31 December, 2010 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Child, Paramedic Wounded By Army Fire During Nabi Saleh Weekly Protest
IMEMC – 31 Dec 2010 – Saturday January 01, 2011 – 03:14, As dozens of residents and international peace activists held their nonviolent weekly protest against the Annexation Wall in Nabi Saleh village, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Israeli soldiers violently attacked them and fired rubber-coated metal bullets and gas bombs leading to several injuries.
Civilian Hit by a Tear Gas Canister at Weekly Protest in Bil’in
IMEMC – 31 Dec 2010 – Friday December 31, 2010 – 18:10, On Friday, a civilian was hit by a tear gas canister during the weekly nonviolent protest against the Annexation Wall in the village of Bil’in. Also, dozens of people were treated from the ill effects of tear gas inhalation during the demonstrations in an-Nabi Saleh and al-Ma’sara.
Knesset Approves NIS 2 billion to Settlements in the New Year’s Budget
IMEMC – 31 Dec 2010 – Friday December 31, 2010 – 16:49, The Israeli Knesset approved its 2011-2012 budget on Wednesday, which includes two billion shekels (approx. US$ 564 million) to settlements construction, services and security, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
Extra E.U. Funds in Support to P.A.’s Institution Building
IMEMC – 31 Dec 2010 – Friday December 31, 2010 – 16:24, Prime Minister Fayyad and an E.U. Representative agreed today to support the P.A.’s institution building plan, a European information centre claimed on Friday.
Gaza Convoy Blocked in Egypt
IMEMC – 31 Dec 2010 – Friday December 31, 2010 – 13:51, Egypt stopped activists on the Asia 1 aid convoy from reaching the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian daily newspaper quoted in Press TV reported on Thursday.
Five Palestinians Arrested During Night Raids in the West Bank
IMEMC – 31 Dec 2010 – Friday December 31, 2010 – 12:48, Israeli forces detained five Palestinians around the West Bank in a series of night raids that ended on Friday morning. A woman and her son were also allegedly beaten, Palestine News Network reported.
Abbas: “The New Draft is Designed to Gain the U.S. Support”
IMEMC – 31 Dec 2010 – Friday December 31, 2010 – 12:10, In the following days, P.A. and other Arab states will bring a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council, calling to condemn Israel for the illegal settlement construction in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Abbas stressed on Thursday, with regard to a possible U.S. veto, that the draft follows Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s rhetoric.
Islamic Jihad Refuses To Participate In New Gaza Government
IMEMC – 31 Dec 2010 – Friday December 31, 2010 – 07:23, The Islamic Jihad Movement in Gaza refused to participate in the new government that The Hamas movement intends to form in the Gaza Strip. Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyya, offered a seat to the Islamic Jihad but the movement refused any participation.
Sheikh Saleh visits Jerusalem’s Old City
12/31/2010 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Head of the Islamic movement in Israel Sheikh Ra’ed Saleh delivered a speech to crowds of Palestinians in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi Al-Joz on Friday. The visit was the second for the official following a ban on his entering the holy city which expired in November. Israeli authorities….
Report: Israel allocates $564 million to settlements
12/31/2010 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — In the 2011-12 budget passed by the Israeli Knesset on Wednesday, MKs set aside 2 billion shekels ($564 million) for settlements, the country’s left-wing daily Haaretz reported. The cash will go to settlements, their services and security, the newspaper said, adding that hundreds of millions of….
Report: Cairo approves Asia 1 convoy entry to Gaza
12/31/2010 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — Egypt’s Al-Ahram newspaper reported Friday that officials gave clearance to the latest aid convoy to Gaza, the Asia 1, set to dock in the Egyptian port town of El-Arish and enter Gaza from Rafah. The newspaper said Palestinian MP Khaled Abdel Mejid was informed by the Egyptian embassy in….
PCBS: Arab majority in ‘historic Palestine’ after 2014
12/31/2010 – RAMALLAH (AFP) – The Arab population in “historic Palestine” will equal the Jewish population by 2014, and quickly outstrip it thereafter, Palestinian statistics released Thursday said. The figures published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics show the Arab population in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip nearing the size of the Jewish population….
Gaza crossings close
12/31/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israel enforced its curtailed crossings opening for the final week of 2010, telling Gaza officials that all goods transfer terminals would be closed on Friday, and re-open on Sunday. Palestinian coordination official Raed Fattouh said he was informed of the closure on Friday morning. Previous agreements had the crossings open….
