26 January, 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
An-Nabi Saleh Popular Committee Leader Beaten, Two Children Arrested
IMEMC – Wednesday January 26, 2011 – 15:18, Following the arrests of Karim Saleh al-Tamimi and, his brother, Islam, the leader of the Popular Commitee Against The Wall & Settlements in Nabi Saleh, Bassam Tamimi has been arrested, on Wednesday, along with two fifteen year old boys.
Israeli Man Who Murdered Peace Now Activist To Be Released
IMEMC – Wednesday January 26, 2011 – 12:09, Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that an Israeli citizen who killed an Israeli peace activist in 1983 will be set free on Wednesday. Yona Avursham, was convicted in 1983 of throwing a grenade into a group of peace activists protesting in front of the office on Israel’s Prime Minister.
Hamas: “Abbas No Longer Authorized To Negotiate On Behalf Of the Palestinians”
IMEMC – Wednesday January 26, 2011 – 04:30, The Hamas movement in Gaza stated that Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, does not represent the Palestinian people, and is no longer authorized to negotiate with Israel on behalf of the Palestinians.
Completed tunnel ‘puts lives in danger’ Jerusalemites say
1/26/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — The announcement of Israeli archaeologists of the completion of an excavation beneath the Old City of Jerusalem Tuesday “represents another violation against Al-Aqsa Mosque,” officials from the Wad Hilweh Information Center said the following day. The controversial 600-meter tunnel, believed to have been originally built in 500 BC as a….
Group: PA arrests Palestinian rights group lawyer
1/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organizations condemned Sunday what it called the “arbitrary arrest” of a rights lawyer by the Palestinian Preventive Security Force. The detention, a statement said, took place on Jan. 10 in the early morning, and targeted Mazen Abu Aoun, a lawyer for the Addameer Prisoner Support…. Related: Addameer
B’Tselem: Israeli home demolitions up in ’10
1/26/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank tripled in 2010, figures from an Israeli human rights group showed on Wednesday, with a leap in the number in the Jordan Valley. Annual figures published by B’Tselem showed that Israel demolished 86 homes across the West Bank in 2010, compared….
An-Nabi Saleh residents say local leader detained, threatened
1/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Two hours after his arrest, the coordinator of the popular committee against the wall in the central West Bank village of An-Nabi Saleh was released from Israeli custody. Basem At-Tamimi, 43, had been taken to the Halmish military camp where he said he was beaten and interrogated on Wednesday. The official….
PalMedia office vandalized after Al-Jazeera uses studio
1/26/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Half a dozen Palestinians entered the PalMedia office in Nablus on Wednesday evening, smashing equipment and turning over furniture, telling reporters that the attack came because the agency’s studios had been rented out to Al-Jazeera for the taping of an interview earlier in the day. Major Omar Al-Bazur of….
Karem Shalom partly opened, Karni closed
1/26/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities decided to partially open the Karem Shalom crossing to allow food aid and building materials for UNRWA into the Strip. Karni will remain closed. A Palestinian coordination official said authorities decided to open Karem Shalom crossing to allow 150-160 of truckloads of aid to the commerce, agriculture….
Israeli police detain Palestinian ‘cell’
1/26/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israel lifted a gag order on its investigation into the murder of a US tourist and attempted murder of a British tour guide, news reports said Wednesday. Police say a “Palestinian cell” killed Jewish tourist Kristine Luken and severely injured recent immigrant to Israel Kaye Susan Wilson in a….
2 Palestinians injured in Gaza explosion
1/26/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Two residents were injured Wednesday by an explosion in southern Gaza, medics said. Mohammad Kahader Zu’rub and Yaser Mohammad Zu’rub were reported hurt by ordnance in Khan Younis….
Report: Shots fired near Gush Etzion
1/26/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Shots were heard in the area surrounding the Gush Etzion junction late Tuesday, Israeli media reported. No one was injured, the Israeli news site Ynet reported. Soldiers were searching the area….
Hamas denounces results of Turkel probe
1/26/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas strongly denounced the results of the Turkel probe into the lethal attack by Israeli troops on the Freedom Flotilla during an attempt to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The board released a report Sunday concluding that the attack did not contravene with international laws. Hamas said the report….
PA condemns ‘inciting and deceptive campaign’
1/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — During its weekly cabinet meeting in Ramallah, Palestinian Authority ministers “strongly condemned” what a statement called “the campaign of incitement and deception which the Aljazeera Channel has launched against the Palestinian National Authority.” The statement accused the station, which began releasing documents from over 10 years of negotiations between Israel and….
Israel asked PA to kill Fatah commander, leaked papers say
1/26/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israel asked the Palestinian Authority in 2005 to kill a Fatah commander, leaked PLO documents revealed Tuesday, in a new batch of the “Palestine Papers,” which raised questions about the extent of security cooperation between the governments. Hassan Madhoun, of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a militant group linked to the….
Haniyeh: Right of return is nonnegotiable
1/26/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Palestinian right of return to their land is “sacred and non-negotiable,” Hamas’ most senior leader said Wednesday, echoing criticism from opposition parties to leaked documents detailing PLO-Israel negotiations. Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister in Gaza, spoke out publicly for the first time as Al-Jazeera and The Guardian continued to….
Erekat fights Palestine Papers accusations
1/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat snapped back at Al-Jazeera on Wednesday night, telling a television interviewer that the station’s publication of leaked documents was putting his life in danger. Speaking live on the station’s show Bila Hudud(Without Borders), hosted by Ahmad Mansour, Erekat told the channel….
PA ministers subject of corruption investigations
1/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Head of the Palestinian Authority’s Anti-Corruption Commission Rafiq Al-Natsheh asked the prime minister to remove the legal immunity of several government ministers in what was said to be a request to question the officials on charges of corruption. A statement, issued the day after news agencies began releasing documents….
Hamas: Ready to face PA ‘collaboration’
1/26/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hamas said Tuesday it was holding serious consultations with officials and factions to confront the “security and political collapse” of groups in the PLO and Palestinian Authority. The statement was made in the midst of a series of documentaries and news articles released by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite channel, and British….
Hamas: PA arrested 5 West Bank affiliates
1/26/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas said Wednesday that Palestinian Authority security forces arrested five of its West Bank affiliates. The Islamist movements said in a statement that PA forces arrested five members in the Jenin and Bethlehem districts….
Number of social assistance beneficiaries to increase
1/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The number of families who receive support from the Palestinian Authority’s social network system will increase from 65,000 to 95,000, the Ramallah-based cabinet announced on Tuesday. Discussed in the weekly meeting of the appointed cabinet, a statement issued from the government said the decision was made to ensure “support….
Government calls for adaptation of buildings for special needs
1/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian public institutions, universities, banks and institutions were called on to adapt their facilities “in a manner that would guarantee ease of access to individuals with special needs,” the PA cabinet said in a statement on Tuesday. The appointed government body suggested “providing the necessary slopes” for wheelchair accessibility, allocating special….
Egypt opposition calls for second day of protests
1/26/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — An Egyptian opposition group has called on Egyptians again to take to the streets Wednesday, a day after unprecedented nationwide rallies against President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule. The pro-democracy youth group April 6 Movement, which launched the call for Tuesday’s protests, urged people to head to Cairo’….
