1 October, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Netanyahu Accuses the Palestinians Of Stalling Peace Talks
IMEMC – 1 Oct 2010 – Saturday October 02, 2010 – 01:30, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accused on Friday that Palestinian side for staling peace talks, and claimed that renewing the construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank should not have any effect on peace talks.
Israeli Court Decides To Deport Maguire
IMEMC – 1 Oct 2010 – Friday October 01, 2010 – 22:13, The Petah Tikva District Court had turned down and appeal against the deportation of Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Mairead Maguire, and granted her lawyers a 48-hour period to file an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Dozens Suffer From Tear Gas Inhalation in Bil’in
IMEMC – 1 Oct 2010 – Friday October 01, 2010 – 17:33, Dozens of people suffered the effects, on Friday, of inhaling gas fired by the Israeli army in the village of Bil’in, during the weekly non violent protest against the wall and settlement on the tenth anniversary of Sharon’s incursion of al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem that sparked the second intifada.
Israeli Army Bulldozers Pave the Way For Settlement Construction Near Bethlehem
IMEMC – 1 Oct 2010 – Friday October 01, 2010 – 14:00, Israeli bulldozers began, friday morning, bulldozing lands adjacent to the settlement of Tekoa’, south east of the city of Bethlehem.
U.S Angered As Netanyahu Rejects Guarantees
IMEMC – 1 Oct 2010 – Friday October 01, 2010 – 12:16, The United States was angered by the response of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejecting an American proposal offering Israel unprecedented security and political assistance in return for extending settlement freeze for additional two months.
Palestinian Residents of Israel Hold General Strike
IMEMC – 1 Oct 2010 – Friday October 01, 2010 – 12:09, Palestinian residents of Israel are holding a general strike, on Friday, marking the tenth anniversary of Ariel Sharon’s incursion of al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
Zahhar: “Negotiations Will Fail Again”
IMEMC – 1 Oct 2010 – Friday October 01, 2010 – 11:02, Member of the Political Bureau of the Hamas movement, Mahmoud Zahhar, stated that negotiations with Israel will fail and that negotiations are meant to eliminate the resistance and serve the Israeli interest.
Viva Palestina 5 Arrives In Turkey
IMEMC – 1 Oct 2010 – Friday October 01, 2010 – 08:35, The Viva Palestina 5 solidarity convoy arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara and was received by thousands of supporters who carried Palestinian flags, Turkish flags and pictures of the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Mitchell: “U.S. Efforts Will Continue To Ensure Resumption Of Talks”
IMEMC – 1 Oct 2010 – Friday October 01, 2010 – 06:33, U.S. Special Middle East Envoy, George Mitchell, stated Thursday that Washington is conducting extensive efforts to ensure the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.
Settlers expand settlement, burn, bulldoze fields
10/1/2010 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Settlers began bulldozing Palestinian farmland to build a new settlement in the northern West Bank on Friday, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ghassan Doughlas, who holds the settlements file in the area, said a number of bulldozers were working in the area west of Urif village south of Nablus, which borders….
Israeli court bans 12 Palestinians from Al-Aqsa Mosque
10/1/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — An Israeli court on Friday issued a one month restraining order banning 12 Palestinians from the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, the Al-Aqsa Foundation said. The foundation said Israeli forces arrested the 12 men from a bus on Thursday as they headed to the mosque to pray. The….
Palestinians in Israel strike on intifada anniversary
10/1/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Follow-up Committee in Israel announced a comprehensive strike on Friday that included all Palestinian towns and cities marking the 10th anniversary of the start of the Al-Aqsa Intifada. On 1 October 2000, 13 Palestinians in Israel were killed while rallying in solidarity with the Palestinians in the West Bank….
Minister pledges support to boy under Israeli house arrest
10/1/2010 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqe was received on Friday by the family of a 13-year-old Hebron boy on Friday, days after the child’s release from Israeli prison. Karem Khaled Da’na, from the Wad Al-Bustan neighborhood in the West Bank city of Hebron, was taken from….
Bil’in rallies against wall
10/1/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces shut down the weekly anti-wall rallies in Bil’in in the Ramallah district on Friday. Organizers said 100 demonstrators marched to the separation wall carrying banners saying “No peace with occupation.”Activists from Israel, Ireland and Japan joined the demonstration, the local popular committee said. Villagers attempted to….
Report: Projectile lands in Negev
10/1/2010 – TEL AVIV (Ma’an) — A projectile fired from Gaza landed in the Western Negev region on Friday morning, Israeli media reported. No injuries or damage were reported, the Israeli news site Ynet said. No militant faction in Gaza has claimed the launch….
