by David Rotem of the extreme right Yisrael Beiteinu party that would require all Israeli citizens to swear loyalty to Israel as a “Jewish and democratic state.” This bill is targeted at increasing pressure on the twenty percent…
Pressure grows on Harvard to cancel Peretz honor
Mondoweiss – The Harvard Social Studies Committee is meeting tomorrow to make a final decision on whether to move forward with their event planned to honor Marty Peretz . A source at Harvard tells me, “there is a LOT of internal dissent on this.” One sign of that dissent…
Rejecting the ‘self-hatred’ label
Mondoweiss – Lillian Rosengarten is due to set out soon on the Jewish boat for Gaza . Within the context of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the charge of “self-hating Jew” or “Jewish anti-Semite” can only be understood as an ugly way to strike back at those Jews who speak out…
Shining a light on the settlements
Mondoweiss – Tony Kushner and Alisa Solomon have an article on The Nation website in support of the Israeli actors boycott of the new performing center in the West Bank settlement Ariel. They write that part of the power of the action is that it brings attention to…
The Search for 1948
Mondoweiss – The following is a chapter from the important new book Shifting Sands: Jewish Women Confront the Israeli Occupation. From the book’s website , “Shifting Sands brings to life the Jewish anti-occupation perspective through personal stories by activists such as Starhawk, Anna Baltzer, Jen Marlowe, Alice Rothchild, Holocaust…
Clinton Meets Abbas as U.S., EU Suggest Extension Settlement Freeze
Al-Manar 16 Sep 2010 – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday renewed the US commitment to an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state despite a row over settlements that threaten fledgling Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Clinton made the remarks in the West Bank’s political headquarters in Ramallah as she began a…
Second Israeli Strike Hits Gaza in 24 Hours
Al-Manar 16 Sep 2010 – An agricultural tools warehouse and an open area in the Rafah tunnels district were the sites of two airstrikes by the Israeli occupation army on Gaza Thursday morning, witnesses said. An Israeli military statement on the strikes claimed the targets were “two weapons storage facilities…
Escalation in Gaza: Israel Kills 2 Palestinians, Injures 6 Others in 24 Hrs.
Al-Manar 15 Sep 2010 – At least two Palestinians were killed and six others were injured within 24 hours in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, one Palestinian was killed and two others were injured in Israeli air strikes on smuggling tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border, Palestinian medics…
Mideast Talks Continue in Occupied J’lem amid Tension over Settlement Freeze End
Al-Manar 15 Sep 2010 – The United States has stepped up pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to resolve the crisis over the looming end of the settlement freeze. During talks between the two leaders with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the…
Reham Alhelsi – 28 Years Later: Sabra and Shatila Massacre
Palestine Think Tank 16 Sep 2010 – 28 years later, I remember Sabra and Shatila. I remember that Palestinians are targeted everywhere. I think of those among us steadfast in our land refusing to leave despite the daily Zionist terror, and think of those in the Diaspora dreaming and waiting for the return….
The Thin Green Line: It’s Not Just the Settlements (or the Occupation), Stupid!
