29 January, 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
17-year-old Boy Killed In Beit Ummar, Hundreds Protest After Funeral
IMEMC – Saturday January 29, 2011 – 16:13, Hundreds of residents of the town of Beit Ummar, near Hebron took to the streets in the funeral of 17-year-old Yousef Ikhlayyil who was shot dead by Israeli settlers on Friday.
Egypt Protests Continue, 24 killed
IMEMC – Saturday January 29, 2011 – 12:05, Despite the excessive use of force by the Egyptian Police and security forces, Egyptian protesters continued their activities demanding the regime of Hosni Mubarak to be removed, and calling for fair and democratic elections in the country., President Mubarak addressed the Egyptians on TV, and stated that he intends to remove the current government, and vowed “reforms”.
Paraguay Recognizes Independent Palestinian State
IMEMC – Saturday January 29, 2011 – 10:45, Paraguayan Foreign Minister, Hector Lacognata, stated Friday that his country recognizes a Palestinian state, free and independent in the 1967 territories.
Egypt cuts off access to the internet from inside the country
IMEMC – Saturday January 29, 2011 – 05:56, In the latest move to repress the wave of protest that has swept across Egypt in the last four days, the Egyptian government has apparently cut off access to the internet by re-routing traffic from the five major internet providers in the country. This comes after the Egyptian deployment of US-made attack software to stifle online dissent failed to stop online news reports and organizing.
Teen shot by settlers dies in hospital
1/29/2011 – HEBRON (Ma’an) – Palestinian medical sources announced the death of 17-year-old Yousef Ikhleil on Friday night, hours after the teenager was shot in the head by settlers from a nearby illegal settlement north of Hebron. The boy and a second villager were both injured, with the second casualty suffering only moderate injuries. The….
Jerusalem figures demand end to negotiations
1/29/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — A coalition of religious and civil society figures from Jerusalem on Saturday called on the PLO to quit all negotiations with Israel. Religious officials and representatives of civil society organizations held a meeting in a Jerusalem hotel to discuss leaked PLO documents published by the Doha-based Al-Jazeera TV network covering a….
Egyptian security: 12 killed in skirmish at Gaza border
1/29/2011 – SINAI PENINSULA, Egypt (Ma’an) — Palestinian sources say 12 people including Bedouins and Egyptian police officers were killed Saturday in clashes in the Sinai Peninsula, in what appeared to be an attempt by tribes in the region to take control of the swath of land south of the Egypt-Gaza border. Gunshots were heard in….
Tear gas fired at funeral of teen shot by settlers
1/30/2011 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Saturday fired tear gas, sound grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at the funeral procession of a Palestinian teenager who was shot by settlers in Hebron, witnesses said. Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of Yousef Ikhleil, 17, who died hours after he was shot in the head by….
1 injured in Bil’in anti-wall rally
1/29/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces injured one Palestinian at a weekly anti-wall rally Friday in the West Bank village of Bil’in, near Ramallah, the local popular committee said. Soldiers fired tear gas to disperse dozens of locals and international demonstrators protesting Israel’s separation wall which confiscates large swathes of village….
Amnesty: Israel’s flotilla probe a ‘whitewash’
1/29/2011 – LONDON (Ma’an) — London-based rights group Amnesty International condemned on Friday the findings of an Israeli inquiry into last year’s raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla as a “whitewash,” saying the Israeli investigating panel failed to account for the deaths of nine Turkish nationals at the hands of Israeli commando forces. The….
Files show Palestinians unyielding on settlements
1/29/2011 – RAMALLAH (AFP) — Palestinian delegates to 2010 peace talks rejected out of hand Israel’s demand to hold on to swathes of West Bank settlements, documents given to AFP on Saturday show. A discussion paper prepared by the Palestinian side and made available to AFP on condition of anonymity challenges the Israeli assumption that the….
Palestine complains to UN over settler violence
1/30/2011 – NEW YORK (Ma’an) — Palestinian delegate to the United Nations Riyad Mansour wrote to the UN Security Council on Friday, calling for “urgent attention and serious action” following a wave of settler violence that left two dead and four injured over the previous two days. In what was said to be the 383rd letter….
State media: Abbas contacts Egyptian president
1/30/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas contacted his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak on Saturday, state media said.”President Abbas affirmed the Palestinian leadership’s support for Egyptian security and stability,” Abbas was quoted as saying. Embattled Hosni Mubarak tapped Egypt’s military intelligence chief as his first-ever vice president and named a….
Poll: 68% of Palestinians don’t believe Al-Jazeera leaks
1/30/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Over two-thirds of Palestinians living in the occupied territories doubted the accuracy of leaked PLO documents shortly after they were published by Al-Jazeera, the results of a recent poll said. The Qatar-based satellite network has published over 1,600 confidential documents relating to over a decade of negotiations with Israel. According to….
Friday sermons in West Bank slam Al-Jazeera
1/29/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Sermons delivered Friday by local imams focused almost exclusively on condemnations of Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV channel over what most Imams dubbed “incitement against Palestinian leadership,” Muslim worshipers said. With tens of thousands taking to the streets in Egypt, many had expected reflections and support for the people trying to oust a….
Erekat: Special committee investigating Al-Jazeera leaks
1/29/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Chief negotiator of the Palestine Liberation Organization Saeb Erekat said Saturday that a higher Palestinian committee was appointed to investigate the source of leaked documents made public last week by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera news channel. Speaking Saturday to journalists and civil society representatives, Erekat said the government would announce immediately the results….
PA agriculture ministry to distribute 3 million tree seedlings
1/30/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Three million fruit tree seedlings will be distributed to Palestinian farmers across the West Bank, Palestinian Authority Agriculture Minister Ismail Daiq said Saturday. The initiative is a joint project by the ministry, nongovernmental organizations and private sector groups, Daiq said. The ministry’s offices across the West Bank would distribute….
