21 January, 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Anti-Wall demonstrations in four West Bank villages attacked by Israeli military
IMEMC – Saturday January 22, 2011 – 04:38, At the non-violent anti-Wall protests which took place on Friday afternoon, Israeli troops fired CS gas and other so-called ‘non-lethal’ weapons at demonstrators in Bil’in, Nil’in, and Nabi Saleh villages in the central West Bank, in addition to Al Ma’sara in the south. A 12-year old was wounded.
Palestinian-Israeli Critically Wounded after Israeli Soldiers Open Fire at West Bank Checkpoint
IMEMC – Friday January 21, 2011 – 11:53, On Thursday night, Israeli soldiers critically wounded a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship who had approached a military checkpoint near the West Bank city of Hebron.
Quds 5 Solidarity Convoy Allowed Into Gaza
IMEMC – Friday January 21, 2011 – 10:04, The Israeli Authorities allowed on Thursday evening the Al Quds 5 solidarity convoy to enter the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Border Terminal, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Fighter Killed In Clashes With Israeli Soldiers In Jenin
IMEMC – Friday January 21, 2011 – 08:57, The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, reported that one of its fighters was killed on Thursday afternoon during clashes with Israeli soldiers invading Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank.
Haniyya’s Facebook Page Removed
IMEMC – Thursday January 20, 2011 – 15:14, The fan page of Ismail Haniyya, Prime Minister of the Hamas-led government in Gaza, has been removed from Facebook, the Palestinian Information Center reported.
Hebron: Checkpoint soldiers shoot driver
1/21/2011 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Soldiers at a flying checkpoint on Route 60 north of Hebron shot and critically wounded a Palestinian citizen of Israel on Thursday night. The Israeli military said events around the shooting were unclear. Security sources identified the man as 28-year-old Jalal Al-Masri, and said he sustained a bullet wound in….
Flour mills close in Gaza; emergency wheat supplies enter
1/21/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — After eight days of closure, Israeli authorities announced the brief opening of the bulk goods crossing at Karni, but said the southernmost crossing would remain closed for the day. The opening of Karni on a Friday marks the first time any crossing has been opened on the final day of…. Related: Israel allows wheat into Gaza
Prisoners of Israel hunger strike over solitary
1/21/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — The National Prisoners’ Committee announced on Friday, the start of a two-day hunger strike in Israel’s Nafha prison in the Negev desert. The committee said it called the strike to protest the solitary confinement of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine secretary-general Ahmad Sa’adat and….
Israeli army shuts down West Bank rallies
1/21/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A child was pepper-sprayed and an Israeli peace activist detained by Israeli forces during weekly protests against illegal land confiscation across the West Bank on Friday, witnesses said. Residents of An-Nabi Saleh gathered to protest land confiscations from the nearby settlement of Hallamish, demanding a return of the land to villagers….
Jerusalem activist released after 15 months in Israel
1/21/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities released a Jerusalem man on Thursday, after he had been incarcerated for 15 months in Israeli detention facilities. Muhammad Al-Arnaout, 42, was detained during a protest against a Jerusalem home demolition. Family and friends met him at the gates to the Gilboa prison. He is the father of five….
Palestinian student detained in Egypt over spy technology
1/21/2011 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian police are holding a Palestinian student accused of inventing a hi-tech telecommunication network for use by terrorists, Egyptian security sources said. Al-Mu’tasem Bellah Ali Nouh worked with other Palestinians to create the device which could bypass Egypt’s communication network, security officials said, adding that he….
Union chief disputes Fayyad’s salary rise claims
1/21/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Civil Servants Union dismissed Friday Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s claim that salaries have risen 55 percent since 2003. Fayyad said Wednesday that the rise in salaries was a result of the civil service law, implemented in 2003, and a cost-of-living adjustment in 2009. He said….
PA blasts Israeli campaign to ‘blame others’
1/21/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — With no official statement from the Israeli military on an investigation into the death of a Bil’in resident hospitalized and declared dead after exposure to tear-gas deployed by Israeli troops, leaked information published Thursday placed the blame for the woman’s death on doctors. In a response to…. Related: Israel finds hospital to blame for tear-gas death
PLO to US: Negotiations not substitute for int`l law
1/21/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — “You cannot take international law out of the negotiations. Nor can you set one up in opposition to the other,” PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi said Thursday as nations started weighing in on a draft resolution condemning settlement construction in the West Bank.”Negotiations are not a substitute for international….
PA adopts plan to combat violence against women
1/21/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Cabinet endorsed on Monday a nine-year national strategic plan to combat violence against women developed alongside the UN. According to officials, the strategy takes on “a cross-sector approach, recognizing violence against women as a development issue affecting the social, economic and political systems of Palestinian society.” The implementation of….
Israel allows wheat into Gaza
1/21/2011 – GAZA (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities on Friday allowed 86 truckloads of wheat and animal food to enter Gaza, following severe shortages in the Strip. The trucks entered through the northern Karni crossing, which Israel had closed for eight days. No crossing in Gaza has opened on a Friday since February 2009. Palestinian liaison official…. Related: Flour mills close in Gaza; emergency wheat supplies enter
Palestinians find freedom in the surf of Gaza
1/21/2011 – GAZA CITY (AFP) — Mohammed Abu Jayab feels alive while he’s surfing the waves off the Gaza Strip, relishing the brief sense of freedom from the harsh realities of life under siege. Abu Jayab, a 38-year-old lifeguard, taught himself to surf when he was young while hanging out on the beach with his….
France to back ‘moderate’ Israel settler resolution
1/21/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) — France will vote for a UN Security Council resolution on Israeli settlements drafted by Arab states if it is moderate and does not halt a resumption of peace talks, its foreign minister said Thursday.” If this resolution is moderate and if it does not block the resumption of (peace) negotiations, we….