Palestine Think Tank 16 Sep 2010 – By Nima Shirazi* “Before their eyes we turn into our homestead the land and villages in which they and their forefathers have lived‚ĶWe are a generation of settlers, and without the steel helmet and gun barrel, we shall not be able to plant a tree or…
Activists: Israel wants 2-year term for wall protester
Sabr 16 Sep 2010 – RAMALLAH ( Ma’an ) — The sentencing phase in the trial of Abdallah Abu Rahme, the coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, began Wednesday at Israel’s Ofer Military Court. Abu Rahme was convicted of organizing illegal marches and of incitement in August, but…
Source: Israel shuts down prison, transfers detainees
Sabr 16 Sep 2010 – NABLUS ( Ma’an ) — Israel’s Prison Service will shut down the Shitah prison in northern Israel and transfer 60 Palestinian detainees to the Megido-Salem prison in the same region, a source said Tuesday. The source told Ma’an that the prison agency did not provide a reason for…
Center: Detainees beaten over cell phones
Sabr 16 Sep 2010 – RAMALLAH ( Ma’an ) — The Palestinian Detainees Center said Wednesday that a special unit raided the Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank, beating detainees, a statement read. The center said the unit opened fire at prisoners and deployed tear-gas, with several younger detainees suffering respiratory problems…
Nativity deportees appeal to Abbas ahead of talks
Sabr 16 Sep 2010 – GAZA CITY ( Ma’an ) — The Nativity Church deportees, exiled by Israel to Gaza and Europe following the siege of the Bethlehem church in 2001, appealed to President Mahmoud Abbas and his Egyptian counterpart on Monday to bring their case up during direct talks. Deportee spokesman and…
Clinton in Middle East peace push
BBC 16 Sep 2010 – Hillary Clinton has met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas after he renewed his threat to quit peace talks in a row over Jewish settlements.
Mousavi office ‘raided’ in Iran
BBC 16 Sep 2010 – Iranian security forces raid the office of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, a statement on his website says.
Israeli strikes kill one in Gaza
BBC 15 Sep 2010 – Israeli aircraft bomb smuggling tunnels in Gaza, killing one, hours after militants launch rocket and mortar attacks in southern Israel.
Egypt paper ‘doctored Mubarak-Obama photo’
BBC 15 Sep 2010 – Egypt’s main state-run newspaper is condemned for doctoring a photograph to suggest President Hosni Mubarak was leading Middle East peace talks.
Israel-Iran War: Not Inevitable
Antiwar.com 16 Sep 2010 – Rex Wingerter on Iran’s capabilities and motivations
A Bipartisan Look at the Israel Lobby
Antiwar.com 16 Sep 2010 – Philip Giraldi has a suggestion for the Bipartisan Policy Center
Is America’s Military Prepared For The Israeli Threat? Can America Stop An Israeli “Nuclear” 9/11?
Sabbah report 16 Sep 2010 – By Gordon Duff* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz “The American people are afraid, they see disaster coming. Everyone is waiting to see what city is chosen to be sacrificed. Will it be Phoenix or Sacramento or perhaps Atlanta? This is the real fear, the “not so…
When Settlers Attack: Understanding Settler Violence against Palestine’s Civilians
Sabbah report 16 Sep 2010 – Yousef Munayyer, Executive Director, The Palestine Center presents an analysis of settler violence in the West Bank. Learn what type of violence occurs, who is most vulnerable and most targeted, where the violence is concentrated and what motivates it. Yousef Munayyer will present the results of…
Start again with a clean sheet, Palestinians
Sabbah report 16 Sep 2010 – By Stuart Littlewood* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz So criminal within itself, it flinches from upholding the rule of international law. So corrupt, it happily outsources its foreign policy to terrorists in Tel Aviv. The idea that America acts as an honest broker for peace between…
Ali Baba and the Myth of Global War on Terror
Sabbah report 16 Sep 2010 – By Anait Brutian* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Daniel Pipes’ 2005 article on terrorism starts with the following statement “What do Islamist terrorists want? The answer should be obvious, but it is not.” After a tortuous description of so many cases of terrorism, Daniel Pipes finally…
Articles
What Peace Talks? Gaza Left Out in the Cold
Laila El-Haddad, The Guardian 9/16/2010
The US-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and Israeli policy seek to exclude residents of the Gaza Strip
Ask any resident of Gaza what their thoughts are on the US-sponsored “direct talks” between Israel and Mahmoud Abbas’s Ramallah government, and you’re likely to hear one of three responses:
1) Surely, you jest;
2) Something’s rotten in Ramallah;
3) Negotiations?
There is very little patience in Gaza for this latest set of talks. They are not only being conducted without a national consensus by what is broadly considered an illegitimate government, but they also completely marginalise the Gaza Strip and overlook the blockade and asphyxiation it has suffered for more than four years.