New Lebanon PM prepares to form govt, streets quiet
1/26/2011 – BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanon’s new Hezbollah-backed premier-designate was readying Wednesday for talks on forming a government as rivals called for daily sit-ins against the mounting power of the Shiite militant party.” Hezbollah is empowered by its weapons and as such was able to carry out a coup,” said Fares Soueid, a senior official with….
Clinton calls for reform in Egypt
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Al Jazeera – Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has said that widespread anti-government protests over poverty and government repression in Egypt represent an opportunity for the 30-year administration of president Hosni Mubarak to implement…
Protesters in Egypt Defy Ban as Government Cracks Down
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – New York Times – The Egyptian government intensified efforts to crush protests on Wednesday, decreeing a new ban on public gatherings and sending police equipped with clubs, tear gas and armored carriers against small groups that…
Four Palestinians charged in killing of American hiker
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – The Washington Post – Four Palestinian men have been charged with the murder of an American tourist and the attempted killing of another woman, both of whom were stabbed last month while hiking near Jerusalem, police…
A Region’s Unrest Scrambles U.S. Foreign Policy
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – New York Times – As the Obama administration confronts the spectacle of angry protesters and baton-wielding riot police officers from Tunisia to Egypt to Lebanon, it is groping for a plan to deal with an always-vexing…
Saeb Erakat says Al Jazeera puts his life in danger
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Alert Net – Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Al Jazeera television on Tuesday of putting his life in danger with “a vicious smear campaign” alleging major concessions in peace talks with Israel. Erekat said the…
The Winter of Our Discontent
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Eyewitness recounts Day of Anger protests in Cairo It started in Tunis, sparked protests in Sana’a, triggered tensions in Tripoli and ended with chanting in Cairo. Some are calling it a revolution others and uprising. I’m…
Studio used by Al Jazeera ransacked in West Bank
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Alert Net – Armed men damaged a studio used by Al Jazeera television in the West Bank on Wednesday, witnesses said, linking the attack to the channel’s coverage of documents that have embarrassed Palestinian leaders. Four…
Winter of our discontent
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – It started in Tunis, sparked protests in Sana’a, triggered tensions in Tripoli and ended with chanting in Cairo. Some are calling it a revolution others and uprising. I’m not sure it’s a revolution, but something amazing…
US says Palestinian leaks make a deal ‘more difficult’
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – BBC News – The US has said the emergence of leaked documents which purport to show major Palestinian concessions to Israel does not affect efforts to achieve peace. The State Department said the leaks would make…
Palestinian papers: UK’s MI6 ‘tried to weaken Hamas’
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – BBC News – Leaked documents relating to the Middle East peace process suggest Britain’s intelligence service has been closely involved in attempts to weaken Hamas. The documents, published by al-Jazeera, date back to 2004, before the…
Palestinian leaks: Views from Gaza
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – BBC News – TV network al-Jazeera has released documents purporting to show offers of major concessions to Israel by the main Palestinian negotiators. The documents suggest the Palestinians agreed to concede large parts of occupied East…
Tunisia seeks arrest of ex-leader
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Al Jazeera – Tunisia wants to have ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family arrested and put on trial for possession of expropriated property and for transferring foreign currency abroad, the nation’s interim…
Three dead in Egypt protests
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Al Jazeera – Two civilians and a police officer have died after a wave of unusually large anti-government demonstrations swept across Egypt, calling for the ouster of longtime president Hosni Mubarak. (Please visit the site to…
Facebook and Arab Dignity
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Roger Cohen, New York Times – This is where an Arab revolution began, in a hardscrabble stretch of nowhere. If the modern world is divided into dynamic hubs and a static periphery, Sidi Bouzid epitomizes the…
The Inside Story of How Facebook Responded to Tunisian Hacks
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Alexis Madrigal, The Atlantic – It was on Christmas Day that Facebook’s Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan first noticed strange things going on in Tunisia. Reports started to trickle in that political-protest pages were being hacked….
Tunisia and Cyber-Utopia
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – L. Gordon Crovitz, The Wall Street Journal – The African country that has the highest percentage of people with Facebook accounts is Tunisia, at 18%. That’s triple the penetration of the social-media service in repressive Egypt….
Paintballs leave stain on Gaza ship raid tactics
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Alert Net – Paintball guns used by Israeli marines who stormed a Gaza-bound Turkish activist ship in May were wrong for the job and may have contributed to rather than stemmed the ensuing bloodshed, experts said…
Tunisia’s Revolution was Led by the Secular Middle Class
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Mustapha Tlili, The Daily Star – As I try to grasp the full meaning of the Tunisian Revolution and gauge its future, I am looking at my desk, where I have spread two issues of The…
Tunisia, or democracy’s future in jasmine
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Goran Fegjic, Open Democracy – Jasmine is, according to Wikipedia, the “national flower” of Indonesia, Pakistan and the Philippines, and has in addition various cultural and symbolic connotations in India, Syria and Hawaii. Tunisia is not…
Will the Arab revolutions spread?
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – The end of the Tunisian story hasn’t yet been written. We don’t yet know whether the so-called Jasmine Revolution will produce fundamental change or a return to a cosmetically-modified status quo ante, democracy or a newly…
Tear gas on the streets of Cairo
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – CAIRO, Egypt – Only time will tell if Tuesday’s “Day of Rage” protests in Egypt produce the sort of long-lasting social upheaval that would threaten President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year reign. But whatever the long-term outcome, the…
Watch live streamed event with Ambassador Chas Freeman on America’s Misadventures in the Middle East
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Please join the Palestine Note as we live stream an exciting event from the New America Foundation’s American Strategy Program / Middle East Task Force from 12:15 – 1:45 for a discussion with Ambassador Chas. W. Freeman,…
Lynch: Will the Arab revolutions spread?
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – Survival of authoritarians may not be so simple anymore Marc Lynch, Foreign Policy – The end of the Tunisian story has been written. We don’t yet know whether the so-called Jasmine Revolution will produce fundamental change…
The Palestine Papers; time to bury the PLO and PA.
Palestine Note 26 Jan 2011 – For the past few days I have been spending much of my time reading the released documents on Aljazeera and the Guardian of London, watching Aljazeera and reading other publications. One thing for sure the Palestinian…
Does Everybody Know What Everybody Knows?
Palestine Note 25 Jan 2011 – I wrote yesterday about a particular instance where I felt the Guardian (UK) had distorted and inflamed the content of one of the increasingly notorious Palestine Papers . Today, fellow blogger Bernard Avishai takes it a step…
PA stonewalled the Goldstone vote
AlJazeera 26 Jan 2011 – PA, with US encouragement, delayed a UN vote on the Goldstone Report into war crimes committed during Israel’s Gaza war.
A glimpse into the negotiation room
AlJazeera 26 Jan 2011 – Playful banter, inappropriate jokes and bizarre rants: We take you through the “lighter side” of The Palestine Papers.
The PA vs. Al Jazeera
AlJazeera 26 Jan 2011 – Al Jazeera receives numerous mentions, none of them flattering, in this trove of Palestinian documents.
PA’s foreknowledge of the Gaza war?
AlJazeera 26 Jan 2011 – Did the PA know about the Gaza war in advance? That’s a question raised by several exchanges in The Palestine Papers.