Israeli media says Lebanese militant running cells in Gaza
1/21/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Days after Israeli military chiefs warned of Al-Qaeda operatives in Gaza, Israel’s daily newspaper Ma’ariv reported Thursday that a Lebanese militant released in a 2008 prisoner exchange was running cells in the coastal enclave. Samir Quntar, imprisoned at 19 for his role in the planning….
French FM mobbed in Gaza over misquoted Shalit comments
1/21/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an/AFP) — Families of prisoners gathered in protest on Friday, throwing shoes and eggs at the car of French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie as she arrived in Gaza via the Erez crossing in the north. Carrying signs reading “Get out of Gaza” they stopped her car shortly after it passed through….
Druze leader set to play kingmaker in Lebanon
1/21/2011 – BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt was set to play kingmaker Friday in Lebanon’s deepening political crisis as he announces which camp he is siding with in the fierce battle to form a new government. Political officials said Jumblatt was expected to throw his weight behind the powerful Iranian- and Syrian-backed….
Ban: Time short for Israel-Palestinian deal
1/21/2011 – UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday slammed Israel’s refusal to halt settlement building in Palestinian territories and warned that time is running out to save Middle East peace talks. With Palestinians now pressing for the UN Security Council to condemn the settlements, Ban said he was “very concerned at….
PA to increase support for poor families
1/21/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said his government has launched initiatives to fight poverty and unemployment. The number of families receiving regular financial support would rise to 95,000 in the first quarter of 2011, up from 65,000 in 2010, according to a government statement released Thursday. Unemployment in the West….
Hamas/PA spat over prisoner release continues
1/21/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — The PA snapped back again at Hamas statements that called a government-organized news conference in Hebron over the release of a Hamas-affiliate a “hoax.”Tamam Abu As-Saud told reporters assembled in Hebron that she recanted her affiliation to the Islamist movement, a confession Hamas said was forced. In the second statement….
PA minister says Hamas delaying Palestinian state
1/21/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs said Friday that Hamas was stalling the establishment of a Palestinian state. During a weekly sermon, Mahmoud Al-Habbash said the resolve of Palestinians had achieved international recognition of their cause. However, the national division had delayed progress towards an independent state, Al-Habbash said, adding….
Israeli president’s wife dead at 87
1/21/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — The wife of Israeli President Shimon Peres died at her home in Tel Aviv on Thursday, her family said in a statement. Most media gave her age as 87, although no date of birth was listed on official sites. Interviewed on public radio, her son-in-law, Rafi Walden, said she appeared to have died….
PLC member accuses PA of stalling elections
1/21/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian Legislative Council member Hasan Khreisheh on Friday accused the Palestinian Authority of trying to further delay elections. PA Minister for Local Governance Khaled Qawasmeh said Thursday that the government would amend elections law and hold the vote for municipal elections in the West Bank only.” Current elections law includes holding….
Israel Deputy FM’s car found in Qalqiliya
1/21/2011 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Palestinian security sources said they found Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon’s car in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya on Friday, after it was stolen overnight from his home in central Israel. Palestinian Authority security officials said the man suspected of the theft had an Israeli ID card….
Iraqi poets praise, warn Tunisians
1/21/2011 – BAGHDAD (AFP) — The society of Iraqi poets hosted a raucous gathering on Friday in central Baghdad to express solidarity with Tunisians, and bitterness at the turn of events in their own country.” We want to express our solidarity with the people of Tunisia, to support humanity and justice,” said Saleh Zamel, the master of ceremonies….
After Tunisia, Arab World Gives Up on America
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – Global Post – The Arab world is jubilant over the popular uprising in Tunisia that forced President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee last week after 23 years in power. Everyone is wondering whether the example…
Syria’s economy: Hard choices for the government
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – Economist – SYRIA has been edging away from a centrally planned socialist economy to a “social market” one. “The last five years have been about deconstructing the socialist ideology in favour of the market,” says an…
Israeli politics: Can the doves take off again?
