26 February, 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Settlers Attack Palestinian Village Near Nablus, Torch Vehicle
IMEMC – Saturday February 26, 2011 – 11:02, For the second day in a raw, a group of fundamentalist settlers of the Yitzhar illegal settlement, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, invaded on Saturday at dawn Burin Palestinian village, and torched a vehicle that belongs to a local resident.
Israeli Air Force Carries Out A Series Of Air-Strikes Targeting Gaza
IMEMC – Saturday February 26, 2011 – 10:39, The Israeli Air Force conducted on Saturday at dawn a series of Air Strikes targeting a number of areas in the Gaza Strip leading to excessive damage; no injuries were reported until the time of this report.
Settlers Uproot Lands Planted With Wheat Near Ramallah
IMEMC – Saturday February 26, 2011 – 10:11, A group of extremist settlers uprooted 150 Dunams planted with wheat near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Three Palestinians Wounded; 1 Israeli Arrested In Anti-Wall Demos In Bil’in, Nil’in, Nabi Saleh
IMEMC – Saturday February 26, 2011 – 09:46, In the central West Bank villages of Bil’in, Nil’in and Nabi Saleh, non-violent protests were held Friday afternoon to challenge the Israeli Wall construction and support the Libyan people in their uprising against Moammar Gaddafi.
Clashes Continue in Silwan
IMEMC – Friday February 25, 2011 – 17:22, Confrontations erupted on Thursday evening between Israeli forces and Palestinian residents of the East Jerusalem village of Silwan,
Fresh airstrike targets Gaza home
2/26/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli F16 fighter jets launched the sixth air strike of the day on Gaza on Saturday afternoon, witnesses said. The most recent strike hit Ahmad Abu Shareb’s home, east of Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Abu Shareb told Ma’an the Israeli army told…. Related: Israel warplanes strike Gaza; no injuries
Israel threatens force against Fatah leader’s guards
2/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – Israel has warned the Palestinian Authority that its soldiers would target a top member of Fatah and his guards should he be allowed to join rallies against the separation wall, a Palestinian official said. The liaison office, according to the source, explained that it had obtained information that Central Committee member….
Settlers disrupt Beit Ummar rally
2/26/2011 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Settlers disrupted an anti-wall demonstration Saturday in Beit Ummar near Hebron, protest organizers said. Local popular committee spokesman Mohammad Awad said the rally ended peacefully despite attempts by settlers to intimidate protesters with an aggressive dog. Local and international activists headed toward the illegal Karmi Tzur settlement chanting slogans, Awad said….
Israeli forces raid Palestinian leaders’ prison cells
2/26/2011 – BETHLEHEM(Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided the cells of two Palestinian leaders held in solitary confinement in Israel’s Nafha jail, their lawyer said Saturday. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine secretary-general Ahmad Sa’adat and elected Hamas lawmaker Jamal Abu Al-Haya told their lawyer the searches lasted for three hours….
Mayor: Settlers damage field near Ramallah
2/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Settlers attacked a village northeast of Ramallah on Friday and ruined wheat fields, officials said. Al-Magheer village mayor Faraj An-Na’as said Adei Adsettlers used a tractor to spray the wheat with chemicals. He said farmers cannot reach their land except except during certain times of the year after getting….
Israel set to close Gaza crossing completely
2/26/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli officials plan to completely shut down Gaza’s bulk goods Karni crossing in two weeks for “security reasons,” the official Israeli news agency reported Friday. Israeli officials told Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Assleborn that they decided to shut down the terminal, according to a report that appeared in Arabic….
Israel warplanes strike Gaza; no injuries
2/26/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – Israeli warplanes struck several targets in the southern and central Gaza Strip early Saturday. No injuries were reported. A Ma’an correspondent in the southern Gaza Strip said several missiles hit an Islamic Jihad military base in Khan Younis. Warplanes also fired at an open area in the Nuseirat…. Related: Fresh airstrike targets Gaza home
PA official: Extremists torch Palestinian car
2/26/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Extremist settlers attacked a village in the occupied West Bank and torched a Palestinian car, an official said Saturday. Ghassan Daghlas, an official who monitors Israel’s northern settlements, told Ma’an that settlers from an illegal outpost attacked the home of Bashir Az-Zein in Burin. They poured fuel…. Related: Mayor: Settlers damage field near Ramallah
Fatah Youth vows non-violent resistance
2/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Fatah Youth Movement said Saturday that despite a US veto of an anti-settlement resolution at the UN, it remained committed to non-violent resistance. On February 18, the US torpedoed Palestinian efforts to pass a motion condemning illegal settlement construction at the UN Security Council. In light of the veto, US….
Minister: Russia will continue supplying missiles to Syria
2/26/2011 – MOSCOW (AFP) — Russia intends to fulfil its contract supplying Syria with supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, news agencies quoted Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov as saying Saturday….
