28 October, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Rivlin: “Settlement Issue used by Palestinians as an excuse to End Peace talks”
IMEMC – 28 Oct 2010 – Thursday October 28, 2010 – 16:39, On Thursday, Israeli Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin lambasted the Palestinian leadership, accusing them of using the issue of Israeli settlements as an excuse to end peace talks currently on hold in Washington.
Hamas Minister To Be Forced Out Of His Village
IMEMC – 28 Oct 2010 – Thursday October 28, 2010 – 13:02, Wasfy Qabha, an elected minister affiliated with the Hamas movement, stated Thursday that Israeli soldiers and a senior security commander broke into his home and informed him that, starting next month, he will not be allowed into his village, Barta’a Al Sharqiyya, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Desmond Tutu Calls to Boycott Israel
IMEMC – 28 Oct 2010 – Thursday October 28, 2010 – 12:40, On Wednesday, the Anglican Archbishop called to cancel the opera “Porgy and Bess” that the Cape Town Opera Company was scheduled to perform in Israel next month.
Abu Sha’ar Condemns Approval for Building 750 Housing Units
IMEMC – 28 Oct 2010 – Thursday October 28, 2010 – 12:26, Minister of Religious Affairs and Chairman of Jerusalem Committee, Taleb Abu Sha’ar, condemned, on Wednesday, the approval of the building of 750 housing units by the Local Committee of Construction and Organization in the Israeli municipality in the settlement of Bezgat Ze’ef in occupied Jerusalem. They are planned to be built gradually in order not to obstruct the peace process between Israeli and Palestinians sides.
Israeli Miltary Kidnaps Two Palestinians, Installs Blockades in Hebron
IMEMC – 28 Oct 2010 – Thursday October 28, 2010 – 12:09, Israeli soldiers abucted, on Thursday morning, two Palestinians from the town of Beit Umar, north of Hebron, and erected a blockade at the entrance north of the city.
Haniyeh: “It Is Important To Hold Direct Dialogue With Western Governments”
IMEMC – 28 Oct 2010 – Thursday October 28, 2010 – 11:35, Ismail Haniyeh, Prime Minister of the dissolved government in Gaza, stated that it is important to hold talks and dialogue sessions with western governments so that the governments can know the stances of his government in Gaza directly instead of just hearing about them.
Suffering of Palestinian Children Rated Among Highest in the World
IMEMC – 28 Oct 2010 – Thursday October 28, 2010 – 11:19, The Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported, on Wednesday, that Dr. Hanna Issa, an expert in international law, confirmed that among all the children of the world, Palestinian children are suffering the most.
Troops Invade Jenin and Bethlehem
IMEMC – 28 Oct 2010 – Thursday October 28, 2010 – 11:17, Israeli soldiers invaded, on Thursday morning, several areas in the cities of Jenin and Bethlehem in the West Bank. They broke into homes and searched several of them.
Nigeria Intercepts Weapons Shipment Reportedly En-route To Gaza
IMEMC – 28 Oct 2010 – Thursday October 28, 2010 – 11:10, Nigeria announced, Tuesday, that its secret service managed to intercept 13 containers reportedly loaded with weapons that are believed to be sent from Iran to the Hamas movement in Gaza.
Likud Members Form Israeli “Tea Party”
IMEMC – 28 Oct 2010 – Thursday October 28, 2010 – 10:39, On Sunday, the group will hold a rally at the Zionist Organization of America House in Tel Aviv, under the banner “Say No to Obama.” Their objective is to push for the end of the peace process and protest for the settlement freeze.
Israeli forces detain 8 overnight
10/28/2010 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained eight Palestinians across the West Bank overnight Wednesday, an Israeli military spokesman said. The spokesman said three were detained from the Jenin district, two from the Ramallah district and one the Bethlehem area. Meanwhile, he said two were detained from Beit Ummar, north of Hebron. Palestinian Solidarity Project….
Limited incursion into south Gaza reported
10/28/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli forces carried out a limited incursion into the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday evening, onlookers said. There were no reports of injury or damage. Two tanks and a bulldozer drove 200 meters east of Rafah, where they bulldozed land while combing the area, witnesses said. Also, the armed wing….
British clowns lift spirits in Gaza
10/29/2010 – ZAYTOUN, GAZA (Ma’an) — A troupe of six British circus performers are touring the Gaza Strip in an effort to lift children’s spirits in the besieged enclave. The group, called Circus2Gaza, in the middle of a 10-day tour, doing performances in schools and community centers. On Thursday afternoon, the troupe performed…. Related: Circus2Gaza
Palestinian leaders call for strike in Umm Al-Fahm
10/28/2010 – TEL AVIV (Ma’an) — Arab leaders have called for a strike in the city of Umm Al-Fahm on Thursday in response to police brutality at a far-right march a day earlier, Israeli media reported. On Wednesday, extreme-right protesters marched into the city, which contains the largest Palestinian community inside Israel. The rally was called….
Refugee camp protests UNRWA strike
10/28/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Residents of the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem carried out a sit-in protest Thursday over a strike that has reduced healthcare services across the Palestinian territories and abroad. Residents called for an end to the strike at the UN’s Palestine refugee agency. UNRWA workers have been on strike for….
3 Palestinians detained near Nablus
10/28/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained three Palestinians Thursday near a Nablus checkpoint, officials said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said they were carrying “a number of improvised handguns and pipe bombs” near the Huwara checkpoint. The three unnamed Palestinians were taken for security questioning, she added….