“The region is slipping away”
AlJazeera 26 Jan 2011 – Documents reveal a Palestinian Authority that’s critical, mistrustful and fearful of Arab neighbours.
Erekat “told Amr Moussa to behave”
AlJazeera 26 Jan 2011 – PA is bluntly critical of many Arab states, particularly Egyptian efforts to broker a deal between Hamas and Fatah.
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers
PA stonewalled the Goldstone vote
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 26 Jan 2011 – PA, with US encouragement, delayed a UN vote on the Goldstone Report into war crimes committed during Israel’s Gaza war.
The threat of a one-state solution
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 26 Jan 2011 – PA negotiators are increasingly proposing an idea that’s met with derision from Israelis, sharp criticism from the US.
A glimpse into the negotiation room
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 26 Jan 2011 – Playful banter, inappropriate jokes and bizarre rants: We take you through the “lighter side” of The Palestine Papers.
The PA vs. Al Jazeera
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 26 Jan 2011 – Al Jazeera receives numerous mentions, none of them flattering, in this trove of Palestinian documents.
Erekat “told Amr Moussa to behave”
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 26 Jan 2011 – PA is bluntly critical of many Arab states, particularly Egyptian efforts to broker a deal between Hamas and Fatah.
PA lobbying blocked Shalit swap
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 26 Jan 2011 – The PA blocked potential prisoner swaps that would have freed thousands of Palestinians and Shalit.
“The region is slipping away”
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 26 Jan 2011 – Documents reveal a Palestinian Authority that’s critical, mistrustful and fearful of Arab neighbours.
PA’s foreknowledge of the Gaza war?
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 26 Jan 2011 – Did the PA know about the Gaza war in advance? That’s a question raised by several exchanges in The Palestine Papers.
The al-Madhoun assassination
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 25 Jan 2011 – Documents include handwritten notes of 2005 exchange between PA and Israel on plan to kill Palestinian fighter in Gaza.
PA questions Tony Blair’s role
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 25 Jan 2011 – Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad wondered whether Quartet envoy’s initiatives were too small to be helpful.
Erekat: “I can’t stand Hamas”
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 25 Jan 2011 – For Fatah, the Annapolis process seems to have been as much about crushing Hamas as about ending Israel’s occupation.
Demanding a demilitarized state
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 25 Jan 2011 – Israeli negotiators demanded to keep Israeli troops in the West Bank and to maintain control of Palestinian airspace.
MI6 offered to detain Hamas figures
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 25 Jan 2011 – British government also provided financial support for two Fatah security forces linked to torture.
Qurei: “Occupy the crossing”
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 25 Jan 2011 – Top PA negotiator offers to allow Israel to re-occupy the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border.
PA selling short the refugees
AlJazeera – The Palestine Papers 25 Jan 2011 – Palestinian Authority proposed that only a handful of the nearly six million Palestinian refugees be allowed to return.
Nablus Governor Calls for Anti-Jazeera Protests on Thursday
PNN – Nablus — PNN – Major General Jibreen al-Bakri, governor of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, called for popular protests to be held on Thursday against the “slanders targeting Palestine” released…
Al Jazeera Directs another Bad Movie
PNN – By Fadi Abu Sada- PNN Editor in Chief- I can’t believe even for one minute that the so-called Al Jazeera TV “exposure” of Palestinian-Israeli negotiation documents came from the Qatar-based station alone–it…
Hamas: Our Suspicions Confirmed, We Must “Seize Back the Initiative”
PNN – London — PNN – In an editorial published in the Guardian newspaper on Wednesday, Hamas international relations chief Osama Hamdan said the suspicions of the Islamic movement in the Gaza Strip had…
Expanded Israeli Force Arrests Disabled Man, Child Near Hebron
PNN – Hebron — PNN – Early morning Israeli raids on Wednesday in the southern West Bank villages of Beit Omar and Dura, near Hebron, resulted in the arrest of two Palestinians. In Dura,…
Audio Feature: Palestinian Refugees Protest Negotiations Concessions
PNN – The Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV and the British Guardian continued to release documents obtained regarding 20 years of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, amidst international criticism. According to the documents, Palestinian refugees raised concerns about…
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
Congress mulls aid cut if Hizbullah controls gov’t
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – Rep. Howard Berman, ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, calls on the White House to halt any arms shipments to Lebanon.
Ma’aleh Adumim mayor demands E-1 construction
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – Kashriel calls for immediate construction of neighborhood after learning from “Palestine Papers” that Netanyahu promised US to freeze the project.
Rice: What’s Jewish is Israeli, what’s Arab is Palestinian
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – According to “Palestine Papers” former US secretary of state said in 2008 that Ma’aleh Adumim and Ariel settlements would remain part of Israel.
Fatah gunmen shoot up Al-Jazeera studio in Nablus
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – The attack came shortly after Al-Jazeera interviewed Abdel Sattar Kassem, a local academic and staunch critic of the Palestinian Authority.
Erekat: ‚ÄòObama has no credibility in the Middle East’
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – At least Mideast leaders ‚Äòfeared Bush,’ PLO negotiator said; Mitchell urged him not to let opportunities slip away.
Anti-government activists continue protests in Cairo
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – Officials in Jerusalem concerned not that Mubarak is in danger, but whether eventual successor can withstand similar challenges.
PA, with US backing, delayed UN vote on Goldstone
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – Al-Jazeera claims Abbas, Erekat agreed to help Israel in aftermath of Operation Cast Lead in exchange for US assurances in peace negotiations; station says Abbas knew of Israel’s intentions to go to war in advance.
Palestine papers: PA stalled UN vote on Goldstone Report
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – Al-Jazeera claims Abbas, Erekat agreed to help Israel in aftermath of Operation Cast Lead in exchange for US assurances in peace negotiations; station also claims Abbas knew of Israel’s intentions to go to war in advance.
Erekat accuses US, British citizens of leaking documents
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – In Al-Jazeera interview, PA chief negotiator says US citizen who used to work in his office and former EU security coordinator on the settlements responsible for “Palestine Papers” leaks.
Erdan praises leaks for showing how much Israel offered
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – Livni confirms she told Qurei Israel could not let Ma’aleh Adumim come under Palestinian control.
Hamas: PA leadership should be ‚Äòisolated and besieged’
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – Thousands march in Gaza with Abbas effigies wrapped in Israeli flags, protesting Israeli-Palestinian coordination.
Hamas urges Palestinians to ‘isolate’ PA leadership
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – Gaza leadership says Al-Jazeera leaks “extremely dangerous”; provide evidence of PA’s involvement in assassination of Palestinians, Cast Lead.
Thousands renew Egypt protests despite government warnings
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – Beefed up police forces on the streets quickly move in, using tear gas and beatings to disperse demonstrations calling for Mubarak’s ouster; some 860 arrested since Tuesday; Facebook, Twitter partially blocked.
Calm returns to Lebanon after 2 days of protests
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – Hizbullah-backed candidate for PM begins forming new cabinet day after thousands of Sunnis protest group’s growing influence.
Police fill square with tear gas as Egypt clashes continue
Jeruslalem Post 26 Jan 2011 – Demonstrations intensify in Cairo’s central square; protesters collapse from tear gas, beat by police; cars and barricades set on fire.