Luxembourg FM visits Gaza, urges peace
2/26/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Assleborn on Friday urged both the Palestinians and Israelis to “avoid violence and work hard to reach a peaceful solution to the prolonged conflict.” During a briefing at the UNRWA office in Gaza City, after a short visit to Gaza’s fishing port, Assleborn told….
Obama: Sanctions target Gadhafi, not Libya
2/26/2011 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President Barack Obama said Friday that new US sanctions against Libya target its leader Moamer Gadhafi over his crackdown on protesters, and not the assets of his nation….
Four killed in police raid on Yemen demo
2/26/2011 – ADEN, Yemen (AFP) — The death toll from a police raid on an anti-government demonstration in the main southern Yemeni city of Aden rose to four on Saturday with 40 others wounded, medics told AFP….
Hospital: 2 more dead in Aden protests
2/26/2011 – ADEN, Yemen (AFP) — Two more people were killed late Friday as security forces in the southern Yemen city of Aden battled to disperse thousands of protesters, bringing the toll to three, a hospital source said Saturday….
Pressure mounts on Security Council to end Libya deaths
2/26/2011 – UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday demanded decisive action by the UN Security Council against Moammar Gadhafi’s bloody crackdown in Libya, warning that any delay would add to the growing death toll. Ban’s call and an emotional speech by the Libyan ambassador to the United Nations — in which….
Source: Major Yemen tribes join anti-regime protests
2/26/2011 – SANAA, Yemen (AFP) — Important Yemeni tribal leaders, including those of the Hashid and Baqil, on Saturday pledged to join protests against Prseident Ali Abdullah Saleh at a gathering north of the capital, tribal sources said….
Free Libyan media start talking back
2/26/2011 – TOBRUK, Libya (AFP) — Tucked away in a small back room beyond the clamor of the city, four Libyan journalists sit around microphones in a makeshift studio and freely discuss a whirlwind fortnight of change: Radio Free Tobruk is up and running. After four decades of having to hold its tongue, the media is starting to….
Yemen unrest timeline
2/26/2011 – SANAA, Yemen (AFP) — Key dates in the revolt in Yemen:— January 27: Inspired by the overthrow of the regime in Tunisia and a growing revolt in Egypt, thousands of Yemenis protest to demand that President Ali Abdullah Saleh quit after 32 years in power. — February 2: Saleh says he will not seek a new mandate….
Berlusconi: Gadhafi apparently no longer in control
2/26/2011 – ROME (AFP) — Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appears to be no longer in control of the situation in his country, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said at a political rally in Rome on Saturday….
US slaps sanctions on Gadhafi
2/26/2011 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President Barack Obama has imposed personal sanctions on Libya’s Moammer Gadhafi and four of his sons, in a clear attempt to further weaken his teetering regime and punish brutal assaults against his people. Obama wielded presidential power in an executive order Friday to seize the assets of Gadhafi and named….
State Dept: Americans ‘may’ still remain in Libya
2/26/2011 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US State Department said early Saturday that there “may be” Americans still remaining in Libya after US efforts to evacuate all US nationals….
Police fire tear gas to disperse new Tunisia protest
2/26/2011 – TUNIS (AFP) — Security forces in the Tunisian capital fired tear gas to disperse about 300 protesters chanting anti-government slogans at a fresh protest outside the interior ministry, an AFP reporter said….
Opposition leader Mashaima arrives in Bahrain
2/26/2011 – MANAMA,Bahrain (AFP) — Opposition leader Hassan Mashaima arrived Saturday in Manama, a day after he was arrested in Lebanon on his way to join anti-government protests in Bahrain….
Facebook page calls for Qatar emir’s ouster
2/26/2011 – DUBAI (AFP) — A Facebook page demanding the ouster of Qatar’s moderate, pro-Western emir, accusing him of being an agent of Israel, had attracted 18,262 fans by Saturday in the latest web-driven push for change in the Arab world. In what is apparently the first call for change in the gas-rich state since popular….
Bahrain king reshuffles cabinet as thousands rally
2/26/2011 – MANAMA, Bahrain (AFP) — Bahrain’s king reshuffled his cabinet on Saturday, under pressure as an exiled opposition leader returned and thousands of protesters marched in Manama to demand the Sunni rulers stand down.” His Majesty King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa today formally swore in new ministers covering five cabinet portfolios,” the government said in….
Egypt protesters in Tahrir after army apology
2/26/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Some 2,000 protesters marched onto Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Saturday to call for a new government, denouncing violence by authorities after military police beat and arrested demonstrators. Protesters demanded the replacement of the government of Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq, which includes several ministers from toppled President Hosni Mubarak’s regime….
UN Security Council holds Libya sanctions talks
2/26/2011 – UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The UN Security Council on Saturday embarked on an urgent debate over how to sanction Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi for his deadly offensive on opposition protesters. Ambassadors held formal negotiations on a sanctions resolution one day after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned them that a delay in taking “concrete action” would….