Abbas: We may seek UN recognition
10/29/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that he would consider asking the UN to recognize a Palestinian state. Speaking in Ramallah after a news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Abbas said the move, one of “seven options,”could come within months.” Among these options is to demand that the….
20 new cars to enter Gaza
10/28/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities informed Palestinian crossings officials Thursday that another shipment of 20 cars will be allowed into Gaza. The shipment would bring the number of cars to enter the Strip to 200, since Israel permitted the import of new vehicles into Gaza earlier in the month. Car imports had been….
Report: Nigeria seizes Iranian arms shipment
10/28/2010 – TEL AVIV (Ma’an) — Nigerian security services seized a shipment of arms from Iran at a Lagos port on Tuesday, which Israeli defense officials suspect were destined for Gaza, the Israeli daily Haaretz said. Thirteen containers unloaded from an Iranian ship were found to contain rocket launchers and explosives disguised as building materials, the….
Egyptian officials to meet Abbas in Ramallah
10/28/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Egypt’s Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit and Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman will meet President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Thursday in efforts to revive stalled peace negotiations. The Egyptian officials will try to convince Abbas to accept a partial freeze on construction in settlements, excluding settlements that Israel….
PA and USAID mark end of justice project
10/28/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority officials and representatives of USAID on Thursday celebrated the conclusion of a 5-year program to strengthen the judicial system in the Palestinian territories. The $14 million project focused on upgrading notary services and improving the justice records office. Training needs were also addressed through the creation of the….
PA opposes Hamas involvement in peace talks
10/28/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority opposes efforts to normalize ties between Hamas and the international community, a PA security official said Wednesday. Adnan Dmeiri, PA security services spokesman, said the US and EU were making efforts to engage Hamas in the peace process.”This is not the first attempt by some Europeans and….
Netanyahu: Negotiation only path to statehood
10/28/2010 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday responded to claimed by the PLO leadership that it was considering asking the UN to recognize a Palestinian state.”As long as the Palestinians think they have a unilateral option to go to the Security Council, they are violating commitments to engage….
Hamas: PA detained 4 supporters
10/28/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas accused Palestinian Authority security forces of detaining four of its supporters across the West Bank, a statement issued Thursday said. Hamas said PA forces detained the four in Nablus, Hebron, and Bethlehem….
Israeli police shoot ‚Äòhated’ Arab legislator in back
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – Protest met with rubber bullets Israeli police injured two Arab legislators yesterday in violent clashes provoked by Jewish rightwing extremists staging a march through the northern Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. Haneen Zoubi, a parliament member…
The lobby Jams Obama
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – The usual suspects have been warning President Barack Obama almost since Inauguration Day that there would be a literal price to pay if he assumed the role of “honest broker” in the Middle East. Following Obama’s…
Why this Zionist opposed Israel’s loyalty oath
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – MIDDLEBURY, Vermont – Last week the Israeli cabinet approved a new law that will require all non-Jewish immigrants applying for citizenship to declare their loyalty to Israel as a Jewish State. Israelis across the political spectrum…
Recognition of the Jewish state – a vital step for peace
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – JERUSALEM – The re-started direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have already hit a dead end. The Netanyahu government has not agreed to extend the settlement freeze, leading to a Palestinian walkout from the…
Interfaith challenges
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – JERUSALEM – There are certain challenges that, despite our various differences, are common to almost all religions, and consequently to all liberal religious leaders. They fall into two main categories: The first is of that of…
Can religious leaders play a constructive role?
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – JERUSALEM – In a message that concluded two weeks of meetings of the Vatican Synod on the Middle East, the bishops declared that Israel should not use the biblical concept of a promised land or a…
WATCH: Palestine Circus School launches year long festival
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – Washington – The Palestinian Circus School in conjunction with Spanish association Pallasos en Rebeldia has launched Festiclown Palestine, Ma’an News Agency reported Wednesday. The project will last one year and will consist of Festiclown caravans visiting…
Netanyahu: Direct talks necessary for peace
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – Washington – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the importance and necessity of direct negotiations in achieving Middle East peace, Haaretz reported Thursday. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statements came hours after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced his…
Top US diplomat: Syria infringing on Lebanese sovereignty
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – Washington – American Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice has accused Syria of showing a “flagrant disregard” for Lebanon’s sovereignty in continuing to arm Hezbollah. Ambassador Rice also pointed to Iranian support for the Shiite…
US to present Iran with new nuclear negotiations
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – Washington – US President Barack Obama’s administration is set to present Iran with a new set of deals regarding its nuclear program, the New York Times reported Thursday. US officials say that Iran’s reaction to the…
Hamas condemns Western attitudes and warns against Gaza war
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – Washington – Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar made several statements condemning Western attitudes towards Islam and strongly warned Israel about the danger of engaging in war with Gaza, Haaretz reported Thursday. Zahar criticized European bans of the…
Fayyad: Unilateral declaration of statehood coming in 2011
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – Washington – Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad spoke to an Italian newspaper reorter on Thursday during his daily olive picking routine and announced that the Palestinian Authority would declare an independent state by summer of 2011….
UN official: Right of return is a cruel illusion
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – Washington – Jordan has sharply criticized a United Nations official’s comment stating that Palestinians should be realistic about their right to return and that Arab states should resettle them, Haaretz reported Thursday. The King Hussein Bridge…
Assad: Israel not ready for peace
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – Washington – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s does not believe in peace and has no interest in achieving it, Haaretz reported Thursday. Speaking to a US Senator in Damascus, Assad applauded…
WATCH: Ahmadinejad and Bolivian president play football match
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – Bolivian President Evo Morales is visiting President Ahmadinejad in Tehran this week and took time out to play a friendly football match.