Hizb Ut Tahrir: PA detained member
1/29/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hizb ut-Tahrir on Saturday accused Palestinian Authority security forces of detaining a party member in the West Bank district of Hebron on Friday. The movement said PA forces seized Mus’ab Abu A’rqub after noon prayers on Friday in Dura. Hizb Ut-Tahrir is an international pan-Islamist party seeking….
Mubarak names deputy as deaths top 100
1/30/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Embattled Hosni Mubarak tapped Egypt’s military intelligence chief as his first-ever vice president and named a new premier on Saturday, as a mass revolt against his autocratic rule raged into a fifth day. Fresh riots left 22 people dead in the town of Beni Sueif, south of Cairo, where protesters tried….
Lebanon PM designate briefs president on government
1/29/2011 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Lebanon’s premier-designate Najib Mikati, who is backed by Hezbollah, on Saturday briefed the president on his talks on forming a new government, set to be boycotted by outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri. Mikati, appointed this week after the Shiite Hezbollah toppled Hariri’s pro-Western government, did not make any comments….
Pressure builds on Mubarak
AlJazeera 29 Jan 2011 – Protests continue as world leaders keep up pressure, urging for sweeping reforms in Egypt.
Egypt’s military in a quandary
AlJazeera 29 Jan 2011 – Al Jazeera’s senior analyst Marwan Bishara sheds light on what the military is likely to do.
Egypt not trending in China
AlJazeera 29 Jan 2011 – Beijing blocks searches for “Egypt” from microblogging site following protests there.
In pictures: Anger in Egypt
AlJazeera 29 Jan 2011 – Egyptians have taken to the streets in tens of thousands against President Mubarak, inspired by the turmoil in Tunisia.
Dutch ends Iran ties over hanging
AlJazeera 29 Jan 2011 – Government’s move came in response to the hanging of a Dutch-Iranian woman on Saturday
Aida Refugees Lend a Helping Hand to the Homeless
PNN – Munjid Jadou – Bethlehem – PNN/Exclusive – Fouad Darwish lives on a small plot of land in Aida Refugee Camp and sleeps on blankets on the ground. He is rejected by society,…
After Fatal Shooting, Beit Omar Funeral Disrupted by Tear Gas, Two Arrests
PNN – Hebron – PNN – One day after Israeli settlers rendered a 17-year-old Palestinian brain dead in the village of Beit Omar, north of Hebron, the boy’s funeral was disrupted by clashes between…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (20-26 January 2011)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
‘I’m worried that others aren’t worried’
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – A Middle East expert answers some pressing questions about the current upheaval in Egypt.
Suleiman: Egypt’s strongman who kept the Islamists in check
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Analysis: “Suleiman knows the Israeli and Palestinian arenas better than anyone in Egypt,” says Dr. Ely Karmon of the IDC.
If Brotherhood takes over, IDF will face formidable enemy
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – This year is turning into a critical one for Israel, which is becoming more isolated in the ME. Turkey is gone and Egypt appears to be on the way.
Mubarak names intel chief as VP, paving way for successor
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Police shoot dead 17 people after they try to attack police stations; over 60 dead in total, 2,000 injured as protests continue to spread across Egypt; looting, riots rampant in main cities; internet access blocked for 2nd day.
Israel keeps diplomats in Egypt, but pulls out families
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Jerusalem remains completely mum on events; National Security Council urges all Israelis to leave.
UN’s Falk denies endorsing 9/11 conspiracy theory
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Special Rapporteur on human rights in Palestinian territories responds to claim by UN Watch that he suggested US gov’t responsible for attacks.
PA officials express concern over events in Egypt
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Abbas phones Mubarak, expressing his support; Hamas spokesman says he hopes “revolution” leads to Egyptian president’s downfall.
Special flight brings home diplomats’ families from Cairo
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Unrest in Egypt spurs Foreign Ministry to commission plane to evacuate some Israelis; No other country has moved to evacuate diplomats.
Egypt’s Mubarak names vice president for 1st time
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman set up as successor to embattled president amidst anti-government protests.
Gallery: Anti-government protests rock Egypt
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Massive crowd of tens of thousands calling for ouster of Egyptian president gathers in the streets and squares of downtown Cairo.
Analysis: Obama tough, but not too tough, with Egypt
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – US president’s speech represents careful balancing act: He had a lot to lose by choosing between protesters and Mubarak.
12 dead as Egyptian police, Bedouins clash in Sinai
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Egyptian riots spread to Rafah crossing; Hamas forces reportedly rush to scene to protect border with Gaza; armed groups attack Egyptian security buildings.
‘El Al attempting to take Israeli tourists out of Egypt’
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Cairo airport official says El Al trying to arrange special flight to evacuate roughly 200; chaos as foreigners scramble to find flights.
Egyptian Cabinet officially resigns after days of protests
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Death toll in Egypt rises to 35, including 10 police; eyewitnesses claim police open fire as protesters gather in Cairo angry at President Mubarak; al-Jazeera reporter claims to see 23 bodies in Alexandia.
Death toll in Egypt rises to 35, including 10 police
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Police report that death toll increases; Eyewitnesses claim that police open fire as protesters re-gather in Cairo angry at President Mubarak’s refusal to step down; al-Jazeera reporter claims to see 23 bodies in Alexandia; Mubarak sacks gov’t.
WikiLeaks: US supported Egypt pro-democracy activists
Jeruslalem Post 29 Jan 2011 – Cable shows that despite criticism of US for backing Mubarak regime, pro-democracy activists were meeting with congresspeople, US diplomats.