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – Economist – After Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition recently shrank from 74 seats to 66 in Israel’s 120-seat parliament, he insisted that his government had become stronger. Maybe so. But the opposition has got stronger too, as well…
Egypt destroys six smuggling tunnels into Gaza
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – Al Masry Al Youm – Egyptian security forces have destroyed six tunnels to the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the year, officials said Friday. The tunnels were being used to smuggle food, petrol and construction…
Palestinian Authority Blocks Tunisia Rally
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – New York Times – The Palestinian Authority refused to grant permission for a rally to celebrate the overthrow of Tunisia’s authoritarian president on Wednesday in Ramallah, the administrative capital of the West Bank. The French newspaper…
French Foreign Minister Pelted With Eggs in Gaza
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – New York Times – Several dozen Palestinians confronted France’s foreign minister as she entered Gaza from Israel on Friday, throwing eggs and shouting angry slogans at her armored motorcade over a comment falsely attributed to her…
Thousands rally in Jordan demanding ‘bread, freedom’
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – Arabiya – More than 5,000 people rallied in Amman and other cities after weekly prayers on Friday against Jordan’s economic policies, demanding ‘bread and freedom’ and that the government resign. “(Prime Minister Samir) Rifai, out, out!…
Lebanon’s Druze to back Hezbollah
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – BBC News – Lebanese politician Walid Jumblatt has indicated he will back Shia militant group Hezbollah in its efforts to form a new coalition government in Lebanon. The leader of Lebanon’s Druze community said he had…
Calling on Fred Hiatt and Donald Graham: I am NOT an Israel-Basher and protest Jennifer Rubin’s charge
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – I have known Fred Hiatt for years — not closely but in a professional and friendly sense; we have both been deeply dipped in Japan stuff. It’s not a secret that many observers believe that the…
Comparing both sides
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – This week, the radio program This American Life presented stories about kids and politics. In Act Two, titled Climate Changes, People Don’t , a National Center for Atmospheric Research climate scientist presents to a skeptical student the…
Solid State
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – The Palestinians are laying the groundwork for unilaterally declared statehood. If Israel prepares properly, the move can be a boon for the Jewish state, too. Seventeen years after the Oslo process began, and following spectacular failures…
Pickering, Hills, Sullivan, Beinart, Dobbins, more ask Obama administration to support UN resolution condemning illegal Israeli settlements
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – A letter from an array of concerned policy commentators and practitioners, academics, and former government officials about the resolution pending at the United Nations Security Council on illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Territory has just been…
President Obama must support UN resolution condemning settlements
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – Things are looking up in Israel. On Saturday night, close to 20,000 people took to the wintry streets of Tel Aviv to demand peace. It was the first major demonstration in years, and was an indication…
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad seeks to make Palestinian statehood inevitable
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – Los Angeles Times – Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad acknowledged that significant obstacles lay ahead on the road to statehood, but insisted his government will be ready by this summer. Fayyad spoke to the Los…
Clinton opposes Palestinian bid for UN resolution
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – AFP – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton underlined strong US opposition Thursday to Palestinian efforts to have the UN Security Council condemn Israeli settlements. “The only way that there will be a resolution of the conflict……
Who’s afraid of the Palestinians?
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – Hussein Agha and Robert Malley, New York Review of Books – During the last two years, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has suffered serious setbacks. Other than for a brief, fleeting moment, Israelis and Palestinians have had…
Prominent Americans send letter to Obama urging vote for UN resolution on settlements
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – Washington Post editor slams signatories as “Israel bashers” Washington Note – A letter from an array of concerned policy commentators and practitioners, academics, and former government officials about the resolution pending at the United Nations Security…
Palestinians, America and the U.N.
Palestine Note 21 Jan 2011 – Hanan Ashrawi, New York Times – Palestinians are well within their rights to bring the issue of Israeli settlements and their illegality before the United Nations Security Council. Our decision to do so follows both Israel’s…
Lebanon’s Jumblatt backs Hezbollah
AlJazeera 21 Jan 2011 – Druze leader’s decision deals a blow to caretaker PM Saad Hariri’s effort to form a new government.
Iran defiant at nuclear talks
AlJazeera 21 Jan 2011 – Tehran says its uranium-enrichment drive is not up for debate as it meets world powers for fresh talks in Istanbul.
PA bans West Bank Tunisia rally
AlJazeera 21 Jan 2011 – Rally to show solidarity for uprising in Tunisia denied permission, French newspaper Le Monde says.
Israeli Soldiers Use Tear Gas to attack Bil?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢in weekly protest
PNN – Ramallah — PNN — a number of protesters suffered from the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday as Israeli troops attack the weekly anti-wall protest in the central West Bank village…
Soldiers Arrest International Supporter During Anti-Wall Protest Near Bethlehem
PNN – Bethlehem — PNN — Israeli soldiers arrested on Friday an international supporter during the weekly anti wall protest in the village of al-Ma’ssara near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. Villagers…
Clinton Slam Draft Resolution to UN Security Council Condemning Settlements
PNN – Washington — PNN – US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, Slammed the Palestinian submitted proposal on Wednesday to the United Nations in an attempt to condemn Israel’s settlement activities in the West…
Palestinian Protesters to French FM ?¢‚Ǩ?ìYou Are Not Welcome in Gaza?¢‚Ǩ¬ù
PNN – Gaza — PNN — Hundreds of Palestinian protesters tried on Friday morning to stop the convey of French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mich?®le Alliot-Marie, from entering the Gaza Strip. Protesters, mainly families…
New Equipment is Life Line for Gaza Blood Bank
PNN – ANERA – PNN – The Central Blood Bank Society (CBBS) is literally a life-saving institution in Gaza. Its motto – “From Heart to Heart” – aptly sums up its mission to encourage…
Troops Injures Israeli Arab Man near Hebron
PNN – Hebron — PNN — An Israeli Arab man sustained critical wounds on Friday morning after Israeli soldiers opened fire at his car near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. The man,…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (13-19 January 2011)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Protesters demand Jordan’s government step down
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jan 2011 – Spurred on by the example of the popular uprising in Tunisia, Jordanians have staged growing protests in the past week.
In blow to Hariri, Jumblatt pledges support for Hizbullah
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jan 2011 – Druse leader makes announcement a day after saying he’s under great pressure and warned nominating Hariri would lead to “catastrophic consequences” for Druse.
Member of French FM’s entourage injured in Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jan 2011 – Alliot-Marie’s assistant hit in head as convoy attacked in Gaza by dozens of Palestinian protesters angry at her stance on Schalit prisoner deal.
Member of French FM’s entourage hit in head by Palestinians
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jan 2011 – Alliot-Marie’s assistant lightly injured as convoy attacked in Gaza by dozens of Palestinian protesters angry at her stance on Schalit prisoner deal.
More than a cuppa joe
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jan 2011 – Cafe Joe, which had earned a name for itself among coffee connoisseurs in Tel Aviv, has opened a kosher branch in Jerusalem.
Palestinian protesters block French FM’s vehicle in Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jan 2011 – Dozens angry at her stance on Schalit prisoner deal surround Alliot-Marie’s convoy, try to block passage through Erez Crossing.