Kadima MK pushes for IDF soldiers caught on film abusing prisoners to be punished
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – Washington – Israeli member of the Knesset Tzachi Hanegbi of the Kadima party brought forth a bill to punish IDF soldiers caught on film humiliating Palestinian detainees on Wednesday. The proposal comes on the heels of…
Egyptian officials in Ramallah
Palestine Note 28 Oct 2010 – The foreign minister and the intelligence chief discuss stalled peace talks with Abbas. Washington – Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Thursday…
Hezbollah urges Hariri case boycott
AlJazeera 28 Oct 2010 – Hassan Nasrallah warns against Lebanese co-operation with investigation into 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri.
Israeli Prisons Authority: Three Months in Solitary Confinement For Dental Care
PNN – Nablus — PNN – Ra’ed Amer, director of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club in Nablus, told PNN that Israeli prisons ran a policy of extortion in which one prisoner was at al-Damoun prison…
Peace Talks On Hold
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN — Maneuvering continued today in the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks as President Mahmoud Abbas met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abu al-Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, while an…
Knesset Committee Approves Bill That Allows Towns To Deny Residency
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – A bill that would allow Israeli town committees to reject residents was unanimously approved by the Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee yesterday. If it passes the Knesset,…
Rivlin: Settlement Construction Is Just “Palestinian Excuse” To End Negotiations
PNN – Paris — PNN — Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin met with French Senate president Gerard Larcher in Paris on Thursday to discuss peace talks and European involvement. Rivlin told his French counterpart that…
West Bank: Israeli Troops Arrests Eight Civilians During Morning Invasions
PNN – Ramallah — PNN — Israeli troops arrested eight Palestinian men on Thursday morning during a series of West Bank invasions. Israeli army radio said that troops targeted and searched homes in the…
More Than 10,000 Women Trafficked in Israel in Last Decade
PNN – PNN — Israeli women’s rights lawyer Ori Kadar said in the past ten years more than 10,000 women have been brought to Israel as part of “new slave trade.” Kadar began campaigning…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (14— 20 October 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Israel dismisses talk of a Bill Clinton return to diplomacy
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – Recent report claims former US president will return to politics in region in one capacity or another, may be involved in peace process.
PA spending millions of dollars to renovate J’lem schools
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – City councilors, right-wing groups slam renovations of 15 private schools in east of city; Yakir Segev says “Authority isn’t a matter of money.”
US working to revise Iran deal as part of renewed talks
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – Obama administration seeking to use leverage from sanctions; US State Department: Proposal needs to reflect ongoing enrichment activity.
Home Front inaugurates simulator for nonconventional attack
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – Israel preparing for a wide range of scenarios, including the possibility that Hizbullah will one day obtain chemical weapons.
PM: Direct talks are only way to reach genuine peace
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – Netanyahu responds to Abbas’s claim PA would ask US, UN to recognize Palestinian state on 1967 borders if peace process failed; expects Palestinians to stand by obligations.
‚ÄòRace for the Cure’ braves J’lem traffic in historic march
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – Event deemed a success as more than 500 participants help to raise millions for cancer research both in Israel and abroad.
Susan Rice: ‘Hizbullah, Syria, and Iran endanger Lebanon’
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – US Ambassador: Syria displays “flagrant disregard” for Lebanese sovereignty; Syrian official: Rice “gave credibility to wrong facts.”
Assad: ‘Israel not able or ready to achieve peace’
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – Syrian president tells ‘al-Hayat’ newspaper Israel trying to convince world Turkey can’t stay in peace process, reports suggest.
Egyptian FM: No breakthroughs in restarting peace talks
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – Ahmed Aboul Gheit says Egypt supports PA’s position demanding Israel stop settlement building; Abbas says Palestinians may pursue other options.
Iran likely to become a member of new UN Women agency board
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – New agency is meant to promote equality; Iran recently sentenced a woman to death for adultery; Saudi Arabia also a candidate.
‘The West has no right to tell Hamas how to govern Gaza’
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – Top Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar reportedly insists that Islamic tradition be respecting, accuses Europe of promoting “promiscuity and political hypocrisy.”
Rivlin: ‘Settlements are not an obstacle to peace’
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – In a meeting with his French counterpart, Knesset Speaker says that settlement construction is just a “Palestinian excuse” to stop talks.
Fayyad: PA will declare state in summer 2011
Jeruslalem Post 28 Oct 2010 – Palestinian PM says Israeli “colonies” must come to an end; “the youngest olive trees have deeper roots than the largest Israeli settlement.”
Netanyahu pledges to invest NIS 130m to save crime-ridden Lod
Ha’aretz – The city has seen its share of murders as of late and crime continues to rise. Two weeks ago, a young woman was killed, marking the third murder in Lod…
Petah Tikva man allegedly stabs wife, hangs himself in murder-suicide
Ha’aretz – Also on Thursday, 2 men found shot to death in northern Arab village; police searching after possible perpetrator.
Most Israeli doctors will dole out sick notes when asked, study shows
Ha’aretz – When weighing the interests of the employee against the interest of the workplace, ‘the patient comes first’ for medical practitioners in Israel.
Hundreds of Bedouin parents strike after school denies their kids entry
Ha’aretz – 400 kids forced to choose between staying at home and commuting 17km to a different school.
Knesset softens title of motion on ‘U.S. war crimes’ to avoid altercation with Obama
Ha’aretz – The secretariat had initially accepted right-wing MK Michael Ben-Ari’s proposal as titled, but changed name in the middle of discussion upon protest from Deputy FM Ayalon.
