17 December, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Heading To Gaza, Asia Convoy Arrives In Turkey
IMEMC – 17 Dec 2010 – Saturday December 18, 2010 – 04:36, The Asia solidarity convoy heading to the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian supplies arrived in in Turkey on Friday after it left Iran on its way to deliver humanitarian supplies to the besieged coastal region. Thousands greeted the activists and chanted in support of Palestine.
PLC Head Calls For Releasing Political Prisoners
IMEMC – 17 Dec 2010 – Saturday December 18, 2010 – 04:00, Head of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLS), Dr. Aziz Dweik of the Hamas movement, called on the Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank to release all political prisoners in order to create a positive atmosphere for internal unity and reconciliation talks.
Child Killed As Army Chases Fishing Boats Near Rafah Shore
IMEMC – 17 Dec 2010 – Saturday December 18, 2010 – 03:38, A 15-year-old Palestinian child was killed on Friday evening after the Israeli Navy chased a fishing boat close to the Rafah shore, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip; the boat flipped over after the army opened fire at it.
Palestinian Women Suffer Harsh Violations in Israeli Jails
IMEMC – 17 Dec 2010 – Friday December 17, 2010 – 17:00, The P.A. spokesman in Gaza denounced, on Thursday, Israeli jailers for their treatment of Palestinian female prisoners, who suffer harsh and systematic violations, the Palestinian Information Centre reported.
Dozens Injured By Tear Gas at Weekly Protests; Palestinian Shot With Tear Gas Canister
IMEMC – 17 Dec 2010 – Friday December 17, 2010 – 16:54, On Friday, dozens of people were treated from the ill effects of tear gas inhalation, as a result of inhaling said gas during the weekly nonviolent protests against the wall in the villages of Bil’in, Nil’in and al-Ma’sara. Also n an-Nabi Saleh, a Palestinian young was injured after being hit in his head with a tear gas canister; no arrests were reported.
Limits Set on the Stipends for Yeshiva Students
IMEMC – 17 Dec 2010 – Friday December 17, 2010 – 16:27, On Sunday’s Parliamentary session, the Knesset pretends to limit to five years the stipends that yeshiva students receive from the government, Haaretz reported.
4 Palestinian Security Officers Detained Near Hebron
IMEMC – 17 Dec 2010 – Friday December 17, 2010 – 14:42, Israeli forces detained, on Thursday, four Palestinian officers at the entrance of Yatta village, near Hebron, Press TV reported.
Clashes Erupt in Silwan, Live Ammunition Fired
IMEMC – 17 Dec 2010 – Friday December 17, 2010 – 14:24, The Wadi Hilwah Information Center, based in Silwan, East Jerusalem, are reporting the use of live ammunition by Israeli soldiers, on Friday.
13 Palestinians Arrested in Pursuit of Activists
IMEMC – 17 Dec 2010 – Friday December 17, 2010 – 14:16, Israeli forces arrested 13 Palestinians for interrogation around the West Bank, on Thursday morning, in a wide-ranging campaign to target suspected activists, the Palestinian Information Centre claimed on Thursday.
EU-PA Social Assistance Allowance Paid
IMEMC – 17 Dec 2010 – Friday December 17, 2010 – 13:20, The European Union, on Thursday, announced it, along with the PA, made a joint social services allowance payment, Ma’an News said.
Gaza teen dead after Israel fires on fishing boat
12/17/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Palestinian boy died Friday afternoon after Israeli gunboats opened fire on his fishing boat and flipped it over off the coast of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said 15-year-old Ziad Samir Al-Bardawil died after being treated for his injuries at….
Israel extends detention of Sheikh Jarrah teen
12/17/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli police extended by one day the detention of Ayman Al-Ghawi, 19, from the East Jerusalem of Shiekh Jarrah, his family reported Thursday. Al-Ghawi was detained while he was with his mother in the nearby Wadi Aj-Joz neighborhood after an Israeli settler living in the occupied area filed a complaint against….
Clashes erupt in Silwan
12/17/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Young residents of East Jerusalem fathered near a protest tent in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan on Friday and said they were harassed and assaulted by a patrolling force of Israeli border guards, sparking clashes. One young man said he and friends gathered in the area as a show of solidarity….
Bolivia recognizes Palestinian state
12/17/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Bolivia announced Friday its recognition of a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Israel. President Evo Morales made the announcement in Brazil at a conference with regional leaders, Bolivia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said.” Bolivia recognizes the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, like Brazil and Argentina….
Gaza crossings closed; exports remain limited
12/17/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Crossing terminals for the transfer of aid and commercial goods into Gaza were closed by Israeli officials on Friday, cutting short the planned transport week by one day, Palestinian liaison officers said. During the previous week of crossings activity, the bulk goods terminal was remarkably open three days in a….
Demonstrations across the West Bank
12/18/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Dozens of demonstrators inhaled tear gas which was fired at them by Israeli forces during peaceful marches around the West Bank on Friday, onlookers said. A demonstration in Al-Ma’sara, near Bethlehem, was launched from a school in the village toward the separation wall. Israeli forces were waiting at the….