Blair’s ex aide: Netanyahu an ‘armour-plated bullshitter’
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jan 2011 – Alistair Campbell, in diary excerpts from 1998 released to Guardian, quoted as saying that former UK prime minister did not trust Israel.
Arab-Israeli critically injured from IDF fire near Hebron
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jan 2011 – Suspect was driving on Route 60 near Halhul when he reached an improvised IDF checkpoint; details remain unclear.
Clinton: US opposes Palestinian UN resolution
Jeruslalem Post 21 Jan 2011 – The resolution demands halt to settlement building; matter brought to Security Council by Lebanon despite explicit US opposition.
Politics: A tale of Tu Bishvat revenge
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jan 2011 – Barak made all the headlines with his maneuver in bolting the Labor Party. But the originator of the move was actually Shalom Simhon.
Israel moves to turn deserted Palestinian village into luxury housing project
Ha’aretz – Israelis and Palestinians dedicated to the village Lifta’s preservation have called the plan to build 212 luxury units and a small hotel the end for the last Arab village of…
Childbirth instructor suspected of raping pregnant women will not be charged
Ha’aretz – Government prosecutors feel that the evidence against Michael Hoffman, one of very few male doulas in Israel, does not amount to an indictment.
UN chief: End irresponsible rhetoric surrounding Israel-Palestinian talks
Ha’aretz – Ban Ki-moon says Palestinians have right to independent state, Israel has right to live in peace within secure borders.
‘Syria has role of much importance in stabilizing Mideast’
Ha’aretz – On first visit to Israel as France’s Foreign Minister, Michele Alliot-Marie says Paris demands Gilad Shalit’s immediate release.
IDF: Palestinian killed near West Bank settlement was Islamic Jihad terrorist
Ha’aretz – Earlier this week IDF forces shot and killed a Palestinian man at an army post near Mevo Dotan the in the northern West Bank.
Palestinian protesters block France FM from entering Gaza
Ha’aretz – Demonstrators say infuriated over comments by Michele Alliot-Marie in support of Gilad Shalit; member of Alliot-Marie’s entourage hit in the head., Military says man critically wounded after attempting to breach…
State evades tender, as settlement receives 120 new West Bank homes
Ha’aretz – Meretz MK Zahava Gal-On demands state comptroller look into legality of the Housing Ministry’s move, insists it must be immediately stopped.
Hamas: Palestinian Authority stopped Gaza medical shipments
Ha’aretz – PA blames Hamas of stealing medication meant for Gaza civilians, hiding it in storage, giving it to Hamas government or selling to civilians and keeping the proceeds.
Ex Blair aide: U.K. believed Netanyahu was untrustworthy
Ha’aretz – In Alistair Campbell 1998 diary excerpts released by The Guardian, former communication’s chief to the British premier said U.K. officials called Netanyahu an ‘armor-plated bullshitter.’
U.S. envoys arrive in Israel in bid to advance peace talks with Palestinians
Ha’aretz – Obama adviser Dennis Ross and David Hale, deputy to Mideast envoy George Mitchell, will meet with Netanyahu to discuss Israel’s security needs in a proposed peace deal.
French foreign minister visits Israel
Ha’aretz – While in Jerusalem, Michele Alliot-Marie is expected to meet with the parents of the Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier that has been held captive in Gaza since 2006; Shalit is…
Amjad — The Next Victim in Gaza Buffer Zone
21 Jan 2011 – Gaza, (PalTelegraph) – It took eight days. Eight days since the last innocent was killed. You watch people die here one after another, getting killed one by one, without consequences, without justice, without an outcry in the media. Innocent people who have never done anything wrong in their lives other than try to make a living from something amidst the…
Activism roundup: Israeli forces fire at demonstrators
Uruknet January 21, 2011 – Israeli forces swept through the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan today, firing rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at Palestinians during public prayer near the al-Bustan protest tent. The tent is a public gathering place and organizing center for residents of the al-Bustan area in Silwan who are faced with imminent home demolitions or…
Israeli Settlers Violence Report: November, December 2010
Uruknet January 21, 2011 – As will be demonstrated, settler attacks continued during this period and were concentrated in the north of the West Bank, especially in the Nablus District. Trees were the most common target, with burnings and land confiscations, especially land close to settlements, which serve the aim of expanding settlements and providing strategic points for attacks on…
Hebron Reflexion : They left their mark everywhere
Uruknet January 21, 2011 – Her dropped head, her clasped hands, her sad face continue to haunt me. I ask myself: How anyone could endure this kind of pain, especially a mother. I sat in a stupefied silence as the fifty-six-year-old woman told us about the invasion of her home last October. Soldiers had awakened the family and their relatives…
Video: Big Ears: ‘Largest’ secret spy hub uncovered in Israel
Uruknet January 21, 2011 – It’s been described as Israel’s ‘big ears’. A huge facility where it’s claimed phone calls and e-mails from all across the Middle East and beyond, can be monitored for intelligence. Hidden from prying eyes for decades in the desert, it’s become a focus for investigative journalists.