Rallies in Gaza commemorate 2nd Intifada
10/1/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Islamist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad organized rallies on Friday in Gaza to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the start of the Second Intifada, using the anniversary as a symbol of the power of resistance. The will of the Palestinian people, a Hamas official and organizer of the central Gaza….
Egypt shuts down 580th tunnel
10/1/2010 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian security forces seized eight smuggling tunnels in the Salah Ad-Din area of Rafah on Friday, police sources said. The state intelligence department received information regarding the operation of the tunnels, an official said, describing them as 1. 5 meters wide and running six meters underground. Operating only 12 meters….
UNRWA chief: Gaza must not be marginalized
10/1/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The chief of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees Filippo Grandi said Friday that Gaza must not be left “in the margins.”Addressing a conference at Bir Zeit University in the West Bank,the UNRWA Commissioner-General warned that, following prolonged and repeated crises in Gaza “consciously or not, many embrace the….
Ashton: Israel refused to extend freeze
10/1/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Following meetings with President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton said no progress had been made. Though she described the meetings as “positive and constructive dialogue,” Ashton told reporters in Jerusalem on Friday….
Erekat: US will continue efforts to save talks
10/1/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The US will continue to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders separately as efforts to negotiate a peace agreement continue, the chief PLO negotiator said Friday. Speaking at a press conference with US envoy George Mitchell, Saeb Erekat said the Palestinian position remained that direct talks could only continue if settlement building….
Fatah: Palestinians support Abbas’ position
10/1/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinians support President Mahmoud Abbas’ position that talks could not continue without a freeze in settlement activity, a Fatah spokesman said Friday. Usama Al-Qauasmi said the renewed settlement activity across the West Bank demonstrated that Israel was not interested in peace. This was also demonstrated by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor….
Islamist party demands PA adhere to court ruling
10/1/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian High Court verdict mandating the release of a Hizb Ut-Tahrir member remains unobserved by PA police, party leaders announced on Thursday. One month has passed since the decision to release Mohammad Khateeb was handed down on 30 August 2010, a party statement said, recalling that the verdict mandated his….
West Bank to get 10 new police stations
10/1/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority Ministry of the Interior approved on Thursday the construction of ten police stations for West Bank towns and cities, out of 55 new structures approved for financing at the 2008 donors conference. Representing Deutsche Gesellschaft f?ɬºr Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), German donors backing the latest project, official….
Hamas says PA detained 8 supporters
10/1/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas leaders accused Palestinian Authority security forces on Friday of detaining eight party supporters across the West Bank The Islamist movement said the PA was continuing its arrest campaign against Hamas affiliates, adding that recent detentions were made in the Ramallah and Hebron districts….
Netanyahu: Determined to humiliate Obama
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – The Obama administration’s attempts at seducing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu are getting embarrassing. Netanyahu has made it very clear he is not interested. According to Ha’aretz , the latest (and most cringe-worthy) moment in the saga came…
Why don’t Palestinians adopt nonviolence?
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – In response to a couple entreaties to Bibi Netanyahu to abandon the settlers and form a more centrist, pro-peace coalition, an exasperated Matthew Yglesias replies: At some point don’t we need to give this game up?…
The Obama Middle East strategy in historical perspective
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – I. Silent Adoptions As one of his first acts after taking office, President Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay within one year. “This is me,” the President said…
The Boston Palestine film festival
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – The Boston Palestine Film Festival (BPFF) will kick off its 4 th annual series this Friday, October 1 st , with an opening reception and film at the Museum of Fine Arts . On the face of it,…
World Bank grants $40 million to Palestinian Authority
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – Washington – On Thursday, World Bank representative Miriam Sherman met with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to deliver the $40 million grant to the PA, Ma’an News Agency reported Friday. The money will be used…
Jewish Harry Potter actress: “We must not put suffering onto others”
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – Washington – Miriam Margolyes is perhaps most famous to global audiences for her portrayal of a professor of Herbology in the Harry Potter films, but she is also an outspoken opponent of many Israeli policies towards…
Nablus human rights film festival to be annual event
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – Washington – Last week, students from Nablus’ An-Najah National University, the largest university in the West Bank, held its first film festival focusing on issues such as the violenve in Gaza, women’s rights, Palestinian refugees, and…
Israel deports Irish Nobel Laureate
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – Washington – Mairead Maguire, Irish Nobel Laureaute, is to be deported from Israel within 48 hours after her appeal was denied, the BBC reported Friday. She was arrested on Tuesday when she arrived in Tel Aviv’s…
Arab-Israelis commemorate October 2000 killings
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – Washington – On October 1, 2000, 13 Arab-Israelis rallying in support of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza were killed by Israeli security forces. This incident partially fueled a series of violent acts which eventually…
US Senate pushes for democracy in Egypt
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – Washington – A resolution has been drafted in the Senate by Russ Feingold and John McCain to urge President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt to “to take all steps necessary to ensure that upcoming elections are free,…
Arab League may consider emergency Security Council session
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – Washington – Arab League representatives are scheduled to meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the future of the Israeli-Palestinian direct negotiations that have been stalled due to the resumption of Israeli settlement construction in the…
Gallup: US approval in Arab MidEast significantly damaged
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – Washington – According to a new public opinion poll from Gallup , the substantial gains in approval of US leadership in the Arab Middle East and North Africa made after the transition from the second Bush administration…
West Bank to get 10 new police stations
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – Washington – Ten new police station buildings, financed by German donors, have been approved for construction in the West Bank by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of the Interior. Four will be built in the northern Jenin…
Time running out to save talks
Palestine Note 1 Oct 2010 – Abbas has delayed quitting peace talks in the wake of Israel’s refusal to extend settlements freeze, but the pressure on the US to achieve a compromise is intensifying. Washington – Numerous media outlets have reported that…
Lebanon row over Ahmadinejad visit
AlJazeera 1 Oct 2010 – Lebanon’s ruling parliamentary bloc describes Ahmadinejad’s planned visit to southern Lebanon as “provocation.”