Report: Shin Bet to compensate PFLP member for torture
12/17/2010 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — In what Israeli media called “an unusual move,” the country’s internal security service the Shin Bet reportedly agreed to compensate a Palestinian man disabled while under torture by the service’s investigators. The victim, identified by Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz as Jamal Al-Hindi, was detained in….
PA settlement observer says gov’t confiscated car
12/18/2010 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Palestinian official in charge of the settlement file in the northern West Bank Ghassan Daghlas said Friday that a government decision would see his official vehicle confiscated. Daghlas, who monitors and reports on settler violence, settlement expansions and related tensions, said the decision followed a cabinet decision pushed through by Prime….
Hebron woman detained
12/17/2010 – HEBRON (Ma’an) – Israeli troops detained on Thursday a young woman near the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron and took her to an unknown location, witnesses said. Friends identified the woman as 30-year-old Rania Abu Samra, and said she was accused of attempting to stab a soldier near the mosque….
In photos: Women’s union does Christmas
12/17/2010 – MaanImages / Luay Sababa – The Arab Women’s Union in Bethlehem organized a Christmas event on 16 December, hosting the city’s children of prisoners and those slain by Israeli forces. More than 120 children were handed gifts and got visits with Santa. The event, held annually, was attended by the wife of Turkish….
Israeli court sentences Nablus woman
12/17/2010 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israel’s military court at Salem in the northern West Bank sentenced Taghreed Abu Ghulmeh to six months in prison and a 2,000-shekel ($557) fine on Thursday, lawyers said. Taghreed was taken from her home in Beit Furiq, in the Nablus district, on 15 June 2010 and has remained….
France gives Lebanon anti-tank missiles
12/17/2010 – BEIRUT (AFP) — France will give Lebanon 100 anti-tank missiles, a government official said on Friday, confirming a deal that raised concerns in Israel and the United States earlier this year.” Prime Minister Saad Hariri was informed on Wednesday of the French decision to supply the army with 100. . . HOT missiles that will be used by….
Egypt detains 15 migrants en route to Israel
12/18/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Egyptian police on Friday detained 15 African migrants caught en route to Israel. Egyptian sources said they were holding intensive operations to search for migrants in the Sinai. According to Israeli statistics, more than 150,000 migrants succeeded in reaching Israel during the last five years….
EU, PA make joint social services allowance payment
12/17/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A combined payment of ‚Ǩ11. 5 million will see over 56,400 Palestinian families in need receive their social assistance benefits, the European Union announced on Thursday. The payment, in the past three years totally funded by the EU, was one of the first jointly funded initiatives. Palestinian Minister for Social….
Ashton: Two-state solution needs ‘urgent progress’
12/17/2010 – BRUSSELS, Belgium (Ma’an) — EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton said Thursday that she believed “urgent progress is needed towards a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that ends the occupation that began in 1967.” Ashton made the statement following a meeting with US special envoy to the peace process George….
Slovakia delivers $400,000 in medical aid to PA
12/17/2010 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health announced Thursday that it received a shipment of equipment and medical supplies with an estimated value of some $400,000. The donation came from the Slovakian government’s Department of Crisis Management and Civil Protection under the country’s Ministry of the….
Hamas leader says time is on our side
12/17/2010 – GAZA CITY (AFP) — Palestinians have time in their fight for a state, and a victory will come through nation-building rather than military confrontation with Israel, a senior Hamas leader said.”We are not in a hurry to buy or to sell our national interest because this is not the proper market,” Mahmud Zahar told AFP….
Erekat ‘deeply regrets’ US House resolution
12/17/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said Friday he “deeply regrets” a resolution passed by the US House of Representatives opposing unilateral measures to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”We have devoted ourselves to negotiations for nearly two decades and today we are trapped in a framework that thus far has not yet lifted….
Malta pledges assistance to Gaza Strip refugees
12/17/2010 – GAZA CITY (AFP) — Maltese Foreign Minister Tonio Borg on Friday promised during a visit to the Gaza Strip to donate funds to the UN agency caring for Palestinian refugees. Speaking at the end of a three-day tour of Israel and the Palestinian territories, Borg said he had met businessmen who complained they still faced shortages….
Cyprus, Israel define sea border for energy search
12/17/2010 – NICOSIA (AFP) — Cyprus and Israel signed an agreement Friday that defines their sea border and allows the neighbours to forge ahead in the search for energy sources in the eastern Mediterranean. The agreement, which delineates an exclusive economic zone between the two countries, was signed in Nicosia by Cypriot Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou and Israeli….
Cabinet to establish permanent union liaison
12/17/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Secretary-General of the Palestinian Authority cabinet Na’im Abu Al-Hums announced Thursday the formation of a permanent liaison commission assigned with ensuring union concerns are addressed regularly in an effort to avoid some of the crippling strikes that have caused dozens of days of closure for schools, hospitals and clinics….
Report: PA suspects Dahlan recruiting militia
12/17/2010 – TEL AVIV (Ma’an) — Former Fatah top man in Gaza Mohammad Dahlan reportedly recruited, paid and intended to command a new militia in the West Bank, a report in Israel’s daily newspaper Haaretz said on Friday. According to the report, the plan was uncovered by Palestinian Authority security agents who questioned men….