PA police: 5 detained overnight
12/31/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained five citizens overnight from Hebron and Nablus, Palestinian Authority police said. Police said soldiers detained Imad Hafeth Ar-Rajaby, 46, Abdullah Imad Hafeth Ar-Rajaby, 23, Majd Yousif Abu Al-Halawa and Nour Ad-Din Imad Ar-Rajaby from Hebron, and Muhannad Atallah Hussein from Nablus. An Israeli military spokeswoman said two Palestinians….
Unexplained recorders behind arrest of US national at Rafah
12/31/2010 – EL-ARISH (Ma’an) — Egyptian authorities on the Rafah crossing said Thursday that officers detained a Palestinian woman with a US passport for failing to explain why she carried six camera-pens with her. Each recorder, Egyptian officials said, had an eight gigabyte memory, three cameras and high-grade voice recorder. The click-device at the top of….
Israel to compensate PA for Paz fuel theft scandal
12/31/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A Palestinian Authority lawsuit against Israeli fuel company Paz Oil for stealing fuel will be settled by the Israeli government, officials said on Thursday, and will see the PA compensated for losses. The suit came after workers accused Paz Oil transporters of siphoning profits from the daily petrol it is contractually…. Related: Missing fuel from Israeli contractor raises questions
Egypt detains 48 African migrants
12/31/2010 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian security sources said 48 migrants were detained attempting to enter Israel illegally on Thursday. The group was said to have been making its way across the Egyptian Sinai through the Ahmad Tunnel at Suez. After their capture, officials said, the group told Egyptian security that they were looking to….
Israel: Gaza projectile lands in south
12/31/2010 – TEL AVIV (Ma’an) — Israeli military officials reported Thursday shortly before midnight that a projectile launched from Gaza exploded in an open field in the Ashkelon Regional Council. Reports said none were injured. According to Israel’s count, more than 40 projectiles from Gaza have been launched in December, prompting an escalation of….
Arabs to go to UN against illegal settlements
12/31/2010 – RAMALLAH (AFP) — Palestinian officials backed by other Arab states will shortly bring a draft resolution before the UN Security Council calling on Israel to halt Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories and Jerusalem, a spokesman said Thursday.” We will go before the Security Council in the coming days to stop the Israeli settlements in the Palestinian….
Shin Bet warns of Hamas attack despite quiet 2010
12/31/2010 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — The year 2010 saw the fewest militant attacks against Israel and the least number of casualties since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising a decade ago, the Shin Bet security agency said Thursday. Despite the announcement, the report added a caution, saying the Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers had intensified efforts to….
Fayyad attends ‘Last Day of the Wall’ protest
12/31/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad lent his support Friday to a mass rally in Bil’in, where villagers organized the final protest of the year calling for an end to Israel’s land confiscations. Israeli forces met the protest with tear-gas canisters, hitting one teenager in the face and….
Haniyeh: We don’t pursue journalists in Gaza
12/31/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Thursday denied that security forces persecuted Palestinian journalists for political or professional reasons. During a ceremony to honor Palestinian reporters and the families of journalists killed by Israel, Haniyeh demanded the release of all media workers detained in Israeli or Palestinian jails.” We….
Hamas says new cabinet shuffle proceeding
12/31/2010 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A new Gaza government cabinet is on its way, head of the committee charged with assembling the team of new ministers Khalil Al-Haya told Ma’an on Thursday. The update came late in the day, after Islamic Jihad officials publicly declined a spot in the body, saying they would….
PA forces say ‘wanted’ Hamas member detained
12/31/2010 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority security forces detained a Hamas leader from Hebron overnight on Thursday, the man was said to have been wanted by PA security. The source, who requested anonymity, said Ayoub Al-Qawasmi has been on the PA’s “most wanted” list since 1998. Al-Qawasmi is also wanted by Israeli forces….
Deadly blast outside Egypt church
AlJazeera 31 Dec 2010 – At least ten people killed in an attack on a Christian church in Alexandria in northern Egypt.
Iran ‘will try opposition leaders’
AlJazeera 31 Dec 2010 – Country’s chief prosecutor insists reformist candidates of disputed 2009 vote will be put on trial.