Angry protests greet French foreign minister in Gaza
Uruknet January 21, 2011 – Palestinian protesters mobbed the car of the French foreign minister, Mich?®le Alliot-Marie, as she arrived in Gaza today. Dozens of people attempted to block Alliot-Marie’s convoy and hurled eggs and shoes at her jeep. The protesters banged on the vehicle and yelled at the minister to leave Gaza, Reuters reported. The protesters, relatives of Palestinians…
Israel moves to turn deserted Palestinian village into luxury housing project
Uruknet January 21, 2011 – Yet another example of Palestinian history to be erased by Israel ‚Äî this time, while not physically razed, it will be raped and pillaged by government planners and private developers. Even greater than the loss of the remarkable architectural beauty of the remnants of this village (which somehow managed to escape Israeli bulldozers for 63…
Clinton Slam Draft Resolution to UN Security Council Condemning Settlements
Uruknet January 21, 2011 – US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, Slammed the Palestinian submitted proposal on Wednesday to the United Nations in an attempt to condemn Israel’s settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. “We continue to believe strongly that the only way that there will be a resolution of the conflict and a two-state solution that…
Content this week: A police state in Palestine? and more
Uruknet January 21, 2011 – Five Items in this week’s digest: 1)Wikileaks reveals US, Egyptian, Israeli, and Palestinian “cooperation” during Israel’s war crimes in Gaza (and in the case of the US pre-knowledge of the humanitarian crisis that would develop before the attack even commenced). PA officials clearly did not want any demonstrations where confrontation with Israeli soldiers occur (something…
Former CIA “Ghost Prisoner” Abu Zubaydah Recognized as “Victim” in Polish Probe of Secret Prison
Uruknet January 21, 2011 – For those seeking accountabiity for the senior Bush administration officials and lawyers who established a global torture program in the “War on Terror,” involving extraordinary rendition and torture in a variety of secret prisons, the news that the Polish Prosecutor has today accepted the claims of Abu Zubaydah, a former CIA “ghost prisoner,” that he…
Israeli Arab Critically Wounded after Israeli Soldiers Open Fire at West Bank Checkpoint
Uruknet January 21, 2011 – On Thursday night, Israeli soldiers critically wounded an Israeli Arab who had approached a military checkpoint near the West Bank city of Hebron. According to an investigation of the incident, the soldiers shot the man after he tried to forcibly make his way through an IDF checkpoint at the Palestinian town of Halhul near Hebron….
Boycott roundup: Ahava products off the shelves, for now
Uruknet January 21, 2011 – Canadian and United Kingdom solidarity activists have scored recent victories towards deshelving cosmetics made in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. Canadians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East (CPJME) reported that on 11 January, Canadian retail chain The Bay dropped Ahava products from its stores. Ahava cosmetic products are made…
The Children’s Judge.
Uruknet January 20, 2011 – True, in the military courtroom itself Palestinians are neither shot nor beaten. They are not ‘targeted for elimination’ nor even sentenced to death. At least not in the courtroom. But the military court is also the place where all illusions die. And hopes. Because that is where Palestinians learn that injury caused them, is no…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (13-19 January 2011)
Uruknet January 20, 2011 – Summary : Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (13 — 19 January 2011): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed a Palestinian civilians and wounded 6 others, including a child, and an Israeli human rights defender and a Dutch one in the West Bank and the…
Iran nuclear talks at standstill as sides restate old positions
Daily Star 21 Jan 2011 ISTANBUL: Iran gave no sign of making concessions to world powers bent on coaxing it to curb its nuclear program Friday, saying it would not discuss suspending sensitive uranium enrichment. The West suspects Iran plans to…
AU envoy says military option should still be last resort in Ivory Coast
Daily Star 21 Jan 2011 NAIROBI: An African Union envoy said Friday the use of force was “absolutely the last resort” to resolve a risky impasse over who holds the Ivory Coast presidency, amid fears of a return to civil war….
Iraq arrests suspects in deadly Karbala bombings
Daily Star 21 Jan 2011 BAGHDAD: Iraqi authorities announced the arrest Friday of several suspects in the deadly suicide bombings outside a holy Shiite city that have provoked criticism of the security forces for not protecting the pilgrims flocking to the…
Thousands rally in Jordan over food prices, living standards
Daily Star 21 Jan 2011 AMMAN: Several thousand Jordanians protested over soaring food prices and the erosion of living conditions Friday, blaming corruption spawned by free-market reforms for the plight of the country’s poor. Islamists, left-wing and trade union activists marched…
Angry protests greet French foreign minister in Gaza
The Guardian 21 Jan 2011 – Palestinians pelt Michéle Alliot-Marie’s car with eggs and shoes after she meets family of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit Palestinian protesters mobbed the car of the French foreign minister, Michéle Alliot-Marie, as she arrived in Gaza…
Obama must call Israeli settlements illegal | Ian Williams
The Guardian 21 Jan 2011 – US support for a UN resolution on the settlements would remind Netanyahu that there are consequences for breaking the law “To veto or not to veto?” That is the agonising question that has President Barack Obama…
Sex survey shows ‘tolerant attitude’ to rape by acquaintance
The Guardian 21 Jan 2011 – Poll round-up: 35% of East Jerusalem residents would prefer to be Israeli citizens, and Israeli-Arab men earn a third less than Jewish counterparts Three recent thought-provoking surveys on very different subjects caught my eye. I think…
OPT: Statement by the spokesperson of EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the case of Abdallah Abu Rahma
Relief Web 21 Jan 2011 – Source: European Union
OPT: Secretary-General, in Palestinian Rights Committee, Says Israeli Settlements Illegal, Hamper Efforts to Re-launch Negotiations, Prejudge Their Outcome
Relief Web 21 Jan 2011 – Source: UN General Assembly
ACTED Newsletter n¬?68 January 2011
Relief Web 21 Jan 2011 – Source: Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development
OPT: Protection of Civilians Weekly Report | 12 -18 January 2011
Relief Web 21 Jan 2011 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Arab-Israeli critically wounded from IDF fire
YNet News – Reserve troops who set up surprise roadblock in order to check vehicles notice….
UN chief: Settlements hamper peace talks
YNet News – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday slammed Israel’s refusal to halt settlement building in Palestinian territories and warned that time is running out to save …….