Police detain ‘escaped collaborator’
12/17/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian police detained on Friday an escaped prisoner in Ramallah who was sentenced to life in jail for collaboration with the enemy. Police said they acted on a tip that the unidentified prisoner was in a village near Ramallah. Police detained the man with the assistance of national security forces. Police….
Egyptian cinema boosted by new directors
12/17/2010 – DUBAI (AFP) – Under the leadership of new directors, Egyptian cinema seems to have started to bounce back after two decades marked by low production and quality, films screening at a Dubai festival and elsewhere show. Egyptian film production fell from about 85 movies a year in the 1980s to 16 by the end of the….
Hyena population growing ‘out of control’ near Hebron
12/17/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Police in Hebron recently told residents they would be unable to assist with a recent expansion of the hyena population because they have to seek authorization from Israeli officials first. The increase in the number of wild animals around the town of Halhoul, midway between Bethlehem and Hebron, has resulted in….
A Third Way to Palestine
Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 – Robert Danin, Foreign Affairs – Palestinian leaders first embraced armed struggle and then turned to negotiations. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has now initiated a third, pragmatic stage of Palestinian nationalism by building institutions and counting down…
France to supply Lebanon with 100 anti-tank missiles
Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 – Arabiya – France will give Lebanon 100 anti-tank missiles, a government official said on Friday, confirming a deal that raised concerns in Israel and the United States earlier this year. “Prime Minister Saad Hariri was informed…
Last throw of the dice for Mideast peace, experts say
Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 – Deutsche Welle – A new round of shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East took place this week as US envoy George Mitchell tries to restart peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. However, regional experts remain…
Radical Islamists defy Gaza’s Hamas rulers
Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 – Arabiya – Radical Islamist factions are challenging Hamas’s rule in the Gaza Strip, denouncing a de facto ceasefire with Israel and accusing the group of failing to uphold Islamic law. Though small in numbers, the groups…
Report: PA suspects Dahlan recruiting militia
Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 – Maan – Former Fatah top man in Gaza Mohammad Dahlan reportedly recruited, paid and intended to command a new militia in the West Bank, a report in Israel’s daily newspaper Haaretz said on Friday. According to…
Hamas leader says time is on our side
Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 – Maan – Palestinians have time in their fight for a state, and a victory will come through nation-building rather than military confrontation with Israel, a senior Hamas leader said. “We are not in a hurry to…
Bolivia recognizes Palestinian state
Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 – Maan – Bolivia announced Friday its recognition of a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Israel. President Evo Morales made the announcement in Brazil at a conference with regional leaders, Bolivia’s Foreign Affairs…
Gaza Mends, but Israelis See Signs of Trouble
Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 – New York Times – The shops are full of Israeli food and clothes but most people here can barely afford them. Construction projects ‚Äî sewage treatment plants, schools ‚Äî are getting started but far fewer than…
Arab League Will Go to Security Council on Settlements
Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 – Refuses Direct Negotiations Without “Real Offer” Yahoo News – Arab foreign ministers on Wednesday rejected more Palestinian-Israeli peace talks without a “serious offer” and said they will seek a UN Security Council resolution against Israeli settlement…
Leapfrogging barriers to a two state deal
Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 – I’m coming out of the closet as a fan of David Makovsky . Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow and Director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute for Near East…
Season for Jews, Christians and Muslims to look back at 2010
Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 – Amman – At the time of Eid ul-Adha, which marks the end of the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca; Hanukkah, when Jews commemorate the dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem; and Christmas, when Christians celebrate the…
Linkage and its discontents: What WikiLeaks reveals about Israel-Palestine
Palestine Note 16 Dec 2010 – In March 2010, then-CENTCOM chief Gen. David Petraeus set off a storm of protest among neoconservatives when, in his statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee, he named “insufficient progress toward a comprehensive Middle East peace”…
Cable: Egypt scared of Iran threat
AlJazeera 16 Dec 2010 – Leaked US diplomatic file says that Egyptian officials were worried about Iran sending money, smuggling weapons to Gaza.
Bolivia Recognizes Palestine on 1967 Borders; Abbas Telephones Ecuador
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – Two weeks after the South American nations of Brazil and Argentina recognized the state of Palestine on the 1967 borders, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the recognition of…
Universal Jurisdiction at Risk of Sabotage, War Criminals Let Free
PNN – Alessandra Bajec – PNN – Last 1st December, the British government announced new proposals in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill which include legal changes restricting citizens’ right to seek the…
Incapable of Making Peace
PNN – By Daoud Kuttab – If the past three months have proved one thing it is that the present Israeli government is not ready or willing to take the minimum steps needed for…
Dr. Erakat “Deeply Regrets” US House Resolution 1765
PNN – Bethlehem – PNN – Chief Palestinian negotiator Dr. Saeb Erakat stated on Friday that he “deeply regrets” the resolution passed by the United States House of Representatives opposing international efforts at resolving…
One Critically Injured, Many Treated for Tear Gas Inhalation During West Bank Anti-Wall Protests
PNN – Ramallah – PNN – A civilian was critically injured and many protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday when Israeli troops attacked anti-wall protests organized in a…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (09 – 15 December. 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
France to supply Lebanon with 100 anti-tank missiles
Jeruslalem Post 17 Dec 2010 – Shipment to be delivered by February with no conditions attached, French official says; letter of confirmation sent to PM Hariri
Egypt arrests 34 African migrants trying to enter Israel
Jeruslalem Post 17 Dec 2010 – Police official says 8 Eritreans, 9 Ethiopians caught on pickup trucks belonging to Bedouin traffickers near town of Nekhil.