Soldiers Use Tear Gas to Suppress Anti-Wall Protests in the West Bank
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN — Anti-wall protests were reported on Friday at the village of Nil’in and al Nabi Saleh in central West Bank, in addition to al Ma’ssara in the south. Israeli…
Protesters in Bil?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢in Remove Parts of Israel?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Wall, Troops Critically Injuries A civilian
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura — PNN — On Friday, hundreds of protesters marched in the village of Bil’in in the central West Bank to protest the Israeli built wall on villagers’ lands and in…
Selective Law Enforcement Against Activist for Bedouins
PNN – Adam Keller — For PNN – The court this week has been especially harsh with al-Okbi, because of his activism — so as to send a message to the Bedouins . Al-Okbi collapsed…
Settlers to Receive 3,160 Shekels Each for “Security Expenses” in 2011
PNN – Tel Aviv — PNN – The Israeli Knesset approved its 2011-2012 budget on Wednesday, including two billion shekels for settlement services and security, or 3,160 shekels ($885) for each settler in the…
Mixed Year for Palestinians
PNN – By Daoud Kuttab – After the strong beginnings of 2009, during the Obama administration’s first days in office, 2010 began on a cautious note on the Palestinian cause. There were some promising…
Israeli Troops Arrest Seven Overnight, Allegedly Beat Woman
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN – In a series of overnight raids ending on Friday morning, Israeli forces arrested five Palestinians around the West Bank and allegedly beat a woman and her son. A…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (23 — 29 December. 2010)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Abbas calls on int’l community for new peace talks plan
Jeruslalem Post 31 Dec 2010 – During visit to Brazil, PA president says current process is “managing the conflict but not solving it.”; Abbas sets cornerstone for Palestinian ’embassy’ in Brasilia during ceremony.
2 dead, 1 injured after shooting in Shuafat refugee camp
Jeruslalem Post 31 Dec 2010 – Police suspect shooting occurred during brawl between feuding gangs in the camp near J’lem; man dies from gunfire in Tira.
‘PA arrests Hamas man at no. 1 on ‘most wanted’ list’
Jeruslalem Post 31 Dec 2010 – Palestinian sources say IDF have also tried to catch in the past al-Kawasma, who was arrested in Hebron; al-Kawasma has been on Palestinian Authorities’ wanted list since 1998.
10 al-Qaida suspects detained in Turkey, report says
Jeruslalem Post 31 Dec 2010 – Suspects accused of plotting terror attack before New Year’s Eve, were arrested in series of raids in Bursa and Istanbul.
This Week in History: Y2K, terror and apocalypse
Jeruslalem Post 31 Dec 2010 – The various threats to our computers, airports and worldly existence were never actualized, but the hype and fears surrounding them were real.
Wikileaks: Egypt still sees Israel as its main adversary
Jeruslalem Post 31 Dec 2010 – Leaked US diplomatic cable suggests that the Egyptian military is in decline; Egyptian general: “We don’t want to do what suits Israel.”
Egyptian general: ‘We don’t want to do what suits Israel’
Jeruslalem Post 31 Dec 2010 – US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks suggests that the Egyptian military is in decline, continues to Israel as its primary adversary.
PM: Conflict continues due to refusal to accept Israel
Jeruslalem Post 31 Dec 2010 – Netanyahu says Israel must ‘delegitimize the delegitimizers; Arad visits Jordan.
Exclusive: Livni wants Likud as partner if Kadima wins
Jeruslalem Post 30 Dec 2010 – PM has endorsed two-state solution, but ‘without real intent,’ Kadima leader tells ‘The Jerusalem Post.’
Veterans: A guiding hand
Jeruslalem Post 30 Dec 2010 – Born in Germany, a Gypsy woman made a physical voyage to Israel and a spiritual journey to Judaism.
International Solidarity Movement
Israeli Settlers set fire to a house-tent in the Palestinian village of Susiya
12/31/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – 29 December 2010, Operation Dove – Susiya — On the night ofthe 28th December 2010, Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Susiya, setting fire to a house-tent. Around 3. 00 am, the Palestinian villagers were awakened by the fire caused by flaming bottles. The fire was presumably set by three men who were seen running…. Related: Operation Dove
Bil’in female protester in critical condition from tear gas inhalation
12/31/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – 31 December, Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – Jawaher Abu Rahmah, 36, was evacuated to the Ramallah hospital after inhaling massive amounts of tear-gas towards protesters in Bil’in earlier today. She is currently in critical condition and is not responding to treatment. Another protester required hospitalization after being hit in the face with a tear-gas….
Popular rabbi in north arrested for allegedly molesting minors
Ha’aretz – Rabbis name and community remain under gag order; police say at least three charges of molestation have been uncovered so far.
IN PICTURES / Haaretz.com images of 2010
Ha’aretz – As the year draws to a close, we bring you the most evocative images of the past 12 months.
‘Katsav lied, manipulated and withheld information’
Ha’aretz – Tel Aviv court judges say former president’s defense was riddled with lies all along; Katsav found guilty of two counts of rape and other abuses; State Prosecutor: This is proof…
Egypt bars Iranian activists from Gaza
Ha’aretz – Asian aid convoy allowed to enter Gaza with 300 tons of medical aid, but Iranian members denied access for ‘security and organizational reasons.’
Iran accuses Israel of kidnapping former deputy defense minister
Ha’aretz – Deputy foreign minister calls for international investigation, claiming Israel snatched Ali Reza Asghari, who disappeared in Istanbul in 2006.