Family mourns Israeli woman allegedly slain by captured Palestinian cell last year
Ha’aretz – Jerusalem Police releases details regarding its arrest of a Palestinian cell that is suspected to have carried out the murder of Netta Blatt-Sorek and Kristine Luken, an American tourist.
Rightist MK expected to head probe into Israel’s Leftist NGOs
Ha’aretz – Panel of inquiry into human rights’ group sources of funding gets Knesset support despite widespread opposition; National Union MK Michael Ben Ari: I will protect Israel from haters both at…
Ma’aleh Adumim mayor demands Netanyahu build West Bank corridor immediately
Ha’aretz – Mayor Benny Kasriel implores Netanyahu to explain latest Palestine papers revealing the premier had reportedly made a secret promise not to go forth with plans to link Jerusalem to nearby…
Surivor of stabbing attack recalls ‘unimaginable barbarism’
Ha’aretz – ‘Until now I wasn’t physically able to cry, because of the pain from the stab wounds, and I’m still traumatized. One of my goals is to allow myself to grieve,’…
Police nab Palestinian cell linked to murders of American and Israeli
Ha’aretz – Jerusalem District Police have arrested seven members of the cell, who are wanted in 10 other grave security incidents; cell allegedly began as petty criminals and turned nationalist after Mabhouh…
Murderer of Israeli peace activist Emil Grunzweig to be released from jail
Ha’aretz – Yona Avrushmi was convicted of throwing a hand grenade into a group of peace demonstrators in 1983, killing Grunzweig and leaving nine others wounded.
Prosecutors may drop bribery charges against Lieberman
Ha’aretz – As fraud squad investigation draws to a close, complexities of case becoming apparent.
Police chief warns against ideology-based murders in Israel
Ha’aretz – David Cohen says rising murder rates within family are cause for concern in Israel, urges increasing police force by 1,000 officers to cut down growing crime rates.
Israel reprimands Irish envoy for upgrading Palestinian mission to embassy
Ha’aretz – The head of the Foreign Ministry department responsible for Irish affairs told Ireland’s ambassador to Israel that ‘this does not contribute to the peace process in any way.’
Erekat: U.S., British citizens are responsible for leaking Palestine papers
Ha’aretz – Chief Palestinian negotiator claims that a U.S. citizen, who currently works for Al-Jazeera, and a British citizen, a former MI6 and EU official, leaked the secret Mideast documents.
Thousands of Palestinians march in Gaza against PA President Abbas
Ha’aretz – Demonstrators hoist effigies of Abbas and other Palestinian negotiators draped with Israeli flags and chant, Go home, traitors; others hold up photos of Abbas with his face crossed out.
‘Demolition of Palestinian homes in West Bank’s Area C tripled in 2010’
Ha’aretz – A B’Tselem report reveals that as a result, 472 Palestinians, including 223 minors, lost their homes last year, up from 217 – including 60 minors – in 2009.
Netanyahu secretly promised not to link Jerusalem and nearby settlement, Palestine papers show
Ha’aretz – Released documents run contrary to Israel’s long-standing plan to build a neighborhood of 3,500 homes in area E1, construction that the U.S. has strongly opposed., Despite Israeli claims to the…
‘Palestinian Authority closely coordinating security operations with Israel’
Ha’aretz – New Palestine papers documents released Tuesday detail meetings discussing security measures, including instructions to kill Hamas militants.
New MI chief: Iran could have nukes within two years
Ha’aretz – Brigadier-General Aviv Kochavi tells MKs that Iran could quickly develop the bomb, but it is not in its interests at the moment.
Hamas urges Palestinian refugees to protest over concessions on right of return
Ha’aretz – Palestinian negotiators were open to accepting resettlement of only a nominal number of refugees in Israel, papers leaked by Al Jazeera reveal.
Leaks claim Palestinian ‘collusion’
26 Jan 2011 – London, (Pal Telegraph) – Leaked US cables say Palestinian security forces engage in extensive co-operation with their Israeli counterparts
Israeli soldiers detain disabled man, child in Hebron
26 Jan 2011 – Hebron, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli occupation forces detained Wednesday a disabled elderly man in front of his house after raiding a number of houses and shops in Dura town, in Hebron, southern West Bank.
The voice of Muhammad Dababseh
Uruknet January 26, 2011 – Last August, Musa Abu Hashhash, B’Tselem’s field researcher in the Hebron area, met with Muhammad Dababseh. In all his years with B’Tselem, having met with hundreds of Palestinians injured by Israel’s security forces, he had never encountered such a case. The 21-year-old from Tarqumya could not speak. For three hours, he painstakingly wrote out his…
Video: Egyptians defy security clampdown
Uruknet January 26, 2011 – A security crackdown in Egypt, after fury over poverty and inequality, led to the biggest anti-government rallies in decades against the 30-year-rule of President Hosni Mubarak. Egyptian police have moved in on groups of protesters in Cairo and Suez on Wednesday, enforcing a ban on demonstrations enacted following mass rallies a day earlier. Hundreds of…
PA stonewalled the Goldstone vote
Uruknet January 26, 2011 – On October 2, 2009, the UN Human Rights Council was widely expected to pass a resolution supporting the Goldstone Report, the UN’s probe of war crimes committed during Israel’s war in Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009. The Council instead agreed to delay a vote on the report until March 2010, following major reservations…
Knesset member calls Turkel Report “professional and moral scandal for Israeli judiciary”
Uruknet January 26, 2011 – A member of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has called the Turkel Report “a professional and moral scandal for the Israeli judiciary”. Taleb El-Sana MK, who heads the Arab Democratic Party, made his statement about the official Israeli report which exonerates Israel for its assault on the Freedom Flotilla in May 2010. Nine Turkish peace activists…
Iraqi security forces on arrest campaign against Baaquba intellectuals
Uruknet January 26, 2011 – In a fresh crackdown, Iraqi security forces have arrested more than 100 intellectuals from the restive Province of Diyala of which Baaquba is the capital. The crackdown comes amid reports of an upsurge in security in the province which groups resisting U.S. occupation and the current government have turned into a stronghold. Among those arrested…
The view on the ground of the Palestine papersHow Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have responded to this week’s revelations
Uruknet January 26, 2011 – The Palestine papers may have sent shockwaves around the world, but they came as no surprise to most Palestinians, particularly those living out the horrific reality on the ground that has been “non-negotiated” over in the occupied territories, like my own family — or in refugee camps outside the occupied territories, like my husband’s family…
Mother of Bilin martyrs: we will not be stopped
Uruknet January 26, 2011 – The village of Bilin in the occupied West Bank was quiet on 12 January 2010, but reminders of the violence that hits the village every Friday during the weekly demonstration against Israel’s illegal wall were visible. Posters of Jawaher Abu Rahmah were hung up and taped to signs and walls around the village. It had…
A Tale of Two Rivers: Hope Rises on the Nile — and Sinks in the Potomac
Uruknet January 26, 2011 – The uprising in Egypt on Tuesday is of infinitely greater importance than the goon show staged by the corporate-lackey-in-chief and the great mooing herd of cud-chewers in Congress the same night. For decades, the remarkably brutal — and rottenly stagnant — dictatorship in Egypt has been one of linchpins of Washington’s never-ending effort to “project…
‘Israel asked PA to kill Fatah commander’
Uruknet January 26, 2011 – Israel asked the Palestinian Authority in 2005 to kill a Fatah commander, leaked PLO documents revealed Tuesday, in a new batch of the “Palestine Papers,” which raised questions about the extent of security cooperation between the governments. Hassan Madhoun, of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a militant group linked to the secular Fatah faction of President…
Fresh anti-govt protests in Egypt
Uruknet January 26, 2011 – Fresh protests over living conditions and an autocratic government have broken out in Cairo a day after large and deadly demonstrations, calling for the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak, swept across the country. More than 500 protesters were arrested by security forces as the government vowed to crackdown on them. On Wednesday evening, thousands of…
Palestinian refugees rule out compromise on return to homeland
Uruknet January 25, 2011 – In a crowded room in Aida refugee camp, Abu Khalil sipped sweet tea before listing reasons why he will never give up his right to return to his family’s pre-1948 home. “My home, my land, my mosque, my identity, my dreams. Everything I live for. You want me to give up all these things for…
The Palestine Papers: Offering Palestine
Uruknet January 25, 2011 – The Palestine Papers had damaged whatever little credibility the Ramallah-based authority still enjoyed among Palestinians The Palestine Papers, the 1,300 leaked documents that Aljazeera began publishing starting January 23, are the Palestinian response to the Israeli ‘generous offer’, an Israeli diplomatic ruse that was aimed at discrediting Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat following the collapse of…
Leaks claim Palestinian ‘collusion’Leaked US cables say Palestinian security forces engage in extensive co-operation with their Israeli counterparts.