Human rights group calls for release of Syrian activist
Jeruslalem Post 17 Dec 2010 – Ali Abdullah of Damascus Declaration opposition group completed 30-month prison term in June for earlier criticism of Iran.
Cyprus, Israel sign deal demarcating sea borders
Jeruslalem Post 17 Dec 2010 – The two countries are attempting to facilitate the search for mineral deposits in the east Mediterranean.
‘Lebanon probing collaborators on Israeli spy device’
Jeruslalem Post 17 Dec 2010 – Lebanese press report: “Expert technicians” installed alleged Israeli spy cameras; devices take pictures, tap phones.
‘Vice’ witnesses Palestinian car thieves in action
Jeruslalem Post 17 Dec 2010 – “So if you just jacked a car in posh Emek Refaim,” Vice writes, “you can usually count on the IDF cuties to wave you through to Kalandia.”
Iran reportedly in nuclear fuel swap negotiations
Jeruslalem Post 17 Dec 2010 – ‘Telegraph’ reports US, Russia, France and Turkey involved in talks that would supply Teheran with fuel rods in exchange for enriched uranium.
Breakthrough in Palestinian waste-water treatment
Jeruslalem Post 17 Dec 2010 – Multi-national team of water experts lay cornerstone for plant near Jericho; project to be pilot for larger program.
Austria under fire for promoting trade with Teheran
Jeruslalem Post 17 Dec 2010 – “The Chamber of Commerce is advising firms on how to circumvent the sanctions against Iran,” Vienna Jewish group says.
Security and Defense: ‘We will know how to smash them’
Jeruslalem Post 16 Dec 2010 – IDF commanders this week reviewed lessons learned from the Second Lebanon War and military readiness for future wars.
Minister, opposition slam cabinet’s proposal for yeshiva stipends
Ha’aretz – According to new recommendations, full-time yeshiva students will be able to receive government stipends for five years only.
Another near-accident as planes land on wrong track at Ovda Airport
Ha’aretz – On the same day, lightning struck an El Al plane that was about to land at the airport.
Cabinet to approve limits on stipends for yeshiva students
Ha’aretz – According to new recommendations, full-time yeshiva students will be able to receive government stipends for five years only.
Attorney general gives legal clearing to Danino in race for police commissioner
Ha’aretz – Danino, currently Southern District commander is running for the appointment against Maj. Gen. Shahar Ayalon.
Report: France to send Lebanon 100 anti-tank missiles
Ha’aretz – A French official tells AFP news agency that France will transfer the arms to Lebanon by the end of February, without preconditions.
Report: Lebanon suspects citizens aided Israel in planting espionage cameras
Ha’aretz – Lebanon president prepares complaint to submit to UN over the cameras; Lebanon radio attributes explosion Wednesday to IAF covering up espionage.
Cyprus and Israel sign deal demarcating sea borders
Ha’aretz – Agreement will have implications for both naval security and offshore resource exploration and extraction.
Dutch FM: Ties with Israel are like our bond with NATO
Ha’aretz – Uri Rosenthal, a son of Holocaust survivors and married to an Israeli, stresses that his Jewish background and Israeli link don’t affect his decisions., Voice of Lebanon radio attributes explosion…
ADL director: Nixon was a bigot, but a practical supporter of Israel
Ha’aretz – Foxman calls Watergate-era recordings on which Nixon and Kissinger can be heard making disparaging marks against Jews ‘ironic.’
Retired IDF general: Deterrence is our best option against Hezbollah
Ha’aretz – Giora Eiland says another war between Israel and Hezbollah ‘will be a war between Israel and the State of Lebanon and will wreak destruction on the State of Lebanon.’