Netanyahu: Direct talks are only path to true Mideast peace
Ha’aretz – PM’s comment comes after Abbas says considering appeal to UN Security Council to approve unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood.
Hamas official: Another Gaza war would cost Israel dearly
Ha’aretz – Speaking in the coastal Strip, Mahmoud al-Zahar says Israel should think ‘a thousand times’ before entering another military conflict, adding that Hamas had a right to defend itself.
IDF: Only 60% of Israelis will be equipped with gas masks
Ha’aretz – Report comes several months after army launches nationwide distribution effort meant to provide masks to entire population.
Jordan slams UN official for urging Palestinian refugees to resettle in Arab states
Ha’aretz – Amman minister criticizes comment by UNRWA official, according to which Palestinian refugees must discard illusions they will return one day to their homes., Egyptian officials meet with PA President Mahmoud…
Israel’s former UN envoy blasts Lieberman’s General Assembly speech
Ha’aretz – Gabriela Shalev says she was disappointed by FM’s speech in which he proposed a population exchange with the Palestinians.
You should be ashamed of supporting Israel, Hamas tells West
Ha’aretz – In interview with Reuters, Mahmoud A-Zahar says Western world ‘does not even live like animals’ and has not right to preach to Islamists.
‘Egypt trying to convince Abbas to resume peace talks with Israel’
Ha’aretz – Egyptian source: Cairo hopes Palestinians will agree to direct negotiations in exchange for partial settlement freeze; Palestinian PM: By the next summer, we’ll create a state.
Source: Israel offering millions of dollars to pass off African migrants
Ha’aretz – Netanyahu orders Foreign Ministry to renew contacts with African and Western states willing to accept these infiltrators, tells defense establishment to begin construction of Egypt barrier at once.
EU: Iran nuclear talks ‘not serious’
Ha’aretz – Iranian Foreign Ministry says no decision had yet been taken on attending the talks with U.S., U.K., China, France, Russia and Germany in November.
Israeli army breaks into Rafah
28 Oct 2010 – Gaza, October 28, (Pal Telegraph) Several Israeli military vehicles, jeeps and bulldozers conducted a limited incursion in the vicinity of the Sufa crossing in Rafah city, located to the southeast of the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said that four Israeli military vehicles and two bulldozers penetrated a distance of 250 meters near the landfill, and began leveling operations in the agricultural…
Massive strike to take place today in Umm Al-Fahm
28 Oct 2010 – Umm Al-Fahm, October 28, (Pal Telegraph) Supreme Committee for Arabs in the territories Palestinian occupied lands of 1948 called for a general strike today in the town of “Umm Al-Fahm” in response to the attacks of the Israeli occupation forces on the citizens and leaders of the Arab masses who stood up to the protest of the Israeli extreme right…
Israel shells civilian house in Gaza, shoots Gazan worker
28 Oct 2010 – Gaza, October 28, (Pal Telegraph) Palestinian medical sources announced today the death of a Gazan citizen East “Jabalya” after being targeted by an Israeli missile. Sources said that the Gazan citizen Jihad Sobhi Afaneh (20 years), was killed last night by shrapnel from Israeli artillery shell that fell in eastern “Jabalia”. A Gazan worker collecting pebbles in the northern Gaza…
Israeli army launches arresting campaigns in WB
28 Oct 2010 – Hebron, October 28, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli forces arrested early today two young men from the town of “Beit Amer”, north of Hebron, after raiding their homes, Israeli soldiers decided to use stun grenades during their raids on the houses. According to Mohammed Ayad Awad, spokesman of the Palestinian Solidarity Project in the town, Israeli occupation forces raided the town at…
Israel allows 20 new cars to enter Gaza
28 Oct 2010 – Gaza, October 28, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation authorities allowed today the entry of the ninth batch of new cars into the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Abu Salem commercial crossing, located to the southern Gaza Strip. Its noteworthy that Israeli occupation authorities allowed the eight batch of 20 new cars into Gaza few days ago, reporting that during a month…
A refugee, single mother, worker, struggler
Uruknet October 28, 2010 – Seventy-year-old Amna Hammad, or Umm Jihad as she is more commonly known, sat on a mattress in her cement room as the sun began to set over al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip. She started to relate her story of raising three children — now grown men — despite decades of separation from her…
FROM BETHLEHEM TO GAZA
Uruknet “My home is distant 200 meters only from the Church of the Nativity. I was born in Bethlehem on 1st June 1971. Now I am 39. “I was arrested for the first time in 1988 during the 1st uprising. I only was 17. From 1987 to 1996 I went five times in jail. I was arrested, released and rearrested……
Protest met with rubber bullets: Israeli police shoot ‚Äòhated’ Arab legislator in back
Uruknet October 28, 2010 – Israeli police injured two Arab legislators on Wedensay in violent clashes provoked by Jewish rightwing extremists staging a march through the northern Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. Haneen Zoubi, a parliament member who has become a national hate figure in Israel and received hundreds of death threats since her participation in an aid flotilla to…
Haifa activist accepts plea deal
Uruknet October 28, 2010 – Ameer Makhoul, the Palestinian activist from Haifa, accepted a plea bargain on Wednesday, confessing to espionage charges leveled by the Israeli state. Makhoul, an Israeli citizen, was detained by authorities during a nighttime raid on his home in May. He and his lawyers maintain that the charges against him are political, and that he was…
Settlers Torch Hothouses Near Ramallah
Uruknet October 28, 2010 – A group of fundamentalist settlers torched, on Wednesday, several agricultural hothouses that belong to residents of Nabi Saleh and Dir Nitham villages, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah. The armed settlers, who were accompanied by the security officer of Halmish settlement, torched hothouses in Ein al-Zarqa area close to the Betillo village. The…