More Construction In Settlements Near Bethlehem
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN – Israeli bulldozers began, Friday morning, bulldozing lands adjacent to the settlement of Tekoa’, south east of Bethlehem. Hassan Bergia, a member of the Popular Committee Against the Wall…
Soldiers Attacked Anti Wall Protest Near Bethlehem
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN — the villagers of Al Ma’ssara, near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, held on Friday there weekly protest against the Israeli wall being built on their lands….
Many Treated For Effects Of Tear Gas Inhalation During Weekly Protests Near Ramallah
PNN – Ramallah — PNN — dozens were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday when Israeli troops attacked the weekly anti-wall protest in the central West Bank village of Bil’in….
Palestinian Intelligence Force Refuse To Implement High Court Verdict
PNN – Ramallah — PNN — This week the Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic group issued a statement accusing the Palestinian security forces of refusing to implement the High Courts verdict of releasing a member of…
Broadway Group Performs in Bethlehem
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN – The New York Tap Ensemble, a Broadway Performance Group, performed for an audience of local Palestinian students at Bethlehem University on Friday. The Groups performance was set up…
Israeli Soldiers Use Tear Gas Against Protesters In Nabi Saleh Village
PNN – Ramallah — PNN — Israeli soldiers used sound and tear gas bombs on Friday midday to suppress an anti wall protest in the village of Nabi Saleh near the central West Bank…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (23-29 September 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
4 killed, several injured in 4 separate road accidents
Jeruslalem Post 1 Oct 2010 – Deadly day on Israel’s roads sees fatalities and casualties throughout the country including a pedestrian killed by a 17-year-old on a motorcycle.
US officials: Bin Laden involved in European terror plot
Jeruslalem Post 1 Oct 2010 – Multi-pronged scope of plan which aimed to launch coordinated attacks in Britain, France and Germany an al-Qaida hallmark.
Abbas to Mitchell: No further talks until building halted
Jeruslalem Post 1 Oct 2010 – PA says Israel’s building in settlements equivalent to refusal to continue peace negotiations; Netanyahu tells Mitchell that Israel wants to continue direct talks; Egyptian FM says settlement freeze not an important issue.
Netanyahu: ‘We have a mission for peace’
Jeruslalem Post 1 Oct 2010 – PM tells Mitchell Israel wants to continue direct talks with Abbas; Egyptian FM says settlement freeze not an important issue.
Mitchell, Ashton to meet leaders; renewed progress attempt
Jeruslalem Post 1 Oct 2010 – The two will see Netanyahu in Caesarea followed by Abbas in Ramallah; White House denies Obama sent Israel a letter offering security guarantees.
Kadima: We won’t save PM from Lieberman
Jeruslalem Post 30 Sep 2010 – “Netanyahu chose to build this coalition and he is stuck with all his partners,” a Kadima spokesman said.
Palestinian Affairs: Abbas’s credibility problem
Jeruslalem Post 30 Sep 2010 – To many Palestinians, it’s obvious that the PA leader will continue talks with Israel even if the bulldozers are working in the settlements.
Mitchell meets with Abbas about continuing talks
Jeruslalem Post 30 Sep 2010 – Palestinian negotiator Nabil Sha’ath, PLO Member Hanna Amireh skeptic about resumption of talks without extension of West Bank freeze.
Egyptian FM: Lieberman doesn’t represent Israeli policy
Jeruslalem Post 30 Sep 2010 – Ahmed Aboul Gheit says he did not listen to FM’s speech since his stance does not interest him; Says Lieberman speaks with no logic.