WikiLeaks’ lesson on Haiti
Uruknet December 17, 2010 – …One area of US foreign policy that the WikiLeaks cables help illuminate, which the major media has predictably ignored, is the occupation of Haiti. In 2004, the country’s democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was overthrown for the second time, through an effort led by the United States government. Officials of the constitutional government were jailed…
Report details hopeless conditions in Gaza
Uruknet December 17, 2010 – Residents of Gaza see no hope for a brighter future — and that’s one of the most distressing aspects of the situation in the Middle East, according to an international Christian aid-and-development group’s advocacy officer for the region. Hanan Elmasu of the United Kingdom-based organization Christian Aid worked on a new briefing detailing the impact…
Gaza teen dead after Israel fires on fishing boat
Uruknet December 17, 2010 – A Palestinian boy died Friday afternoon after Israeli gunboats opened fire on his fishing boat and flipped it over off the coast of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said 15-year-old Ziad Samir Al-Bardawil died after being treated for his injuries at the Abu Yousef An-Najjar Hospital…
Israel leaves us no choice but to boycott
Uruknet December 17, 2010 – Israel’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, Danny Ayalon, paints a picture of an innocent Israel yearning for peace, virtually begging the intransigent Palestinians to come negotiate so there can be a “two-states-for-two-peoples solution” (“Who’s stopping the peace process?” Dec. 14). But it’s one that bears no resemblance to the realities Palestinians experience and much of…
Derail Israel’s Unlawful A1 Train Project– End International Complicity
Uruknet December 17, 2010 – Israel’s A1 high-speed train project designed to connect Jerusalem and Tel Aviv violates international humanitarian law and human rights law. The A1 rail project forms a component of Israel’s ongoing plans to cement its regime of occupation, colonial rule and apartheid over the Palestinian people, particularly in the occupied West Bank. It constitutes yet another…
Military Violence in the Hebron Hills
Uruknet December 17, 2010 – The Israeli military demolished three water cisterns and two wells in the Khashem Ad Daraj – Hathaleen region on December 14. The military have given no reason for the destruction. The demolitions follow a pattern of destruction of Palestinian property by the Israeli military in Area C, as defined by the Oslo Accords. Rather than…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (09 – 15 December. 2010)
Uruknet December 17, 2010 – Summary : Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (09 – 15 December 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed two Palestinians, while two children were killed by the explosion of a projectile left by IOF in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, 15 Palestinians, including 3 children,…
US Senate calls for diplomatic campaign against recognition of a Palestinian state
Uruknet December 17, 2010 – The US Senate has called on the Obama administration to launch a diplomatic campaign “to convince the world not to recognise a Palestinian state, in case the matter is presented to the UN Security Council.” The Senate confirmed its opposition to any attempt by the Security Council to recognise a Palestinian state on the 1967…
Resisting an ideology of inequality: Jody McIntyre interviewed
Uruknet December 17, 2010 – Over the past month, journalist and activist Jody McIntyre has joined a growing number of students, workers, activists and others in the United Kingdom in protesting a government decision to cut public sector funding, especially in the field of education. Last week, as tens of thousands of students took to the streets of central London,…
Palestinian Women Suffer Harsh Violations in Israeli Jails
Uruknet December 17, 2010 – The P.A. spokesman in Gaza denounced, on Thursday, Israeli jailers for their treatment of Palestinian female prisoners, who suffer harsh and systematic violations, the Palestinian Information Centre reported. Riyadh al-Ashqar, spokesman of the P.A. ministry of prisoners and ex-prisoners in Gaza City, commented on the sever treatment against Palestine women held captive in Israeli jails…
Shin Bet to Compensate PFLP Member After Torture
Uruknet December 17, 2010 – The Shin Bet security service agreed to compensate a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine for torturing him in what the Haaretz daily newspaper called “an unusual move,” sources reported on Friday. The Palestinian man, reportedly identified as Jamal al-Hindi, is due to receive an undisclosed amount of compensation for partial…
Israel – Poll: 55% back rabbis’ anti-Arab ruling
Uruknet December 16, 2010 – A significant segment of Israel’s adult Jewish population agrees with a religious ruling forbididng Jews from selling or renting apartments to Arabs or other non-Jews, according to a recent survey commissioned by Ynet and the Gesher organization. The controversial ruling was issued by a group of 50 municipal rabbis. Some 55% of those polled said…
Two million throng Iraq’s Karbala for Ashura finale
Daily Star 17 Dec 2010 The Palestinian Authority Friday said it regretted a US House of Representatives decision to oppose any unilateral measures to declare or recognize a Palestinian state, a day after it requested pressed European countries to commit to…
Palestinians ‘regret’ US House move against state
Daily Star 17 Dec 2010 The Palestinian Authority Friday said it regretted a US House of Representatives decision to oppose any unilateral measures to declare or recognize a Palestinian state, a day after it requested pressed European countries to commit to…
Khamenei blames West for suicide bombing at Iran mosque
Daily Star 17 Dec 2010 Iran’s supreme leader Friday blamed the West for a deadly suicide bombing at a mosque this week, saying the country’s enemies were trying to divide Muslims and halt its nuclear activities.The Sunni militant group Jundallah, or…
Robert Malley and Hussein Agha | These concrete constraints have quashed any hope of peace
The Guardian 17 Dec 2010 – Yet another impasse is reached in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations – is peace now simply unattainable? After weeks of fruitless endeavour, the United States has finally – and wisely – given up on its efforts to secure a…
Malta pledges aid to Gaza refugees
Relief Web 17 Dec 2010 – Source: Agence France-Presse
OPT: Protection of Civilians Weekly Report | 8 – 14 December 2010
Relief Web 17 Dec 2010 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
The Inauguration of the Emergency Services Section in Al-Quds Hospital of PRCS in Gaza
Relief Web 16 Dec 2010 – Source: Palestine Red Crescent Society
MIDEAST: Where to Park a Hospital
IPS At the Rambam medical centre here in Israel’s third largest city just 30 odd kilometres from Lebanon, they are working around the clock, racing against time.
S. African politicians ‘beaten up by IDF’
YNet News – Parliament members say ‘shoved’ by soldiers during anti-Israel protest in….
US appeals to India over Syria ties
YNet News – Leaked document reveals Washington asked government in New Delhi to look into….
Report: Iran in secret talks on nuke swap
YNet News – Telegraph says Turkish-brokered deal would see Tehran suspend uranium enrichment….