Crime and punishment, Palestinian-style
YNet News – Palestinian Authority security officials have detained a meat dealer on suspicion of selling land to Jews, Palestinian media outlets reported Friday. According to …….
Potential Lebanon kingmaker supports Hezbollah
YNet News – A potential kingmaker in Lebanese politics threw his support Friday behind Hezbollah, a major boost to the Shiite group that brought down the country’s Western-backed …….
Sderot welcomes French FM
YNet News – After rude welcome in Gaza, French FM warmly received in Sderot: French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie visited the town of Sderot Friday after being attacked by …….
Palestinian Information Center
The rabbis of the devil
PIC 21 Jan 2011 – According to a weekly Hebrew magazine, several rabbis, including the rabbi of Safad, Shmuel Eliyahu, recently proposed the establishment of death camps for the Palestinians.
Fierce confrontations between Jerusalem residents and IOF troops
PIC 21 Jan 2011 – Fierce clashes broke out Friday afternoon between Palestinian youth and the IOF troops and police in the vicinity of the protest tent in the Bustan neighbourhood of the Silwan Jerusalem suburb.
Captives’ relatives protested at French FM visit to Gaza
PIC 21 Jan 2011 – Palestinian captives’ families in the Gaza Strip came out in protest, throwing eggs and in some cases, shoes, as the French Foreign Minister Michel Alliot-Marie and her entourage visited Gaza.
London- based organisations expose torture in PA jails
PIC 21 Jan 2011 – MEMO and AOHR held a press conference Thursday morning to launch their new joint report “Documenting the crime of torture in the Palestinian Authority’s Territories”.
IOF troops shoot and wound a Palestinian man in al-Khalil
PIC 21 Jan 2011 – Jalal al-Masri was wounded with a bullet to the head when IOF troops manning a road-block to the north of the southern West Bank city of al-Khalil.
57 detention extensions against Palestinian detainees since mid-January
PIC 21 Jan 2011 – Zionist courts have ruled to extend the detention of Palestinians until end of procedures (open-ended) on 57 occasions since mid-January.
Hamas denies meetings between A’arouri and Zionists in Europe
PIC 21 Jan 2011 – Hamas has categorically denied Thursday information broadcasted by Fatah media outlets alleging that member of Hamas’ political bureau Saleh Al-A’arouri met with Zionist officials in Europe.
PA-IOF troops storm Yamon, arrest I.J. activists
PIC 21 Jan 2011 – The IOF have stormed Thursday the West Bank, town of Yamon, and arrested two Islamic Jihad activist in harmony with another campaign unleashed by PA security in the town for the same purpose.
Alliance for supporting Palestine and Jerusalem launched in Istanbul
PIC 21 Jan 2011 – The International Alliance for supporting Palestine and Jerusalem has ended its preparatory conference in Istanbul calling for the continuous support of Palestine and Palestinians.
Tabba’a: Closing of Mintar crossing causes sever shortage in Gaza basic needs
PIC 21 Jan 2011 – Palestinian economy expert Maher Al-Tabba’a, , has warned Thursday that the closure of the Mintar crossing point caused sharp shortage in the basic needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip.
Iran says uranium enrichment is not up for discussion
LA Times 21 Jan 2011 – At the start of nuclear talks in Turkey, it tells diplomats it won’t consider giving up ‘our basic rights.’ Iranian officials declared at the start of two days of diplomatic talks in Turkey on Friday that they would not discuss suspension of their country’s uranium enrichment program.
Lebanon Druze leader Walid Jumblatt sides with Hezbollah in crisis
LA Times 21 Jan 2011 – The U.S.-backed coalition led by caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri is on the verge of losing its grip on power after Jumblatt’s defection to Hezbollah. The U.S.-backed parliamentary coalition led by caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri was on the verge of losing its tenuous grip on the Lebanese government after a key politician defected Friday to support the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
Iran Talks Offer Little Progress
New York Times 21 Jan 2011 – The United States and other world powers had low expectations about another round of talks, while Iran sought progress on a fuel-swap arrangement.
French Minister Pelted With Eggs in Gaza
New York Times 21 Jan 2011 – Palestinians attacked Michele Alliot-Marie’s motorcade in Gaza on Friday, assailing her for a comment about Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier being held captive, that was falsely attributed to her.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
WSWS – The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Goldstone Report Weekender: Weiss profile; Ratner on Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish; and Siegman discusses ‚Äòdelegitimizing Israel’
Mondoweiss – As you probably know by now, our book The Goldstone Report: The Legacy of the Landmark Investigation of the Gaza Conflict has hit stores. Media attention has started to pick up, so even if you can’t make it to Busboys & Poets in DC this weekend…
Gaza conversation at Busboys and Poets in D.C., this Sunday
Mondoweiss – I know it’s early but this Sunday at 9:30 a.m., there will be a number of good speakers at Busboys and Poets in Washington to talk about Gaza and the Goldstone Report. Notably Phyllis Bennis of Institute for Policy Studies and Laila El-Haddad, new author and…
If Obama saw what white phosphorus did to the kids’ rehab room at Al Quds Hospital in Gaza, maybe he would become a decider?