Kuwait marks liberation with massive parade
2/26/2011 – SUBBIYA, Kuwait (AFP) — The Gulf state of Kuwait Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of its liberation from Iraqi occupation with a massive international military parade as 17 world leaders watched. Warplanes, helicopters, tanks and armored vehicles from the United States, France, Britain and 25 other countries, whose militaries took part in freeing Kuwait from Saddam….
US Senators Press Lebanon on International Tribunal
Palestine Note 25 Feb 2011 – American leaders continue to demonstrate that changes in the rest of the world, and the deep flaws in our foreign policy which they reveal, will have no impact on our thinking whatsoever. The latest case in…
Egypt proposes presidency reform
AlJazeera 26 Feb 2011 – Proposed rules would open up competition for presidency and restrict terms.
Egypt protesters dispersed by force
AlJazeera 26 Feb 2011 – Army uses batons to break up demonstrations in capital Cairo demanding purging of Mubarak loyalists from government.
Iran nuclear plant suffers setback
AlJazeera 26 Feb 2011 – Tehran announces plans to remove fuel from Bushehr reactor while it carries out “technical work”.
HRW: Pro-Gaddafi Thugs Terrorize Egyptian Migrants, Causing Flight to Tunisia
PNN – Ras Ijdir, Tunisia — HRW to PNN – Libyan security forces and pro-government groups in the western city of Zawiyah have violently attacked anti-government protesters and Egyptian migrant workers, Human Rights Watch…
The Coming Government and Media Law
PNN – Fadi Abu Sa’da — PNN Editor in chief — without a doubt PM Salam Fayyad faces many changes in the formation of the new Palestinian government. It was known that during his…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (17 — 23 February 2011)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Iran aiming to exploit anarchy in post-Mubarak Sinai
Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2011 – Tehran studying new military presence in trying to establish mass smuggling mechanisms, according to defense officials.
Analysis: The plagues of Egypt
Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2011 – Lacking a significant democratic culture, Egypt will likely be providing alarming headlines almost daily.
Symposium to address Israel advocacy on US campuses
Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2011 – J’lem symposium comes before Israel Apartheid Week; aims to change approach to Israel advocacy by looking at Palestinian side.
Egypt proposes term limits, competitive elections
Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2011 – Hundreds of thousands rally across Mideast; largest protests yet in Jordan and Bahrain; first reports of unrest in Saudi Arabia.
J’lem: Left-wing activists rally against racism
Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2011 – Over 1,500 pack Zion Square in the capital at demonstration targeted at policies of Lieberman under banner “ashamed of racism.”
‘Russian missiles could be passed on to Hezbollah’
Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2011 – Following Russia’s announcement that it will transfer missiles to Syria, Defense Ministry fears weapons could fall into “wrong hands.”
Aharonovitch defends Lieberman ahead of decision by A-G
Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2011 – Public security minister also says country should have tougher response against Grad rockets.
Egyptian delegation to visit Ramallah for talks with PA
Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2011 – High-level visit is 1st since Mubarak’s ouster; senior Egyptian general to head talks focused on Hamas-Fatah dispute.
Iran to unload fuel from Bushehr nuclear plant
Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2011 – Senior government official says “unspecified safety concern” reason for setback at country’s first atomic power plant.
IDF strikes Gaza terror targets in response to rockets
Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2011 – Palestinians say 4 injured during attack; IDF says strikes are response to Kassam rockets fired on Negev.
Palestinians say 4 injured from IDF strike in Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2011 – Report follows confirmation that IAF strikes Islamic Jihad and Hamas targets in response to a Kassam rocket fired in Negev.
International Solidarity Movement
Bil’in marches against US veto in the United Nations
2/26/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 25 February, Popular Committee Against the Wall – Dozens were injured in the weekly demonstration against the Occupation and settlements. The demonstration was held against the United State’s veto of a UN resolution which condemned Israel’s illegal settlements. The demonstration was attacked with tear gas by Israeli soldiers who wanted to crush…. Related: Bil’in, A Village in Palestine
Many injured and several detained at al-Shuhada street demonstration
2/26/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – Hundreds gathered in Hebron on Friday to march against the continued closure of al-Shuhada Street. The non-violent protestors were met with tear gas, sound grenades, and rubber bullets from the Israeli army. Witnesses also said that the army fired tear gas canisters directly at the protestors, which is illegal under international law. Organizers say 20….
Palestinians say two wounded in IDF strikes on Gaza
Ha’aretz – IDF confirms that IAF planes bombed Gaza targets after rocket originating from the strip hit a Be’er Sheva home on Wednesday.
Russia to sell anti-ship rockets to Syria
Ha’aretz – Despite Israeli fears that the rockets could ultimately land in Hezbollah hands, the Russian Defense Minister says plans to sell the rockets are moving ahead.
Two injured as Israeli warplanes hit Gaza
26 Feb 2011 – Gaza Strip, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli air forces shelled Saturday evening a house owned by a Palestinian citizen in the east of Al-Buriage refugee camp central Gaza Strip.