American Democracy: Pro-Israel Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Uruknet October 28, 2010 – Helen Keller’s pithy observation about American democracy being little more than a choice “between Tweedledum and Tweedledee” was never more true than in the upcoming mid-term elections in the ninth congressional district of Illinois. In a district which includes the affluent northern suburbs of Chicago along the shore of Lake Michigan, the central issue is…
MK Hanin Zoabi Wounded By Israeli Fire
Uruknet October 28, 2010 – Arab member of the Israeli Knesset, Haneen Zoabi, stated that she was hit by two rubber-coated bullets fired by the Israeli police during Wednesday clashes in Umm al-Fahm, after the police violently attacked protesters who took off to the streets to counter a march by fundamentalist settlers. The Arabs48 news website reported that Zoabi was…
Arab League report reveals that Israel’s Wall is almost all built on occupied land
Uruknet October 28, 2010 – Israel’s so-called “Separation Wall” is nearly all built on Palestinian land occupied by the Zionists state since 1967, according to a report produced by the Arab League. The more commonly-called Apartheid Wall is also “an overt violation of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice”, as well as international law which prohibits occupation…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (14— 20 October 2010)
Uruknet October 28, 2010 – Summary : Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (14 — 20 October 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed two members of the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip, and wounded 3 civilians, including a child, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In…
Desmond Tutu calls on South African opera company to boycott Israel
Uruknet October 27, 2010 – Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu has urged a South African opera company to boycott Israel, comparing its treatment of Palestinians to his own country’s era of racial apartheid. The Nobel peace prize laureate said that it would be “unconscionable” for Cape Town Opera to perform in Israel while millions of people living there are denied access…
Palestine World Education Forum Opens in Haifa
Alternative Information Center – The 1948 Palestinian Organising Committee of the World Education Forum officially opened its activities in the city of Haifa with a timely workshop on political oppression of Palestinians within Israel. The workshop was followed by a…
Jerusalem Mayor Protest
Alternative Information Center – Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat was scheduled to give a speech on Tuesday October 26th at the opening of an art gallery in the city.
French strikers protest in last-ditch attempt to halt pensions bill
Daily Star 28 Oct 2010 RAMALLAH, West Bank: US efforts to restart Mideast peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have not produced results so far, the Egyptian foreign minister said Thursday, less than two weeks before a key Arab decision…
Middle East talks still lack ‘necessary breakthrough’ – Egypt’s foreign minister
Daily Star 28 Oct 2010 RAMALLAH, West Bank: US efforts to restart Mideast peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have not produced results so far, the Egyptian foreign minister said Thursday, less than two weeks before a key Arab decision…
US prepares new offer for Iran nuclear talks – NYT
Daily Star 28 Oct 2010 WASHINGTON: The United States and its European allies are preparing a new offer to Iran on a possible nuclear fuel swap that would include tougher conditions than those rejected by Tehran last year, The New York…
Letters: Change of course
The Guardian 28 Oct 2010 – Jonathan Freedland ( Comment , 27 October) is a good man fallen among Zionists. He believes in a Jewish state. He also believes in a Palestinian state. The two beliefs are irreconcilable. His perspective on the conflict is…
The olive groves where peaceful solidarity grows | Seth Freedman
The Guardian 28 Oct 2010 – While some Israelis are vandalising West Bank farms, others are volunteering to help the harvest With the olive harvest in full swing across the West Bank, reports are flooding in of settler attacks on Palestinian farmers…
More funding needed to rebuild Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon — UN official
Relief Web 28 Oct 2010 – Source: UN News Service
OCHA ROMENACA QUARTERLY REGIONAL HUMANITARIAN FUNDING UPDATE – 3rd Quarter July-September 2010
Relief Web 28 Oct 2010 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Palestinian Authority and U.S. Government Partner to Strengthen Judicial System
Relief Web 28 Oct 2010 – Source: US Agency for International Development
Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, Report of the Secretary-General, Addendum(A/65/380/Add.1-S/2010/484/Add.1)
Relief Web 28 Oct 2010 – Source: UN General Assembly, UN Security Council
Finding More Fish, Between Egypt and Vietnam
IPS Combine the experience of Africa’s leading freshwater fish producer with that of one of Asia’s fastest-growing mariculture sectors. Fisheries experts in Egypt and Vietnam hope it will lead to a robust aquaculture industry that utilises both river and sea to feed growing populations and generate export revenues.
8th Week against the Apartheid Wall, November 9 — 16 2010
Stop The Wall – [
IDF: No gas masks for 40% of Israelis in 2012
YNet News – Bomb shelters, siren systems in disrepair due to budget cuts, IDF Home Front….
Hamas leader: Islamization no crime
YNet News – Mahmoud Al-Zahar denounces Muslim veil ban in Europe, says Westerners use women….
Rivlin: Europe doing Palestinians’ work for them
YNet News – Knesset speaker tells French counterpart settlements are ‘Palestinian excuse’….
Report: US drawing up new, tougher nuclear deal for Iran
YNet News – New York Times says Washington, European partners to demand that Islamic….
No yarmulkes allowed in Jordan
YNet News – Israelis crossing border asked to deposit yarmulkes on entering Muslim country….
Iran to sit on UN women’s rights board?
YNet News – State that sentences adulterous women to death by stoning may help govern new UN….
African refugees: We’re being sold
YNet News – Many African refugees who risked their lives to flee their home states and make their way to Israel were saddened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intention to …….