Palestinians: Navy killed teen
YNet News – A 15-year-old Palestinian drowned to death near the Rafah shore after his fishing boat was shot at by Navy forces, Gaza sources reported late Friday. The IDF’s …….
Bolivia recognizes Palestinian state
YNet News – Fourth state endorses ‘Palestine’: Bolivia announces Friday that it is officially and fully recognizing the Palestinian state in line with the 1967 borders, according to …….
France gives Lebanon anti-tank missiles
YNet News – France will give Lebanon 100 anti-tank missiles, a government official said on Friday, confirming a deal that raised concerns in Israel and the United States earlier …….
Nasrallah: We’re not scared of Israel
YNet News – Last week, a senior IDF officer told Yedioth Ahronoth that Hezbollah faces the gravest crisis in its history. The army official warned: “Should a new war break out, the …….
Palestinian land appropriated for train
YNet News – The Civil Administration has decided to appropriate about 12 acres of land from the Palestinian village of Beit Iksa, located near the Ramot neighborhood and the …….
Palestinian Information Center
Dwaik: Hundreds of political detainees still in Abbas’s jails in W. Bank
PIC 17 Dec 2010 – MP Dr. Aziz Dwaik, the speaker of the Palestinian parliament, has urged Friday the militia of Mahmoud Abbas to release all political detainees in the PA jails in the West Bank..
Families of hunger strikers in Abbas jails deny the strike ended
PIC 17 Dec 2010 – Families of the six Palestinian detainees on hunger strike for the fourth week now denied reports disseminated by Fatah-controlled media in the West Bank that the captives decided to end the strike.
Palestinian captives in Hawwara complain of harsh conditions
PIC 17 Dec 2010 – Captives at the Hawwara detention centre complained that the administration is failing to protect them from the extreme cold weather which prevailed in the region lately.
US Senate call for diplomatic campaign against recognition of Palestinian state
PIC 17 Dec 2010 – The US Senate has called on the Obama administration to launch a diplomatic campaign to dissuade countries from recognising a Palestinian state within 1967 borders..
An elderly woman allowed to return to Gaza after 62 years of exile
PIC 17 Dec 2010 – Egyptian authorities allowed an elderly Palestinian woman to return to the Gaza Strip after she spent 62 years in exile in Jordan apart from her husband and children.
Occupation demolish water tanks and troughs in the southern West Bank
PIC 17 Dec 2010 – IOF bulldozers demolished on Wednesday night 11 water tanks and troughs used by Palestinian shepherds in the southern West Bank, in an Israeli attempt to force Palestinians to leave the area.
IOA continues settlement construction in Occupied Jerusalem
PIC 17 Dec 2010 – The IOA has continued settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian capital, Jerusalem, as it gave the green light for the construction of 24 settlement units near Al-Zaiton Mount.
Ashqar: Palestinian women captives suffer harsh violations in Israeli jails
PIC 17 Dec 2010 – Riyadh Al-Ashqar, the spokesman of the PA ministry of prisoners and ex-prisoners in Gaza city, has asserted Thursday that Palestinian women captives in Israeli jails suffer harsh conditions.
Former Egyptian official: Israel plans to reoccupy the Sinai Peninsula
PIC 17 Dec 2010 – Hassan Esa, the former Egyptian official in the ministry of foreign affairs, has warned of Israeli attempts to reoccupy the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula..
Bahar highlights Yemen’s role in supporting the Palestinian cause
PIC 17 Dec 2010 – MP Ahmad Bahar, the first deputy-speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), has noted the Yemini role in supporting the Palestinian issue..
Military Violence in the Hebron Hills
Palestine Monitor – The Israeli military demolished three water cisterns and two wells in the Khashem Ad Daraj – Hathaleen region on December 14. The military have given no reason for the destruction. The demolitions follow a pattern of destruction of Palestinian property by the Israeli military in Area…
State Department says it has ‘raised’ Rahmah case with Israelis…
Mondoweiss – We have just learned that Matthew Lee of AP again raised the Abdallah Abu Rahmah case this afternoon at the State Department, and the following dialogue ensued, with Ass’t Sec’y P.J. Crowley: Crowley: We have raised this case with the Israeli government. We continue to follow…
Mr President, answer Matthew Lee of the AP: ‘Why is it beneath the United States to come out and say something about this practitioner of nonviolence?’