Uruknet January 25, 2011 – The Palestinian security forces engage in extensive co-operation with their Israeli counterparts, according to documents released by the WikiLeaks website. The cables quotes Yuval Diskin, the head of Shabak, Israel’s security service, as saying his agency has “friendly, professional and honest” information exchanges with the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs the occupied West Bank. The…
Egypt clamps down but protesters come out for second day
The National 27 Jan 2011 – As arrests near 1,000, Saudi prince urges Cairo government to listen to protesters amid signs that the crackdown is taking a toll on Egypt’s international reputation.
‘Palestine Papers’ put both sides in a poor light
The National 27 Jan 2011 – Leaked minutes of confidential meetings between Palestinians, Israelis and foreign officials published by Al Jazeera TV and the Guardian newspaper in the UK have mostly embarrassed the Palestinian leaders, but current and former Israeli officials have not been spared.
Syria’s delight at new Lebanese PM means dismay in US
The National 27 Jan 2011 – With the replacement of Saad Hariri as prime minister by Hizbollah’s preferred candidate, Najib Miqati,, Syria sees the era of US influence in Lebanon withering.
Alternative Information Center
Video: Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue
Alternative Information Center – The flourishing of Israeli-Palestinian “dialogue” groups in the past did nothing to promote peace betwee the two peoples.
Israeli Civil Administration Mining Information on International Groups Working in West Bank
Alternative Information Center – The Israeli Civil Administration is acting to collect information on international humanitarian and development organizations working in the West Bank, although it possesses no authority over such groups.
Reform needed across Arab region to counter anger: Davos
Daily Star 26 Jan 2011 Reforms are needed across the Arab world to address citizens’ demands for a better standard of living after protests in Tunisia and Egypt, Arab officials attending the Davos World Economic Forum said Wednesday.
Clinton: Middle East peace top priority for U.S.
Daily Star 26 Jan 2011 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday peace in the Middle East remained the top U.S. priority, despite unrest in the region and a leak of alleged Palestinian negotiation documents, while thousands of Palestinians in Gaza…
Jordan king says officials must listen to popular grievances
Daily Star 26 Jan 2011 AMMAN: King Abdullah II said Wednesday that Jordan needs to tackle popular grievances with a program of political and economic reforms. “Abdullah II insisted on the need to move forward with clear and transparent programs of…
The Palestine papers: suicide attack goads Israeli negotiators
The Guardian 26 Jan 2011 – How will you stop bombers, Livni demands at February 2008 meeting
Letters: Palestine leak and the peace process
The Guardian 26 Jan 2011 – Jonathan Freedland’s argument that openness is the best way to conduct the Palestinian-Israeli negotiation is misplaced ( A taboo has been broken. Now the arguments for peace can be open , 26 January). The documents that have been…
Only authentic leaders can deliver a Middle East peace | Seumas Milne
The Guardian 26 Jan 2011 – This week’s leaks have exposed the dangerous folly of US and British attempts to control and divide the Palestinians It’s a tragedy for the Palestinian people that at a time when their cause is the focus…
Palestinian negotiator rejects claims of back door deals with Israel
The Guardian 26 Jan 2011 – PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat says leaked documents show how passionately Palestinians want peace ‚Ä¢ Saeb Erekat: Papers are a distraction from the real issue The PLO’s chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, has described the leak of…
Gaza war report was stalled by Palestinian Authority on US request
The Guardian 26 Jan 2011 – Papers reveal PA held up Goldstone report from UN security council and suggest Abbas was warned of 2008 invasion Palestinian Authority leaders co-operated with US officials in a bid to postpone the reference of the Goldstone…
The Palestine papers are a distraction from the real issue | Saeb Erekat
The Guardian 26 Jan 2011 – We made no backroom deals, and negotiated in good faith. But Palestine had no partner for peace The release of Palestinian documents by al-Jazeera reveals nothing new about the nature and content of negotiations. Rather, it…
The Palestine papers: ‘We don’t know where we are going’
The Guardian 26 Jan 2011 – The Palestinians’ chief negotiator tells the Americans that despite 19 years of talks, the extremists are winning
The Palestine papers: Mitchell hears Palestinian frustrations
The Guardian 26 Jan 2011 – Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat tells George Mitchell that after 19 years of stalled negotiations it’s a moment of truth in the Middle East
The Palestine papers: ’19 years and you still don’t know what to do with us’
The Guardian 26 Jan 2011 – Meeting notes of Dr Saeb Erekat and Senator George Mitchell on 20 October 2009
The presidential imperative in the peace process | Daniel Kurtzer
The Guardian 26 Jan 2011 – What is now clear is that real progress was made at times — but only deep engagement from President Obama can clinch a deal The “Palestine papers” , like the WikiLeaks documents being released daily, provide some…
OPT: UPDATED URGENT APPEAL – Children of the Gravel
Relief Web 26 Jan 2011 – Source: Defence for Children International/Palestine Section
USAID West Bank/Gaza Report on Mission Program Achievements – Week of January 17, 2011
Relief Web 26 Jan 2011 – Source: US Agency for International Development
OPT/West Bank: enduring the restrictions in the Jordan Valley
Relief Web 26 Jan 2011 – Source: ICRC
L’ONU appelle ?† financer l’action humanitaire en 2011
Relief Web 26 Jan 2011 – Source: UN News Service
EGYPT: Public Noose Tightens Around Mubarak
IPS Demonstrations calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt continued for the second day in several Egyptian cities with police cracking down violently, a development that many analysts here say reflects the nervousness of the regime.
MIDEAST: PA Could be Too Late for Two States
IPS The credibility of the Palestinian Authority (PA) on the Arab street has been further weakened by the release of the ‚ÄòPalestine Papers’, but ironically the release of the explosive documents by Al Jazeera could bolster support for the Palestinian cause internationally.