International Solidarity Movement
Funeral held for Palestinian youth killed by settlers south of Nablus
1/29/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – ISM – On 27th January, 20-year old Oday Maher Hamza Qadous was killed by settlers whilst farming between the villages of Burin and Iraq Burin, just south of Nablus. According to family sources, the Palestinian youth was alone and gathering wood when settlers – most likely from the nearby, illegal settlement of Bracha – shot Qaddous once….
Beit Ommar youth brain-dead in hospital after being shot by settlers
1/29/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – Palestine Solidarity Project – Earlier today, Yousef Fakhri Ikhlayl, a 17-year-old youth from Beit Ommar who has worked very closely with PSP over the years, was shot in the head by settlers and he is currently brain-dead in Hebron hospital. Yousef attended nearly every unarmed Saturday demonstration, was frequently around the PSP house, and anticipated….
Egypt unrest causes fuel shortage in Gaza Strip
Ha’aretz –
Israel airlifts dozens of nationals out of Egypt
Ha’aretz – Israeli embassy in Cairo closed since protests began Thursday; will remain closed Sunday.
Without Egypt, Israel will be left with no friends in Mideast
Ha’aretz – Without Egypt’s Mubarak and with relations with Turkey in shambles, Israel will be forced to court new potential allies.
PM Netanyahu: Israel will monitor but not comment on Egypt protests
Ha’aretz – The Foreign Ministry is conducting status updates on Egypt every couple of hours and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has been maintaining close contact with Israel’s ambassador to Egypt.
Palestinian refugees in Syria demonstrate against Palestinian Authority
29 Jan 2011 – Syria, (Pal Telegraph) – Hundreds of Palestinian refugees demonstrated here Friday against the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
Amnesty: Israeli inquiry into Gaza flotilla a “whitewash”
29 Jan 2011 – Palestine, (Pal Telegraph) – Amnesty International has condemned the findings of an Israeli inquiry into last year’s raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla as a “whitewash” which failed to account for the deaths of nine Turkish nationals.
Israeli army reopens Shufat checkpoint
29 Jan 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph) -Israeli occupation soldiers reopened Saturday a military checkpoint erected near the entrance of Shufat refugee camp in central occupied Jerusalem, after being closed for hours last night.
Israeli navy attacks Palestinian fishermen, no causalities
29 Jan 2011 – Gaza Strip, (Pal Telegraph) -Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off Khan Younis shore in the south of Gaza Strip ; no causalities were reported .
Israeli settlers shoot dead Palestinian teenager
29 Jan 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph) -Israeli settlers shot dead yesterday a Palestinian teenager during violentclashesnear Hebron, southern West Bank. Medical sources told that the victim known as Yousef Ikhlayyil ,15, from Bait Ummar town in Hebron, was shoot in his head causing his immediate death.
Palestinians in Gaza react to Egypt, Tunisia uprisings
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – As news of the uprisings in a growing number of Arab countries spread like wildfire around the world, residents of other countries struggling under their own oppressive governments and soaring unemployment were celebrating on the streets, on Twitter and on Facebook. The occupied Gaza Strip was no exception. “We, as Palestinians, salute the Tunisian people…
The Torture Career of Egypt’s New Vice President: Omar Suleiman and the Rendition to Torture Program
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – In response to the mass protests of recent days, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has appointed his first Vice President in his over 30 years rule, intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. When Suleiman was first announced, Aljazeera commentators were describing him as a “distinguished” and “respected ” man. It turns out, however, that he is distinguished for, among…
Middle East Intifadas
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – Initially in Tunisia, popular revolt spread regionally across North Africa and the Middle East, erupting in Algeria, Jordan, Egypt and Yemen. On January 27, Al Jazeera reported revolutionary fervor in Egypt, saying: “On Thursday, protesters hurled petrol bombs at a fire station in Suez, setting it ablaze. They tried but failed to (torch) a local”…
AJE Egypt picture slideshow
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – We are in the middle of a political earthquake in the Arab world and the ground has still not stopped shaking. To make predictions when events are so fluid is risky, but there is no doubt that the uprising in Egypt — however it ends — will have a dramatic impact across the region and…
Egypt’s uprising and its implications for Palestine
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – We are in the middle of a political earthquake in the Arab world and the ground has still not stopped shaking. To make predictions when events are so fluid is risky, but there is no doubt that the uprising in Egypt — however it ends — will have a dramatic impact across the region and…
From Jaffa to Cairo all people power is revolutionary
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – As Egypt continued its revolution on the streets, the citizens of Jaffa held a passionate march thorough the city against racism and settlements. About 800 Palestinian and Israeli residents of the city marched through the streets chanting in Arabic and Hebrew against the wave of racism taking over Israeli society. “Jews and Arabs Against the…
17-year-old Boy Killed In Beit Ummar, Hundreds Protest After Funeral
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – Hundreds of residents of the town of Beit Ummar, near Hebron took to the streets in the funeral of 17-year-old Yousef Ikhlayyil who was shot dead by Israeli settlers on Friday. Ikhlayyil was shot when over 150 settlers invaded the village of Safa near Hebron, and clashed with the local residents. Ikhlayyil was admitted to…
Mubarak names his deputy and new PM
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has appointed the country’s head of intelligence to the post of vice-president, in a move said to be a reaction to days of anti-government protests in cities across the country. Omar Soliman was sworn in on Saturday, the first time Mubarak appointed a vice-president during his 30-year rule. Ahmad Shafiq, a…
Amnesty: Israel’s flotilla probe a ‘whitewash’
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – London-based rights group Amnesty International condemned on Friday the findings of an Israeli inquiry into last year’s raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla as a “whitewash,” saying the Israeli investigating panel failed to account for the deaths of nine Turkish nationals at the hands of Israeli commando forces. The findings of the inquiry, known as…