Mondoweiss – We’re promoting our new Goldstone book . It’s the abridged report with a number of fabulous essays accompanying it. Today I want to highlight the fine piece about the Goldstone Report and Congress by the former Washington state congressman Brian Baird. The great thing about Brian Baird…
McEwan’s antenna tunes in tired song
Mondoweiss – The British novelist, Ian McEwan, who has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction numerous times, is to be given the Jerusalem prize at the Jerusalem Book Fair . Israel’s prestigious literary prize is awarded biennially to a writer whose works have dealt with themes…
British double standard on recognizing Palestine lets Israel off the hook
Mondoweiss – In recent months, seven South American nations have recognized Palestine “as a free, independent and sovereign state.” Last week, following similar statements by representatives of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile, the Foreign Ministry of Guyana declared that its decision to recognize Palestine was based…
Israeli Occupation Soldiers Critically Wound a Palestinian near Al-Khalil
Al-Manar 21 Jan 2011 – Israeli occupation soldiers critically wounded a Palestinian at checkpoint in the Palestinian town of Halhul near Al-Khalil late Thursday night. The man encountered a surprise roadblock set up by reserves occupation troops and for an unclear reason, the soldiers allegedly thought the driver was trying…
Palestinians Block Alliot-Marie’s Vehicle for Biased Comments
Al-Manar 21 Jan 2011 – A crowd of angry Palestinian on Friday tried to block French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie on her way into the Gaza Strip protesting France’s biased towards Israel. Dozens of protesters surrounded Alliot-Marie’s convoy and tried to block her passage through the Erez Crossing from occupied Palestine….
Abou Heit to Al-Manar: Palestinian UNSC Complaint “Fruitless”
Al-Manar 21 Jan 2011 – Not only the United States opposes the resistance choice against Israel but it had alsoregularly aborted any Palestinian diplomatic move that would clash with the Israeli interest. Palestinians presented Wednesday a complaint to the UN Security Council demanding that Israel halt settlement construction. They found…
The occupation: it’s about controlling land and space
Joseph Dana 20 Jan 2011 – True, there are no large-scale killings ofciviliansin the West Bank. But that’s not what Israel’s control of the West Bank is about It is often mentioned that Israel’s war against the Palestinian people does not fall under the rubric of truly violent crime because of the…
Army confusion over Jawaher Abu Rahmah’s death
Joseph Dana 20 Jan 2011 – Last night, the army released a statement to the Israeli press about the death of Jawaher Abu Rahmah in Bil’in. For the past two weeks, the army has been spreading lies and half truths about her death ranging from suspected cancer to Abu Rahmah not being…
Iran nuclear talks ‘are positive’
BBC 21 Jan 2011 – Fresh talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme begin in a “positive atmosphere”, Iran says, as Western diplomats hope to revive a fuel-swap plan.
Jordan rally targets government
BBC 21 Jan 2011 – More than 5,000 people have rally in Jordan to protest over economic policy and call for the prime minister to resign.
Lebanon’s Druze to back Hezbollah
BBC 21 Jan 2011 – Lebanese politician Walid Jumblatt indicates he will back Shia militants Hezbollah in efforts to form a new coalition government.
French minister mobbed by Gazans
BBC 21 Jan 2011 – France’s foreign minister is mobbed in Gaza by Palestinians who mistakenly believed she had called the capture of an Israeli soldier a war crime.
Oasis of Peace Blossoms in Israel, To An Extent
Antiwar.com 21 Jan 2011 – NEVE SHALOM-WAHT ES-SALAAM, Central Israel — “Once upon a time,” the educator tells Jewish and Arab five-year-old children, “a plant laid dormant, holding its life on the darkness around it, beholding the night. Butterflies, flowers and leaves, their caress, were laid to rest. Dewdrop beads, tears…
Glimmer of Hope on Eve of New Iran Nuclear Talks
Antiwar.com 21 Jan 2011 – While expectations for any major breakthroughs in the latest round of talks between Iran and the major powers are virtually nonexistent, the two-day meeting that begins Friday in Istanbul could help ease growing tensions over Iran’s nuclear program. The most realistic hope among those who favor…
Barak Unmasked
Antiwar.com 21 Jan 2011 – Ran HaCohen on the Israel “peace camp” Trojan horse
Articles
Israel Acting to Destroy Bedouin Communities, Way of Life
Tania Kepler, Alternative Information Center1/17/2011
The Bedouin village of El Araqib in the Negev desert was destroyed by Israeli forces early Sunday morning.
This is ninth time in the past six months that the Jewish National Fund and the Israeli military have destroyed the village, and it will certainly not be the last. Israel has for decades been attempting to “urbanize” the Bedouin, taking them from their land, with a final plan of Judaizing their indigenous area.
More than 150,000 Bedouin, the indigenous inhabitants of the Negev region, live in informal shanty towns, or “unrecognized villages,” in the south of Israel. They account for around 12% of the Palestinian population of the country, and yet discriminatory land and planning policies have made it virtually impossible for Bedouin to build legally where they live.[i]
The unrecognized villages do not appear on Israeli maps, there are no road signs to mark them, and their locations do not appear on the Israeli ID cards the residents carry. Residents do not have state education or health services and because the government does not recognize the villages, they are off the water and electricity grids as well.
What’s more, Israel implements forced evictions, home demolitions, and other actions to prevent the nomadic, indigenous people from continuing their historical way of life.
The Israel Land Authority and particularly the Jewish National Fund are at the heart of the demolitions. The ILA is the branch of the Israel government responsible for managing the 93% of the land in Israel which the country considers public domain, though much of the land is actually unrecognized Arab villages and land. — See also: 5 Children Injured following Israel’s Demolition of El Araqib Village for Ninth Time more.. e-mail
Why Obama’s ‘new thinking’ initiative on Middle East peace is doomed to fail
Lawrence Davidson, Redress1/22/2011
According to Laura Rozen, a journalist specializing in foreign policy matters and writing in Politico (13 January 2011), the Obama administration is seeking “new ideas from outside experts on how to advance the peace process” in the Middle East. This is because the president and his counsellors are “utterly stuck” following the failure of last year’s efforts to strong-arm Mahmoud Abbas and bribe Binyamin Netanyahu into negotiations. Quoting an administration consultant, Rozen tells us “there is no pretence of progress. With the State of the Union coming up and the new GOP [Grand Old Party — the Republican Party] Congress, they [the administration] are taking a few weeks to regroup and solicit ideas to push forward and … to give a real jump-start” to the negotiation process”.