Demolition orders in Khirbet al Tawil
Stop The Wall – A week ago, Occupation forces delivered final warnings to four farmers from Khirbet al Tawil, east of Aqraba, for the destruction of their homes. The buildings, constructed from mud, have received seven consecutive demolition orders. [
Egypt clashes: 860 protestors arrested
YNet News – (Video) Egyptian Interior Ministry announces it is forbidding protests — but….
Iran censors Ashton’s ‘plunging neckline’
YNet News – Finding EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton’s outfit too revealing,….
Peace activist’s murderer released
YNet News – Yona Avrushmi, who killed Emil Grunzweig during Jerusalem left-wing rally in….
Police: Palestinian cell murdered US tourist
YNet News – Thirteen men suspected of killing two women near Jerusalem, committing rape and….
Abbas slams al-Jazeera over leaked docs
YNet News – Palestinian leader calls President Peres after wife’s death, blasts ‘murderers’….
Medvedev after bombing: Learn from Israel
YNet News – Russian president orders reform in country’s security apparatus following deadly….
Egypt warns against more protests
YNet News – Government says won’t allow any demonstrators will be detained, as it seeks to….
Activists: Al-Jazeera tried to weaken PA
YNet News – Following leak of Palestinian negotiation papers, representatives of over 100….
Leaked docs: PA stonewalled Goldstone Report
YNet News – The Palestinian Authority was involved in efforts to stonewall the Goldstone Report, which accused Israel of committing war crimes during Operation Cast Lead, in exchange …….
Russia: Cyber attack on Iran could be risky
YNet News – A recent cyber attack on Iran’s nuclear program could have triggered a disaster comparable to the one in Chernobyl 25 years ago, Russia’s envoy to NATO said Wednesday. …….
Erekat: US, British citizens leaked documents
YNet News – Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat exposed the identity of the two people behind the Israeli-Palestinian negotiation documents during an interview in Al Jazeera’s …….
Palestinian tractor torched in West Bank
YNet News – Palestinians from the village of Urif in the West Bank reported that their tractor was torched on Monday night. Messages such as “price tag Bat Ayin” and “revenge for …….
PA: Qatar exposed Karin-A
YNet News – While Al Jazeera continues to release more documents, the Palestinian Authority is stepping up its campaign against the TV network and Qatar. Fatah senior official Bassam …….
Palestinian Information Center
Factions: Palestinians not bound by unauthorized negotiations
PIC 26 Jan 2011 – Factions agreed secret negotiations leaked by Al-Jazeera compromising almost all of East Jerusalem were unauthorized and unbinding to Palestinians.
PLC to review secret negotiation documents on Thursday
PIC 26 Jan 2011 – The PLC will discuss in meeting Thursday Al-Jazeera-aired documents detailing concessions by the PA; rights groups to file law suit.
Hamas starts internal talk to rally position against PA’s concessions to Israel
PIC 26 Jan 2011 – Hamas said it initiated consultations with the Palestinian factions, forces, and independent figures to crystallize a joint national position against the Fatah-controlled Palestinian authority.
Mother of slain fighter Madhoun calls for punishing killers of her son
PIC 26 Jan 2011 – The mother of Hasan Al-Madhoun called for forming a committee to investigate the involvement of the Palestinian authority in the assassination of her son and prosecuting his killers.
Ex-Shin Bet chief: Cooperation with PA was at times on the field
PIC 26 Jan 2011 – Former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon praises security ties with PA; says PA cooperated in field operations.
Senior Hamas official says PLO will never represent Palestinians again
PIC 26 Jan 2011 – Hamas rallied in Gaza Tuesday to protest nearly 2,000 documents Al-Jazeera leaked this week revealing concessions made by the Palestinian Authority and PLO.
Al-Jazeera papers unveil size of PA’s security collaboration with Israel
PIC 26 Jan 2011 – Al-Jazeera revealed the size of the security cooperation between the Palestinian authority which won praise from Washington and Tel Aviv for its role in protecting Israel’s security..
Resheq: Palestinians never assigned negotiator
PIC 26 Jan 2011 – Senior Hamas official Izzat Al-Resheq enraged at Palestinian concessions said negotiators were never entrusted by the people.
Al-Jazeera discloses British intelligence schemes against Palestinian resistance
PIC 26 Jan 2011 – Al-Jazeera satellite channel revealed two British intelligence plans dating back to 2003 and 2004 were intended to help the Fatah-controlled PA to target the Palestinian resistance.
DIANA BUTTU ON THE PALESTINE PAPERS [VIDEO]
Intifada-Palestine: 26 Jan 2011 – In this special segment of Palestine Studies TV, Diana Buttu, a former member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Negotiations Support Unit, spoke about the recent leak of thousands of internal Palestinian documents concerning the ongoing negotiations with Israel. They were published and covered extensively…more
JEFF GATES: ISRAEL STRIKES BACK
Intifada-Palestine: 26 Jan 2011 – Jeff Gates Timing is everything when waging war “by way of deception,” the motto that has long guided Israeli war-planners. Whenever Israel’s geopolitical goals are threatened, chaos is assured. In national security terminology, the January 24 th bombing at Moscow’s busiest airport was “out of theater repositioning.”…more
THE STUTTGART DECLARATION FOR A ONE STATE SOLUTION IN PALESTINE — AN ANALYSIS BY DR. LAWRENC DAVIDSON
Intifada-Palestine: 26 Jan 2011 – Dr. Lawrence Davidson Part I — Historical Context When Yasir Arafat took over the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1969 he changed it from a tool of the Egyptian government to a dynamic united front seeking national liberation for the Palestinian people. What sort of national liberation? Arafat’s initial hope was…more
PALESTINE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A LOST CAUSE
Intifada-Palestine: 26 Jan 2011 – Alan Hart The most sickening (I mean truly vomit inducing) thing about the Al Jazeera revelations, the so-called Palestine Papers, is not what they confirm about the quisling status of the impotent and corrupt Palestine Authority. Nor is it what they confirm about the Israeli leadership’s complete lack of interest in peace…more
Egypt security forces crack down on scattered protests
LA Times 26 Jan 2011 – A day after unprecedented nationwide protests against President Hosni Mubarak, security forces tighten their grip on Cairo. The crackdown appears to be keeping many protesters off the streets. The Obama administration urged key Mideast ally Egypt to heed calls for political reform even as security forces tightened their grip on pockets of rebellion in the capital that persisted a day after unprecedented nationwide protests.
Protesters in Egypt Defy Ban as Government Cracks Down
New York Times 26 Jan 2011 – Protesters marched against President Hosni Mubarak for the second straight day. In Suez, protesters set fire to a government building.
Warily Eyeing Egypt, Israelis Feel Like Spectators
New York Times 26 Jan 2011 – While the recent upheaval in Egypt has not focused on Israel, it could have a momentous impact on the future of the country’s oldest and most important Middle East relationship.
Next Premier of Lebanon Tries to Set His Own Course
New York Times 26 Jan 2011 – Najib Mikati, a Hezbollah-backed billionaire, promises good relations with the United States and says he will not interfere with an inquiry into the assassination of a former prime minister.