Settlers vandalize citizens’ properties near Nablus
26 Feb 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Dozens of settlers stormed Saturday morning the village of Burin in the south of Nablus and set fire with one vehicle owned by a Palestinian citizen.
ECESG condemns Israeli closure of Gaza crossings
26 Feb 2011 – Gaza Strip, (Pal Telegraph)-The announcement by the Israeli government that it will permanently and completely close the Karni crossing into the Gaza Strip demonstrates the duplicity of its claims that it is easing the suffocating siege, charges the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG).
Israeli jets continue targeting Gaza
26 Feb 2011 – Gaza Strip, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli warplanes carried out Saturday morning multiple airstrikes targeting different parts in Gaza Strip.
Israeli army attacks peaceful protest in Nabi Saleh
26 Feb 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Dozens of Palestinians in the West Bank village of El-Nabi Saleh were injured in the clashes erupted during the weekly anti-wall rally held following Friday prayer.
Hebron demonstration signals a new intifada in the West Bank?
Uruknet February 26, 2011 – Riding the wave of unrest in the Arab world, the PA called for a carefully controlled ‘day of rage’ throughout the West Bank against the United States for their recent veto of an internationally accepted resolution declaring (once again) that Israeli settlement activity is illegal. While in Ramallah the PA sponsored demonstration was weak with…
Fresh airstrike targets Gaza home
Uruknet February 26, 2011- Israeli F16 fighter jets launched the sixth air strike of the day on Gaza on Saturday afternoon, witnesses said. The most recent strike hit Ahmad Abu Shareb’s home, east of Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Abu Shareb told Ma’an the Israeli army told him to evacuate his home prior to the shelling. No…
Institutionalized Arab Inequality in Israel
Uruknet February 26, 2011 – In December 2010, the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel published a study titled, “Inequality Report: The Palestinian Arab Minority in Israel,” saying: Affecting Jews as well, it takes many forms, including: — privileged v. deprived groups; — Western Jews (Ashkenzim) v. Eastern ones (Mizrakhim); — men v. women; — Israeli-born Jews (…
Palestine: Demands for a Unified Nation set for March 15
Uruknet February 26, 2011 – In late November, one month before Mohamed Al Bouazizi’s self immolation sparked the Revolution in Tunisia, an anonymous group called Gaza Youth Breaks Out (GYBO) emerged, yelling at the world a manifesto full of anger, throwing words at Israel, but also at their political leaders, and calling for change: “There is a revolution growing inside…
Egypt’s protest dispersed by force Army uses batons to break up demonstrations in Cairo demanding purging of Mubarak loyalists from government.
Uruknet February 26, 2011 – The Egyptian army has used force to disperse activists gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to demand the removal of Hosni Mubarak loyalists from the interim cabinet. Egyptian soldiers fired in the air and used batons in the early hours of Saturday to disperse the crowd, the Reuters news agency reported. Demonstrators had also gathered in…
Shuhada Street Chaos Six hundred are teargassed and sound-bombed in Al-Khalil/Hebron
Uruknet February 25, 2011 – Closed exactly 16 years ago when American-born Israeli Baruch Goldstein killed 29 worshipers and wounded 125 with a IMI Galil assault rifle in the burial place of Abraham, this effective clotting of the heart of The Old City of Hebron has devastated the local market economy in tandem with rapacious settler colonization. “The people want…
Golan residents recall their Tahrir
Uruknet February 25, 2011 – Siham Monder was 14 when Syrian residents of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights took to the streets for a strike and protests that spanned six months of 1982. “Now I’m 43,” Monder says. “And I remember that every day in that period there was a conflict with the [Israeli army]. There were more soldiers here than…
The economic mirage in the West Bank – Ramallah
Uruknet February 25, 2011 – Ramallah in the West Bank is seen as a beacon of economic success and the symbol of economic development as the Palestinian Authority has pursued peace with – Israel. As a sprawling metropolis has begun to develop and the sound of construction can be heard echoing across the city, Ramallah is viewed as evidence of…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (17 — 23 February 2011)
Uruknet February 24, 2011 – Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (17 — 23 February 2011): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 3 Palestinian civilians and a resistance activist and wounded 10 others (two children, two workers and 6 resistance activists) in the Gaza Strip. They also wounded 8…
EGYPT: Women and Men, Shoulder to Shoulder
IPS The momentous events of Tahrir Square, Egypt also signify a huge step forward for gender equality in the region, women’s rights activists said Friday.
“New Egypt” the Wild Card in Stalled Mideast Peace Process
IPS The ability of the United States to broker a successful Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement will hinge on the future of Israeli-Egyptian relations, a panel of experts at the Palestinian Centre argued here Thursday.
Aharonovitch: Won’t fall off chair if FM acquitted
YNet News – Internal security minister says Avigdor Lieberman fit to lead Israel, claims….
Israeli driver caught with Palestinian man in trunk
YNet News – Afula resident claims he doesn’t know how Palestinian man entered his vehicle,….
