4 December, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Report: “280 Palestinians, Including 43 Children and Three Women, Kidnapped Last Month”
IMEMC – 4 Dec 2010 – Sunday December 05, 2010 – 04:35, The Higher Committee for Supporting the Detainees stated that Israeli soldiers kidnapped in November 280 Palestinians, including 43 children and three women, in several areas in the occupied West Bank and in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli And International Firefighters Continue To Combat Wildfires
IMEMC – 4 Dec 2010 – Sunday December 05, 2010 – 03:40, Despite ongoing efforts of Israeli and international firefighters and rescue teams, fires continue to consume more areas in the Carmel while also spreading to Jerusalem Forrest, and to an area on the Israel-Lebanon border.
Efforts Continue As Fires Spread
IMEMC – 4 Dec 2010 – Saturday December 04, 2010 – 10:41, Firefighters continued their efforts to control the fires in Haifa; more firemen were injured due to smoke inhalation while the fires reached Ein Hoad and Nir Tzion areas.
As Fires Continue To Consume More Areas in Haifa, Extremists Torch Islamic Graveyard
IMEMC – 4 Dec 2010 – Saturday December 04, 2010 – 08:54, The Al Aqsa Foundation told the Maan News Agency that a group of Jewish extremists torched the Al Qassam Graveyard in Haifa under the guise of the ongoing fires that started Thursday in the area and continues to spread.
Abbas Threatens To Dissolve P.A
IMEMC – 4 Dec 2010 – Saturday December 04, 2010 – 08:13, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, threatened to dissolve the Palestinian Authority and the self-rule government in the occupied territories should Israel fail to stop all of its settlement activities.
Hamas Denies Al-Qaeda Presence In Gaza
IMEMC – 4 Dec 2010 – Friday December 03, 2010 – 17:40, Hamas Prime Minister Haniyya firmly declared that there is no al-Qaeda in Gaza but also denounced a new group of extremists is rising, the Associated Press reported on Thursday.
Israeli fire injures 3 in north, central Gaza Strip
12/4/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Two separate incidents of reported Israeli fire injured three Gaza residents on Saturday morning, including two workers collecting aggregates in the northern Strip and a third bystander near his home in the central region. Medics reported the incidents when responding to emergency calls for help, spokesperson of the Gaza Strip….
Lebanon complains to UN about Israeli ‘spy’ devices
12/4/2010 – BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanon on Saturday filed a complaint with the United Nations over “spying” devices planted by Israel on its territory which it said the Israeli army later detonated. The foreign ministry said in a statement it filed the complaint after Israeli troops “on Friday detonated by remote control spying devices that Israel had planted….
Israel inferno closes in on Druze village
12/4/2010 – ISFIYA (AFP) – Residents watched from rooftops on Saturday as a raging fire that has devoured swathes of land in northern Israel closed in on Isfiya, with flames already reported to be licking at the Druze village’s outskirts.” Please leave the area! It is for your own safety,” police and officials barked at villagers….
PFLP activist sentenced to 26 years
12/4/2010 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — A Palestinian activist affiliated to Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was sentenced on Friday to 26 years in Israeli prison. Ibrahim Salem from the Ein Beit Elma refugee camp in the northern West Bank district of Nablus was sentenced at….
US lawmakers blast Brazil’s Palestinian move
12/4/2010 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — US lawmakers condemned Brazil’s “severely misguided” and “regrettable” decision Friday to recognize a Palestinian state on borders pre-dating Israel’s seizure of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. Brazil’s decision “is regrettable and will only serve to undermine peace and security in the Middle East,” charged Representative…. Related: Brazil recognizes Palestinian state and Israel ‘saddened’ as Brazil recognizes Palestinian state
An-Nasser Brigades claim clash with Israeli troops
12/4/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A group of Palestinian fighters affiliated with the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, said they clashed with an Israeli force attempting to cross into the central Gaza Strip. The brigades said the force withdrew, no injuries were reported….
PA fire crews join efforts to tame inferno
12/4/2010 – RAMALLAH (AFP) – Palestinian civil defense forces have joined the huge international operation to tame the massive blaze ravaging northern Israel, the president’s office said on Saturday.” The three units of the Palestinian civil defense were sent to assist in extinguishing the fires in the Carmel,” said a statement from the office of President….
Art group seeks to bring Picasso canvas to Palestine
12/4/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A joint initiative between Ramallah’s International Art Academy Palestine and the Dutch Van Abbe museum in Eindhoven hopes to bring an original masterpiece by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso to Ramallah to be placed on public display at the academy. The project has raised questions about the status of Palestine….
Ex-prisoner barred from traveling
12/4/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities barred an ex-prisoner from leaving the West Bank for Jordan, officials said. Nader Mahmoud Jaffal, a student at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis, spent 14 years in Israeli custody. He was to attend a prisoners conference in Algeria coinciding with Human Rights Day, which is 10 December….