Arrest of Nabi Saleh Teen Extended as Popular Committee Leader Detained
Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – 14 year old Islam Tamimi will spend another night in jail as a military judge did not grant his release this morning. Later in the morning, Bassam Tamimi, the Popular Committee leader of Nabi Saleh, was briefly arrested in the village. Two 15 year old children…
The Palestine papers and the dead-end of nationalism
WSWS – The so-called Palestine papers provide documentary confirmation of what is becoming plain to millions of Palestinians: the nationalist project of building an independent Palestinian state has become transformed into a new means of oppression.
A mind is a terrible thing to waste
Mondoweiss – Ali Gharib reports at Lobelog : On December 23, right-wing pro-Israel activist Noah Pollak was wandering through the Athens airport when he snapped a picture of an HSBC advertisement containing this factoid: “Only 4% of American films are made by women. In Iran it’s 25%.” Pollak tweeted…
Palestine Papers: US intimidated PA into stifling Goldstone Report
Mondoweiss –
‚ÄòThe days of ‚Äò48 have come again’: 15 minutes from Tel Aviv, Israel creates a new refugee camp
Mondoweiss – Inside the “Abu Eid Refugee Camp,” 15 km from Tel Aviv (photo by Guy Botebia) On December 13, 17-year-old Hamza Abu Eid was taken out of class and summoned to the principal’s office. “The Israelis are destroying your house right now,” the principal told him. “It…
Palestine Papers: Admiral Mullen says Palestinian state is a U.S. ‚Äòcardinal interest’ after raising troop deaths
Mondoweiss – General David Petraeus backed away from uttering similar words , but it’s clearly a view that holds wide currency in the U.S. military establishment: ending the Israel/Palestine conflict is a core U.S. interest that affects the safety of U.S. soldiers. Haaretz picks up (though they bury it)…
Meanwhile, in Judea and Samaria . . .
Mondoweiss – While parts of the Middle East seem on the verge of revolutionary change, in other parts it appears to be business as usual. This is a whack settler video, narrated by Eliyokim Cohen of Framingham, MA , gloating over the goldrush construction in the occupied West Bank….
Palestine Leaks: PA Killed Its Own People to Establish “Gun Authority”
Al-Manar 26 Jan 2011 – New documents revealed on Al-Jazeera television showed an extensive clandestine cooperation between Israel’s security services and those of the Palestinian Authority what drove Washington and Tel Aviv to confess the “great” role of the PA intelligence that admitted it assassinated Palestinians for establishing “one authority one…
‚ÄòIsrael not interested in an equitable two-state solution with Palestinians’
Joseph Dana 26 Jan 2011 – I was on Russia Today on Monday to talk about the Palestine Papers and what it means for peace prospects on the ground in Israel/Palestine.
Arrests and night raids: the repression of the Popular Struggle in Nabi Saleh
Joseph Dana 26 Jan 2011 – Shackled and drowning in an adult prison uniform, 14 year old Islam Tamimi was brought before a military court this morning for a hearing on his detention. Exhausted and nervous, Tamimi sat before a court room of soldiers. Tamimi was arrested during a night raid in…
Hundreds held over Egypt protests
BBC 26 Jan 2011 – About 700 people are arrested across Egypt as police clash with anti-government protesters in several cities, with two people reported dead in Cairo.
Erekat fears for life after leaks
BBC 26 Jan 2011 – Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accuses al-Jazeera TV of putting his life in danger by leaking secret papers on the peace talks with Israel.
Hague arrives in Syria for talks
BBC 26 Jan 2011 – UK Foreign Secretary William Hague arrives in Syria for talks, with the Middle East peace process high on the agenda.
Israel’s European Friends Get Active
Antiwar.com 26 Jan 2011 – BRUSSELS — The pro-Israel lobby is seeking to increase its influence among members of Europe’s parliaments by offering them an expenses-paid trip to the Middle East. Brochures circulated in several elected assemblies invite their representatives to take part in a visit to Israel and the occupied…
A Hezbollah-Run Lebanon Poses Little Threat to US Security
Antiwar.com 26 Jan 2011 – With the rise of a Hezbollah-backed government in Lebanon, hand-wringing seems to be the order of the day in the American and Israeli governments. Hezbollah is a Shi’ite Islamist group that is the only Arab entity to have defeated Israel in armed conflict — the latest…
(en) Israel-Palestine—Anarkismo.net: A call to the anarchist movement to Join the Boycott Divestment & Sanction (BDS) Campaign* (ca, gr, It)
A-infos 26 Jan 2011 – Join the Boycott Divestment & Sanction (BDS) Campaign —- A call to the anarchist movement to join the BDS campaign (not a call by the Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall*) The Israeli anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist organization in Israel, Matzpen, of which Anarchists Against the Wall (AAtW) is…
Articles
The Al-Jazeera documents: what’s next?
Khalid Amayreh, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)1/24/2011
Palestinian Authority (PA) officials have lashed out at the Al-Jazeera pan-Arab network for disclosing previously secret documents showing that PA negotiators had agreed to compromise over some cardinal issues of the Arab-Israeli conflict; these include the status of Jerusalem and the right of return for millions of refugees, uprooted from their homes when and since Israel was created in 1948.
In an impromptu press conference held in Ramallah on 24 January, Yasser Abed Rabbo, Secretary-General of the PLO, accused the Qatar-based network of waging a relentless war on the PA and besmirching its leadership’s image for the benefit of Israel and the enemies of the Palestinian struggle. He said Al-Jazeera was fabricating evidence to discredit PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his aides, adding that this campaign wouldn’t have been launched without the personal approval of the Qatari Amir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
However, a close and objective examination of the documents shows that Al-Jazeera didn’t exceed its bounds and that regardless of how the network acquired the leaked documents, elements of concoction, fabrication and doctoring didn’t play any role in the process. Unfortunately, PA officials and negotiators, including chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, didn’t stick to the facts when trying to defend the negotiators’ behaviour. Instead, they resorted to name -calling, abusive language, unfounded accusations and brash mendacity. It is not uncommon for PA apologists and spokespersons to resort to diversionary tactics and red herrings, even unnecessary jokes, to evade the hard issues at hand. In this case, the examination of the issue does show that the PA was willing to abandon and betray inalienable Palestinian rights.
The issue of Jerusalem stands out among other issues over which the PA was obviously willing to compromise…. more.. e-mail
Dayton’s mission: A reader’s guide
Mark Perry, AlJazeera1/25/2011
Mark Perry explains what The Palestine Papers reveal about Gen. Keith Dayton’s training mission in the West Bank.
The Palestine Papers provide unprecedented access into the internal workings of the U.S.-brokered Israeli-Palestinian negotiating process. But the leaked documents and meetings also touch on other key issues surrounding U.S. intervention in the conflict — including dozens of documents on Palestinian security issues. At the heart of these is the work of the Office of the U.S. Security Coordinator (USSC), what many refer to as “The Dayton Mission,” — a designation derived from the USSC’s chief, Lt. General Keith Dayton, who retired last October. Among other things they confirm — from Dayton’s own mouth — that Palestinian Authority forces supported by the United States engaged in torture.