Abbas urges Quartet to draft new peace plan
Ha’aretz – After laying cornerstone for future Palestinian embassy in Brazil, the PA president calls upon UN, U.S., Europe and Russia to devise a new vision for Mideast peace.
Palestinian draft condemning Israeli settlements designed to win U.S. support
Ha’aretz – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says proposed UN Security Council resolution uses the same language that the U.S. has in criticizing settlements., Prime minister blames PA for impasse in peace talks,…
Gaza War: December 27, rings a bell?
31 Dec 2010 – Gaza, (Pal Telegraph) – What a miracle! Two years elapsed and I am still capable of taking another breath of life! Who ever expected I would be writing this right now in the same Gaza, the very same place that was being entirely knocked down two years ago? Do I have to be grateful? Am I lucky enough to survive…
American farmer from Oklahoma writes Play for Gaza “THE PRISON CALLED GAZA”
30 Dec 2010 – by Jerry Hoyt, An American from Oklahoma in the United States of America. He wrote this play to show some support and solidarity for the people of Gaza.
Israeli army detains 6 Palestinians in WB
30 Dec 2010 – West Bank,(Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces(IOF) detained Thursday morning six Palestinians from different parts in the west bank claiming that they are wanted .
Bil’in Female Protester in Critical Condition from Tear-Gas inhalation
Uruknet December 31, 2010 – Jawaher Abu Rahmah, 36, was evacuated to the Ramallah hospital after inhaling massive amounts of tear-gas towards protesters in Bil’in earlier today. She is currently in critical condition and is not responding to treatment. Another protester required hospitalization after being hit in the face with a tear-gas projectile shot directly at him. Doctors at the…
Press Release: Witnesses/ Stories to be heard on 2nd Palestine Memorial Week
Uruknet December 31, 2010 – The 2nd Palestine Memorial Week in the UK and Europe will take place as planned from 15th to 22nd Jan 2011. A number of events will take place during the week. Events will be held in various cities with galleries, workshops and film screening taking place in universities and public places. So far, more than…
Video: Keep hope alive- The Olive Tree Campaign
Uruknet December 31, 2010 – The Olive Tree Campaign (OTC) seeks to replant olive trees in areas trees have been uprooted and destroyed or in areas where the fields are threatened to be confiscated by the Israeli military Occupation and settlers. Since the year 2001 Israel through its military and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza has uprooted, burnt…
Settlers set fire to home as seven Palestinians sleep inside
Uruknet December 31, 2010 – In the early morning hours of 29 December 2010, settlers set fire to a family’s dwelling in Susiya village. The great majority of Susiya residents live in tents as their historic stone and cave dwellings have been demolished several times over by the Israeli military. Many of the tents now used have been provided by…
2010 News Round-up, Profiles, Quotes: Troubled Times
Uruknet December 31, 2010 – 2010 was a tough one overall. Public discontent with governments and economic policy brought people out on the streets to protest. US wars, occupation and threat of war in the Middle East and Asia were never far from the headlines. Elections around the world led in most cases to further tensions. There were few outright…
Open-ended confrontation
Uruknet December 31, 2010 – Michael Ben Ari, a Knesset member on the fringes of the extremist right, is not the only Israeli parliamentarian calling for banning the Islamic Movement in Israel led by Sheikh Raed Salah. The release of Sheikh Salah from an Israeli jail after being imprisoned for five months and his statements that followed gave substance to…
Israel forces Palestinians to demolish their own homes
Uruknet December 31, 2010 – More than 100 Palestinian protesters and their supporters blocked a main street in the city of Lyd on 28 December, demonstrating against the recent demolition of Palestinian homes and what residents say is a rise in racism and police brutality. On 13 December, officials with the Israel Lands Administration (ILA), the government agency that manages…
Report: Israel allocates $564 million to settlements
Uruknet December 31, 2010 – In the 2011-12 budget passed by the Israeli Knesset on Wednesday, MKs set aside 2 billion shekels ($564 million) for settlements, the country’s left-wing daily Haaretz reported. The cash will go to settlements, their services and security, the newspaper said, adding that hundreds of millions of shekels more were hidden among the different clauses of…
Tunisian Unrest Stirs Arab World
Uruknet December 31, 2010 – As Western countries were busy celebrating Christmas and dealing with air traffic holiday delays because of snow blizzards, the tranquil North African country of Tunisia was going through events that would have been thought unthinkable just three weeks ago – public unrest that saw thousands demonstrate against the regime of President Zine el Abidine Ben…
Israeli official claims that US will block Palestinian efforts at UN
Uruknet December 31, 2010 – An Israeli official has claimed that the US administration will exert all necessary efforts to suppress any Palestinian attempt to have a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. According to Israeli media sources, the anonymous official said that the United States will work behind the scenes to prevent any resolution…
Another Way to Remember the Gaza War
Uruknet December 30, 2010 – Marking the second anniversary of Israel’s offensive on the Strip, two youth groups in Gaza City are painting murals in the destroyed government compound, Ma’an News reported. The Cultural Club and Free Spectrum, which have organized the activity, aim to show the Palestinian suffering, condemning the war and Israel’s blockade of the coastal enclave. According…
Obama’s Selective Outrage: Rage Against Russia, Silence at Indian Injustice
Uruknet December 30, 2010 – The sham trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky in Russia is rightly being protested by those who have a right to do so: Russians in Russia, where more than a thousand people braved the batons of Kremlin storm-troopers to decry the travesty of justice in his recent conviction on more trumped-up charges. You do not have to…
GAZA’S YOUTH MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE!