CRPF procure Israeli rifle to suppress Kashmiris’ struggle
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel have procured next generation Israeli assault rifle ‘Tavor’ to suppress the ongoing peaceful liberation struggle in occupied Kashmir. Media reports in Srinagar said that the rifle, which costs approximately three lakh Indian rupees, was manufactured in 2001 by Israeli Weapon Industry (IWI) with an aim to use it…
Israel evacuates envoys’ families in Egypt
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – Israel repatriated families of its diplomats in Egypt on Saturday in response to the unprecedented street protests in the Arab state with which it has a 1979 peace deal. “A special aircraft brought back to Israel on Saturday the families of diplomats and other official envoys, as well as about 40 Israelis on private visits…
Salah Hamouri: One of Thousands of Israeli Political Prisoners
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – In March 2005, French/Palestinian Hamouri was arrested, tortured and imprisoned for allegedly co-conspiring with Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) members to assassinate Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, ultra-Orthodox Shas party’s spiritual leader and former Israeli Chief Rabbi. At age 91, he’s very much alive as of January 25, 2011, Israel National News saying he…
Egyptian security: 12 killed in Bedouin skirmish at Gaza border
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – Palestinian sources say 12 people including Bedouins and Egyptian police officers were killed Saturday in clashes in the Sinai Peninsula, in what appeared to be an attempt by tribes in the region to take control of the swath of land south of the Egypt-Gaza border. Gunshots were heard in the Egyptian city of Rafah as…
Video: Egypt: The youth perspective
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – Inspired by the revolution in Tunisia, Egyptian youths are leading ongoing protests in their own country. Thousands of Egyptians have taken to the streets across the country, demanding political change. So, how do young Egyptians view the protests and are they hopeful that change will come?
Egyptian youth and new dawn hopesFor young Egyptians, long-dormant patriotism and pride have been finally awakened.
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – As police stations and ministry of interior installations continue to burn through the night in many of Egypt’s cities, the Arab World is waking up to a new dawn. In more than 18 years of living in Cairo, I have never felt the sense of cautious hope that exists in Egypt now, particularly among young…
WikiLeaks exposes US complicity in murder, torture, by Egyptian government
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – On Friday, WikiLeaks released dozens of diplomatic cables that together reveal the US has long been aware of the criminality of the Mubarak regime in Egypt and its savage abuses, including torture, random arrest, and extra-judicial killings. The documents also reveal that plans for the military-supervised transfer of power from Hosni Mubarak to his son,…
‘Don’t take our girls …’Jewish-Palestinian couples in Israel face increasing pressure as racism becomes more open.
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – Not long after religious nationalists held a rally in Bat Yam under the banner of “Jewish girls for the Jewish people,” a group of rabbis’ wives published a letter urging Jewish women not to date Arab men. Jewish-Palestinian couples remain uncommon in Israel. But both the rally and letter point towards the difficulties faced by…
Egypt cabinet resigns
Uruknet January 29, 2011 – Egypt’s cabinet has formally submitted its resignation, paving the way for a new government to be formed. Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, said overnight that he had asked the government to resign after countrywide protests on Friday. “The president will announce who will be the next prime minister. But what I understand from the president (…
US secretly backed Egyptian protest leaders
Uruknet January 28, 2011 – For the last three years, the US government secretly provided aid to the leaders behind this week’s social uprising in Egypt aimed to topple the government of President Hosni Mubarak, according to a leaked diplomatic cable. One of the young Egyptian leaders who attended a summit for activists in New York with the help of…
Torture and Despair: The Psychic Roots of the Revolution in Tunisia, Egypt and Across the Middle East
Uruknet January 28, 2011 – The roots of the popular uprising in Tunisia that toppled President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, after 23 years of dictatorship, which has now spread to Egypt like wildfire (click to enlarge photo), and has begun manifesting itself in other countries as well, are, of course, many and varied. Statistically, the cause is a generation of…
Lebanon’s political crisis turns Beirut into a ghost town
The National 30 Jan 2011 – After a Hizbollah-backed candidate was chosen as Lebanon’s prime minister-designate, heightened tensions between rival groups mean the centre of Beirut is now marked by roadblocks, armed patrols and closed-off streets.
Protesters confident Egypt’s soldiers do not pose threat
The National 30 Jan 2011 – Residents and demonstrators greeted the military warmly, saying they were confident the soldiers would not open fire on them.
Egyptian tanks roll into Suez
The National 29 Jan 2011 – While Suez has flourished in the last decade because of Egypt’s growing economy, people say improvements have benefited only a small and well-connected elite, leaving the majority struggling to find money for food and housing.
We’ve waited for this revolution for years. Other despots should quail | Mona Eltahawy
The Guardian 29 Jan 2011 – Change is sweeping though the Middle East and it’s the Facebook generation that has kickstarted it My birth at the end of July 1967 makes me a child of the naksa, or setback, as the Arab…
Jewish settlers shoot 2 Palestinians
Relief Web 29 Jan 2011 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet
EGYPT: Endgame Approaches for Mubarak
IPS Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak named a vice-president and agreed to form a new government, but protesters calling for Mubarak’s removal said that they would not let up until the 83-year-old “Pharaoh” stepped down.
EGYPT: Army Loyalty to Mubarak Will be Crucial
IPS Columns of tanks and armoured personnel carriers moved in to take up position vacated by weary riot police on Friday night as Egypt’s embattled president attempted to restore order to his nation’s capital.
Report: US backed Egypt uprising planners
YNet News – While Telegraph reports that US has secretly supported figures that planned….
Report: Mubarak’s sons, wife head to London
YNet News – Al-Jazeera: Mubarak’s sons left Egypt. Intelligence Chief Suleiman appointed….