In photos: Islamic Jihad mourns slain operative
12/4/2010 – MaanImages / Wissam Nassar – Mourners carry the body of Islamic Jihad militant Jalal Nasser during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip’s Jabaliya refugee camp on 3 December 2010. Nasser was one of two militants killed by Israeli forces early Thursday in a clash along the Gaza-Israel border fence. Israeli military officials said the….
Leaked US cable: Netanyahu outlines 3-track approach to Palestinians
12/4/2010 – 28 April 2009, 08:08 SECRET SECTION. . . . Classified By: Ambassador James B. Cunningham, Reason 1. 4 (b) (d) 1. (S) Summary. CODEL Kyl, accompanied by the Ambassador, called on Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu April 6 in the first official U. S. meeting with Netanyahu since he formed a government. The main topics of discussion were….
Leaked US cable: Israel consulted Fatah before war on Gaza
12/4/2010 – 2 June 2009. . . . . Summary:Post hosted two CODELS during the week of May 25: one from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee led by Senator Casey, the other from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs led by Congressman Ackerman. Both delegations met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who conveyed similar points on the Peace Process and….
Leaked US cable: Netanyahu says settlement freeze US issue
12/4/2010 – 2 June 2009. . . . . Summary. CODEL Ackerman and Casey met separately May 26 and 27 with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The Prime Minister discussed his visit to Washington, focusing on his discussions of Iran, a regional approach in support of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and his approach to the Palestinians and settlements, including his opposition to a complete….
Abbas hints at PA dissolution over settlements
12/4/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas threatened Friday to end autonomy in the Palestinian territories if Israel insists on going ahead with settlement construction on lands that would be a Palestinian state. Speaking with Palestine TV, Abbas said he would not “afford to remain the president of a nonexistent Palestinian Authority” if the Israeli….
Sarkozy receives credentials of first PA ambassador
12/4/2010 – PARIS (Ma’an) — French president Nikolas Sarkozy received credentials for the first Palestinian ambassador to France Hayil Al-Fahoum on Friday, following an upgrade to the status of the Palestinian mission in Paris in June. In a summer move seen to support Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s plan to establish a Palestinian state by…. Related: PLO missions upgraded in France, US
UN offers help to battle Israel fire
12/4/2010 – UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday offered to mobilize international help for Israel to battle a major forest fire which has killed at least 41 people, diplomats said.” This is a terrible tragedy,” Ban said in a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which was released by the Israeli mission….
Ramallah FM confirms Brazillian state recognition
12/4/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Foreign Minister for the Ramallah government Riyad Al-Maliki on Saturday confirmed statements made by PLO official Nabil Sha’ath announcing that Brazil had recognized a Palestinian state. In a statement, Al-Maliki said the recognition came in a letter from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to President Mahmoud…. Related: US lawmakers blast Brazil’s Palestinian move and Brazil recognizes Palestinian state
Jordan: Talks must be rescued for peace
12/4/2010 – MANAMA, Bahrain (AFP) — Jordan’s King Abdullah II said on Saturday that Israeli-Palestinian peace talks must be rescued from collapse to ensure regional and world stability.” Our region will not enjoy security and stability unless we solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and Arabs, Muslims and Israelis find peace,” the king told the Manama Dialogue conference….
Israel ‘saddened’ as Brazil recognizes Palestinian state
12/4/2010 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel on Saturday said it was disappointed by Brazil’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, saying it flew in the face of efforts to negotiate a peace deal. The decision was announced by outgoing Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a public letter addressed to…. Related: US lawmakers blast Brazil’s Palestinian move
PFLP: Gambling on US endangers Palestinians
12/4/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Palestinian government in Ramallah’s willingness to rely on the United States as a broker for Middle East peace was dangerous and harmed the Palestinian cause, the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine said Saturday. The leftist Palestinian faction said in a statement that the PA should….
German FM calls for settlement freeze
12/4/2010 – AMMAN (AFP) – German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in Amman on Saturday that his country would make every effort to promote Middle East peace, Jordan’s official Petra news agency reported. In a meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Jawdeh, Westerwelle underscored his country’s backing for “all efforts to support and promote….
Allenby traffic slows, 26 detained during week
12/4/2010 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority police said officers stationed at the Allenby border crossing arrested 26 Palestinians wanted for fraud and other crimes, a weekly round-up of activity at the crossing said. The 26 were detained amidst 9,674 who traveled from the West Bank into Jordan, including 96 foreign nationals and 31 Israeli ID….
PA closes TV station linked to Dahlan
12/4/2010 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority has closed the offices of a Ramallah satellite TV station affiliated with Muhammad Dahlan, the once Fatah strongman who fled his native Gaza for the West Bank in 2007. PA police raided the offices of Falastin Al-Ghad (“Palestine Tomorrow”) and informed employees that it was closing. They said….