On the surface this would appear to be welcome news. The White House entourages having this revelation that their process, and that of their predecessors too, have all failed and so we need some new, progressive thinking about peace in the Holy Land. Maybe there should be a new approach that would play to the leverage the US can bring to bear on both parties (and not just the Palestinians). But then Rozen proceeds (in a completely dead pan style) to explain to us how the administration is going about its search for “new ideas from outside experts.”
Two separate efforts have been set up to brainstorm these new ideas:
1. “One task force has been convened by Sandy Berger and Stephen Hadley”. Who are they? Berger was national security adviser to Bill Clinton. He was a “prominent actor at the Camp David 2000 Summit”. What about Hadley? He was assistant to Undersecretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz during George W. Bush’s first term of office and then national security adviser to the president during Bush’s second term. In these positions he worked closely and comfortably not only with Wolfowitz, but also with men like Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. more.. e-mail
Pickering, Hills, Sullivan, Beinart, Dobbins, more ask Obama administration to support UN resolution condemning illegal Israeli settlements
Steve Clemons, Palestine Note1/21/2011
A letter from an array of concerned policy commentators and practitioners, academics, and former government officials about the resolution pending at the United Nations Security Council on illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Territory has just been released and is posted below.
Among those signing the letter are former US Trade Representative and Council on Foreign Relations Chair Carla Hills, journalist and former New Republic editor Peter Beinart, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Pickering, former Assistant Secretary of State James Dobbins, former Assistant Secretary of State Robert Pastor, former New Republic editor and Atlantic Senior Editor and Daily Dish publisher Andrew Sullivan, former US Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci and former US Ambassador to Israel Edward “Ned” Walker, among others.
Letter to the President of the United States
Washington, DC — 18 January 2011
Dear Mr. President,
In light of the impasse reached in efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) moves to consider a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territory, we are writing to urge you to instruct our Ambassador to the United Nations to vote yes on this initiative. more.. e-mail
Activism roundup: Israeli forces fire at demonstrators
Electronic Intifada: 21 Jan 2011 – Israeli forces swept through the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan today, firing rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at Palestinians during public prayer near the al-Bustan protest tent.more
Gaza family remembers grandfather killed by Israeli bullet
Electronic Intifada: 21 Jan 2011 – Shaban Qarmout got up early on Monday, 10 January and headed out to his farmland as he usually did. Despite there being no clashes or military activity in the area, he was killed on his land by Israeli soldiers in a nearby watchtower.more
It’s not just Tunisians who are hungry
Electronic Intifada: 21 Jan 2011 – CAIRO (IPS) – “Break my heart but don’t come near my bread” goes an old Arabic proverb. Failure to observe it has often come at a high political price. Just ask Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who has now fled.more
United States Has a Choice in Tunisia
Palestine Chronicle: 21 Jan 2011 – By Nicola Nasser — Bir Zeit, The West Bank The ongoing Tunisian Intifada (uprising) cannot yet quite be termed a revolution; Tunisians are still revolting, aspiring for bread and freedom. This Intifada will go in history as a revolution if it gets either bread or freedom and as a great revolution if it gets both. Internally, ‘the one constant in revolutions is the primordial role played by the army,’ Jean Tulard, a French historian of revolutions, told Le Monde in an interview, and the Tunisian military seems so far forthcoming. Externally, the United States stands to be a critical contributor to either outcome in Tunisia, both because of its historical close relations with the Tunisian military and because of its regional hegemony and international standing as a world power, but the U.S. seems so far shortcoming. While the Tunisian military has made a decision to side with its people, the…more
Cyberspace Bedouin’s Hope for End of Repression
Palestine Chronicle: 21 Jan 2011 – By Iqbal Jassat — Pretoria Mazin Qumsiyeh calls himself a ‘Bedouin in Cyberspace’ while a villager at home in Occupied Palestine. And it is from having his feet firmly planted on earth that this human rights activist regularly alerts the world via cyberspace about the relentless assault on him and his neighbourhood. In his most recent posting, Qumsiyeh reminds his audience about how the Israeli assault extends to their land, truth, decency, nature, dignity and daringly suggests on God too. “Israeli authorities are working overtime to transform the Holy City of Jerusalem from a multi-ethnic and multi-religious city to a distorted vision of what Zionists think Judaism is about [supremacy, ethnic purity, tribalism etc]” is his complaint. It’s a reminder of the ugly reality of apartheid as more home and business demolitions are carried out in Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. Taking land from Christians and Muslims, destroying over two…more
Generalizing Tunisia: Context Overrides Story
Dissident Voice: 21 Jan 2011 – When faced with problems, most authoritarian regimes maintain a policy of rigidity when the appropriate response would be flexibility, political wisdom and concessions. This policy gives authoritarian leaders their ability to control their populations to serve the interests of a few individuals and political and military elites. It can also, however, usher their downfall, for populations can only be oppressed, controlled and punished to a point. President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia, who controlled his population with an iron fist since his arrival to the presidential palace in 1987, must have crossed that point. He was forced to flee the country amid the angry chants of thousands of Tunisians, fed up with growing unemployment, soaring inflation, government corruption, violent crackdowns and lack of political freedom. These mounting frustrations led to relentless protests throughout the country. The government’s subsequent crackdowns only stirred emotions beyond any crowd control strategy, and eventually…more
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The New Dark Age 
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