Israel defeats Turkey at regional forum
YNet News – An Israeli representative, Knesset Member Majalli Whbee (Kadima,) and a French representative were elected as vice-chairmen of the Parliamentary Assembly of the …….
Hamas: Israel will pay high price for entering Gaza
YNet News – Against the backdrop of recent reports of a resumption of negotiations for the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, Hamas’ Mahmoud al-Zahar held a summit for the …….
Abbas: We’ll demand UN recognition within months
YNet News – Amid the stalemate in peace negotiations with Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that he plans to unilaterally approach the UN Security Council and …….
US slams Syrian interference in Lebanon
YNet News – Syria has shown “flagrant disregard” for Lebanon’s sovereignty and continues to arm Hezbollah, US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said on Thursday. “Syria …….
IDF commanders to get ‘haredi glossary’
YNet News – What is glatt kosher? A new 18-page booklet issued by the IDF includes a long list of religious and haredi terms that will help commanders interact with growing numbers …….
Palestinian Information Center
Cultural minister appreciates election of J’lem as Arab cultural capital
PIC 28 Oct 2010 – Palestinian cultural minister Osama al-Issawi said he appreciated the view of Arab ministers, who met in Doha, Qatar, to adopt Jerusalem as the permanent capital of Arab culture.
Israeli troops storm houses of senior Palestinian officials in Jenin
PIC 28 Oct 2010 – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed Thursday the homes of a number of Hamas officials in Jenin city including the houses of former Palestinian minister Wasfi Qabha and Sheikh Khaled Al-Hajj.
Umm al-Fahm officials to stage strike Thursday to protest police brutality
PIC 28 Oct 2010 – Arab leaders in ’48-occupied territories announced a city-wide strike to be held on Thursday in Umm al-Fahm to protest excessive police force used in clashes that erupted in the city one day back.
IOF soldiers destroy 4 Palestinian water wells
PIC 28 Oct 2010 – Israeli occupation forces destroyed four Palestinian water wells in Deir Abu Da’if village, east of Jenin city, on Wednesday and served a demolition notice to the owner of an olive pressing factory.
Bardawil: We hope to see Egypt support the Palestinian position against Israel
PIC 28 Oct 2010 – Salah Al-Bardawil expressed hope that the visit paid by Egypt’s foreign minister and intelligence director to Ramallah and Jordan would help support the Palestinian position against Israel.
Haaretz: Top PA officials lecture Israeli officers, soldiers in military base
PIC 28 Oct 2010 – Haaretz newspaper said that senior Fatah officials gave lectures and presentations to Israeli officers and recruits as well as heads of settlements in one of the military post in the West Bank.
Rafah school teachers to go on strike to protest staff suspension
PIC 28 Oct 2010 – An Arab employees union announced educational staff will go on partial strike in Rafah schools on Thursday to protest against UNRWA for suspending staff who asked a student to dress modestly.
Right-winger Marzel demands to expel Sheikh Salah from his homeland
PIC 28 Oct 2010 – Far-rightist Knesset member Baruch Marzel called for expelling Sheikh Ra’ed Salah from occupied Palestine during his participation in a provocative march held on the outskirts of Umm Al-Fahm city.
IHH: Netanyahu’s insolence immeasurable
PIC 28 Oct 2010 – A Turkish non-governmental organization has denounced the statement of Benjamin Netanyahu in which he praised the Israeli special navy forces that killed nine Turkish activists last May.
Israel to start building fence with Egypt next month
PIC 28 Oct 2010 – Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that construction work of the border fence with Egypt would start early November.
Obama Set to Offer Stricter Nuclear Deal to Iran
New York Times 28 Oct 2010 – The United States and Europe are preparing a new offer for negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program.
World Briefing | Middle East: Lebanon: U.N. Workers Attacked
New York Times 28 Oct 2010 – A crowd attacked a team of United Nations investigators gathering evidence on Wednesday in the killing of a former Lebanese prime minister and stole several items from them, authorities said.
AUDIO – Interview with Israeli Dr. Ruhama Marton, Founder of Physicians for Human Rights – Israel
BBC World Service, Outlook – 10/26/2010 – Dr. Ruhama Marton talks about her work aiding Palestinians in Gaza and the death threats and abuse she has received from her fellow Israelis.
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON): Palestinian family awakens to discover 100 mature grapevines destroyed
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine –
AT-TUWANI/ABORIGINAL JUSTICE REFLECTION: Seeking the peace of Palestine by engaging our own settler reality
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine –
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON) REFLECTION: God’s justice, even for the shops
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine –
Peace Group Director ‘Forced to Accept’ Plea Bargain On Spy Charges
Palestine Monitor – An Arab-Israeli political activist accepted a plea bargain on charges of espionage yesterday. Ameer Makhoul, head of the peace group Ittijah, was accused of spying for the Lebanese Hizbollah party. He admitted guilt for crimes that will see him serve seven to 10 years in exchange…
Meltdown of the Macher: Abe Foxman loses it, calls Israeli interviewer a bigot and condemns the Seinfeld ‚ÄòSoup Nazi’
Mondoweiss – Anti-Defamation League National Director Abe Foxman arrived in Israel in mid-October on the heels of several controversial decisions that prompted a hail of criticism in the United States. Foxman may have hoped that while in Israel he would have been able to avoid sensitive issues like…
‚ÄòIn my opinion, every Jewish town needs at least one Arab. What would happen if my refrigerator stopped working on a Saturday?’