Fatah says Hamas escalating arrests of Gaza affiliates
12/4/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Fatah on Saturday accused Hamas of arresting more than 30 party affiliates across Gaza in recent days. In a statement, Fatah said Hamas security forces raided the home of Fatah Revolutionary Council member Abdullah Abu Samhadana and arrested Fatah official Ibrahim At-Tahrawi. At-Tahrawi was arrested four days ago, and his whereabouts….
Firefighters put out blaze in Jerusalem
12/4/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli firefighters extinguished a fire that broke out in a forest near the western entrance of the city Saturday afternoon. Police spokeswoman Luba As-Samari said fire experts arrived on the scene to determine the cause of the blaze. No injuries were reported. Earlier, police said they were searching for suspicious individuals….
Ignoring Obama’s call, AIPAC backs GOP on START
Palestine Note 4 Dec 2010 – According to Nathan Guttman in the Forward and Ron Kampeas at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, AIPAC is in agony. It desperately wants to support the US-Russia START treaty aimed at limiting nuclear warheads because the treaty…
Unusual facts and figures
Palestine Note 4 Dec 2010 – My occupation (the pecuniary one, not an in the West Bank settlements one) is selling property and casualty insurance to motorsports sanctioning organizations. So I do know some unusual facts and figures that you’ll never be…
Why is the Zionism a protected entity?
Palestine Note 4 Dec 2010 – Helen Thomas came out swinging against her detractors, refusing to back down from her criticism of Israel and unleashing another salvo against one of Israel’s strongest American defenders, the Zionist Organization of America. Thomas was pilloried…
As fires ravage the Carmel, there are helping hands — and some finger-pointing
Palestine Note 4 Dec 2010 – Los Angeles Times – Israel is burning. Since Thursday, raging flames have ravaged the Carmel, devastating one of the country’s largest and most scenic forest expanses. Blown out of control by high winds that haven’t let…
Abbas threatens to dissolve PA
Palestine Note 4 Dec 2010 – Al Jazeera – Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has said that if no peace deal can be agreed with Israel and the international community does not approve a Palestinian state, he may dissolve…
Brazil recognizes Palestinian state based on 1967 borders
Palestine Note 4 Dec 2010 – Declaration comes from official letter addressed to PA President Mahmoud Abbas AFP – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recognized a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders Friday in a public letter addressed to Palestinian…
Egypt set for runoff polls
AlJazeera 4 Dec 2010 – Ruling party is set to dominate the second round of parliamentary elections after pullout of two main opposition blocs.
Brazil recognises Palestine
AlJazeera 4 Dec 2010 – Israel expresses disappointment over Brazil’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.
Iran seeks to calm Gulf fears
AlJazeera 4 Dec 2010 – Iran’s foreign minister tells Gulf Arab states that they should not be concerned over the country’s nuclear programme.
Abbas threatens to dissolve PA
AlJazeera 4 Dec 2010 – President of Palestinian Authority says he may disband his governing body if peace deal with Israel cannot be agreed.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (25 Nov.. — 01 Dec. 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Analysis: Time to stop waiting for wake-up calls
Jeruslalem Post 4 Dec 2010 – Israel can expect devastation, not only in its cities, but in its forests as well, in a future war with Hamas and Hizbullah.
Northern blaze delights many in the Arab world
Jeruslalem Post 4 Dec 2010 – Many Arabs also strongly condemned Egypt and Jordan for agreeing to help in extinguishing the blaze, according to Arab media outlets.
Blaze delights many in Arab world
Jeruslalem Post 4 Dec 2010 – Many Arabs also strongly condemned Egypt and Jordan for agreeing to help in extinguishing the blaze, according to Arab media outlets.
Grateful prime minister hails international response
Jeruslalem Post 4 Dec 2010 – Netanyahu calls help Israel received from other nations “heartwarming”; Greek and Turkish pilots fly together in flame-filled skies.
‘Fire is God punishing Israel for occupying Arab lands’
Jeruslalem Post 4 Dec 2010 – Many Arabs also strongly condemned Egypt and Jordan for agreeing to help in extinguishing the blaze, according to Arab media outlets.
‘Study’ denying Jews’ right to Kotel resurfaces
Jeruslalem Post 4 Dec 2010 – Document which sparked strong condemnations from Israel and the US returns on official website of the PA’s news agency Wafa.
‘Study’ denying Jews right to Kotel resurfaces on website
Jeruslalem Post 4 Dec 2010 – Document which has sparked strong condemnations from Israel and the US returns on official website of the PA’s news agency Wafa.
Interior minister denies responsibility for lack of firefighting resources
Ha’aretz – Eli Yishai, who is responsible for the country’s firefighting services, contends that he did much to improve them.