Background
The establishment of the USSC — its mandate and purpose — is fraught with misunderstandings. The first is that U.S. military officers are training Palestinian security personnel. That’s not true. Palestinian security personnel were initially trained by American contractors (in this case, Dyncorp) — the same kind of contractors who have given the U.S such problems in Iraq. Later, these private contractors were joined by trainers provided by the Jordanian Public Security Directorate. While the facilities for the training (located outside of Amman) are provided by the United States, the Palestinian trainees were (and are) equipped by the Egyptians.
While the now-retired Dayton was a senior three-star military officer (he was preceded by General William Ward and has been succeeded General Michael Moeller), he never reported through a military chain of command. Rather, he reported directly to the Secretary of State — first to Condoleezza Rice, under the Bush administration and, later, to Hillary Clinton, under President Barack Obama. more.. e-mail
This seemingly endless and ugly game of the peace process is now finally over
Karma Nabulsi, The Guardian, Palestine Think Tank1/24/2011
The peace process is a sham. Palestinians must reject their officials and rebuild their movement.
It’s over. Given the shocking nature, extent and detail of these ghastly revelations from behind the closed doors of the Middle East peace process, the seemingly endless and ugly game is now, finally, over. Not one of the villains on the Palestinian side can survive it. With any luck the sheer horror of this account of how the US and Britain covertly facilitated and even implemented Israeli military expansion — while creating an oligarchy to manage it — might overcome the entrenched interests and venality that have kept the peace process going. A small group of men who have polluted the Palestinian public sphere with their private activities are now exposed.
For us Palestinians, these detailed accounts of the secretly negotiated surrender of every one of our core rights under international law (of return for millions of Palestinian refugees, on annexing Arab Jerusalem, on settlements) are not a surprise. It is something that we all knew — in spite of official protests to the contrary — because we feel their destructive effects every day. The same is true of the outrageous role of the US and Britain in creating a security bantustan, and the ruin of our civic and political space. We already knew, because we feel its fatal effects.
For the overwhelming majority of Palestinians, official Palestinian policy over these past decades has been the antithesis of a legitimate, or representative, or even coherent strategy to obtain our long-denied freedom. But this sober appreciation of our current state of affairs, accompanied by the mass protests and civil society campaigns by Palestinian citizens, has been insufficient, until now, to rid us of it.
The release into the public domain of these documents is such a landmark because it destroys the final traces of credibility of the peace process. Everything to do with it relied upon a single axiom: that each new initiative or set of negotiations with the Israelis, every policy or programme (even the creation of undemocratic institutions under military occupation), could be presented as carried out in good faith under harsh conditions: necessary for peace, and in the service of our national cause. Officials from all sides played a double game vis-?†-vis the Palestinians. It is now on record that they have betrayed, lied and cheated us of basic rights, while simultaneously claiming they deserved the trust of the Palestinian people. — See also: Source more.. e-mail
Mahmoud Darwish’s ‘Journal of an Ordinary Grief’
Andre Naffis-Sahely, Words Without Borders1/26/2011
Mahmoud Darwish’s “Journal of an Ordinary Grief”, Translated from the Arabic by Ibrahim Muhawi, Archipelago Books, 2010
Every artist, particularly if they happen to be a good one, is in a sense posthumous; and as soon as their tongue is safely lifeless, every tribe lays claim to what part of their work suits their particular purposes; “he or she” they say, “belonged to all of us.” The more I read of Darwish, who was quite possibly the modern apotheosis of the Arabic language, the more I consider how appalled he might have been of the public spectacle engendered by his death: the indecisions as to where he would be buried, the cortége of politicians filing past his coffin, the plans for a memorial, the days of mourning; who wouldn’t be mortified? To most of those who knew him, Darwish was humble, shy– but alert to the duplicity of responses he inspired in his readers:
“You have to be crafty with formulation in order to safeguard your existence. For this reason you prefer poetry to crossing rivers. Then critics living in ease will accuse you of being a traitor to the national cause. And your enemies will accuse you of anti-Semitism.”
Penned during Darwish’s house arrest in Haifa prior to his exile from Israel in 1971, Journal of an Ordinary Grief is the first of his prose works to attempt a portrait of the artist as first and foremost a poet, and in the second place as a Palestinian. What is a Palestinian without a country, or even a physical memory of that country? Many of the lines in the Journal struggle with this paucity of means. As he puts it in “The Homeland,” the second chapter in the book: “the map does not constitute an answer, because it is very much like an abstract painting. And your grandfather’s grave is not the answer because a small forest can make it disappear.”…. more.. e-mail
Documents reveal PA-Israel collaboration to target resistance
Electronic Intifada: 26 Jan 2011 – Details on the growing security cooperation between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, the United States and the United Kingdom were revealed yesterday, the third day of Al Jazeera network’s release of more than 1,600 internal documents and secret correspondence from the last decade of negotiations between the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and the United States.more
Book review: From mourning to mobilization
Electronic Intifada: 26 Jan 2011 – Ronit Lentin is an Israeli-born academic and novelist now based in Ireland, where she teaches sociology at Trinity College, Dublin. She describes her latest book, Co-memory and Melancholia: Israelis Memorialising the Palestinian Nakba , as “a reflection on the contested relations between commemoration and appropriation from the standpoint of a member of the perpetrators’ collectivity, whose politics align her with the colonized.”more
Mother of Bilin martyrs: we will not be stopped
Electronic Intifada: 26 Jan 2011 – Jawaher was not the only member of the Abu Rahmah family whose life was taken by Israeli military violence. In April 2009, during a similar protest against the wall, an Israeli soldier fired a tear gas canister directly at Bassem Abu Rahmah, Jawaher’s brother, which hit him in the chest and killed him. The Electronic Intifada contributor Alex Kane interviews Soubhiya Abu Rahmah, the mother of Bassem and Jawaher, in Bilin.more
Palestinian Negotiators Must Tell All
Palestine Chronicle: 26 Jan 2011 – By George S. Hishmeh — Washington, D.C. The Arab peoples, almost anywhere from ‘the Atlantic to the Gulf,’ are nowadays seething with anger more than at anytime in recent decades, partly because of their poor economic conditions and rising unemployment as well as the absence of good governance. But equally shattering has been the feeling that their autocratic rulers are not responsive to their political goals and only serve as instruments in the hands of the big powers, especially the United States which has been a firm ally of Israel, the usurper of the Palestinian homeland. This has been clearly illustrated after the pace-setting Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia forced the country’s president and his family to flee to Saudi Arabia, and served as a torch for many in the region, especially Algeria, Egypt, and Yemen, where some demonstrators have been killed. The ongoing turmoil reported in the Sudan, Iraq and…more
Palestinians: Don’t Get Mad, Get Even
Palestine Chronicle: 26 Jan 2011 – By Stuart Littlewood — London See this embarrassment as your big chance – a God-sent opportunity to sweep away the shameful Palestinian Authority. Then make a fresh start. Bypass Israel and its twisted backers and deal direct with those responsible, the United Nations. Don’t think that you are the only ones with traitors in your midst. We too have our quislings. They have given away our sovereignty to the EU and Brussels, sold off our national assets to foreign corporates and shackled us to the US-Israel ‘axis of greed’. They have even abused the trust and loyalty of our troops by committing them to illegal wars that have nothing to do with defence of the realm and everything to do with advancing the crazed ambition of foreign “allies” to get their dirty mitts on other people’s resources. Following the latest revelations, courtesy of Aljazeera, about the antics of PA negotiators…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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