“When people started to talk about negotiations and going back to the peace process and all, I thought, wait a minute, who took our opinion before going there?” said Ola Anan, 25, a computer engineer from Gaza City. “I mean, Mahmoud Abbas is now a president who’s out of his presidential term. So in whose name is he talking? In the name of Palestinians? I don’t think so.”
Abu el-Abed, a 30-year-old fisherman who sells crabs in the coastal Gaza enclave of Mawasi said: “We hear about the negotiations on television, but we don’t see them reflected on the ground. They’re not feasible. Gaza’s completely marginalised as far as negotiations go. There’s no electricity, there’s no water. There’s no movement. Living expenses are high. And the borders are all closed.” — See also: Laila El-Haddad: ‘In Whose Name Do They Talk?’ more.. e-mail
Curtis Doebbler, Ma’an News Agency 9/14/2010
The Israeli-Palestinian talks taking place under the auspices of the United States highlight a denial of reality and a shocking ignorance of international relations by the parties involved.
More than providing any chance of a just solution to the Palestinian problem, the talks offer an opportunity to evaluate the credibility and legitimacy of the various actors in the process. They are an opportunity for the Palestinian people, the Arab community, the Islamic community, and the international community at large to review the integrity of several actors in the process and to learn lessons that might make a solution possible in the future. Some of these lessons are already apparent.
Israel will not act in good faith
The first lesson to be learned is that Israel is ruthlessly committed to perpetuating its own existence as a state without regard for international law or the views of the rest of the international community. This is troubling to anyone who has respect of the rule of international law. It is also a strong indication that the type of action needed to sway Israel will not be negotiations, but will need to include effective enforcement measures.
Israel emphasized its intransigence this week in the context of negotiations around the UN Human Rights Council by calling for removal of consideration of the situation of Palestine from the council’s agenda. This was an attempt by Israel to avoid criticism from a body that has frequently been critical of Israel and has attempted to apply international law. Rather than acting in accordance with any of the numerous resolutions of the United Nations that call on Israel to respect international law, Israel focused on killing these calls by removing the item concerning Palestine from the agenda. more.. e-mail
Return to Shatila
William Cook, Intifada-Palestine9/16/2010
“O, that it were possible, We might but hold some two days’ conference, With the dead!” – (John Webster, IV.ii.18.)
“The voice of the dead was a living voice to me.” – (Tennyson, “In the Valley of Cauteretz”)
Twenty eight years ago, a scene of unspeakable horror rocked the rubble strewn alleys of Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut as vengeance vied with naked lust in a massive display of human malice illuminated for the IDF overseers of this massacre with flares that provided “an unobstructed and panoramic view” for Israeli Defense Minister, Ariel Sharon and his Chief of Staff, Rafael Eitan, as they watched from the seven story Kuwaiti embassy providing logistical support for their Phalangist allies as they “massacred for 36 to 48 hours” the hapless Palestinians imprisoned in the camps. “We were breathing death, inhaling the very putrescence of the bloated corpses around us. Jenkins immediately realized that the Israeli defence minister would have to bear some responsibility for this horror. “Sharon!’ he shouted. ‘That fucker Sharon! This is Deir Yassin all over again.’” (Fisk, Pity the Nation, 360). Outside of the Shatila camp, who remembers? What American knows of the massacre? What government agency has investigated our involvement in it? What lives lost haunt the Israeli or American mind for the evil we have done against the innocent who died such ignominious deaths twenty eight years ago?