Netanyahu: Israel not ashamed of asking for foreign aid to put out Carmel fire
Ha’aretz – PM speaks at Haifa press conference as Carmel fire still rages, says Israel will soon purchase fleet of firefighting aircraft.
Carmel fire: Bus blaze victims have all been identified
Ha’aretz – Prison service officers course cadets were on their way to evacuate inmates from the approaching fire when the bus they rode in became trapped and engulfed in flames
Police arrest two brothers suspected of starting Carmel wildfire
Ha’aretz – Police suspect that the two 16-year-olds from Isfiya lit a fire near their home which ultimately spread and set the entire Carmel ablaze.
Ein Hod residents report homes bursting into flames
Ha’aretz – Homes in northern part of artist community sustain damage from Carmel wildfire, but town center remains untouched.
Police have a ‘good idea’ who started Carmel wildfire
Ha’aretz – Chief of Israel Police David Cohen says massive brushfire in northern Israel was caused by negligence.
World’s largest fire fighting plane to join bid to halt Carmel inferno
Ha’aretz – Evergeen Supertanker will arrive in the coming days, has been used to contain fires in California.
Firefighters say Carmel fire will take a week to be extinguished
Ha’aretz – Police spokesman says negligence, not arson, is most likely the cause of the worst forest fire in the country’s history.
Remains of teen firefighter killed in blaze identified
Ha’aretz – The 16-year-old, who worked for a special volunteer unit, was killed on Thursday while trying to extinguish the wildfire.
Fire still raging in four Carmel sites, reports say it ‘will take a week to put out’
Ha’aretz – Firefighting crews say fire currently weakened, though likely to intensify again overnight; residents of several towns allowed to return to their homes.
Israeli conductor Barenboim wants to ‘liberate’ Wagner from Nazi association
Ha’aretz – Argentine-born conductor has long championed Wagner’s merits, but his comments anger a leader of a Holocaust survivors group.
Houses burn in Ein Hod, Nir Etzion as wildfire spreads
Ha’aretz – Firefighting aircraft renew attempts on Saturday morning to stop Carmel wildfire; 7 rescued from burning building in Ein Hod.
Abbas threatens to dissolve PA, let Israel take over West Bank
Ha’aretz – Palestinian President says that he will ask Israel to resume control if peace talks fail in a TV interview.
In wake of WikiLeaks, Iran tells Gulf Arabs: We’re not a threat to Mideast
Ha’aretz – Iran FM tries to lower tensions with Gulf Arab leaders after a WikiLeaks cable reported they are worried about Tehran’s nuclear program.
Netanyahu, Abbas hold rare phone chat over Carmel fire
Ha’aretz – The Palestinian President expressed condolences and offered help; Netanyahu committed to establishing a pan-Middle Eastern firefighting fleet.
Netanyahu: Battle to stop Carmel fire will be determined in the air
Ha’aretz – World responds to Prime Minister’s request for firefighting aircraft; 21 aircraft have arrived so far with more landing throughout the day., Ban says inspired by the generous international assistance rendered…
Obama offers help as fire ravages Israel’s north
Ha’aretz – U.S. pledges assistance as blaze creeps toward Haifa; Netanyahu calls emergency cabinet meeting.
Knesset members demand annexation of Ariel settlement
4 Dec 2010 – Jerusalem, December 4, (Pal Telegraph) A group of Israeli parliament members including ministers and heads of committees signed a memorandum calling on premier Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the settlement of Ariel in the West Bank. Israel Today published on Thursday said that the 35 signatories urged Netanyahu and his government to impose Israeli sovereignty on the ever growing settlement and…
Israeli army raids Bethlehem, erects checkpoints
4 Dec 2010 – Bethlehem, December 4, (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) erected Saturday military checkpoints in crossroads in Bethlehem city, in the West Bank and raided number of neighborhoods. Israeli soldiers erected military checkpoints at the crossroads of Al-Asakra village, local sources said. The sources added that IOF roamed Takoa town and raided Al-Douha towm in south Bethlehem. Eyewitnesses said to…
Israeli army shoots 2 workers in north Gaza
4 Dec 2010 – Gaza, December 4, (Pal Telegraph) — Israeli occupation forces opened fire Saturday at two Palestinian workers in north of Gaza Strip. Local Medical sources reported that the workers were shot near Bait Hanoon(Erez) crossing while they were collecting gravel. The sources added that the injured workers were evacuated to Kamal Odwan Hospital to receive medication and their health conditions are…
Abbas threatens to disband PA
4 Dec 2010 – Ramallah , December 4, (Pal Telegraph) — The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has said that if no peace deal can be agreed with Israel and the international community cannot approve a Palestinian state,he may dissolve his governing body. If Israelcontinued to build settlements in the West Bank, leading to the breakdown ofpeace talks, the Palestinian Authority (PA) would…
Israel’s Carmel Fire: Racism Rears Its Ugly Head Even in Tragedy
Uruknet December 4, 2010 – The worst forest fires ever to have struck Israel are sweeping through the Carmel Mountains surrounding Haifa. 42 prison guard trainees died when their bus was blocked on a highway and burned, thus cutting off their escape. It is the worst loss of life in a natural disaster in Israel’s history. 17,000 have been evacuated….