Mondoweiss – My Community Must be kept Pure Asked David Rotem, chairman of Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee after said committee approved unanimously a law that allows communities to reject potential residents if they do not meet criteria of “suitability to the communities fundamental outlook” so that…
Anas E., age 9, attacked and beaten by five settlers in Jerusalem
Mondoweiss – and other news from Today in Palestine: Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing Settler violence September-October Illegal settlements continue to be built across the West Bank and bring with them even more problems, including increasing incidents of settler violence. The illegal settlers colonising the…
Israel goes to war against its own citizens
Mondoweiss – Video from the police crackdown in Umm al-Fahm yesterday against Palestinians during a right-wing Israeli march. Located near Haifa, Umm al-Fahm is a center of Palestinian life inside Israel. Jesse Rosenfeld comments on the growing repression of Palestinian citizens of Israel for The Daily Star : In…
Heilbrunn says that Israel lobby ‚Äòcrucified’ George HW Bush over settlements
Mondoweiss – Imagine if a non-Jewish critic of the Israel lobby used the verb in my headline. Just imagine. Wouldn’t happen. They might take away the guy’s job. Also remember that Mike Desch reported that George H.W. Bush felt that he had lost his bid for reelection in…
Hamas to West: You Should Be Ashamed of Supporting Israel!
Al-Manar 28 Oct 2010 – The West is floundering in immorality and has no right to criticize the Resistance movement Hamas over the way it governs the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip, Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahar said, adding that the West should be “ashamed of supporting Israel.” “You cannot…
Egyptian FM: No Breakthrough in Efforts to Revive Mideast Talks
Al-Manar 28 Oct 2010 – Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said on Thursday that there had been no “breakthrough” in efforts to revive Middle East peace talks during a rare visit to the West Bank, noting that efforts with the Americans and Israelis to reach a consensus were ongoing but…
Strike in Umm al-Fahm to Protest Wednesday’s Violence
Al-Manar 28 Oct 2010 – Palestinian leaders called for city-wide strike in the northern occupied town of Umm al-Fahm in protest of premeditated Israeli police brutality and exaggerated violence directed at protesters by the occupation forces against protesters on Wednesday. The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee called for the strike. The committee…
Haifa activist accepts plea deal
Sabr 28 Oct 2010 – By Jared Malsin GAZA ( Ma’an ) — Ameer Makhoul, the Palestinian activist from Haifa, accepted a plea bargain on Wednesday, confessing to espionage charges leveled by the Israeli state. Makhoul, an Israeli citizen, was detained by authorities during a nighttime raid on his home in May. He…
Nasrallah urges tribunal boycott
BBC 28 Oct 2010 – Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah urges his countrymen to boycott the UN tribunal into the 2005 killing of former PM Rafik Hariri.
‘No progress’ in Mid-East talks
BBC 28 Oct 2010 – During a rare visit to the West Bank, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit says there has been no breakthrough in efforts to revive Mid-East peace talks.
Articles
Israeli flotilla probe ‘a sham’
Sherine Tadros, Aljazeera10/26/2010
For the past few days I’ve had the delightful task of hanging around the Yitzhak Rabin Guest House in West Jerusalem. I was covering the latest round of questioning by (Israeli) judges, appointed by the (Israeli) government to examine the legality of their deadly raid on the Gaza-bound aid ship last May. The inquiry is called the Turkel Commission, named after retired Justice Turkel – the big chief.
Now, I could tell you how, at various points, I saw every member of the panel fall asleep during the testimonies.
Or, I could describe the humiliating and condescending way in which the panelists spoke to the Arab-Israeli passengers who came to testify (compared to the respect they showed whilst interviewing Opposition leader Tzipi Livni and military chief Gabi Ashkenazi).
I could even explain how for 45 minutes I watched the panelists argue with the Arab passenger about how being that “he seemed like a reasonable man” he could breach Israeli law (as an Israeli citizen) and decide to get on a ship to Gaza. Indeed — a Palestinian going to a Palestinian territory seemed more absurd to these judges than the actual policy that stops him getting there (and by extension anyone getting out).
Every step of the way it was obvious that this commission, which was tasked with determining whether Israel is in breach of international law in blockading Gaza, had made up their minds long before they stepped into the Rabin Guest House.
But put all that aside, here are five simple reasons why this Commission is a sham.
1) The average age of the five original panelists is 84. They have all spent their careers defending the state of Israel and between them have very little expertise in international law…. more.. e-mail
Israeli police shoot ‚Äòhated’ Arab legislator in back
Jonathan Cook, Palestine Note10/28/2010
Protest met with rubber bullets Israeli police injured two Arab legislators yesterday in violent clashes provoked by Jewish rightwing extremists staging a march through the northern Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. Haneen Zoubi, a parliament member who has become a national hate figure in Israel and received hundreds of death threats since her participation in an aid flotilla to Gaza in the summer, was among those hurt. Ms Zoubi reported being hit in the back and neck by rubber bullets as she fled the area when police opened fire. In an interview, she said she believed she had been specifically targeted by police snipers after they identified her. Police denied her claims, saying they had used only tear gas and stun grenades. Some 1,500 police were reported to have faced off with hundreds of Arab and Jewish demonstrators in the town yesterday. Shimon Koren, the northern police commander, admitted special paramilitary forces had been used against the Arab counter-demonstration, as well as an undercover unit more usually deployed at Palestinian protests in the West Bank. An officer disguised as an Arab demonstrator, from the so-called “mistarvim unit”, was among the injured, apparently after police fired a stun grenade at him by mistake. Ms Zoubi harshly criticised the police violence. “The police proved that they are a far more dangerous threat to me and other Arab citizens than the fascist group that came to Umm al-Fahm,” she said. more.. e-mail
Lebanon’s Palestinian Civil Rights Campaign moves into the Christian heartland
Franklin Lamb, Shatila Camp, Beirut, Lebanon, Palestine Think Tank10/26/2010
Even though not even one work permit has been issued to one Palestinian in Lebanon since the August 17, 2010 “right to work” law passed in Parliament and even though Palestinians are still forbidden from owning a home, the cause of Palestine Civil Rights in Lebanon endures.