Palestinians dig-in as international envoys arrive
Jeruslalem Post 30 Sep 2010 – Mitchell to meet Abbas in West Bank Thursday; EU’s Ashton to arrive in region “as a matter of priority”; Abbas will meet with Fatah, PLO on Saturday before Arab League meeting Monday; says he’s ready to make “historic decision.”
PLO: Talks won’t continue unless freeze decision reversed
Jeruslalem Post 29 Sep 2010 – Hanna Amireh conveys that there is widespread opposition to resuming talks without a settlement curb; EU’s Ashton moratorium must be extended, due to arrive in Israel to meet with Netanyahu.
Dozens march against gender segregation in Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – Protesters march from central J’lem to ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea She’arim a day after High Court of Justice ruled that gender separation barriers were unacceptable.
Netanyahu: Restrained settlement construction won’t affect peace process
Ha’aretz – PM says settlement freeze wasn’t easy, PA must now show their flexibility; U.S. and EU meetings with Israeli, PA officials end with no signs of breakthrough.
Court: Irish Nobel laureate to be deported from Israel
Ha’aretz – Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan-Maguire, who was deported from Israel after joining a Gaza-bound aid ship, is currently in a detention facility at the airport pending an appeal to…
Amid row over settlements, Netanyahu says committed to Mideast peace
Ha’aretz – The United States is reportedly incensed over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a draft letter that would have extended the freeze on West Bank settlement construction, formulated by advisers…
Arab League may bring settlement freeze debate to UN
Ha’aretz – in Cairo on Wednesday, Arab states will consider initiating an emergency Security Council session on Israel’s refusal to renew West Bank building moratorium.
Dubai police chief says Mossad behind death threats
Ha’aretz – Commander that led investigation into the killing of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh claims Israeli agents warned him he would be targeted.
Jewish boat activists say Israel used taser gun on them
1 Oct 2010 – Palestine, October 2, (Pal Telegraph) – Jewish activists who sought to breach Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip this week said navy commandos treated them harshly when intercepting their boat.
Between heightening and burning into consciousness
1 Oct 2010 – Palestine, October 2, (Pal Telegraph) – How should the Palestinian resistance movements respond to Israeli gains? By avoiding the dangers of burning into consciousness and finding a way towards its heightening, writes Mohsen Saleh in Beirut
This is Our Land and This is Our Blood
Uruknet October 1, 2010 – They came from everywhere; from Yafa, from Haifa, from Acca, from Nazareth, from Um-Il-Fahim. They came from everywhere to tell the martyrs: We will never forget, we will continue the struggle. They came in thousands to tell the Zionist entity: We will never forget, we are here to stay. They marched in thousands to the…
Lebanon row over Ahmadinejad visit
Uruknet October 1, 2010 – Lebanon’s largest parliamentary bloc has expressed concerns at a planned visit of Iranian president to Lebanon on October 13. In a statement issued on Friday, the March 14 -secular- alliance described Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s upcoming visit as a “provocation.” The Iranian president is scheduled to hold talks with his counterpart, Michel Sleiman, who invited him, as…
Irish Nobel laureate loses legal fight to enter Israel
Uruknet October 1, 2010 – An Israeli court on Friday rejected an appeal by Irish Nobel laureate and peace activist Mairead Maguire against a ban on her entering Israel for 10 years, legal sources told AFP. “They decided that she will be deported within 48 hours, leaving her the time, if she wants, to present an appeal to the high…
U.N. Report finds Israel “summarily executed” U.S. citizen on flotilla
Uruknet October 1, 2010 – Last week, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights released a comprehensive report detailing its findings regarding the May, 2010, Israeli attack on the six-ship flotilla attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Israel-blockaded Gaza. The report has been largely ignored in the American media despite the fact (or, more accurately: because) it…
PA: Settlers lobbying to demolish mosque
Uruknet September 30, 2010 — Israeli settlers have distributed fliers calling for the demolition of a mosque in the northern West Bank, a Palestinian Authority official said Thursday. Ghassan Doughlas, who holds the settlements portfolio in the area, said large banners have been posted opposing a mosque in the Burin village, which is near the illegal Yitzhar settlement…
The extraordinary rendition of Palestine
Uruknet September 30, 2010 – It has been a rather bizarre week in the Middle East. Let me just cite a few examples: – The International Atomic Agency (IAEA) succumbed to pressure from the US and other Western Countries and thus failed to make any explicit or even implicit request of Israel to join the nonproliferation treaty. One of the…
Video: Palestinians mark anniversary of second Intifada
Uruknet September 30, 2010 – It is ten years since the start of the second Intifada in the occupied Palestinian territories. The uprising claimed 5,500 Palestinian lives as well as more than 1,000 Isrealis. Al Jazeera talks to Ahmad Abed Rabbo, the young Palestinian who was part of President Yasser Arafat’s presidential guard at the time of the fighting. This…
It’s Not What You Say, it’s How You Say it
Uruknet September 30, 2010 – My mother used this line on me all the time when I was growing up. When I felt I had been done a grave injustice by my unfair parents — which was obviously every other day as a teenager — I would argue my point in rants and raves, flaying my arms and blaring in…