Abbas hints at PA dissolution over settlements
Uruknet December 4, 2010 — President Mahmoud Abbas threatened Friday to end autonomy in the Palestinian territories if Israel insists on going ahead with settlement construction on lands that would be a Palestinian state. Speaking with Palestine TV, Abbas said he would not “afford to remain the president of a nonexistent Palestinian Authority” if the Israeli occupation of the West…
PFLP: Gambling on US endangers Palestinians
Uruknet December 4, 2010 – The Palestinian government in Ramallah’s willingness to rely on the United States as a broker for Middle East peace was dangerous and harmed the Palestinian cause, the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine said Saturday. The leftist Palestinian faction said in a statement that the PA should take the issue to the UN and…
As Fires Continue To Consume More Areas in Haifa, Extremists Torch Islamic Graveyard
Uruknet December 4, 2010 – The Al Aqsa Foundation told the Maan News Agency that a group of Jewish extremists torched the Al Qassam Graveyard in Haifa under the guise of the ongoing fires that started Thursday in the area and continues to spread. The Foundation said that there were two attempts to burn the graveyard that includes the grave…
The world should take Iraqi government’s statements on ‘terror’ with a pinch of salt
Uruknet December 4, 2010 – Every now and then the government has a television program exhibiting certain individuals and presenting them as operatives of al-Qaeda organization. These individuals are usually presented as leaders in the group in order to tell Iraqis that the government is succeeding in its battle to eradicate terror and reinstate law and order…When the government says…
As Palestinians ‘Commute’ to Work
Uruknet December 4, 2010 – It’s 5am. The late autumn dawn is about to break. But for 3,500 Palestinian workers, a hard day’s work began hours ago. Young and old men push and shove their way out through the narrow lane, barely a metre wide, bars of iron rising above them on either side. Over their heads sits a corrugated…
IOF soldiers open machinegun fire at civilians in Gaza, wound three
Uruknet December 4, 2010 – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stationed north and east of Gaza Strip opened machinegun fire at Palestinian citizens at dawn Saturday wounding three of them including two workers who were collecting gravel, medical sources reported. Adham Abu Salmiya, the coordinator of medical services in the Strip, told the PIC reporter that a 22-year-old youth was hit…
Uprooting the Bedouins of Israel
Uruknet December 3, 2010 – Despite the fact that it was the seventh demolition since last July, this time the destruction of the Bedouin village Al-Arakib in the Israeli Negev was different. The difference is not because the homeless residents have to deal this time with the harsh desert winter; nor in the fact that the bulldozers began razing the…
MIDEAST: As Palestinians ‘Commute’ to Work
IPS It’s 5am. The late autumn dawn is about to break. But for 3,500 Palestinian workers, a hard day’s work began hours ago.
IDF: Carmel fire dying down
YNet News – Home Front Command rep says work of foreign firefighting planes yielding….
Israeli, Palestinian ministers trade blame for stalled peace process
YNet News – Ben-Eliezer, Abu Libdeh meet to resolve economic issues, but agree talks take….
Ban: We’ll help Israel in every way we can
YNet News – In message to Netanyahu, UN chief extends his condolences to families of….
Yishai: I tried to increase firefighters’ budget
YNet News – Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who is in charge of Israel’s firefighting services, responded to criticism Saturday following a wildfire in the Carmel region which claimed …….
Huge planes to fight Carmel fire
YNet News – Firefighters on Saturday night continued their efforts to contain a wildfire on Israel’s Mount Carmel, which has claimed the lives of 41 people since it broke out on …….
Fire suspects’ mother: They were in school
YNet News – A 16-year-old boy and his 14-year-old brother from the Druze village of Usfiya were arrested Saturday on suspicion of causing a wildfire in Israel’s northern Carmel …….
Evergreen Supertanker on its way to Israel
YNet News – VIDEO – Efforts to put out Carmel wildfire continue: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday ordered an immediate transfer of the budget needed to rent the …….
Palestinian Information Center
Taha: Abbas is confused
PIC 4 Dec 2010 – Ayman Taha, a Hamas leader, has described de facto Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas as confused after his last statement that he was thinking of dissolving the Palestinian Authority.
Mother of detained journalist appeals for his release
PIC 4 Dec 2010 – The mother of Moaz Mishaal, a journalist in Nablus, denounced the continued detention of her son in Abbas’s jails for the 100th day running.