Uruknet December 30, 2010 – Fuck Hamas. Fuck Israel. Fuck Fatah. Fuck UN. Fuck UNWRA. Fuck USA! We, the youth in Gaza, are so fed up with Israel, Hamas, the occupation, the violations of human rights and the indifference of the international community! We want to scream and break this wall of silence, injustice and indifference like the Israeli F16’s…
Gaza Fishermen Face Death at Sea and Poverty at Home
Uruknet December 30, 2010 – Palestinian fishermen face great difficulties at work on the Mediterranean Sea: even after continual naval assaults by Israeli troops that have lead to several recent deaths and injuries and major damage to their boats and fishing equipment, there is still the fact that they are forbidden from fishing in deep water and go home without…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (23 — 29 December. 2010)
Uruknet December 30, 2010 – On the 2nd Anniversary of the Israeli Offensive on the Gaza Strip, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) ¬? IOF killed two Palestinians shepherd in the Gaza Strip. ¬? Two activists of the Palestinian resistance were killed by IOF in the southern Gaza Strip….
SPF Deivers Tonfa Training to 37 Recruits
WAFA – RAMALLAH, October 20, 2010 (WAFA)- The Palestinian Special Police Force (SPF) has successfully delivered a Tonfa training course to 37 new SPF recruits, according to a press release by EUPOL-COPPS,
Abu Rdeineh: All Settlement Forms are Illegal, Rejected
WAFA – RAMALLAH, October 19 (WAFA)- The Presidency spokesperson , Nabil Abu Rdeineh confirmed today that all the forms of settlement (outposts and non-random) in Palestinian lands are illegal. Commenting
Netanyahu Declines Demolishing Settlements’ Random Units
WAFA – TEL AVIV, October 19 (WAFA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided that he wouldn’t demolish the unregulated construction in a various settlements although the government has issued
The Elders Urge Comprehensive Approach to Arab-Israeli Peace
WAFA – DAMASCUS, October 19, 2010 (WAFA)- The Elders have called for a more comprehensive approach to the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks following discussions with officials, civil society, business and
France Provides €4 million for Gaza Wastewater Treatment Plant
WAFA – JERUSALEM, October 19, 2010 (WAFA)- On Sunday 17 of October 2010, at Ministry of Planning, Mr Dov Zerah, CEO of the French Development Agency (AFD), Dr Ali Jarbawi, Minister of Planning and
IOF deploys Ariel Settlement
WAFA – SALFIT, October 19 (WAFA)- The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) deployed, today, the Ariel Settlement that is established by force on the lands of the Salfit, Iskaka, Yasuf and Burkin
Dr. Erakat: Israel Seeks De Facto Recognition of Illegal Practices
WAFA – RAMALLAH, October 19, 2010 (WAFA)- Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization Negotiations Affairs Department Dr. Saeb Erakat said, yesterday, “By hosting the OECD conference in Jerusalem,
Observer: Israeli Government on Division Verge, Netanyahu Negotiates Kadima
WAFA – LONDON, October 17, 2010(WAFA) – The British Newspaper ‘Observer’ wrote that the Israeli government is facing the division risk because of the deadlock in the negotiations with the Palestinians
Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon becoming less of a hotbed for militancy
Relief Web 31 Dec 2010 – Source: Christian Science Monitor
OPT: Protection of Civilians Weekly Report 22 – 28 December 2010
Relief Web 31 Dec 2010 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Egypt Bans Iranians From Gaza Aid Convoy
Relief Web 30 Dec 2010 – Source: Voice of America
WikiLeaks: US frustrated with Egypt military
YNet News – Diplomatic memos show discontent with army’s top brass for failing to adapt to….