Why Murdoch and the BBC Are on the Same Side
Uruknet September 30, 2010 – Britain is said to be approaching its Berlusconi Moment. That is to say, if Rupert Murdoch wins control of Sky he will command half the television and newspaper market and threaten what is known as public service broadcasting. Although the alarm is ringing, it is unlikely that any government will stop him while his court…
Nostalgia for Egypt’s Nasser
Uruknet September 30, 2010 – The fortieth anniversary of Gamal Abdel Nasser’s death has brought renewed speculation about the cause of his death, as well as a deep sense of nostalgia for the lost values he represented and advocated. Rumours have long circulated that the Egyptian leader died as a result of foul play and not a heart attack, as…
Israeli border police break into homes and demand to be served coffee in Silwan
Uruknet September 30, 2010 – On Tuesday evening, Israeli border police and special Yasma forces rampaged through the East Jerusalem city of Silwan. Their presence on the ground was due to unrest that has been engulfing the city since last week’s murder of a 35 year old Palestinian at the hands of a private settler security guard. Recently, I was…
Ansar Al-Asra: Israel kidnaps about 500 Palestinian children every year
Uruknet September 30, 2010 – Ansar Al-Asra, a human rights organization, reported Thursday that Israel kidnapped about 500 Palestinian prisoners under age 18 every year and there are still 310 of them in its jails. The organization affirmed that Israel invented racist military laws allowing it to arrest and torture Palestinian prisoners, adding that the repeated international condemnations did not…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (23-29 September 2010)
Uruknet September 30, 2010 – Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (23 — 29 September 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 5 Palestinians, including a toddler and a fisherman, while a 6th one died of previous wounds. They also wounded 7 Palestinian civilians. In the Gaza Strip, on…
Ashton Encourages Continued Building Freeze
WAFA – TEL AVIV, October 1, 2010 (WAFA)_ European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said at the end of her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem that she ‘urged
UNHRC Adopts Text on Flotilla Attack
WAFA – GENEVA, October 1, 2010 (WAFA)- The UN Human Rights Council adopted Wednesday resolutions on follow-up to the report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the flotilla attack;
Ahmadinejad’s plan to visit Lebanon worries Israel
Daily Star 1 Oct 2010 RAMALLAH, Occupied West Bank: US and European peace envoys pleaded with Israel Friday to extend its partial moratorium on West Bank settlement construction, as the Palestinians stuck to their insistence that all building must stop for…
US, European envoys pressing to save Mideast talks
Daily Star 1 Oct 2010 RAMALLAH, Occupied West Bank: US and European peace envoys pleaded with Israel Friday to extend its partial moratorium on West Bank settlement construction, as the Palestinians stuck to their insistence that all building must stop for…
Israel’s homeless bedouin take on the state in the face of repeated demolitions
Daily Star 1 Oct 2010 AL-ARAQIB, Israel: The pukk – pukk – pukk of a generator wired into the engine of a small truck punctures the silence of the desert. A man folds the bottom of his long yellow galabiya robe,…
Irish Nobel laureate loses legal fight to enter Israel
Daily Star 1 Oct 2010 PETAH TIKVA, Israel: An Israeli court on Friday rejected an appeal by Irish Nobel laureate and peace activist Mairead Maguire against a ban on her entering Israel for 10 years, legal sources told AFP. “They decided…
Iran blasts US ‘interference’ in domestic affairs after sanctions
Daily Star 1 Oct 2010 TEHRAN: Tehran hit out Friday against US “interference” after Washington ordered sanctions against senior Iranian officials for alleged human rights abuses during a crackdown on post-election protests last year.
Loyalist troops rescue Ecuador president from rebel police captors
Daily Star 1 Oct 2010 QUITO: Ecuador President Rafael Correa made an exulted return to the Presidential Palace after loyalist troops rescued him from a police rebellion amid gunfire and street clashes that left at least two dead. The Red Cross…
The second intifada, 10 years on | Seth Freedman
The Guardian 1 Oct 2010 – For Israelis and Palestinians the legacy of the 2000 uprising is a cycle of trauma and violence — making prospects for peace bleak This week marks the 10th anniversary of the outbreak of the second intifada ,…
Jewish actor visits West Bank camp in quest for peace
The Guardian 1 Oct 2010 – ‘It’s very hard to talk about Palestine to Jewish people — they see me as a betrayer,’ says British actor Miriam Margolyes In a small, bare room in a refugee camp in the southern West Bank,…
Recognizing the emotional impact of calamities, UNICEF promotes guidelines to aid in recovery
Relief Web 1 Oct 2010 – Source: UN Children’s Fund
Human Rights Council concludes fifteenth session
Relief Web 1 Oct 2010 – Source: UN Human Rights Council
Against All Odds: Advancing Human Development in Gaza – Keynote address by Filippo Grandi, UNRWA Commissioner-General
Relief Web 1 Oct 2010 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
OPT: Protection of Civilians Weekly Report, 22 – 28 Sept. 2010
Relief Web 1 Oct 2010 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
MIDEAST: Syria in the Catbird Seat
IPS As the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama struggles to salvage Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Syria is well positioned to benefit no matter the outcome.