Death toll of Haifa fire rises to 43 Israelis
PIC 4 Dec 2010 – The death toll from the massive bushfire in the heavily-forested Carmel hill, southeast of Haifa, rose to 43 on Saturday morning.
Israeli official: Collapse of Aqsa Mosque is imminent
PIC 4 Dec 2010 – Col. Yoram Lev-Ran, the Commander of the Jerusalem district of the Home Front Command, has warned that a disaster might befall the holy Aqsa Mosque and that the old Marwani Mosque might collapse soon.
Hamdan urges Fatah, Abbas to face external pressures obstructing reconciliation
PIC 4 Dec 2010 – Director of Hamas’s international relations Osama Hamdan called on Fatah and Mahmoud Abbas to confront the external pressures that hinder the national reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.
MP Attal: All Hamas cadres detained by PA in Jericho jail in isolation cells
PIC 4 Dec 2010 – Palestinian lawmaker Mohamed Attal said that the Hamas-affiliated detainees imprisoned by the Palestinian authority in Jericho prison are separated from each other in very small solitary cells.
Bahar urges Arab leaders to prioritize the issue of Palestinian prisoners
PIC 4 Dec 2010 – First deputy speaker of the Palestinian legislative council Dr. Ahmed Bahar appealed to the Arab leaders to pay more attention to the issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Knesset members demand annexation of Ariel settlement
PIC 4 Dec 2010 – A group of Israeli parliament members including ministers and heads of committees signed a memorandum calling on premier Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the settlement of Ariel in the West Bank.
IOF soldiers open machinegun fire at civilians in Gaza, wound three
PIC 4 Dec 2010 – IOF troops stationed north and east of Gaza Strip opened machinegun fire at Palestinian citizens at dawn Saturday wounding three of them including two workers who were collecting gravel.
Dweik: The stated failure of the PA-Israeli peace talks was predictable
PIC 4 Dec 2010 – Speaker of the PLC Dr. Aziz Dweik said that the declared failure of the peace negotiations between the Israeli occupation state and the Palestinian Authority was a foregone conclusion.
Iran Tries to Reassure Gulf States
New York Times 4 Dec 2010 – Iran’s foreign minister told Arab officials from the Persian Gulf that Iran was not a threat and wanted cooperation, in what seemed to be an attempt to lower tensions after the WikiLeaks revelations.
Clinton Says Leaks Don’t Strain Gulf State Ties
New York Times 4 Dec 2010 – In Bahrain, the secretary of state and leaders of the kingdom display a unified front in concerns over Iran.
Suspects Held as Deadly Fire Rages in Israel for Third Day
New York Times 4 Dec 2010 – Israel’s rain-starved and wind-whipped north burned for a third day on Saturday as the police announced the arrest of two men they suspect of negligently starting the blaze.
SOUTH HEBRON HILLS: Israeli Army arrests young Palestinian man in South Hebron Hills
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine –
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON): Shepherd made homeless, livelihood threatened, son in prison
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine –
Odious NGO Monitor smears Electronic Intifada, tries to cut funding
Mondoweiss – NGO Monitor was captured perfectly in The Forward by liberal jewish thinker Leonard Finewho said it was “an organization that believes that the best way to defend Israel is to condemn anyone who criticizes it.” But now, no longer satisfied with its McCarthyite efforts to not…
Jeffrey Goldberg doesn’t work for ‘The Forward’ any more— and that’s appropriate
Mondoweiss – A foreign journalist asked me what was with the Atlantic Monthly and Jeffrey Goldberg: why did a magazine which was a classic voice of the Eastern seaboard elite have a full time blogger on staff whose writing was devoted almost entirely to Israel? (including inside-baseball issues…
The American Jewish belief in the endurance of anti-Semitism is at the core of the problem
Mondoweiss – Often I’ve wondered what perversity of character I must retain into middle age to want to talk openly about Jewish numbers in the Establishment. For instance, the fact that Jews from Mike Bloomberg to David Steiner to Shael Polakow-Suransky are all over the schools chancellor decision…
Meet Moshe Soprano
Mondoweiss – I try to give the people what they want (I’ve been a news guy most of my life), and a lot of people are talking about the cable on Wikileaks from Tel Aviv a year ago about all the organized crime in Israel, and the fears…
Engel and Ros-Lehtinen are quick to try to stifle Palestinian state
Mondoweiss – This is amusing/concerning/the same old story. The Brazilians decide they’re sick of the neverending peace process that only results in Palestinian dispossession, and let’s recognize a Palestinian state, and who jumps in with four feet? The Israel lobby. Two congresspeople. Note that Eliot Engel is sanctifying…
Brazil Recognizes Palestine; Move Irks US Lawmakers, Israel
Al-Manar 4 Dec 2010 – US lawmakers and Israel have attacked Brazil for recognizing the state of Palestine based on the borders that existed prior to the 1967 Six-Day War. US legislators described Brazil’s decision as “regrettable,” saying the move might threaten peace and security in the Middle East. …
Bil’in Weekly Demonstration Attacked with Tear-Gas and Rubber-Coated Bullets
Joseph Dana 4 Dec 2010 – Bil’in’s weekly protest was attacked with tear-gas and rubber-coated bullets after demonstrators managed to open the gate in the Wall. The people of Bil’in, along with their Israeli and international supporters, marched today against the Wall, settlements, and Israeli occupation. About 70 people set out after…
Demostartors Place Flag Atop The Wall in Ni’ilin; Army Responds with Massive Amount of Tear Gas
Joseph Dana 4 Dec 2010 – Ni’ilin demonstrates under the banner “The Intifada Continues, No Peace with the Occupation. Demonstrators manage to place flag on top of wall in Ni’ilin despite heavy amounts of tear gas. Demostrators at the Gate of the Wall in Ni’ilin. Picture Credit: Joseph Dana The weekly demonstration…
Egypt set to vote amid fraud row
BBC 4 Dec 2010 – Egypt’s ruling party are set to dominate a second round of parliamentary elections, a week after the first round was condemned for alleged fraud.