Abbas demands new peace plan
YNet News – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Middle East power brokers on Friday to draft a new peace plan for the region that could help revive failed US-backed …….
Iran seeks UN help on ‘abducted’ ex-official
YNet News – Iran has asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his help in learning the fate of its former deputy defense minister, which Tehran previously said was abducted by …….
Abbas lays Brazil embassy cornerstone
YNet News – Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas laid the first stone Friday of what will become a Palestinian embassy in Brazil, the most important Latin American country to recognize …….
West Bank: 1,000 at anti-fence protest
YNet News – Some 1,000 demonstrators arrived at the Palestinian village of Bil’in Friday for the weekly protest against the West Bank security fence. The protestors hurled …….
Village pleads for electricity, water
YNet News – As 2011 approaches, one Palestinian village appears stuck in the Middle Ages. Jub al-Dib, located in the section of the West Bank under Israel’s jurisdiction, has no …….
Rabbi arrested on rape charges
YNet News – A rabbi who runs a number of schools in northern Israel has been arrested on suspicion he sexually assaulted three minors, the court cleared for publication Friday. …….
Palestinian Information Center
Dahlan is not innocent
PIC 31 Dec 2010 – The former Fatah strongman, Muhammed Dahlan, is due to appear before a Fatah court in Ramallah to face charges of corruption, including embezzlement, bribery, graft, nepotism, and breach of trust.
Abbas’s guards start to arrest Dahlan’s men
PIC 31 Dec 2010 – Local sources said that Abbas’s guards raided on Friday Muhammad Dahlan’s office in the Teira suburb of Ramalllah and arrested three of his men, including Muataz Khudair, Dahlan’s office director.
Ashkenazi with IOF troops storm Yusuf’s tomb
PIC 31 Dec 2010 – Israeli occupation chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi accompanied by IOF troops, Friday at dawn, stormed Yusuf’s tomb in Nablus with strict protection provided by the IOF and Abbas’s militia.
Abbas’s militia gloats about kidnapping a Qassam commander
PIC 31 Dec 2010 – Abbas’s militia kidnapped on Friday Ayyoub al-Qawasmi (46 years), a commander of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, in al-Khalil district after 23 years of being on the wanted list.
Haneyya stresses rejection of occupation’s “alternative homeland plan”
PIC 31 Dec 2010 – The Palestinian Prime Minister of the Gaza government, Ismail Haneyya, received an official Jordanian delegation headed the Jordanian Army Chief of Staff, Major General Mahmoud Freihat.
Bourini: International silence encourages settlers’ assaults
PIC 31 Dec 2010 – MP Husni al-Bourini expressed concern over the escalation in settlers’ attacks against Palestinians, the latest of which was on Wednesday night when settlers stoned Palestinian cars..
Jewish settlers confiscate Palestinian land in Toubas
PIC 31 Dec 2010 – A group of extremist Jewish settlers in the northern West Bank district of Toubas confiscated vast areas of Palestinian-owned land around the Rotim settlement.
More than half Palestinians live in the Diaspora at the end of 2010
PIC 31 Dec 2010 – A press release issued by the PCBS stated that the projected number of Palestinians in the world at the end of 2010 is 11 million, more than half of whom live in the diaspora.
Haneyya government opens first secondary school for the blind in Gaza
PIC 31 Dec 2010 – Dr. Mohammed Askool, the education minister in the PA government in the Gaza Strip, has inaugurated Thursday the first secondary school for the blind in Gaza Strip.
Haneyya urges the release of Journalists detained in W. Bank jails
PIC 31 Dec 2010 – Ismael Haneyya, the Palestinian prime minister, has underscored Thursday that the Zionist enemy will not succeed to break the determination and the political will of the Palestinian people.
World Briefing | Middle East: Egypt: 7 Die in Coptic Church Explosion
New York Times 31 Dec 2010 – An explosion went off in front of a Coptic Christian church as worshipers emerged from a New Year’s Mass in the northern port city of Alexandria early Saturday, killing at least 7 people and wounding 24, officials said.
World Briefing | Middle East: West Bank: Calling for New Peace Talks
New York Times 31 Dec 2010 – The Palestinian president called on the international community on Friday to draft a new formula for peace talks with Israel and set aside the current process that he said was “managing the conflict but not solving it.”
Entry 30: Haiku for Hanin
Mondoweiss – Entry 30 in the Mondo Awards end-of-the-year Inspire-us contest is a nomination of Hanin Zoabi, a member of the Israeli Knesset. Hanin Zoabi braved the waters of Gaza and of the Knesset.