8th Week against the Apartheid Wall, November 9 — 16 2010
Stop The Wall – [
Hezbollah: Egypt arming rival Lebanese militias
YNet News – Sources close to Shiite group say Egypt, Jordan training Sunni militias as part….
Norway: Israel-bound subs banned from testing in our waters
YNet News – Scandinavian country tells German company building submarines for Israel it can….
Palestinians: Ball in Netanyahu’s court
YNet News – Palestinian Authority officials estimated Friday that the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee would approve a return to direct negotiations with …….
Court: Nobel laureate won’t enter Israel
YNet News – The Petah Tikva District Court on Friday denied an appeal filed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire against the State’s decision to ban her from entering Israel …….
PM: We want to continue peace talks
YNet News – US envoy George Mitchell was shuttling between Israel and the Palestinians for a second day on Friday to save Middle East peace talks threatened with collapse after only …….
Palestinian Information Center
Huge demonstrations for Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza
PIC 1 Oct 2010 – The PIC correspondent said that tens of thousands of Palestinians demonstrated on Friday around the Gaza Strip to mark the tenth anniversary of the Aqsa intifada.
Occupation bulldozes lands in the village of Takku
PIC 1 Oct 2010 – Eyewitnesses said that Israeli occupation bulldozers started on Friday morning to bulldoze Palestinian lands close to a Jewish settlement built on Palestinian land belonging to the village of Takku.
Occupation bans eleven 1948-Palestinians from entering the Aqsa Mosque
PIC 1 Oct 2010 – The Israeli occupation magistrate court in Jerusalem issued a ruling on Friday banning eleven 1948-Palestinian young men from entering the Aqsa Mosque for a month and a half.
Zahhar calls on Arab follow up committee not to give cover to the Oslo team
PIC 1 Oct 2010 – Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahhar, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said that anyone who goes to negotiations “without his nails loses his fingers”, stressing that negotiations alone will fail.
Palestinians in W. Bank ridicule Obama’s guarantees
PIC 1 Oct 2010 – The Letter of Guarantees sent by Obama to Binyamin Netanyahu in exchange for extending settlement construction freeze has drawn widespread mockery among Palestinian citizens in the West Bank.
Tunisian party calls for anti-normalization watchdog
PIC 1 Oct 2010 – The Tunisian Democratic Union party has called for the formation of an anti-normalization watchdog to thwart all forms and attempt to normalize ties with the Zionist entity.
Dubai police chief under threat for exposing the Mossad
PIC 1 Oct 2010 – The Dubai chief of police has disclosed Thursday that he received two threats from the Israeli Mossad to liquidate him if he doesn’t stop talking about the assassination of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh..
Health of MP Totah deteriorates inside sit-in tent
PIC 1 Oct 2010 – The International campaign for the release of kidnapped Palestinian lawmakers has warned that health of MP Mohammed Totah was deteriorating more and more while in the sit-in tent..
Iranian officials call latest U.S. sanctions ‘desperate’
LA Times 1 Oct 2010 – They say recently unveiled travel and financial restrictions against eight key officials will be ineffective and are proof that the U.S. played a role in last year’s opposition protests. Iranian officials said Friday that the Obama administration’s decision to sanction eight high-ranking security officials for human rights abuses demonstrated Washington’s complicity with opposition activists and showed America as desperate.
Police unrest under control, Ecuador official says
LA Times 2 Oct 2010 – ‘The coup attempt may have roots out there; we have to find them and pull them up,’ Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino says. Police mutineers held President Rafael Correa captive for several hours. ‚Äî President Rafael Correa’s victory over violent police protests in Ecuador is not yet fully assured, though the situation is under control for now, Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said Friday.
U.S. Presses Israelis on Renewal of Freeze
New York Times 1 Oct 2010 – The Obama administration is offering Israel security guarantees but is also weighing a fallback plan that could involve reaching out to the Palestinians, officials said.