Top cleric: Mubarak, go away!
YNet News – Sheikh Qaradawi urges Mubarak to leave Egypt, says nobody can stop history from….
Iranian leaders hope for Islamic republic in Egypt
YNet News – Clerics say protests against Mubarak government were inspired by 1979 revolution….
Protesters return to Cairo’s streets
YNet News – Anti-government protesters hit streets throughout Egypt for fifth consecutive….
Egypt death toll mounts; army to boost deployment
YNet News – Egyptian riots resumed in full force late Saturday, but a government official said the security situation in the country will be changing within hours as the army boosts …….
Egypt police target reporters
YNet News – The BBC television network has announced that it will submit an official protest to the Egyptian authorities after one of its correspondents was attacked by security …….
Egypt riots escalate; political prisoners shot
YNet News – Egypt riots escalate: The riots raging on in Egypt have spread into several prisons in the country Saturday, as at last eight detainees were reportedly killed in a jail …….
Palestinian Information Center
Israel expresses concern as protesters threaten to overthrow Mubarak
PIC 29 Jan 2011 – Israel is expressing deep concern as unprecedented protests demanding the removal of longtime Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak go on their fifth day.
Lafta residents outraged at plan transforming hundreds of dunums of land
PIC 29 Jan 2011 – Local councils are expressing total objection to a new Israeli construction plan that will change the historical character of the west Jerusalem village of Lafta.
Protests endanger Palestinians held by Egypt
PIC 29 Jan 2011 – As tensions rise high across Egypt, relatives of Palestinians held in Egyptian jails are expressing increasing concern.
Abbas phones Mubarak to express solidarity
PIC 29 Jan 2011 – Mahmoud Abbas phoned Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak on Saturday to affirm his “solidarity” with him in face of the growing popular unrest in his country demanding his removal.
Tens of Palestinians injured in IOF attack on funeral
PIC 29 Jan 2011 – Tens of Palestinian citizens were wounded by IOF shooting north of Al-Khalil on Saturday while taking part in the funeral procession of a Palestinian teen killed at the hands of Jewish settlers.
PA security agencies arrest seven Hamas supporters in West Bank
PIC 29 Jan 2011 – Palestinian Authority security agencies have arrested seven Hamas supporters across the West Bank in the past two days.
Braverman: Mubarak’s rule is about to end
PIC 29 Jan 2011 – Former Israeli minister Avishay Braverman said Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is at the end of his rule and his dream to bequeath the presidency to his elder son Gamal has dissipated.
Palestinian security men deployed along border with Egypt
PIC 29 Jan 2011 – Palestinian security men were deployed on Saturday morning along the Gaza Strip borders with Egypt to secure the area in anticipation of any attempt to violate the borders.
Al-Quds int’l calls for holding accountable PA officials for giving up rights
PIC 29 Jan 2011 – Director of Al-Quds international institution Yassin Hamoud called for holding accountable everyone from the Palestinian Authority involved in waiving the Palestinian people’s rights and constants.
Abbas, his aides panicked over events in Egypt
PIC 29 Jan 2011 – A senior Fatah official said Mahmoud Abbas and his aides were extremely confused and nervous last night about what was happening in Egypt.
Fearless protesters challenge regimes around Middle East
LA Times 29 Jan 2011 – The toppling of Tunisia’s president is having a ricochet effect across the Arab world with demonstrators trading fear for solidarity. A wall of fear has come down.
Egypt presents a delicate balancing act for Obama
LA Times 29 Jan 2011 – Supporters say the president is generally doing well dealing with a complex problem involving a key, autocratic ally and protests calling for democracy. Critics say he’s been overly supportive of Hosni Mubarak and slow to react. President Obama inherited two wars when he entered the White House, and now the sudden upheaval in Egypt poses a big new foreign policy challenge for his presidency.
U.S. wants to see an overhaul, not overthrow, in Egypt
LA Times 29 Jan 2011 – While not objecting to Hosni Mubarak’s government reshuffle, a senior Obama administration official says far more change is needed, including giving opposition groups and activists more freedom. What the U.S. wants to avoid is a repeat of Iran’s 1979 revolution. U.S. officials didn’t object Saturday to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s government reshuffle but made it clear they want to see far more change in the days ahead.
Egypt looting spreads; Mubarak names insiders to two top posts
LA Times 29 Jan 2011 – Besieged President Hosni Mubarak names Ahmed Shafik, minister of civil aviation, prime minister and Omar Suleiman, head of intelligence, vice president. It is the first time he’s had a vice president. Looting spread across Egypt and President Hosni Mubarak appointed a vice president as protesters swarmed into the streets for a fifth day, burning buildings, ransacking police offices and marching joyfully past tanks and soldiers.
Egypt’s anger spills into the streets for a 5th day
LA Times 29 Jan 2011 – Police have opened fire on a massive crowd of protesters in downtown Cairo. One is reportedly killed. Thousands of protesters returned to the streets of central Cairo on Saturday morning to demand that President Hosni Mubarak leave power on the fifth consecutive day of civil revolt that has rocked the country to the core and left dozens dead and hundreds injured.
Israel watches Egypt uprising with fear
LA Times 29 Jan 2011 – Israel watched fearfully Saturday as anti-government unrest roiled Egypt, one of its most important allies and a bridge to the wider Arab world.
Man in the News: Choice Likely to Please the Military, Not the Crowds
New York Times 29 Jan 2011 – Omar Suleiman, President Hosni Mubarak’s choice for vice president of Egypt, is the establishment’s candidate.
For Americans Stranded in Egypt, No Quick Exits
New York Times 29 Jan 2011 – Thousands of people were trapped in hotels or the airport, and there was no indication when they might leave.