IAF strikes 2 targets in Gaza Strip
YNet News – Air Force attacks two Hamas, Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza Strip in response to….
Report: Iran’s nuclear plant hits setbacks
YNet News – Iran tells IAEA it has run into major problems operating its first nuclear….
Qassam lands in Negev; no injuries
YNet News – Rocket fired from north Gaza lands near Netivot; another Qassam apparently lands….
UN says has new info on alleged Iran nuclear arms
YNet News – Confidential IAEA report lists ‘outstanding issues which give rise to concern….
Russia to sell Syria cruise missiles
YNet News – Russia vowed Saturday to fulfil its contract to supply Syria with cruise missiles despite the turmoil shaking the Arab world and Israel’s furious condemnation of the …….
Hundreds rally in Jerusalem against racism
YNet News – Some 1,500 left-wing activists gathered in Jerusalem’s Zion Square Saturday to protest “the wave of racism consuming the country and Israeli society” due to government …….
Negev blooms with visitors
YNet News – Hundreds of Israelis flocked to the Negev Saturday despite the heavy fire unleashed by terror groups in Gaza on the region. Many visited the Gaza vicinity, where …….
Palestinians report 4 injuries in IAF strike
YNet News – Palestinians in Gaza reported on Saturday that the Air Force attacked several targets in the Strip. Four people were reportedly lightly injured in the attacks, including …….
Iran, Syria navies to cooperate on training
YNet News – Iran and Syria have agreed to cooperate on naval training, Iran’s official news agency reported on Saturday after two Iranian warships docked in a Syrian port. The …….
Palestinian Information Center
MP Ashkar: Changes after Arab upheaval in favor of Palestinians
PIC 26 Feb 2011 – Deputy chairman of the Change and Reform bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council Ismail Al-Ashkar said revolutions sweeping Arab nations will cause major positive changes to the Palestinian cause.
Jewish settlers organize provocative march in Al-Khalil
PIC 26 Feb 2011 – Hundreds of armed Jewish settlers organized a provocative march in the Old City of Al-Khalil under heavy protection provided by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at a late night hour on Friday.
Mishaal confers with Omani foreign minister
PIC 26 Feb 2011 – Political bureau chief of Hamas Khaled Mishaal met in Muscat on Saturday with Omani foreign minister Yousef Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah.
Russia to finalize large-scale arms deal with Syria
PIC 26 Feb 2011 – Regional turmoil and Israeli disapproval will not foil a $300m cruise missile deal with Syria, Russia has announced.
Rights movement: Israeli soldiers stole organs of Palestinian Christian in 1988
PIC 26 Feb 2011 – The popular movement for the support of prisoners renewed its accusation against Israeli soldiers of torturing and killing a Palestinian Christian young man before harvesting his body parts in 1988.
Qassem: Winds of change in the region will reach the PA
PIC 26 Feb 2011 – Professor of political science Abdelsattar Qassem said that the winds of change blowing in the region is not far from the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah.
Israel launches more raids on southern Gaza, wounds civilians
PIC 26 Feb 2011 – A number of Palestinian citizens including a year and a half old toddler were wounded in Israeli air raids afternoon Saturday on a number of targets in southern Gaza Strip, local sources reported.
The myth of Jewish refugees from the Arab world
PIC 26 Feb 2011 – In a desperate effort aimed at obliterating and liquidating the Palestinian refugees’ plight Israeli and Zionist propagandist have been speaking of a paralleled Jewish refugee problem.
Ministry of religious affairs slams restrictions on entry to Aqsa Mosque
PIC 26 Feb 2011 – The ministry of religious affairs expressed concern about the restrictions imposed by Israel on Palestinian worshipers who want to perform prayers at the Aqsa Mosque, especially on Fridays.
Jewish vandals set fire to car in Burin amid attacks
PIC 26 Feb 2011 – Jewish settlers have attacked the south Nablus village of Burin setting fire to a car amid a fierce outbreak of similar assaults.
Foreigners in Libya report being beaten, robbed
LA Times 26 Feb 2011 – Guest workers from Egypt, Tunisia and other nations tell of being attacked by Libyan security forces, robbed and accused of being traitors and inciting the uprising against Moammar Kadafi. Paying $200 for a government-sponsored taxi ride to the Tunisian border sounded like a bad deal….