World Briefing | MIDDLE EAST: United Arab Emirates: Police Chief Accuses Israeli Spy Agency of Threats
New York Times 1 Oct 2010 – Dahi Khalfan al-Tamim claimed to be in danger after publicizing the assassination of a senior Hamas figure in Dubai this year.
‚ÄòCommentary’: legitimacy issues, Palestinian resistance and U.S. opportunities are rotting Israel’s purpose
Mondoweiss – Here is an interesting/twisted piece that reaffirms my belief that Israel is not about the actual safety of Jews— guess what, we’re back in Berlin and we’re doing fine all over the U.S.— it is a symbol for a certain kind of Jewish identity, and increasingly…
Videos from Silwan
Mondoweiss – The video above depicts a woman in Silwan testifying that late at night an Israeli border policeman, who was stationed on her roof, broke the glass window in the video and instructed her to make him coffee. He seems to have thought she was alone in…
Where is the ‚Äòcenter’ of American Zionism?
Mondoweiss – Many of the liberal pro-Israel lobby J Street’s detractors from the American Jewish right complain that the group is outside the ‘mainstream of American Jewish opinion’ because it makes mild criticisms of Israeli policy and takes a dovish approach to Israel’s neighbors. If the logic of…
Israeli forces use tear gas and sound bombs to attack protests in Bil’in and Nabi Saleh
Mondoweiss – And other news from Today in Palestine: Land/Property/Resource Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing Israeli annexation of Jordan Valley bleeding Palestinians dry Although the valley has a third of the West Bank’s water resources, Palestinians have not been allowed drill wells since 1967, writes Michael Jansen. THE JORDAN…
Farewelling two-state-solution, ‚ÄòFP’ authors suggest permanent residency status in Israel for refugees
Mondoweiss – Yet another sign that the two-state solution idea is over; Mickey Bergman and Amjad Atallah at Foreign Policy propose two multi-ethnic states side by side, but with overlapping citizenships. Israel preserves its Jewish character, but Palestinian refugees gain residency rights in Israel as nationals of Palestine….
Palestinians: No Breakthrough in US Efforts to Save Talks
Al-Manar 1 Oct 2010 – There has been no breakthrough in talks to salvage peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, a top Palestinian official told AFP on Friday after two days of meetings with US and EU officials. “The American efforts are ongoing but there has been no breakthrough…
Nobel winner to be deported
BBC 1 Oct 2010 – Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire is to be deported from Israel after her appeal to overturn her entry refusal was rejected.
Obama meets freed US hiker Shourd
BBC 30 Sep 2010 – President Barack Obama meets a US hiker freed after more than a year in prison in Iran, as well as the relatives of two US hikers still held.
You get the truth only from ‘former’ officials’
Sabbah report 1 Oct 2010 – By Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Warning from the Obama administration’s submission to Israeli pressure, in an interview with OTV, Michael Scheuer, a ‘former’ senior CIA officer, said: “Three hundred million Americans could wake up tomorrow to discover that a foreign leader, Benjamin…
Palestinian Authority Recommends Whitewashing Gaza War Crimes
Sabbah report 1 Oct 2010 – By Stephen Lendman* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz Who do they serve anyway? It’s clear from the sham peace talks and a new development. The Mahmoud Abbas-controlled Palestinian Authority (PA) wants Israel absolved of accountability for Cast Lead crimes of war and against humanity. No matter…
Articles
On the boat to Gaza
Glyn Secker, Ma’an News Agency10/1/2010
The following is an excerpt from the written testimony of Glyn Secker, captain of the Irene, the latest boat to attempt the breaking of Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The weather was still very kind to us and we made better progress than expected. Not wanting to time the encounter with the Israeli navy in the dark we slowed down and when the morning had warmed up I suggested that a good way to de-stress would be to stop the boat and for us all take a swim in the sparkling deep blue water.
We put out a long line with a fender on the end and in we all plunged — a swim to remember. Reuvan, our 82-year-old holocaust survivor, was amazing, confidently swimming away from the boat and me trying to keep him within reach of the safety line! I think I was the only one who had any breakfast — home made muesli (wonderful almond nuts).
And then finally after all these days and weeks of anticipation we identified a frigate on the horizon. It shadowed us for some considerable time, keeping on our port side about five miles off. Then we saw a number of smaller craft lined up and realized that the encounter was approaching. We rehearsed our strategies and waited, with adrenalin levels slowly rising. Shortly there came a call on Ch 16 over the VHF from the frigate asking us our intentions and the flag of the boat. I informed them that we were heading for Gaza port, that we were in international waters and had no intention of entering Israeli waters. They replied that Gaza was within a prohibited area and that we should change our course.