Arab Executives Predict Regime Change in Egypt
New York Times 29 Jan 2011 – The consensus among the Arab elite at the World Economic Forum was that the protests in Egypt would end the nation’s near monarchical regime.
Beit Ummar Brain Dead After Shot By Settlers in Saffa
Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – Around 100 settlers from Bat Ayn settlement descended upon the Palestinian villages of Saffa and nearby Beit Ummar in the southern West Bank, shooting 17-year-old Yousef Fakhri Ikhlayl in his head, leaving him critically injured Friday Morning. Doctors have announced that Yousef is currently brain-dead in…
17 Year Old Yousef Fakhri Ikhlayl. Picture Credit: PSP
Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – Palestinian Ambassador to Chile joins weekly demonstration in Bil’in against the Separation wall and occupation. The demonstration was attacked with ‘skunk water’, tear gas and sound bombs.
Britain’s MI6 trained Abbas in suppression of Palestinian opposition
WSWS – Secret documents show that Britain’s intelligence service, MI6, and civil servants played a key role in crushing all opposition by militant groups to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.
The ‘Palestine Papers’ Signals a Time for Change.
Palestine Monitor – Last Sunday, Al-Jazeera, pairing up with The Guardian, created a buzz by releasing purportedly confidential documents unveiling years of secret negotiations between the Israeli government, the PLO negotiators and the PA. The documents are a huge blow to the already considerably weakened Palestinian leadership, whose credibility…
‘Muslims, Christians we are all Egyptians’: Scenes from a revolution as told by one eyewitness
Mondoweiss – A cross-section of Cairo residents formed a human chain on Saturday to help guard Egyptian antiquities at a national museum. (Photo: Khaled Desouki/Agence France-Presse via The Lede ) My friend Yousry is in his late twenties. He and his wife would be considered affluent because they live…
Close U.S. ally and new Egyptian VP Soliman ‘keeps the domestic beasts at bay’
Mondoweiss – Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has appointed Omar Soliman , the country’s head of intelligence, as vice president in Mubarak’s first big move following continuous days of protest that are threatening to end his regime. But Soliman’s appointment will not placate the Egyptian demonstrators— Democracy Now ! producer Sharif…
The Egyptian revolution threatens an American-imposed order of Arabophobia and false choices
Mondoweiss – I’m thrilled by what I see in the Cairo streets, but when I turn on American television I see only grim faces. Robert Gibbs looked frightened during his long-delayed press briefing yesterday afternoon, he stumbled and didn’t know what to say. Obama’s comments last night were…
Egyptians believe Mubarak instigated looting to show only he can protect them from chaos
Mondoweiss – Editor: We are deeply grateful to Pulse for posting Parvez Sharma’s piece while our site was down all morning. American television networks and an endless parade of mostly white men pundits (brought out and dusted off with their cobwebs) should take lessons from Al-Jazeera in live…
Over 100 dead so far during the Egyptian revolution, is the world watching?
Mondoweiss – @import “http://embed.tweetizen.com/embed.css”; Here is a livestream of several twitter accounts from people who are sharing on the ground reports: And more news from Today in Palestine: Egyptian Revolution Army protecting Egypt protesters from police (video) If the Egypt protesters succeed in driving Hosni Mubarak from…
From Jaffa to Cairo all people power is revolutionary
Joseph Dana 29 Jan 2011 – AsEgyptcontinueditsrevolutionon the streets, thecitizensof Jaffa held a passionate march thorough the city against racism and settlements. About800 Palestinian and Israeli residents of the city marched through the streets chanting in Arabic and Hebrew against the wave of racism taking over Israeli society. “Jews and Arabs Against…
World pressure on Mubarak grows
BBC 29 Jan 2011 – World leaders call on Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak to avoid violence and enact reforms as protests continue into a sixth day.
Dutch cut Iran links over hanging
BBC 29 Jan 2011 – The Dutch government freezes all contacts with Iran in protest over the hanging of a Dutch-Iranian woman for drug smuggling.
ElBaradei: The people have revolted
BBC 29 Jan 2011 – Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Egypt on a fifth day of protests, as the pro-democracy activist Mohamed ElBaradei warned that “the Egyptian people have revolted”.
A week in Lebanon
BBC 29 Jan 2011 – Anger at Hezbollah’s rise abates as Arab eyes turn to Egypt
Uncertain Fate for Egypt’s US-Supplied Weapons Systems
Antiwar.com 29 Jan 2011 – Besieged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a former air force officer whose 30-year-old authoritarian regime is under attack, presides over a country described as one of the major military powers in the region, ranking next to Israel and Turkey. Since it signed the U.S.-brokered Camp David Peace…
Hezbollah is the New Government of Lebanon. Now What?
Sabbah report 29 Jan 2011 – Hezbollah has the most direct control over the government of Lebanon including the Parliament, the next 30 seat Cabinet, and the government bureaucracy. Contrary to US-Israel claims the party is not thrilled with having the chance to run the government. Hezbollah sees itself as a resistance…
Articles
A reconciliation to kill the dream
Dr. Azzam Tamimi, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)1/28/2011
The recent revelations made jointly by Al-Jazeera TV Channel and the Guardian newspaper have vindicated my long held position of opposition to any reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah. My position was initially premised upon the fact that the Egyptian-mediated reconciliation efforts were aimed primarily at subjugating Hamas. This subjugation strategy had a long history stretching back to the early 1990s. The latter part of this history is more interesting because it manifested itself in the form of open warfare against Hamas, not just by the Israelis and their US backers but also by a number of Arab regimes as well.