Would that we could hold conference with the dead, to sense the absolute black fear that grabbed the mother’s heart as her executioner grabbed her skirt to shred it before unleashing his uncontrollable lust into her trembling body, to feel the depth of anguish that spread throughout her being in these last moments of her life, to fear with her the absolute despair she felt as her murderer laughed and mocked her before thrusting his knife into her child yet unborn in her womb. Would that we could share with those slaughtered during these days of anguish the pain and suffering they endured, hapless innocents offered by Sharon and his forces to their paid mercenaries as compensation for their loyalty to the invading armies of the Israeli nation…. more.. e-mail
Audio: “They persecuted Ameer to keep us silent”
Electronic Intifada: 16 Sep 2010 – The trial of Palestinian citizen of Israel and civil society leader Ameer Makhoul resumes today in Haifa. The Electronic Intifada contributor Hyun Lee interviews Makhoul’s wife, activist Janan Abdu, and Gabrielle Rubin from Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.more
Sentencing begins for convicted grassroots activist
Electronic Intifada: 16 Sep 2010 – In a courtroom packed with foreign diplomats, Palestinian and Israeli human rights workers and political activists, the sentencing phase in the ongoing trial of Palestinian activist Abdallah Abu Rahme began at Israel’s Ofer Military Court on Wednesday, 15 September.more
Indigenous resistance, from Colombia to Palestine
Electronic Intifada: 16 Sep 2010 – The mistreatment of the indigenous peoples of Colombia by the government of former president Alvaro Uribe Velez, appointed by the UN investigate Israel’s fatal attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, parallels Israel’s abuses of the indigenous people of Palestine. Anna Baltzer reports for The Electronic Intifadamore
Seven Million Back Biggest British Boycott
Palestine Monitor: 16 Sep 2010 – At their annual conference this week the TUC, Britain’s all-encompassing trade union coalition, announced their most comprehensive boycott policy yet. It targets settlement goods as well as companies profiting from the illegal occupation of Palestinian land. The motion to boycott and disinvest from these companies passed unanimously on behalf of the TUC’s seven million members. The announcement will increase pressure on British retailers to cut ties with suspect suppliers. A TUC spokesperson said: “The resolution is more focused than last year, and we’ll be putting more pressure on retailers, asking them to prove their supply chains don’t involve the occupied settlements.” Last year a similar motion had been tabled but was diluted by the powerful GMB union, and there were several abstentions and objections. This time the vote passed unopposed, seconded by the GMB. The wording of the statement included a “presumption of guilt” that requires companies to prove their…more
Regarding US Muslims: A Misguided Debate
Palestine Chronicle: 16 Sep 2010 – By Ramzy Baroud Laurie Goodstein’s article, ‘American Muslims Ask, Will We Ever Belong?’ was intended as a sympathetic reading of the concerns of US Muslim communities facing increasing levels of hostility and fear. While generally insightful and sensibly written, the article also highlights the very misconceptions that riddle the bizarre debate pitting American Muslims against much of the government, the mainstream media and most of the general public. This is how Goodstein lays the ground for her discussion: “For nine years after the attacks of Sept. 11, many American Muslims made concerted efforts to build relationships with non-Muslims, to make it clear they abhor terrorism, to educate people about Islam and to participate in interfaith service projects. They took satisfaction in the observations by many scholars that Muslims in America were more successful and assimilated than Muslims in Europe.” (New York Times, September 5, 2010) This argument is not Goodstein’s…more
Return to Shatila
Palestine Chronicle: 16 Sep 2010 – By William A. Cook ‘O, that it were possible, We might but hold some two days’ conference With the dead!’ — (John Webster, IV.ii.18.) ‘The voice of the dead was a living voice to me.’ — (Tennyson, ‘In the Valley of Cauteretz’) Twenty eight years ago, a scene of unspeakable horror rocked the rubble strewn alleys of Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut as vengeance vied with naked lust in a massive display of human malice illuminated for the IDF overseers of this massacre with flares that provided “an unobstructed and panoramic view” for Israeli Defense Minister, Ariel Sharon and his Chief of Staff, Rafael Eitan, as they watched from the seven story Kuwaiti embassy providing logistical support for their Phalangist allies as they “massacred for 36 to 48 hours” the hapless Palestinians imprisoned in the camps. “We were breathing death, inhaling the very putrescence of the bloated corpses…more
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