Israeli wildfire ‘out of control’
BBC 4 Dec 2010 – A massive forest fire rages in northern Israel for a second day despite efforts by thousands of Israeli and foreign firefighters to contain it.
UN agency ‘sends spies to Iran’
BBC 4 Dec 2010 – Iran accuses the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, of sending foreign agents to spy on its nuclear programme.
“GOD-TV” evangelical Christian channel funds Israeli ethnic cleansing
Sabbah report 4 Dec 2010 – Despite the fact that it was the seventh demolition since last July, this time the destruction of the Bedouin village of Al-Arakib in the Israeli Negev was different. The demolition was different because this time Christian evangelists from the United States and England were involved. GOD-TV…
Nahr al-Bared reconstruction delay throws civil rights into spotlight
Sabbah report 4 Dec 2010 – The Nahr al-Bared refugee camp highlights every aspect of the problematic relationship between Lebanon and the Palestinian refugees within its borders. However, the Lebanese government would be better served by viewing the camp as a chance to radically change the traditionally conflict-ridden relationship in which Palestinians…
Wikileaks shocker: Did Abbas know in advance about the devastating blitz on his countrymen in Gaza?
Sabbah report 4 Dec 2010 – “I am surprised to read the Wikileaks revelation that Mr Abbas, along with Mr Mubarak, was informed of Operation Cast lead in advance. I don’t recall his issuing a public warning to the unfortunate people of Gaza or appealing to the UN and western powers to…
Articles
Lebanon at stake
Ramzy Baroud, Ma’an News Agency12/4/2010
The timing of the Turkish Prime Minister’s two-day visit to Lebanon could not be more judicious. Lebanon’s enemies have been banging the drums of war louder than ever before. All the malevolent plans hatched following the assassination of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri are about to converge for one formidable goal: to destabilize and weaken Lebanon, disarm Hezbollah and allow Israel to return, uncontested, and wreck havoc on the tiny country, the way it remorselessly did in 1982.
The Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Edrogan seemed clear in his intentions during his Lebanon trip. But considering what is at stake, maybe he wasn’t clear enough.
Israel is full of “uncertainties” and it is “not definite what it will do,” he claimed, according to Turkey’s state Anatolia news agency (AA). “Does (Israel) think it can enter Lebanon with the most modern aircraft and tanks to kill women and children, and destroy schools and hospitals, and then expect us to remain silent?” he asked. “We will not be silent and we will support justice by all means available to us.”
Erdogan’s words seem decisive, but they are as decisive as the strong messages he’s conveyed earlier, including in response to the Israeli war on Gaza (2008-09). Israel is yet to heed his any of his warnings.
Lebanon needs all its friends to prevent the possible civil strife that could follow any indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon of Hezbollah members over the assassination of Hariri. The tribunal is a highly politicized venture, strongly backed by the US and Israel. It is seen by many in the region, including Hezbollah itself, as a roundabout attempt to subdue the Lebanese resistance to Israel…. more.. e-mail
Professor Richard Falk on Universal Jurisdiction
Dr. Hanan Chehata, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)12/3/2010
The Middle East Monitor (MEMO) hosted UN Special Rapporteur Prof. Richard Falk for a series of events this week including a parliamentary briefing on the issue of Universal Jurisdiction. The following is an extract from the talk he delivered in the House of Commons:
The issue of universal jurisdiction is of special interest at this time because of the apparent effort to give assurances to Israeli leaders that they won’t be subject to a legal process if they come here (to the UK); and that of course is in reaction to the problems that the former Foreign Minister [Tzipi] Livni had when she cancelled her trip [to the UK last year].