The unanticipated success of the movement in the January 2006 legislative elections left the parties concerned with the Palestinian question perplexed; the objective of the Palestinian democratic process was, supposedly, to contain Hamas, which is why it was pushed by the Israelis and their allies. It was never intended to have to hand over the reins of power to the Islamic Resistance Movement. When these parties recovered from the shock of the massive win by Hamas, their immediate reaction was to set out certain conditions to be fulfilled if Hamas was to qualify for membership of the “political players club”. These became known as the Quartet conditions.
The USA, the UN, the EU and the Russian Federation demanded the following from Hamas before there could be any dealings with the newly-elected government: first, recognition of Israel’s right to exist; second, disarm and renounce violence; and third, accept all agreements thus far signed between the PLO and Israel. Fatah, the controller of both the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the PLO, was so bitter at the loss of the election that it wholeheartedly joined the campaign aimed at proving that unless Hamas cooperated with the “international community” it would never be able to run a viable administration. One of the commonest pretexts was that international donors would simply refrain from supporting a Palestinian Authority headed by Hamas unless Hamas accepted the aforementioned conditions. more.. e-mail
The Palestine Papers; time to bury the PLO and PA
Sami Jamil Jadallah, Palestine Think Tank1/27/2011
For the past few days I have been spending much of my time reading the released documents on Aljazeera (www.transparency.aljazeera.net) and the Guardian of Manchester, watching Aljazeera and reading other publications. One thing for sure the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah is in a panic, caught with its pants down, offering different spins talking non-sense, shifting the discourse from what the papers shows to discrediting Aljazeera for publishing “fake documents”, “partial and selective”, “nothing new” and accusing both Aljazeera and the ruler of Qatar of inciting the public against the Palestinian leadership and defending the indefensible, the sell out of the Palestinian people down the drain. Personally I never believed in claimed mission of the PLO, never believed in or trusted the leadership, never believed its lies about its “institutions”, never believed in the competency let alone the integrity of the leadership, and always believed the PLO and its leadership as criminal mafia. The PLO and the leadership squandered the lives of hundreds of thousands, and squandered tens of billions that remained unaccounted for.
Events since 1970 from the fights in Amman to the move to Lebanon and the establishment of the “Fakhani Republic” and later the routing of the PLO out of Beirut in 82 by the invading Israelis and the move to Tunis, the siding of Arafat and leadership on the side of criminal and thug Saddam Hussein in his invasion of Kuwait, subsequent exile of more than 350,000 of Palestinians out of Kuwait, to the Madrid Conference and the undermining the efforts of the honorable the late Haider Abdul-Shafi through appointment of “Arafat spies and cronies” and later the opening of secret negotiations in Oslo by an incompetent inept and reckless team concluding with the signing of Oslo Accord convinced me more than ever the PLO, Fatah and the entire leadership past and present are nothing a lie and fraud, misleading the people all these years, with an agenda that has nothing to do with ending the Israeli Occupation of 67 let alone the return of the Palestinians exiles back to their homes and villages in what is known today as Israel. more.. e-mail
US ambassador’s bid to get Richard Falk sacked from UN opens a can of worms
Stuart Littlewood, Redress1/30/2011
Stuart Littlewood exposes the US Israel lobby’s role in the campaign against the UN Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur in the Palestinian territories, Richard Falk, and takes a look at the relationship between one of Falk’s leading detractors, US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, and Israel.
Mention Richard Falk and you think of an honourable man who cares deeply about injustice, particularly the trampled rights of Palestinians under the evil jackboot.
Mention Susan Rice, US Ambassador to the United Nations, and what comes to mind?
The BBC reported in December 2008: “During her stint in the Clinton White House, she was described as ‘brilliant’ but also ‘authoritarian’ and ‘brash’. According to the New York Times, she acknowledges ‘a certain impatience at times’.”
She is also said to be “unwilling to consider opinions that differ from her own”.
Fair comment
Ambassador Rice has just demanded that Falk, the UN Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur in the Palestinian territories, step down from his UN position. “In my view, Mr Falk’s latest commentary [an entry in his blog about the media and 9/11] is so noxious that it should finally be plain to all that he should no longer continue in his position on behalf of the UN.”
Falk’s crime was saying that the US administration’s reluctance to address the awkward gaps and contradictions identified by several scholars in the official explanations of 9/11, only fuels suspicions of a conspiracy. And he suggested that “what may be more distressing than the apparent cover up is the eerie silence of the mainstream media….” more.. e-mail
Egypt’s uprising and its implications for Palestine
Electronic Intifada: 29 Jan 2011 – We are in the middle of a political earthquake in the Arab world and the ground has still not stopped shaking. To make predictions when events are so fluid is risky, but there is no doubt that the uprising in Egypt — however it ends — will have a dramatic impact across the region and within Palestine.more
Palestinians in Gaza react to Egypt, Tunisia uprisings
Electronic Intifada: 29 Jan 2011 – As news of the uprisings in a growing number of Arab countries spread like wildfire around the world, residents of other countries struggling under their own oppressive governments and soaring unemployment were celebrating on the streets, on Twitter and on Facebook. The occupied Gaza Strip was no exception.more
The ‘Palestine Papers’ Signals a Time for Change.