Egyptian military council apologizes for use of force on protesters
LA Times 26 Feb 2011 – Subordinates acting without authority are blamed after military police use truncheons and electric shock batons to disperse a late-night rally in Tahrir Square, the first direct confrontation between the protesters who toppled President Hosni Mubarak and military authorities who have governed since. Egypt’s ruling military…
Telling Libya’s story over the Internet
LA Times 26 Feb 2011 – An ad hoc network of information smugglers uses social media, accessed from across the border in Egypt, to share videos and firsthand accounts of the violence. Suleiman Zjailil is a modern-day town crier. He spends his days driving his battered car back and forth across…
Iran reports safety concerns at nuclear plant
LA Times 26 Feb 2011 – Fuel rods are being withdrawn from the Bushehr facility because of safety concerns. Some experts have expressed fear of risk of a Chernobyl-like accident at the plant. Fuel that would power Iran’s first nuclear energy facility is being removed from the reactor this weekend because…
Rights groups say Egyptian prison guards are gunning down inmates
LA Times 26 Feb 2011 – Egyptian human rights group and Amnesty International say that guards at several prisons have killed at least 200 prisoners, and that those who try to administer medical aid or move the bodies are fired upon as well. Prison guards indiscriminately fired on inmates during the…
Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza Wound Man and Baby
New York Times 26 Feb 2011 – Israeli warplanes bombed a half-dozen targets in the Gaza Strip, wounding a 7-month-old girl and a Palestinian man, medics in the coastal territory said.
Iran Reports a Major Setback at a Nuclear Power Plant
New York Times 26 Feb 2011 – Iran told atomic inspectors that it had run into a serious problem at a newly completed nuclear reactor.
Settlers destroy wheat field with chemicals, burn car
Mondoweiss – And more news from Today in Palestine: Land, property, resources theft and destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Settlers Mayor: Settlers damage field near Ramallah RAMALLAH (Ma’an) 26 Feb — Settlers attacked a village northeast of Ramallah on Friday and ruined wheat fields, officials said. Al-Magheer village mayor Faraj…
Colonialism and violence
Mondoweiss – As we bear witness to the daily, ever escalating, ever-unprecedented yet routine Israeli collective punishment and cruelty and torment inflicted on the Palestinians‚Äîmen and women, young and old, boys and girls, children and infants, farm animals, fruit orchards, and olive trees‚Äîone cannot but be awed at…
J St conference begins amid the harsh crackle of neocon-Likud walky-talkies
Mondoweiss – The J Street conference begins tonight in D.C.. The liberal lobby group will be streaming some of the conference live, including Obama Mideast envoy Dennis Ross at 9am on Monday, here . You can see the full schedule and what else they’re streaming online here . I see that…
Why did Bob Gates, who slams the Iraq war, meet with 2 guys who planned it and who then go trash him on Libya?
Mondoweiss – Yesterday at West Point, in his sharpest criticism of the Iraq war, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that anyone who advises a ground war for the U.S. in Asia ought to have his head examined. Funny— because earlier this week Gates had a meeting about Libya…
Under Haaretz-advertised plan, Palestinians who didn’t leave annexed West Bank for Jordan couldn’t vote
Mondoweiss – Yesterday David Schach sent along that repulsive ad from Haaretz saying that Palestinians should be returned to Jordan, the Palestinian state. Well today he has dug up the actual plan behind the ad , put forward by Member of Knesset Arieh Eldad. If you wonder what’s wrong…
Settlers Call for Palestinian Expulsion, Palestinians Call for Jewish Expulsion
Tikun Olam – Aryeh Eldad’s radical settler proposal to expel Palestinians to Jordan In a game of tit for tat, battling Israeli Jewish and Palestinian groups have called for forced expulsion of their opposite number from their native lands. Aryeh Eldad, a radical settler leader and Israeli MK has…
New mass protests against US-backed regimes in Egypt and Yemen
WSWS – Protests took place Friday in Egypt and Yemen, as masses of people press onward in an effort to rid themselves of brutal, tyrannical regimes.
US vetoes UN resolution criticising Israel
WSWS – The Obama administration was forced to use its veto to block a resolution at the United Nations Security Council condemning Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories as an obstacle to peace.
Iraq “day of rage” protests shake US occupation regime
WSWS – Tens of thousands of people protested social conditions and official corruption in cities around Iraq.
Hebron demonstration signals a new intifada in the West Bank?
Joseph Dana 26 Feb 2011 – Riding the wave of unrest in the Arab world, the PA called for a carefully controlled ‘day of rage’ throughout the West Bank against the United States for their recent veto of an internationally accepted resolution declaring (once again) that Israeli settlement activity is illegal. While…
Activists change street names in Tel Aviv to those in Hebron
Joseph Dana 26 Feb 2011 – Last Thursday evening, Israeli activists with the Anarchists Against the Wall changed the wording of a number of street signs in the heart of Tel Aviv to mark the closing of Hebron’s Shuhada Street. The action was done in connection with the international day of action…
Iran unloads Bushehr nuclear fuel
BBC 26 Feb 2011 – Iran confirms it is having to remove nuclear fuel from the Bushehr reactor, in what is seen as a setback for its nuclear ambitions.
Egypt backs constitution changes
BBC 26 Feb 2011 – Egypt’s army passes a draft of constitutional amendments to be submitted to a national referendum ahead of elections to be held within six months.