I think it is important to realise that the whole idea of universal jurisdiction is to take account of the weakness of international institutions in upholding international criminal law. There has always been the sense that national judicial institutions reinforce the norms of international law and take account of that institutional vacuum that exists in international society; this has been a historical practice in relation to piracy and to other kinds of international crimes that were a threat to the international community as a whole. The idea of Nuremberg after World War Two was that crimes against the peace, crimes against humanity and war crimes are also offences against the whole of international society. There is an interest on the part of all states in trying to implement those norms of international criminal law. The American Chief Prosecutor at Nuremberg said the law the state applied to the German survivors of World War Two will not be respected unless those who sit in judgement uphold it in relation to their own behaviour; that it was a promise to the future.
It seems to me that if a country such as Britain, which has a proud constitutional tradition, reserves the implementation of international criminal law just for those the government doesn’t like at the time – in other words if international criminal law is used for prosecuting Saddam Hussein or Slobodan Milosevic but not the friends of the government – then you discredit, in a fundamental way, the rule of law which really does depend on equals being treated equally….. more.. e-mail
WikiLeaks Exposes Israeli Mafia’s Growing Influence
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com12/3/2010
Cable reveals Mafia-government connection — But US media don’t care to dig for the story
I love how the pundits are yawning over the latest WikiLeaks revelations: oh, there’s nothing to see here, it’s all so boring, no “smoking gun,” so let’s just move right along. These people are just plain lazy: they want “scoops” delivered to their front doors, all neatly packaged and labeled as such. In short, they don’t want to have to do any work, beyond the usual cut-and-paste. Which is why a lot of the really juicy stuff coming out of WikiLeaks continues to elude them.
Take, for example, this excerpt from a cable dated May 15, 2009 – entitled “Israel, A Promised Land for Organized Crime?” — sent by our embassy in Tel Aviv, which deals with the rising influence of Israeli organized crime:
“As recently as March 2009, Zvika Ben Shabat, Yaacov Avitan, and Tzuri Roka requested visas to attend a ‘security-related convention’ in Las Vegas. According to local media reports, all three had involvement with OC. Post asked the applicants to provide police reports for any criminal records in Israel, but without such evidence there is no immediate ineligibility for links to OC. Luckily, all three have so far failed to return for continued adjudication of their applications. Nevertheless, it is fair to assume that many known OC figures hold valid tourist visas to the United States and travel freely.”
What are organized crime figures doing showing up at a “security-related convention” in Las Vegas? Well, it seems Mr. Zvika Ben Shabat is the President of “H.A.Sh Security Group,” an Israeli company that offers security services worldwide. Indeed, they just signed an agreement to start a joint venture with India’s giant Micro-Technologies, a company which is described as follows…. more.. e-mail
Boycott roundup: French companies to drop out of Jerusalem rail project
Electronic Intifada: 3 Dec 2010 – In a significant victory for the global Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, French companies Veolia and Alstom have dropped out of the Jerusalem light rail project due to sustained pressure from Palestine solidarity groups. The companies were contracted by the Israeli government to construct and manage the tramway linking Jerusalem to several illegal Israeli settlement colonies in the occupied West Bank.more
Wikileaks Shocker
Dissident Voice: 4 Dec 2010 – One of the most grotesque Wikileaks revelations so far is the disclosure that Palestinian top dog (Fatah section), Mahmoud Abbas, was told in advance about the murderous assault on his countrymen in Gaza two years ago. Some claim that the Wikileaks reye-openers are a ‘dirty tricks’ operation by people with a large axe to grind. It is certainly odd that ‘evidence’ is selected to portray Arab states as eager to see Iran zapped for an unproven nuclear threat when, actually, the Middle East is far more anxious about the very real and present nuclear threat from Israel. That same mentality would no doubt wish to drive an ever bigger wedge between Fatah and political rival Hamas So what are we to make of the documents claiming that in a June 2009 meeting between Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and a U.S. congressional delegation, Barak said that the Israeli government “had…more
Uprooting the Bedouins of Israel
Dissident Voice: 4 Dec 2010 – Despite the fact that it was the seventh demolition since last July, this time the destruction of the Bedouin village Al-Arakib in the Israeli Negev was different. The difference is not because the homeless residents have to deal this time with the harsh desert winter; nor in the fact that the bulldozers began razing the homes just minutes before the forty children left for school, thus engraving another violent scene in their memory. Rather, the demolition was different because this time Christian evangelists from the United States and England were involved. I know this for a fact because right next to the demolished homes, the Jewish National Fund put up a big sign that reads: “GOD-TV FOREST, A Generous donation by God-TV made 1,000,000 tree saplings available to be planted in the land of Israel and also provided for the creation of water projects throughout the Negev.” GOD-TV justifies…more
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The New Dark Age 