Mondoweiss – Please just watch this. If you don’t do anything else today, watch this. Promise me. Then send it to your friends. Words escape me this is so brilliant. It breaks my heart with moral urgency and sorrow. Awake America. Matthew Lee of the Associated Press stands…
Jeffrey Goldberg likens BDS movement to Nazi Germany policies
Mondoweiss – If you can’t beat ’em, smear ’em. And throw in the word Nazi for good measure. As the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement continues full-steam ahead in its efforts to force Israel to comply with international law, pro-Israel hawks are increasingly attempting to link the…
Say it ain’t so: Zakaria, Huffington and Tom Friedman go to bat for center that is desecrating Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem
Mondoweiss – This one stopped me, made me wonder if I need to have my eyes adjusted. This is an invitation to a benefit next spring for Canadian friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies. On the cover of the invite you will see Arianna Huffington,…
Dozens tear-gassed in Bil’in as they walk toward lands owned by people of the village
Mondoweiss – Today dozens of people were injured as a result of inhaling the tear gas due to the clashes that took place in the village of Bil’in. Many people from Bil’in village joined this march along with the peace activists and foreigners who came to give solidarity…
Time is on our Side, Says Hamas Leader Zahar
Al-Manar 17 Dec 2010 – The Palestinians have time in their fight for a state, and Hamas believes victory will come through nation-building rather than military confrontation with Israel, a senior Hamas leader said. “We are not in a hurry to buy or to sell our national interest because this…
PLO Disappointed over US Opposing Unilateral Declaration of Palestinian State
Al-Manar 17 Dec 2010 – The Palestinian delegation in the United States expressed its “deep disappointment” on Thursday over the resolution passed by the U.S. House, which opposes unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. The General Delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to the United States issued a statement…
Israel Detains 4 Palestinian Security Officers
Al-Manar 17 Dec 2010 – Israeli occupation forces have detained four Palestinian security officers as they arrived in the entrance of Yatta village of al-Khalil (Hebron) in the occupied West Bank. No reason was given for the Thursday arrests although the Palestinian officers presented their valid identity cards to the soldiers,…
Derail Israel’s Unlawful A1 Train Project– End International Complicity
Global BDS 17 Dec 2010 – Occupied Palestinian Territory, 16 December 2010 – Israel’s A1 high-speed train project designed to connect Jerusalem and Tel Aviv violates international humanitarian law and human rights law. The A1 rail project forms a component of Israel’s ongoing plans to cement its regime of occupation, colonial rule…
Smuggled people
BBC 16 Dec 2010 – African migrants risk death for life in Israel
US Readies New Sanctions on Iran Ahead of Talks
Antiwar.com 17 Dec 2010 – The Barack Obama administration is preparing a new batch of sanctions against Iran to be announced next week in advance of nuclear talks in Turkey. Two Iran experts in Washington who are usually well briefed about U.S. Iran policy said more Iranian officials would be designated…
Articles
Incapable of making peace
Daoud Kuttab, Ma’an News Agency12/17/2010
If the past three months have proved one thing it is that the present Israeli government is not ready or willing to take the minimum steps needed for peace.
By rejecting international consensus on the need for a temporary freeze of the illegal settlement activities in occupied territories, the ultra-rightwing Israeli government has shown it is unwilling or unable to comply with the requirements needed for a successful peace process. The Americans will make yet another mistake if they fail to accept this fact and attempt to move the peace process forward as if nothing has happened. This would be nothing short of appeasement and a reward to intransigence and therefore will not bode well for the future of the talks. While Palestinians have very few viable alternatives at the present, they certainly can’t continue with this charade.
Contrary to Israeli claims that the settlement freeze is a Palestinian precondition, the quartet – made up of the US, the EU, the UN and Russia – set out the roadmap for peace, which included requirements from both parties. The Palestinians were asked to provide security and the rule of law, while Israel was asked to dismantle the outposts (Jewish-only housing units built even without permission from the Israeli government itself) and suspend any further settlement activities. Settlements built by an occupying power in occupied areas constitute a violation of the Geneva conventions and has been reconfirmed by a ruling of the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
Palestinians have, to the best of their abilities and with the recognition of international as well as Israeli military officials, complied with their requirements on the security front. Furthermore Palestinians have made major in roads in reducing incitement on Palestinians media, removed controversial items in their text books and are actively pursuing an education of tolerance and mutual respect in their schools and on the airwaves (some of it with US funding.) more.. e-mail
Jordan is not Palestine
Lamis Andoni, Ma’an News Agency12/16/2010
George Mitchell, the US special envoy to the Middle East, has recently expressed his frustration at the lack of progress in the stalled “peace process”.
But it may be time for Mitchell to move aside, as Geert Wilders, the leader of the Netherlands’ third-largest party, seems to have found a ‘creative solution’ to the conflict: Jordan should be renamed Palestine and become a homeland for the Palestinians.
Unfortunately for Wilders – and the Israeli right – this ‘solution’ is neither original nor acceptable and Jordanian officials have responded with a resounding condemnation of the proposal.
The plan to turn Jordan into a Palestinian homeland and to give Israel complete control over the historic land of Palestine is regularly rehashed by the Israeli right whenever there is international pressure, however minimal, on Israel to stop its expansionism.
Last month, around half of the 120-member Israeli knesset, submitted “a two states for two peoples on both sides of River Jordan” proposal for discussion. In practice the proposal entails an expulsion of Palestinians to Jordan so that the kingdom becomes a de facto Palestinian homeland.
The forceful revival of what has historically been referred to as the “Jordan option” comes amid growing international pressure over the building of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The Israeli right, many of whom belong to the Likud party of Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, see the Jordanian option as an adequate and practical solution to plans to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. more.. e-mail
Bayna Aqli Wa Qalbi (Between My Heart and Mind) by Wissam Murad
Dr. Basel Husseini, This Week in Palestine11/29/2010
Review
As I sit with Wissam at the American Colony Hotel, contemplating the idea behind the creation of this CD, I find myself drawn to his words that seem to be so passionately expressive. He starts to tell me about his eternal dilemma: how to combine the sound of pure classical Arabic music with contemporary Western music. He says “I had heard people trying to combine these two sounds but the result was a sound that was frail. My mind was telling me that, logically, this could not work, and I had to consult my heart.” People in various contexts who must make a decision stand at this crossroad every day, but I must say that in this work of art, Wissam’s heart won out.