Palestine Monitor: 29 Jan 2011 – Last Sunday, Al-Jazeera, pairing up with The Guardian, created a buzz by releasing purportedly confidential documents unveiling years of secret negotiations between the Israeli government, the PLO negotiators and the PA. The documents are a huge blow to the already considerably weakened Palestinian leadership, whose credibility – as well as, some argue, legitimacy – lie in shambles. In such circumstances, how can it recover? Should it even? No, Palestinian-American political analyst Mohammad Oweis told the Palestine Monitor, it is time for a long overdue change. Cecile Gault reports. The ‘Palestine Papers’, as they have been called, reveal unprecedented and extensive concessions on the Palestinian side, under the cold and unyielding eye of the Israelis, backed by the U.S. and European governments. Acceptance of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, use of the refugee issue as a ‚Äübargaining chip”, compromise on the status of the Haram As-Sharif, collaboration with Israel in political…more
The Papers of Opprobrium
Palestine Chronicle: 29 Jan 2011 – By Mohamed El Mokhtar The recent damming documents, consisting of minutes of negotiations, memos, diplomatic correspondences, and maps dating from 1999 to 2010, secretly obtained and publicly released by Al Jazeera satellite TV channel eloquently laid bare the material evidence attesting and conforming, beyond any reasonable doubt, the direct complicity of the Palestinian Authority in the continuing rape and criminal destitution of the Palestinian land and people. It, alas, sadly reveals the absolute meaninglessness, and Kafkaesque character, of this farcical comedy erroneously called the peace process. Moreover, it shows, unashamedly and very clearly, the degree to which the so-called Palestinian negotiators are willing to go in terms of humiliating surrender and outright capitulation of the legitimate rights of their people for the sole purpose of pleasing their benefactors, or more accurately their masters, in Washington or indulging the paranoiac whims and endless nonsensical demands of their Israeli puppeteers. This is…more
The Aljazeera Scandal
Palestine Chronicle: 29 Jan 2011 – By Uri Avnery – Israel I always thought this a specifically Israeli trait: whenever a scandal of national proportions breaks out, we ignore the crucial issues and focus our attention on some secondary detail. This spares us having to face the real problems and making painful decisions. There are examples galore. The classic one centered on the question: “Who Gave the Order?” When it became known that in 1954 an Israeli spy ring had been ordered to plant bombs in US and British institutions in Egypt, in order to sabotage the effort to improve relations between the West and Gamal Abd-al-Nasser, a huge crisis rocked Israel. Almost nobody asked whether the idea itself had been wise or stupid. Almost nobody asked whether it was really in the best interest of Israel to challenge the new and vigorous Egyptian leader, who was fast becoming the idol of the entire Arab world (…more
US Ambassador’s Bid to Get Falk Sacked
Palestine Chronicle: 29 Jan 2011 – By Stuart Littlewood – London Mention Richard Falk and you think of an honourable man who cares deeply about injustice, particularly the trampled rights of Palestinians under the evil jackboot. Mention Susan Rice, US Ambassador to the United Nations, and what comes to mind? The BBC reported in December 2008: “During her stint in the Clinton White House, she was described as ‘brilliant’ but also ‘authoritarian’ and ‘brash’. According to the New York Times, she acknowledges ‘a certain impatience at times’.” She is also said to be “unwilling to consider opinions that differ from her own”. Ambassador Rice has just demanded that Falk, the UN Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur in the Palestinian territories, step down from his UN position. “In my view, Mr. Falk’s latest commentary [an entry in his blog about the media and 9/11] is so noxious that it should finally be plain to all that he…more
Valley of the Anti-Semites?
Palestine Chronicle: 29 Jan 2011 – By Belen Fernandez The Turkish film ‘Kurtlar Vadisi: Filistin’—’Valley of the Wolves—Palestine’— opened yesterday in Turkey. Based on the immensely popular television series ‘Valley of the Wolves’, the film is a response to the May 2010 Israeli attack on the Turkish-led humanitarian aid flotilla en route to Gaza, which resulted in the murder of nine Turkish activists. The New York Times points out that the TV series “has portrayed Israelis as baby-killers and human organ thieves. Israel has criticized the series as viciously anti-Semitic fiction”. Perhaps Israel should direct similar criticism at the Times for publishing articles with titles like “Gazan Mother and 4 Children Killed” and “Israeli Shells Kill 40 at Gaza U.N. School”, and for describing Israel as a “nexus” of global organ trafficking. I watched “Valley of the Wolves—Palestine” at a crowded cinema in a town in southwest Turkey last night. It is an action film and…more
Liberating the American People
Palestine Chronicle: 29 Jan 2011 – By Gilad Atzmon In his latest Newsweek article Stephen Kinzer wonders who America is betting on to counter the popular rising forces in the Middle East: ‘The same friends it has been betting on for decades’ he answers. ‘Mubarak’s pharaonic regime in Egypt, Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority, the Saudi monarchy, and increasingly radical politicians in Israel. It is no wonder that Iran’s power is rising as the American-imposed order begins to crumble,’ he concludes. Kinzer explains America’s stance succinctly and accurately: “The U.S. keeps Mubarak in power – it gave his regime $1.5 billion in aid last year -mainly because he supports America’s pro-Israel policies, especially by helping Israel maintain its stranglehold on Gaza. It supports Abbas for the same reason; Abbas is seen as willing to compromise with Israel and is, therefore, a desirable negotiating partner… American support for Mubarak and Abbas continues, although neither man is…more
On ‘Political Dialogue’ and ‘Principles’
Palestine Chronicle: 29 Jan 2011 – By Jim Miles I have just finished watching an interview from al-Jazeera with former U.S. diplomat to Egypt, Frank Wisner. My gut reaction was anger at the culpability of the U.S. government, not only within Egypt but in all areas of the Middle East and generally throughout the world. Wisner’s position was the usual U.S. diplomatic garbage about ‘political dialogue’ and ‘standing by our principles.’ Both of these strands of course support the desire of the U.S. to have a stable political status quo in the area in order that their overall imperial intentions can continue while the puppet governments and their oppressed people ‘dialogue’ for no change at all. U.S. principles are clearly defined by their actions. U.S. “principles” are violent and repressive, and have been throughout their encounters since the beginning: towards the indigenous population of North America; towards the Latin populations throughout Central and South America; towards…more
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The New Dark Age 
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