Leila El-Ali, executive director of Najdeh, a Palestinian advocacy group that has long campaigned for civil rights for refugees in Lebanon is pleased that the new law has at least provoked real debate among Lebanese about the plight of Palestinian refugees but agrees that it will have no impact on the ground. “All of the professions — doctors, lawyers, engineers, pharmacists, academia — will remain closed to Palestinians,” she says. “There is no syndicate here that will admit Palestinian members. And to actually be allowed to work legally in other jobs, the new law says you need specific guarantees from your employer — things that in the end make it very difficult for Lebanese to employ Palestinians.”
The August 17, 2010 ‚Äòcave in’ by progressive forces in Parliament that allowed Parliament to do essentially nothing towards granting internationally mandated basic civil rights for Palestinian refugees, was obviously a bitter disappointment but it was not entirely unexpected. The reason is that current political pressures here in Lebanon, internal and external, eroded the requisite political will in Round One.
As wounds are cleaned from last summer’s Parliamentary debacle, NGO’s and human rights activists regroup, tactics and projects are being discussed and readied to forge ahead. Neither the Palestinian refugees here nor the growing international coalition to secure these rights has been daunted. This, despite the fact the more than two months after the meek and fairly meaningless Ministry of Labor gesture of cancelling work permit fees for Palestinian refugees, nothing has changed in the camps employment wise and all the other barriers to Palestinians working remain in place. By law and prejudice. more.. e-mail
Israeli police shoot legislator as racists march in Arab town
Electronic Intifada: 28 Oct 2010 – Israeli police injured two Arab legislators on Wednesday in violent clashes provoked by Jewish right-wing extremists staging a march through the northern Arab town of Umm al-Fahm.more
A refugee, single mother, worker, struggler
Electronic Intifada: 28 Oct 2010 – Seventy-year-old Amna Hammad managed to raise three children — now grown men — despite decades of separation from her husband and despite displacement and occupation in Gaza.more
Peace Group Director ‘Forced to Accept’ Plea Bargain On Spy Charges
Palestine Monitor: 28 Oct 2010 – An Arab-Israeli political activist accepted a plea bargain on charges of espionage yesterday. Ameer Makhoul, head of the peace group Ittijah, was accused of spying for the Lebanese Hizbollah party. He admitted guilt for crimes that will see him serve seven to 10 years in exchange for more serious charges being dropped. His family and colleagues maintain his innocence, but feel he had no choice but to make the deal. “It was a choice between bad and worse”, said his wife Janan, “they would have sentenced him for life.” Over 90% of Palestinians accused of security offences against Israel over the past decade have been convicted. Makhoul’s case has been extremely controversial. He was denied access to a lawyer for two weeks after his capture and his supporters allege that he was subjected to forms of torture during detention that included beatings and sleep deprivation. He had been held for…more
Such is the Peace Process: Obama as a Salesman
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Oct 2010 – By Ramzy Baroud It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to claim that the resumption of peace talks between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have thus far yielded nothing of value, at least not as far as settling the decades-long struggle. For one, the media has paid the talks little attention, aside from the ceremonial coverage of the first round of talks in Washington on September 2. It barely noticed the following round in the Middle East nearly two weeks later. What did capture the media’s attention was US President Barack Obama’s attempt to minimize the damage he invited upon himself for merely pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to issue a partial moratorium on settlement building (about 11 months ago), and then to extend the settlement freeze. The President of the United States has, expectedly, failed to persuade Israeli leaders to uphold such a basic prerequisite to ensuring a…more
Democracy in Illinois: Pro-Israel Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Oct 2010 – By Maidhc ?ì Cathail Helen Keller’s pithy observation about American democracy being little more than a choice ‘between Tweedledum and Tweedledee’ was never more true than in the upcoming midterm elections in the ninth congressional district of Illinois. In a district which includes the affluent northern suburbs of Chicago along the shore of Lake Michigan, the central issue is not the two wars—or is it now three?—the country is fighting, nor is it the tanking economy, in great part caused by those debt-inducing wars. No, the burning issue here is… who cares more about Israel? “A Jewish candidate has been trying to convince the mostly Jewish voters that his Jewish opponent has not done enough to protect the Jewish interest,” reports Ynetnews, the English language website of Israel’s most-read newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth. Although less than 25 percent of the ninth district’s constituents are Jewish, and there is little agreement about…more
American Democracy: Pro-Israel Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Dissident Voice: 28 Oct 2010 – Helen Keller’s pithy observation about American democracy being little more than a choice “between Tweedledum and Tweedledee” was never more true than in the upcoming mid-term elections in the ninth congressional district of Illinois. In a district which includes the affluent northern suburbs of Chicago along the shore of Lake Michigan, the central issue is not the two wars — or is it now three? — the country is fighting, nor is it the tanking economy, in great part caused by those debt-inducing wars. No, the burning issue here is… who cares more about Israel? “A Jewish candidate has been trying to convince the mostly Jewish voters that his Jewish opponent has not done enough to protect the Jewish interest,” reports Ynetnews , the English language website of Israel’s most-read newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth . Although less than 25 percent of the ninth district’s constituents are Jewish, and there is little agreement about…more
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The New Dark Age 