Bayna Aqli Wa Qalbi explores a new sound in Palestinian music in an attempt to move away from what is “common.” It begins as a long journey in search of a mixture of Eastern instruments influenced by Western instruments (specifically, the oud and kanoon with electric guitar and drums) to try to reach a sound that is unique.
Wissam’s journey begins with his choice of lyrics – living the emotions and feeling the idea – then moves on to composition, music arrangement, recording the musicians, the vocals, mixing and mastering. Each has its trials and tribulations.
The lyrics for these songs encompass many varied aspects of life, with no focus on any one aspect in particular. Wissam tries to get the listeners used to this type of musical expression and maintains his own signature.
In two of the instrumental pieces, Wissam expresses his feeling that there is another way of musical expression – one in which a rest from the human voice and word is a relief.
The songs in Bayna Aqli Wa Qalbi were composed in a flexible, easygoing manner under the shade of sweet melancholy. Void of complexity. This is abundantly clear in Wissam’s vocal style, through which his core come alive. more.. e-mail
“We will continue to sing”: DAM’s Suhell Nafar interviewed
Electronic Intifada: 17 Dec 2010 – DAM is a Palestinian hip hop trio from Lod, a mixed Palestinian and Jewish town about 20 kilometers from Jerusalem. The Electronic Intifada contributor Hira Nabi spoke with DAM’s Suhell Nafar by phone while the trio was in the United States for a brief tour.more
Israel’s new wall
Electronic Intifada: 17 Dec 2010 – CAIRO (IPS) – After building a wall in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israel has begun construction on a new wall, this one to keep migrants from Africa out. The new wall is coming up on the Egyptian border, and with Egyptian support.more
Resisting an ideology of inequality: Jody McIntyre interviewed
Electronic Intifada: 17 Dec 2010 – Over the past month, journalist and activist Jody McIntyre has joined a growing number of students, workers, activists and others in the UK protesting a government decision to cut public sector funding, especially to education. Jody, who spent months alongside Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip protesting the Israeli occupation, is now back in London attending and reporting on various student-led actions. The Electronic Intifada’s Matthew Cassel spoke with Jody at his south London home.more
Military Violence in the Hebron Hills
Palestine Monitor: 17 Dec 2010 – The Israeli military demolished three water cisterns and two wells in the Khashem Ad Daraj – Hathaleen region on December 14. The military have given no reason for the destruction. The demolitions follow a pattern of destruction of Palestinian property by the Israeli military in Area C, as defined by the Oslo Accords. Rather than delivering the demolition orders to the residents of the villages in the area, the Israeli army instead left the orders under a stone two days earlier. The demolished cisterns and wells supplied drinking water to the villagers as well as their sheep and goats. The wells were up to 300 meters deep and over 70 years old, pre-dating the 1967 occupation of the Palestinian Territories. International Humanitarian Law and Israeli Military law state that structures created before 1967 are protected and not to be destroyed by the occupying power. The villages are in the southern…more
Promoting Jewish Victimhood as Guise for Victimizing Palestinians
Dissident Voice: 17 Dec 2010 – Last week the House of Commons unanimously passed a private member’s bill to establish a national Holocaust monument. While it is a good thing to commemorate the suffering of Jews in Europe, it is important to point out that uncritical support for Israel is part of the backdrop. Edmonton Conservative MP, Tim Uppal, who introduced the private member’s bill, explained last year: “After I had decided on [accepting Minister Peter Kent’s proposal to put forward An Act to Establish a National Holocaust Monument], I ended up going to Israel with the Canada Israel Committee in July. Being there, and learning what I did about the Holocaust and Israel, just made me feel more reassured that this was the right thing to do and get this bill passed.” Speaking in favour of the bill last week, Winnipeg NDP MP Jim Maloway also connected the planned monument to Israel. “I had the…more
Insisting on Their Humanity: The Plight of the Palestinians
Dissident Voice: 17 Dec 2010 – When a copy of William A. Cook’s latest book, The Plight of the Palestinians arrived in my mailbox, I initially felt a little worried. The volume, featuring the work of over 30 accomplished writers, is the most articulate treatise on the collective victimization of Palestinians to date. From Cook’s own introduction, ‘The Untold Story of the Zionist Intent to Turn Palestine into a Jewish State’ to Francis Boyle’s summation of ‘Israel’s Crimes against the Palestinians’, it takes the reader through an exhaustive journey, charting the course of Palestinian history prior to and since al-Nakba, the Catastrophe of 1947-48. Still, I feared that something might be missing in this noble and monumental undertaking: Palestinian people’s own responses to the cruelties they’ve suffered. Would Palestinians be presented yet again as merely poster-child victims, eager for handouts? The photograph on the cover was telling: a kindly old man with a white beard, who…more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
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The New Dark Age 
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