Support Your Own Illegal Israeli Settlement [Satire]
Sabbah report 26 Feb 2011 – WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE By Mantiq al-Tayr * | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz The illegal town of Ariel 1. Glenn Beck insults radical Islam by comparing it to Reform Judaism and then apologizes not to the Muslims but to the Jews. Shows you it ain’t them there Mooselims who control…
Institutionalized Arab Inequality in Israel
Sabbah report 26 Feb 2011 – By Stephen Lendman * | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz In December 2010, the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel published a study titled, ” Inequality Report: The Palestinian Arab Minority in Israel ,” [PDF] saying: Affecting Jews as well, it takes many forms, including: privileged v….
Articles
Palestine Papers under the spotlight
Samira Quraishy, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)2/25/2011
A seminar planned to put the “Palestine Papers under the spotlight” has been held in the Senate House of the University of London. Organised by the Middle East Monitor (MEMO) in conjunction with the Federation of Students Islamic Societies (FOSIS), the event sought to draw attention back to the important documents leaked to and published by Al Jazeera and the Guardian newspaper; the publication of the papers was overshadowed by the turbulent political situation in Egypt and elsewhere across the Middle East.
Under the capable chairmanship of lawyer and Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Andrew Phillips, the seminar was divided into two sessions: the first was an opportunity for political analysts and Middle East experts to share their insights and thoughts on the Palestine Papers, as the leaked documents are now called; former CIA analyst and author Kathleen Christison, Britain’s former ambassador to Iran Sir Richard Dalton and Director and Co-Founder of the community empowerment charity Forward Thinking, Oliver McTernan, led the way. In the second session, Al Jazeera Executive Producer and author Clayton Swisher was joined by former BBC Middle East correspondent Tim Llewellyn. Mr. Swisher is head of the Transparency Unit at Al Jazeera which published the papers. The evening ended with a panel of the speakers taking questions from the audience of more than 200 people.
Opening the seminar, Lord Phillips asked the audience to stand for a minute’s silence in solidarity with those who were struggling for their rights across the Middle East, before introducing the Director of MEMO, Dr. Daud Abdullah, who provided a brief insight into the significance of the Palestine Papers. The documents, he said, exposed the main players in the Israel-Palestine peace process negotiations, primarily the state of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the United States; the British government and intelligence services, the French and other Western states were also mentioned in the papers…. more.. e-mail
Al-Jazeera Papers on the Palestinian-Israeli Negotiations: Do They Hold Any Surprises?
Nassar Ibrahim, Alternative Information Center2/14/2011
It is true that Palestinian reactions to the secret al-Jazeera papers concerning the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations are diverse. However, the content of these papers – which are being published as of January 23rd by the Qatari television channel – including 1,600 documents and 6,500 pages, is not much of a surprise. The majority of Palestinians who followed the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, from the singing of the Oslo Accords to this day, are fully aware of the direction which the so-called peace process undertook. Furthermore, Palestinians have experienced on their own flesh the concessions granted (or were required to be granted) by Palestinian negotiators to the Israelis for the sake of the alleged peace process, including on issues such as refugees, Jerusalem, settlements, land exchange and security coordination.
The goal of this article is not to represent what the papers contain – they can be easily viewed on al-Jazeera’s website. However, in this article I wish to discuss the diverse reactions to these papers, how they are being employed and used by different parties in the Palestinian political life.
The Palestinian National Authority, while it does not deny the authenticity of the papers, insists that their content was subjected to distortions and deformations. In a recent interview to the Jerusalemite newspaper al-Quds (January 24, 2011), Saeb Ereqat said that these documents contain “forgeries and lies; also, the time of their publication raises suspicion.” The timing of the publication of the papers was certainly inconvenient for the Palestinian National Authority in Ramallah, which continues to fail to overcome its crises. For despite Israel’s intensifying blockade on the Gaza Strip and the recent aggressive war of December 2008-January 2009, Hamas’ control over the Gaza Strip has been consolidated. What was uncovered by the al-Jazeera papers – the concessions of the Ramallah PA concerning the refugees, Jerusalem and settlements, in addition to the full security coordination with Israel in order to weaken and combat Hamas – portrays Mahmoud Abbas and his cabinet as collaborators with the Israeli occupation…. more.. e-mail
US Senators Press Lebanon on International Tribunal
Mitchell Plitnick, Palestine Note2/25/2011
The politicization of the STL has turned an unstable situation in Lebanon into a powder keg.
American leaders continue to demonstrate that changes in the rest of the world, and the deep flaws in our foreign policy which they reveal, will have no impact on our thinking whatsoever. The latest case in point is the position staked outby Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) with regard to Lebanon.
Remember Lebanon? Subsequent events have pushed Lebanon out of the news in the United States and even, to a lesser extent, in Israel, which has more reason to be concerned with what goes on there. But the collapse of Lebanon’s government at the beginning of this year remains at issue, and, with all the consternation these days about where a post-Mubarak Egypt will end up, Lebanon has at least as much potential for both international intrigue and internal strife as any country in the Middle East.