Entry 29: What do you do/if you are a Jew
Mondoweiss – Entry 29 in the Mondo Awards end-of-year Inspire-us contest was read aloud by the author (left) at the celebration of International Day of Peace on September 21, 2010 at the Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas (photo by Nathan Patrick). What do you…
Entry 27: Motherhood in Palestine
Mondoweiss – This is Entry 27 in the Mondo Awards end-of-year Inspire-us contest. The author gives her bio at the bottom. Just because I cannot keep My child away From the battlefield Outside our door ……… Just because I do not gather All the stones from the streets And…
Sister of Palestinian killed last year in Bil’in now struggles for her life following gassing at today’s demo
Mondoweiss – Jonathan Pollak of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee reports : Jawaher Abu Rahmah, 36, was evacuated to the Ramallah hospital after inhaling massive amounts of tear-gas fired towards protesters in Bil’in earlier today. She is currently in critical condition and is not responding to treatment. Another protester…
Entry 26: Gaza Riviera
Mondoweiss – This is Entry 26 in the Mondo Awards end-of-year Inspire-us contest. The author also wrote our first Entry . Gaza-ing through the bullet-lit sky I wonder why I ignored the cries from this place Where my feet now stand Where even waste lays waste I fertilize hope…
Abbas: Draft to Condemn Israeli Settlements Designed to Win US Support
Al-Manar 31 Dec 2010 – Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas said his new attempt to get the United Nations to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank was specifically designed to win U.S. support. Speaking in Brazil Thursday, Abbas said the Palestinian draft used the “same words” as U.S. Secretary of…
On the Anniversary of the Israeli Offensive on Gaza, Addameer Calls Attention to the 686 Gazans Detained in Israeli Prisons
Sabr 31 Dec 2010 – Ramallah, 27 December 2010 On the second anniversary of Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip (27 December 2008—18 January 2009), Addameer reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of the Israeli policy that has denied residents from Gaza detained in Israeli prisons family visits for over three years. In…
PA: Israel detained 1,100 children in 2010
Sabr 31 Dec 2010 – Published Wednesday 29/12/2010 (updated) 30/12/2010 18:18 RAMALLAH ( Ma’an ) — Israeli forces detained 1,100 Palestinian children in 2010, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Detainees’ Affairs said Wednesday. The arrests were concentrated in East Jerusalem, where 500 children were detained, and in Hebron, the ministry found. PA Detainees’…
Groundbreaking report details Israel’s inhumane conditions for isolated prisoners
Sabr 31 Dec 2010 – Report by Israel Bar Association, the first external review of the country’s prisons, says some sections ‘look more like a dungeon.’ Haaretz By Tomer Zarchin A classified report by the Israel Bar Association obtained by Haaretz provides a glimpse into the harrowing conditions prisoners separated from…
Israel re-arrests Palestinian MP Khalil al-Rib’i
Sabr 31 Dec 2010 – [ 30/12/2010 – 12:10 PM ] AL-KHALIL, ( PIC )— Israeli authorities arrested Thursday morning Palestinian Legislative Committee representative Khalil al-Rib’i 13 months after his release from an earlier detention. Troops blockaded Rib’i’s home in the southern Al-Khalil city of Yatta before breaking down doors and windows and…
Iran leader sells car for charity
BBC 31 Dec 2010 – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to sell his 33-year-old car to raise money for a charity that funds housing projects for young people.
Palestinian orchestra to make debut
BBC 31 Dec 2010 – The first Palestinian orchestra of professional classical musicians since 1948 is set to perform its debut concert in Ramallah.
The migrants held hostage in the desert
BBC 31 Dec 2010 – As European borders become harder to breach, migrants find themselves crossing from Africa into Israel.
Closer to a Palestinian State, Via South America
Antiwar.com 31 Dec 2010 – BUENOS AIRES — With the string of announcements in South America of recognition of a Palestinian state this month, the region’s integration process showed a new interest in and capacity to reach common positions in the realm of foreign policy. After Brazil announced in early December…
Articles
Petitioning the Israeli High Court for justice
Raji Sourani, Ma’an News Agency12/30/2010
The reality of life in the Gaza Strip is hard to convey. Individuals throughout the world have seen the pictures and the images: shootings and maiming, air strikes and artillery shelling, and the unforgettably horrific sight of white phosphorous raining down over Gaza city. However, beneath these images lies a complex reality.
The civilians of Gaza have lived under occupation for over 40 years. They have been collectively punished since June 15, 2007, cut off from the outside world for almost 1,300 consecutive days. Systematic violations of international human rights law have created abject poverty, and reduced approximately 1.7 million people to ‘beneficiaries’ of international aid, forced into dependency as the result of a human-made, and completely preventable, humanitarian crisis.
International human rights law and international humanitarian law offer necessary protections to every individual on the basis of their shared humanity. However, if they are to have meaning, these laws must be enforced.