I responded by stating that that did not accord with international law, that we were unarmed, had no materials which could be put to military use, that we carried a consignment of aid for Gaza and that we expected safe passage. They then warned us that they would intercept us, that this could be dangerous for the crew and damaging for the boat. more.. e-mail
Peace Process to Nowhere
Franklin C. Spinney, CounterPunch9/30/2010
Sacrificing Substance for Process
The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reports that President Obama begged Prime Minister Netanyahu to extend his settlement freeze in order to save the so-called peace talks.
As a quid pro quo, Obama is reported to have promised Netanyahu that (1) Israel could resume settlement construction if the peace negotiations failed to produce results and (2) that the United States would give Israel written assurances of its commitment to Israel’s security (suggesting a formal peace treaty perhaps?). Despite Obama’s desperation, Netanyahu blew Obama off and allowed the so-called freeze to expire.
If, as is likely, this report is true, Israel has humiliated the United States once again — a fact that will no doubt be deemed irrelevant by Israel’s shills on both sides of the aisle in Congress, not to mention the mainstream media.
The last president to stand up to Israel was Dwight Eisenhower, when he pulled the plug on the second Arab-Israeli war in 1956 and forced Israel to retreat from the east bank of the Suez Canal and to give up its conquest of the Sinai.
But eleven years later, Israel learned US condemnation was no longer a problem.
In fact, Israel learned it could get away with murder and could treat the United States with utter contempt when (1) its air and naval forces not only attacked the USS Liberty — a high priority US Navy signals intelligence ship — on 8 June 1967 during the Six-Day War, killing 34 and wounding 171 US sailors, but (2) was able to secure a cover up of its perfidy by the highest levels of the US government…. more.. e-mail
Gandhi’s Wisdom
Uri Avnery, CounterPunch9/27/2010
Reflections of a Professional Grumbler
SURFING THE television channels, I came across an interview with the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi on an American network (Fox — would you believe it).
“My grandfather told us to love the enemy even while fighting him,” he said, “he fought against the British resolutely, but loved the British.” (I quote from memory.)
My immediate reaction was baloney, the pious wish of do-gooders! But then I suddenly remembered that in my youth I had felt exactly the same, when I joined the Irgun at the age of 15. I liked the English (as we called all the British), the English language and English culture, and I was ready to put my life on the line in order to drive the English out of our country. When I said so to the Irgun’s recruitment committee, while sitting with a bright light shining in my eyes, I was almost rejected.
But the grandson’s words set me to thinking more seriously. Can one make peace with an opponent while hating him? Is peace possible at all without a positive attitude towards the other side?
ON THE face of it, the answer is “yes”. Self-styled “realists” and “pragmatists” will say that peace is a matter of political interests, that feelings should not be involved. (Such “realists” are people who cannot imagine another reality, and such “pragmatists” are people who cannot think in the longer term.)
As is well-know, one makes peace with enemies. One makes peace in order to stop a war. War is the realm of hate, it dehumanizes the foe. In every war, the enemy is portrayed as sub-human, evil and cruel by nature. more.. e-mail
Israeli mayors’ visit runs aground in Spain, Netherlands
Electronic Intifada: 1 Oct 2010 – The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) canceled a 19 September visit by Israeli mayors because the delegation included leaders of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, igniting a firestorm in the Dutch parliament centered at foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen.more
Musical storytelling: Reem Kelani interviewed
Electronic Intifada: 1 Oct 2010 – Reem Kelani, born in Manchester, UK to Palestinian parents and raised in Kuwait, tells a tough tale of her struggle to establish herself as a Palestinian artist in the “world” music industry. Sarah Irving interviews for The Electronic Intifada.more
In defense of South African academics’ boycott call
Electronic Intifada: 1 Oct 2010 – When African National Congress leader Chief Albert Luthuli made a call for the international community to support a boycott of apartheid South Africa in 1958, the response was a widespread and dedicated movement that played a significant role in ending apartheid. Ronnie Kasrils comments a new petition by South African academics aimed at supporting the boycott call of Israel.more
Our Brand vs. Their Brand: You Be the Judge
Palestine Chronicle: 1 Oct 2010 – Dear Readers, By now, you must have heard of all the wonderful (and we are sure, not so wonderful) things that have been said about the Palestine Chronicle. From John Pilger to Kathy Kelly to Chomsky, and many others, the Palestine Chronicle has garnered and continues to gain the respect of world-renowned intellectuals. Heck, some writers who began their careers at PC, are now correspondents and reporters for major publications, in the Middle East and in Europe. Our brand is a success, not because of some million-dollar advertisement scheme investment. Not because we are affiliated with fabulously rich individuals, organizations or well funded think tanks. None of this. But if civil society can possibly have its own media, the Palestine Chronicle is that media. We are entirely, and we mean entirely funded by our readers. Thus only accountable to common sense, intellectual integrity and the principles that unite all of…more
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The New Dark Age 
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