Lebanon’s political situation is always precarious; it’s only a matter of degree. But with a caretaker government currently in power and the still-looming announcement of indictments by the UN’s Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), Lebanon is a powder keg. And it’s not happening in a vacuum.
The two competing coalitions are each in the favor of a different array of outside actors. The March 8 Alliance, which currently holds 70 of the 128 seats in Parliament, includes Hezbollah and is sympathetic to Syria and Iran.The March 14 Alliance features former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future Movement and enjoys much stronger relationships with France, Saudi Arabia and the United States. more.. e-mail
Behind the Arab Revolt is a Word We Dare Not Speak
Palestine Chronicle: 26 Feb 2011 – By John Pilger Shortly after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, I interviewed Ray McGovern, one of an elite group of CIA officers who prepared the President’s daily intelligence brief. McGovern was at the apex of the “national security” monolith that is American power and had retired with presidential plaudits. On the eve of the invasion, he and 45 other senior officers of the CIA and other intelligence agencies wrote to President George W. Bush that the “drumbeat for war” was based not on intelligence, but lies. “It was 95 per cent charade,” McGovern told me. “How did they get away with it?” “The press allowed the crazies to get away with it.” “Who are the crazies?” “The people running the [Bush] administration have a set of beliefs a lot like those expressed in Mein Kampf … these are the same people who were referred to in the circles in…more
Freedom March: My Advise to Netanyahu
Palestine Chronicle: 26 Feb 2011 – By Uri Avnery ‘Why don’t the masses stream to the square here, too, and throw Bibi out?’ my taxi driver exclaimed when we were passing Rabin Square. The wide expanse was almost empty, with only a few mothers and their children enjoying the mild winter sun. The masses will not stream to the square, and Binyamin Netanyahu can be thrown out only through the ballot box. If this does not happen, Israelis can blame nobody but themselves. If the Israeli Left is unable to bring together a serious political force, which can put Israel on the road to peace and social justice, it has only itself to blame. We have no bloodthirsty dictator whom we can hold responsible. No crazy tyrant will order his air force to bomb us if we demand his ouster. Once there was a story making the rounds: Ariel Sharon — then still a general in…more
Institutionalized Arab Inequality in Israel
Palestine Chronicle: 26 Feb 2011 – By Stephen Lendman In December 2010, the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel published a study titled, Inequality Report: The Palestinian Arab Minority in Israel, saying: Affecting Jews as well, it takes many forms, including: — privileged v. deprived groups; — Western Jews (Ashkenzim) v. Eastern ones (Mizrakhim); — men v. women; — Israeli-born Jews (Sabar) v. immigrant ones (Olim); — Orthodox v. secular Jews; — urban v. rural ones; — progressive v. hardline extremists; — gay v. straight, and so forth. Mostly, it represents majority Jews against minority (largely Muslim) Israeli Arabs, indigenous people living in their historic homeland, comprising 20% of the population or about 1.2 million people, excluding East Jerusalem and Golan. Under international law, they’re considered a national, ethnic, linguistic and religious minority, but not under Israel’s Basic Laws. As a result, they face “compound discrimination” as non-Jews, as well as for belonging…more
What Really Happened In Gaza? — Book Review
Palestine Chronicle: 26 Feb 2011 – By Ira Glunts (The Goldstone Report: The Legacy Of The Landmark Investigation Of The Gaza Conflict edited by Adam Horowitz, Lizzy Ratner, and Philip Weiss; foreword by Desmond Tutu, introduction by Naomi Klein, Nation Books, 2011. 449 pp., $18.95. paperback.) The Israeli attack on Gaza in December 2008/January 2009 and the subsequent investigation and unequivocal condemnation by a United Nations team led by Judge Richard Goldstone of Israeli conduct before and during what the Jewish State calls “Operation Cast Lead,” have radically altered the way many view Israel’s brutal occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people. Gaza and Goldstone have also caused many to question the 18 year-old US-sponsored Israeli/Palestinian “peace-process” which never produces any positive results. Here in Central New York, some local activists in the Syracuse Peace Council started the group Central New York Working For A Just Peace In Palestine & Israel as a direct result of…more
Greek PM: Zionism and the IMF’s Last Best Friend
Dissident Voice: 26 Feb 2011 – In the midst of the Arab uprisings throughout the Middle East, at a time when even the European (EU) has publically condemned Israel’s blockade of Gaza and its illegal land seizures in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou promised a visiting delegation of American Jewish leaders, that he would do everything possible to undermine EU opposition and promote Israeli economic, diplomatic and political interests in Europe. US Zionists, recently returned from a visit to Athens described Papandreou as by far the most amenable (‘servile’) European leader they have met in recent memory. Papandreou’s slavish submission to Israeli interests includes his promise, to a delegation of U.S. zionist notables, to use his influence to pressure the new Egyptian military junta to continue to uphold the Mubarak agreements with Israel. 1 These include the continued blockade of Gaza and support of Israel’s military assaults on Lebanon, Syria…more
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The New Dark Age 
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