This is a core component: in the event of a violation, accountability and judicial remedy are the essential consequences. Customary international law, binding on all States, recognizes that this accountability should take the form of criminal accountability, through investigations and prosecutions, and civil accountability, through the payment of compensation.
It is this right to compensation that the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights is fighting for today. In the current climate, given the bias inherent in the Israeli judicial system, compensation is one of the only hopes for achieving some form of justice. Importantly, this compensation — although insignificant in comparison to the loss suffered — is essential for victims as they attempt to rebuild their lives and their homes. more.. e-mail
A dialogue with Hamas – Part 1
Manuela Paraipan, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)12/28/2010
In early November 2010, Manuela Paraipan met with the Beirut-based Hamas leader Ousama Hamdan in Damascus. Delegated to speak on Hamas’s behalf, in this extended two-part interview Hamdan engages in an in-depth discussion of the party’s affairs, policies and interests. This dialogue follows Manuela Paraipan’s recently published interview with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal and offers additional views and insights into Hamas’s position and activities.
Military activity in Hamas
MP: What is Hamas’s perspective on false flag operations? Are you using this particular strategy?
Ousama Hamdan: In our situation it would not work because our resistance is against the occupation. It works when you are doing it against your own government.
In Hamas, no one denies that we are a resistance movement and everyone knows the principles for resistance. The decisions about the militant actions are taken by the militant body. They decide when, where and how to do it. However, there are general policies that everyone abides by.
In the normal, if I can call it that, situation (under occupation) there is resistance through any means, not only military, and this is all the time.
There are extraordinary states of affairs, like a ceasefire. Then the decision is taken by the political leadership and that reflects on the militant body. They don’t discuss it, don’t negotiate that, they accept that there is a ceasefire. But at the end of the ceasefire, they go back to the normal situation. more.. e-mail
National Hillel sends many young Jews into exile – Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb on Talmud and BDS
Cecilie Surasky, MuzzleWatch12/16/2010
Hillel, the world’s largest Jewish campus organization-with staff, funding and physical space on some 500 mostly US campuses – says it wants to create a “welcoming environment for Jewish students on campus by fostering students’ ability to incorporate Jewish tradition into their lives.” Translation? Only Jews who pass an ideological litmus test on Israel are welcome. Others can stop at the door.
Despite the fact that Hillels exist on campuses where, by definition, intellectual inquiry and open discussion is embraced, Hillel’s national director Wayne Firestone is sharply opposing open inquiry and free expression for many progressive Jews who want to be part of organized campus Jewish life. In an essay he published this week:
Hillel’s Schusterman International Center issued guidelines this week to ensure that local Hillels know which organizations, groups and speakers are considered valid partners in promoting civil and informed discourse on Israel.
Our guidelines state that “Hillel welcomes, partners with, and aids the efforts of organizations, groups and speakers from diverse perspectives in support of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.” We firmly state, however, that “Hillel will not partner with, house or host organizations, groups or speakers that as a matter of policy or practice:
* Deny the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish and democratic state with secure and recognized borders;
* Delegitimize, demonize or apply a double standard to Israel;
* Support boycott of, divestment from, or sanctions against the State of Israel…. more.. e-mail
Israel forces Palestinians to demolish their own homes
Electronic Intifada: 31 Dec 2010 – Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes continued in Lyd, the Negev region, and in numerous places around the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem where two Palestinian families were forced to demolish their own homes in Sur Bahir village. The families had received demolition orders from Jerusalem Municipality officials three days before, citing “illegal construction.”more
Latin American nations recognize a Palestinian state
Electronic Intifada: 31 Dec 2010 – BUENOS AIRES (IPS) – With the string of announcements in South America of recognition of a Palestinian state this month, the region’s integration process showed a new interest in and capacity to reach common positions in the realm of foreign policy.more
Next Time on the High Seas: Netanyahu’s Options
Palestine Chronicle: 31 Dec 2010 – By Richard Lightbown On 26 December thousands turned out in Istanbul to welcome the Mavi Marmara back to the port. A large banner on the starboard side featured photos of the nine martyrs from the Israeli raid. The ship had spent more than four months in Iskenderun where forensic experts had checked out the bullet holes that Israeli operatives had filled and painted over. Blood stained clothing and heaps of ransacked baggage have been cleared away. No doubt the railings cut by activists for the makeshift defence of the ship have now been replaced, and perhaps the six kitchens have been restocked with knives and utensils to replace those taken to display to the world’s media as proof of a premeditated ‘lynch’ of Israel’s well-equipped and highly-trained elite special forces. Already it has been announced that the ship is to leave on the first anniversary of the raid on 31…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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